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ISSN 0266 - 44 88 Vol. XXV N0. 3 MARCH 2005
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CONTENTS
A fraught ceasefire O3 NeWS Review 04 Violence in the east 09 Ceasefire Anniversary 10 Cross Currents 15 Make the possible real 18 Refugee babies 20 Rebuilding after tsunami 21 People and Politics 23 LTTE's airforce 26 Focus on Rights 27 Post-tsunami relief 28 NeWS Track 30 Classified 38
COVER:
Former US Presidents Bill Clinton and George Bush visiting Sri Lanka as part of a tour of tsunami-hit South Asian Countries.
A
THERE are thOS the 34-month-old that the peace talk of six months was See the enormous Northeast, have e been such a long since 1983. If pas! and the war had killed, tens of thou the Northeast wOt factor alone - the displacement of t properties - demor and therefore Com
It ShOuld be nOti anyone from their One of them, was to the joint statem participants on b experience of goir
Though the cea the peace talks to March 2003 - unti the Ceasefire has ( formally engaged
BeSideS the tem WOuld have reac Suspension in Apr why the parties or armed hostilities O they considered th to their interests reason, it remains disagreement bet the resumption of destructive or any will be compellec Government nort and people into a
Both parties pro profess to be eag only on the agend be only on the ba: the table for disc says that if some Controversial, the negotiating table. for the setting up that talkS On the Settlement. Wher her willingness to only the phrase ". the parties had a
The gap in the be said that it is S process of give terrible conseque Option in the pres
| -
 

TAM TIMES 3
fraught ceasefire
who glibly say that nothing has been achieved during easefire. Worse still, there are still others who assert between the Government and the LTTE over a period a waste of time. Only Congenital war-mongers cannot benefit that the people, more so those of the war-torn (perienced during these 34 months. There has never period of respite for the people from the horrors war experience is to go by, if there had been no ceasefire ontinued, literally thousands more would have been sands of more people would have been displaced and ld have seen more devastation and destruction. This
saving of thousands of lives, the avoidance of the ens of thousands of people and the destruction of strates that the ceasefire has been positively beneficial oletely justified.
2d that when the talks were ongoing, neither party nor jelegations ever said that the six rounds of talks, or any a waste of time. The parties subscribed their signatures ents issued at the end each round of talks. In fact the oth sides appeared to be happy and enjoying the g from one capital to another each month.
sefire had lasted over 34 months from February 2002, ook place only during 7 months - September 2002 to
April 2003 when the LTTE pulled out. And that means ontinued for 21 more months when the parties were not in peace talks.
ptation to speculate as to what progress the peace talks :hed had they continued up to now without their il 2003, one is also tempted to raise the question as to either of them did not break the Ceasefire and resume nce the talks were interrupted. The reason must be that at the Continuation of the Ceasefire was more beneficial than to engage in a destructive war. If that was the still valid and eminently sensible. The fact the there is Neen the Government and the LTTE on the agenda for peace talks would not make resumption of war any less less inimical to the interest of the ordinary people who to bear the brunt of the horrors of war. Neither the he LTTE can claim the moral right to plunge the Country nother bout of destructive bloodletting.
fess commitment to maintain the ceasefire. Both parties er for peace talks to resume. The bone of Contention is a. The LTTE wants that any resumed peace talks should is of the ISGA. That is to say that the Only document on ussion should be its SGA proposal. The LTTE leader elements of their proposals are deemed problematic or se issues can be resolved through discussions at the The Government has recognised and accepted the need fan interim authority for the Northeast and first insisted |SGA must be linked to negotiations for a permanent the LTTE rejected this condition the President signalled begin talks on the LTTE's ISGA proposal alone, adding lithin a united Sri Lanka", a phrase borrowed from what reed to in OSlo in DeCember 2002.
Oositions of the two parties is recognised, but it cannot ) wide as to be unnameable to a Compromise through a nd take. Nor can it justify a return to war with all the nces it entails. Returning to war is not an inevitable ent CirCum StanCeS.

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O EU's position on Sri Lanka spelt out Mar 8 - The European Union's Commissioner for External Relations, Ms. Bnita Ferrero-Waldner, who
was on a two-day visit to Sri Lanka, said that the LTTE should renounce violence, respect the Oslo declaration to find a federal solution within a united Sri Lanka.
Addressing a news conference in Colombo on 8 March, Ms. Benita Ferrero-Waldner sent out the following message to the LTTE on behalf of the European Union: renounce violence; respect the Ceasefire Agreement of February 2002; restate their commitment to the principles stated in Oslo Declaration of December 2002 to find a federal solution within a united Sri Lanka; stop recruitment of child soldiers; and give breathing space in the North and East to political parties and people who have a differing opinion.
The European Commissioner also called for the speedy establishment of a joint mechanism between the Sri Lankan government and the LTTE to distribute Tsunami aid. She emphasized that the joint mechanism was an "urgent need'.
The LTTE leadership skipped a previously arranged meeting with the European Commissioner for External Relations Ms Benita Ferrero-Waldner who was on a visit to Sri Lanka where she had extensive discussions with Government leaders. The LTTE had cancelled the meeting scheduled to take place at their Peace Secretariatin Kilinochchion 8 March claiming that their leader Velupillai Prabhakaran had been indisposed, reports from Colombo said. Addressing the press at the end of her busy two-day visit to the island, Ferrero-Waldner said, “The visit wasn't possible due to practical reasons.”
Referring to the cancellation of the meeting with the LTTE, the European Commissioner said, "I made clear my readiness to meet the LTTE leadership, but for logistical reasons this has not been possible on this occasion.'
In a wide-ranging address to Journalists in Colombo Ms. Benita Ferrero-Waldner spelt out the European Union's position both in regard to the post-tsunami aid and the Norwegian facilitated peace process which remains stalled at present. The following are the highlights of the European Commissioners address:
“It is good to be back in Sri Lanka! I have a long association with the country: in my former job as Austrian Foreign Minister, I helped facilitate a dialogue with civil society actors here on the peace process.
During this trip I have had the opportunity to meet senior members of your government, and other parties to the peace process. I have seen at first hand the terrible devastation caused by the tsunami last December, and I have been able to finalise plans for a Commission reconstruction package worth €100 million. It has been an important visit - and, I hope the results of this trip will bring real benefits for the citizens of this country.”
“I regard the EU's relationship with Sri Lanka as an important one, for us, and for you. Why important? Many reasons, but to take just two examples: Thousands of people of Sri Lankan origin live in Europe and thousands of Europeans enjoy every year visiting your beautiful country; one quarter of Sri Lanka's exports go to the EU, and half your imports come from us.

MARCH 2005
I think we need to take our contact with you up a gear, and that is why I am proposing to upgrade the European Commission representation in Colombo to a full Delegation. This is not just a diplomatic nicety: it will really help us build stronger ties with Sri Lanka.”
"One prime focus of my visit has been the tsunami - and my determination to demonstrate that Europe will not forget Sri Lanka. The European Union (taking together the EU Member States and our contribution from the Union's own joint budget) is the biggest donor in the aftermath of the Tsunamiwith pledges worth €1.5 billion.
"The European Commission was very quick to react to the disaster. Our first humanitarian aid was on its way on the very day the tsunami struck. ECHO, our Humanitarian Office, is deploying €31 million in Sri Lanka alone.”
"Today I have travelled to some of the worst affected areas. What I have seen today is shocking, devastating — certainly unforgettable. I promise you, we will still be here to help rebuild the country long after the foreign TV crews have left, and no matter what new disasters may strike in other parts of the world
"On top of 100 million euro in humanitarian aid, the European Commissionis programminga C350 million package of reconstruction aid for the region. I have proposed to allocate some €100 million of this to Sri Lanka.'
"It is essential that aid is able to flow to those who need it most, wherever they are in the country. Our aid is blind to political divisions and ethnic or religious differences. The important thing is that Sri Lankans who have lost everything are given the help they so badly need. As I have already said to you, my central concern is that aid reaches those in greatest need. It is important that the distribution of aid is based on where it will be of most use, and not on any political consideration.
"I understand that negotiations are taking place to find a way to do this, and I hope that those talks will have a successful outcome. Such arrangements will be an important element in ensuring aid money reaches all those areas that need it. Without such a mechanism, it will be difficult to ensure that international aid flows as wish we it to do, that is to say, fairly. I urge all the parties of the government coalition, the opposition, as well as the LTTE to support work for such a mechanism. This is too important to risk failure. And, it needs to be done quickly. "The International Community is counting on all parties to show the wisdom, and vision, and leadership, to bring the current negotiations to a successful conclusion.
But of course, the other main focus of my trip was because of the European Union involvement in the peace process. We in Europe have a lot of experience of trying to rebuild peace after years, you could say, centuries of conflict. Making peace takes patience, courage, and a willingness on both sides to compromise.
"We support all those who are working sincerely to find a political solution. Violence will never provide the answers, nor lead to a better life for the people of this island.
I asked the Government and representatives of other political parties I met to take a decisive step in favour of peace. It is time for those in positions of leadership to "go the extra

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mile'. These contacts were in my role as part of the Co-chair structure put in place after the Tokyo Conference, and designed to support to Norway's excellent work. The EU is 100% behind the work of the Norwegian Facilitator. It is important that his work is respected and supported by all parties.
"Recent violent incidents have marred the Ceasefire. Both parties need to do all in their power to halt such actions and bring all culprits, no matter what their affiliation, to justice. The country has experienced real benefits since the Ceasefire; these must not be lost.
"I made clear my readiness to meet the LTTE leadership, but for logistical reasons this has not been possible on this occasion. The messages I would have passed, are the following. The LTTE muSti:
* renounce violence; * respect the Ceasefire Agreement of February 2002; * restate their commitment to the principles stated in Oslo Declaration of December 2002 to find a federal solution within a united Sri Lanka; * stop recruitment of child soldiers; * give breathing space in the North and East to political parties and people who have a differing opinion. "It is crucial that no one underestimates the clear wish of the international community to see an outcome that respects Sri Lanka's integrity as a single state. That is, a one that gives self-determination to the Tamils, through a federal solution within a united Sri Lanka.
“We are with you for the long haul, but the Sri Lanka we want to support will be a united Sri Lanka that chooses peace and puts the long term well-being of its people above all other considerations.”
O Threat ceasefire,
warn truce monitors Mar 8 - The Norwegian-headed Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) that oversees compliance with the ceasefire between the Government and the LTTE has warned that it "perceives the recent killings in the eastern parts of the country as a direct threat to the CFA and the Peace Process' adding that the “SLMM monitors are currently making inquires into all the incidents. However, it is important to underline that the SLMM is tasked to monitor and assist the parties in implementing the Ceasefire Agreement. SLMM is not here to conduct police investigations."
In the background of escalating violence involving killings and counter-killings between the Tamil Tigers and loyalists of the LTTE's former eastern commander Karuna, and also recent violent incidents in northern Jaffna, the SLMM issued the following press release:
“SLMM perceives the recent killings in the eastern parts of the country as a direct threat to the CFA and the Peace Process, and we condemn these barbaric and cowardly acts in the strongest possible terms. The violence has raised serious fears and created uncertainty, not only in the East, but also in the whole of Sri Lanka, and is preventing Sri Lankans from living a peaceful life.
SLMM monitors are currently making inquires into all the incidents. However, it is important to underline that the SLMM is tasked to monitor and assist the parties in implementing the Ceasefire Agreement. SLMM is not here to conduct police investigations. Such work falls outside our mandate, which is spelled out in the CFA. We, thus, encourage and sincerely hope

TAMIL TIMES 5
that the Police will be able to shed light and bring the perpetrators to justice.
We urge the Government of Sri Lanka and the LTTE, not to let theses acts of violence damage the Ceasefire Agreement. We strongly recommend that both sides in an effort to do all in their power to prevent theses senseless attacks. SLMM will continue to do everything possible to assist the two parties to stop these atrocious and violent attacks."
O JVP demands removal of WB Chief Mar 7 - The junior partner the governing coalition, JVP has called on the World Bank to remove its representative in Sri Lanka if he did not withdraw his statement given to a newspaper indicating that Rs. 6 billion of the tsunami aid for uncleared areas would be disbursed by state agencies in consultation with the LTTE and for describing the areas controlled by the LTTE in the northeast of the island as an "unofficial state'.
World Bank Country Director Peter Harrold is entangled in a dispute over a statement attributed to him in the Sunday Times (6 March). Under a bannerheadline, "WB giving Rs. 6b. for Tiger areas" the report said that the World Bank would channel six billion rupees through State agencies for the rebuilding of houses in LTTE-controlled areas but will consult the LTTE on the disbursement of funds, quoting Mr Harrold. Further quoting the World Bank Country Chief in Colombo, the Sunday Times report said that the projects were for tsunami victims and those displaced in the two decades of war, and that the WB was considering the LTTE as a key stakeholder. "I have often been roasted by sections of the media and the Patriotic National Movement because they considered our consultation with the LTTE inappropriate. Given the fact that there is an officially recognized LTTE-controlled area, a kind of unofficial state, and since it is a party to the ceasefire agreement with the Government, the LTTE has the status of a legitimate stakeholder.”.
The report further quoted Mr. Harrold as saying that "it would be naive for anybody, including the Government, to think that they could successfully carry out operations in the North and East without having a dialogue with the LTTE or without bringing it in as a stakeholder. The World Bank grant to the LTTE-controlled area is part of an overall aid package to Sri Lanka for the tsunami-affected and internally displaced people. The overall aid will be about 22.5 billion rupees which will be partly a grant and partly a loan on soft terms."
"If you accept the basic rationale as to why the World Bank is around - to alleviate poverty - you will have to accept that we will work in these areas where the largest numbers of poor exist. And if we are going to work in the North and East, then it is only right and proper to talk to the LTTE and engaging with it can only be good for the peace process in Sri Lanka.' the World Bank Country Director said.
The JVP, which stridently opposes any official recognition to the LTTE, charged that WB's country chief had overstepped his boundaries by making the controversial statement which threatened the sovereignty of the country. “The World Bank representative in any country should not make controversial public statements on internal political matters. He is not entitled to act or say anything that would jeopardise or challenge the country's sovereignty,' the JVP politburo said in a statement on 7 March.
It questioned on what basis Mr. Harrold had said that the

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LTTE had an unofficial state and queried as to how one could identify areas in the North and East as a separate state just because an armed terrorist group held those areas by force through killings.
It also said Mr. Harrold had no right to say anything that would challenge the sovereignty of the country. "Neither the World Bank nor any other foreign institution has a right to hold direct talks or directly assist financially an internationally recognised terrorist group on development or any other issues,” the JVP statement said.
The JVP statement further said: “we vehemently oppose the statement of Peter Harold, the representative of the World Bank, and demand that the relevant statement, which undermines sovereignty of Sri Lanka and challenges the authority of the state, be withdrawn immediately. If not we demand that the heads of the World Bank to take steps to withdraw their representative immediately."
Caught up in the midst of a controversy, Mr. Harrold issued a statement which said that he had never used the phrase “unofficial state' and that he was "misquoted.” The World Bank, he asserted, did not recognise the LTTE-held areas as an unofficial state.
"A careful review of a recording of the interview shows that what I said was that "given that there is such a thing as the LTTE-controlled area - that's an official statement, an offcially recognised part of the country is the LTTE-controlled area'. There is an enormous difference between recognising the LTTE's role in this process (which we and the Government do) and recognising an unofficial state, which we do not,' Mr. Harrold said.
O Senior LTTE political official shot A senior political official and two of her colleagues were shot and seriously wounded around 6 pm Monday, 28 February, near Akkaraipattu in Batticaloa by gunmen suspected to be from the Karuna faction. Ms. Kuveni, head of LTTE's political division (women) for Batticaloa-Amparai was travelling in a auto rickshaw with two of her colleagues, deputy women's political wing leader M. Sasimathy and an Tiger cadre named as Ahilla in Thambattai, about six kilometres south of Akkaraipattu when gunmen riding a motorbike opened fire on them, according to LTTE sources. They alleged that this "could not have happened without the knowledge of the Sri Lankan armed forces in that area'.
The three were rushed to Kalmunai hospital. Ms. Kuveni's injured colleagues, both from LTTE's women wing, are Akanila and Sasimathy, LTTE sources said. The three wounded women were at Kalmunai Base Government Hospital, Batticaloa.
SLMM spokesperson Helen Olafsdottir told the media that a man on a motorcycle had stopped the three-wheeler the three women were travelling in and indicated it to stop. He had thereafter fired six shots, two at each of them from behind leaving one in a critical condition and two others injured, she said. The LTTE Peace Secretariat in Kilinochchi had contacted SLMM Head of Mission Hagrup Haukland on the incident. “We are taking this very seriously," Ms. Olafsdottir said.
: Mar 1 - LTTE said the three wounded female LTTE cadres who were shot and injured were flown from Kalmunai base hospital in the east by the Sri Lanka airforce to Colombo on 1

MARCH 2005
March for further treatment. It is learnt that the LTTE leadership wanted their injured cadres transferred both for medical and security reasons.
The government had deployed police to prevent any antiLTTE elements from infiltrating a leading private hospital in Colombo, where the wounded three female LTTE cadres, including Kuveni, had been warded. "We aren't taking chances,” a security official said, adding they were the first Vanni faction cadres airlifted to Colombo after being wounded in an ambush in the east.
The Airforce deployed a Chinese-built Y 12 to airlift them to Ratmalana from Ampara after which they were taken overland to the Indian-owned Apollo hospital. A US-built Bell 212 brought the remaining cadre, a military official said. The helicopter carrying the LTTE cadre had landed on the roof-top of the hospital believed to be the only medical facility with a roof. top helipad.
In the meantime, Mr. S.P..Thamilchelvan, head of LTTE's political division, in a message conveyed to the Norwegian government through its ambassador in Colombo, said, "The continuing killing and shooting of our senior political leaders is a very serious and disturbing matter.” Mr. Puleedevan, secretary general of the LTTE peace secretariat said, "The killing of Mr. Kousalyan and the attack on Ms. Kuveni, both senior political leaders of the LTTE, since the Tsunami is casting a dark shadow over the peace process.”
Commandant of the Police Special Task Force, DIGNimal Lewke on March 1 categorically denied any involvement by the STF in any form in the Akkaraipattu shooting incident or any other incident in which LTTE cadres were attacked.
DIG Lewke said "the area, Tambiluwil is a predominantly Tamil area and the nearest STF base is located approximately seven kilometres away at Tirukkovil,” and the attack on three LTTE female cadres had been carried out in the LTTE-held
afՇal,
The military dismissed claims made in a LTTE website that a person named Parthipan who allegedly involved in this attack had been arrested by STF police. An army officer said that a man identified as Johnson Jeyakanthan alias Pratheepan. of Periya Kallar, Kalavanchikudi, surrendered to the STF claiming that the LTTE was gunning for him accusing him of being the gunman responsible for the attack on the three wheeler carrying Kuveni and her colleagues. He had surrendered at the Carmel Fatima College Tsunami refugee camp in the Kalmunai town. Jeyakanthan had told the STF that he had belonged to the LTTE and that he quit the organization in 1997. Thereafter he had been abroad for over a year and had returned on February 22
DIG Nimal Lewke also said that the Karuna Group, that has risen to challenge the LTTE, was enjoying a great deal of sympathy and support within the Tamil community of the area and had become a force to be reckoned with, a fact that the LTTE was not prepared to accept.
"The LTTE has hurriedly tried to make amends and to conceal their weakness by making baseless allegations, due to the fear of exposing their predicament that the Karuna Group has become a formidable opponent", DIG Lewke said.
He also said that the LTTE had lost its popular support bases and this was having a deleterious effect on their cadres. It

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sends a clear message of the weakness of the LTTE and it was no surprise that the LTTE was resorting to the issuing of statements with distorted, baseless and malicious allegations. DIG Lewke said, "The STF has always acted with impartiality, with lot of restraint and has responded strongly to situations to keep the peace process alive."
O Muslims must be resettled
and compensated
Sri Lanka Muslim Congress leader Rauff Hakeem has insisted that the thousands of Muslims evicted from the North by the LTTE in 1990 should be conferred with their rightful respect, and dignity, and due compensation should be paid all these victims who are still housed in refugee camps.
Addressing the SLMC Jaffna District Convention, held at the Puttalam Town Hall on February 26, the SLMC leader stressed that the Northern Muslims should be resettled in their original land, where their homes once stood. He emphasised the government and the LTTE held the responsibility of ensuring that the Muslims were given their rightful place. "The SLMC which is the main Muslim party of Sri Lanka will work towards realising this task," he said.
Mr. Hakeem noted that only if the Muslim resettlement issue was carried out in the correct context would there be true meaning to the word "peace' in Sri Lanka. He also emphasised that even the Tamils' respectability would depend upon the Muslim resettlement issue. He recalled a statement made by the LTTE leadership soon after singing the ceasefire agreement, where at a news conference the Tiger leadership accepted that evicting the thousands of Muslims from the North was a major mistake by them and termed it as a "tragic event'.
Pointing to the party's decision not to join the Government, the SLMC leader said he did not wish to join with a government which did not respect the minority communities. "They even refused to recognise the participation of a separate Muslim delegation at peace talks," he said. "We are not a part of anti-peace elements and the Tamil leadership should recognise this as a pivotal point towards strengthening Tamil-Muslim relationship," he said. The Tamil community should give the due place to the Muslim community and only then the Tamil struggle would be considered as fully justifiable.
“We don't need to depend on Ministerial portfolios to win our community's rights and aspirations. During a meeting with the Tamil National Alliance, we told those MPs that the Sinhalese and Tamil leaderships can't decide on what place to give the Muslims in the tsunami joint mechanism structure. The Muslims will decide what place they should have and what component they should get," he said.
O Student's death sparks off riot
There was an outbreak of violence leading to a riot following an accident in which a school girl died after being knocked down by a Sri Lanka army tractor on 4 March, Friday morning. The twelve year old schoolgirl Nagendiram Dushika was crossing Hospital Road in Jaffna town when she was hit be a passing military vehicle. She was pronounced dead upon admission to the Jaffna hospital. Dushika from Manipay in Jaffna was a grade 7 student at Vembady Girls' School in Jaffna town.
The tractor driver was arrested immediately after the incident and remanded.

TAMIL TIMES 7
Tension mounted following the incident. Hundreds of students and teachers from Vembady Girls' School blocked traffic in protest following the accident. A group of civilians in the neighbourhood who joined the students' protest attempted to set fire to a Sri Lanka Air Force vehicle. Shops closed as SLA deployed hundreds of additional troops in the tense town around noon. Around 1.45 p.m. a group of protestors set fire to a Sri Lanka army sentry point at Catapult Junction in Kandar Madam, near Jaffna University. Six bunkers of the security forces came under the attack by the protesters. A spokesman for the military is quoted in a report as saying that the Tigers were behind this organised rioting. Some students and adults reportedly went on the rampage setting fire to a Sri Lanka Freedom Party office at Vembady junction and burning tyres on the roads.
In the afternoon, one civilian was killed near Parameswara Junction and another wounded near Kottadi Junction, in Jaffna town. when Sri Lanka army opened fire on protesting university students and civilians who turned violent near the Jaffna University pelting stones and bricks at the police and security force personnel. The man who was shot dead by troops near Jaffna University was identified as Mr. M. Kathirgamu, 65.
The rioting crowd set fire to six military points and smashed up President Chandrika Kumaratunga's Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) office. A large number of Sri Lanka army troops were deployed around the Jaffna University in Thinnevely, near Jaffna town.
During the ensuing clash between the protesters numbering several hundreds and the troops a journalist working for the state run Lake House Newspapers received blows. The rioters blocked all roads leading to Jaffna town by obstructing the opening of the roads with burning tyres and logs and paralysed the normal life in Jaffna; crowds pelted stones, threw petrol bombs, burnt bunkers and attempted to set fire to an Air Force jeep, and therefore the police were compelled to intervene to quell the riot.
All roads leading to Jaffna were blocked by rioters with burning tires and logs. The northern town was deserted. Hundreds of SLA troops and riot Police patrolled its empty streets. The LTTE attributed the outbreak of violence to the "spontaneous reaction' of the public and students to the death of the school girl.
At an emergency meeting held on 5 March in Jaffna, LTTE's Jaffna political wing leader Ilamparithy denied that the Tigers were involved in organising the violence and inciting the protesters. He told security forces and ceasefire monitors that it was the students and civilians who created the disturbances. The LTTE had pointed out that this was not the first time that crowds had become unruly following an accident.
It has been reported that President Kumaratunga is to give Rs. 500,000 as compensation to the parents of the 13 year old student who died in the accident.
It has also been reported that Army Officers and other ranks, based in Jaffna swept into action minutes after the tragedy and raised a sum of Rs. 100,000 as an immediate measure of relief and consolation to the bereaved family.
O Increased US assistance
Mar 4 - Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for South Asia Donald Camp testifying before the United States Senate's Foreign Relations Committee, presenting the Bush administration's request for foreign assistance funding for South

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Asia in fiscal year 2006, which commences in October this year, said that “the increased Foreign Military Fund (FMF) funding will be used to help Sri Lanka's navy meet threats posed by national and regional terrorist groups, and will help to reform and upgrade its military.'
Donald Camp said this to the powerful Senate Committee which authorizes foreign assistance to other countries while noting that the United States and other donors encourage a resumption of talks (between the Government of Sri Lanka and Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam), the U.S. continue to provide a package of assistance programs aimed at providing a boost to reconstruction and reconciliation in war-torn (northern and eastern) areas.
As a U.S. State Department Foreign Service Officer who served in Sri Lanka for several years and subsequently handled south Asian issues in the Department, Donald Camp is considered an authority on Sri Lankan scene whose expertise is sought by the South Asia Bureau to which he is now attached to shape policy decisions on Sri Lanka. In regard to US assistance to Sri Lanka following the tsunami disaster and the peace process, he told the Senate Committee, "The United States has been in the forefront of the effort to assist Sri Lankan recovery efforts (since the tsunami disaster) and will remain engaged as we transition into meeting the country's enormous reconstruction needs. Other important long-term concerns remain, however. First among them is resolving the conflict between the government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam. Despite the largely successful ceasefire begun in 2003, peace negotiations between
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MARCH 2005
the two sides have not been restarted. The necessity for cooperation between the two sides on tsunami relief may help establish a higher level of trust helpful to the peace process."
"The United States continues to support Norway's facilitation of a peace settlement and remains prepared, along with other donors, to help Sri Lanka address urgent post-conflict reconstruction needs. The goal of peaceful reconciliation will also need to help guide our post-tsunami reconstruction assistance. As we and other donors encourage a resumption of talks, we continue to provide a package of assistance programs aimed at providing a boost to reconstruction and reconciliation in war-torn areas.'
O Clinton-Bush visit Feb 22 - Expressing hope on a joint mechanism for reconstruction of Sri Lanka's tsunami-shattered coastal areas, US ex-president Bill Clinton said that he was informed that the Liberation Tigers (LTTE) and the Sri Lanka Government were working together to create such a mechanism for tsunami relief. "My experience is, whether it is Middle East or Northern Ireland, whenever people work together on specific issues, it helps to resolve the differences,' media sources said Clinton as saying. The ex-US presidents met with and had discussions with Sri Lanka's President Chandrika Kumaratunga
Clinton who is also the United Nations’ Special Envoy for tsunami relief, noted that it was a positive sign that the 3 year long Ceasefire agreement was holding.
Responding to another question, Clinton said that they US Ex-presidents) were not on a political mission. A US embassy press release on Thursday said that the visit came at the request of current President Bush and was not connected to any role President Clinton might take up with the United Nations once he returns to the United States.
George HW Bush, talking to media, reminded that Sri Lanka is famous for tourism and said speedy efforts are needed to revive the tourism industry.
George HW Bush and Bill Clinton accompanied by Sri Lanka's Media Minister Mr. Mangala Samaraweera.visited several areas affected by the tsunami in the south of the island.
Tight security was provided by Sri Lankan military personnel belonging to Special Task Force (STF), Sri Lankan Navy (SLN), Sri Lanka Army (SLA), Sri Lankan Police, Sri Lankan Presidential Security and by US officers belonging to the US Secret Service. Some of the US Secret Service Agents were seen wearing Sri Lankan batik shirts.
Meanwhile, a media release issued by the Sri Lankan Presidential Secretariat said that the Sri Lankan President Chandrika Kumaratunga and her officials had sought trade concessions particularly in the apparel sector for the next two to three years. US assistance in easing Sri Lanka's debt service commitments was also discussed, the media release added.
Clinton said the political differences would be narrowed when they started working together as has been the case in Northern Ireland and other places. President Chandrika Kumaratunga who hosted former Presidents Clinton and George Bush senior for dinner had informed her guests that the government and the LTTE were trying to reach a working arrangement for tsunami aid distribution and reconstruction work in the North and East. O

Page 9
MARCH 2005
Violence esca
in Eastern Sri L.
Mar 5 - The crisis in the East is escalating almost daily with the LTTE and Karuna faction engaged in a killing spree in an apparent bid to gain Supremacy.
A member of the LTTE, "Maj. Pushparaj, was shot dead by supporters of the former LTTE special commander, V. Muralitharan, in the eastern Batticaloa district. Two LTTE cadres were injured in the attack. Supporters of the LTTE's former Special Commander, “Col.” Karuna, who led a rebellion a year ago, claimed responsibility for the killing.
Two houses were attacked with gunfire by unknown assailants killing six people while three more including a threeyear-old girl were injured in more violence reported on Saturday(5) night.
The victims were identified as Arachecal Selvarajah (25), Asoka Wijesooriya (48), Segu Lebbe Abdul Jabbar (42), Mohamadu Hanifa (32), Mohamudu Lebbe (33) and Asinam Lebbe (28) all of Konakulaweli.
Military spokesman Daya Ratnayaka said ten assailants had been involved in the attack. It is believed that the attack had been unleashed by the LTTE as one of the victims, Selvarajah was a member of PLOTE. The assailants had come searching for members ofthe Karuna faction.
Police sources said earlier there had been several killings by both the LTTE and the Karuna faction. The attackers had also destroyed several shops and boutiques in their search for Karuna loyalists. A joint STF and Army cordon and search operation has been launched in the area to defuse the tension.
On Saturday (5) at Eravur, Mailvaganam Pullendran (26), a Karuna loyalist was shot dead allegedly by an LTTE cadre at Kaluwankaran while riding his motorcycle. He had earlier been in the LTTE and had branched away with the Karuna faction. Police said he had been regularly threatened by the LTTE.
In Batticaloa, a PLOTE leader identified as Kandiah Ganeshalingam, 26, was shot at and seriously injured when he refused to follow LTTE orders to dismantle their PLOTE office. Mr. Ganeshalingam was shot by a gunman riding on
the pillion of a moto Bank Batticaloa bran office at 9.15am.
He was airlifted t cal treatment. The named the LTTE as ble for the attack in a Sri Lanka Monitorin Brig. Ratnayaka , pted between the Ka LTTEearly on Satur controlled area of Ki ing in the death c Pushparaja.
The military sp Pushparajah's body government-control hchenai.
The TamilNet we cident had taken pla tres from the Sri Lan camp and was alleg the army. However, volvement in the Ratnayaka said they at this allegation as t first instance the LT charges.
In the meantime ing Mission spokes dottir said they fe "might spiral out o' afraid there may be hartals,” she said, ac tion was "unaccepta on.'
According to r conducting a search up Karuna loyalist Polonnaruwa borde of200 cadres from mobilised for this pu reports. Reportedl LTTE's elite Speci headed by Sivakuma on a special assign establish electronics tor Karuna cadres.
Meanwhile to m sary of Karuna’s c LTTE on March 3, fi galan Master, Sinr Inniyabharathi and active in the east att
 

TAM TIMES 9
r cycle the People's ch close to the ICRC
o Colombo for mediPLOTE Said it had the group responsia complaint with the g Mission (SLMM). also said a clash eruruna faction and the day (5) in the LTTErimichchiya, resultof an LTTE cadre
okesman said that was brought to the led area of Valaic
bsite claimed the ince about six kilomeka Army Cadjuwatte edly carried out by the army denied inincident and Brig. were not surprised his had not been the TE had made such
Sri Lanka Monitorperson Helen Olafsared the situation f control.' "We are : demonstrations or lding that this situable” and “cannot go
eports the LTTE is
operation to round s in the Baticaloaareas. A contingent the Wanni has been urpose, according to y 25 cadres of the al Intelligence Unit ran alias Newton are ment in the East to urveillance to moni
ark the first anniverdefection from the ve units led by Manathamby, Markan, Pillaiyan have been empting to establish
Karuna's claim that his faction would soon gain superiority in the area.
Mar 6 - Six civilians were killed on Friday (5) night by suspected LTTE gunmen. The six civilians included four Muslims and one Tamil and Sinhalese each in Kolakanawadi, which comes under the Welikanda police division in the Polonnaruwa district. Several who were injured in the incident were currentlyundergoing treatment at the Polonnaruwa hospital.
TamilNet, a Web site backing the main Tamil Tiger group, alleged that the renegade Karuna faction was responsible for the killing of six of its supporters who had provided intelligence information about the breakaway group.
But the military dismissed this claim and its spokesman Brig. Daya Ratnayake said the six were murdered by 10 Tamil Tiger fighters armed with rifles who stormed Sevanapitiya village bordering the restive Batticaloa district. Ratnayake said four ethnic Muslims, one Tamil and a Sinhalese were killed in the attack, and that three other villagers were wounded. “They (the Tigers) could have suspected that these people were helping the Karuna faction,” Ratnayake said. "But we are still investigating to establish the real motive.ʼ
The Welikanda police are conducting investigations. Meanwhile, informed sources also revealed that there had been one survivor from the incident, who had gone into hiding but had later surrendered to the nearest police station, where he had revealed details about the incident.
Mar 7 - Another person identified as Mr. S. Pathmanathan was shot dead allegedly by LTTE gunmen in Aaraiyampathy, Batticaloa, on 6 March Sunday night around 11 pm. He had escaped an attempt on his life four months ago, according to the Police. The gunmen had taken him away from his home and shot him in Maavilangaimunai, on the outskirts of the village. Three empty rounds were found at the scene of the murder, Police said.
Mar 7–Another"paramilitary cadre" was gunned in the Eravur area, 14 kilometres north of Batticaloa, Monday night (7) around 9.15. The victim reportedly belonging to the Karuna faction and identified as Mr. Velautham Ilankeswaran, 25, was gunned down on Sinnathamby Road in Thalavaai, a suburb of Eravur town.
Mar 8 - A person waiting to board a bus to Colombo in front of Police head
(continued on next page)

Page 10
10 TAM TIMES
CEASEFIRE AGREEME
The Third Annive
The third anniversary of the Ceasefire Agreement has come and gone with no sign that the peace process will be resurrected soon or for that matter in the foreseeable future. While both parties to the agreement have assured that they are committed to the ceasefire, the weeks that preceded and followed the anniversary have witnessed an escalation of violent incidents, particularly in the east of the island where daily killings have become a matter of routine.
Mr. Erik Solheim, the Norwegian Special Peace Envoy who must have visited the island more times than any other foreign diplomat, arrived in Sri Lanka on 21 February to participate in celebrations of the third anniversary of the ceasefire in Colombo and to have discussions with government and LTTE leaders. The LTTE and the Government of Sri Lanka (GOSL) signed the Oslo-facilitated Ceasefire Agreement (CFA) 3 years ago, on 22 Feb. 2002. Solheim was expected stay in Sri Lanka till the end of February.
On the following day, Erik Solheim and Norwegian Ambassador in Co
lombo, Mr. Hans E Kilinochchi where th become firmly entre LTTE leaders. Tho have the opportuni LTTE leader V Pira and had discussions Political Divisio Thamilchelvan, Mr.P Tamil Eelam Police a Secretary General of secretariat.
Colombo’s “cov
It would appeart between the Norweg LTTE did not reflec feeling from the LTT of the third anniver fire. On the contrar report date lined 22 Tamil Net website, M speaking to the pri charged the Governm ;covert war' against Sri Lankan military paramilitaries to way the Liberation Tiger This covert war sh
(continued from page 9) quarters office in Batticaloa town was shot dead by "unidentified gunmen around 5.10 am Tuesday (8). The victim identified as Mr. Alakaiah Kirubeswaran, 36, was reportedly a former LTTE member identified as T. Tirubasewaran (36) Batticaloa headquarters inspector Duncan Paul said Mr. Tirubasewaran had been threatened earlier and was trying to flee to Germany when two gunmen came on a motorbike and killed him.
In Valachchenai Sivarasan Ravindran, also believed to be a supporter of the Karuna faction, was shot dead allegedly by LTTE cadres. Valachchenai Inspector M. K. Daramawardene said Mr. Ravindran, a businessman, was going to the bank when he was shot dead.
Mar 8 - LTTE gunmen killed an EPDP member, identified as Sathacharalingam Amaladas, at Arayampati, near Kattankudy on Sunday night (7), while he was on his way to meet a friend. He was the Batticaloa correspondent for
a Tamil Newspaper,
Mar 9 - A Musl driver who was abdu 8) evening by "unide the in the general ar north of Batticaloa, w on the morning, Arm Daya Ratnayaka sai Tamil Tigers for the ing. The driver was ab poston the Valaichena the State Cashew Pla by the SLA. Three per the autorickshaw esc Valaichenai Police wl Lanka Monitoring Mi The driver, Mr. Abdu 31, was residents of O lim town, north of B sengers too are from
A LTTE spokesm nying the allegation b ing that this killing h to create enmity betw the Muslim commun

ANT rsary
rattskar, went to : Tamil Tigers have |ched to meet with ugh they did not y of meeting the baharan, they met with the Head of n, Mr. S. P. .Nadesan, Head of nd Mr. Pulidevan, the LTTE's peace
ert war'? hatthediscussions ian envoy and the it any celebratory E side on account sary of the ceasey, according to a February in the fr. Thamilchelvan ess after meeting hent with waging a the Tigers. "The has formed new ge a covert war on 's and our people. ould be stopped
im auto rickshaw cted Tuesday(Mar ntified' gunmen in ea of Kadjuwatte, as found shot dead y spokesman Brig. d. He blamed the bduction and killducted at 2nd mile -Vaakarai road near ntation garrisoned sons who had hired aped and informed o informed the Sri ssion in Batticaloa. il Hameed Rahim, ddamavadi, a Musatticaloa. The pasthe town.
an is quoted as dey the army and sayld been carried out een the LTTE and
ty.
MARCH 2005
immediately. We pointed out during the discussion that the ceasefire and peace would fall apart if this covert war against us continues," is reported to have said.
Directly accusing the Sri Lankan armed forces of being responsible for the murder Kousalyan and four others in his team (though the Karuna faction had already claimed responsibility for it), he told the press that the "CFA has been pushed to a critical point." He accused the Government of reneging from its commitment in the CFA “disarm paramilitaries and withdraw them from our homeland.'
However one positive note came from the LTTE's political leader's comments and that was they were committed to maintaining the ceasefire. He said, "The Liberation Tigers are exercising maximum restraint in the face of grave provocations. Our leadership is determined to remain fully committed to peace initiatives with whatever international support we may get. Our leadership is resolute to act in the interests of peace with extreme patience despite the murders, CFA violations and instigations. However, the limits of our patience are being tested. There are clearly premeditated attempts to break our will to remain committed to the cease fire. On this day there is a window of clear opportunity to take the cease fire agreement seriously and resolve the crisis.'
Govt ready for talks
To mark the anniversary, the Government issued a statement which said “Today, 23rd February 2005, marks the third anniversary of the entry into force of the Ceasefire between the GOSL and the LTTE. The Government "expressed satisfaction as the Ceasefire agreement entered between Government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam marked the third anniversary and reiterated its strong commitment "towards the implementation of the CFA in letter and spirit.'
The Government's press release added, “While expressing satisfaction that the continued absence of full scale conflict has saved many valuable lives and prevented widespread destruction, the GOSL regrets that despite all its efforts, a positive atmosphere for negotiating a lasting solution has still not been created. For its part, the GOSL reiterates its strong commitment to

Page 11
MARCH 2005
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wards the implementation of the CFA in letter and Spirit. Saying that it was ready for talks with the LTTE for the establishment of an interim authority to meet the urgent humanitarian needs of the people of the North and East of the country.”
It also said that Government “continues to be ready to reopen direct negotiations with the LTTE on the establishment of an interim authority to meet the urgent humanitarian and development needs of the people of the North and East and to proceed thereafter to negotiating a final settlement of the ethnic conflict.”
The United National Party (UNP) and Opposition Leader, Ranil Wickramasinghe, who co-signed the Ceasefire Agreement on 22 February 2002 when he was Prime Minister, said in a statement on 22 February, “Parties with vested interest would like to go back to war. But the reality is, this country cannot face another war. We will all be destroyed by the fight," adding that the Agreement, which is entering into the fourth year, was "under threat' and called for unity to safeguard
the ceasefire agree a lasting peace in S Wickramasingł January 2004, eve recommence peace standstill situation But unfortunately, yet to resume pe. point we left. Ins Agreement and the threat. Parties w would like to go b reality is, this coul other war. We will the fight.
Therefore, let's guard the Ceasefir achieve lasting peac acceptable to all c thankeveryone wl has helped to saf and to take forwar cal solution accep specially thank the ment, the Indiang nese government, t ment, the Europe Secretary General tions, Mr. Koffi A
 

TAMIL TIMES 11
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ment and to achieve ri Lanka. he further said, "In rything was set to talks breaking the it was experiencing. the government is ace talks from the tead, the Ceasefire ceasefire are under ith vested interest ack to war. But the htry cannot face anall be destroyed by
get together to safee Agreement, and to :e in united Sri Lanka ommunities. I must no in their own way guard the ceasefire d the idea of polititable to all. I must Norwegian governovernment, the Japahe American governun Commission, the
of the United NaAnnan and all other
countries and international organizations that have helped us to sustain the ceasefire and are now urging us to find a final solution. Let us commit ourselves to a long lasting peace based on a political solution acceptable to all communities where we can all live within a united Sri Lanka.”
Monitoring Mission
The Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) that oversees the ceasefire agreement cautioned that the prolonging stalemate in the peace talks causes serious strain on the very existence of the ceasefire, in a press release issued on 22 February coinciding with the third anniversary.
Mr. Hagrup Haukland, head of the SLMM said in a statement, "Lack of peace talks is putting a serious strain on the Cease Fire and creating dangerous uncertainty. The two Parties will inevitably have to return to the negotiating table. SLMM will do its utmost to assist both sides in upholding the CFA by continuing our work and confidence building measures.'
Confirming, "as a matter of fact,

Page 12
12 TAM TITMES
that there have been no clashes between the Parties, military forces after the signing of the CFA', Mr Haukland said, "I would like to use this opportunity to commend the Sri Lanka Government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam for their willingness to act with restraint in situations that could have escalated.”
The SLMM statement further said, "Assassinations and killings are, however, still jeopardising the CFA. I strongly condemn these horrible acts, as they undermine and pose a serious threat to the peace process. They have without a doubt poisoned the atmosphere between the Parties and lead to an unsafe environment creating fear among the general public. The killings must be stopped and SLMM urges both sides to find the perpetrators and bring them to justice.”
Expressing confidence that the parties would adhere to the ceasefire, the SLMM added, "The Tsunami brought added suffering to Sri Lanka and has increased pressure on the Parties. It is therefore more imperative than ever that the Cease Fire holds so that people can restore their lives and return to normalcy. My experience with both Parties leads me to believe that the two will do everything in their power to keep the Cease Fire."
Conveying the full support of the SLMM for the maintenance of the ceasefire, the SLMM said, "Lack of peace talks is putting a serious strain on the Cease Fire and creating dangerous uncertainty. The two Parties will inevitably have to return to the negotiating table. SLMM will do its utmost to assist both sides in upholding the CFA by continuing our work and confidence building measures."
Ceasefire violations
In spite of the fact that by and large the ceasefire has held during the last three years, there have been a large number of violations which have been documented by the SLMM.
According to a report based on data provided by the SLMM instances of LTTE cease-fire violations, including child recruitment, abduction of children and adults, harassment and provocative acts such as flag hoisting, had gone up during January this year. The report deals with violations since February, 2002 and it came on the eve of the third anniversary of the signing of the CFA.
During this pe1 bers had been deni held areas 14 times forces and police h on this particular cl Sri Lankan for during the same p 5459 formal compl lations with the S number of LTTE government forces 1012, of which onl violations.
Those LTTE a tions by SLMM, c recruitment, abduct adults, harassment, the civil population dation, moving m provocative acts, ot property, movemer ration, forced rec1 confiscations, restr for SLMM, tortur new positions, illeg firing of weapons, tions, denied acces tary areas, assassir The SLMM h stances of LTTE vio recruitment, abduc adults, harassment flag hoisting and co up sharply during
Batticaloa, Jaff recorded the highe violations during t mentioned above, ninety eight violati six hundred and Jaffna and two hu from Trincomalee LTTE's gross viola The SLMM h that the LTTE dur (February 2002 - . has violated the Cl times whereas the forces and the poli SLMM figures, ha SLMM has rul authorities violate times by way of 'h corded number of violations by thes follows: Other mea malcy (10), hostil vilian population tions of movemen (07), extortion (0 new positions (05. vate property (04)

MARCH 2005
iod, SLIMM memed access to LTTEby the group. The adn't been blamed
large.
ces and the Police eriod have lodged aints of LTTE vioLMM whereas the complaints against and the Police was y 115 were ruled as
:ts, ruled as violaentred round child cion of children and hostile acts against n, extortion, intimiilitary equipment, cupation of private its in zone of separuitment of adults, iction of movement 'e, construction of al carrying of arms, offensive naval acis to specified mililations, etc. ad noted that inlations such as child tion of children and , provocative acts, nfiscations had gone January this year. na and Trincomalee st number of LTTE he specified period Six hundred and ons from Batticaloa, twenty four from Indred and thirteen have been ruled as tions of the CFA. as officially ruled ing past 34 months 31 December 2004) A agreement 2,668 government security ce, according to the i done so l l 5 times. ed that government i CFA provisions 44 arassment'. The reinstances of such ecurity forces are as Sures to restore noro acts against the ci(09), other restrict (09), intimidation 6), construction of , occupation of prifishing restrictions
(03), movement in zone of separation (03), abduction of adults (03), firing of weapons (02) and failure to vacate public buildings (02) are the rest of such violations.
The Sri Lankan Army in statement issued on 23 February said that a staggering sum of Rs. 4400 million has been collected by the LTTE during the past three years by way of ransom, extortion or “taxation', the Army claimed on 23 February.
Military spokesman Brigadier Daya Ratnayake said according to statistics collected by security forces this amount of money had been collected mostly in the north and east after directing death threats and/or by intimidation. Most of this amount had been collected by way of "taxes', according to complaints from the people of those areas. This is completely against the Ceasefire Agreement signed between the government and the LTTE exactly three years ago, the spokesman said.
According to available Army statistics there have been l 122 cases of abductions, 89 instances of extortion, 536 incidents of conscription, 65 cases of forcible removal of private vehicles, 225 flag-hoisting acts, 898 acts of harassment caused to civilians, 109 instances of weapon-carrying in cleared areas, 122 various provocative acts, construction often new camps or bunkers, three instances of naval exercises with live ammunition and a total of 191 instances of other violations which have been referred to the monitors during these three years.
No “paramilitaries”
Erik Solheim met and had discussions with President Kumaratunga the on Thursday, 24th February during which she told the Norwegian envoy that there weren't any paramilitaries working with the Sri Lankan armed forces
A press release issued after the meeting said that the President had expressed her Government's commitment to discuss "a working arrangement with the LTTE for the equitable allocation and implementation of post-tsunami aid.'
Mr. Solheim briefed the President on his discussions with Anton Balasingham in London earlier this month (February) and on his meeting with LTTE political wing leader S.P. Thamilchelvan in Kilinochchi on Tuesday, 22

Page 13
MARCH 2005
February. Mr. Solheim conveyed to the President concerns expressed by Mr. Thamilchel van on the killing of Kausalyan and the implementation of Article 1.8 of the Ceasefire Agreement in relation to the disarming of paramilitary groups. He also conveyed the readiness of the LTTE to continue discussions on a working arrangement for the allocation and implementation of post-tsunami aid.
The President, while unreservedly condemning the killing of Kausalyan, LTTE's political leader for BatticaloaAmpara and five others by unidentified persons on 7th February, emphatically rejected the suggestion that there are any paramilitary forces operating in association with the Sri Lankan security forces. She deplored the killing of a Sri Lankan soldier and the injury of another by the LTTE on the third anniversary of the CFA. The President also reiterated the sincere commitment of the Government of Sri Lanka to establish a working arrangement with the LTTE for the equitable allocation and implementation of post-tsunami aid.
Mr. Solheim was accompanied by Ambassador Hans Brattskar the Norwegian envoy to Sri Lanka and other Norwegian officials. Associated with the President were SG of the Peace Secretariat Jayantha Dhanapala, and Foreign Secretary H.M.G.S. Palihakkara and other officials'.
JVP's threat to quit
The Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), the main coalition partner in President Kumaratunga's government threatened to pull out of the ruling alliance if the long stalled talks between Colombo and the LTTE on setting up an interim administration to address the immediate humanitarian needs of the war torn Northeast of Sri Lanka are resumed.
JVP's threat came in the wake of President Kumaratunga's statement at a recently held public rally in Nittambuwa in which she challenged "any party" that stood in the way of her government to quit.
In a hard hitting statement issued on 24 February, JVP slammed the Government for neither consulting nor informing them about the announcement made on the previous day that the Government was ready to restart talks with the Tigers on the basis of a proposal for establishing an interim administration.
The government Information Department said in a statement that the
government was p talks to set up first ment to handle the 1 needs of the peopl to discuss the final longed ethnic crisis ʻWe are not ev decision was taken, date from the peop election that we w try be divided. We regarding this annc we are part of the go said in a statement ganda Secretary, M
Sa,
The JVP also ernment to withdr. reported statement ence in Colombo on Weerawansa said t the government w to the policy of t made without the k Minister Mangala eign Minister Laksh any other senior m ernment. “This sta ernment Informati been made withou the JVP, which is the government. W mandate from the p talks based on the tion. Therefore its as soon as possible
Although he would oppose stro resume talks to set ture in the Northswer a question fr what the JVP's fut would be if the gov was not withdraw want to set a time mand for the with ment.
Earlier, in a ha made in parliamen said that there w UPFA government to set up first the tion in the North-E ment attempts to terim administratic whims and fancie will pull out of th immediate effect, ment.
Direct peace tal ernment and the L exactly two years : sides have been ne last few weeks foc a joint mechanism

TANIML TIMES 13
repared to resume an interim arrangeurgent humanitarian e and then proceed solution to the pro
'en aware how this We got a firm manle at the 2004. April ill not let the counwere not consulted uncement although vernment,” the JVP issued by its PropaMr. Wimal Weeraw
demanded the govaw immediately its . At a press confer24 February, Wimal nat the statement of as totally contrary he UPFA and was nowledge of Media Samaraweera, Forman Kadirgamar or inister of the Govtement by the Govon Department has t the knowledge of a major partner of e have received the eople not to resume interim administrahould be withdrawn
said that the JVP ongly any move to up an interim strucEast, he did not anom the media as to ure cause of action ernment's statement in. He too did not frame for their dedrawal of the state
rd-hitting statement ut, Mr. Weerawansa as no way that the could resume talks interim administraEast. "If the governfirst set up an inon according to the s of the LTTE, we e government with he said in parlia
ks between the govTTE came to a halt ago. However, both gotiating during the ussing on setting up 1 to rebuild coastal
communities ravaged by the Indian Ocean tsunami in December. The JVP spokesman also said at the press conference that the party was totally against the proposed joint mechanism involving the LTTE for post-tsunami relief distribution effort. "We are totally against the theory of a joint mechanism for the post-tsunami relief supply. The LTTE can help it, but relief supply should be handled by the government alone," said another JVP leader and, MP Nandana Gunatillaka.
Hakeem meets Solheim
Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) leader, Rauff Hakeem, alleged that the Government and the LTTE were 'dominating the decision making processes on the tsunami reconstruction mechanism completely ignoring the Muslim community and asked the Norwegian envoy to take up the matter with both parties.
Mr. Rauff Hakeem at a meeting with Norway's Peace Envoy, Eric Solheim on 24 February insisted that mere representation of the Muslim community once the mechanism was worked out, was of no use. Instead, he said the Muslims wanted to be a “substantial stake holder' in the mechanism. "Muslims should be involved in the decision making process. But we are only seeing the government and the LTTE dominating the decision making process,” he said.
According to Mr. Hakeem, Mr. Solheim responded saying the Muslims would be represented in the joint mechanism. “We do not want mere representation. In the east the majority of the worst-affected are the Muslims. We want to be part of the decision making process.'
"We wonder whether this would be a continuation of the way the peace process was taken forward,” Mr. Hakeem said. He said that Mr. Solheim promised to keep both parties informed regarding his request and expressed confidence that the two parties were "close to an agreement on reconstruction'. He insisted on the need to detach the peace process from the reconstruction work and arrive at a consensus on reconstruction immediately.
Troops shot
As if to mark and drive home the point that the ceasefire on its third anniversary is not in good shape, a soldier from the Sri Lankan army was killed and another one was injured when the Tigers fired on them in the no man's

Page 14
14 TAMIL TIMES
zone when the SLA soldiers had advanced to within 40 meters of the LTTE Forward Defence line in the lagoon between the SLA held Kilali, Jaffna, and the LTTE controlled mainland around 5 p.m. on Wednesday 23 February, according to a report in the TamilNet website which further said that LTTE women cadres in the forward defence line opened fire when they spotted SLA soldiers taking aim at them.
No go zone extends to 600 meters between the Forward Defence Lines (FDLs) of both parties and soldiers from either party are allowed to wander only within 50 meters from their own FDL, according to the Ceasefire Agreement (CFA).
Quoting LTTE sources, the report said the two SILA soldiers had advanced more than 560 meters from SILA’s FDL when the incident took place. SLA soldiers were on a reconnaissance mission and were spotted by the women cadres manning the defence posts at the Liberation Tigers' FDL, the report alleged adding that the LTTE cadres opened fire when one of the SLA soldiers took aim at the LTTE defence posts. It fur
ther alleged that thi killed had a pair ol hand grenade in hi injured soldier had a The Political Di eration Tigers of Ta has said in a statem that the attempt by th tary soldiers near K Jaffna peninsula to arms well into the Lines (FDLs) of the violation of the Ce and the attack on th fensive action. Accc statement, LTTE too against the Sri Lank nel when they were weapons and telesc LTTE FIDLS.
"The army sold meters away from were aiming at our took the defensive a was killed and a wounded as a result ment said.
"This area has mans-land. Therefo tivities of the secu
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2 soldier who was binoculars and a s possession. The
rifle. vision of the Libmil Eelam (LTTE) nt on 24 February ne Sri Lankan miliilali lagoon in the intrude with fireForward Defence LTTE was a clear asefire Agreement em was only a deording to the LTTE k defensive action an military personseen moving with copes towards the
liers were just 40 our front line and adres when LTTE |ction. One soldier nother one was ,' the LTTE state
550 meters of nore, the spying acrity force just 40
meters from our FDLs and their attempt from this position to attack our cadres are clear violations of the Ceasefire Agreement. Our cadres were forced to open fire at them to defend themselves," it said.
"The SLMM was informed of the incident and they visited the scene at 6.00 pm. Subsequently, LTTE handed over the body of the dead soldier to the Sri Lankan military in the presence of the SLMM official at the Muhamalai no-mans-land,' it said.
The military strenuously denied that the soldiers on duty were engaged in any spying activities or offensive operation. The Government also issued a statement condemning the LTTE's action in killing one soldier and injuring the other,
Conclusion
Despite the fact that the peace process remains interrupted and peace talks remain stalled, what one can say as the ceasefire enters the fourth year is that its maintenance for such a long period has certainly saved thousands of lives which would have been lost had the war continued or resumed. O
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Page 15
MARCH 2005
Govt position on peace talks
Mar 3 - The Government in a recent statement clarifying its position on the issue of resuming peace talks with the LTTE has reiterated its agreement to "the concept of setting up an Interim Authority within the context of negotiating a permanent settlement to the ethnic conflict, on the basis that an interim authority will be useful in a transitional period from a situation of conflict to one of de
mocracy.
The Government's statement also stressed that it had never agreed to the LTTE's demand of resuming talks "on the basis of a single agenda item and based solely on the specific LTTE proposals of Interim Self Governing Authority."
The full text of the Government statement issued on 3 March said, "There has been some confusion with regard to the reasons for the failure to resume talks with the LTTE last year. The Government wishes to clarify this issue with regard to efforts to draw up an agenda for the resumption of peace talks prior to the devastation wrought by the tsunami in December.
The Government has always expressed its willingness to begin talks immediately. It has emphasised the importance of direct negotiations as a means of building confidence, maintaining the ceasefire and improving he climate for a durable solution to the ethnic conflict, Unfortunately, the LTTE did not share this view and insisted on opening negotiations on the basis of a single agenda item and bases solely on the specific LTTE proposals of Interim Self Governing Authority. The Government has never agreed to this.
During efforts to evolve an agenda for peace talks, the Government has agreed to the concept of setting up an Interim Authority within the context of negotiating a permanent settlement to the ethnic conflict, on the basis that an interim authority will be useful ina transitional period from a situation of conflict to one of democracy. Agreeing to negotiate an interim authority in such a context is very different from opening negotiation solely on the basis of the LTTE demand of the Interim Self Governing Authority, which prevents the reopening of direct negotiations.
This view has been articulated in previous statements excerpeted below:
The President's speech at the inaugural meeting of the National Advisory Council on Peace and Reconciliation on
October 4, 2004, Government's pos: accept the concept terim Administrati riod whilst a perma tiated and implem commitment from terim Administrati solution would bet laration.”
The GOSL Pr cember 2004 in r leader's statement call from the LTTE tion of negotiation while setting cond ing unilaterally on scarcely conducive tions, The Governi conveyed publicly facilitation of the R ernment, its readil tablishment of an meet the urgenthu opment needs oftl and East as a priol permanent settlem the document sign Government and December 5, 2002
JVP's opposi Some observer latest statement of tempt to placate it. Janatha Vimukthil had threatened to Freedom Alliance a previous statem ary that apparent Government’s Pe leased by the Inf If the JVP with it liament were to to of President Ku threatened, and he Government has sue the latest stat to reassure its coa The JVP took ment of 23 Febru Lanka Governmen to reopen direct LTTE on the estab
 

TAM TIMES 15
where she said; "The tion has been that we t of setting up an Inon in the interim penent solution is negoented. But we require the LTTE that the Inon as well as the final based on the Oslo Dec
ss Release of 1st Deesponse to the LTTE of November 2004: "A 3 now for the resumpis without conditions, itions itself by insista single agenda item is to good faith negotiament of Sri Lanka has , and through the kind loyal Norwegian Govhess to discuss the esinterim authority to manitarian and develhe people of the North ity, while exploring a ent along the lines of ed and accepted by the the LTTE in Oslo in
tion
ssee the Government's 'clarification as an atcoalition partner, the eramuna (JVP) which leave United People's 3overnment following nt made on 23 Februy emanated from the ce Secretariat and rebrmation Department. ; 39 Members Of Parquit, the very survival maratunga's will be nce, observers say, the been compelled to isement of clarification ition partner, the JVP. exception to the statery which said, "It (Sri ) continues to be ready negotiations with the lishment of an interim
authority to meet the urgent humanitarian and development needs of the people of the North and East and to proceed thereafter to negotiating a final settlement of the ethnic conflict.'
Wimal Weerawansa leader ofthe Parliamentary Group of the JVP mounted a blistering attack on the veracity of the statement and questioned as to how such a statement could have been made without consulting his party. In his speech Mr Werrawansa said, "We don't oppose taking steps to fulfil the humanitarian needs of the people living in the North and the East. Also, we have no opposition for entering a process of discussion with the Tiger organization to find a final solution based on democracy." Stating that talking about having discussions after "establishing an interim authority" would become a joke as there would be nothing to talk about once the Tamil Tigers take control of the North and East under the ISGA proposal, Mr Weerawansa expressed JVP's opposition to negotiation based on ISGA proposal: "We would like to emphasize that what should be established in the Northern and the Eastern Provinces is not fascist dictatorship of the Tiger organization but democracy. We resolutely reject the latest stand announced in the “government announcement" mysteriously issued yesterday (23rd) of "establishing an interim administration first and thereafter discussing a final solution" and if the present government arrives at such a step we would like to emphasize that we will discontinue to be a party to the Government.”
TNA offers unconditional support
One of the parliamentarians belonging to the LTTE.-backed Tamil National Alliance (TNA) has promised the unconditional support of the TNA's 22 MPs to the Government if it resumed peace talks with the LTTE,
"No one need doubt the 22 parliamentarians of the Illankai Thamil Arasu Kandchi(TNA) are willing to extend our unconditional support to the government, if only they would restart the stalled peace process," said TNA parliamentarian for the Jaffna District Nadarajah Raviraj, according to a report in "The Island' of 4 March.
According to the report, when contacted the MP, who along with other Jaffna district MPs participated in a hartal and mass demonstration in Jaffna town

Page 16
16 TAM TIMES
on 3 March urging the government to restart the pace process and grant tsunami aid to the north-east, said that the people were frustrated because the government had lost its credibility by having internal disputes on core issues especially with regard to the ethnic crisis.
Raviraj had further said the main partner of the coalition government the JVP was threatening to leave the government if it starts peace negotiations with the LTTE on the basis of its ISGA proposal. This was although the President had indicated her readiness to commence negotiations with the LTTE even at the cost of the JVP withdrawing its support to the government. Furthermore she had indicated that the JVP was free to leave the government at any time. But the JVP was still clinging on to the government, Raviraj had said.
“If only I would revive the memory of our countrymen as well as the JVP to their past, they were the first organisation to commence two insurrections, firstly Che Guevera in 1970's and Deshapremi in 1980s and never had a stable policy ever since they resorted to armed struggle. Up to today the JVP had not officially or publicly surrendered their weapons which they were using in
their attempt to ove government; neitherh public apology to t country for the horrit committed,” Raviraj
“It is very much JVP is refusing to a enter the democratic p The Tamil people or leaders never oppose to the mainstream p Tamil people gave th to the JVP to restart he said according to
Another TNA M asingham, had repo Janatha Vimukthi Pel the government opp we would support the sitting in the oppositi ing the United Natic ment.”
Presidential pro
In what is descri edented move, Pre Kumaratunga on 1 Special Presidential prising two High Col recent attacks on LTT Sri Lanka.
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MARCH 2005
rthrow the elected ad the JVP rendered he citizens of this ble crimes that they said.
sad to note that the llow the LTTE to olitical mainstream. the Tamil political d the JVP's return olitics. In fact the heir fullest support heir political life," The Island's report. P, Joseph Pararajtedly said, “If the amuna pulls out of osing peace talks, government while on like we did duronal Front govern
be
bed as an unprecsident Chandrika Varch appointed a Commission comurt judges to probe E cadres in eastern
The appointmnt came in the wake f the shooting incient on 28 February which three female TTE cadres, includgMs. Kuveni, head of TTE's political diision (women) for atticaloa-Amparai, 'ere injured. This ttack came three seeks after the TTE's Eastern potical wing chief E. ausalyan, was amushed and shot dead long with four other adres to the fury of le LTTE.
The Commissin is required to inuire and report on he recent circumstnces and othermoves leading to attcks on LTTE cadrs in the Eastern rovince. The Presient has directed that nvestigations shou
ld be made to find out whether any group or groups of terrorists or any other forces in the Eastern province were behind those attacks. The Commission has also been directed to submit a report within a month from the date the hearing begins,
The President's move came amidst. repeated allegations levelled against the government by the LTTE which charged that the attacks on its cadres and senior leaders could not have been carried out without the knowledge of the military
The Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission has welcomed the appointment of the Presidential Commission. “We hope it would lead to the identification of the perpetrators and and bringing them to justice. We believe that some sort of resolution would be found to the issue since it is indirectly undermining the ceasefire", SLMM spokesperson Helen Olafsdottir said.
Ms. Olafsdottir Said the third cadre injured in Monday's attack was receiving treatment at the Kalmunai hospital and she too was too reported to be out danger.
Some observers doubt whether the Commission could carry out its probe effectively because the evidence of the LTTE as well as cadres of the Karuna faction who are alleged to be behind the attacks will have to be examined by it wants to make some rational conclusions. It is extremely doubtful whether the LTTE or the Karuna faction would appear before any Commission to give evidence.
In the meantime, TULF President V. Anandasangaree, in welcoming the decision to appoint a Special Presidential Commission to probe whether one or more armed groups opposed to the Peace Process are operating in the Eastern Province, said,
"Like many others I am also one who is of the opinion that no one has any right to take the life of another person. Unfortunately in this country of ours there is no respect or value for human life which is most precious for a living human being." In his letter to President Kumaratunga, Mr Anandasangaree said, "The terms of reference to the Commission should not be limited only to the two incidents, in one of which Mr. Kausalyan, Mr. Chandra Nehru and a few others were gunned down and the other in which Quveni and two others were seriously injured. Killings of this nature especially during the day time causes a lot of concern to the civilian population

Page 17
MARCH 2005
who live in constant fear and tension. I suggest that the terms of reference should be extended to cover all such incidents from 22.2.2002, the day the Ceasefire Agreement was signed. Your action should bring relief for the civilians also." It would seem that there is support for Mr Anandasangaree's request for the Commission's proble be extended to cover the whole period since the Ceasefire Agreement was signed. The national Englsih daily editorially said, "Now that the government has initiated a probe into violence against the Wannicadres, it ought to show a similar concern for the victims of LTTE terror as well. So far about 200 persons including 40 intelligence operatives and a police officer (IP Sunil Thabrew) have been killed by the LTTE after the MoU was signed and these killings also need to be investigated, with the LTTE being given an opportunity to defend itself if it so wishes.'
The bombshell that failed to explode
The fragile nature of the governing UPFA coalition was demonstrated recently when the Ceylon Workers Congress (CWC) announced its decision to quit the Government and cross over to the opposition with all its eight parliamentarians. The bombshell was dropped by the CWC in the background of the threat from the JVP with its 39 MPs would leave the Government on the issue of talks with the LTTE. It also resulted in the Government losing its majority in parliament.
In the parliament of 225 members the UPFA had 118 seats with the support of the CWC's eitht MPs. Their resignation turned the UPFA into a minority Government raising the prospect of another general election.
Minister of Estate Housing, Infrastructure and Community Development, Muththu Sivalingham and his Deputy Minister S. Sellasamy of the CWC submitted their resignations to Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapakse in protest against what they described as continued negligent attitude by the government leadership towards their grievances. One of their primary grievances was the Government's decision to proceed with a disputed hydro electric project in the Upper Kotmale area in the island's central province. The CWC has consistantly opposed the project.
Explaining the reasons for this sudden decision, atop CWCofficial saidthat
the CWC despitebt of the ruling coaliti able to discharge it in the plantations daily grievances. R.Yogarajan, said t failure to impleme gramme led to the ministers of the C support the governi our fourteen point cludes a proposal o project be implem ernment has not r there is no point i tinuing as Minister Political obser political antics of doubted whether ir withdraw its suppo and go into opposi the CWC has deve gaining' into a fin coalition politics tl ture of governance the last fifteen year engaging in this b secure a powerful a post for its leader A. was the question t The other reason f the resignation lett to the President, b Mahinda Rajapaks the power to accep nations. Another r ment had been adj due to meet until was enough time bargaining' to be u In the event w a few days as a maj ing President Kum was overcome witl a meeting on 26 President and a C its leader Arumug President's House. continue its supp resignations wh unaccepted until t It was reporte ceeded in reaching ing over the CW( which formed the b the Party with Pr assuring the spe trained Tamil teac and the recruitm hands. The Presid speedy implement of Estate develop

TAMIL TIMES 17
ing a crucial member on, the party was un; duties to the people :ctor and meet their Deputy CWC leader hat the government's nt its 14 point proesignation of the two WC. "We agreed to ment on the basis that programme which inin the Upper Kotmale inted. Since the govsponded positively, In our members conS.' vers familiar with the the CWC leadership fact the CWC would rt to the Government tion. This is because loped “political barart in the context of hat has become a fea: in the island during Sorso. Was the CWC rinkmanship only to nd 'lucrative' cabinet rumugam Thondaman hat was being asked. or the doubt was that ers were not delivered ut to Prime Minister ha who did not have bt or refuse the resigason was that parliaourned and it was not 10 March, and there for further "political ndertaken. hat was portrayed for or political crisis facatunga's Government 1 a deal being struckat February between the WC delegation led by im Thondaman at the The CWC pledged to }rt to with draw their ich had remained
1GI1, i that both sides succommon understand's 14 point proposal one of contention with èsident Kumaratunga edy appointment of hers to estate schools nt of trained clerical ent also promised the ation of the third stage ment programme and
to entrust the housing programme for estates and the improvement in the infrastructure development with the CWC officials attached to Ministry. But there was no word about the fate of the hotly disputed Kotmale hydro-power project. For the moment nothing has been mentioned about an important cabinet post for the CWC leader, but knowledgeable sources indicate that will come in due
COUTSE.
A presidential bet
Speaking at World Women's Day celebration organized by the Sri Lanka Freedom Party, where the party women's association presented her a five point action plan, asking for "peace through negotiations” and“ 10 per cent female representation in future parliaments”. President Chandrika Kumaratunge said that she would bet her Presidency that 80 per cent of Sri Lankans would, if a Referendum was held on the issue, vote to arrive at a negotiated federal solution to the North East conflict, adding that there could be no development in the country if there was no solution to the problems in the Northern and Eastern part of the country.
Addressing thousands of women at the Viharamahadevi Park, the President said the SLFP had the courage to go ahead with a majority decision on a federal solution or other issues although 10-15 percent of the people might oppose it.
The President said loads of foreign investments were coming in and the economy was back on track but one big bomb in Colombo could ruin everything and she would not allow such a situation to arise. The President said successive governments had failed to recognize the basic aspirations of the Tamil people and hence they turned to LTTE leader Velupillai Prabhakaran even though he was a man who hacked people to death. She said no government was able to come up with a better solution than what the constitutional package that her government put forward as a solution to the ethnic conflict.
From the “Sunday Leader”
The Colombo-based "Sunday Leader' has drawn attention to the folllowing statement made by JVP Leader; Somawansa Amarasinghe in an interview
with Reuters in Colombo on March 2.
“We are going to break with the government if (it) pushes for a joint mecha(continued on next page)

Page 18
18 TAMIL TIMES
Make the possibl.
Travails of the north in the aftermath of
Paul Caspersz
On July 12, 1979 J.R. Jayawardene, then first Executive President of Sri Lanka, sent Brigadier Weeratunga to Jaffna with the notorious mandate to eliminate the menace of terrorism in all its forms from the island and more specially from the Jaffna District. The newspapers headlined the mandate as, "Wipe out terrorism by December 3 1ʼ.
Twenty-five years have passed and what in 1979 went by the name of terrorism is still with us, Brigadier Weeratunga has gone, but a line of others has succeeded him with no more success than he in carrying out his mandate.
As one stepped out of the plane at Palaly - the plane started very late at Ratmalana some 75 minutes earlier - the first impression was of a city under siege. Palaly is in a High Security Zone (HSZ) and the men and some women of the Armed Forces are everywhere.
The airport bus takes you out of Palaly and deposits you half an hour later at its terminus on Hospital Road in Jaffna town. Though you are no longer in the HSZ, you will see the armed men either
(continued from page 17) nism with the LTTE for distributing tsunami aid or interim self-rule. That is not going to work. We ourselves took up arms against an undemocratic government. We will be very happy if they enter mainstream politics...The LTTE is a fascist organisation, which is trying to establish a one-party rule in the north and the east which should not be allowed and should not be promoted. Velupillai Pirapaharan is like former Serb strongman, Slobodan Milosevic. Pirapaharan must be at the Hague. He is responsible for ethnic cleansing."
Having drawn attention to the above statement, the paper also raises the following interesting question:
“If the Tiger Chief should be in the Hague being tried for war crimes, one can only surmise that Amarasinghe should join him, involved as he was during the JVP's own days of blood and gore, in ordering the deaths of so many innocents.' O
behind their sandbag walking along the batches of two or th by along the dusty st on motor bicycles, e They look tired men, in their villages the demned to spend thei camouflage, socks a them are so small wouldn't need a tig two or three at a tim They are where they: this is the place in wh be. They know that i up to the Armed Fo) members of the rural seemed to be doing t to maintain good rela ple. They do not spea yet they do not haras ple rudely. They do cient history and cu people, their music, t religious rituals. The which contribute to occupation and siegt not pointed at anybc not on sentry duty, t ambulate the mainstre the confines of thei good fellows and prot hour for home and vi that they are not g wholesome food, nor balanced diet. Wher early February, ther famous Jaffna mango Sate,
Twenty-five year length of one whole who were born at t Weeratunga came un are now twenty-fiv they were not all ye nades and mortars bombs, of deprivatio motor transport and bulletins and musica there was not even or When abnormalcy is no wonder that Day Professor of Psychia

e real
:he tsunami
sat sentry points or treets alone or in ree. They pass you eets in army trucks, en on push cycles. and bored. At home y were never conr day in heavy army nd boots. Many of ind slender that it r to take them on, e, in close combat. ure, largely because ich they are paid to f they did not sign ces they would be unemployed. They heir deliberate best tions with the peok Tamil, of course, s, nor bawl at peonot know the anlture of the Tamil heir literature, their have to carry guns the atmosphere of . But the guns are dy. When they are heir task is to perets or remain within camps. They are ably sigh each long lage. We were told ven well-cooked, anything close to a
we were there in e wasn't even the season to compen
is a longtime, the generation. Those he time Brigadier iler orders to Jaffna years old. True, ars of war, of greand filthy barrel n of electric lights, “egular radio news programmes. Yet, e year of normalcy. the ordinary, it is a Somasundaram, try in the Univer
MARCH 2005
sity of Jaffna wrote his book on the Scarred Minds of his people.
And yet, during all these sad years, the youth heard their parents say that it was never like this, not until the tragic day when in 1956 the Sinhala only Ac was passed in Parliament.
From the time of the Donoughmore Commission constitutional reforms, indeed from the 1920s and the Ponnambalam brothers, the Tamils, always achievement and government employment-oriented, began more and more to study Sinhala. They sensed that there was, indeed had in the nature of things to be, a growing pro-Sinhala trend in public office, thus a knowledge of Sinhala was therefore necessary. The trend became more. and more open and manifest with the educational changes introduced in the early 1940s and especially after Ceylon obtained Dominion Status in 1948. But once the Sinhala Only Act was passed, it became a sign of public protest and a matter of honour for the Tamils not to proceed with the study of the Sinhala language. One language, two nations; two languages, one nation, pleaded the earlier Colvin R. de Silva. But in vain. The twonations theory became a two-states demand. The situation continued to deteriorate and the Tigers were born.
During the twenty-five years the Tigers have been omnipresent in the North and all but omnipresentin the East. Whatever one may say about them - and I personally do not like much of what they say and do - a prominent Tamil leader told the writer in 1985, there can be no doubt that it is because of the Tigers that we have been able to hold our heads high in Jaffna.
However, there are some in Jaffna, a minority, who whisper into your ears that it is not altogether abad thing for the army to stay on in the North. As long as the soldiers move around, the Tigers have to be careful that the exaction they make on the people do not transgress the limits oftolerability, Sour plantains are sold at Rs. 35 a kilogram, but the seller mutters that five of the thirty-five has to go to the Tigers as taxes. Cigarettes are sold at Rs. 75 per packet in the South (it is significant that the words North and South are now in the daily vocabulary of our people) but at Rs. 90 in Jaffna. What's to be done, there's a tax to be paid. There are also stories of forced recruitment and child recruitment, often completely against the real wishes of the family and of the recruits themselves.

Page 19
MARCH 2005
It was on top of all this that the tsunami waves broke into the land on December 26.
I am not a TV-fan myself, but am informed that TV coverage of the North and East was proportionately much less than the south though the loss of life and property there was much higher. So were Velvettithurai, Sakkottai and Point Pedro under-covered. Even the blanket wasteland that is now Mullaitivu town did not get the TV footage that it merited.
On the other hand, the Tigers themselves would not have been too welcoming of TV crews from Colombo. Like the JVP, the LTTE is a monopolist organisation, Come and help us if you feel like it but, remember, on our terms, under orders from us, and with our approval. When the relief distributors were men and women from the Armed Forces, the LTTE sometimes forbade people under pain of the lash to queue up for the relief-packages. Especially in the High Security Zones, but not only there, the Tigers were, to say the least, unenthusiastic about relief by way of dry food rations, fruit, vegetables and clothes. Give us back the HSZs, they said, they are our prime land. We can then grow for ourselves all the food we need, and have enough left over to export to you in the South.
At Velvettithurai on the evening of arrival in Jaffna, there was the first evidence of the tsunami devastation in the North. In and out of the maze of little lanes we went to the sea and were told of how the waves invaded the land. At the sentry point three soldiers on duty told us how two of their men were among those washed out into the sea. All the way from Velvettithurai along the coast on both sides of the road the devastation was similar to what we saw earlier on the journey from Colombo, through Koralawella, to Matara.
At the Catholic Church at Sakkottai, we saw a Portuguese doctor and a nurse at work with patients; wounds suffered while being tossed by the waves from one tree trunk or stone to another, bronchitis and fevers, severe shock. We were impressed by the devotion to duty of the Portuguese medical team. The priest was there as translator and as friend and counsellor to the children who gather there every evening for supervised night study, Whatever happens, fair weather or foul, the children of Jaffna keep to their books and their priests are close to the people. It was dark when we arrived at Point Pedro. On the way we delayed at a
'Mahavirar Thuyil Home of Great He several in the Nort Home of Great Her fully laid and could inspiration to the How short-sighted Army Colonel to ol ride over the graves gers laid them out a
Thereturn to Jat was by another rout
The next day wards from Jaffna to ited a place of wors recapture of Jaffna, as a soldiers' camp of negotiations, th vacated the place. If an idea of willful di of worship, neither to treat places of wo with respect and rev who occupied thes had left mischievo walls and added pla times funny mous icons. They often di like school children not pause to think t the sensitivities of place of worship be used it, and would ( for prayer and devc stances, so it seems of worship be usec Take the grounds, i for visiting pilgrims leave the temple its On February 7, via Koppay, Chava mam, Miresuvil, Pall Paranthan to Mulla which single place December 26, seem ravaged, it wouldn' Mullaitivu. We firs Vidyalayam there. T priest-teacher were groups of students. was if it had neverb children had gonew bodies never to retu priest broke down as of the children he graves had been hi Principal too was vi or two of the pre-s the Tigers remainec still stands, but outs sand were five Cross of the five people

im Illam” (Sleeping roes). It was one of h and the Sleeping pes was most beautinot but be a source of outh of the North. it had been of the der the bulldozer to ! Undeterred, the Tigain, fina from Point Pedro Ie via Kaitadi. we travelled south) the islands. We viship which, after the the Army had used ; after many months e Army had finally there had never been secration of a place had care been taken rship of another faith erence. The soldiers e places of worship us drawings on the yful festoons, some:aches, to religious d so without malice, on a picnic, but did hat they would hurt those to whom the longed and who had one day use it again, otion. In no circumto me should a place l as an army camp. f needed, the rooms , if there are any, but elfuntouched.
we went eastwards kachcheri, Kodikaai, Elephant Passand itivu. If I was asked I had visited after ed to have been most take me long to say, t went to the Maha he Principal and the : there talking with But the school itself een built. About 200 ith the tsunami, some tn to Mullaitivu. The he told us that many had buried in mass own students. The sibly shaken. A wall chool conducted by . A well-built house ide it, planted in the esto markthe graves who had lived in it
TAMIL TIMES 19
before the tsunami came. Some Portuguese Burgher families who lived around the Catholic Church had their homes damaged by the bombing. They repaired them, only to see them completely washed away by the tsunami. We were told that at least 5000 persons in Mullaitivu snuffed out the taper of their lives on the terrifying day of the tsunami.
After the ravages of colonialism we had the opportunity in 1948 to rebuild our island home. We squandered it. After the disaster of the tsunami on the evening of December 26, 2004 we were given another opportunity to rebuild it. The task was not only to bury the dead, a task which we have substantially completed but to give the living the opportunity of a better, safer future. The opportunity is not only to build better homes for those who have lost them to the waves but to build a nation of freedom and justice for all. To recall Aimé Cesaire in his Discourse on Colonialism: "It is a new society that we must create a society rich with all the productive power of modern times, warm with all the sharing of olden days.' The enormous sums of money that have already poured into the country for post-tsunami relief and reconstruction can help to ensure that this new society will have sufficient food, clothing and shelter for the fishing community and for the small artisans along the coasts and, by the multiplier effects of increasing demand by the people of the coasts, for the whole country. But for this firm and decisive planning at the centre with due delegation to the periphery for purposes of implementation is necessary. Most unfortunately, neither central planning nor due delegation to the provinces and districts has been much in evidence since December 26.
The same date also brought good news for the inter-ethnic situation that has grown progressively worse since 1948. The differences between Sinhalese, Tamils, Muslims and Burghers the Portuguese Burghers of Batticaloa and Mullaitivu suffered like the others were forgotten. One was just a human person. So persons, also soldiers and navy, tried to save other persons, even at the risk of their own lives, regardless of ethnic, religious, linguistic and political differences. What was possible on the day of the tsunami ought to be possible every day. To make the possible real is the summons the receding waves of the tsunami issued to us. O

Page 20
20 TAMIL TIMES
Refugee Babies: The Li Effects of TsunamiAid in S
Nimmi GoWrinathan A UCLA graduate student, just backfrom serving in the relief effort in Sri
political and economic problems there will affect children for yea
The true idealist and the apolitical pacifists of the world often convince themselves that the corrupt world of politics exists in a vacuum detached from pure humanitarian work. Despite their attempts to stave off impure intrusions, the politics of Sri Lanka pervade every action and interaction, are entrenched in every perception and prejudice, and are inextricably linked to the Tsunami relief efforts now underway in every part of the island. Residual political tensions of the past taint the current aid efforts, government bureaucracy and corruption inhibits the dispersion of funds, and international actors find their arms tied by U.S. imposed directives and stereotypes. While all this seems status quo in Colombo, the impact of this reality will be felt most poignantly by the surviving rural children, who have been left to overcome far greater obstacles than a 30-foot
WaVe.
A child swings from a sari strung in between 2 makeshift tents. Pieces of metal, bark, palm leaves create shelter for thousands of tsunami victims along the North Eastern shores of Sri Lanka. To call these shelters temporary would be misleading. There is no indication that these people will be resettled in the weeks and months to come.
Walking through rows of tents what is striking is not the living conditions which seem to lie on the border of some human rights violation. Rather, it is the similarity between these camps and those that existed last February, and the February before. In the North East of Sri Lanka the post-tsunami issues are not the tsunami orphans, rather the tens of thousands of war orphans now left homeless. It is not the helplessness of refugees crowded into makeshift shelters, it is their disorientation at having their prior camp of 8 years washed away and trying to regroup in a shelter further from the water, and closer to possible land mine
acaS.
There are some key differences on this island nation after December 26th.
Some apply to imm and their impact will international attenti manently alter the a litical environmentil A five-year-old c term NGO. Accordi cials, NGOs are the dustry in the region, registering daily. Di while predominantl tend to overlap, lack tion and often time: sensitive "landmines' offlashy SUV’s roi with a logo or orgal tered all over the ve gers-leaving behind wary of survey qu promises.
Large sums ofm post-tsunami Sri L funds which are the reconstruction, and I are accessed to sust military developmen lence. The Sri Lank have been war weary it conceded to a bila was also bankrupt, rupee value. It had continue the armed construct damaged constituencies.
In the last month ernment has secure from the World Bar opment fund, a prom USS300 million fr( ment, US S 10 millio the Pakistani govern rs from donors such of Japan. Sri Lanka been forgiven for th the government wit million US dollars bank accounts with have permanently a structure for the gov and remain commit lution to three deca.

MARCH 2005
asting riLanka
Lanka, writes of how trS to COrne.
ediate relief efforts subside along with on. Others will perlready volatile poin Sri Lanka. thild now knows the ng to ministry offifastest growing inwith 2-3 new groups saster relief efforts, y well-intentioned, cohesive coordinas step on culturally ''. Villagers complain aring through town nization name plashicle and it passennothing but refugees estions and empty
oney flow freely into anka. These same life blood of relief, rehabilitation efforts ain arms build ups, t, and continuedvioan government may in early 2002 when teral ceasefire, but it with a skyrocketing neither the funds to combat, nor to reareas and serve their
the Sri Lankan Govd US S500 million k and Asian Develise of approximately om the U.S. governin credit extended by ment, and large offeas the Government a's foreign debt has ree years, providing h an additional 550 a year. Inflated state minimal regulations iltered the incentive ernment to engage in ted to a peaceful sodes of conflict.
In Trincomalee today, relief workers receive an unintended brief respite from the scorching heat of the camps teeming with refugees. The “kharatal" (day of protest/mourning for the killing of an LTTE leader ) reveals to those on the outside that when working in Sri Lanka, humanitarian efforts and expectations of universal compassion will always be marred by the unnecessary bloodshed of political violence.
Working with child traumatherapists in the Eastern camps, it is difficult for anyone to reconcile the innocence of children with the corruption and inefficiency which has left the eyesight of a 7-yearold girl failing from severe vitamin deficiency, ora diminutive 13-year-old boy easily mistaken for a preschooler. How does one assess the trauma of these children? Some fear the sight of a soldier- on either side. Some fear the ocean. Some fear loud sounds. Others call for Amma at night. She occupies their dreams and is missing from their reality because she was swept away. It may have been a towering wave, it may have been the recurring waves of violence crashing indiscriminately down upon a hapless civilian population.
Questions left unanswered hang in the stale air throughout the refugee camps. They seem questions which are critical, but for which nobody is accountable.
The head of the Sri Lankan Monitoring Commission recently stood up in Parliament and asked the question on everyone's mind. If those homes close to the water are required to be 100m from the water, yet the homes 100m away from the water are standing and unaffected - where are the refugees to go and who will donate the land?
What is to happen to all the widower fathers who have never participated in childcare, and to the children in their care? If significantly more women than men lost their lives as a result of the first wave snatching their saris, leaving them naked and hesitant to run towards town-is there a lesson to be learned about the stringent gender rules of Sri Lankan society? What effect will the massive influx of foreigners and aid workers have on the North Eastern Tamil culture, which has adamantly resisted the infusion of a “western ideals"? Can we criticize a population for never learning to be self-sufficient when their government happily forgoes principles of national sovereignty for the (continued on next page)

Page 21
MARCH 2005
Sir Arthur C Clarke
When the Hollywood movie The Day After Tomorrow was showing in Colombo last summer, many asked me if such a calamity could befall Sri Lanka. Without debating the scientific merits of the movie, I said that Nature always had a few tricks up her sleeve.
Little did I imagine that before the year ended, killer waves 30 feet high would lash the coast of Sri Lanka, leaving an unprecedented trail of destruction in my adopted country. For over two million Sri Lankans - and indeed, all of us - the day after Christmas was a living nightmare that mimicked the celluloid horrors of The Day After Tomor
TOW.
When they arrived with practically no warning, the waves were ruthless and indiscriminate. They swept away fishermen and tourists, pilgrims and prisoners, soldiers and rebels. They displayed gross disregard for our artificial human divisions and demarcations. As the death toll passed the 30,000 mark, with thousands more missing, I kept recalling the words of William Makepeace Thackeray: "Good or bad, guilty or innocent - they are all equal now.?'
My heart-felt sympathy goes out to all those who lost family members or
friends. My family a tunate - Colombo v est waves, being on the island. But amon experienced the tsui at our diving station at my holiday hom Thiranagama - all ties located along t They all survived, a tales. However, ourd boats were washed
As Sri Lankans terms with the share impacts of this trage massive humanitari over one million dis first priority is to shelter and relief, an tions that will help normal lives and liv possible. We also nee term issues of bette fective warning sy mitigation.
The best tribute who perished or suf is to heed the power us. Nature has spol and we ignore her at For over two dec
(continued from page20) convenience of foreign wire transfers?
These questions will not be answered in the lifetimes of many of the older generation, and their answers will come to determine the lifetimes of all the children now sitting on the floor of one-room schoolhouses.
Though these are complex questions to be grappled with...what is most jarring after spending these past weeks in the North East of Sri Lanka, is that there is a pervading sense of acceptance amongst the refugee population. Behind melancholy faces which have come to characterize a Sri Lankan Tamil lies the belief that their life has been predestined to be as such, that there is no higher standard for their existence, that violence, death, displacement and disease are not anomalies-they are expectations.
A generation of underpassive guardi ken spirits, learning thority, not to resist mand basic rights a more devastating to future than any tsuna AZ Nimmi Gowrina 2001 from Johns F and is now pursuing Science at UCLA. Si 3 summers working, Lanka teaching Eng skills through the VI. is currently the Sri ager at Operation U ing her graduate w centrating on ethnic ternational Institute. nimmiGDopusa.org.
 

TAMIL TIMES 21
ami:
CITICS
nd I were more forwas spared the highthe opposite side of g those who directly nami were my staff in Hikkaduwa, and es in Kahawa and beachfront properhe southern coast. nd relate harrowing iving equipment and away. struggle to come to d grief and multiple dy, they confront a an crisis involving placed persons. The provide emergency d then create condithem to return to elihoods as soon as d to address the long :r preparedness, efstems and disaster
; we can pay to all Fered in this disaster ful lessons it offers cen loud and clear,
our peril.
:ades, I have been an
children growing up ian figures with bronot to question auinjustice, not to dend dignities - is far this society and its mimight have been.
\ A athan graduated in Iopkins University, g a Phd in Political he has spent the past in orphanages in Sri lish and leadership SIONSprogram, She Lanka Project ManJSA, and is continuPork at UCLA, conconflict. UCLA InCan be contacted at
unhappy witness to the bitter armed conflict in Sri Lanka, which has consumed twice as many lives as the tsunami, and blighted the future of millions more. Peace in Sri Lanka has been my number one wish for many years - there is now renewed hope that the lashing from the seas will finally convince everyone of the complete futility of war.
Struggling to save lives
Political cartoonists in Sri Lankan newspapers were quick to make this point. One cartoon, appearing two days after the disaster, showed a government soldier and Tiger rebel swimming together in the currents, struggling to save their lives. (Indeed, there have been reports of them helping each other in the hour of need.) Their common question: what happened to the border that we fought so hard for?
In a message broadcast over local television only a few days before the tsunami, I made the same point. “We should not allow the primitive forces of territoriality and aggression to rule our minds and shape our actions. If we do, all our material progress and economic growth will amount to nothing.?'
I added: "have always been an optimist, and I still remain optimistic that Sri Lanka will achieve lasting peace.?
The week after the disaster, the usually bickering political parties came together - at least momentarily - to mourn the dead and to pledge rebuilding the ravaged island. If only such unity is sustained, Sri Lanka can rebuild physically and also heal the long standing wounds that have bled this beautiful island for far too long.
On a more technical level, too, the disaster holds lessons that must be heeded. One that is particularly close to my heart concerns coastal resource management. In the wake of the tsunami, the government announced that it will strictly enforce an existing rule that regulates any construction within 300 meters of the shore. For along time, this rule has been ignored or openly flouted by individuals as well as hotel developers and shrimp farmers - many of who have now paid a terrible price for their arrogance origno
ac,
We should also ensure that all remaining coral reefs and coastal mangrove forests are fully protected. These natural formations act as splendid bulwarks against the wrath of the sea - while they cannot block out tsunamis, they can cer

Page 22
22 TAMIL TIMES
tainly reduce their impact. In the past few days, environmentalists and divers from across South and Southeast Asia have reported examples of this phenomenon. Dr M S Swaminathan, father of India's green revolution, says mangroves in southern India's Pitchavaram and Muthupet regions acted like a shield and bore the brunt of the tsunami. The impact was mitigated and lives and property of the communities inhabiting the region were saved?,
Alas, this news arrives too late to save most of Sri Lanka's mangroves and coral reefs. For half a century, I have watched with mounting dismay how both these natural resources were plundered. From the mid 1950s, when I first explored the seas around Sri Lanka (then Ceylon) and decided to settle down on the island, I have been calling for greater protection for the reefs. For every person who heeded my call, there were many who did not. Fuelled by a combination ofpoverty, indifference and official apathy, coral mining has continued to destroy these "rainforests of the sea' - thus eroding our natural defence.
Mining was not the reef. My first b The Reefs of Taprob a photograph showi dynamite to stun and up everything for m completely illegal act over the years, deple wrecking the reef.
I once warned tha ern coasts will be inu sea erosion owing ti course, nobody could - but I wonder how innocent lives could the right action had right time,
As memories of begin to fade, it cano ing to resort to these lations of nature and lenge in rebuilding only restore the dam but create viable liv ties for millions of p. erwise return to illici practices. At least pa ume of aid should t
Global Travel Express Most Competitive Price to Sri Lanka / India
 
 
 
 

MARCH 2005
the only threat to ook on Sri Lanka, ane (1957), carried ng fishermen using catch fish blowing letres around. This tivity has continued ting fish stocks and
tSri Lanka's southndated by enhanced ) coral mining. Of predict the tsunami many thousands of have been saved if
been taken at the
the tsunami slowly nce again be temptand other gross vio
law, Our big chalSri Lanka is to not aged infrastructure, elihood opportunieople who will otht and unsustainable
urt of the large vol
be invested in long
term projects that address these needs.
Globalised disaster
The outside world can play a role to ensure that this happens. The Asian tsunami has been called the first truly globalised disaster of our time. Certainly, the tremors from the bottom of the Indian Ocean reverberated well beyond the dozen countries that were directly impacted. Inspired by television coverage, people all over the world donated in cash, kind, skills or time. This prompted their governments to follow-but this is just a start,
For real changes to happen, Sri Lanka and other affected countries need sustained assistance and constant engagement by the world's rich nations and corporations. They also need appropriate investments in technology and skills to stand on their own feet. YA
The media can keep these issues alive. The New Year dawned with the Global Family closely following the unfolding tragedy via satellite television and on the web. As the grim images from Aceh, (continued on next page)
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Page 23
MARCH 2005
Dhanapala in the ring for UN Mar 5 - Sri Lanka has officially launched its bid to succeed UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan when he leaves the prestigious post at the end of his second term next year,
Sri Lanka's Foreign Ministry has informed the country's diplomatic missions to lobby for its candidate Jayantha Dhanapala, a former Under SecretaryGeneral for Disarmament Affairs at the UN and a veteran and respected diplomat,
The Foreign Ministry has asked its missions to campaign in their host countries for Dhanapala and has provided his curriculum vitae to be made available to the respective foreign ministries,
Dhanapala's formal candidature was announced in the Sri Lankan parliament last December when Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar said in reply to a question that the government had indeed tapped Dhanapala for the job. Dhanapala who had along and distinguished career in Sri Lanka’s diplomatic service laterjoined the United Nations and is now heading the Colombo government's peace secretariat that is heavily involved in trying to kick start the stalemated talks with the LTTE, the Tamil Tiger rebels.
Dhanapala's name was thrown into the ring as a possible successor to Kofi Annan shortly after the Association of South East Nations (ASEAN) endorsed the name of Thai Foreign Minister Surakiart Sathirathai as its candidate. It is generally recognized that Annan's succes
sor should come fro continent has noth General since Burm When Foreign M confirmed Dhanapa made it a point to un ciple of geographic each continent an the UN should app gions and within reg This was to maki Asian sub-region. B country to hold the Asia, the same regi cided to back the Th
Although there dates right now, it i candidates could em the decision on who will really be madet members of the UN of whom has a veto Uma Maheswa brother's Orde Mar 2 - Kathirakum
(continued from page 22) Chennai, Galle and elsewhere replaced the traditional scenes of celebrations, I realized that it will soon be 60 years since I invented the communications satellite (in Wireless World, October 1945). I was also reminded of what Bernard Kouchner, former French health minister and first UN governor of Kos-ovo, once said: “Where there is no camera, there is no humanitarian intervention."?
But cameras and other media have to do more than just document the devastation and mobilise emergency relief. Media need to move beyond body counts and aid appeals to find lasting, meaningful ways of supporting Asia's recovery, The real stories of survival and heroism are only just beginning. Let network
TV move on to the confident that the committed local jou informed. The Web passionate individu to get their views o Indeed, this wil formation and comn gies (ICTs).
On that fateful c teurs captured brea the Asian tsunamil video cameras. TV sionals arrived only In the coming r turn to these locatic cameras, to record human spirit and hl
 

TAMIL TIMES 23
m Asia as the Asian id a UN Secretary’s U Thant. finister Kadirgamar la's candidature, he derline that the prinl rotation that gives opportunity to head ly "both among reons.” 2 a case for the South urma, the only Asian post is in Southeast on that has now deai foreign minister. are only two candis possible that more erge later. In the end replaces Kofi Annan ly the five permanent Security Council each power. ran's al
lar Yogeswaran, bro
next big story. I am cyber activists and rnalists will keep us offers a platform for ls and small groups it to the world.
be a real test for inunications technolo
ly, hundreds of amah-taking images of sing their hand-held etworks and profeshours later.
onths, we should reis, armed with video he next big wave- of nan perseverance. O
ther of late Uma Mahesvaran, one of the leading figures in the Tamil militant movement until he was gunned down in 1989, now living in France, has complained to the French Ambassador, the SLMM and the leader of the PLOTE about the LTTE seizing his passport and extorting money from him, when he returned to the Northern Sri Lanka after 24 years, to see his kinsfolk at Inuvil, Jaffna recently, according PLOTE leader and parliamentarian Dharmalingam Sitharthan.
Mr Yogeswaran has complained that his French passport number 047B33039 was seized by the LTTE, when he went to his hometown in the North and he was later forced to sign a document stating that he would pay the LTTE at the rate of one Euro a day for the entirety of the 24 years he spent in France. The LTTE had also demanded him to sign a document promising a further payment of 30 Euros for each month he would spend in France in the future, Sithathan said.
But when the LTTE cadres got hold of Mr Yogeswaran he did not have the large sum of money demanded by them from him, The LTTE also asked his sister-in-Law Jeyarani Varatharajah, a resident of Temple Road Jaffna, to stand surety for paying the money demanded by the LTTE. Mr. Yogeswaran said since he did not have such a large sum of money as demanded by the LTTE, but if he failed to pay up he feared for the life of his sister-in-law.
He has also said that he had to pay the LTTE 1,000 rupees and a further sum of 4,000 rupees when he crossed the Muhamalai LTTE checkpoint on his way to Jaffna on arrival in the country on February 18. The LTTE cadres at the checkpoint had told him he had to pay these amounts as he was returning from Europe. Sithathan said that Mr Yogeswaran had told him that it was only after he signed the the document promising to pay the LTTE the entire amount of money on returning to France and his sister-in-law guaranteed the payment that his passport was returned to him, Sithathan said.
Major German Honour for Human Rights Watch
The prestigious Theodor-Heuss Foundation announced today that it will award its highest honor to Human Rights Watch in April 2005. The foundation recognized Human Rights Watch for "the

Page 24
24, TAMIL TIMES
even-handedness and credibility” of its global reporting.
“We are honored to receive this prize from an institution whose dedication to freedom is widely celebrated,” said Kenneth Roth, executive director of Human Rights Watch. “We share with the Theodor-Heuss Foundation the belief that democracy is vital to the struggle for human rights.” Previous recipients of the Theodor-Heuss Prize include Vaclav Havel, Gunter Grass, and leading German statesmen. This year marks the 40th anniversary of the Theodor-Heuss prize. The awards ceremony will take place April 29 in Stuttgart, Germany. Two other recipients will share the award with Human Rights Watch.
In explaining its decision, the Foundation said: that the "hallmark of Human Rights Watch is the even-handedness and credibility of its reporting.... Highly respected, Human Rights Watch is at times dreaded by governments and international organizations for the accuracy, impartiality and timeliness of its reports. The concern, size and perseverance of this organization ask for stronger appreciation and support in Germany.”
The Foundation was established in 1965 by Hildegard Hamm-Bruecher and friends of Germany's first president, Theodor Heuss. The Foundation's mission is to support democracy as a way of life according to the philosophy of Theodor Heuss.
"We are proud to be furthering Dr. Hamm-Bruecher's life's work in support of democracy," said Roth. "And we find inspiration in the democratic leadership of Theodor Heuss.”
The two other recipients are Prof. Dr. Meinhard Miegel, a trenchant analyst of social and economic data and an advocate of civil society, and Prof. Dr. Klaus Toepfer, who heads the United National Environmental Program in Nairobi.
In spring 2005, Human Rights Watch plans to open its first office in Germany, an advocacy office in Berlin. "The timing of this prize could not be better," said
Roth. “Germany h portant role to play rights around the w to push for Germa tential.”
Learning fron if not from his “If we cannot ] us learn from she former Prime Minis releasing a book by political scientist Commissioner of S the Sri Lankan Higl Delhi on February Launching the which is a collectio set against the bac conflicts that have et the past two decade problems that Sri L sult of decolonisati could apply to an Asia,” he said. “TI much more,' others Pakistan had also su ance and lack of unc The Editor-in-C Ram, who introduc five delicately craft bined the insight o with that of a giftec ries registered the ch ofviolence in Sri La ous to sporadic to v litical change throug said that the infring and the problems which we also saw roughshod over the ties in the name of n root of the crisis.
While bringing the violence in the with issues such as hope, this debut wor nothing preachy ol said. The storyteller with every section l. rivation and, like all
75047
EMERGENCYTRA
 

s an enormously imin promoting human rld. We will continue y to realize that po
stories, ory 2arn from history, let rt stories,” said the er, I.K. Gujral, while Gnana Moonesinghe, nd wife of the High ri Lanka in India, at Commission in New 5. )ook, Build a Bridge, n of five short stories kdrop of the violent gulfed Sri Lanka over s, Mr. Gujral said the anka faced were a reon. The "same story y country of South hough your pain is like Bangladesh and ffered due to intolerlerstanding. hief of The Hindu, N. ed the book, said the ed short stories comfa political scientist | storyteller. The stolange in the character inka - from spontaneiolence in aid of poh the use of force. He ement of civil rights 2f majoritarianism - in Indiaas some rode rights of the minoriationalism - lay at the
our various facets of stories, which dealt genocide, Jaffna and offiction, contained propagandist, Ram had only empathised ving in multiple depgood writing, this too
MARCH 2005
was marked by sincerity.
'Reflected on situation' Ms. Moonesinghe said she had tried to reflect on why the violent events took place and Sri Lanka became a society where violence became accepted and was condoned; where human rights were preached but humanity and humaneness forgotten; and how the image of a smiling and tolerant Sri Lanka was damaged. The author said that during the colonial period people learnt to compromise and coexist and learnt the art of integration and how to resolve conflicts through negotiation. But after Sri Lanka gained freedom and the citizens became masters of their own destiny, the divisions grew wider as self. ishness and greed grew. However, now, with a historical ceasefire in place between the Tamil secessionist groups and the Sri Lankan Government, she said there was hope that the voice of sanity would rise above violence. (The Hindu)
A tree to remember
Feb 26 - Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar planted a tree on behalf of President Chandrika Kumaratunga, at the Hyderabad House near the India Gate in New Delhi. The planting of the tree was done as a gesture of sincere appreciation and abiding gratitude for the immense assistance in reliefandrescue operationsimmediately rendered by the Government, Armed Forces, especially the Indian Navy of the Republic of India to the people of Sri Lanka who were severely affected by the unprecedented giant Tsunami waves. Kadirgamar was in New Delhi as a Special Envoy of President Kumaratunga to thank India. Tsunami waves caused havoc in the coast of Sri Lanka killing over 35,000 deaths, destruction of over l 13,00 houses and displacing over half a million people. Foreign Ministry sources described the tree planting ceremony as a sincere gesture of appreciation. A spokesman said "When the flowers bloom one day our friends in India will remember that Sri Lanka appreciated very much what India did to help our people." O
/EL ONLY ) )-SRILANKA
676 360
SOUTH INDIA -SINGAPORE

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MARCH 2005
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26 AMIL TIMES
LTTE'S Air For WOrries GOV
According to a report in the Sunday Times (6 March), the serious concern felt by the Government over the construction of a new airstrip in Kilinochchi and the acquisition of air capability by the LTTE has prompted President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga to write to Norway's Prime Minister, Kjell Magne Bondevik, raising the issue. A copy of her letter has been handed over to Hans Brattskar, Norway's Ambassador to Sri Lanka, by Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar, for onward transmission.
The President's letter is accompanied byan aide memoire and a set of colour pictures of the airstrip as well as an aircraft. The aide memoire contains extensive documentation of matters relating to the new airstrip as well as acquisition of air capability by the LTTE, the report said.
In her letter to the Norwegian PM, pointing out that that the development of an airstrip and acquisition of aircraft were not in keeping with the spirit of the Ceasefire Agreement, President Kumaratunga is learnt to have made clear that the Government fully reserved the right to defend Sri Lanka's sovereignty and territorial integrity. She has expressed serious concern that there was now a direct threat to Sri Lanka’s air space and sought Norway's help to dismantle LTTE's air capability and the airstrip, the report said.
The Sunday Times report further says that authorities in the United States has confirmed to the Government that one of the aircraft used by the LTTE was a two-seater Czech built Zlin Z 143. The identification came after the Government handed over photographs obtained by the Israeli built Searcher Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) and sought US assistance to identify the aircraft. It is not known whether US also used its resources for independent verification. According to data made available to the Government, the Zlin Z 143 aircraft is said to have a range of 630 nautical miles and is capable of carrying an ordinance load of 240 kilogrammes. Such an ordinance load could be doubled or made more if only one pilot flies the aircraft as a "flying bomb"
on a suicide missior President Ku memoire hasalso photographs of the airstrip located Iranamadu irrigatior It has been paved centreline marking have also been plac way. The documen the runway as l.2 k said.
The Sunday T said that President R cided that her Govel public immediately Norway or on othe LTTE's acquisition is not only until No on the matter but al of several countrie with the peace proc She also feels an ear ment would lead t alarmed and a panic ated.
The Governme. steps to brief friend is being described as to the region' cause ing a new airstrip an bility. One such cou given a detailed bri cording to authorita Minister Lakshman to have apprised Ind Prime Minister Man lar brief, same sou given to the United United States and have been given the and make their res Government propo facts before the pub
Reportedly the had told the Goverr ble evidence that the one light aircraft an the quality of ima UAV on the second difficulty. It also ti that it possessed th out offensive opera way and the LTTE

Ce'
maratunga 's aide rovided details and
newly constructed south east of the tank in Kilinochchi. with threshold and . In addition lights d alongside the runt lists the length of ilometres, the report
imes report further cumaratunga had denment should not go
with the protest to r matters relating to of air capability. This rway initiates action so till the responses s closely associated ess are made public. ly official announceo the public being ; situation being cre
it has already taken ly countries of what the "enormous threat d by the LTTE buildd acquiring air capaIntry which has been efing was India. Active sources, Foreign Kadirgamar is learnt ian leaders including mohan Singh. A simirces said, had been States. Once India, other countries that facts carry out a study ponses known, the ses to place all the lic. Sri Lanka Air Force ment it had irrefuta: the LTTE possessed d an airstrip and that ges obtained by the aircraft caused some ld the Government e capability to carry ions against the runs air assets. But the
MARCH 2005
ongoing Ceasefire Agreement prevented them from engaging in any offensive action. They have, however, pointed out that the only option available would be to prevent any enemy air asset from carrying out any activities detrimental to national security by intercepting and destroying them in the air. The Air Force views such a course of action as a defensive one, the Sunday Times report said,
The presence of a new airstrip in Kilinochchi and the acquisition of aircapability by the LTTE, the Government believes, have tilted the military balance drastically during the ceasefire. It was on the morning of January 12, this year the UAV obtained its first video footage. It showed an aircraft parked at the southern (05) end of the runway, A second UAV reconnaissance mission was carried out in the night on the same day. Infra red images showed another aircraft parked near a structure that resembled a makeshift hangar. These images showed that the second aircraft had been concealed under camouflage netting to hide its presence. On February 3, an Air Force UAV on a routine reconnaissance flight over Iranamadu during the night videod an aircraft touching down in the newly built airstrip. This came as the first confirmation through visual images that the LTTE was in possession of aircraft, the report said.
Reportedly the construction of the runway began during the tenure of the previous United National Front (UNF) Government. Metal for the construction of the airstrip had been moved from suppliers in the Anuradhapura district ostensibly on the grounds that it was to be used for building the badly damaged Alpha Nine (A-9) highway.
At one top level conference at the Ministry of Defence in Colombo during this period, a senior Army officer had raised issue. He had alluded to intelligence reports of how vast quantities of metal and cement were being moved into the Wanni. Though it was on the grounds that paving of the Kandy-Jaffna (A-9) highway was taking place, the quantities seemed too enormous. The Army officer had in fact cited the role played by a local Government official in the area in expediting metal and cement supplies. His protests, however, were ignored. That was during a time when the UNF leadership chose to ignore many such complaints or reports. Hence no remedial action was taken.
(continued on next page)

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28 TAM TIMES
this year's report, notified him in a letter he received just yesterday (22 February) of "their readiness to enter into dialogue, using the framework of the monitoring and reporting mechanism,' he said.
He called on the LTTE leadership to embark immediately on tangible actions, leading to a time-bound action plan to end, once and for all, the practices of recruitment, abductions and use of children as soldiers. Otunnu concluded his remarks by reciting from a Bob Marley song, "Hear the children
crying".
European Union on child soldiers
Following hard on the heels of the
UN Security Council telling the LTTE to end child conscription, the LTTE was the only organisation that was named in a press release issued by the European Union (EU).
Furthermore, the EU in its statement mentioned Sri Lanka among the three countries where it will be active on the child soldier issue. It said, "The Plan of Action, recently adopted by the EU, is meant to further reinforce the implementation of the EU Guidelines on Children and Armed Conflict through political and practical EU involvement on the ground and a better use of the wide range of tools at our disposal. The Plan of Action intends to match technical assistance with political action by identifying gaps and possibilities for increased co-operation on this issue.
As a first step, three focus countries have been identified for pilot projects, namely Uganda, Sierra Leone and Sri Lanka.”
The EU also stated: “The EU fully subscribes to the views and recommendations of the Secretary General with respect to the role of the International Criminal Court, both for its deterrence effect and the prospect of prosecution of war crimes against children. The EU stresses the importance of putting an immediate end to impunity.
In this context, we urge States to accelerate the process of ratification or accession to the Rome Statute of the ICC, which contains an important provision classifying the conscription or enlisting of children under the age of fifteen years as a war crime." Acting under invalid emergency regulations
Mar 3 - The Civil Rights Move
The presence c organisations (NGC and its partner org creased significant disaster and the NG{ tsunami aid than the tary, Ministry of Fi and Secretary to th Jayasundera said or
ment of Sri Lanka upon the President the Constitution an ercising emergency ment to be punctilic supervisory contrt rule.
In a press relea Suriya Wickremasi of emergency procl dent on January 4 by Parliament and th within 14 days. ", emergency is valid month (at a time) i Parliament within 1 met on January 4 bu was not approved b day and the next me February 8," it said "Furthermore, b liamentary approv Proclamation of Fe dent acted beyond h another set of emer which replicated th tions made in Janua When Parliamer ond proclamation o Proclamation becar then gave the Presid to make emergency "Therefore, the regulations the Pres ruary 3 has no lega emergency regulati on January 6 lapsed The CRM furth the Commissioner C Services and Com appointed by the P der emergency regu 3 were exercising p legal force or validi
 

MARCH 2005
non governmental , the United Nations anisations have iny with the tsunami shad received more government, Secrehance and Planning e Treasury Dr. P.B.
2 March.
(CRM) has called to act according to d the law when expowers, and Parliaus when exercising }l over emergency
se CRM Secretary nghe said the state aimed by the Presiwas not approved erefore had expired A proclamation of for a period of one f it is approved by 4 days. Parliament ut the Proclamation y Parliament on the eting was fixed for
ofore obtaining Paral for the Second pruary 3, the Presier powers and made gency regulations, e previous regulary. t approved the secn February 11, this he operative which ent the legal power regulations. set of emergency dent made on Febforce. The set of ns that were made after January 18.' :r pointed out that eneral of Essential hetent Authorities esident to act unations of February wers that have no y.
Delivering his address on He made the following remarks at the Independence Commemoration Lecture on "The Impact of the Tsunami Disaster on the Economy of Sri Lanka - Challenges for Rebuilding the Nation in Colombo, Dr Jayasundara said that Sri Lanka had so far received financial aid amounting to rupees six billion through private donations. He added that the government was requesting from donor agencies to take over the infrastructure development, which he believed was the most important area to be developed for betterment of the country.
"The government account has received only rupees 1.5 billion, against which the government has already implemented several measures costing over rupees 10 billion, about US$ 100 million. The international and domestic NGOs engaged in relief operations too have increased considerably. With the large aid pledges by several people and civil societies abroad, it is necessary that a coordinated effort, both interms ofcapital inflows as well as on development assistance is undertaken by the government, he said.
He said that several international NGOs now command nearly a billion US dollars for the post tsunami related relief and rehabilitation activities in the region. "In the interest of the best outcome, it is necessary to ensure that these funds are channelled to the benefit of victims in the affected areas. Towards this, asserting how funds are raised and how they are utilised will be essential,” he said adding that in the name of tsunami some reputed NGOs were involved in many other activities.
Tsunami tragedy and NGOs
The tsunami devastation of many of the south Asian countries would appear to have created opportunities for the proliferation of local and international Non Governmental Organisations (NGOs) with vast sums of money at their disposal. Some of them, with long standing experience in undertakingreliefand rehabilitation work in disaster situations, are doing valuable work, but it would seem

Page 29
MARCH 2005
that there are a great number which do mOt.
International Non Governmental Organisations (INGOs) are said to staging reliefactivities to gain publicity and more funds from donors in many parts of the country. One aid worker is quoted as saying that there is a heavy competition among these organisations, mainly among the international organisations. She said "This is unbelievable how they compete with each other. They stage activities and show them as relief efforts. Then they photograph them and send it abroad and to show their donors and others. Also what they give cannot be used by our people. We can also see that there is business interest among them. They carry out business in the guise of humanitarian work.'
It is also said that the Tsunami has created unprecedented employment opportunities to people from the west and other developed countries. Many of them have landed lucrative job contracts in Sri Lanka as aid workers and in international organisations such as the UN and the International Red Cross and other foreignagencies. An expert Sri Lankan doctor has been quoted as saying that Sri Lanka has no proper mechanismto control and monitor activities of these organisations. He said how he saw a doctor from a foreign INGO trying to give some kind of body lotion as medicine to people in camps down south. He called on the government to take immediate action to curb activities of this nature. He also pointed out that psychosocial activities must be carried out by local counsellors and not foreign counsellors who do not understand the language and the culture of the island.
The post-tsunami situation has also seen a proliferation local NGOs purporting to do relief work obtaining huge amounts of funds from donor agencies which see only their "project proposals” which appear to be very fine and laudable on paper, but producing very little on the ground. Even some established local NGOs which used to engage in other type of activities such as election monitoring or lobbying for peace would seem to have switched to activities relating to “monitoring relief distri
bution" undertaken stitutions or other
NGOs in fierce co by Ravi R. Prasad Tangalle, Sri La They are of all shap The tsunami hit area island of Sri Lankal ference amid rubble Every cluster of flag showing the na ernmental organiza that it has come fror flying flags of NGC that are working w tims in the east and
A quick surf oft international NGOs that they have taker lems of the victims i them claim to be bu porary shelters for welfare camps or ul In spite of these fetch the aid agencie home, thousands o have to go without for shelter when it night I had to go to because my tent co a barber, who was namithat hit Sri Lal aid workers, who cc ing, did not turn up ily. They know th withstand heavy sh Outside the of Agent or the chief of the districts, rep are perched in a row They wait for thei ficer and promiseh the agencies worki promised to rebuilt has no experience i is recognized worl lief“ said a gover southern Matara d
The tsunami competition betwe are trying to outsn the process, maki not be fulfilled. In cies work in camp: road. It increases
WWW.armaSSOCiateS.CO.uk-uS
 

TAM TIMES 29
yy Government inGOS!
npetition
ka, Jan. 24 (UPI) - s, sizes and colours. of the Indian Ocean ok like a world con
camping tents has a me of the non-govion or the country 1. There are vehicles is and armed forces th the tsunami vicouth of the country. he Web sites of many gives an impression care of all the probn Sri Lanka. Most of sy constructing tempeople now living in der tarpaulin. loud assertions that huge donations back f tsunami survivors food at times and run rains heavily. "Last the Buddhist temple lapsed.” Lakshman, displaced by the tsunka on Dec. 26. “The me here every mornwhen it rained heavat the tents cannot ower.” fice of Government administrator of one esentatives of NGOs like birds on a wall. turn to meet the of m the moon. "One of ng in the district has the entire city, but it civil engineering. It over for medical rement official in the strict. as sparked of fierce in aid agencies. They art each other and in g promises that canmost places aid agenthat are alongside the eir visibility. Camps
in far flung areas still depend on armed forces and government officials for suc
COll.
As all the agencies are trying to work on water, sanitation and health, confusion reigns supreme. The government, on its part, does not have a system to ensure coordination between the NGOs to reduce duplication of work.
In the capital Colombo, the aid agencies are calling up reporters to invite them to visit the areas where they are working. "We are working in Matara, Hambantota, Galle, Batticaloa and Ampara. If you are going to any of these places, please let us know. We can arrange a visit to the camp where we are working,"a public relations official ofan NGO said over the phone.
Persistent queries revealed that the aid organization was involved in "advocacy,' trying to convince the district of ficials that the tsunami victims living in welfare shelters should not be moved to temporary shelters for the next few months. Asked if the agency was doing something for the people that could help them recover from the tragedy, the answer was a long winding one with full of jargon.
"Oh yes, we are distributing NFRI (nonfood reliefitems) and also doing Wat/ San (water and sanitation). We have also taken up protection issues and working with children to provide them counselling,' the public relations official said.
Plane loads of clothes, bottled water and relief items arrived in the country a couple of days after the tsunami strike. While water was exhausted quickly, food items and clothes have gone to waste.
Hundreds of thousands of cans of baked beans, canned meat and frozen raw meat were never consumed. "The donors had no idea of what Sri Lankans eat,” said a government officer working with reliefagencies. “The expression of solidarity made us feel that we are not alone, but what they sent was of no use to our people.”
At a Buddhist temple near Seenegama in Galle district, women burned excesses clothes that they had received as aid. "These do not fit us, some of it is woolen,” said Dilusha, who was burning the clothes. “There is so much of it in the
eful linkS-ARM Online insurance

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30 TAMIL TIMES
temple that we have no place to keep anything else, so we decided to burn it." According to rough estimates, the killer wave left some 7,000 children orphaned and thousands of women widowed. Not one aid agency has set up a children's home or a home for destitute women. "We do not believe in institutionalizing children,” said an official of an aid agency that works with children. "We are into advocacy, and we believe that children should be with families and not in children's homes.'
Thousands of medical experts turned up soon after the disaster hit Sri Lanka. Many of them are still around struggling to help people. "What is trauma?" asked a doctor, who has come from far East Asia. In his broken English, the doctor asked the interpreter to explain what the patient meant by trauma.
“Why has he come here when he cannot understand either English or Tamil?" said 64-year-old Ganesan, a retired government employee, who speaks fluent English. "I tried to explain to him that the child is traumatized, but the doctor does not understand English."
Some of the aid agencies have won the hearts and minds of people. Those constructing temporary shelters or employing the displaced, jobless men have gained the respect of the people.
Karuna cadre injured in shooting: Feb20- Mr. Wadivel Ravichandran, 22, of Kiran in eastern Sri Lanka and known to be a member of the Kar
Oxfam on inexpt Michael McDont
Jan. 26, 2005 Some new houses together, leading t problems, and the country's tradition open to the elemer There also hav ficulties in souther dination of agencic its report, "Learnir Tsunami: One Mor Cox declined to that Oxfam referred ing and shaming,” h this up with the bod relief effort: the U. ments."
The U.N. Offic ion of Humanitaria said that smaller aid turn up unannounci effort more complic in many emergencies lem,” OCHA spok Byrs told The Assoc many staff running do our best to get the Byrs said some don't have the nece their efforts need to wider aid operation
una faction of the LTTE
was shot and injured allegedly by Tamil Tiger gunmen on February 19, Saturday night around 10.15 in Oddamavady, 34 kilometres north of Batticaloa, Police said,
The injured man had urged medical officers at Valaichenai hospital where he was admitted Saturday night that he be transferred to Polannaruwa base hospital. Valaichenai hospital authorities had informed Police that they could not comply with his request as Polannaruwa base hospital is outside the Batticaloa district, They had, however, explained that the Sri Lanka army had the authority to tranfer the injured man in a military ambulance to Polannaruwa.
Indian soldiers help reconstruct Arugam Bay bridge: Feb 20 - Soldiers of the Indian Army contingent that arrived in Sri Lanka in the aftermath of tsunami disaster have started construction of temporary spans over the partially but heavily damaged Arugam Bay bridge in Amparai district. Multiple spans of a total of 150 feet were destroyed of the 350 feet bridge when the wave struck, engineering sources in Amparai said.
Spokesperson of construction crew of the Indian Army told media that 80 soldiers were deployed in the reconstruction the Arugam Bay bridge. He added that ten Sri Lankan Army soldiers were assisting the Indian crew on the construction effort. The bridge would be usable again within three weeks, according to their
 

MARCH 2005
lenced NGOs
gh AP) - In Sri Lanka, vere built too close potential sanitation wellings lacked the kitchens, which are S. been significantdif India over the coor, the charity said in the Lessons of the h On." identify the charities to. "We're not namsaid. "We're taking ies coordinating the N. and local govern
for the CoordinatAffairs, or OCHA, organizations which 'd can make a relief ated. "This happens it's a common probeswoman Elisabeth iated Press, "We see to the place and we se people on board.” times these groups 'ssary expertise and be coordinated with s conducted by the
United Nations and larger relieforganizations,
Another leading British charity, Christian Aid, agreed that some inexperienced NGOs were working in tsunamihit areas, but said their help was nevertheless valuable, "There are inexperienced NGOs working in various areas,” said Nick Guttmann, head of emergency at Christian Aid. "Anybody who can is out there trying to help each, but they aren't very experienced, so they can't do anything on the large scale. But they definitely can give a lot of small scale help." No one was immediately available for comment at Britain's Department for International Development. A phone message wasn't immediately returned
When asked about Oxfam's comments on inexperienced NGOs, a spokesman for Save the Children U.K. said the charity hadn't noted anything similar,
The Oxfam report also said governments have pledged US$912 million (euro703 million) of the US$977 million (euro753 million) requested by the United Nations for urgent humanitarian aid. But it added that so far they have only contributed half the amount asked for,
Oxfam added that governments needed to do more to tackle wider problems facing tsunami survivors, such as debt, trade barriers and conflict in the affected regions. O
spokesperson.
The temporary co-nstruction is expected to last up to three years if regular maintenance is done. A more permanent structure
has to be rebuilt within that time period. Tamil, Muslim and Sinhala residents of Arugam Bay, Ullai and Panam villages people have been undergoing severe transport difficulties without the use of the bridge. Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) has been providing boat service to cross the bridge after the tsunami,
Karuna cadre killed: Feb 20 - Villiasingham Manoharan, 26, suspected to be a suporter of the Karuna faction of the LTTE was killed and another wounded when gunmen reportedly belonging to the Tamil Tigers ambushed them near the Batticaloa-Polannaruwa district border on February 21, Sunday around 11.45 am, according to the police. The two men, both cadres of the Karuna Group, were travelling on a motorbike from Karapola to Muththukkal, villages in the interior of Polannaruwa District, about 65 kilometres northwest of Batticaloa, when they were ambushed. The injured cadre identified as Mr. Vinayagamoorthy Jeganathan (Suthaharan) was admitted to Polannaruwa Base Hospital.
Remove language barriers urged: Feb 20 - Mr.Kasinather Sivapalan, newly elected President of the Trincomalee District Bar Association (TDBA) said he would request the police to appoint Tamil speaking personnel in all police stations in the Trincomalee district to record complaints in Tamil language and

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MARCH 2005
also to submit reports in courts of law at least with Tamil translation.
Mr. Sivapalan, a senior lawyer and a leading human rights activist was unanimously elected President of the TDBA for the year 2005 Friday evening.
He added that he will meet the Constitutional Affairs Minister Mr.D.E.W.Gunasekara to request him to take immediate steps to implement the Official Languages Act and Court Languages Act for the northeast province without any further delay.
Currently complaints in the police stations in the northeast are recorded in Sinhala and police submit reports in cases in law courts only in Sinhala without a translation in English or Tamil, legal sources said.
Mr. Sivapalan in January 2005 participated as the sole delegate from Sri Lanka at the Wilton Park Conference on Transitional Justice and Rule of Law in post-conflict society held in London with the assistance of the Centre for Transitional Justice based in New York and supported by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office of the British Government.
Lanka protests over Annan's statement: Feb 20 - Sri Lanka has expressed serious concern over what it sees as an ill-conceived statement by Secretary-General Kofi Annan in his quick condemnation of the assassination of the LTTE's eastern leader E. Kaushalyan. The governmentos concern was personally conveyed to UN Assistant Secretary-General for Political Affairs, Danilo Turk, by Sri Lanka's UN envoy Bernard Goonetilleke.
"The timing and contents of the statement were inappropriate and not helpful to the ongoing peace process,' Mr. Goonetilleke told Mr. Turk, at a meeting with the Assistant Secretary-General in his Secretariat office.
Mr. Annan's statement was considered "unusual" because he rarely, if ever, condemns the killings of rebel leaders, and certainly not members of a designated "terrorist organisation'. At the same time, Mr. Annan has not reacted as quickly - or reacted at all - to the killings of several other political leaders in Sri Lanka over the past few years.
Mr. Turk, who initiated the meeting with Mr. Goonetilleke, was particularly keen on denying news reports that Mr. Annan's statement had been inspired by the UN office in Colombo which was picketed by demonstrators in protest.
He expressed regrets if any misunderstanding had been caused. In Colombo, Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar is reported to have said, "It is of little concern to me whether the message in question originated from Colombo or New York. That is a matter between the UN in New York and the UN in Colombo. My concern is to ensure at all times that Sri Lanka as a member state is treated with respect."
Mr. Annan's statement - which described Mr. Kaushalyan as "a senior political leader of the LTTE'' - urged all parties "to exercise calm and restraint so as to avoid actions that could disrupt the ceasefire agreement of February 2002 or the long-term interest of peace in Sri Lanka."
Chopper prototype detected: Feb 20 - A person who had arrived from Germany, bringing with him a remote-controlled prototype light aircraft, was arrested by Criminal Investigations Department sleuths said. Preliminary investigations had revealed that the suspect has had a close relationship with the LTTE, police said.
A video tape of the "Mahaweerar' celebration, organized in Germany and a photograph of the suspect taken with Kaushalyan, the Eastern Province leader of the LTTE, who was recently killed, had been found amongst his possessions. Photographs of senior LTTE leaders, including LTTE police chief Nadeshan and women's wing leader Mathialan were also found on him. He had also tried to smuggle in twenty ultra-powerful torches along with the light airplane, security sources said.
The suspect had divulged to the investigators that the light

TAMIL TIMES 31
aircraft and other equipment were to be handed over to LTTE's Pulliyankulam office. The five-foot long light aircraft was expertly packed in a box and was first noticed by the Airport customs officials who had later handed him to the police for further investigations.
The suspect, Somasundaram Paramakandan (28) told investigators that he is a resident of Kopai North in Jaffna. He told the investigators that the pictures and the light aircraft were given to him by an LTTE cadre by the name Rajitharan who is in Germany.
Grenade kills three in Court: Feb 21 - Three people were killed and more than 50 people were injured in a grenade explosion in Embilipitiya Court Monday (21). 24 prisoners including 19 accused as hardcore criminals and brought for their cases to the court, escaped from the scene, according to a prison-officer. Embilipitiya is a city located in Sabaragamuva Province in the South. One prison official was among the three dead, sources said. Police suspected underworld gang for the attack.
Fishermen threaten death fast: Feb 21 - Fishermen from the Maruthamunai village are warning of an uprising, if authorities fail to withdraw the "200 metres buffer zone rule' for the Kalmunai Division. "We will give the Government considerable'time, but if there is no proper feedback, then we will launch a massive fast unto death in front of the Divisional Secretariat's office in Kalmunai,” fishermen are reported to have warned, when they met SLMC leader Rauff Hakeem recently.
They urged the SLMC Leader to intervene and compel the Government to withdraw the buffer zone idea for Kalmunai only, especially due to the lack of land and other practical issues. Mr. Hakeem in response is reported to have said, "I understand your plight, and according to the United Nation's accepted norms, people cannot be relocated against their wishes," he said.
Meanwhile, the fishermen had also requested the Government to urgently provide them with boats and fishing nets, so that they can get back to sea and start to earn their day to day living. The fishermen also queried as to why the Government was meeting out step motherly treatment towards the eastern province, while providing almost everything to the South which was not even half affected compared to the East. Newspapers reported that the Fisheries Minister had handed boats and the documents of ownership to Southern fishermen. “Why aren't we be given such treatment, aren't we also affected?," they queried. 24 varsity students request transfer; Feb 23, 2005 - Twenty four students, consisting of 20 Muslims and four Sinhalese who were granted admission to the Jaffna University for the 2005 Academic Year are urging authorities to provide them with alternate Universities as they are afraid to go to the Tamil populated University because the situation in the North is extremely "tensed'. It's nearly 15 years since the last batch of Muslim and Sinhalese students had studied at the Jaffna University. The parents of these students have expressed their deep concern noting that due to the fragile peace process and with the possibility of hostilities escalating between the LTTE and Government, they fear to send their children as they don't know what plight will be awaiting them. The students have also informed that they will not be able to carry out their studies with a peace of mind due to fear, as the environment in Jaffna is not all that conducive.
These students along with their parents have made several representations to Ministers Ferial Ashraff, Dinesh Gunawardena, A.H.M. Fowzie, and several other Government and Opposition politicians including Alavi Moulana, Rauff Hakeem, Anver Ismail and Rishard Bathiudeen. The Ministers are reported to have informed the students that they will take up the matter at the Cabinet meeting and request President Kumaratunga to allocate alternative Universities for them. This undertaking was given on February 15th, but the parents and students are yet to receive any favourable feedback from the authorities,

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Court quashes death sentence: Feb 23 - Mr. Shanmugam Ragupathi, a Tamil youth of Jaffna was released Monday, 21 February after fifteen years in Welikada jail when the Supreme Court quashed the death sentence imposed on him by the Colombo High Court in a case in which he was indicted by the Attorney General for causing deaths of several soldiers of the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) in an attack on the Karainagar army base in the year 1990.
The Attorney General under the Prevention of Terrorism Act indicted the accused (PTA) in the Colombo High Court in 2002, and following a trial the Colombo High Court imposed death sentence on the accused, accepting his confession as a voluntary one despite defence position that the confession was made under duress while in police custody, legal sources said.
The accused filed an appeal against the death sentence stating that the High Court had erred in accepting his confession as a voluntary one. He also said in his appeal that the prosecution had failed to establish the fact that there was an army camp in Karainagar during the period of committing the alleged crime. The prosecution also failed to prove with authoritative documents that about five hundred soldiers were killed in the Karainagar attack, said the Supreme Court in its order quashing the death sentence.
Tamil MPs protest march: Feb 24 - A group of a dozen Tamil National Alliance MP marched on the driveway to the Sri Lankan Parliament carrying placards condemning Colombo for failing to avail itself of the cease fire with the Liberation Tigers signed three years ago. "Do not buy weapons with Tsunami aid", "Disarm the paramilitaries", "Don't divide the Muslims and Tamils', read some of the placards. The march and demo were led by senior Tamil Parliamentarians Mr. R. Sampanthan, Mr. Joseph Pararajasingham, Mr. Mavai Senathirajah and Mr. Selvam Adaikalanathan.
"We are doing this to register the Tamil speaking people's disgust at the manner in which the Sri Lankan state has squandered these three valuable years of peace by trying to find ruses to preserve the unitary Sinhala Buddhist state by means other than war," said Mr. Selvam Adaikalanathan, explaining the TNA decision to hold the demo and protest march at the Parliament.
Oxfam, EI to reconstruct tsunami hit schools: Feb 24 - Education International (EI) and Oxfam-Netherlands have signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Central Ministry of Education for reconstructing fourteen schools which were destroyed in December 26 tsunami in the northeast and south of Sri Lanka. Mr. Fred van Leeuwen, General Secretary of the Education International, Ms Sylvia Borren, General Director of the OxfamNetherlands and Dr Ms. Tara De Mel, Secretary to the Ministry of Education signed the MoU, education Ministry sources said
Of the fourteen schools, nine will be constructed in the northeast province at a cost of 475 million rupees. The Schools for the South will be constructed at a cost of 320 million rupees, sources said.
Dr de Mel thanked the Education International and OxfamNetherlands for their assistance to improve the education in tsunami hit areas. She said although the Sri Lanka government has signed MoUs with foreign governments and international and national non-governmental organizations, this is the first time the government has signed MoUs with organizations representing world teachers to reconstruct schools.
Schools to be constructed in the northeast are: Trincomalee District: Nilaveli Tamil Maha Vidiyalayam (Rs 70 million), Kuchchaveli Al Nooriya Vidiyalayam (Rs 44 million), Cheenanveli
 

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Athavan Vidiyalayam (Rs 42 million), Upooral Sivasakthi Vidiyalayam (Rs 37 million); Batticaloa District: Kurukkalmadam Kalaivani Maha Vidiyalayam (Rs 82 million), Chettipalayam Maha Vidiyalayam (Rs 74 million); Mullaitivu district: Mullaitivu Hindu Tamil Vidiyalayam (Rs 30 million), Mullivaikal East Government Tamil Mixed School (Rs 30 million); Amparai district: Oluvil AlJailani Vidiyalayam (Rs 58 million)
75 million dollars emergency grant from WB: Washington, Feb 25 - The World Bank has approved USD 75 million emergency grant for Sri Lanka to help it recover from the tsunami disaster of December 26. This is in addition to the USD 75 million made available to the country earlier this month as an immediate response to the tragedy, bringing the total aid to USD 150 million.
Total financing needs for Sri Lanka's recovery and reconstruction are estimated to be approximately USD 1.5 to 1.6 billion, according to a damage and needs assessment made by World Bank with the Asian Development Bank and Japan Bank for International Cooperation.
The new grant is expected to contribute to the recovery process by assisting the affected people in rebuilding their damaged houses, restoring livelihoods, and reactivating the delivery of basic services to the devastated areas.
The tsunami had caused widespread devastation along Sri Lanka's eastern, southern and western coast, damaging over 1,00,000 houses and affecting about a million people. The emergency project will finance housing, roads, water supply and other infrastructure; livelihood support and capacity building for implementation. "The need is to create a strong foundation for a longer-term reconstruction and recovery effort, that ensures equity between regions and ethnic groups,” said Peter Harrold, World Bank Country Director for Sri Lanka. He said, "the financing package approved is geared to help people get their lives back but as the recovery and rebuilding progresses, and as other donors come to the table, we will be flexible about the areas we finance.”
Thelipalai hospital to be upgraded: Feb 25 - The Government of Japan has donated a sum of USD 90,204 (approximately Rs. 8.9 million) towards the "Project for Emergency Rehabilitation of Water Supply and Sewerage Systems at Thellipalai Hospital" in the Jaffna peninsula as a part of its continuous efforts in improving the emergency health care needs in areas where access to health facilities and services are insufficient.
Akio Suda, Ambassador of Japan to Sri Lanka and R.M.S. Ratnayake, Provincial Secretary of Health, North-East Province signed the grant contract on Friday at the Ministry of Healthcare in Colombo.
Minister Nimal Siripala De Silva and S. Maligaspe, Secretary to the Ministry of Healthcare and M.S. Jayasinghe, Secretary, Ministry of Relief, Rehabilitation and Reconciliation were present at the occasion. Chief Secretary, North-East Provincial Council and Government Agent Jaffna District also attended the ceremony. A statement from the Japanese embassy said that the project was to be implemented by the North-East Provincial Ministry of Health and Indigenous Medicine.
The Thellipalai District Hospital, which was the second largest hospital in Jaffna is located 18 km from the Jaffna town was badly damaged during the conflict and is now functioning in a temporary rented building. The damaged hospital is now being reconstructed by the Government of Sri Lanka under the NorthEast Emergency Relief Project, which includes facilities to treat cancer patients as well.
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"At present there is no cancer treatment center in the NorthEast and hence, all cancer patients are referred to hospitals in Anuradhapura, Kandy or Colombo. This has caused severe hardships for such patients who require long term and intermittent treatment. Further, people in these areas are faced with various social problems which have increased in magnitude after the tsunami disaster and also problems of dependency due to loss of life.
"Therefore, it has become a difficult task to transfer cancer patients away from their familiar surroundings for treatment to hospitals outside the region. In this context, setting up of a cancer unit in the North is an urgent need, but has so far being delayed due to lack of basic facilities for the hospital, such as water supply and sewerage facilities. In addition, the tsunami disaster many people were resettled in and around Thellipalai, thereby creating an additional demand for health care services."
Sri Lanka re-directs tsunami aid: Feb 25 - Sri Lanka has so many tsunami relief supplies it is now distributing them to those unaffected by the disaster. The country's social services minister said goods were being sent to homes for the elderly and institutions for children and the disabled.
Supplies of milk powder, tinned food, bottled water and other goods have left warehouses bulging. Social services minister Sumedha Jayasena said on Friday the donated goods far exceeded the needs of the tsunami survivors. She said if the goods were not distributed elsewhere they would go to waste. "All those affected by the tsunami have already received food aid and will continue to do so wherever they need it," Ms Jayasena said. The minister reported that 94,000 people were still in relief centres and another 407,000 were living with friends and relatives awaiting the rebuilding of their homes. "What we need right now is help to rebuildhouses," Ms Jayasena said.
Tsunami data go missing: Feb 26 - With officials still struggling to deal with reconstruction efforts two months after the worstever natural disaster hit the country, the information collected during the first month after the tsunami by the Centre for National Operations (CNO) has reportedly gone missing.
It is learnt that among the data lost are the number of missing people, number of deaths and information regarding foreign donors. An official of the now disbanded CNO is reported as saying, “The CNO had maintained a good record of statistics and activities carried out by the Centre. In the transition of duties from the CNO to the Task Forces for relief and rebuilding this data had been lost. This was less than a week after CNO chief Tara de Mel, stepped down.
According to the CNO official, all information regarding foreign donors, including amounts pledged, rebuilding that these groups would undertake and places where the rebuilding would be done were among the data that had gone missing. After the CNO wound up on February 3 this information was to have been transferred to the task force for rebuilding the nation.
He said that one reason for the accumulation of cargo at the air and seaports was because officials did not have the data to tell them where the relevant items should go.
“A whole lot of tents have arrived at the airport and no one knows where they should be directed as the information has gone missing," the official said. Currently, the lost data is being reinstalled outside the normal procedure.
Solheim meets LTTE in east: Feb 26 - Norway's special peace envoy for Sri Lanka, Mr. Eric Solheim met head of LTTE's political division for Batticaloa-Amparai district, Mr. Irasaiah Ilanthirayan for discussions on post Tsunami work and the political-security situation in the region. Solheim and his team visited the Tsunami devastated coastal areas of Paandiruppu, a village south of Batticaloa accompanied regional LTTE officers.
During discussions with the Liberation Tigers the Head of Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission for Amparai was also present. They

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discussed problems in this region relating to post Tsunami relief, rehabilitation and reconstruction. The LTTE also reportedly explained to the Norwegians the current security environment in this region and discussed the LTTE's concerns in this regard.
Mr. Pirapa and Mr. Ramanan, LTTE commanders in Batticaloa-Amparai region, Mr. Kuyilinpan, head of LTTE's polit-ical division for Amparai, Mr. Daya Mohan, deputy head of BatticaloaAmparai political division and Ms. Kuveni, head of women's wing (political) for Batti-Amparai also took part in the meeting with Mr. Soheim.
India pledges aid for hospital: Feb 26 - The Indian Government has pledged a $7.5 million grant assistance to build a stateof-the-art cancer hospital in Colombo, the Indian High Commissioner to Sri Lanka, Nirupama Rao, said.
In addition, as part of its continued assistance to the tsunamidevastated districts, the Indian Health and Family Welfare Ministry will also “augment the existing facilities" in three hospitals in southern, eastern and northern Sri Lanka.
An official team of Indian officials - led by Bhawani Thyagarajan, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare - visited hospitals in Hambantota in the South and Point Pedro in the northern Jaffna peninsula and is scheduled to visit the Trincomalee base hospital in the East on 27 February. Discussions were also held with the Sri Lankan Health Minister, Nimal Sripala De Silva, and senior officials on the areas of collaboratlOn.
The team would look into the needs of the hospitals - both short-term and long-term to chart out areas where continuous collaboration was possible, Dr. Thyagarajan said. The team, which included S. Badrinath, Deputy Director-General, Directorate-General of Health Services, and three other officials, lauded the "committed doctors' in Sri Lanka's tsunami-affected districts. Measures to improve accident and emergency services, trauma care and operating theatres were some of the areas identified. Improvements to the Jaffna Teaching Hospital, where the Indian Government donated a state-of-the-art CT scanner in 2003, were also discussed. Some of the areas for improvement included psychiatric counselling, oncology, training of nurses and trained personnel, said Mrs. Rao, who visited the Jaffna Teaching Hospital today along with the official team.
Discussions are also on for constructing a hospital in Dikoya, in Sri Lanka's central hill districts, where there is a concentration of plantation Tamils of Indian origin.
SLN rescues twelve Tamil refugees from midsea: Feb 26 - Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) rescued 12 Sri Lankan Tamil refugees, five children, three women and four men men, returning from South India from a sandbank in the midsea between Thanushkodi and Rameswaram on 24 February and handed them over to Talaimannar Police, security sources said.
They were produced in Mannar Magistrate Court on the following day and Acting Magistrate Mr.Johnthasan released them and instructed the civil authorities concerned to send them back to their own areas in Jaffna and Mannar. The refugees reportedly left Thanushkodi in South India in a boat on 23 February paying a sum of forty thousand rupees to four Indian boatmen. The Indian boatmen had left them on a sandbank telling them that they had reached Sri Lankan coastal area. When the refugees were struggling on the sandbank without water and food, a SLN craft spotted them and with the assistance of some fishermen in the area rescued them and brought to the shore.
Pirapaharan's relatives flown in for funeral: Feb 26 - The government of Sri Lanka reportedly "facilitated' the return to the island of a number of relatives of LTTE leader Velupillai Prabhakaran to attend a family funeral. Ten close relatives of Prabhakaran had arrived at Sri Lanka's only international airport from Malaysia and travelled to the LTTE-held north of the is

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land, according to officials. They said the family members were in the country to attend the funeral of V K Arambu master, the father of Prabhakaran's wife, Mathiwathani.
Indian help to reconstruct Jaffna: Feb 26 - A delegation led by Ms Nirupama Rao, Indian High Commissioner to Sri Lanka, arrived in Palaly military air base Jaffna by a special aircraft and held discussions at the Point Pedro base hospital regarding its development with the funds allocated by the Government of India, according to health ministry sources.
Ms Nirupama Rao was taken to Point Pedro military camp from Palaly by a special helicopter. Later she proceeded to Point Pedro Hospital by road with maximum security provided by the Sri Lanka Army (SLA). However members of her delegation were taken by land route from Palaly to Point Pedro escorted by the government soldiers.
Dr.C.Kathiravetpillai, District Medical Officer (DMO) of the hospital, Mr. C. Sinnathurai, Administrative Officer and Dr.E.Theivendran, Regional Director of Health Services in Jaffna district received the Indian delegation. Ms Nirupama Rao was briefed about the difficulties in running the hospital. Only three medical officers were working in the hospital and 31 vacancies for medical officers currently existed. Acute shortage for paramedical staff and technical officers prevails in the institution, Indian envoy was told.
Ms Nirupama Rao said posting more medical officers and other employees was the responsibility of the Government of Sri Lanka. However the Government of India was prepared to provide funds for the construction of buildings and to buy medical equipments. She added that her government was prepared to assist in reconstructing the hospitals in Hambantota, Trincomalee and Point Pedro affected by tsunami.
Dr. Kathiravetpillai said he would submit an estimate for the construction of new buildings and for other needs to the Indian
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High Commission on the request made by Ms Nirupama Rao. Later she visited Vallipuram Aalvar Temple, Selva Sannithi Murugan Kovil and Point Pedro Sri Saratha Devi Sevashramam with SLA escort.
Abducted teenager rescued: 27 Feb - An irate mother of a seventeen-year-old Tamil girl has assisted troops at the Muhamalai Entry/Exit point in northern Sri Lanka to rescue her child from the LTTE while her daughter was abducted on February 25 around 1.15 p.m.
The victim's mother, Mahendran Wasanthi (42), after learning that LTTE men were preparing a forged identity card to alter her daughter's real age after she was abducted by LTTE, had provided a photo of her teenage daughter" to the Muhamalai Entry/ Exit point, Manipay Police station, Human Rights Office and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in Jaffna, pleading them to help rescue her loved one.
The teenage girl's LTTE abductor, Mahalingam Manivannan who was also arrested at the Entry/Exit point along with the girl, had reportedly confessed to the Police that the LTTE, within February (2005) alone, has managed to abduct over 28 such minors and subsequently detained them under an LTTE woman cadre named Madhavi at a transit in Pallai before those minors were handed over to the LTTE women's corps at Kilinochchi or elsewhere for LTTE weapon training.
The victimized girl had allegedly fallen victim to LTTE when she approached Kokkuvil, Ponpadi LTTE office after she reportedly developed a personal dispute with an unknown party. During her stay at the LTTE office on February 23, 2005, those LTTE men had duped the girl in question into believing that they (LTTE) were in the process of issuing a new Identity Card to her, similar to those being issued to Jaffna residents.
Both the teenage girl and the LTTE abductor were arrested by Police at the Muhamalai Entry/Exit as she was being abducted and handed over subsequently to the Kodikamam Police for further investigations. The girl was to be handed over to her parents after necessary investigations were over. The Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) was also to be intimated.
NE Governor affirms language rights: Feb 27 - "I agree that every citizen of the country should be given the right to communicate with the government institutions in their mother tongue," said Mr.Tyronne Fernando, Governor of the North East Province at a discussion held with the members of the Trincomalee District Bar Association in the Trincomalee Court Complex during the weekend. He made this remark in response to the speech by Mr.K.Sivapalan, President of the TDBA that most of the problems would not have arisen if the constitutional amendments in regard to the language rights of minorities were implemented.
Mr.Sivapalan pointed out that currently people are talking about conflict resolution after creating a conflict. "We should have adopted a conflict avoidance policy instead of conflict resolution," said Mr. Sivapalan. He brought to the Governor's notice that the Court Languages Act in relation to the North-East had not been implemented at all. Police were submitting their reports and related documents to courts in Sinhala language causing hardships to litigants and members of the Bar. Police stations in the province, especially in the Trincomalee district were recording complaints from Tamil speaking peopie in only Sinhala. Action should be taken to post more police officials proficient in Tamil language to record complaints in the mother tongue of the complaints.
Jaffna gets communication tower: Feb 27 - Sri Lanka Telecom (SLT) established a second link to Jaffna with the recent commissioning of its second transmission tower in Jaffna, under its "Project Hope' for the north, launched in 2002. This was a landmark in SLT's Northern Area Development Programme, by providing for two communication routes to Jaffna.

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With the commissioning of the new 150 m high stand-alone tower, (the highest such communication tower in the country), the radio transmission link to Jaffna, which was till then operating to Jaffna over the sea via Mannar, has been upgraded to an ultra-modern high capacity transmission link, entirely land based. The capacity of the new link via Kilinochchi will be 126 Megabits persecond (Mbps). SLT established a 34 Megabit radio transmission link over the sea to Jaffna via Mannar last year. The upgraded new link bringing two high capacity links to Jaffna operates to Jaffna via Kilinochchi, where too SLT has built a new communication tower.
In view of the need for rapid implementation of telecommunication facilities in the North, SLT formed a special project team comprising its technical and managerial staff. This team handles all Northern Area Telecommunication Development work and is responsible for outside plant development, switching, radio and transmission equipment installation and transportation.
SL praised for abolishing criminal defamation: Feb 27Commonwealth publishers and editors paid a handsome compliment to Sri Lanka for abolishing "criminal defamation', and urged other Commonwealth Governments to do the same, when they met at their biennial meeting in Australia this week.
In a resolution passed by Commonwealth editors when they met earlier in Manley, Sydney and later ratified by the publishers at their meeting, the Commonwealth Press Union (CPU), which has been spearheading a campaign to have laws of criminal libel abolished in the Commonwealth, has specifically targeted the United Kingdom as a country, which despite not implementing the laws of criminal libel for the past 25 years, has still to formally repeal the law.
The proposal was initiated by editors from Zimbabwe who said they were facing the brunt of this law as a deliberate policy of press suppression. The full text of the resolution, released through the Editors Guild of Sri Lanka is as follows;
"This Forum deplores the continued existence of Criminal Defamation laws around the Commonwealth and their use to inhibit press freedom. It welcomes the action of those nations such as Ghana and Sri Lanka which have repealed the law.
We call upon Commonwealth Governments to repeal all remaining criminal defamation measures as incompatible with modern democratic practice. This particularly applies to the United Kingdom, whose antiquated Criminal Defamation law was the model for most legislation around the Commonwealth. It was used to suppress nationalist voices in the past and continues to be used today by many nations, as justification for Draconian acts against the press."
Soldier went too close to LTTE FDL: SLMM: Feb 27 - The scene of the incident where an Army soldier was shot dead by the LTTE in the “no-man's' land was inspected by the Magistrate from the Army-controlled area in Kilali through a binocular. Chavakachcheri Magistrate B. Subramanium had visited the Army's Forward Defence Line (FDL) to inspect the site to conduct the inquiry. The “no-man's' land extends to an area of 600 metres. Reportedly the Magistrate refused to go any further and chose to survey the site of the killing with the binocular.
The victim, J. Upul Priyadarshana, 25, of Ganemulla was serving in the Vijayaba Regiment. He was killed by female LTTE cadres when he along with another had gone beyond the permissible 100 metres at the FDL.
Meanwhile, SLMM spokesperson Helen Ulassdottir said they have firmly established that the solider had gone beyond the 100 meter zone of seperation. "He was way too close to the LTTE locality," she said. She said that the SLMM was conducting a formal investigation into the incident. Man shot dead in Batticaloa town: Feb 28 - A man was shot dead in Batticaloa town Monday (28) night around 8.45 by uni

TAML TIMES 35
dentified gunmen, police said. He was identified as "Thayanithi’ of Thiruchendur Kovil Road, a coastal part of Batticaloa town. He was a refugee in the Batticaloa Paddy Marketing Board stores near the junction where he was shot dead. Sri Lanka Police sources said they had seen him visiting the NGO consortium office in the eastern town.
Protest march in Jaffna: Mar 2 - Thousand of people marched in Jaffna urging the international community to persuade the Sri Lankan government to restart the long stalled peace talks with the Liberation Tigers. The march condemned the killing and shooting of LTTE political leaders and called on Colombo to set up a joint mechanism with the Tigers for the equitable distribution of Tsunami aid to the northeast. Jaffna peninsula was shut down until the march, which wound through the northern town from morning l0.45, concluded in the afternoon.
"The Sri Lankan government's failure to restart peace talks with the Tigers on the basis of the Interim Self Governing Authority has created fear among the people of Jaffna and all the people of northeast that cease fire will break down", said the Consortium of Civil Organisation in Jaffna, which organized the march, in a memorandum to UN Secretary General Kofi Annan submitted through the UNHCR office in Jaffna town. Thousands poured into Jaffna University grounds from various parts of the peninsula in hundreds of hired vehicles and buses to take part in the rally,
The memorandum was also sent to President Chandrika Kumaratunga through Jaffna Government Agent by Tamil National Alliance MPs for Jaffna Mr. Mavai Senathirajah and Ms. Padmini Sithamparanathan
Marchers carried placards urging the Sri Lankan armed forces to disarm paramilitaries and stop killing LTTE political activists. They shouted slogans demanding that the Sri Lanka army should leave the towns and villages which it occupied in the peninsula.
SLMM officials ousted from LTTE office: Mar 2 - Two officials of the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) from its Vavuniya office in northern Sri Lanka, who had gone to the Vavuniya LTTE political office 1 March to investigate a complaint that the LTTE was detaining several PLOTE members inside the office, were reportedly chased away.
The drama had started, when a PLOTE member complained to the SLMM that the LTTE was forcibly keeping several PLOTE members inside the Vavuniya LTTE office. Later two Ceasefire Monitors along with their driver had gone inside the LTTE of fice. A Few minutes later it was reported that LTTE cadres had pushed the two monitors out and warned them not to come to check their office again. When the SLMM members were returning to their office, several motorbikes allegedly ridden by LTTE cadres had followed, which led the ceasefire monitors to lodge a complaint with the Vavuniya police. Following the incident, police had provided security to the SLMM office. While declining to comment on the incident, an SLMM source said two of their monitors had visited the LTTE office to investigate a complaint by the PLOTE.
UAE to build new town for Kalmunai: Mar 2 - UAEAmbassador Mahmud Al Mohamed Al Mahmud, who met President Chandrika Kumaratunga on 28 February, said the UAE government woule build a completely new town with a hospital, schools, houses and public utility buildings in tsunami affected Kalmunai, a press release from the President's Office said.
President Kumaratunga, who thanked the UAE Ambassador for the assistance given to Sri Lanka, explained that over 19,000 homes were destroyed in the Ampara district where Kalmunai is located. She explained to him the relief and rehabilitation projects being implemented by the government of Sri Lanka in the affected districts. She also said the region was the most severely

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damaged in the country and explained the government has been able to identify lands for resettlement of the affected people though there was some problems experienced at the outset due to the demand for suitable lands.
SLMM probes torture charge: Mar 3 - European cease-fire monitors on 3 March said they were investigating into allegations that the Tamil Tigers abducted and tortured two people in northern Sri Lanka. Two men, one a former member of a Tamil militant groupn (PLOTE) opposed to the LTTE and the other a civilian, had claimed they were held against their will and tortured at the Tigers' political office in Vavuniya town in northern Sri Lanka. The other man is a civilian.
"Torture is always a serious allegation and we are inquiring into the complaint. There were visible bruises on the men that could have stemmed from torture.” said monitoring group spokeswoman Helen Olafsdottir.
Trinco govt. official remanded: Mar3 - Mr. Nimal Dissanayake, Assistant Land Commissioner in the Trincomalee district secretariat and two others was ordered to be remanded by the Trincomalee District Judge and Additional Magistrate Mr.S.Thiagendran in connection with the "disappearance" of twelve generators missing from the land department store. The generators were a part of a consignment of goods donated by the Indian government to supply electricity to temporary shelters for tsunami refugees.
A special investigation unit of the Trincomalee Police arrested Mr Dissanayake on a tip off. Earlier a watcher and a peon of the Land Department Store in Trincomalee were arrested and remanded in custody.
An application for bail made on behalf of third suspect Mr. Nimal Dissanayake came up for inquiry before Trincomalee Magistrate Mr. M.Ganesharajah. Counsel appearing for the third suspect told court in support of the bail application that the Police had no power to arrest his client as his anticipatory bail application filed on March 1 was listed for hearing on March 11 in the Trincomalee court. Hence the arrest of his client by the Police on March 2 was illegal. Therefore his client should be given relief, Counsel Mr.D. Rupasinghe argued.
JVP blamed for tension in Trinco: Mar 3 - A tense situation arose in the eastern port city of Trincomalee as members of the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), led by parliamentarian Jayantha Wijesekera, attempted to construct shelters to settle some displaced Sinhalese people on State land in a portion of the esplanade of the urban council in the heart of Trincomalee town. JVP members started clearing the open land, lying between Kaali kovil and the McKeyzer Stadium overnight and unloaded timber, sand and other building materials to build small houses to settle Sinhalese people. The land selected for the encroachment was levelled in preparation to build the settlement.
Tension escalated during the afternoon as groups of Tamil youth blocked traffic by placing blockades on roads protesting against the JVP's attempt. Shops, government institutions, banks and cinema halls were closed in protest against the illegal settlement. Police riot squad was rushed to vulnerable sites to prevent outbreak of violence, police said.
Tension developed into violence following clashes between Tamil groups and JVP supporters over the construction of temporary housing for tsunami victims on state land. A vehicle was set on fire and a hand grenade exploded during the clashes between the two groups. The Tamil groups allegedly backed by the LTTE had launched a protest against the project. A vehicle belonging to the JVP was set on fire and at least two people were injured.
Later, police and Sri Lanka Army (SLA) intervened, imposed a local curfew and stopped the construction of the temporary houses and removed building materials brought to the esplanade.

MARCH 2005
Security forces started to load the materials in their vehicles, when JVP cadres hesitated to accede to their request. Later some JVP cadres were also seen joining the security forces in removing building materials from the site. The situation in the east port town returned to normal by evening.
JVP parliamentarian Wijesekera accused the LTTE of sabotaging his party's plans to build houses for tsunami victims of all I31CCS.
Protest against private Medical college: Mar 5 - The agitation against the setting up of a private medical college by medical faculty students went a step further when they almost came to blows with the Police who were manning the BMICH main gate, where the private organization concerned was having a stall at an education fair on March 4.
Around one hundred and fifty Colombo medical faculty stu dents held a protest outside the BMICH main gate, the venue of the EDEX education and career fair organised by the Royal College Union.
Vinyaka Research Foundation, a university in Tamilnadu, which is a partner in the joint venture to set up the private medical college, also had a stall at the venue. The protestors chanted various slogans against the parties concerned and vowed to resist moves to set up a private medical college. Then they attempted to enter the main compound, when several policemen intervened and tried to push them away. The main body of students attempted to go around the main gate and enter the complex, but later dropped off the attempt and vacated the scene. A major confrontation was thus avoided as the police could be seen calling for reinforcements. However, the students managed to distribute some leaflets to the public who came for the event.
A person who called himself an individual consultant for the Vinyaga Mission's Research Foundation, S. Niranjan, said they were not disturbed by the protests, and would proceed with the setting up of a private medical college with a local private hospital.
"The Indian Medical Council and Indian University Grants Commission has recognised our University. It is situated in Selam City in Tamil Nadu. Under our UGC rules, we are authorised to set up offshore campuses any where in the world, in concurrence with Indian Government and Indian UGC," he said. "Let's face it, my individual opinion is that education nowadays is a business,” he said. When questioned about the course fee of Rs. 6.5 million, he said that it depended on demand and supply, and differed from place to place. He emphasised that he was not a representative of Vinyaka Foundation or the Private Hospital, but an individual consultant, and that his statement was his private view.
Tsunami victims protest: Mar 8 - Thousands of people, mainly belonging to the Muslim community, who lost their homes when the Tsunami hit Maruthamunai, 35 kilometres south of Batticaloa, blocked the main highway to Kalmunai protesting against the Government of Sri Lanka for not helping them rebuild their houses. Entire coastal suburbs of this densely populated Muslim town were flattened by the surging sea. The protestors erected tents and cooked on the road. Only the JVP and three Muslim organisations had put up some temporary shelters for them, the protestors said. Streets were deserted and the usually busy town was shut down.
“Has the government decided to leave us permanently homeless? Our ministers have lined their pockets and abandoned us,” said Mr. M.L.A Naseer, a young organizer of the protest.
"This our fourth protest. But the Sri Lankan government is unmoved. The JVP came here in its private capacity and spent its own party funds to clean up the debris and build us temporary shelters. They did not come here as part of the government. But our ungrateful, self-serving Muslim ministers are absconding. We are determined to fight on until we have a response from the
(continued on next page)

Page 37
MARCH 2005
Amnesty
S fath
of human righ
Peter Benenson
The founder of Amnesty International, Peter Benenson, has died at the age of 84.
Amnesty has become one of the world's most important human rights organisations, created in the wake of an article Benenson wrote in the Londonbased Observer newspaper in 1961.
Benenson, an Eton-educated London lawyer, penned the opinion piece after being outraged by the arrest and imprisonment of two students who had drunk a toast to liberty in a Lisbon cafe. "Open your newspaper any day of the week and you will find a report from somewhere in the world of someone being imprisoned, tortured or executed because
tion, something effect
These sentiments the British public, ar Amnesty Internationa South Africa and Chil Amnesty has since h abuse of prisoners. coined the term "priso while its logo, a can barbed wire, became and freedom. In 197 won the Nobel Peace less fight for justice r the award committee lit the Amnesty candl old Chinese proverb: dle than curse the da
his opinions or religion are unacceptable to his government. The newspaper reader feels a sickening sense of impotence. Yet if these feelings of disgust all over the world could be united into common ac
explained.
Fair for controvers
Born in July 192 Russian Jewish ban
(continued from page 36) government," Mr. M.S.M Ibrahim, a trader who lost his home to the sea,' said. "There are nine in my family. We are living in a store now which was given by a friend who took pity on me. But very soon I will have to leave or pay a high rent which I cannot afford,' Mr. Ibrahim lamented.
Balasingham-Solheim meet: Mar 9 - Norwegian Peace Envoy, Mr. Erik Solheim, is reported to have told the LTTE's Political Strategist and Chief Negotiator, Mr. Anton Balasingham, whom he met 9 March that Oslo was optimistic that a joint mechanism for aid distribution could be agreed "soon” between the LTTE and the Sri Lankan government, according to a report in the Tamil Net website.
Mr. Solheim, accompanied by Ms. Solfried Lien, an Executive Office at the Norwegian Foreign Ministry, met with Mr. Balasingham in London for two hours of discussions on the political situation in Sri Lanka and the outlook for Oslo's long-running peace effort in Sri Lanka.
Mr. Solheim discussions in London following his talks with Sri Lankan government leaders in Colombo and visit tsunami-struck areas to examine ongoing relief efforts.
Mr. Solheim had also registered the Sri Lankan government's concern over the LTTE's airstrip in Vanni, Mr. Balasingham told TamilNet.
Mr. Solheim also conveyed Colombo's concerns over the LTTE's airstrip in Vanni to Mr. Balasingham, who had reportedly assured Mr. Solheim that government's concern was unfounded and pointed out that the airstrip had been in existence even before the February 2002 ceasefire. Sri Lankan press reports have,
 

TAMIL TIMES 37
ve could be done.” struck a chord with d a few years later
was created. From 2 to China and Iraq, lped highlight the The organisation ners of conscience' dle surrounded by a symbol of hope 7, the organisation : Prize for "its tirepund the world,"as put it. “When I first e, I had in mind the Better light a canrkness,” Benenson
у l, the grandson of a ker, Benenson re
vealed a flair for controversy at an early age. When 16 he launched his first campaign, to get school support, during the Spanish Civil War, for the newly formed Spanish Relief Committee that was helping Republican war orphans.
His concern had been inspired by Arthur Koestler's Spanish Testament, which described the horrors of imprisonment and threatened execution of prisoners by the Fascists. His next campaign succeeded in getting his school friends and their families to raise £4,000 to bring two young German Jews to Britain, thus saving their lives.
Irene Khan, secretary-general of Amnesty, said Benenson's vision gave birth to human rights activism. "His life was a courageous testament to his visionary commitment to fight injustice around the world. He brought light into the darkness of prisons, the horror of torture chambers and tragedy of death camps."
John Jackson, director of Burma Campaign, said: "Peter showed us that something as simple as a letter can save lives, and that's a strategy we still use. He demonstrated the power of the pen. It shows that the world is watching."
- Guardian Newspapers Limited 2004
in extensive reporting in recent weeks, suggested the LTTE had newly acquired an air capability.
LTTE delegation off to Europe: Mar 10 - A high level delegation of Liberation Tigers will begin an official visit to several European capitals from Friday, l l March. "Our meetings will focus on delivering aid to Tsunami affected people in northeast directly and efficiently", Mr. S. Puleedevan, Secretary General of the LTTE peace secretariat in Kilinochchi, told the media. The delegation led by Mr. S. P Thamilchelvan, head of LTTE's political division, left Colombo on the Thursday and will travel to Norway, Sweden, Finland, Netherlands, Germany, Italy, Ireland, and Switzerland. The Tigers will also visit the European Union headquarters in Brussels, Puleedevan said.
The Tigers are scheduled to meet Norway's foreign minister and its international development minister on 11 March. They will also meet the foreign minister of Finland, Germany's international development minister and the EU commissioner for external affairs, during the tour, Mr. Puleedevan said.
The Tigers and Sri Lanka's government have been locked for weeks in a tussle over international donor relief that has pushed to the back burner any hope of converting the current truce struck after two decades of civil war into permanent peace. "We want the international community to exert pressure because the Sri Lankan government totally depends on finance from the international community,” said Mr. Pulidevan, who heads the Tigers' Peace Secretariat. Mr. B. Nadesan, head of the Thamil Eelam Police Service, will accompany Mr. Thamilchelvan along with Ms. P. Geetha, deputy head of LTTE's women's political division and Mr. Puleedevan. O

Page 38
38 TAMIL TIMES
CLASSIFIEDADS
First 20 words E10. each additional word 60p charge for Box No.£3...Prepaymentessential.
The Advertisement Manager, Tami Times Ltd., PO Box 121,
Sutton, Surrey SM1 3TD, United Kingdom Phone: 020 - 8644. O972 Fax (020) - 8241 45.57
MATRIMONAL
Jaffna Hindu parents seek for theirson, Surgeon, MBBS, MRCS, 32, UK born, bride to be of similar profession. Tel: 02086894979(UK)
Jaffna Hindu parents seek professional bride for son, 39, 5'8", Service Engineer, British Railways, Please send horoscope, details, M 1438 C/o Tanil Times.
OBITUARY
Rasamanie Samuel, Widow of the Late J. M. G. Samuel, (Principal - Stanley College, Jaffna); beloved mother of
Late Mohan (ADB- Manila), Chandra (UK), Indran (USA) and Peter (UK); mother-inlaw of Utaiwan (Canada), Dr. Rajes waran (UK), Lalitha (USA) and Mercy (UK); grandmother of Nira, Suren, Monti, Manee, Mike, Tanya, Jonathan, Joel and Ezrie, grandmother-in-law of Pradeep and Allan, great-grandmother of Kishan, Prashant, Nicholas and Cole passed away peacefully on 20th February 2005 after a Short illness. The funeral took place on 5th March -8 Buckingham Drive, Chistlehurst, Kent BR76TB, UK. E-mail:
maniesamuelOhotmail.co.uk
Anthony Jacob Eustace, Retired Chief Draughtsman, C.G.R. and former resident of Kotahena expired on Sunday, March 06, 2005,
He is the beloved huSbandof Zitta, loving father of Dr. Manoharan (USA), Vasa
ntha (UK), Karunaharan (Australia), Kantha (USA); fatherin-law of Alegacone (UK) and Dr. Christy (USA) and grandfather of Shiran, Brenda, Joshua and Joanne.
Funeral mass was held at St. PiuS Catholic Church On March 09, 2005 and he was buried at New Calvary Catholic Cemetery Flint, USA.
The members of the Wish to thank all friendS and relatives who attended the funeral, Sent floral tributes and messages of sympathy and assisted them in several ways during the period of grief. - 1111 Briar Cliffe, Flint, MI 48532-2102, USA. Tel: + 810 7.338556.
 
 
 

MARCH 2005
IN MEMORAMS
Second Year Remembrabce
In ever loving memory of Dr. N.Sahadevarajan on the second anniversary of his passing away On 14th March 2003.
Fondly remembered and sadly missed by his beloved wife Thabonithy, loving children Rajkumar, Niranjala and Girja, daughter-in-law Dr. Jane Rajan sons-in-law Dr. Ravindran and Dr. Kesavan, grandchildren Dr. Vanaja, Dr. Roshan, Catriona, Duncan, Tamara and Devan.
- Longwoods, 26 Wergs Road, Tottenhall, Wolverhampton WJ68TD. Tel: O1902579228.
The First Year Remembrance
*’ x
: , '.. A ;*** In ever loving memory of Mr. Ramasamy Vijayaratnam, B.Sc. Eng. Hons (Sri Lanka), M.Eng. (A/T - Thailand), C.Eng., MIE (SLIMASCE); former Head of Dept. of Agricultural Engineering, University of Jaffna on the firstanniversary of his passing away on 2nd March 2004.
Sadly missed and fondly remembered by his beloved wife Selva (Research Officer in Charge of the Agricultural Research Station, Thirunelvely, Jaffna, loving children Purushowththaman (Jaffna Hindu College) and Toothiransali (Chendikuli Girls' College). He was brother of Vijiyakumar (Jaffna), Vijayadevi, Vijayarani andJegasothy (alI of London), brother-in-law of Nathan, Sundaralingam, Thillainathan (all of London) Naguleswary (Jaffna), uncle of Anand, Meni, Luxey, Vasanth (all of London) and Periappah of Luxana (Jaffna).
You have never left our hearts and our thoughts as we remember you in our daily life. We will treasure your love, wisdom and beautiful memory for ever,
-11 Bulstrode Avenue, Hounslow, Middlesex, TW33AA.UK. Tel:020.85776377.

Page 39
MARCH 2005
Fourth Death Anniversary
Dr. N. Kandasamy Passed away 16th March 2001. "Always in our thoughts' In loving and treasured memory of a devoted husband, father, father-in-law and grandfather. Affectionately remembered by all the family and friends.
Fourth Anniversary Remembrance Mrs Somawathy Kanagasabai
Birth: 26.01.1916 Rest: 17.03.2001
Sadly missed and lovingly remembered by children Chandra, lindra, Logendra, Yogendra, Ambi, Gowri and Jayanthi; daughters-in-law Sakunthala, Kamalasani, Rathy and Yoga and son-in-law Ragu.-34 Woodcote Valley Road, Purley, Surrey CR33AJ.
Anniversary Remembrance
In loving memory of Miss Rathlini Ananthamoorthy, Assistant Lecturer, Eastern University of Sri Lanka and of Kondavil East, Jaffna on the anniversary of her passing away on 5th March 1992. Sadly missed and fondly remembered by her ever loving parents, brothers, sisters, relations and friends. S.Ananthamoorthy, 30 Hanson Road #507, Mississauga, Ontario L5B 3A7, Canada. Tel: 1-9052769682.
 
 
 

TAMIL TIMES 39
20th Anniversary Remembrance Poem MR.V.K.THILLANAYAGAM
Fellow of the Institution of Electronics & Radio Engineers, UK inventor of the First Tamil-Sinhala Computer-Wordprocessor 11 November 1928 - 07 April 1985)
Little could I've even dreamt, it would be our last Tete-a-fete. We ate lunch together that spring day Before I flew away. Niece, Gowri rang at half past Midnight to curb and curtail my Lankan holiday.
His unyielding spirit when no end was in sight while He shaped new things, shooing away all conformity And flushing out lurking lethargy in love-lorn style With his passion, had taken early flight to Eternity.
My built up guilt from Fate's decree to have grown Old aside from him, sulks in my memory's treasury Since then. Twenty long years grown curt and flown From our pilot-run MVP-IT Project for Rupa Vahinil
He tutored me, when both were so green, in making Things like tom-toms, apiaries and even crystal sets With whatsoever from within the house one begets - Preludes to our pondered escapades in engineering.
Doctor Uncle de-orphaned us, his sister's boys, who Were joined with his own family - our cousins, two. Yet in his teenage years Thillai suspended schooling To supplement Uncle's war-time medicinal earning.
it was years after me that he managed to return to Engineering but beat me into inventions, spending All his hours of late-night years (his keep-safes tool) On prototypes and trials, attorneys and patenting.
We jointly wrote research based fechnical papers, Talked of trends in technology, the world, weather And everything else. Not even seconds for capers! He went soon as we again began working together.
From a clay-walled cottage he'd climbed quite high The hard way, with his instinctive convictions, guts And iron-will to win, in whatsoever he chose to try. Thillai thrilled himself bulldozing via ifs-and-buts.
- Professor Kopan Mahadeva (CEng, FRSH, FCM)

Page 40
40 TAMIL TIMES
A Lifetime Devoted to Music
Bhushani Kalyanaraman's talent was spotted by her parents in early childhood. Her father, S Kulasegaran, was a Sangeetha Bhushanam from Annamalai University. Her mother was also a good singer. No wonder Bhushani memorised Sivapuranam and sang Thevaram at the local temples when she was just four
During her school days, she took part in many national level competitions and won several gold medals. Educationist K Laskhmana lyer felt that she should purSue a career in music rather
సభ్య
than medicine. Her father
also thought the same and sent her to the Tamil Nadu Music College in Chennai. At that time, the college had very gifted teachers like TM Thyagarajan and KV Narayanaswamy. Bhushani also learnt the Veena to underStand musical nuances in depth. She was immensely captivated by Tanjore S Kalyanaraman, the disciple of the ebullient GN Balasubramaniam and did not lose time in becoming his disciple. While the muSic college gave her a strong foundation in Carnatic grammar, Kalyanaraman taught her the more demanding skills of a performer.
Armed with an academic degree and performing skills Bhushani went back to Sri Lanka and began her teaching career at Jaffna University. But she could not remain away from her guru for long and eventually married him and settled in India. She recalls her early days with him: "Kalyanaraman (whom she affectionately refers to as SKR), wasabrilliant innovatorandan extraordinary mu
Bushani Kalyanaraman’s melodious voice and deep understanding of music made her a much sought after musician.
Sician, a hard taskmaster and strict teacher but kind at heart and understanding. His simple living and high thinking inspired me very much. He taught me the importance of vivadi ragas. He also felt that every concert should be out of the ordinary."
Bhushani started performing all over India and became an A grade artiste of AIR, DOOrdarshan and the Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation. With her sweet voice and deep knowledge of music, her performances beCanne hallmarks of excellence. This was recognised by institutions such as the Music Academy and Krishna Gana Sabha with appropriate awards. In the same year She was awarded the Kalaimamani by the Tamil Nadu Government. The Sri Lankan Government also honoured her with the title Sangeetha Ratna.
Bhushani has several Cassettes and CDS to her Credit that have sold well all over the world. Her popularity in UK, USA, Canada, Ma|laysia, Singapore, Sri Lanka and Australia keeps her busy and when she performs in India her concerts are much sought after. She says, "For me every concert should be a masterpiece. This is the leSSOn have learnt from SKR."
Bhushani has been performing regularly in Colombo in the Kamban Kazhagam music festival along with other senior musicians from India. She has been functioning in an advisory capacity in music Schools in London and Toronto. At home also She teaches a number of students. Her engagement at Kalakshetra as visiting professor gives her immense Satisfaction. Ganapatiramakrishnan(Courtsey - The New Sunday Express, Chennai)
 
 
 

MARCH 2005
Mr. Muthuvellu Arumugam
- An Appreciation
it is with profound sadness that the Tamil Community record the death of Mr Muthuvelu Arumugam who passed away peacefully on 19th December 2004 at the age of 84. He was born on 29th May 1920. His parents were Mr Muthuvelu and Mrs Sellamuthu-born out of dual pearl. Not all the people live up to their name. However, Mr Arumugam truly lived up to the name given by his parents. He was not only deeply religious but always had thoughts and deeds to match his actions, which he did always to benefit others. He was born into a family with a brother and four sisters. His native place is Karainagar where he had his early education at Karainagar Hindu College. Thereafter he studied at Jaffna Hindu College. He was regarded as One of the best students of his time and brought fame to both schools.
On completion of his studies, he entered government service. He worked as chief clerk in many government departments and was well respected for his honesty, integrity, efficiency, punctuality, loyalty, sincerity, hard-work etc. All these good qualities helped him to obtain quick promotions. He was very popular among his colleagues both junior and senior. I am able to personally testify to his excellent qualities as I had the good fortune when in 1975 worked as state counsel, in the Attorney-General's Department, Sri Lanka he functioned as chief clerk. All these extraordinary qualities paid good dividends and he received commendations and promotions in quick succession and eventually rose to the high position as Chief Accountant at Police Head Quarters, where he earned the reputation of introducing changes which had stood for many years ahead. He commanded the respect of every one and admired by many for his honesty and integrity. His virtues remains a rare commodity. He was held in highesteem and his services were much sought after. He retired from this position as chief Accountant. His services continued even after retirement for a short period of time when he was appointed to a key position in the Palmyrah Board.
Let me now dwell into his personal life. It is an old saying that no one life cycle is complete withoutmarriage (saints and hermits are exceptions). On 6th September 1952, he married Parameswary daughter of Mr Selliah and Mrs Sellammah. They lived as role model with high standards beyond reproach. They had their golden wedding anniversary together in 2002, attributable to their good nature, deeply religious and a good heart always helping the fellow human beings.They are blessed with five children. They are Mrs Arunthathy Sriskantharajah, Mr Yogenthiran, Mrs Nalayini Raventhiran, Mr Gnanendran and Mr Balendran. He also leaves behind his wife and 11 grand children.
Mr Arumugam arrived in the U.K. 18 years ago. He was personally blessed by Sivayoga Swamigal. He never lost touch with his birthplace of Karainagar and devoted much time and energy including making lavish donation for improvement, development and welfare of his old schools and the Karainagar Sivan Temple known as Chidambaram of Eelam. He took a keen interest in propagating the teachings of Sivayoga Swamigal. He was the prime mover in the establishment of Sivathondan Nilayam (U.K) in London in 1993. He functional as its founder President. He was a Committed and devoted Community and religious worker. In recognition of his services to the Tamil Community and Hindu religion, he was honoured at a public meeting by the Saiva Munnetta Sangam (U.K) by the conferment of the title Eesanadiyar Amuthan.

Page 41
MARCH 2005
have no doubt that he is now at the feet of our Almighty God.
He who is hidden, who has entered into the cave of the hearts of hearts cannot be seen with external eyes, he is seen with the eyes of the soul without beginning, without end and, he is not destroyed, when the body is destroyed. He will live
with us for ever and ever.
Let me end with the quotation from Shakespeare.
"His life was so gentle and the element so mixed in him that nature might stand up and say to all the World that this was the man."
We pray to our Almighty God that his soul rest in peace.
Om Shanthi.
-Cumarasamy Sithamparapilai.
FORTHCOMINGS
EVENTS
April
2. Feast of St. Francis of Paola.
4. Krishna Eekathasi 6. PiratnOSam 7. Feast of St. John Baptist 8. Amavasai 10. 6 p.m. Vedagama Sabha presents Carnatic Vocal Concert by Kulabhushani Kalyanaraman at London Sivan Centre, London Sivan Temple, 4A Clarendon Rise, London SE 135ES. For tickets & Information Te: O1923 22457 0582 704105 11. Karthigai; Feast of St. Stanislaus
12. Sathuthi 13. PaarthipaHindu NewYear 14. Sashti 17. Sri Rama Navami 20. Sukkla Eekathasi
21. Pirathosam; Feast of St. Anselm V 23 Chiththirai Full Moon 27. Sankadahara Sathurthi 28. Feast of St. Peter Chanit 29. Feast of St. Catherine of Siena. Presented by Vani Fine Arts Society at Bhavan Centre, 4a Castletown Road, West Kensington, London W14, 9HE. Tel: 020 7386 O924. Fax: 020 7610 O460. Web: www.vanifinearts.net April 9th 6.30 p.m. Karnatic Vocal Concert by Papanasam Ashok Ramani April 10 6.30 p.m. Carnatic Vina Concert by Vina Jayanthi April 11th-19th 6.308.30 p.m. Vina Workshop by Vina Jayanthi April 30th 6.30 p.m. Karnatic Flute Concert by Shasank & Group
Tsunami Tears
Tsunami tears are bitter and strong even now In Our land that was war-torn and frail The battered people were battered again Nature was furious one day And within minutes the destruction saw Tsunami tears bitter and strong Nature has no eyes to discriminate
Man has the power
To sympathise, emphasise and discriminate Let the Tsunami tears wipe out the stains The bloodstains that have steeped in our soil Let lasting peace prevail with justice to all To wipe out the Tsunami tears bitter and strong And bless all the people in our land
- Varatha Shanmuganathan
 

TAMIL TIMES 41
WEDDING BELLS
We congratulate the following couple on their recent wedding
Raveendranath Son of Mr & Mrs Vyramuthu of 138/1, Point Pedro Road, Annaipanthy, Jafna and Sudharshana, daughter of Mr & Mrs Ravindren of 30/2 Majestic Road, Colombo 11 on 25th March 2005 at the Hotel Rann
muthu, Galle Road, ColombO3.
Sri Ganesh (Shun) son of Mrs. P.Mahandra of Uyarapulam, Anaikoddai, and the late Mr. Mahandra and Priatharshiny daughter of Mr & Mrs K.C. SivaSubramaniam of 51, 1st Lane, Brown Road, Jaffna on 30th March 2005 at Peru-ma Deva Sthanam Wedding Hall, Jaffna.
Australian
Newsletter
Weatherpatterns in Australia have been rather unusual this year with severe tropical cyclone affecting far north Queensland and Some parts of Northern Territory during the beginning of the month and the ferocity of the WeatheraCross the Continent is being described as something unheard in the past half a Century.
it is common with any young migrant community to be exceedingly ambitious with cultural preservation in its entirety and Tamils in Australia are no exceptions to this phenomenon, whose arrival in significant numbers in this country began couple of decades ago. Australia's Tamil cultural landscape in east coast is fairly resonant and restare following suit. lt would not be an entirely over statement to say that no week-end passes without some form of Cultural/Social gathering.
One wonders whether Melbourne is attempting to become "Arangetram City of Australia". It witnessed two to three arangetram on an average each month during the last few quarters with more coming up in the immediate future.
There has been a steady upsurge in language & religious learning along with that of fine arts amongst Tamil
Children across Australia. Parents with growing-up children frequently observe that Week-ends tend to be rather demanding for children with endless cultural Orientation Such as language Schools, fine art lessons etc. Although far many children are able to acquire & develop new skills in the process with a small proportion tending to become wary, which may not always mean a lack of interest. No doubt, if Children are burdened enormously with cultural dosage it may possibly create a negative effect too.
The Scale of Tsunami relief fundraising undertaken in Australia during the past few months were reported in this columns previously and it is certainly encouraging to witness the spirit continues to remain highamongst numerous community groups including TRO and ongoing efforts are being directed towards rebuilding Tsunami af. fected areas.
Bharathakalanjali staged a grandiose dance drama "Silapathikaram" amongst packed audience in Melbourne recently. Sivarathiri was observed in all temples acrOSS Australia and the Congregation during Such occaSions is no doubt an encouraging reflection of faith amo
ngst Diaspora.
- Sivasupramaniam Sitsabesan

Page 42
42 TAMILTIMES
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(For stopower in Colombo ple: Madras | Trichi / Trivandram I Kochi / Bang FITOT E360 + Taxes Walid 2 Bangkok From E 410 + taxes wa
To SRI LANKA, E 250.00+TAXES 10,000 SKYWARI
oPeN DAvs Awick PLEASE FEELFREETO CON
Esa 020 s67 119 I TIGH STREET, TOOTING mobile: (1785).576921 (24 hours) Web: www.skywi
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

WEL. F. SHIPPING AIR FREIGHT
Special Offer. On
SriLankan Arnes skin E250 tages 10,000 skywards miles
(Walid 15 April-30th June
ors Conditions. Apply
oTHER worLDWIDE DESTINATIONs
: 01.Jan to 29 Martyom 450 Septoo Dec from : 470 "” 30 Marto 09 July from E 470 10 Decto 24 Dec E 805
y to July to 09 Sep from £560 kel" Extensions to India, Slingapore, KL BKK, Awailable
IAR Up To 20 March from E350 15 July to 19 Aug from £525 's 2Mar to 29 Mar from £410 20 Aug to 09 Dec from E410 30 Mar to 15 July from £430 10 Dec to 24 Dec from f675
EXTENSIONSTO Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok, Hong Kong. Jakarta, Madras, Trichi, Trevandrum, Bombay or Delhi LLL LLLLLLL LLL LLL 0L LLLLLLLELLL LLLLLLLSL0L LLLLYLKKLLL LLLL LLLLHLH LLLLLL
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Esya: Kurwalt Airways Աչբոն: Saudi Arabin Ariras Airways E Airlings APPOINTED AGENT OR LION AIR
XCLUDING ARPORT TAXES AND HANDLING CHARGES RACEPTED - SLEECT TO CONDITIONS
ff Warple Way, Acton, London, W30RQ D2O8749 (595, O2C8743 7353, Fax: 020874O4229 බුද් sgaol.com Website: http://www.glencarriers.cc.uk
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RETURN Walid till 17 Mar & 1 April - 30 Jun With a free stop over in India 4 Mar - 29 Mar
walid 1 Apr - 30 Jun valid till 31 May
Walid till 20 Mar valid till 29 Mar
R| LANKAN AIRINES
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MILESWALID 15TH APRIL TO 3OTH JUNE
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gs.Co.Luk E-mail: balafsky wings.co.uk