Page 1
W No. 12 SSN. 266 - 4.488 ECME,
People queuing for food Defence Secretary G Rajapakse (left With President Rajapakse and
 

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| 26 ea;
of continuous publication
supplies in Jaffna (Top)
after surviving suicide attack seen other brother Basil Rajapkse

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2 TAMIL TIMES
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DECEMBER 2006
"I do not agree with a word .
of what you say, but I'll defend to the death your right to say it'
- Voltaire •
ISSN 0266 - 44 88 Vol. 25, No: 12 DECEMBER 2006
Published by: TAMIL TIMES LTD PO Box 121, Sutton, Surrey SM1 3TD United Kingdom Phone: 020 - 8644 0972 Fax: 020 - 8241 4557
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CONTENTS
A Grim Prospect O3 . ICRC/UN/SLMC 04. NewS Review 06. LTTE leader's speech 10". Suicide attack 13
An engineered wreck 15 Constitutional Reform 19 . All Party Conference 22 Heading to confrontation 25
Anti-terror regime 26 Focus on Rights 29 Man killing man 33 Co-chairs on violence 34 Politics of Purity 35 News in Brief 37 Classified 39
On 27 NOVem was left With no C for the people of suspected Tamil T rammed his Veh aSSassinate him. Rajapakse declar ‘terrOriSm”. In Wha Lanka, the Goverr invoke the provisic
The President addressing the n announced, when COmmOn man Whi these sides at any
Though the n Terrorist Activities the threat from the to all those who a activities that have
The introductic granting increased Security forces can
Since Decemb the Ongoing milita Among those kille admission, 818 LT of killings have be also have been kill but fought in their n other country in the Carnage on a dayt
Much WOrSe is pursued with no re the only land route humanitarian Crisis Country and withou
As the fighting operations to reca been displaced an island have expres:
Expressing dee civilians resulting f LTTE, the ICRC, UI LTTE to protect t humanitarian aid to being breached an stops and the civilia movement away frc
On the political defunct, there is at Norwegian Specia disappointed man fruitleSS talks with
KilinOchchi.
Overall, the ba depressing picture,
to change from the
that is on offer app
 

TAMIL TIMES 3
A grim prospect )er, in his annual speech, the LTTE leader declared that he her option but intensify the struggle for an independent state amil Eelam. Four days later, in the heart of the capital city, a Jer Suicide bomber in a three-wheeler packed with explosives le into the Defence Secretary's motorcade in a bid to n the aftermath of this failed assassination bid, President ld his version of "the war on terror" promising to defeat can be described as heralding a new anti-terror regime in Sri ment decided to introduce tougher Emergency Regulation and ns of the draconian Prevention of Terrorism Act.
Certainly took a leaf from US President Bush's book in ation on the day the new Emergency Regulations were he declared, "either you are with the terrorists or with the is opposed to the terrorists'. "Nobody can represent both One time."
2W Prevention and Prohibition of Terrorism and Specified Regulations are aimed at what the Government describes as "terrorist activities" of the LTTE, they are generally applicable re suspected or alleged to be involved in such activities or a bearing on national Security.
n of tougher ERS and bringing back the PTA into operation powers of arrest and detention without trial to the police and Only serve to make an already bad situation Worse.
er last year, an estimated 3,500 persons have been killed in y confrontation between government forces and the LTTE. i are at least a thousand government soldiers. On its own FE cadres were killed in the Course of this year alone. Scores en attributed to the Karuna Group and many of its members ed. The rest are civilians killed in a war not of their choosing ame. Other than in Iraq and in the Darfur region of Sudan, no } World is currently witnessing such Colossal bloodletting and D day basis.
the manner in which the military confrontation is being gard for humanitarian concerns. The closure of the A9 road, ! between Jaffna and the mainland, has produced a grave and left the people of the peninsula Cutoff from the rest of the
adequate Supplies of food and medicines.
escalated in the east where the military has launched ture LTTE-controlled Vaharai, thousands of civilians have i international humanitarian organisations operating in the edgrave concern about the developing humanitarian crisis.
) concern about the injuries, loss of life and displacement of
pm artillery exchanges between the Security forces and the and SLMM have called upon both the Government and the
e lives of civilians, as well as facilitate the delivery of
them. They said that all fundamental rights were currently
it was imperative that direct shelling where civilians reside
h population must be granted full and unhindered freedom of
m military operations.
evel, even as the ceasefire is being treated by both sides as Solutely no movement in the so-called peace process. The Envoy Jon Hanssen-Bauer returned to Oslo a deeply after spending nearly ten days in the island engaging in government leaders in Colombo and LTTE leaders in
ance sheet for the year gone by presents a tragic and is for the year ahead, unless the parties to the conflict decide present course of confrontation and conflict, the prospect ars to be grim.

Page 4
4 TAMIL TIMES
ICRC, UN, SLI
eXpress grave col
Dec 13 - International humanitar
ian organisations operating in Sri
Lanka have expressed grave concern
about the developing humanitarian crisis as the fighting between the military and the Tamil Tigers escalated
in the east of the country displacing .
thousands of civilians.
The International Committee of
the Red Cross (ICRC) on Tuesday (12) said it was "deeply concerned'
about the prevailing situation in the Trincomalee district and called upon
both the Government and the LTTE to protect the lives of civilians, as well
as facilitate the delivery of humani
tarian aid to them.
The ICRC, in a statement, said: it is deeply concerned about the injuries, loss of life and displacement of civilians, resulting from four consecutive days of artillery exchanges between the security forces and the LTTE, in the Kallar, Somapura and Sirimangalapura areas in Trincomalee district. The ICRC urged the parties to respect the freedom of movement of internally displaced people.
According to the ICRC, more than 2,300 civilians had already aban
doned their homes in the Kallar area and reached Kantale town, while at least a thousand are on the road and trying to flee the fighting. The ICRC
immediately provided these dis
placed families with 800 hygiene kits (soap, washing powder, razors, bath
towels and shampoo), 600 jerry cans.
and 300 tarpaulins.
The ICRC is also installing sani. tary facilities and water-distribution
systems at the Bathiyagama School.
in Kantale town, where more than 500
displaced people took shelter. This
relief operation was launched in co
operation with the local authorities.
and other humanitarian organiza: tions, including UNICEF and
UNHCR, currently operating on the
the .
ground,
The United ICRC expressing the deterioratin civilians in the area in the east continues for the
The statemen Resident Human in Sri Lanka sai tions is gravely ( teriorating prosp in Vaharai as inte ues for the fifth unconfirmed nun dead with dozen Vaharai hospital and school chilc attacks on a st homes. In Trinco 2,500 civilians l took refuge in K "Humanitaria ering immediate fected population undertake humi operations to needs.
"The United concerned about ing of civilian re ing to death, inji of communities rounding areas,
"The critical is the protection civilians. All ful currently being b Vaharai and vill District and it is rect shelling wh stops and the must be granted freedom of move tary operations. to be evacuated protection to the must be guaran “Some 35, ( trapped along a

DECEMBER 2006
MIMI
1Ce
Nations joined the grave concern over g prospects facing LTTE-held Vakarai as intense shelling fifth day in the area. t issued by the UN itarian Coordinator i, “The United Na'oncerned at the de2cts facing civilians Inse shelling continday in the area. An hber of civilians are s lying Wounded at . Innocent civilians liren suffered direct chool and private malee district, some eft their homes and antale. n agencies are delivassistance to the af. and stand ready to anitarian response address evolving
Nations is deeply indiscriminate shellsidential areas, leaduries and evacuation to Kantale and surout of danger Zones. need of the moment of these desperate ldamental rights are reached in areas like ages in Trincomalee
imperative that diere civilians reside ivilian population full and unhindered ment, away from miliThe wounded need and assistance and
civilian population eed. 00 people remain sliver of land where
government forces and the LTTE are engaged in a military campaign.
“On November 29 a humanitarian convoy comprising 90 trucks, carrying much needed humanitarian assistance reached the area after a period of almost one month. That convoy was able to deliver essential food items as well as medical supplies. More life sustaining relief supplies are needed urgently. メ "We urgently expect the parties to adhere to their responsibilities under international humanitarian law to ensure protection of civilians and their freedom of movement, and unimpeded and secure access for international humanitarian actors to the north and east of the country.”
More tham 1200 civiliams have been killed so far this year in the crossfire of renewed civil war between the state and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, according to truce monitors, and thousands are fleeing fighting in the east.
The Tigers say dozens of civilians have been killed by army artillery fire around the rebel-held town of Vakarai in the eastern district of Batticaloa since Saturday, while the army accuses the Tigers of using civilians as human shields.
About 30000-35000 displaced minority Tamils are living in camps in Vakarai, while more than 3000 majority Sinhalese in government-held territory in neighbouring Trincomalee district have fled rebel artillery fire.
The Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission, SLMM, said in a statement that it "is deeply congerned over the escalating violence in the area between Batticaloa and Trincomalee in the east part of Sri Lanka. The violence does not only put the Cease Fire Agreement, CFA, into great danger, but jeopardizes lives of thousands of innocent civilians, especially internally displaced people in the Vakarai area. “The LTTE has failed to protect civilians in Vakarai by restricting their movements. It is the responsibility of the LTTE to do their utmost to facilitate for these innocent civilians to reach safe ground. The SLMM has contrary to acceptable practices on one occasion experienced that civil

Page 5
DECEMBER 2006
ians were being hindered from exiting the area.
“The SLMM has not been able to. monitor the situation as well as it
would have wanted as monitors have been continuously refused access by the SLA into the areas of concern. The SLA has cited security reasons for this. SLMM has on countless occasions tried to patrol into Vakarai and most recently in the "Kallar areá for inspections. Restriction of SLMM access by GOSL forces to areas where violations may have taken place is in itself a violation of the CFA and more mportantly prevents the SLMM from working according to its mandate given to them by the Parties.
“In this alarming situation, the SLMM reminds the Parties that they "shall in accordance with international law abstain from hostile acts against the civilian population. The SLMM urges the Parties to do their utmost to respect the CFA and to refrain from any further violence in the area.'
Meanwhile, the government has asked the International Committee of the Red Cross and foreign cease-fire monitors to seek the assistance from the LTTE to create a safe haven för
about 35,000 civilians caught in escalating violence in eastern Sri Lanka.
"We have made the proposal and we
are waiting for a response,” Palitha
Kohona, the chief of Sri Lanka's Peace Secretariat, told the media adding that the Tigers have been using displaced. civilians as human shields
The ICRC said it is in constant touch with the government and Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam to find ways to protect civilians. "Discussions are going on, but the issue is the responsibility of the government and the LTTE. We can only help but
we cannot impo ICRC spokesman
The LTTE hit government of b making it difficul ple to reach safer these random she far taken 89 refug has not been conc said in a statemen being made that t lowing people to A-15 route coul (only) then accu made that the LTT people from leavin
The governme. route connecting with the rest of ti September in an : the Tigers from mc and weapons for r
On December ens of civilians w previous two day Vakarai were evacu officials said, as t man put civilian de
Medical sourc hospital inside ter LTTE said that 27 vilians were broug have 65 people wi been brought for tr cal source said. Ha were still unreachal shelling. About 25 ously wounded we better-equipped h government-held with the help of th cials said.
The defence m launched a ground day to neutralise weapons, and did rel rockets, artillery to protect civilians
75047
EMERGENCYTRA
 

2 our decision,' avide Vignati said.
back, accusing the cking a road and for displaced peo
laces. "In spite of .
ings that have so e lives, the assault emned,” the LTTE "Accusations are e LTTE is not aleave. At least the be opened and sations could be E is preventing the ,” the LTTE said.
it closed the A-15 the Vaharai area e district in midttempt to prevent ving their fighters ew attacks.
| 1 (Monday) dozbunded during the ts of shelling in ated for treatment, he LTTE spokesaths at 41.
es in the Vakarai itory held by the dead bodies of ciht there. "We also unded who have eatment,” a medi: said some areas ble due to fears of of the more seri
e evacuated to a spital inside the
Batticaloa town
Red Cross, offi
nistry said it had ffensive on Sunebel long range ot fire multi-baror mortar bombs
TAMIL TIMES 5
During Sunday’s ground offensive "24 security forces personnel sacrificed their lives in this process while another 69 sustained injuries due to ground obstacles,' the ministry said. The LTTE said at least 41 civilians were killed and many more wounded in the areas bordering the Trincomalee and Batticaloa districts.
Six civilians were also killed in this district on four days earlier when the Tigers hit a school and a village of the majority Sinhalese community, the defence ministry said. In regard to this incident, the Roberto Petronio, ICRC deputy head of sub-delegation in Trincomalee.said, “The ICRC is appalled that 4 civilians, including l child, lost their lives and 10 students were wounded, some of them very severely, as a result of mortar attack that hit the local school and the centre of the town.
"At around 11:00 AM, on the way from Kantale to Mutur passing Kallar village, we suddenly found ourselves in the middle of artillery shelling. We saw black smoke rising from the school compound. Students were running away for safety. The civilians informed us that some wounded people needed urgent help. At the scene, we found one wounded women teacher, two boy students and one little girl who we managed to evacuate to Kantale hospital.
“The ICRC urgently calls upon both parties to ensure that the civilian population and civilian objects are respected and protected in all circumstances.”
"The ICRC urges both parties to protect the civilian population against the effects of hostilities, we are very concerned about the consequences of the fighting in the life of civilians caught in it”, said Toon Vandenhove, the ICRC’s head of delegation in Colombo. 米
EL ONLY|||||||||||||||-SRI LANKA
676 360
-SOUTH INDIA -SINGAPORE

Page 6
6 TAMIL TIMES
Peace Envoy returns s after disappointing visit
Dec 10 - Even as the military skirmishes between government forces and the Tigers were escalating particularly in
the east, Norway's Special Envoy to the
peace process, Jon Ham
operate freely withc
(3) The Gover create a safe haven placed Persons (ID) east of the country.
Apparently, thi asked Norwegian er
ssen-Bauer, visited Sri Lanka to witness first hand the deteriorating situation. He had no specific pre-announced
agenda for his visit, but it was an attempt on his part to salvage what is left of the peace process and the ceasefire which had been deemed 'defunct'. by the LTTE leader.
Bauer's presence in Colombo did not deter the Tigers from carrying out the suicide bomb attack on the Defence Sec
retary in the heart of the capital in an'
attempt to assassinate him. Nor did it prevent the armed forces of the government from pursuing its military agenda in the east to capture Tiger-controlled Vakarai. If Mr. Bauer thought by talking to the both sides, he could salvage something out of what is left of the so-called peace process, it was clear that he was going to be disappointed. .
In a hardening of position following suicide attack the Government requested Mr Buer not to undertake his intended visit to Kilinochchi fixed Tuesday 5 December to discuss matters with the piolitical head of the Tigers, S P Tamilchelvan. The government advised him that he should postpone his trip on the
basis that the Government was review
ing its relationship with the LTTE. He was told that he could await the outcome of the cabinet meeting fixed for the following day (Wednesday 6) at which certain decisions were going to be made as a reaction to the suicide bomb attack. At that time the Government was not only contemplatingtougher Emergency Regulations, but also the prospect of proscribing the LTTE.
With Government eventually deciding not to ban the LTTE, Mr Buer’s visit to Kilinochchi was given the go-ahead with the government asking the Norwegian Envoy to secure the consent of the LTTE on three matters:
(1) Government's proposal to send a convoy of urgent relief supplies along
the A9 road and through the Muhamalại
checkpoint to Jaffna;
(2) The LTTE to allow the 4,000 private traders in the Jaffna peninsula to
next round of direct Tigers. The Gover Keheliya Rambukw a media briefing in asked him to arrang talks.'
Mr. Buer flew tc day 8 December to gian Ambassador Ha his much delayed c LTTE leadership.
At Kilinochchi told the Norwegian tions by the Gover dered the CFA “de LTTE was preparec ing to the CFA provi also did so and unco the A9-Jaffna Kand Vakarai, what was A-15 access roadsh had said.
Following then Bauer and the LTTE Mr. Thamilchelvan Norwegian envoy, t A9 and A 15 land r( sic humanitarian p vival of the civilia critical that the Intel addresses the issue eration in re-open landroutes ensurin their top-most basic A press release Thamilselvan talks among other matt straw that appears back of the CFA is new regulations un rity Ordinance, w under a new cloak. criticised Norway communituy for Rajapaksa governir programme' and w solution will steadi monumental irrec struction.”
 

DECEMBER 2006
ut intimidation; and ment’s proposal to for Internally Diss) in Vakarai in the
Government also voy to facilitate the
Returning to Colombo the same evening after his talks with the LTTE's political leader, the Norwegian envoy met Peace Secretariat Secretary General Palitha Kohona and Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera and reported the outcome of his talks Mr.Thamilselvan ; who had
REVIEW
promptly rejected the three requests made by the Government. As to the
talks with the Tamil ment's spokesman, ella, told reporters at colombo, "We have e the next round of
Kilinochchi on Frigether with Norweuns Brattskarto have liscussions with the
Mr Tamilselvan had S that it was the acinment that had renfunct', and that the l to continue adherded the Government nditionally reopened y Road. In regard to needed was that the ould be reopened, he
neeting between Mr. E, TamilNet reported , as having told the hat the re-opening of outes constituted bariorities for the surn population. “It is national Community of Colombo's cooping of A9 and A15 g the Tamil people humanitarian need," issued after Bauerin Kilinochchi said ers, that the "final to have broken the
the introduction of der the Public Seculich is the old PTA The statement also and the international "encouraging the nent on its genocidal arned that "a military y push the island into verable state of de
next round of talks which Colombo had asked Mr Bauer to arrange, there was not even a mention of it.
The following day a very much disappointed Mr Bauer, having spent nearly ten days in the island, took a direct flight on his return journey to Oslo avoiding the normal courtesy of a stopover in New Delhi to brief the Indian government about the outcome of his endeavours in the island. Perhaps there was nothing worthwhile to report.
Bisho OVer
expresses concern A and new regulations
Dec 11 - Colombo's Anglican Bishop the Rt. Revd. Duleep de Chickera has expressed concern that the implementation of the Prevention of Terrorism Act and other tough new regulations might further alienate the Tamil people who are committed to peace and democracy. While strongly condemning the recent attempt to kill Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa, the Bishop appealed to the government to demonstrate its commitment to a negotiated peace settlement with justice and dignity for all by reviewing the decision to introduce these new regulations.
The Bishop said: “The attempted assassination of the Defence Secretary a few days ago in the heart of Colombo
stunned the Nation. This senseless act
clearly points to the LTTE and must be condemned forthright. Such an attackindicates a provocative agenda that runs counter to a negotiated peace settlement of the National Question, and can cause a major set-back in our work for peace.
"In such a provocative situation, the Government must provide prudent leadership and act with restraint, wisdom and foresight. The challenge the Government faces is to certainly take note of such threats and ensure protection for all; and yet rise above the culture of reaction and counter violence, physical or structural.

Page 7
DECEMBER 2006
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To resort to the same weapons and methods that we condemn is to lose control, feed the cycle of confrontation and jeopardise the peace process. i.
"The decision not to proscribe the LTTE demonstrates this prudent leadership and needs to be commended, Proscription would have closed the door tó dialogue and further delayed the longoverdue negotiated settlement. ܀...
"The Government's decision to introduce new regulations on the lines of the PTA is however worrying. Many still have painful memories of the harshihi pact of the PTA on the life of the Nation not too long ago. It was political wisdom coupled with political will that finally led to it being suspended. The existing laws under the Penal Code and the Prevention of Terrorist Financing Act passed in 2005, I believe, are adequate to deal with the current threats.
“In spite of assurances and intentions, the Government's inability to arrest the deteriorating humanitarian crises. in Jaffna, Kilinochchi and Vakarai, hở. doubt aggravated by LTTE intransigence. reveals that in conflicts such as ours it is civilians who suffer most. In this context
as well as the seriol of impunity demon abductions and killir the implementation likely to further ali our nation and drive desire or hope for ment within a united need to prevent is th and the frustration ( indispensable inde peace. Equally serio could be used to inti dissenting voices wi ties as well.
“As a religious le to emphasize that al that an ethos of dia spect for the other, anti-violence appro: formation, will fina “This is why th Buddha, Prophet M sages and Christ; an the Gandhis and Mandelas. They tau re-endorse these va dote to recurring pro lence, and we must
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

TAMIL TIMES 7
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is prevailing culture strated in the daily gs of mostly Tamils,
of this decision is enate the Tamils of them away from the a negotiated settleSri Lanka. What we e silencing of voices if the endeavours of bendent Tamils for us, these regulations midate alternate and hinother communi
ader I am compelled our religions teach logue with and reased on the Ahimsa ch to conflict transly triumph.
e world reveres the ohamed, the Hindu generations respect Luther Kings and ght us to sustain and ues as the best antivocative acts ofviope prepared to learn
these lessons.
“Upholding these values will also empower the law enforcement authorities to receive co-operation from the civilian population and so more effectively enforce law, order and security in the face of violent provocations.
"Consequently, I urge the Government to demonstrate its commitment to a negotiated peace settlement with justice and dignity for all by reviewing the decision to introduce these new regulations."
The Humanitarian Crisis and the A9 Road dispute
The National Anti-War Front (NAWF) in a statement said that it "has been supporting the efforts of the international community and local organisations to end the deadlock that is disrupting the flow of food, fuel and essential goods to Jaffna and the North. So far we have had little success.
“If the government and the LTTE really cared about ordinary people they could have worked out an arrangement to resume regular supplies by now. They

Page 8
8 TAMIL TIMES
would also have worked out a practical revenue collection and distribution mechanism to facilitate the administration of areas held by LTTE under the cease-fire agreement. The government faces no real security threat from open
ing the road - this is an excuse - its main
concern is to stop the LTTE from col
lecting millions of rupees in revenue each
day. The LTTE for its part obstructs alternative supply arrangements because
its main interest is collecting this rev-. enue which is most easily done by taxing
goods carried by trucks on the A9.
"It is a pity that the international. community limits itself to issuing state
ments and condemnations. Is it not clear" that the belligerents have long ago de
cided to pay scant respect to empty
words? The thinking is: "Let them rant;
what do we care?" Unless the internal
tional community engages in positive and
practical measures the belligerents will
do as they please. The actions taken in Europe and the US against the UTTE earlier this year has perceptibly influenced its behaviour. This shows that practical
measures elicit a response and should be used against both sides when necessary.
“The NAWF has consistently cam
paigned for the opening of the A9 Road. We are glad that President Mahinda : Rajapakse has decided to use the A9 to: make a one-of delivery of essential food items and other goods. We urge the LTTE to cooperate with the Government in this confidence building process. We see this
as a step in regaining trust of the people. who are currently undergoing hardships: and suffering as a result of the blockade.
“We further urge the Government and the LTTE not to use the suffering people as hostages, not to use them as a
shield or consider them as collateral damage in pursuit of its military objectives. We would like the Government and the
LTTE to discuss immediately ways arid means of creating a permanent humani
tarian corridor to ensure that food and -
essential supplies like oil, kerosene, diesel, petrol as well as school books for children are delivered, particularly during Thaipongal and Christmas.”
"Shocking violations' of rights of journalists
Dec 6- The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) is disturbed by Srí Lankan journalists' continued suffering atthe hands ofauthorities, after twojournalists were detained by the military and
police assaulted a pl another journalist r under anti-terrorist
"The situation i ues to deteriorate w freedom abuses att ties, further highlig for the Sri Lankan vene and ensure jo protected,” the IF. opher Warren said.
According to an Media Movement ( ists from the week were taken into cust by military person with union leaders C HQ, which is situat ZOc.
The FMM repo delivered the journa and Jayasiri Wikrar station where police five hours, stripped and confiscated ph campaign by Telec pair were reportedly their editor, Sri Lal bal assurances.
A week earlier, deputy photo edit Leader, was assault era smashed by pol ple in Pannipitiya o FMM reported that minor injuries and v following afternoor police, on the utski facing Gangodawila a criminal charge.
The FMM Saic tographed clashes civilians inside the turned on him, beat his digital camera mately US $1848.
"It is a disgrac photojournalist is from doing his job. assaulted by polic be there to maintai dent said.
Meanwhile, di Parameswaree Ma weekly Mawbima her home south of ber 24, according sources said she is terrorist legislatic longed detention \ thorities have giv rest. Accordin

DECEMBER 2006
tojournalist, while mains in detention gislation.
Sri Lanka continh these latest press 2 hands of authoriting the vital need overnment to interrnalists' rights are President Christ
FJ affiliate, the Free MM), two journaly Sathdina Sinhala dy on November 5 nel, while meeting Sri Lanka Telecom d in a high security
ts that the military lists, Saman Janaka asingha, to a police questioned them for their camera of film otos of a picketing pm employees. The f only released after Priyantha, made ver
Asoka Fernando, the or of The Sunday ed and had his camice officers at a temn November 28. The Fernando sustained vas detained until the by the Maharagama its of Colombo, after magistrate's court on
that Fernando phobetween police and temple before police ng him and smashing
valued at approxi
tful situation when a not only prevented but also is physically who are supposed to order,” the IFJ Presi
ention continues for nasami, writer for the who was arrested at Colombo on Novemto the FMM. Local eing held under antithat allows for prothout charge, and auno reason for her arto local reports,
Maunasami may have been arrested for her work at the paper covering the separatist conflict between the Sri Lankan military and thre Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam rebels.
"Considering Sri Lanka's recent history of Tamil journalists being unfairly targeted, the IFJ calls for authorities to fully explain their detention of Maunasami and to expedite their inquiries or release her immediately,' Warren said.
"It is a deeply concerning sign of a new low in Sri Lanka, where members of the police force and military are using their powers to control and dominate journalists, instead of fulfilling their duty to uphold and protect a free and independent media,” the IFJ president said. "The IFJ again calls on the government of Sri Lanka to take swift action to send a message to all parties that the rights and safety of journalists must be respected at all times," Warren said.
Monthly toll of killings in Jaffna at least 50
More than 50 people are being killed every month in the Jaffna peninsula, the Human Rights Commission (HRC) in Jaffna said. An official at the HRC office ssaid the statistics were based on the complaints received by the organisation alone and added there were many instances where cases were not brought to the notice of any human rights or humanitarian organisations.
"There are many cases which have not been reported to the HRC and have gone unnoticed,' the official said, adding that the killings and abductions increased drastically after the closing of the A9 road in August.
“The number of complaints increased drastically after August. The people are basically trapped here and are not in a position to leave the peninsula. The situation is very bad for the people who are already under threat. The killings and abductions have been continuing for many months but worsened recently,' the official said.
During the same period of time, more than 30 civilians had come to the organisation seeking protection, fearing for their lives, he said. The HRC stated the civilians were handed over to the police, as it was not in a position to give them protection.
"The persons who have escaped attacks and those who are under threat

Page 9
DECEMBER 2006
have complained to the HRG and have asked for protection. More than 30 peo
ple have requested protection from us.: We can only look into the complaints and
investigate. We are not in a position to give them protection. Therefore, we
handed the civilians over to the police stations. That is the maximum we could
do for the civilians,' the official added.
SLLM confirms army killing of students
Nov 20 - The death of 5 students of a farm school in Vavuniya has aroused controversy after the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission on 19 November said according to eyewitnesses and initial investigations by the monitors a group of soldiers had rounded up the students and fired indiscriminately at them. The military had earlier claimed that the students were caught up in the crossfire with the LTTE following a claymore attack on soldiers travelling in a truck.
Military spokesman Brigadier Prasad Samarasinghe claimed that following the claymore attack on an army truck which killed 5 soldiers on Saturday (18) the LTTE had opened fire on the troops using the farm school as a shield thus placing the lives of the students at risk.
However the SLMM after recording statements from the school principal, students and other eyewitnesses told the media there was no evidence to substantiate the military claims and instead claimed that a group of soldiers had jumped into the farm school, rounded up the students, assaulted them using the rifles and then opened fire indiscrimi
nately killing 4 students on the spot while
another succumbed to his injuries inhospital.
Another 12 students were injured in. the shooting carried out to avenge the
death of soldiers caught up in the LTTEclaymore attack some 15 meters away from the Thandikulam Agriculture Farm
School.
"According to eyewitnesses and our. initial investigation the students lay on .
the ground when they heard the sound of the claymore explosion. A few minutes later a group of soldiers had reportedly
jumped over the school fence, rounded up the students, assaulted them even
though some of the students spoke in Singhalese and said they were innocent. The soldiers later opened fire executing 4 of the students. Another student died in hospital,” an SLMM official told the
th
media on the cond
"According to were all shot at cl laying face down,' person Helen Olla
Norwav denie “false claims’
Nov 29- The N has angrily rejected per in Sri Lanka th and International ter Erik Solheim ha leader of the Tamil The Daily Ne terview on Monday way former LTTE Karuna', who allege LTTE had also given In an "open let the paper, Odd Nau of Information of the ment said as follow "Reference is m the 27 November edi Daily News entitl money to the LTTE cle reproduces an all Karuna conducted b Daily News. The in the questions and a view are based unf many incorrect and Norway and Internal Minister Erik Solhe. Ministry of Foreign to take this opportu of these misconcepti
First of all it is helped Mr Solheim Oslo”. This is a ver and the Norwegian Affairs is surprised to and responsible news News is spreading ot Solheim.
It is also claime Mr Solheim gave 16 kroner to Mr Balasi basis in reality and i. Further it is state gifted a 6 ft TV scree watch films. The M like underline that it that such blatant lie by the Daily News. tainly not bought a Prabhakaran.
More false claii by the Daily News “Solheim advised Pra

on of anonymity. itnesses the students se range while they LMM acting spokesdotir said.
Karuna’s
wegian government report in a newspat its peace mediator evelopment Minisgiven money to the igers.
is published an in27) with the breakacommander, “Col. l in an interview that Mr. Solheim money. er” to the editor of stdal, Acting Head Norwegian govern
ade to the article in tion of the Sri Lanka ed "Norway gave : Karuna'. The artieged interview with by the editor of the formation on which lswers in the interortunately contains false claims about ional Development m. The Norwegian Affairs would like lity to dispel some ons and lies. laimed that "LTTE o buy his house in serious allegation finistry of Foreign see that a respected paper like the Daily vious lies about Mr
in the article that million Norwegian gham. This has no false information. that “Erik Solheim to Prabhakaran to istry would again s surprised to see are being printed Solheim has cerelevision for Mr
are put forward hen it states that hakaran on how to
TAMIL TIMES 9
govern in the future'. This is an absurd allegation and has no basis in reality. It is unfortunate that the Daily News is printing obvious lies and illfounded allegations about Norway and Mr Solheim.
Other errors and misconceptions reproduced in the interview have been commented on previously. The Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs will refrain from further comments on these now.
Norway remains committed to assisting the Government of Sri Lanka and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) as an impartial facilitator of the peace process for as long as the parties request our support.”
EU urges Govt. to release Karuna's child recruits
Dec 2 - In a strongly worded statement on Friday (Dec 1), the European Union has called on the Government to take immediate steps to release all children held by the Karuna group. The EU has also urged the Government to immediately commence "credible investigations' into allegations that some elements of the armed forces were helping Karuna recruit children. The EU statement came as Sri Lanka narrowly avoiding another EU-sponsored resolution against her at the UN Human Rights Council this month.
The EU presidency decided to postpone that resolution till March next year, allowing the government time to fulfil its undertaking that it would investigate alleged human rights abuses.
The EU declaration presidency focused on the situation of children affected by the armed conflict in Sri Lanka. It urged the LTTE to immediately cease the “deplorable and inhumane practice of recruiting child soldiers, and release any children recruited in that manner without delay".
“The European Union is also deeply concerned that the Karuna group is also abducting children, that this is taking place in areas under the government's control, and reports that government security forces are involved.
“It urges the Government of Sri Lanka to take immediate steps to release all children being held by the Karuna group, and immediately commence credible investigations of the alleged involvements of certain elements of government security forces, and bring to justice those responsible for these crimes."

Page 10
10 TAMIL TIMES
“The recruitment of children to hostilities has continued as have abductions of children from their families in order to recruit them, both of which are in violation of applicable international law.”
The EU highlighted what it described was the "deteriorating human rights and humanitarian situation in Sri Lanka' and said it had left children in a growing insecure situation.
Talking peace with Pirapa is a waste of time’ - Karuna "
Dec 4 - The leader of the Tamil Makkal Viduthalai Pulikal (TMVP) and former LTTE eastern commander, Karuna Amman says the Government must stop wasting time trying to talk peace with the LTTE and instead pursue a military solution. In an interview with a local pa
per, Amman said he knew the mindset of.
the LTTE leader Velupillai Prabhakaran all too well and achieving peace is not. part of his final agenda.
"As a man who knows Prabhakaran, really well and one who knows how he operates I can assure you no one could
draw him to a political negotiated solu
tion. That is because right now he is enjoying several luxuries in the Wannijungles which he wouldn't want to give up plus there is also the threat from his many
enemies if he comes out into the open to enter democracy. Right now it is unthink:
able to get him to agree on a peaceful settlement. He has also made his intentions clear through his heroes' day speech and by carrying out a black Tiger attack. on the defence secretary. The government and the international community must realise that the Tamil people in the north and east who are under Prabhakarn’s grip must be set free and I believe this could be done only through a war.” Amman told the Daily Mirror.
Amman, who operates a political and
military wing organisation aimed attam
ing his former leader admits the Tamil people in LTTE controlled areas will be the victims of a war but notes that it will only be a "temporary consequence” they will have to face as opposed to a better future.
The man who has strong ambitions
to enteractive politics one day also side-,
lines Anton Balasingham as being the one Tiger committed to a negotiated solution
and that his absence in future peace talks
owing to poor health will be a severe setback.
"In fact after one of the Oslo talks
GN but State
The following is th the leader of the L
"We are at a cro dom struggle. Ourjo and arduous, and cri phases. We are facin expected turns that movement had to f in history, we are di peace talks at the sa
Six years have p cated ourselves to f ethnic conflict thro this long time span, found to the burning tion? Was there any mindset of the Sin
|
when Norway annou to consider devolutic was signed by Bala Peiris who headed til egation at the time, moned us in Wanni agreement was sign sent. Balasingham rea lem could be solved but it was in vein b had other ideas. Bo eral arguments and often ended up cutti the Wanni because had with Prabhakar: Karuna Amma former President Cl nga turned down a security to his cadre from the LTTE forci for self defence bu lay down arms if sec given whenhe ente
Amman is also India has a respon Tamils of this coul expected to play a d how they were trea most importantly Ghandhi which he minded by Prabhak

DECEMBER 2006
to other option an independent of Tamil Eelam”
- LTTE leader
efull text of the official translation of the speech made by TTE, Mr. Velupillai Pirapaharan, on 27 November 2006:
ss roads in our freeurney has been long owded with difficult g challenges and unno other freedom ace. Unprecedented ealing with war and me time. assed since we dediind a solution to the ugh peace talks. In has a solution been Tamil national quesvisible change in the hala leadership that
inced we were ready n and the agreement singham and G. L. he Government delPrabhakaran sumand asked how the ed without his conlly believed the probthrough negotiation ecause Prabhakaran th of them had sevBalasingham most ng short his trips to of the arguments he un,” Amman said. n also alleges that handrika Kumaraturequest to provide s at the time he split ng him to carry arms t stressed he would :urity guarantees are 's politics. of the view although sibility towards the try they cannot be irect role because of ited in the past and he killing of Rajiv claims was master
aa. 米
continues to inflict unrelenting cruelty on the Tamil people? Were any of the justifiable requests of the Tamils been fulfilled? Were our people able to find relief from the daily harassment and misery at the hands of the occupying military? Were the daily basic problems of our people resolved? None of these has happened. Instead, death and destruction were heaped on the Tamils who hoped that they would receive justice.
While the countries that preached peace maintain silence without conscience, a great tragedy is unfolding in the Tamil homeland. The Sinhala government has imprisoned-the Tamils inî their own land after closing its main supply routes. Having removed their freedom by restricting their movement and constrained their lives, it is inflicting great suffering on them. It has split the Tamil homeland, set up military camps, bound it with barbed wire, and has converted it into a site of collective torture.
The Sinhala government has unleashed a two pronged war, military and economic, on our people. Our people are subjected to unprecedented assaults. Arrests, imprisonment, and torture, rape and sexual harassment, murders, disappearance, shelling, aerial bombing, and military offensives are continuing unchecked. At the same time our people are subjected toan inhuman economic embargo on essential items including food and medicine.
Even after the ceasefire, negotiations and the five years of patiently keeping peace, the dividends of peace have not reached our people. Instead our people are faced with unbearable burdens in their daily lives. Thousands of our people have been forced out of their homes and are languishing with disease and hunger in refugee camps. No one should expect that this Sinhala government which is denying food and medicine to our people

Page 11
DECEMBER 2006
to the extent of starving them would show compassion and give them theirpo-. litical rights.
The monumental growth in knowledge and the resulting global outlook is taking humanity into a new era. Ideas, . views and philosophies are changing in tandem with this growth in knowledge and this is resulting in changes in society. Yet, within the Sinhala nation, there is. little change in its ideas and philosophies The Sinhala nation is refusing to broaden its thinking and take a new approach. The Sinhala nation remains mislead by the mythical ideology of the Mahavamsa and remains trapped in the chauvinistic sentiments thus created. Unable to free itself from this mindset, it has adopted . Sinhala Buddhist chauvinistic notions as . its dominant national philosophy. This notion is spread in its schools, universities and even its media. The domination of this Sinhala Buddhist chauvinism is. preventing its students, intellectuals, and writers from stepping out of and thinking free from its domination. This, un--. fortunately, is preventing the Sinhala na-.' tion from undertaking a genuine attempt. at resolving the Tamil national question in a civilized manner. --
Both our liberation movement and our' people never preferred war to a peaceful resolution. We have always preferred a . peaceful approach to win the political rights of our people. We have never hesitated to follow the peaceful path to win our political rights. That is why We have tried to hold peace talks beginning in Thimpu right through to Geneva on several occasions, at various times, and in many countries. The current peace efforts, with Norwegian facilitation and : with the blessings of the international, community, taking place in the capitals of various countries are unique.
This peace journey began on 31st October 2000, when the then Norwegian special envoy Eric Solheim visited Vanni. and met us. This peace journey is taking place in a unique period, under unique, historical conditions, in a unique format and on a unique path. It is moving on two fronts, peace talks, on one hand, and a war of occupation by the Sinhala gov-: ernment, on the other. : During the six years when we kept. peace, we were sincere in our efforts. Indeed, we initiated the peace efforts. We created a strong foundation for peace ef forts by unilaterally declaring a ceasefire. We refrained from putting conditions ok.' time limits for peace talks. We did not
undertake these eff of weakness. We had mainland and the ly Pass military comp back the 'Operation military. We carriec feats in the history was from this posit we undertook this p The situation w, in the south. The sou after defeat and was war. Its military ha The economy was only under such c Sinhala nation agree this five years sinc began, three governi power, that of Bandaranayake and F the government cha peace moved from ( but it was neverable 1 many times, the dov for its life.
We held ta Wickremasinghe g months after signingt ment (CFA) with hir Sinhala regimes, the gime dragged time w the clauses in the CFA reached at the talks. move out of people's hospitals and instead areas of land as mili and permanently pri from returning to th committee for De-e malization became sub-committee creat ate humanitarian nee become defunct due by the government.
The Wickremas that refused to solv problems facing ou worked to marginali the world stage. Evel working administrat Tamil homeland, it co ferences to obtain ai failing to facilitate ( the donor conferenc ton, it marginalized movement. As a resu stay away from the The Wickremasinghe with this. It plotted movement in an "inte and destroy us.
When we put fo

TAMIL TIMES 11
rts from a position ecaptured the Vanni kkachchi-Elephant ex. We had beaten Fire' of the Sinhala out great military of our struggle. It on of strength that ace effort. is just the opposite th had faced defeat osing its will to face lost its backbone. very shaky. It was onditions that the d for peace talks. In e the peace efforts ments have come to Wickremasinghe, ajapakse. Each time nged, the dove of one cage to another o fly freely. Stabbed e is now struggling
alks with the overnment for six he Cease Fire Agreen. Like all previous Wickremasinghe rethout implementing and the agreements Its military failed to homes, Schools and declared these vast tary security zones evented the people Leir land. The subscalation and Nordysfunctional. The ed to solve immediis of the people also oplanned sabotage
inghe government e the humanitarian r people, secretly e Our movement on before setting up a ive structure in the inducted donor cond for the south. By ur participation in 2 held in Washingand humiliated our it we were forced to Tokyo conference. regime did not stop o trap our freedom mational safety net'
rward the proposal
for an Interim Self Governing Authority (ISGA), startling changes occurred in the southern politics. The Kumaratunge government took over the reins of power. While refusing to hold talks on the basis of our proposal, her government, using the paramilitary phenomenon, intensified the shadow war againstus. The paramilitary factor turned the Tamil homeland into a violent blood stained theatre. Intellectuals, political leaders, journalists, LTTE members, supporters and civilians were all murdered. We were forced to halt the political work, carried out according to the CFA clauses by our members in Sri Lankan military occupied areas of the Tamil homeland. As a result, our people were left alone in the cruel grip of the occupying military. Finally the Kumaratunge regime failed to implement even the Joint Mechanism (PTOMS) agreement signed by her regime for tsunami rehabilitation. The Supreme Court, unable to step outside the Sinhala chauvinistic notions, rejected this purely humanitarian focused agreement citing the unitary constitution.
It was at this time that the Sinhala nation elected Rajapakse as its new President. Like the Sinhala leaders of the past, he too is putting his hopes in a military solution. He rejected our final call in our last year's Heroes' Day statement, to find a resolution to the Tamil National question with urgency. Instead, he intensified the war, on the one hand, with the view to destroy our movement and, on the other hand, he is talking about finding a peaceful resolution. This dual war and peace approach is fundamentally flawed. It is not possible to find a resolution by marginalizing and destroying the freedom movement with which talks must be held to find the resolution. This is political absurdity on the part of the Sinhala leadՇrS.
The Rajapakse regime hopes to decide the fate of the Tamil nation using its military power. It wants to occupy the Tamil land and then force an unacceptable solution on the Tamils. Due to this strategy of the Rajapakse regime, the CFA has become defunct. The Rajapakse regime, by openly advocating attacks on our positions, has effectively buried the CFA. The Rajapakse regime’s attacks have expanded from land to sea and air. It has given a free hand to the paramilitary groups to kill at will. It has occupied Mavilaru and Sampur blatantly breaking the terms of the CFA. The Sinhala military misjudged our strategic withdrawal

Page 12
12 TAMIL TIMES
from Mavilaru and Sampur. It used heavy firepower and launched large scale offensives to bring Tamil lands under its control. Tamil land was soaked in blood. It is at this time we decided to give a shock to the Sinhala regime. Our forces conducted a massive counter-offensive on the Sinhala forces that attempted to move from Kilali and Muhamalai. The military sustained heavy losses and was forced to abandon its offensive temporarily. This, however, did not persuade the Sinhala regime to give up its military plans. It continues on its military path.
The Rajapakse regime, while con-: ducting genocide of the Tamils, is portraying our movement which is waging a struggle to save the Tamils: from this genocide as a terrorist organization. It has launched a malicious propaganda campaign to defame our movement. Ignoring the unanimous opposition of our people and the objection of the Sri Lankan Monitoring Mission (SLMM), the European Union and Canada have yielded to diplomatic pressure from the Sri Lankan government and listed our movement as a terrorist organization. They isolated us as undesirables. − t This hasty decision, arrived at without considering the prevailing. context, has created serious repercussions. It has gravely disturbed the parity of status and balance of power we held with the Sinhala regime. It encouraged the hard line stance of the Sinhala regime. It weakened the SLMM and facilitated the war plans. of the Sinhala regime. Some countries that proclaim to be helping the peace
efforts, have not only failed to con- ...
demn the genocidal attacks on our people but are also giving military and financial aid to the Sinhala regime to support its war plans. These are external factors that are encouraging the Rajapakse regime to carry on with its brutal military offensives in the Tamil land with absolute impunity.
The Rajapakse regime is not giving due importance to the peace talks because it has confidence in its military approach. The two Geneva talks were unproductive because of its lack of interest in the peace front. At the first Geneva talks, we placed evidence of military-paramilitary coop
eration in the form tistics and inciden to reject the solid Lankan governmen ment the CFA claus paramilitary group homeland. After talks, there was c State and paramili Tamil homeland es The second G also a failure. At th priority to the hu facing our people : the A9 road be SLMM be given frt The Sri Lankan go military advantage tarian concerns, 1 quests.
The Sinhala failed to show me affected by a natura going to budge o crisis that it plan How could the pea ward when the pe made up of people they will wage wa talks at the same ti be built? How can at like this?
To improve hi peace dove, Pres staged a deceptive ference”. The Sin] practiced this infar dition of initiating inquiry, parliament tees, all party cond tables to procrastin unable to face up wants to drag time diverted. This is e doing now. Reje speedily find a reso national question, hind the All Party the last ten months. mittee is looking f tion, like searching dark room.
Once the All lost its deceptive Rajapakse has take the MoU between ties. These two ma fectively have he over the south ar chauvinistic partie ties are born of

DECEMBER 2006
of documents, stat reports. Unable evidence, the Sri t agreed to implee by removing the S from the Tamil his first Geneva inly one change. tary terror in the calated.
eneva talks were ese talks, we gave manitarian issues und requested that opened and the :edom to function. vernment, putting ahead of humaniejected both re
government that rcy to the people al disaster is never in a humanitarian ned and created. ce talks move forace delegation is who proclaim that ir and hold peace me? How can trust
peace be arrived
Is posturing as a ident Rajapakse : “All Party Conhala leaders have mous political trag commissions of ary Select commiterences, or round ate whenever it is to a situation and until attention is xactly what he is cting our call to lution to the Tamil
he is hiding beConference. For the all party comor the Tamil quesfor a black cat in a
Party Conference power, President n up his next card, he two major parjor parties that ef'gemonic control 2 both essentially s. Both these parSinhala Buddhist
chauvinism and compete with each other to carry out genocide of the Tamils. This MoU is a temporary opportunistic move by Rajapakse regime to avoid the multiple problems of international pressure to find a peaceful solution, the declining economic situation, and the opposition of his political partner, Janatha Vimukthi Perumuna (JVP). There is no sincere motive in this MoU agreement. These two parties will never put forward a just solution to the Tamil issue. Despite this, the Rajapakse regime continues to show interest in keeping the all party conference alive simply to deceive the world.
A long time has elapsed since we embarked on this journey for peace with Norway's facilitation. We have tried our best to take forward this peace effort. We have practiced patience. We gave innumerable opportunities for finding peaceful resolution. We postponed our plan to advance our freedom struggle twice to give even more chances to the peace efforts, once when the tsunami disaster struck and again when President Rajapakse was elected.
It is now crystal clear that the Sinhala leaders will never put forward a just resolution to the Tamil national question. Therefore, we are not prepared to place our trust in the impossible and walk along the same old futile path.
The uncompromising stance of Sinhala chauvinism has left us with no other option. but an independent state for the people of Tamil Eelam. We therefore ask the international community and the countries of the world that respect justice to recognize our freedom struggle. At this historic time when the Tamils are recommencing their journey on the path of freedom, we seek the unwavering support and assistance of the world Tamil community. We express our gratitude to the Tamil Nadu people and leaders for voicing their support and ask them to continue their efforts to help us in our freedom struggle. We express our gratitude to the Tamil Diaspora, our displaced brethren living all around the world, for their contribution to our struggle and ask them to maintain their unwavering participation and support.' 米

Page 13
DECEMBER 2006
Suicide attack: De
Secy's narrow es
Dec 3 - Sri Lanka's Defence Secre- w
tary, Gotabhaya Rajapakse, who also happens to be the younger brother President Mahinda Rajapakse, narrowly es caped unhurt when a suspected Tamil Tiger suicide bomber rammed an explo
sive laden vehicle into the convoy of ve
hicles in which he was travelling.
At least four persons including the suicide assassin were killed and fourteen
injured seriously in the explosion. Two
security personnel were killed and seven injured in the attack. A civilian was also killed. Among the injured seven are security personnel and five civilians. Some vehicles also were damaged as a result of both the explosion and defensive fire.
Among the injured was Sri Lankan
Foreign Secretary HMGS Palihakkara. The much respected Palihakkara who is retiring from office this year was not in the motorcade of Rajapakse but travel
iing separately.
Charitha Ratwatte, the former Treasury Secretary and close confidante of opposition leader Ranil Wickremasinghe,
was also among the injured. Ratwatte too
was travelling separately. Both
Palihakkara and Ratwatte sustained mi
nor injuries only it is learnt.
The attack took place at about 10.30
am on Friday December 1st in
Kollupitiya along Dharmapala mawatte (Turret road) near the Greenpath Pithala junction. Gotabhaya was going from his heavily fortified residence to "Temple Trees” where his brother and President,
Mahinda Rajapakse was staying. This . apparently was Friday routine whenever
the President was in Colombo.
The mode and manner of the attack pointed the finger at the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).
The suicide killer drove an explosive aden three-wheeler into the middle of the convoy targetting Rajapakse's vehi
cle. Four identical bullet-proof vehicles
with dark-tinted glasses were in the mo
torcade. Rajapakse was in the third vehi
cke.
Special commandoes on motor cy
cles providing security to the Defence Secretary saw the vehicle and tried to push it away when the explosion was
triggered off.
Ajith Kumara, o do's assigned to prote retary describing his ence said that they ha wheeler following th "We blew our whi: wheeler and even po scare him off but he and closer to the con peared to be in a gre we took aim to fire three-wheeler, we go fic and he got closer himself in the three-y It is reported tha security personnel h impact on the Defen cle. Though it si Gotabhaya Rajapaksi for slight grazing cat ters. He was later se of blood on his colla With rumours sp that the Defence se Gotabhaya rushed in meet elder brother M mind at ease. A visib dent hugged his brot pressed relief.
Gothabhaya Raj more than 20 years He was commanding Gajaba regiment. He the defence of the J which was subseque the army.
Rajapakse retired superior officer was C the present army com won an American L. grated to the USA. than ten years in the other things an IT dire He returned to S Presidential election port his sibling. The pointed Defence Sec “buddy” Sarath Fons commander. Incumb Gen Shantha Kotteg and sent to Brazil as Fonseka and Ra virtually devising an

TAM TIMES 13
fence cape
ne of the comman:ct the Defence Secnear death experid noticed ared three nem for some time. stles at the threeinted guns at him to kept coming closer voy. The driver apat hurry and just as at the tyres of the tcaught in the trafto us and detonated wheeler,” Ajith said, at the action of the elped minimise the ce secretary's vehia stained damage e was unhurt except ased by glass splinen with a few drops
and sleeve.
eading like wildfire cretary was killed another vehicle to Mahinda and set his ly emotional Presiher closely and ex
apakse served for as an army officer. g officer of the first was also engaged in affna Fort in 1990 ntly abandoned by
las Lt. Col when his Col. Sarath Fonseka, mander. Gotabhaya ottery visa and miHe lived for more US and was among :ctor at a law School. ri Lanka during the campaign to Supereafter he was apretary and old army eka was made Army ent Army Chief Lt. joda was eased out Ambassador.
japakse have been d implementing de
fence and seurity policies. They are said to be adopting a hard. no nonsense policy against the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam.
On August 14th another claymore mine attack was directed against outgoing Pakistani envoy about 150 yards away from where the attack on Gothabhaya occurred.
On June 16th Army chief of staff Gen. Parami Kulatunga was killed in a suicide bomber attack on the outskirts of
Colombo. AA
On April 25th Army chief Sarath Fonseka was injured in a suicide operation within the Army headquarters premises.
The Police Criminal Investigations Department took into custody two men who owned the auto-rickshaw used in Friday's suicide bombing targeting Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapakse's heavily armed convoy. "We have tracked down the owner of the vehicle used in the bombing," a police official said. "Two are being questioned.”
Forensic experts suggested the threewheel rickshaw was fitted with eight to 10 kilograms of plastic explosives and packed with ball bearings which acted as pellets, he said.
Criminal Investigation Department detectives found that the suicide-bomber who was driving the explosive laden three-wheeler wore a hands free kit. It was connected to ạn expensive Motorola mobile phone. The phone was found intact at the scene of the incident. The attacker's body lay atop a Double Cab sans his head and one arm.
The badly injured suicide bomber's body was found on the back of a pickup truck caught up in the powerful blast on the high-security EDharmapala Mawatha road. The head was destroyed beyond recognition, police said.
Meanwhile the United States condemned the assassination bid and urged the LTTE to cnter talks.'The attack bears all the hallmarks of an operation by the LTTE," the US embassy in Colombo said in a statement."We once again call on the LTTE to renounce terrorism, to give up violence and to join in negotiating a peaceful solution to Sri Lanka's conflict,' it added.
The SLMM said in a statement that it "is deeply concerned over the attack on defense secretary Gothabaya Rajapakse in the heart of Colombo, Friday." Refraining from directly blaming the LTTE for the attack, the statement

Page 14
14 TAMIL TIMES
said that "the blast bares the hallmarks
of methods used by the LTTE in the
past." The SLMM also urged the gov
ernment and the LTTE to respect the
2002 ceasefire agreement and to give up
violence.
Royal Norwegian Embassy spokes
man Erik Nurnberg said that Norway strongly denounced the attempt on the life of the Defence Secretary. “We condemn this attack in the strongest terms. Incidents like this have kept on happening. We want to make it clear that such attacks are not going to make it easier to find a solution to Sri Lanka's problem,” he said.
The Presidential Secretariat said that the President "remains unshaken in his resolve to achieve peace in Sri Lanka ahd is undeterred in his efforts to'combat all forms of terrorism and violence.”
The Defense Secretary said after the
attack that he will not "abandon the responsibility we have towards the coun
try, in the face of such cowardly attacks. by the LTTE.” He also reaffirmed his
commitment “to defeat all efforts of the LTTE to achieve its bloodthirsty aims by grossly misleading the international
community.” “I wisl we should not deviat desire to bring about to the country becau mary need of the nati in a statement.
A Statement issu government of Sri La ernment of Sri Lan concern and condeml ardly unsuccessful a Defence Secretary G this morning in Colc police investigations yet to conclude, the the suicide bomb atta of the Liberation Tig (LTTE) which has a cide bombattackso tary targets.
Two persons die personnel and 5 civ and the vehicle of th was badly damaged. The GOSL cond attack in no uncertai to emphasise that a de government would r terror tactics unleash
CALLUS ON 0
TRICO. The Nat
RSTMASSPIRITWELLINADWAN
E-MAI US AT TRICOGTRECOSHIPPING.C
FAX: 020 88 89 54 45
 
 
 
 

DECEMBER 2006
to emphasize that e from the people's a permanent peace se peace is the pri)n,” said Gotabhaya
ed on behalf of the nka said, “The Govka expresses grave nation over the cowtempt on the life of otabhaya Rajapaksa ombo. Although the on the incident are modus operandi of ck has the hallmark gers of Tamil Eelam long history of suin civilian and mili
d and eight military ilians were injured Defence Secretary
emns this dastardly in terms and wishes mocratically elected 1ot succumb to such ed by the LTTE. The
GOSL is totally committed to peace. However, it would not shirk its responsibilities towards the people of Sri Lanka and would not hesitate to take appropriate action to safeguard the people and the sovereignty of the State.
The GOSL, while urging the LTTE to give up the path of terrorism and resume peace talks genuinely even at this late stage, seeks the cooperation of the international community to impress upon the LTTE the futility of terror tactics and the imperative need for resumption of peace talks to find a lasting political solution.”
In the aftermath of the attack on the Defence Secretary, the government advised the Norwegian Special Peace Envoy, Mr Hanssen-Buer who was in Colombo against meeting the LTTE leadership as the government was engaged in reviewing its relationship with the LTTE. "I have told Norwegian ambassador, Hans Brattskar, and Hanssen-Bauer that all contacts with the LTTE are under review by the government, and the Cabinet will decide on these issues on Wednesday,” said Palitha Kohona, chief of the Sri Lanka's Peace Secretariat. 米
ne You Can Trust
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Page 15
DECEMBER 2006
Sri Lankam peace pl An engineered W.
Dr. Rajasingham Narendran
On 27 Nover, 2006, Vellupillai Prabaharan, Leader of the LTTE, in his customary annual speech said:
"It is now crystal clear that the Sinhala leaders will never put forward a just solution to the Tamil national
question. Therefore, we are not prepared to place our trust in the impossible and walk along the same old futile path.
The un compromising stance of Sinhala chauvinism has left us with no other option but an independent state for the people of Tamil Eelam. We therefore ask the international community and the countries of the world that respect justice to recognize our freedom struggle. At this historic time when the Tamils are recommencing their journey on the path of freedom, we seek the unwavering support and assistance of the world Tamil community. We express our gratitude to the Tamil Nadu people and leaders for voicing their support and ask them to continue their efforts to help us in our freedom struggle. We express our gratitude to the Tamil Diaspora, our displaced brethren living all around the world, for their contribution to our struggle and ask them to maintain their unwavering participation and support. '-
With these words Prabaharan has pronounced the Ceasefire agreement (CFA) of February 2002 dead and well buried, although it was known to be. lingering near death for almost a year now. The charade that the CFA was being observed by both the GOSL and the LTTE over the past year.has to end now, despite the signals to the contrary emanating from Kilinotchi subsequent to Prabaharan's annual speech. An independent Tamil Ealam has been categorically stated as the goal of the LTTE and the freedom struggle (euphemism for an open and violent civil war) has
been pronounced to have recommenced.
The focus on a negotiated settlement to the Sinhala -Tamil conflict in Sri Lanka, that commenced with the 2002 CFA, and has remained centre stage through the past four years, despite many a pressure, has definitively shifted now to war and a solution through violence. The shift towards
these ends has no gradually escalated ner, to the presen despite the efforts and the internatic forestall this likeli
The reference spect justice in Pra intriguing, in the c being proscribed a India, the U.S.A, r Canada. I wonde: Prabaharan had in n this reference. By r ple of Tamil Nad Prabaharan has cu prevent a more diri for India in Sri Lank factor in his expec dian hands and will Lanka from seeking from India. The Tam finds uncritical acci Sinhala political cla this has been very by Prabhaharan in th the support of the T been passionately si of the Tamils and Tal lims living in the no Lanka for a renewe has not been sought, gle is to be recomme and suffering. Theil either taken for gra considered irrelevan question then arises has lost the support lation and has becom pendent on the supp( vociferous and veng The report title THE FAILURE C PROCESS (Asia i November 2006) of Crisis Group Wo. Conflict Worldwide, sory reading for all explanation and bac rent situation. How searched report has how the intent of th pected outcome we systematic and cyni the LTTE and GOS Both parties to the (

)CCSS 2Ck
been dramatic, but n a calibrated manpoint since 2003, many Sri Lankans |al community to Dod.
countries that reaharan's speech is ntext of the LTTE an organization in ost of Europe and which countries ind, when he made ferring to the peoand its leaders, nningly sought to :ct anti-LTTE role a. The Tamil Nadu ations will tie Inl also prevent Sri greater assistance il Nadu bogey that 'ptance among the SS at times such as cleverly exploited is instance. While amil Diaspora has ought, the Support mill-speaking Musrth and east of Siri d violent struggle lthough the strugnced in their name support has been inted or has been by the LTTE. The whether the LTTE if the local popuincreasingly det of an aggrieved, ful Diaspora.
“SRI LANKA: F THE PEACE port # 124- 28th he International ing To Prevent hould be compulhose seeking an round to the curer, this well reailed to identify CFA and the exsabotaged in a manner by both since its advent. A were not hon
TAMILTIMES 15
est in their intentions and tried to use the CFA to pursue their individual longterm agenda. The CFA was the fig leave that unfortunately failed to hide what was behind it. The only achievement of the CFA has been that it has helped expose the hidden agenda of both the LTTE and the GOSL to the people of Sri Lanka and the world at large.
In a letter to a friend in October 2003, I had said, "Sri Lanka is currently enjoying a rather tenuous respite from twenty years of destruction, bloodshed, terror and insecurity. The peace we are currently enjoying in the Island is very deceptive and superficial at best. There are undercurrents of seismic proportions gathering strength and can erupt with a force never before experienced. If the current ceasefire is undermined or breaks down because of a failure to conclude a satisfactory power sharing agreement among the communities, what we would see is mayhem on an unprecedented scale'. I had gone on to write, "The current peace process is fraught with many difficulties because of the long history of strife and distrust between the two major communities. Unless there is mutual trust built-up, very rapidly, an ultimate solution will be a pipe dream. The leadership in this country, whether Sinhalese or Tamil, should set an example to the population at large, by directing their every thought, word and action towards consolidating the peace. This should be their penance to absolve themselves of past sins. Irresponsible and inflammatory words and actions can at this stage ignite a conflagration that would irreversibly damage the peace process from which both communities are benefiting'.
Most of our leaders, whether Sinhalese or Tamils have however done everything possible to sabotage the peace process and a positive outcome in the past four years and engaged in a deadly game of Russian roulette with the gun pointed of course, as usual, at the civilian population. They have nevertheless vociferously expressed their commitment to the peace process at regular intervals. This ploy is described in Tamil as, “Pillaiyayum Khilli, thottilaiyum artuvathu porla (Akin to pinching the infant while rocking the cradle).”
Why the CFA failed
The following salient sentences and paragraphs from the crisis group report are extensively quoted below, to objectively explain why the CFA failed to provide tangible solutions:

Page 16
16 TAMIL TIMES
"A major failing of the peace proc
ess was the inability of the government
to begin to address some of the root causes of the conflict. This would have involved a broad range of measures, . from language politics to reforming the
security forces, that would have set the
stage for a real deepening of the peace
process as well as a reform of the Sri Lankan state that would have benefited all citizens.'
• “Neither side wanted to rush into substantive political issues; the government did not want the talks to meet an early impasse; the LTTE wanted to use humanitarian aid and reconstruction to
consolidate its political hold over the
population and establish a nascent state structure.” -
o “The LTTE's end game seemed deceptively simple. Prabhkaran's rhetoric has always favoured what is termed “Tamil Eelam”, which is broadly understood as a separate state in the north and east. In reality, LTTE aspirations were never so clear-cut. Tamil Eelam always had an aura of a rather mystical utopia rather than a defined end goal. There was no blueprint for it, only some hazy 1970s Marxism as the basis for its economy and the evidence of the structures developed in the LTTE's controlled areas, which sug
gested an extreme, if often inefficient,
authoritarian State, which would retain power through repression rather than the ballot box.'
o “The Oslo declaration seemed to be a breakthrough in LTTE thinking, with its talk of 'exploringfederal solutions'. In reality, this was exaggerated by a media desperate to report some progress. LTTE thinking revolved around rather convoluted discussion about internal self-determination. This seemed to be an attempt to square an
inconvenient circle, to develop a state.
without all attributes of statehood, perhaps an extreme form of confederation but one still far beyond what most Sinhalese politicians would conceive, and probably much more than most Tamils would settle for as well.'
o “The LTTE was hampered in discussing final political solutions by two
main factors. One was its intolerance of debate and discussion outside the
parameters set by its leaders. The other was the difficulty of maintaining mass mobilization if the final goal of the war was something less than an independent Tamil state. It was hard enough to maintain high recruitment fundraising during the peace process: if the final outcome was likely to be a
and
fudged devolutiol would probably lost macy among Tamil h ple are prepared to federal solution.”
o “If the LTTE its ability to project sible final settlemer ceptable to the Sinh situation in the sol was open and lively, ter. Although there ments of principles discussion on the r there was surprisin discussion of what package would lo Partly this was due able focus on the he tempt to address til peace process, rathe. Partly it was a con: some that the proc tracted, and a final far away to discuss there was reluctance to be associated w that might subsequ political liabilities.” o "In neither th interim administrat ment nor by the LT obvious commitmi elections or plurali fered elections afte the auspices of an Election Commiss tional observers. O mistic would think would be democrati LTTE rule. The go focusing on purely rangements, had r ments."
o “The problem and the Norwegian the LTTE seemed u under any other con would continue. Th tion at least, and it pushing the LTTE of human rights an
• "This paradox attempts to broke been little sign tha transform itself dul ess, although the certainly began to cohesiveness.”
o “Unless the dress its democrat signs of internal new peace proces achieve an accepta
• "The renewe

DECEMBER 2006
the movement much of its legitirdliners. Few peoe for a moderate,
as constrained in forward to a posthat might be aclese majority, the th, where debate was not much betwere many stateand considerable admap to peace, tly little concrete final devolution k like in detail. to an understandre and now, an ate realities of the than distinct goal. cious decision by ss would be prosettlement was too in detail. Finally, among politicians ith any proposals ently prove to be
e proposal for an on by the governTE was there any ent to democratic sm. The ISGA ofr five years under
LTTE-controlled ion, with internanly the most optithat such elections 2 after five years of 'ernment proposal, administrative aro democratic elle
for the government acilitators was that likely to negotiate iitions, and the war s was the presumpwas never tested by arder on the issues
pluralism.” continues to plague peace. There has the LTTE began to ng the earlier procbsence of fighting undermine internal
TTE begins to adc critics and show ansformation, any will be unable to le outcome.' military campaign
has shown little regard for civilian casualties. The LTTE deliberately tries to surround itself with civilians and uses large-scale civilian deaths among the Tamils in its propaganda, knowing that they feed outrage among its supporters and increase pressure on the government. The military has obliged with a series of blunders and deliberate attacks, which have resulted in the deaths of civilians.'
• "The security forces have routinely ignored or covered up abuses. Inquiries into serious massacres and killings have produced no prosecutions. President Rajapakse's proposal for a new presidential commission to investigate abuses has been met with skepticism given this history.”
"Both sides are cynically exploiting the situation. The LTTE uses civilians as a fundamental part of its guerrilla strategy; the government seems to be using humanitarian aid to limit supplies to the LTTE and persuade people to move from LTTE positions."
• “In addition to the humanitarian imperatives for better treatment, a politico-military aspect of present policies is hindering progress towards a political settlement. Embittered civilians make poor partners for the government's attempt to win over the Tamil minority from the LTTE."
"Until the government makes a meaningful devolution proposal, the LTTE can argue it is not committed to a political solution.'
• “It was clear that a ceasefire agreement would include the two parties which controlled the means of violence; in the sense the bilateral approach was inevitable. As soon as talk of a political settlement began, however, all the excluded political actors began to make their presence felt and undermine progress on a political settlement. And as soon as a glimmer of a political settlement appeared, the problems of allowing any territory to be ruled by the LTTE- which showed no signs of embracing democratic values- became rapidly apparent.'
• "At the same time, the shift after December 2005, the increasing influence of chauvinist and militarist ellements on government policy and the appalling human rights abuses that have become apparent in 2006, severely undermined any trust in the state to protect minority rights. As usual it has been civilians- Tamil, Sinhalese and Muslims-caught between TTE oppression and security force brutality, who bear the brunt of the violence.”

Page 17
DECEMBER 2006
• "Many ideologues who came to power with President Rajapakse believe military power will fatally weaken the LTTE. The result has been a resumption of conflict and a disastrous year for Sri Lanka's long-suffering civilians.”
• "But much of the responsibility. for the failure of the process must also
lie with the LTTE, which was seemingly incapable of compromising its goals and preferred renewed fighting to
any negotiated solution. The hardliners
are in the ascendancy on both sides."
Underlying duplicity
In a nut shell, though the CFA was signed and had the objective of seeking
a negotiated settlement, with wide
devolution of powers forthe minorities within a united Sri Lanka, the LTTE was intent on using the loop holes in the CFA as an opportunity to advance its goal of an LTTE controlled Independent Tamil Ealam, and the Sri Lankan government on the other hand was intent on leading the LTTE into a peace trap to weaken its hold on the Tamil population, while not conceding anything substantial by way of devolution of powers. Both the .GOSL led at that time by the UNP and the LTTE did not follow through with the timetables and goalposts set in the CFA and
found excuses for their respective com-.
missions and omissions. The Norwe
gians and the SLMM were unable or.
unwilling to expose these initial violations and this resulted in their eventual emasculation. es
The GOSL and the LTTE avoided dealing with substantive issues centred on devolution of powers and the necessary constitutional arrangements. As has become a historical routine in all preceding peace efforts, the regularization of normal life was given priority over substantive issues by both sides. Whenever conditions suited either party, the 'Normal conditions were quickly and deliberately disturbed to become once again 'Abnormal, paving the way for renewed violence. Both the GOSL and the LTTE were playing to weaken each other, in order to achieve their pre-set objectives, rather than to seek long lasting solutions go the problems of the minorities and the country at large. Both LTTE cadres and GOSL soldiers were quite aware that the ceasefire will not last long, even as far back as June 2002
This underlying duplicity gradually eroded the peace process and has ultimately led to its total collapse. Once the peace process began to ose its vig
our and unravel, vu former President K. SLFP, the JVP and Zoom into feast on ing peace deal, furt its ultimate collapse lack of wisdom on t led to the Karuna S militaristic approa gain strength. The f including its inabil. contrary opinion, sent to emerge in pl weaknesses to the
attempts by the LT bate and dissent by slinging those who ferent viewpoint,
small measure to d ure among the Tan The moral high gro attained through ye suffering was consi by the actions of th ceasefire. The Sinh now ready to con devolution of powe have on account of current ceasefire a it, are against han volved power to th and its supporters a taking the stand tha governance that the for the Sinhalese t Tamils to take. Un vilians on both sid vide and the Musl very heavy price on ure of the GOSL ar acceptable solution ally accommodativ
Seeking power
Power is sough and the GOSL, to r Tamils in the case Sri Lankans in the Unfortunately, ther power has been so quite primitive, con in the 21st century
Alvin Tofler in ER SHIFT” States about power at th century. It deals wi and knowledge and in our lives. It is a to power opened heaval.”
“Despite the ba to the very notion C the misuses to whi power itself is neit, ʻOf the three rO

TAMIL TIMES 17
ltures in the form of umaratunge and her the JHU began to the carcass of a dyther contributing to . The arrogance and he part of the LTTE, plit, permitting the ch of the GOSL to ailures of the LTTE ity to accommodate gave room for disublic and expose its world at large. The TE to suppress demurdering or mud dare to take a difcontributed in no iminishing its statnils and the world. und the Tamils had ars of struggle and derably diminished he LTTE during the lala people who are cede considerable rs to the minorities, f the failures of the nd those preceding ding over any dee LTTE. The LTTE re on the other hand t the powers of self; Tamils want, is not o give, but for the fortunately, the cies of the ethnic diims have to pay a account of the failhd the LTTE to find ns, through a mutue process.
t by both the LTTE ule over the people, of the LTTE and all case of the GOSL. nanner in which this ught has remained sidering that we are
his bestSeller POW, "This is a book e edge of the 21st th violence, wealth the roles they play bout the new paths by a world in up
ld odour that clings of power because of ch it has been put, her good or bad.'
iot sources of social
control, therefore, it is knowledge, the most versatile, that produces what Pentagon brass like to call “ biggest bang for the buck'. It can be used to punish, reward, persuade, and even transform. It can transform enemy into ally. Best of all, with the right knowledge one can circumvent nasty situations in the first place, so as to avõid wasting force or wealth altogether.”
"Violence, which is chiefly used to punish, is the least versatile source of power. Wealth, which can be used to reward or punish, and which can be converted into many other resources, is a far more flexible tool of power. Knowledge, however, is the most versatile and basic, since it can help one avert challenges that might require the use of violence or wealth, and can of ten be used to persuade others to perform in desired ways out of perceived self-interest. Knowledge yields the highest quality of power.”
"Equality of power is an improbable condition. Even if it is achieved, chance will immédiately produce new inequalities. So will attempts to rectify old inequalities. Some degree of inequality is a function of change itSelf.'
Three ways seeking power
Power can besought through violence, wealth and knowledge. In the Tamil liberation struggle in Sri Lanka since the advent of the armed militancy, violence of different kinds and of different degrees of intensity has been brought to play. The violence has also been practised in novel ways in this struggle, setting benchmarks for the world to take note. The Sinhala polity that had initiated the use of violence as a political tool in Sri Lanka has also gladly obliged with both random and institutionalized violence, in a tit for tat cycle of ever escalating violence. Modulated violence or force is often used in stable societies through the police services arid the system of justice to maintain law and order. Greater violence of a more regimented and disciplined kind is the foundation of the armed forces of any country. Such violence is regulated by rules of engagement and other international conventions. Violence is often a necessary evil that has to be kept under control and used rarely and sparingly. What differentiates state- controlled violence and the unbridled violence of unconventional fighting units, under normal cir

Page 18
18 TAMIL TIMES
cumstances, is the degree of restraint and control that is operative when violence is resorted to. Directionless, unbridled, random, sadistic and barbaric. violence when resorted to by a state or a liberation movement becomes terror. Both the Sri Lankan armed forces and
the LTTE can be accused of terror,
while the LTTE has to bear the greater share of guilt on this score. The violence that followed in the wake of the Tamil militancy in Sri Lanka has rained misery beyond description on all the people in Sri Lanka, more so the Tamils.
This violence has however resulted in.
the Tamil grievances being acknowledged by the world and the world's attention getting focused on Sri Lanka. This could be cited as the only gain of the Tamil militancy to date.
Power can be also exercised through money or wealth. The Tamil militancy
represented by the LTTE, has once again been innovative to the extreme on this score. It has been able to mobilize resources of the monetary kind, through means both fair and foul, to not only finance its military opera
tions, but also sustain a powerful.
propaganda network and buy influence. This power of money (wealth) has been used largely in support of the violence that remains its main tool. The financial resources of the Tamil Diaspora, international aid and the other sources of revenue harnessed by the LTTE could have been instead directed towards creating wealth in the north and east of Sri Lanka, while using the CFA to provide the required political space. This would have developed the north and east at a rapid pace and drastically improved the lives of the people. This wealth creating approach, inder the watchful eyes of the international community, coupled with the threat of renewed violence if necessary held in reserve, would have provided the Tamils the power to demand their rights. Unfortunately the LTTE has opted not to follow this tract and was not amenable to even consider this possibility, for reasons yet unexplained. The GOSL, which has been able to mobilize resources to fight an ever-escalating war, has singularly failed to mobilize the
resources to develop the country and
enlarge the economic pie. The economic realities underlying the conflict in Sri
Lanka has never been acknowledged by
Sri Lankan governments and given the attention deserved.
The third sou knowledge. This w of brainpower. Alvi shift' quotes Winst effect that, "Empiri empires of the minc has used knowledge rilla warfare, conve weaponry, to enhan engage in violence; maritime, immigrat and criminal laws countries and the ir to garner funds to S military nature; us pursue its often uns a devious and calcul miserably failed to to resolve problems out subjecting them unbearable trauma. fusal of the LTTE tion with greater vig the Tamil people be fered as sacrificial peating cycles of vi to maximally harne of the international peace process du years towards seek lutions to the minc historically a majo tions of the LTTE the international cc siderable extent an Lankan governme able mileage. This for the Tamil liber GOSL too has no above primitive i based emotions, to gent and rational m term political sol debilitating the na its moral fibre.
Need for a rethi Violence cann head the Tamil strl economic liberati fact that the Tam Sri Lanka, especia north and east, ca the brunt of a ren spair and destruc wake, have to factored into the The on-going low to explode into o soon. The backb munity will be bi tion if this com

DECEMBER 2006
e of power is ld imply the use Tofler in 'Power Churchill to the of the future are While the LTTE fexplosives, gueional warfare and its capability to sed knowledge of n, trade, financial overning several 2rnational system pport its aims of a d brain power to ated objectives in ting manner; it has se this brain power of the Tamils witho unnecessary and The inability or reto pursue this opour has resulted in ing voluntarily ofgoats, to often reolence. The failure ss the involvement community in the ing the past four ing substantive sobrity problems was ir mistake. The acnave also alienated ymmunity to a cond permitted the Sri it to gain consideris a major set back ation struggle. The been able to rise stincts and mythwork in an intellianner towards longtions to a problem ion and destroying
k of strategy t continue to speargle for political and n in Sri Lanka. The people resident in y those living in the not be made to bear ved war and the deon that follow in its 2 recognized and lans of the LTTE. tensity war is likely of greater ferocity e of the Tamil comen beyond recognito pass. Whatever
damages the LTTE may inflict on the rest of Sri Lanka in such a war; the Tamils will be affected to the greatest extent. The LTTE has to re-think its strategy and seek solutions that are feasible, practical and optimal. This is an urgent necessity. The LTTE should not sacrifice the helpless and forlorn Tamils and Tamil speaking Muslims yet living in the north and east of Sri Lanka at the alter of impractical and futile dreams. We have to pursue a more intelligent path harnessing our wealth creating potential and brain power to build on whatever little we have achieved through indiscriminate use of violence. The Sri Lankan government and the Sinhala polity should reach a consensus on the extent of devolution they are prepared to offer the minorities. The emphasis should be on Solving a long festering problem in an amicable, civilized and honest manner. This should be an urgent national priority. The military option should be exercised with caution, bearing in mind that the innocent civilians caught in the crossfire are Sri Lankans too. It behoves the Sinhala polity, historically the primary instigator and aggressor in this conflict, to devise a generous, wise and appropriate political formula to end this neverending conflict. The excesses of the Tamil militancy and the LTTE cannot be made the excuse to delay proposing meaningful solutions.
The 2002 CFA should be a lesson to everyone as tó how the hopes of a people can be dashed to pieces by machinations of their leaders. The involvement of the. Norwegians and international community did not also make a difference in this instance, as our leaders were intent on sabotaging the peace process from day one. I am sure the Norwegians and the other members of the international community were shocked by the attitudes of the two parties to this conflict. Everyone had a good time during the initial honeymoon, but the marriage has ended in rancour, without bringing forth any offspring. I hope our leaders will at least now have the hindsight to start afresh from this abysmal low. The international community should engage in Sri Lanka with renewed vigour and make us do what we are unable to do on our own. We have to be dragged towards a solution by the international community armed with a sledgehammer.
December 2, 2006)

Page 19
DECEMBER 2006
t
Constitutional Reft
Ball in SLFP-UNPC
D.B.S. Jeyaraj
Many people including this writer were in for a pleasant surprise last week
The majority of the experts group appointed by President Mahinda Rajapakse Submitted a thirty-seven page preliminary report to the All Party Representatives Conference (APRC) on Wednesday December 6th. Eleven of the seventeen expert panelists comprising six Sinhala, four Tamil and one Muslim had assented to the report with some expressing reservations on certain clauses.
The six experts who did not agree with the majority submitted three separate reports on the same day. Four persons together presented a minority report while two others submitted a dissenting report each. All six were from the majority community.
The expert panelists were scheduled to meet President Mahinda Rajapakse on Friday Dec 8th and discuss related developments. They had all presented their reports to the APRC chairman Prof. Tissa
Vitharane on Wednesday and had outlined
their respective proposals. The experts will meet APRC members early next month to discuss the various pros and cons of their proposals.
When the All party Representative Conference was convened and an expert panel appointed to "advise' the APRC on Constitutional Reform and Devolution many including this writer thought it was a time - buying exercise in futility. The pleasant surprise therefore was that the multi-ethnic majority of the experts panel had formulated a viable package within five months. For that matter even the others have completed their reports It is indeed a pity that all seventeen experts could not agree on a common report. This however was to be expected because of the expert panel composition. People with extreme, partisan views were in the panel and one reason for this writer's pessimism was the feeling that they would never agree on anything or that in the event of agreement devolution proposals were likely to be severely diluted.
My skepticism has been partially proved right. There was no meeting of the minds in the expert panel. The rea
the majority (almos agreed on a comm Added reasons for that the "majority” i thermore the report many positive sug, greatly help resolve question if accepted With the Rajapa "war" against the I Tamil Eelam (LTTl political environm began to sour. The Lanka (GOSL) was rism' and that the being ignored. There ternational pressure rive atan acceptable was also emphasise or "Sinhala' or "M sus on a political se requisite for meanin President Rajap party representativ RC) in early July th pointed a group of { "panel of experts” on Devolution and C The experts panel V lyse the situation in a preliminary repor the APRC. The AP discuss this report it a final report. Mah gone on record that the APRC decision. When the APRC were two glaring o opposition United N did not participate. UNP a "Sinhala' cc sible. Against the ba party rivalry betwe Lanka Freedom Pai tically affected eth Country , the cur UNP seemed to ma an "optical” exercis own skepticism wa The other aspec a credible Sri Lanka APRC. The APRC litical party's repres This ruled out mes
Anandasangaret
son for being pleasantly surprised is that
 
 
 
 

TAMIL TIMES 19
t two - thirds) have on majority report. lappiness is the fact simulti-ethnic. Furitself recommends gestions that could : the Tamil National and implemented. akse regime waging liberation Tigers of E) in a big way the ent of the Country Government of Sri charged of "militapolitical option was was considerable In! on Colombo to ar: political formula. It d that a "Southern' ajoritarian” consenttlement was a pre - gful progress. akse convened an all es conference (APhis year. He also apminent persons as a to advise the APRC onstitutional reform. was required to anadepth and formulate t to be submitted to RC was expected to n detail and arrive at inda Rajapakse has he would abide by
was convened there missions. The chief National Party(UNP) In the absence of the insensus was imposckdrop where interen the UNP and Sri ty (SLFP) had drasnic relations in the ent absence of the ke the whole APRC e. One reason for my S this. t was the absence of in Tamil voice in the was restricted to poented in Parliament.
S. (TULF),Siddharthan
(PLOTE) and T. Sri tharan (EPRLF - Nabha group).There was however the 22 MP's of the Tamil National Alliance. In a controversial move President Rajapakse did not "invite' the TNA for the APRC. Apparently the President felt that the TNA being an avowed mouthpiece of the LTTE with no independent voice of its own would not be of any use. He also feared that the TNA presence could be a disruptive factor given the acrimony in Parliament between the party and other Sinhala nationalist MP's. Rajapakse felt that including the TNA in the APRC at this stage would only obstruct proceedings. He probably hoped to engage the TNA and possibly the LTTE at a later Stage. .
The exclusion of the TNA left the “half-democrat” Eelam Peoples Democratic Party (EPDP) as the only Sri Lankan Tamil political party in the APRC. The absence of a credible Sri Lankan Tamil presence in the APRC was another reason for my doubting the bona fides of the exercise. I was particularly sorry that the ability and experience of veteran Tamil leader Rajavarothayam Sambandan was not being utilised.
Let it be remembered that among all Sri Lankan parliamentarians the Trincomalee district MP is the only person who has participated in all previous peace talks. But then Rajapakse had a point in doubting whether the TNA would be given a free hand to contribute positively. Besides the LTTE too did not avail itself of this man for peace talks and chose to rely instead on expatriate sycophants.
In such a situation the onus was on the expert panel to progressively accommodate the Sri Lankan Tamil point of view in the proposed preliminary report. Given Rajapakse's stance on federalism the envisaged "solution' had to be maximum devolution within a unitary state. It was within these parameters that the expert panel began its deliberations. There were fits and starts initially.
The expert panel when first constituted had twelve members. Of these ten were from the majority community with one each from the Tamil and Muslim communities. There were some protests and the International Community (IC) also expressed dissatisfaction at this. So three more Tamil representatives were appointed. With further agitation by the hawks two more were added on later. Thus the expert panel had seventeen members. The ethnic breakdown was twelve Sinhala, Four Tamil and One Muslim.
The expert panel deliberations went on regularly. About seventy proposals

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20 TAMIL TIMES
from the public were criticised in addition to individual contributions by the experts themselves. All decisions arrived at in the Govt-LTTE talks including the Oslo declaration of exploring a federal solution, the draft legislation of 2000,
proposals arising out of various past at
tempts to resolve the problem like the Mangala Moonesinghe commission re
port etc were also analysed. Many Constitutions like that of India and other.
schemes of Devolution like that of Spain were also discussed in detail. The panel had a plethora of knowledge and expertise in these spheres.
India in particular evinced great interest in the workings of the expert panel.
Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh
had personally advised Mahinda on more than one occasion to evolve a Southern consensus and the contours of a political settlement before engaging the LTTE in direct talks.There were media reports that India provided a lot of documentation including the Sarkaria commission report on Centre - State relations.
The Indian Constitution provides diverse "models' to any one seeking inspiration. There is the non - contiguous territorial concept of Pondicherry union territory; there is sec 370 which gives spe
cial status to Kashr which enables the c dissolve a state Gov circumstances. Evel gaged in Constitutio tained effective line and kept itself infor The expert par ceived a boost with Constitution making boost when the UN. memorandum of und ing the ethnic prob clined to enter into c until and unless a posed constitutiona available to the AP the basis of UNP-S eventual bi - partis made the work oft cially important and The sense of urg celerated by Indian prevailed upon Col ceedings a time - bo of letting it meander President Rajapakse that the prelimina ready by December added greater impet now began meetin
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lir; there is sec 356 :ntral government to ernment in extreme as experts were enn making India mains of communication med of progress. el proceedings retwo developments. exercise received a and SLFP signed a erstanding on resolvlem. The UNP deonstructive dialogue draft paper on prol reform was made RC. This was to be LFP discussions and an consensus. This he expert panel cru
urgent. ency was furtheracpressure. New Delhi ombo to make pround exercise instead aimlessly. Ultimately told Indian officials ry report would be 15th this year. This us. The expert panel g almost daily and spending much energy and time because ofan expedited deadline.
The cracks too began widening. There was naturally unanimity on issues such as unity, sovereignty, territorial in(egrity and limited devolution. The points of divergence were on the extent of devolution, unit of devolution, nature of che state, measures to alleviate minority fears and insecurity etc. Two broad schools of thought evoved within the expert panel. One was for greater inclusion of ihe minority community aspirations withina maximum devolution model of a united Lanka. The other school of thought was not prepared to go to such lengths.
The "majority”
school of thought was multi-ethnic in composition while the others were essentally "Sinhala” but not necessarily Buddhist. At one stage the "majority” group had twelve members and the other group five members. But one each from both groups had "differences” and opted to strike out alone. Finally there were four different reports. Eleven members assented to the “majority” report. Four signed the "minority” report. The remaining two presented "dissenting"reports each.
The eleven who endorsed the majority report were RKW Goonesekara, Jayampathy Wickramaratne, Asoka Gunawardena, Rohan Perera, Therese Perera, Malkanthy Wickremasinghe, Faiz Mustapha, Nirmala Chandrahasan, K. Vigneswaran, Sivaji Felix and N. Selvakumaran. The four who endorsed the minority report were HL de Silva, Gomin Dayasiri. GH Peiris and Manohara De Silva. KHJ Wijayadasa and MDD Peiris submitted the respective dissenting reports.
The four reports were presented to the APRC chairman Prof. Tissa Vitharana on Wednesday. Three of the majority group were abroad, Shivaji Felix, Asoka Gunewardena and Jayampathy Wickramaratne had not affixed their signatures to the 37 page document but their consent as signatories had been duly obtained. Rajah Goonesekarapresented the report on behalf of the group and addressed the APRC.
With H L de Silva also being out of the Country Gomin Dayasiri presented the minority report and addressed the conference. The dissenting reports were presented by KHJ Wijayadasa and Dharmasiri Peiris who addressed the APRC. Sadly there was no representative of the Sri Lankan Tamils at the APRC on the historic occasion. Former MP S. Thavarajah the EPDP nominee to the APRC was not present.
Members of the majority group too were not of a single, uniform opinion on al counts. Individual members had different perspectives on different issues. Yet they agreed to a common position on most matters. Where deemed necessary some have noted their reservations on particular issues. On the prickly issue of a North - Eastern unit four different options have been presented. An annexure outlining areas like official language implementation where immediate action is possible has also been added. Some matters like proposed powers to be devolved to centre and periphery have not been completely finalised and are open ended. The eleven who endorsed the major

Page 21
DECEMBER 2006
ity report are from diverse backgrounds. Senior lawyer RKW Goonesekara is a former Law faculty senior lecturer and ex-principal of Law College. Rajah Goonesekara is a well - known lawyer and regarded as a close adviser of Former President Chandrika Kumaratunga.
Jayampathy Wickremaratne is currently senior adviser to the Constitutional Affairs Ministry of Dew Gunasekera. Wickramaratne played an important role in evolving the draft legislation of 2000. Malkanthy Wickremasinghe is Secretary to the Constitutional Affairs Ministry. She is also the daughter of the Rajarata's KB Ratnayake who was fluent in all three languages and widely respected by Tamils.
Therese Perera is the Legal draftsman. She was the first woman to be appointed to that post. Her husband Rohan Perera is legal adviser to the Foreign Ministry. He is an internationally recognized legal
expert and holds office in many prestig
ious bodies. Asoka Gunewardena is a former civil servant and currently Finance Commission Chairman.
Faiz Mustapha is an eminent lawyer. This former High Commissioner to Britain is acceptable to all Muslim political parties in Sri Lanka. Shivaji Felix another lawyer is I believe the son of former Income Tax Commissioner JA Felix. Shivaji has a Ph D and becialized in Federalism for his Doctorate.
Nirmala Chandrahasan is a lawyer and former acting dean of Colombo law faculty. She is the daughter of Former Federal Party stalwart Dr. EMV Naganathan and daughter-in-law of respected Tamil leader SJV Chelvanayagam. K. Vigneswaran is a former MP and Gen. Secy of the newly formed "Ahila Ilankai Thamilar Koottani” party. He was also the secretary of the North-Eastern Provincial Council when Anna malai Varatharajap Perumal was chief minister. N. Selvakumaran is a Colombo law faculty Professor. VM
The other six expert panel members who did not subscribe to the majority report are also people of great stature. HL de Silva is acknowledged as the most brilliant Constitutional lawyer in the Country. Gomin Dayasiri and Manohara de Silva are also reputed lawyers. GH Peiris is a scholarly professor of Geography. KHJ Wijayadasa is a retired administrator who was former President Ranasinghe Premadasa's secretary. GDD Peiris is a former Cabinet and Presidential Secretary. He is also chairman of the
Bandaranaike Cel studies.
The inability c finalise a single rel of the Commissio pointed by Preside 1979. In that inst members in the Co Victor Tennekoon while the Tamil Un (TULF) nominee D presented a dissent District Developm presented in Parliar the greater part of derived from Tiruch minority report.
The visible divi also revives memo Court in examinin amendment legisl. Judges voted for a nine judge bench. against were Sinhal who voted for we Tamil, Muslim and ties. It was the pra two Sinhala judges tion being approvec Likewise the co rageous position ac bers of the Sinhala bled this "majority' these eminent ladie let their “ethnic loy inherent sense of ju what was good for sults may have been deserve all the prais peace loving Sri Lal It is people like non-Sinhala comml the future. They in ticularly among Tar a chance for a united ralistic Sri Lanka wil can live as equals harmony, I persona ple as I know the p going against the se by a vociferous section Similarly those ticipated in the exe well the dangers in praise. In a situation entity among Tami rate state and nothi these persons in hel native solution whe as equals in a unite courageous. The tra ple like Neelan Tiru

re for International
the Expert panel to drt evokes memories on Devolution apt JR Jayewardene in nce the majority of mmission headed by ubmitted one report ted Liberation Front , Neelan Tiruchelvam ng report. When the nt Council bill was ment it was found that the legislation was elvam's dissenting or
le in the expert panel ries of the Supreme g the proposed 13th tion in 1987. Five nd four against in a All four who voted a while three of those re members of the Burgher communiiseworthy stance of that saw the legislai then. mmendable and coudopted by six memcommunity has enareport to emerge. If s and gentlemen had alty” overrule their stice and feeling for the Country the revery different. They e and gratitude from kan people. these who make the inities hopeful about stil confidence parnils that there is still , egalitarian and pluere all communities in unity, amity and ly salute these peoessures involved in timents propagated fone's own ethnicity. our Tamils who parcise knowing fully 'olved also deserve where the dominant s insists on a sepag else the action of ing evolve an altere Tamils could live Sri Lanka is truly gic past where peonelvam and Kethesh
TAMIL TIMES 21
Loganathan were killed for these very reasons. Already the pro - tiger media has begun questioning the credentials of these people. They not only deserve praise but may also require protection.
The majority report by itself cannot achieve anything unless the Political parties demonstrate political will. The APRC has representatives from the Sri Lanka Freedom Party, United National Party, Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna, Jathika Hela Urumaya , Sri Lanka Muslim Congress, National Unity Alliance, Ceylon Workers Congress, Mahajana Eksath Peramuna . Lanka Sama Samaja Party, Communist Party of Sri Lanka, All Ceylon Muslim League, Eelam Peoples Democratic Party. National Muslim Congress , Up Country People's Front and Western Peoples Front
Parties such as the JVP, MEP and JHU will protest strongly against meaningful attempts to devolve powers. Hardliners within the SLFP and UNP may also express opposition. With three reports being presented by Sinhala members of the expert panel the hawks have something to latch on to in opposing. President Rajapakse too is in a tricky situation.
The immediate response can only be that of treating all four reports on par. As time progresses the majority report on account of its form, content and the multi - ethnic majority endorsement will be elevated to a “Primus Inter Pares” situation. The final scheme of Constitutional reform has to be an amalgam of all four reports. It is imperative however that the essence of the final product should be based on the majority report. If on the other hand the final report is a diluted version then all will be lost. Sri Lanka will blast its own future.
Though the nominal responsibility of formulating a final version lies on the APRC the question of realpolitik decrees that what counts most is a bi-partisan consensus between the UNP and SLFP. This in turn depends on Mahinda Rajapakse and Rani Wickremasinghe. If the two major parties unite in thought and action on this then a wider and meaningful consensus is ensured. The question of how the LTTE will react depends on what the final “Consensus' will be.
This in turn will be predicated on a bi-partisan UNP-SLFP consensus. The “majority” report has “placed the onus on the Government and chief opposition. The Constitutional reform ball is firmly in the SLFP-U NP court. [12 Dec 2006)

Page 22
22 TAMIL TIMES
APC Experts Panel Re
provoke Controver
The international community' and particularly India, have been pressuring the Government of Sri Lanka to come up with a package for a possible political solution to the island's long-running conflict. President Rajapakse was advised during his recent visit to New Delhi that he should seek to expedite the All Party Conference (APC) exercise without prolonging it. It appears that the pressure had worked and had been worthwhile.
On Saturday, 2 December, the All Party Representative Committee (APRC - a committee comprising representatives of all political parties participating in the APC) was presented with preliminary reports from the “Experts Panel” the President had appointed. That there was a divergence of opinion on the contents of the proposals for Constitutional Reform became quite evident by the reports presented.
Howevers substantial majority (11 out of 17) of Experts drawn from all the communities were agreed on a set of draft proposals. This majority group of Experts (known as Group A) comprised the following: R.K. W Gunesekera, Dr. Nirmala Chandrahasan, Dr. Shivaji Felix, Asoka Gunewardene, Faisz Mustapha PC, Dr. A. Rohan Perera PC, Therese R. Perera PC, N. Selvakkumaran, Dr. K. Vigneswaran, Dr. Jayampathy Wickramaratne PC and. M. S. Wickramasinghe.
Covering new ground
Many who have studied the draft reports find that the proposals submitted by Group A go far beyond what have been previously considered and provided for under the Indo-Sri Lanka Accord of July 1987 (which was later translated into legislation under the 13th Amendment to the Constitution), the Chandrika Bandaranaike proposals of 1995 and the proposals contained in the draft Constitution presented in Parliament in 2000 (known as the Neelan Tiruchelvam-GL Peries proposals). What the preliminary report of Group A does is the task of restructuring of the State by providing
for a new constitutional architecture for.
the island.
Unlike the mod sidered previously, th of Group A include sharing of power at with the devolution c vincial Governments tution of the current ture with a bicamer the second chamber and opportunity for tation of minority ci terest groups.
In its preambleh ing of the National P A report frankly ad the Sri Lankan polity although the country multi-religious, the ethnic groups have no of State power whi would have facilitated and "This has result
being sidelined and
from the Sri Lankar forts to redeem this sharing mechanism f In the words o approach of this ( evolve to the maxim a form of genuine po the different ethnic, ties, which is not pri ticular model, but \ needs.'
“This Group ha approach, which is Provincial institutic ties will be set up as ernment through wl can within the res) thority, exercise pov own areas. All col share power at the grating them into strengthening natio Calling the Stat Sri Lanka”, delibera of distinctive expr tary, federal, union among others', the that the State shall
&
 

DECEMBER 2006
ls adopted or cone recommendations provisions for the he Centre together fpowers to the Pro, and for the substiunicameral legislall one under which will provide space enhanced represenommunities and in
2aded "Understandroblem” the Group mits: “The crisis in has arisen because, is multi-ethnic and numerically smaller it had their due share sh in their opinion, greaterintegration,” ed in the minorities becoming alienated State, as initial efsituation by a power ailed.” f this Group, “The group has been to um extent possible, wer-sharing between religious communibdicated on any parwhich suits our own
thereby evolved an iouble-pronged. i.e. ns and local authoriinstitutions of Govich all communities lective areas of auver and develop their nmunities will also Dentre, thereby intene body politic and al integration.'
as "The Republic of ely avoiding the "use ssions, Such as. uniof regions/provinces Group recommends be b described in the
Constitution as "one, free, sovereign and independent State.”
Recognizing "the multi-ethnic, multilingual, multi-religious and multi-cultural character of the Sri Lankan society” the Group A report recommends that the people of Sri Lanka shall be described in the Constitution as being composed of "the constituent peoples of Sri Lanka," and that "The right of every constituent people to develop its own language, to develop and promote its culture and to preserve its history and the right to its due share of State power including the right to due representation in institutions of government shall be recognized without in any way weakening the common Sri Lanakan identity.”
The highlights of the recommendations of Group A include provisions for the following:
(a) Supremacy of the Constitution, Constitutional Court; (b) Safeguard Against Secession; (c) Power Sharing at the Centre; (d) A Second Chamber;(e) Power-sharing at Provincial level; (f) The unit of devolution; (g) Distribution of Powers — National and Provincial; (h) Distribution of subjects and functions; (i) Juidicary- National and Provincial; (j) Fiscal Devolution and Centre-Province Fiscal Relations; (k). Defense, National Security and Law and Order; (l)Autonomous Zonal Council and Indian Tamil Cultural Council; (m) Public Service - National and Provincial; (n) Individual and Group Rights; (o) Language; (p) Land; and (q) Resolution of Centre - Provincial and Inter- Provincial Issues.
Then there is the Annexure to the Group A report that seeks to address the present problems that are quite relevant and germane to the current crisis that afflicts the country which cover such areas as (a) Implementation of the Language Provisions that are already in place anchored in duly enacted constitutional and legal provisions; (b) Measures to be taken to address the security concerns so as to restore the confidence of all communities and the minorities in particular, in the Law and order situation in the country; (c) Relief and Rehabilitation giving priority to the re-settlement of IDPs who have suffered displacement due to war and ethnic violence. Their personal safely and security should be guaranteed and compensation paid for the dislocation caused; (d) Displacement of people from
V

Page 23
DECEMBER 2006
the High Security Zones, particularly from the Valikamam area in the Jaffna peninsula and dealing with it as a humanitarian issue be subject to the overriding security and operational requiremCIntS.
The Minority Experts Group:
From the outset of the working of the Experts Panel, it became crystal clear that there was a group of persons (Group B) who would not countenance the thought that a solution to the ethnic crisis facing Sri Lanka ought to be approached on the basis of devolution of powers. In fact some of them were known to be in a state of denial in that they openly denied there was even an ethnic problem in Sri Lanka, and arguing in a simplistic way that the only problem that the country faced was a terrorist/separa
tist problem which had to be confronted
militarily. These experts represcnting a minority in the Experts Panel literally broke away to produce their own dissenting report which was by and large constituted an adverse critidue of the majority report. Group B comprised senior lawyers H.L. de Silva PC, Gomin Dayasiri and Manohara de Silva and Prof.
G. H. Peiris. Assertir ment that Sri Lanka communities, and ar. create a Sri Lankan vincial Councils bas than ethnicity, Gro the proposals by Gro scene for creating " the country
The other two r perts Panel, K.H.J.W a Secretary to form dasa and M.D.D. Pe retary to former Pri Bandaranaike, also senting comments t both Groups A and
The APRC, APG now have before the stantial report by t Experts Panel, Grou ing reports from Gr( ther the APC would on the majority Exp with or without ame on the attitude of the in it. The main opp Opposition Leader nghe, having entere dum of Understand
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gthe general sentibelonged to all the guing for the need to dentity and for Proed on grounds other up B has criticised oup A for setting the ethnic enclaves' in
members of the ExWijayadasa, who was or Presdient Premairis, who was a Secme Minister Sirima submitted their diso the proposals by B.
and the President m the main and subhe majority of the p A and the dissentoups B and C. Whereach a consensus berts Panel's report, hdments will depend parties represented osition UNP led by Rani Wickremasi'd into a Memoraning with the SLFP committing itself to support the Government in seeking solution to the ethnic conclict, will normally be expected to extend its support to the President and his Government.
So far neither the LTTE nor its proxy, the Tamil National Alliance has reacted to to the proposals of majority Group. However, the other non-LTTE Tamilparties like the TULF led by Ananda Sangaree, EPDP led by Douglas Devananda and PLOTE led by Dharmalingam Sithadrthan are likely to welcome and support the proposals contained in that report. How the Ceylon Workers Congr
TAMIL TIMES 23
ess (CWC) led by Arumugam Thondaman or Upcountry Peoples United Front(UPUF) led by P Vhandra sekaran is yet to be known.
That the JVP and the JHU would oppose the proposals is predictable. The JVP in its party riewspaper describing the Group a proposals said that they went far beyond what former President Kumaratunga had offered, and vowed to vigorously oppose it.
The Patriotic National Movement (PNM) composed of extremist SinhalBuddhist nationalist elements has already announced its decision to mount a campaign against the proposals.
Tough days are ahead for President Rajapakse confronting a military campaign by the LTTE in the Northeast and facing the prospect of a populist campaign by the JVP-JHU-PNM axis.
JVP withdraws from APRC
Dec 13 - The JVP said it was withdrawing from the All Party Representative Committee charging that the APRC was going off the track by taking into consideration what the party saw as “undemocratic recommendations. But for the mement the JVP has not withdrawn from the All Party Conference.
The JVP representative read out a statement at the APRC announcing it decision to withdraw from the committee on Monday (11), at the end of which Minister Vitarana and several other members urged the JVP to reconsider its decision. i.
Accusing the Experts Panel of going beyondits remit, JVP leader Somawansa Amarasinghe told journalists, "President Mahinda Rajapaksa appointed the APC expert's panel just to help with the APRC to define certain termis, elaborate and explain certain issues. They were not authorised to make recommendations for the resolution of the national question. Even the APRC is in the process of identifying the causes of the national problem.”
"One group is trying to promote a new Constitution while another report submitted by K.R.J. Wijeyadasa says that the Pane had received more than 700 letters from thepublic giving their opinion on the national problem. But the panel had only taken into consideration the recommendations provided by the Berghof Foundation,” he said claiming that the

Page 24
24 TAMIL TIMES
APRC had lost sight of its objectives. He also alleged that the Berghof Foundation was a pro-LTTE NGO based in Colombo.
"Our decision whether to withdraw from the APC as well will depend on how the government is going to respond to the APRC decision,” Mr. Amarasinghe said.
"There are accepted democratic norms to follow when introducing a new Constitution. The government should not disregard the popular mandate by failing to seek public opinion. This report has violated all accepted democratic norms and has paid no attention to the peoples mandate received by the President because people did not vote at the last Presidential Election for a united country as recommended by this report,' he said.
He said although the party had reservations regarding Some contents in the 1978 Constitution, it compromised and accepted democratic path. “We cannot simply protest saying that we do not agree with the report because that might leave room for the Chairman of the committee to close the issue saying we had objected. We withdrew from the APRC
to make a greater i not mean We are no ing a solution to th feel that taking part a crime against the JVP Parliame Wimal Weerawansa remark that the repo Stamp of approval "The Constitutiona tee itself is full of out of the l l meml issued this reportal sentatives. They al service. If the govel ion that this report stand, either these c draw their signatur subjected to a disc going against the St All Party Repre Chairman Tissa Vita JVP to reconsider : draw from the APR pressed concern that mittee would add w argument that the was lacking in finali ethnic conflict.
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mpact and that does t committed to finde national crisis. We in the APRC alone is public,” he said. tary Group Leader said the government's rt did not carry state was not acceptable. l Reforms CommitNGO members. Four pers who signed and e government repree still in the public nmentisofthe opindoes not reflect its fficials should withes or they should be iplinary inquiry for ate,' he added. sentative Committee arana called upon the its decision to withC. The Minister ext division in the comreight to the LTTE's Southern consensus zing a solution to the
Asked whether the JVP move would affect the final outcome of the Representative Committee, the Minister however struck an optimistic note: “Even after the JVP backed out of the committee we still have 13 parties in it. Moreover the fact that the SLFP and the UNP are represented in the committee is enough to convince the LTTE that the majority is backing this final solution.'
Controversy over leaked reports
The premature disclosure of the report by the Majority Group of the Experts Panel and its portrayal as the
DECEMBER 2006
views of the Government have predictably raised a hue and cry from many quarters forcing the Government to make statement distancing itself from the contents of that report.
As chairman of the All-Party Representatives Committee (APRC), Minister Tissa Vitharana has said that the APRC would examine the próposals submitted by groups and individuals and prepare a common set of proposals after the next meeting of the APRC.
Minister Anura Priyadarshana Yapa, meanwhile, expressed concern and disSatisfaction over the attempts made by some to project the proposals submitted by a section of the experts panel as those of the government. He has regretted that the experts who had been expected to submit a common report had instead put out several reports. Minister Yapa reportedly said that it was unfortunate that these experts have failed to view this important national problem objectively eschewing their personal or political prejudices and preferences and reach a consensual conclusion to be presented to the APRC. These experts were expected to lift this issue from the quagmire of partisan politics and treat it dispassionately and magnanimously with due attention given to the parlous state of the country.
Even the President has been forced to step into the controversy. An angry President Mahinda Rajapaksa has accused the All Party Conference experts' panel of going beyond its authority and leaking its final reports to the media. The President said the experts' panel was responsible for leaking the contents of the different reports and thereby causing confusion and misinterpretation regarding Government policy.
Asked whether any of the four reports reflected the stand taken by the Government, President Rajapaksa said the four reports were alternatives and certainly not the policy of the Government. President Rajapaksa said he now expected the All Party Representative Committee to sort out the differences in the report and come up with an acceptable model or consensus. It can be said therefore that the Sri Lankan government has formally distanced itself from the report submitted by the Majority Group of experts. 米

Page 25
DECEMBER 2006
Country heading d into polarisatio and confrontati
Jehan
Perera
The government's decision to re-impose the harsh provisions of the Prevention of Terrorism Act came after the abortive suicide attack on Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa. This decision is yet another instance of the weakening of the Ceasefire Agreement that specified a suspension on the implementation of the PTA. But in an apparently conciliatory gesture the government did not give into nationalist demands to re-impose the ban on the LTTE. President Mahinda Rajapaksa has described the government's policy as being one of keeping the doors wide open to talks with the LTTE while cracking down on its terrorism.
The Prevention of Terrorism Act was first introduced to the country in 1979 when the Tamil militancy was in its infancy. At that time it was described as being worse than the South African law on which it was modelled. The PTA enabled people to be arrested and incarcerated without trial for years, and with only minimal recourse to an independent judiciary. Although the impact 6f the PTA was also felt by the Sinhalese people during the period of the JVP insurrection in 1988-89, most Sinhalese were spared its abuses. But this has not been the case with the Tamil people.
Due to the much longer duration of the Tamil insurgency, a large proportion of Tamil people have been at the receiving end of the PTA, either directly or personally I know of those who have been victimised by this law. Therefore, it should come as no surprise that the reaction of Sinhalese and Tamil public opinion to the government's decision to reimpose the provisions of the PTA was significantly different. Most Sinhalese might see it as a necessary measure. The LTTE attack on the vulnerable Sinhalese population in Trincomalee in the east would add to this perception. But most Tamils would see it as being otherwise.
The day the PTA was re-imposed, I was in Batticaloa to attend the 25th anniversary celebration of the Eastern Uni
versity. As part ofi tivities the universii. national conference viewing the Past ar Future. This was a intelligentsia of the blance of normalcy i lives. For three day the east could engag course with their pec the country and fro community. It wa warmth that they we loving Sinhalese cou with them for a neg litical settlement to t
Improved situation According to the the ground situation and its environs hac cantly from what ex ning of the year.
When the year col was contested by th those of the governn the breakaway Karl struggle for suprem barred, and no group trol, and so many p ised, abducted or kill tiplicity of actors the as to who was killin situation may be see and Trincomalee att However, at the evident that the gover in most parts of Ba and its environs appe der government cont that took place in th year have more or Vakarai, in the Battic: fought over by the LTTE, the town of E cure and stable, wi about even late at ni is only when the LTT Karuna group is pe whereas when the LT Karuna group is kep

TAMIL TIMES 25
eper
)
programme of acorganised an interon the theme of Rei Preparing for the brave effort of the ast to regain a semtheir war-shattered s the academics of 2 in intellectual disrs from the south of in the international S with particular lcomed their peace nterparts who stood btiated and just pohe ethnic conflict.
: people I spoke to, in Batticaloa town improved signifilisted at the begin
mmenced Batticaloa ree armed forces, hent, the LTTE and na group. In their acy no holds were was totally in coneople were terrored. Due to the mulre was no certainty g whom. A similar to exist in Jaffna le present time. present time it is ment has prevailed ticaloa. The town ar to be solidly unol, and the killings earlier part of the 2ss ceased. While loa district is being government and atticaloa looks sen people walking ht. It seems that it 3 is active that the mitted autonomy, E is excluded, the pn a tight leash.
The re-imposition of the PTA would put another tool into the hands of the government to restrict the ability of the LTTE to penetrate the defences of the state. Any democratically elected government has the right to protect itself from terrorist attack. However, past experience also reveals that the existence of the PTA was not sufficient to prevent the LTTE from launching successful strikes, be they assassinations of leading members of the government or the destruction of strategic installations. Further, the re-imposition of the PTA can lead to human rights abuses that distance the Tamil people from the government and stand in the way of the resumption of the peace process.
Although the PTA is targeted against those who seck to use violence to achieve their ends, on too many occasions those who have been held under its provisions have been innocent Tamil people. Indeed this pernicious practice has taken place even under the less rigorous Emergency Regulations that continued to prevail under the terms of the Ceasefire Agreement. Members of the government-appointed Human Rights Advisory Committee have privately reported that nearly all those detained at police stations under the Emergency Regulations are Tamils against whom there has been no concrete evidence.
Unless the government takes exemplary action against those who abuse the draconian provisions of the PTA, the situation is only likely to get worse in the future. Innocent and law abiding Tamil citizens, who wish for nothing more than to live a life that is free of harassment and fear may find themselves victimised merely because they are Tamils. Many Sinhalese householders have had the experience of the security forces coming to their homes in the middle of the might, and threatening to take away any Tamils living with them, simply because they are Tamils and not for any other reason. This ugly practice is a recipe for fostering and reproducing the ethnic conflict. People's cry
A further problem with the PTA is that it is a violation of the Ceasefire Agreement. Neither the government nor the LTTE have been prepared to formally withdraw from the Ceasefire Agreement. Instead they have been conducting their affairs as if the Ceasefire Agreement does not exist. But this agreement was the central pillar of the peace process. It is diffi

Page 26
26 TAMIL TIMES
cult if not impossible to think of a peace process in which there is fighting, killing, abductions, child recruitments and bombardments going on at the same time. Instead of seeking to revive the Ceasefire Agreement as a first step in reviving the peace process, the government's decisions to re-impose the PTA is a further regression in the direction of tindermining the prospects for peace.
Accordingly, the signs at present are in the direction of a continued resort to military Strategies and to confrontation, rather than to an opening of new pathways to a negotiated peace settlement. Although the government has refrained from imposing a ban on the LTTE, there is little prospect for constructive engagement between the two sides. On the contrary, the publicity being given in the state media to the politically orchestrated demands for the banning of the LTTE and withdrawal from the Ceasefire Agreement, may be indications of what is to come. In these circumstances what can be expected is a further aggravation of the conflict dynamics between the government and LTTE.
What is particularly tragic about the current situation is that none of the people I spoke to in Batticaloa wanted the conflict to continue. I saw them waiting eagerly for a new life to dawn, in which they could make use of the opportunities that the growing prosperity in the rest of the country, and fratermal contacts with the rest of the country could bring to them. Instead of which, these peace loving people have to fearfully look to a future of more fighting and cruel laws such as the PTA that will kill, torture and detain them for the foreseeable future to COC.
The unarticulated cry from the people of Batticaloa was akin to: "Do not wage war on our behalf.” Especially af. ter the break up of the LTTE in the east, and the emergence of the Karuna group, the fighting in the east has become fratricidal, with easterner killing easterner, and the people's one aspiration is that the fightingshould stop. The Sinhalese people of Seruwila in the eastern district of Trincomalee, who are fleeing the area in their thousands, due to fear of LTTE attack, would concur. But it is these peace loving people who will soon pay the greatest price if the present dynamic of conflict escalation is not reversed by bold political decision making from both the leaderships of the government and LTTE. I 12 Dec 2006)
Ne
a CW
Strange as it ma who in his earlier himself as a defend he certainly took a dent Bush's book Mahinda Rajapakse tion on the day th Regulations were ar. "either you are wit with the common m to the terrorists'. " sent both these side In what can be d ing a new anti-ter Lanka, the Governr troduce tougher Em and invoke the pro vention of Terrorisr attempted assassir Secretary, Gothaba December.
Though the ne' aimed at what the scribes as the threat activities' of the L erally applicable tc suspected or allege such activities or ac bearing on national Many civil and h are seriously conce crease in the power security forces and Sion of the normal provided in law in detention under the For the first ti been defined in Sri Government was se these new regulation standards on comb; protecting nation would seem that mc of the PTA have be Emergency Regula under the Public S thereby avoiding t the provisions of th the Ceasefire Agree The new Preve tion of Terrorism ar ist Activities Regu December 6, pron Public Security Ord

DECEMBER 2006
N laws heralding I anti-terror regime
ly seem for a man, incarnation prided er of human rights, eaffrom US Presiwhen President , addressing the nae new Emergency (nounced, declared, h the terrorists or |an who is opposed Nobody can represat any one time.' escribed as heraldror regime in Sri ment decided to inergency Regulation visions of the Pren Act following the lation of Defence ya Rajapakse on 1
w Regulations are : Government defrom the "terrorist TTE, they are genall those who are d to be involved in tivities that have a security. human rights groups rned about the in's of the police and prospect of the eroguarantees that are “egard to arrest and new regulations. me, terrorism has Lanka law and the eking to ensure that ns conformedito UN ating terrorism and al sovereignty. It st of the provisions 'en incorporated as tions promulgated ecurity Ordinance he need to invoke e PTA in breach of ment. ntion and Prohibild Specified Terrorations, gazetted on ulgated under the inance are premised
on the assertion that the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Sri Lanka continue to be threatened and endangered by acts of terrorism “perpetrated by certain persons and organizations, particularly with the intent of seceding from the Republic and establishing a separate Sovereign State in certain parts of the territory” of Sri Lanka. The preamble to the Regulations noted that persons and organizations involved in terrorist acts may "establish a separate State' and "unilaterally declare' their purported independence from Sri Lanka.
N0 ban LTTE:
The new toughened "national security” regime did not provide for the proscription of the LTTE though it was a subject to which the Government gave considerable thought and decided against it despite a sustained campaign by the JVP and the JHU to ban the LTTE. A ban on the LTTE would have meant an abrupt end to the Ceasefire Agreement to which the Government and the LTTE subscribe in spite of the gross violations of it both sides.
President Chandrika Kumaratunga under the Public Security Ordinance of No. 1 191/12 Extraordinary Gazette notifications banned the LTTE in the aftermath of the attack on the Dhalada Maligawa Buddhist temple in Kandy and the ban remained in force till September 4, 2002 when the then Government under Ranil Wickrememsinghe revoked lifted the ban to facilitate the peace talks between the UNF government and the LTTE.
Many believed that the decision to re-invoke the provisions of the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) which remained dormant since February 2002 would have constituted a clear violation of the CFA. Clause 2.12 of the CFA states: “The Parties agree that search operations and arrests under the Prevention of Terrorism Act shall not take place. Arrests shall be conducted under due process of law in accordance with the Criminal Procedure Code.”
However, the Government's de

Page 27
DECEMBER 2006
fence spokesman Keheliya Rambukwella later explained that the powers of search and arrest under the PTA, on which there was a moratorium under the Ceasefire Agreement would remain. But, such powers and arrest by the Security Forces and the Police have now been brought underthe'new Emergency Regulations. Therefore, itis contended that it would not be necessary to invoke the provisions of the PTA for the purpose. Old laws in the guise of new Regulations, one might say.
The Government sought to justify its action on the basis that it was the LTTE leader in his annual speech on 27 November who set the scene for the new tough Emergency Regulations when he declared that the LTTE Was left "with no other option but an independent state for the people of Tamil Eelam” which was quickly followed three days later by the assassination attempt on the country's Defence Secretary.
The Regulations in the preamble referred that that persons and organizations involved in terrorist acts may "unilaterally declare" a separate State, but there was not even an iota of indication in the LTTE leader's speech that the Tigers were contemplating such a move. On the contrary the LTTE leadership has been careful not even to threaten making such a declaration though some their more enthusiastic supporters in Tamil expatriate circles have been monotonously articulating that idea.
The LTTE leadership cannot be unaware of the self evident danger inherent in such a unilateral move in the absence of the recognition and support from any other country. Any move in that direction would provide the justification to the SL government to direct all the civilians to evacuate from all LTTE-held areas, impose a land and sea blockade, and launch an all out war, probably with the endorsement of the international community taking account of the fact that there is no country in the world that has not pledged its commitment to maintaining the island's unity and territorial integrity.
Keeping with UN obligatiyns
The new Emergency Regulations (No. 7 of 2006) have been promulgated by President Mahinda Rajapaksa under the Public Security Ordinance and the prevailing state of Emergency, a
Government state
This decision a review of the cu tion, the threat of ess of the peace p net of Ministers statement added.
The new regu person, group of tion from engagir specified terrorist tivity in furtheran rorism or specific the statement adde These regulatic ligations cast on S tional Convention binding internatior relating to the prev sion of terrorism, i. curity Council Re obligatory to take r to prevent and su
They prohibitt hoisting, or posses. dress, symbol, eml rorism or terrorist moning, convening pation in a meetin ism and terrorist ac concealing or assi cadre ofan organis; rorism, or terroris ticipating in any ac to terrorism or terri ties.
The prohibitic regulations also ex tion including cont donating, selling, t ing, receiving, mak ing, distributing o1 or otherwise to an sociate or cadre eng any terrorism relat The new mea transactions appro lations that are foi tating the develop political solution, rorism or specifie maintenance of su essential to the lif or for any other lav Sri Lankan, interna tal or Non-Govermr done in good faith permission of the ity appointed for
The prohibitio lations also extenc of any information

TAMIL TIMES 27
ment said.
was taken following rrent security situaecession and progrrocess by the Cabiat the Cabinet, the
ations prohibit any ersons or organisag in terrorism, any activity, or any acze of any act of terd terrorist activity, d. ns give effect toobri Lanka by internas and other legally |al legal instruments ention and suppresincluding the UN Sesolution making it heaningful measures press terrorism. he wearing, display, sing of any uniform, plem relating to teractivities; the sum, conduct or particig relating to terrortivities; harbouring, sting a member or ation engaged intert activities; or parctivity even relating orism related activi
ons under the new tend to any transacibutions, providing, buying, hiring, leasing available, fundo lending materially 7 person, group, asaged in terrorism or ed activities. sures provide for ved under the reguthe purpose faciliment of a peaceful termination of terd terrorist activity, pplies and services of the community ful purpose by any tional Governmennental Organisation, und with the written Competent Authorhe purpose. s under these regued to the providing letrimental of preju
dicial to national security to any person or group of persons engaged in or known to be engaged in terrorism or terrorism related activities.
The implementation of these regulations will come under a Competent Authority appointed by the President. There is provision in the regulations for any person aggrieved by a decision of the Competent Authority to appeal against such decision to a special tribunal appointed for the purpose.
Contravention of these regulations carries penalties imposed by a High Court, varying from imprisonment from 10 to 20 years and of five to 10 years, depending on the nature of the offence. Those responsible for causing of fences under these regulations, other than individuals and groups of individuals, include corporate bodies, partnerships, and unincorporated bodies. With regard to corporate bodies and partnerships, every director or partner and principal executive officer of such organisation; and every officer of an unincorporated body will be held directly responsible for offences under these regulations.
The new regulations introduced by the government to tackle terrorism are a clear departure from the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA), Solicitor General C. R. cle Silva told a group of foreign diplomats based in Sri Lanka.
The Solicitor General was associated with President Mahinda Rajapaksa, Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera, Minister Douglas Devananda and other government officials at Temple Trees during a briefing on the new regulations with foreign envoys.
According to the Solicitor General, these Emergency Regulations are intended to prevent all acts of terrorism and are consistent with Sri Lanka's international legal obligations under the Conventions to which Sri Lanka is a party, and with the United Nations Security Council Resolution, which calls for the adoption of meaningful measures to prevent and suppress terrorism. These Regulations include a detailed definition of terrorism for the first time in Government Regulations enacted in Sri Lanka.
Objections and concerns
The Centre for Policy Alternatives has expressed ita concern with respect to both the process by which the Emergency (Prevention of Terrorism and

Page 28
28 TAMIL TIMES
w
Specified Terrorist Activities) Regula
tions of December 2006 were intro-.
duced and with respect to their substance. It also calls for the revision of the Regulations to make them compatible with international human rights norms. CPA believes that a proper response to the introduction of these new regulations cannot be made in isolation from the current political and context. As such the CPA calls upon. the government and all political parties represented in Parliament to revise the amendments to make them compatible with international human rights norms and the Rule of Law.
CPA's key concerns, in brief are: (a) The wide overbroad language of several of the regulations, which could curtail legitimate democratic activity, dissent and the autonomy of civil society groups; (b) The sweeping discretionary power of the Competent Authority over the activities. inter alia of civil society organizations including those committed to human rights. national reconciliation and also over the media; (c) The composition and legal standing of the Appeals Tribunal, which is a blatant violation of the principle of separation of powers and is unconstitutional to the proposed regulations in the discharge of its duties.
The Centre for Policy Alternatives is also opposed to any moves to reactivate parts of the Prevention of Terrorism Act which were suspended under the terms of the Cessation of Hostilities Agreement between the Government of Sri Lanka and the LTTE in February 2002.
The Free Media Movement (IMM) warned in a statement the new Regulations may result in censorship, the violation of human rights, restrict the space and ability of civil society to engage in conflict transformation and the further erosion of media freedom.
The FMM acknowledged that prevention of terrorism is a legitimate aim of any democratic government, and legally defining terrorism and specified terrorist activities attracting a penal sanction in principle is justified and necessary. However, FMM expressed concern that the new Regulations, which are in addition to those already in operation, attempt to define terrorism in broad terms and in their enactment, potentially post a serious threat to democratic governance and fundamental rights. It noted that some of the
Dec 5 - On the try was reeling in suicide bomb attac retary in the capita officer and six othe
serters were produ court on alleged cl information to the millions of rupees. Colombo Chie Sarojini Weerawar tinued detention o months and direct duced in court on
The army offic Major in the Sri I other suspects rel links had allegedly money and proper enty million rupee pects had also carri ies and abductions from wealthy persi jor had procured a l have seized the lor out for the bus. Th jor in a Colombo ba Zen. At the timethi of over four millior in his account.
Inquiries had 1 pect had been alsc case of abduction.
The Directoral gence (DMI) launc tion after it obtair LTTE had inside in Headquarters to ta mander Fonseka Y lunch on 25 April
The revelation filtrated security f bribery shocked C inquiries reveale LTTE's infiltration plicity in the assass Mutalif, of the Di telligence (DMI), on his way to the
Academy. Dep
provisions are co language allowir criminalisation of cally legitimate ac role of the media
 

DECEMBER 2006
rmy Majors trapped
the Web of "treason
same day as the counpanic following the c on the Defence Sec, a high ranking army rs including army deved before a Colombo larges of Selling vital
LTTE in return for
if Magistrate Kusala dena ordered the conthe suspects for two ed that they be pro
January, 2007. ær, holding the rank of anka Army, and the portedly with LTTE been in possession of ty worth nearly sevis. Allegedly the sused outseveral robberin return for ransom ons. The suspect Maorry and a bus. Police y and are on the looke account of the Maank has now been fros was done, a balance rupees had remained
revealed that the susinvolved in a major
e of Military Intellihed a major investigaled evidence that the formation from Army rget the Army Comwhile on his way for 2006.
that the LTTE had inorces using the tool of lovernment circles as d the extent of the and the Major's comsinations. Tuan Nizam rector of Military Inwas shot dead while Kotelawala Defence ity Chief of Staff
uched in very wide g for the "possible a range of democratitivities including the and civil society.'
Kulatunga was killed on 16 June 2006 by an LTTE suicide cadre din his way to Army Headquarters from his residence at Pannipitiya.
The suspect Army Major, who had previously served in Vavuniya had been kept under surveillance following a tip offthathehad developed clandestine connections with the LTTE. This surveillance continued after he was transferred to the Overall Operations Command, in Colombo (OOC). The officer had confessed to receiving large amounts of money from the LTTE.
The suspect Major who had been in custody over alleged LTTE links, had been questioned for having facilitated the suicide attack on Army Chief Lt. Gen. Sarath Fonseka in April this year. Although the officer denied any direct role in the April attack, he is believed to have acknowledged that his LTTE handlers sought information about Fonseka's movements. Officials said he had told investigators that LTTE operatives had claimed they had other officers on their payroll.
They also allege that the suspect had confessed to collaborating in two high profile attacks in Colombo this year. The information hc had sold the LTTE included details of the movements of the Army's Deputy Chief of Staff Maj-Gen. Parami Kulatunga, who was killed by a Tiger suicide bomber in June this year. He received some two million rupees for providing detailed information on the movements of former Deputy Chief of Staff of the Army, Maj. General Parami Kulatunga. The suspect Major lived in the same residential complex where the late Maj. Gen. Kulatunga lived at Kendalanda near the Army cantonment in Panagoda. He videoed all movements of the former number three in the Army, his security convoy and made the footage available to the LTTE. That helped them plan the attack. On the fateful day when he became a victim to a deadly suicide bomb explosion, it is this suspect Major who had allegedly reported on his
OWennentS.
He is also alleged to have helped the LTTE to target and kill Major Tuan Mutalif, the head of Military Intelligence. The suspect Major has now reportedly

Page 29
DECEMBER 2006
confessed that he received some Rs 800,000 for providing information on Lt. Col. Tuan Nizam Muthaliff. Until recently, detectives of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) were puzzled over how Lt. Col. Muthaliff’s assailants knew his movements on the day he was shot dead, May 31 2005. This is because he lived deep inside a housing complex at Narahenpita allotted to Army officers. Hence, it was not possible for anyone to have watched his house to learn he was leaving without any escorts.
As the suspect Major. was attached to the OCC as a Staff Officer, he was privy to all military operations and other security measures in the greater Colombo area. He had allegedly tipped off the LTTE on search operations in different areas including the City and provided details on other security preparations. It has now come to light that the Major had provided details including regular movements of two high ranking Army offic-. ers, one now holding a key position in Colombo. w
The Major has confessed that the LTTE sought his help to obtain more intelligence and information on Douglas Devananda, leader of the Eelam People’s Democratic Party (EPDP) and V. Anandasangaree, the former Tamil United Liberation Front (TULF) parliamentarian, both of whom are bitter critics of the LTTE. This is particularly in respect of their movements and the areas they regularly frequented so assassination plots against them could be planned. He has disclosed that he was regularly reporting to LTTE's Trincomalee district intelligence leader whose nom de guerre is Niroshan.
The suspect Major is believed to have co-operated with the enemy for financial gain. An investigator said that the suspect admitted that he had been a traitor. Following information elicited from the suspect, several other persons were been taken into custody and questioned
The Directorate of Military Intelligence arrested the suspectand after conducting preliminary inquiries handed him over to Terrorist Investigations Department (TID).
Inquiries had revealed that the suspect received large sums of money for passing information to the LTTE. It is claimed that the officer's wife had not been aware of her husband's activities.
It is reported that the Major's LTTE handler had been apprehended. The LTTE cadre substantiated the Major's
UNAdvisor Allan on Children in Ar
Dec. 3- Following: report by Ambassac visited Sri Lanka r envoy of the UN un for children and arm finding mission on c
* The ceasefire agr Government of Sri been seriously ham, levels of violence. S 2005, violence has es
including military c
account of deceptio) son. He had received over a period of tim of luxury. The souri pect had been a fret Colombo casinos w expensive women w suspect had also fo edly involved in for actions to pay him a In the meantime that a distraught sch ted suicide after hel the Suspect Army M Rs 500,000 reportec LTTE for selling in emy. D.M. Dharma teacher had visited being detained at th which also houses t gation Division (TI) that the loan he got money that his bro have received fr Dharmatillake took in Piliyandala for a next day, he had hir text that he was tal boat-ride on the Bc jumped into the drowned.
It has also been Major in the Army the LTTE with intel tion, has been in cus and is now being t five member Court ings against has alre: Major was arrested ing money from the
 

TAMIL TIMES 29
Rock med Conflict
re excerpts from the or Allan Rock, who ecently as a special lêr secretary general 2d conflicts on a facthild recruitment.
2ement between the lanka and LTTE has bered by heightened ince early December calated dramatically, onfrontations in the
l, treachery and trealarge sums of money e. He had lived a life ces said that the susluent visitor to posh here good food and ere away of life. The rced a person allegeign exchange translmost Rs 40 million. : it has been reported |ool teacher commitearnt that his brother, ajor, had loaned him |ly obtained from the formation to the entillake (45), a retired his brother who was he CID headquarters ne Terrorism InvestiD). There, he learned to buy a vehicle was ther is suspected to ym the LTTE, Mr. his family to a hotel 1 overnight stay. The ed a boat on the precing the family on a lgoda Lake, but had murky water and
revealed that another also found helping ligence and informatody for four months tied for treason by a Martial and the heardy commenced. This for allegedly receivLTTE to help them.
north and east; suicide bombings and claymore mine attacks in all parts of the country; and increased death and injury of civilians. *. From 1 November 2005 to 30 September 2006, UNICEF received reports of 513 children recruited or re-recruited by LTTE. These figures only represent the number of cases reported to UNICEF, and there were indications that the prevailing security situation might be deterring families from reporting cases. * Concerns have also been expressed regarding the civil defence training provided by LTTE to civilian communities throughout the north and east. UNICEF received reports of children as young as 16 years being included in the training programmes. School principals and teachers were also required to attend, affecting children’s schooling. Reports were received from Batticaloa, Ampara, Trincomalee and Kilinochchi districts of children not returning after attending the training programmes and it is suspected that they have been recruited. *. As at 30 September 2006, UNICEF had received 128 reports of children being recruited by the Karuna faction. In the space of one week in mid-June, UNICEF received 30 reports alleging that children had been abducted by the Karuna faction in the areas of Santhiveli, Kiran, Mankerni, Valachchenai and Iruthayapuram (Manmunai North). Only boys were taken. All of the cases involved forced recruitment and abduction, in some cases by armed men who openly identified themselves as members of the Karuna faction. * During the period from 1 November 2005 to 30 September 2006, the Sri Lankan Monitoring Mission received 195 complaints of child abductions, including 110 complaints against LTTE, 79 complaints against a non-ceasefire agreement entity (the Karuna faction) and 6 complaints against the Government of Sri Lanka. * Bombing raids were conducted by the Sri Lankan air force against LTTE positions as part of retaliatory actions of a limited duration, catising death and injury to children. * In Jaffna, Kilinochchi, Mullaitivu, Trincomalee, Batticaloa and Ampara districts, school attendance rates have decreased in many places because of fear of recruitment and the general security situ

Page 30
30 TAMIL TIMES
ation. * The escalation in violence since July 2006 has curtailed access to civilians affected by the conflict in the north and east of Sri Lanka, restricting the delivery of humanitarian assistance and raising concerns about the security of humanitarian personnel...
Recommendations * I recommend that the Security Council consider expanding its focus and give equal care and attention to children affected by armed conflict in all situations of concern; and to give equal weight to all categories of grave violations beyond the recruitment and use of child soldiers to include the killing and maiming of children, rape and other grave sexual violence, abductions, attacks against schools or hospitals, and denial of humanitarian access for children. * I encourage the Security Council to continue to call upon parties to prepare concrete time-bound action plans to halt the recruitment and use of children in violation of international obligations applicable to them, and to expand the call for action plans to all situations of concern. *... I call upon donors to ensure that adequate resources and funding are available to national Governments, the United Nations and partners, for the rehabilitation and reintegration of all children who have been associated with armed forces, and to develop relevant and effective programmatic action that reinforces the rehabilitation and reintegration efforts for children, ensuring long-term sustainability and success of such interventions. *. I welcome the Security Council's continuing consideration of effective targeted measures against partiesto armed conflict who continue to systematically commit grave violations against children in armed conflict in defiance of Council resolutions. * I encourage State parties to the Convention on the Rights of the Child to take measures to support the recommendations of the Committee on the Rights of the Child, to strengthen national and international measures for the prevention of recruitment of children for armed forces or armed groups and their use in hostilities, in particular by signing and ratifying the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the involvement of children in armed conflict; enacting legislation that explicitly prohibits by law the recruitment of children under the age of 15 years into armed forces/groups and their direct participation in hostilities. (Courtesy of Sunday Times, 3 Dec 2006)
Countries turn sp on human rights il
Dec 1 - Finland, Brit: expressed deep conc rights situation in Sr same time praising to establish a comm The views were ex session of the Hum which began sitti Wednesday (Nov 29 man Rights Commis aCC. UN High Commis Rights Louise Arbol tiative taken by P Rajapaksa in establi ent International Gr sons (IIGEP) and the Commission of Inq leged killings and di: "In Sri Lanka my off vided advice to the terms of reference of Inquiry into kill ances and on the role Independent Group that will observe its pleased to note the between the Govern with regard to this come the incorpora of OHCHR's sugge: of reference,' Louis ing at the opening o the Human Rights She expressed her mission of Inquiry in bringing the per human rights violatl "I would also like fice's readiness to as of Sri Lanka in addr of human rights and tection of civilians, to be the primary v. lence,' she added. Vesa Himanen spea European Union ex over the human ri Lanka, and urged impunity be addres Nicholas Thorne I said his country re cerned over the situ in Sri Lanka but at with satisfaction the čommission of inqu tigate alleged violat Canadian represent the Government of sure the protection hindered access by: tarian organization:

DECEMBER 2006
tlight
Sri Lanka
in and Canada have ernover the human Lanka while at the Covernment moves ssion of inquiry.
ressed at the third an Rights Council .gs in Geneva on ) with the UN Huioner also in attend
sioner for Human rwelcomed the iniresident Mahinda shing the Independup of Eminent Perappointment of the iry to probe the alsappearances. ice has actively proGovernment on the or the Commission ngs and disappearof the International of Eminent Persons investigations. I am fruitful cooperation ment and my Office initiative and I welltion of the majority stions into the terms e Arbour said speakf the third session of Council in Geneva. hope that the Comwill prove effective petrators of serious ons to justice. to reiterate my Of. sist the Government assing the protection in particular the prowho have continued ctims ofrecent vio
cing on behalf of the pressed deep concern hts situation in Sri hat the question of sed promptly.
epresenting Britain mained deeply contion of human rights the same time noted establishment of the iry that would invesons of human rights. tive Paul Meyer said Sri Lanka should enof civilians and uninternational humani
The Swiss ambassador Blaise Godet called for transparency in the work of the commission of inquiry. Switzerland also expressed concern over the situation of child soldiers in Sri Lanka and asked the High Commissioner whether she would undertake some action on this matter before the report of the Special Rapporteur on this issue was published. Ms.Sarala Fernando, Permanent Representative of the Sri Lanka Mission to the United Nations in Geneva, on behalf of the Sri Lankan delegation to the Human Rights Council Sessions in Geneva, responding to the update of the High Commissioner and to the comments made by other delegations, thanked the High Commissioner for her up date and appreciated her statement welcoming the establishment of the IIGEP and her encouraging remarks during this session. The Ambassador reiterated that the Government has always remained fully committed to further peace talks with the LTTE without preconditions. She said, "It is our hope that the international community will strengthen our hand by applying pressure on the LTTE to change its violent ways and to come into a negotiated settlement within the contours of democracy.” As a democratic state since independence Sri Lanka stands by its pledge to brief the Council in a comprehensive manner. Efforts continue towards formulating a Constitutional framework for a broader negotiated settlement. She said that like other Member States, Sri Lanka had faced the brunt of terrorism for many years and had always been committed to the protection of human rights while combating terrorism. "It was in this context that Sri Lanka informed the Human Rights Council of progress made in the establishment of the commission of inquiry on November 3 by the President of Sri Lanka to inquire and investigate into a number of alleged serious violations of human rights which had occurred since August 1, 2005, she said. The Sri Lankan envoy in Geneva also said that the Government continued to provide essential supplies by its own efforts to all people affected by the conflict and that a Consultative Committee on Humanitarian Assistance had been established where the Government and all stakeholders, inclading the United Nations and the ICRC, met regularly to address any outstanding issues. She stated that President Mahinda Rajapaksa announced his intention to open the Muhamalai entry/exist point at A9 highway to enable the transport of

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DECEMBER 2006
essential supplies to the Jaffna Peninsula.
She also pointed out that the Government has recently proposed the creation of safe places for internally displaced persons in Vakarai and the Government continues to receive and provide shelter for large numbers of persons escaping from LTTE controlled areas in the East.
Replying to a statement made by the
Swiss delegation with regard to child recruitment by the Karuna Group, the Ambassador reminded the Swiss delegation not to divert attention from the fact that the main offender on recruiting child soldiers has been identified by the UN is the LTTE as amongst the worst lawbreakers in the world. The Ambassador referred to the request made to Mr. Allan Rock to provide any credible evidence on the issue of alleged support being extended to the Karuna Group and referred to the Government's zero tolerance policy on child soldiers.
冰冰冰米米
HRW backs charge of child abductions by Karuna Group
Nov 28 - The Sri Lankan security forces must immediately stop assisting abductions of boys and young men by the Karuna group and help those abducted return safely to their families, Human Rights Watch said on 28 November. A Human Rights Watch report to be published next month finds that the Sri Lankan military and police are complicit and, at times, directly cooperating with the Karuna group, an armed faction that split from the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in 2004. Led by V. Muralitharan, a former Tamil Tiger commander known as Karuna, the group has abducted hundreds of boys and young men in eastern Sri Lanka this year. "We have clear and compelling evidence that government forces are helping Karuna forces abduct boys and young men," said Jo Becker, children's rights advocate at Human Rights Watch. "The government should stop the abductions and help kidnapped children go home.” The allegations of government involvement gained major media attention on November 13, when Ambassador Allan Rock, a United Nations advisor on children and armed conflict, reported in Colombo that the Karuna group was abducting children in government-controlled areas of the east. Concluding a 10-day visit
to Sri Lanka, Roc credible evidence of the governmen supporting and sol in the abductions ar The ambassador Tamil Tigers for children as fighters Sri Lankan Preside said he would orde tigation into whet government invol place. The govern countable those fo the law, he said. missed the charges foreign minister founded." At a dem outside UN headq protesters accused for the Tamil Tiger. Human Rights Wat the Tamil Tigers, in port"Living in Fear sands of boys and forces. On Monday man Rights Watch rity Council to imp( the Tamil Tigers a other countries long use child soldiers. T debates the issue to In October, resear Rights Watch found with the Karuna gi the Sri Lankan go complicit in the same used by the Tamil T The UN children’s recorded more than by the Karuna grou; ka's Batticaloa dist Other abductions ar tricts of Ampara UNICEF estimates child abductions is because many fami report the kidnappir als. Human Rights Watc than 20 child abduc viewing witnesses abducted children in led areas. In one case surrounded a village men and boys, recor took their photogra came later that day a the boys and young Parents frequently sa after they had bee: local offices of

found "strong and hat certain elements security forces are etimes participating forced recruitment.” lso condemned the ontinuing to recruit
: Mahinda Rajapaksa an immediate inveser abductions with ement were taking ment would hold acnd to have violated ut the military disas "biased' and the called them “unonstration last week arters in Colombo, Rock of sympathy
h has long criticized cluding in a 2004 re” for abducting thougirls for use in its November 27, Huurged the UN Secu)se sanctions against nd armed groups in known to recruit and he Security Council day. chers from Human that, by cooperating oup on abductions, vernment has been : illegal methods long igers. gency UNICEF has 30 child abductions ) in eastern Sri Lanict alone this year. reported in the disand Trincomalee. the real number of three times higher, ies are too afraid to gs for fear of repris
h investigated more ion cases by interand the parents of overnment-controlthe Sri Lankan army gathered the young ed their names, and phs. Karuna forces ld abducted eight of ՈՇI1, v their children, just kidnapped, in the e Tamil Makkal
TAMIL TIMES 31
Viduthalai Pulikal (TMVP), the political party recently founded by the Karuna group. In Batticaloa and Ampara towns, the TMVP offices are guarded by police. In other places, they are situated less than 100 meters from a Sri Lankan military camp. Government forces would therefore have seen the children in these of fices and camps. Some parents told Human Rights Watch they were allowed to see their children in Karuna camps, which are mostly located north of Welikanda town in Polonnaruwa district. Some had traveled through more than 10 Sri Lankan police and military checkpoints to reach the camps where the children were held, including one at the intersection of the main road and the road that leads to the camps. "There's no way the Karuna forces could transport vanloads of abducted children along these roads without government forces knowing,' said Becker. Human Rights Watch's report will include maps of the area, with camp and checkpoint locations to illustrate the point. The government has known about Karuna child abductions since at least June 2006, Human Rights Watch said. That month UNICEF issued a public appeal, saying the forced recruitment of children by Karuna forces had increased since March. The agency appealed to the government "to investigate all abductions and ensure that children in affected areas are given the full protection of the law,” a UNICEF statement said. In July, a group of more than 40 mothers of abducted children filed a detailed petition to the chief justice of the Sri Lankan Supreme Court, seeking an inquiry. Copies went to the president and the minister for disaster management and human rights. "Official surprise at Ambassador Rock's allegations is not genuine,” Becker said. "The government has known about Karuna abductions at least since June, if not earlier, and it has failed to stop the kidnappings or investigate the culprits.' Human Rights Watch called on the Sri Lankan government to take three immediate steps: Publicly order military and police forces to stop abductions by the Karuna group; Facilitate the release and safe return of all children and young men abducted by the Karuna group; and, Investigate and hold accountable all individuals found to have ordered or participated in the abduction of children and young men, including members of the Sri

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32 TAMIL TIMES
Lankan security forces, regardless of rank. Human Rights Watch called on the leadership of the Karuna group to cease abductions and release all abducted children and young men in its custody. "And routine promises are not enough: the Sri Lankan government must act now to protect its children
ICJ urges UN rights monitoring in Sri Lanka *
Dec 1 - The International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) has called on member states of the United Nations Human Rights Council to closely scrutinise the human rights situation in Sri Lanka and renewed its call for the establishment of a fully-fledged human rights operation in the country. "There is little neutral space left in Sri Lanka. Civilians are suffering the human rights and humanitarian consequences of a deepening conflict and unaccountable armed forces on all sides', the ICJ said. "The Human Rights Council must not turn away. It can and should play a constructive role in helping to prevent and stop the continuing serious violations of human rights and humanitarian law in Sri Lanka and in helping to tackle systemic impunity', it said. The ICJ also urged the LTTE to ensure that military assets, including fighters, are not placed in areas where civilians can be at risk. "The humanitarian crisis is being politicised by both sides to the conflict, with little consideration of the rights of the civilian population', it said. Many of these human rights violations have taken place since the President announced the Commission of Inquiry into specific past violations, underlining the urgent need for measures, beyond investigations, to prevent and stop ongoing human rights violations by all parties to the conflict. "Experience around the world has shown that in such acute situations as in Sri Lanka, a professional, impartial and international human rights field presence can play a significant role in helping to protect lives and create a space in which
diplomatic initiative the ICJ said. “We believe discu stepped up with the ment about how to human rights operat it said. The ICJ callet the Human Rights aware of the situatic examine the human detailed discussions i sion of the Human Ri port the recommend human rights expert Commissioner for F international protect needed in Sri Lanka, cussions with the S ment to develop a p international human in Sri Lanka; * Follc of the planned Presic of Inquiry and seek Lankan Governmen Independent Group and the High Comm Rights about the Con including complianc standards on investi man rights violations ernment to invite the on enforced and inv ances to visit Sri Lan the section of the ri Nations Special Rep. dren and Armed Co. Sri Lanka, when it is
本米米1
Karuna on child r commits to work W
Dec. 7 - Vinyagamo (Col Karuna), a form in the eastern provinc ing the TMVP, cont cial Representative Armed Conflict on N ing the listing of h Security Council, a release issued by th lombo. The move cc port by Allan Rock, to the UN Special Re accused the Karuna and recruiting child
D Y Genera
www.armassociates.co.uk-use
 
 

DECEMBER 2006
S can take shape',
ssions should be Sri Lanka Governestablish a suitable on in the country',
on the members of Council to remain n in Sri Lanka and
rights situation in during the third sesghts Council; * Supation made by UN , and also the High Human Rights, that ion mechanisms are by encouraging disri Lankan Governilan to establish an rights field presence w closely the work lential Commission "eports from the Sri t, the International of Eminent Persons issioner for Human mission's progress, e with international gations of past hu; * Request the GovUN Working Group oluntary disappearka; * Fully consider aport of the United resentative for Chilnflict that relates to
released.
林水求
ecuritment, ith UNICEF
orthy Muralitharan er LTTE commander e and presently leadacted the UN Spe; for Children and vonday (4), regards group to the UN ccording to a press e UN office in Comes following a rethe Special Advisor presentative, which group of abducting soldiers and the Sri
Lankan military of aiding and abetting recruiting children to the ranks of the Karuna group. Mr. Muralitharan has confirmed that he would take the following actions which will be formalized in an action plan negotiated between Karuna's group (TMVP) and UNICEF, according to the UN office in Colombo: 1. Re-issuing a policy statement to inform all the commanders of the Karuna faction in the field that using and recruiting children is not an acceptable practice; 2. Training all commanders in the field on child's rights with all necessary assistance from the International Community; 3. Releasing children who may be found among Karuna ranks to their families, in collaboration with relevant NGOs and/or UNICEF; 4. Giving free access to the Karuna camps for UNICEF monitors to ensure that no children remain associated with the armed
group. - UN’s Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict, Radhika Coomaraswamy of Sri Lanka, describing the paramilitary group's move as a "major step,' said she hoped to receive a commitment from the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) granting UNICEF monitors access for independent verification to their camps in the near future. Allan Rock's report issued on 13 November said, "The mission's initial findings reveal that the LTTE has not complied with its commitments under the Action Plan to stop child recruitment and release all the children within their ranks." "The mission also discovered a disturbing development involving the Karuna abductions. It sound strong and credible evidence that certain elements of the government security forces are supporting and sometinnes participating in the abductions and forced recruitment of children by the Karuna faction.' “The mission met with the parents of many of the abducted children in Batticaloa district. As a result, it learned of eye-witness evidence that links the Karuna faction abductions to certain government elements. Based on the evidence as a whole, the mission concluded that Some government security forces are actively participating in these criminal acts.'
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DECEMBER 2006
Why does man kill
Shah Jahan
"Dear God, Had you made me into a bird today, I wouldn't have cared, nor cried. I'd build a home on agreenbranch that no other bird will burn, nor claim his. I'd feed off of the earth, where there's enough for all the other birds. But -my dear God- I am not a bird. No, you didn't make me one... you made me a female human... who makes love to one man, to give birth to another... then watch the two kill each other... dear god, Where does all this evil come from? Why does man kill man?”
I accidently came acroos this internet blog owned by a Saudi Arabian young lady living abroad. Her last three lines and her final question stunned me. Yes, God made her a human being to fall in love with a man and give birth to another and watch they kill each other. Why does man kill man? It is a wonderful question today.
But it started not today or yesterday, from the time of Adam and Eve, the first people who got expelled by God from the garden, and believed to have landed in a country called today Sri Lanka. It is the story of Cain and Abel, children of Adam and Eve. One day they both offered a sacrifice to God, Cain of fering fruit and grain, and Abel offering the fat, fatlings, or milk. God favoures Abel's offering, and subsequently Cain murders Abel, assumed simply to be jealousy over God's favoritism. There are other versions also for Abel's murder.
That way, the first man who killed a man was Cain, and the first man who was killed by a man was Abel. Therefore the first murderer of the world was a Sri Lankan pardon me and the first martyr also of the same country. Further the first country where human blood shed, and the dead body was buried was our own Lanka. Is not it? Later Jewish tradition identifies the place as Damascus.
As, in the Torah, Cain was ordered to wander the earth perpetually in punishment, without death. As per book of Jubilees, Cain settled down, marrying his sister, Awan, resulting in his first son, Enoch, approximately 196 years after the creation of Adam. Stories do crop up from time to time that Cain was still seen here
or there wandering If so, the entire universe are decend nal of the world. No ing brother habit sti that has produced and chaste flock, th tants in the world durance ever a ter present killings, shc the testimony that like many wish, W. not even with an ex more miles.
When man kille politics, opponents took up arms unde militants, guerillas, pose their anger an establishments. Pre the world news i Events of last week cynosure in the lat The most brutal ev a TNA member of The saddest incide displaced people at some was the fight Killing a parli ever party he belor not a simple matte the basic structure up, but also an oper and order situatio LTTE, well over a fully performed th depriving the Soutl politicians. Nowad ple, who came out the LTTE also car addition to LTTE's already in the field Once I was sur Sinhala friend quo Raviraj's talk show ward in his stateme agitated over Josep murder and a few t views, he mention names of the perp dent but of no avai The Presidenth sassination as a we bring the country

TAMIL TIMES 33
man?
human being of this lants of the first crimi) wonder brother killll continues in Lanka, out of God fearing he most ruthless miliwith the longest enorist group had. The ootings, bombings are peace to this island, ould not be that easy, (tra mile but of many
'd man by the name of of Governments also r the name terrorists, and insurgents to exd disapproval against sently Sri Lanka tops n terrorist activity. c made Sri Lanka the ter part of the week. 2nt was the murder of parliament Raviraj. nt was the attack on t Vakarai. The worris in the sea.
amentarian, to what ged, or a minister, is r. It not only attacks of our democratic set challenge to the law l in the capital city. decade, has successis job regularly, thus 1 of quality-qualified ays, pupils, not peoof the University of ry out such jobs, in competitors who are
prised to see a female ting positively about 7. Being straight forlts, Raviraj was much h Pararajasingham's imes in his TV intered he had given the etrators to the presil.
as condemned the asll planned attempt to and the Government
into disrepute. Beg your pardon sir, there is a small correction. The country and the Government will be put into disrepute if the culprits are not brought before justice. Besides President’s initiative to seek the help of Scotland Yard is a welcome sign. At this juncture may I ask, how could we find fault with Hakeem's request for an international inquiry on Pothuvil murder?
But people are not much optimistic, as the culprits are presumed to be pro government Tamil elements. "An Englishman is never in the wrong. He does everything on principle. He fights you on patriotic principles.' Bernard Shaw's play, The Man of Destiny. King’s men make no mistakes has been the policy here.
Besides, observing mourning is a respectable thing. But closing shops will affect commercial activities. Politicians know nothing about business movements. Mind you, we only have the highest number of holidays. Further we are a nation who declared one day holiday for winning a test match over India. It is a mania here which should be stopped. In a place like Singapore, no holiday was given for any President's death. Traffic was diverted, not blocked only 100 yards a head for funeral procession.
The attack on displaced persons on the 8th in Vakarai surprised the world and received condemnation from many including the Chief Minister of Tamillnadu, \vhich is simmering in sympathy for civilians, not much for militants. Nced not I say pro LTTE political parties are active to arouse feelings. A sinister web is being spun here.
As the writing on the wall is, more attacks in the North and East are in store, protest meetings and demonstrations have become daily occurrence. They receive wide publicity. It can gather momentum as the general perception here is, Sri Lanka is insensitive to people's safety on its pursuit to fight the Tigers. On the whole the way Tamillnadu is proceeding, it will strain Lanka's relationship with New Delhi in time to come.
Raviraj's murder was the lead story in a moderate Tamil newspaper. If Muslims of Sri Lanka and Tamilnadu could protest in support of Saddam Hussain who mercilessly killed thousands, including his own two sons-in-law, thus making his daughters widows and his grand children fatherless, definitely Tamils across the Palk-straight will rise in sup

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34 TAMIL TIMES
port of the innocents when another human tragedy takes place. The forth coming President's visit to New Delhi is sure to have some reactions in Chennai.
The sea fights augurs for many more things to come in future. Until A9 is kept closed, LTTE will try its best to show its sea power when ever necessary. As we know Cain's descendants will hesitate not to kill siblings.
We are for a big showdown soon. But both say, they defend the attack or attack in defense. Attack and defense have different meanings. To shake hands, one hand should stretch first. Here both say other only stretched first. How come.
When Pearl harbour was attacked US was not on alert. Here in Sri Lanka both the parties have their fingers on trigger, standing face to face. Common people have no way to know who blinked eyes first. Mr. Donald Rumsfeld once said in 2002, "There are things we know that we know. There are known unknowns.... Things we now know we do not know. But there are also unknown unknowns. There are things we do not know that we do not know.'
Presently, the North is starving for food and shivering with fear, anticipating the mother of all wars. Food parcels at post offices is international news. It is a shame. This was how 50 years ago people from Hong Kong used to send food and gift parcels to poor relatives in China. The East is also highly disturbed and displaced, running from pillar to post for existence. Sri Lanka seems to have lost all the good will it had with these folks and SL's argument that the LTTE is using them as human shield does not sell much with them. As far as they are concerned this is a reign that is hell bent to succumb the Tamils and LTTE to defeat. Once, Confucius, [ 551 B.C.-478 B.C. the greatest Chinese philosopher, and his disciples found an old woman crying beside a grave. On questioning, the woman said that a tiger had killed her husband, her husband's father, and now her son. “Why then do you live in this dangerous place?” asked Confucius. “Because there is no oppressive government here," she replied. Confucius told his students: “Remember oppressive government is worse than a tiger,' 'Yes, this is the sentiment of the Tamils too. As long as man kills man in Sri Lanka, Tamils will be of the opinion, an oppressive government is worse than tigers.
Co-C Viole
"Only by comr and substantive nt downward spiral o man rights violatio Co-Chairs of the Sr ess said in a joints
Following is th Norway, the Unite pean Union, and Ja November 21, 200 Chairs of the Tok CIլCC:
The Co-Chairs nors Conference - States, the Europea - met in Washingto ber 21.
The Co-Chairs risinglevel ofviole has led to signific, widespread humar The Co-Chairs con and systematic cea Government of Sr We call on both si toric opportunity ( Cease-Fire Agree country's conflict committing to sus tive negotiations spiral of hostilitie violations be rever The Co-Chair demin the LTTE f ties from heavily the Government o' into such vulneral and wounding inn Co-Chairs call on international hum aside demilitarize ternally displacec The Co-Chair bility of both par security of the S Mission to fully The Co-Chairs w incident on Nover of Mission of the fire. The Co-Cha of their respons rulings by the S ment the Cease

DECEMBER 2006
hairs On escalating nce in Sri Lanka
itting to sustained gotiations can the hostilities and huS be reversed,' the Lanka peace procatement.
joint statement by States, the Euroban following their 6, meeting as Covo Donors Confer
of the Tokyo DoNorway, the United n Union, and Japan n, D.C. on Novem
view with alarm the hce in Sri Lanka that ant loss of life and 1 rights violations. demn the continued sefire violations by
i Lanka and LTTE.
des to seize the his'reated by the 2002 nent to resolve the peacefully. Only by ained and substancan the downward s and human rights sed. s particularly conr initiating hostilibopulated areas and Sri Lanka for firing le areas and killing )cent civilians. The both sides to respect nitarian law and set zones to protect inpersons. recall the responsies to guarantee the Lanka Monitoring cercise its mandate. re disturbed by the ber 8 when the Head SLMM came under s remind the parties ility to respect all MM and to implere Agreement fully,
including re-opening the A-9 highway. The Co-Chairs recognize that talks took place on October 28-29 in Geneva. However, we urge the Parties to the conflict to commit to a structured and sustained process of further negotiations without preconditions once a proposal is available, as indicated by the Government and welcomed by the LTTE delegation in Geneva.
The agreement between the Sri Lankan Freedom Party and the opposition United National Party should lead to a credible power-sharing proposal that can help form the basis for a viable negotiated settlement between the Parties. At the same time, the specific arrangements for the north and east should not be disturbed as they are fundamental to continuing the dialogue to achieve an agreement. The legitimate interests and aspirations of all communities, including the Tamil, Muslim and Sinhala communities must be accommodated as part of a political settlement.
The Co-Chairs welcome the Government of Sri Lanka’s progress in establishing a Commission of Inquiry for Human Rights with international observers. They condemn the growing violations of human rights by all sides and the fear that pervades civil society, politics and the media. The Commission of Inquiry and the Government should work promptly to bring the perpetrators to justice and to address the climate of impunity.
Citizens are caught in this conflict and agencies are unable to reach them. We recognize the efforts by government to provide essential supplies themselves and welcome the establishment of the consultative committee on humanitarian assistance that is addressing several humanitarian access issues for international agencies.
The Co-Chairs urge both parties to depoliticize the issue of humanitarian access and for the immediate, permanent and unconditional opening of the sea and road routes for humanitarian convoys of essential supplies. As a first step towards this, the Co-Chairs wel

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DECEMBER 2006
come the readiness of the Government to send one convoy via the A-9 highway to Jaffna and to allow International Non-Governmental Organizations with a proven track record immediate access to uncleared areas to restart their relief work. The Co-Chairs call on the LTTE to cooperate with such initiatives.
The Co-Chairs, together with other members of the international community, express their strong support for Norway's ongoing efforts to facilitate the peace process and the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission's role in monitoring the Cease-Fire Agreement.”
Press conference
At a press conference held soon after the Co-Chairs ended their meeting and released the joint statement, in answering a pointed question the United States adopts a two- track policy, a soft line and hard line towards this conflict in Sri Lanka, the US Under Secretary of of State, Richard Burns, said, "The United States doesn't normally have two policies towards one country; we normally follow one. And in the case of Sri Lanka, the Sri Lankan people and government are a good friend to the United States. We support the government. We have a good relationship with the government. We believe the government has a right to try to protect the territorial integrity and sovereignty of the country. The government has a right to protect the stability and security in the country. We meet often with the government at the highest levels and consider the government to be a friend to our country.
“We also believe that the Tamil Tigers, the LTTE, is a terrorist group responsible for massive bloodshed in the country and we hold the Tamil Tigers responsible for much of what has gone wrong in the country. We are not neutral in this respect. I'm talking about the United States Government now. And therefore we hope very much that the people of Sri Lanka will be able to live in peace in the future.
"Now, there are times when the government takes actions that we have to speak out because of our opposition to those actions. There have been, as you know, a number of incidents over the last few months that have given us a great deal of concern about the use of military power against civilians and against aid workers. And we have called
The
The exclusivist po war must be chal
The delegation Lankan state and t of Tamil Eelam (L October in Genev: out a possible settle that has ravaged thi since 1983. They di ground of military both sides in the c predictable that thi at the talks remaine mutually irreconcila turned empty-hand land of 75,000 war v soldiers, 220,000 people, and 1,000 April 2006 alone.
Yet had they ste political calculation would have found same language: a lan ference, of force and guage that could o1 contradiction.
on the government a Versations with the tablish a committee ernment has done tional observers to truth of what hap ask the governmen ple responsible. An prised by the gov cent days that they "So that would of the United State Lanka. But we shar{ our Co-Chairs partr for peace and for ar and we hope to use ence of the Europea Norway and the U ing with countries we can bring our i make some sugges helpful to the gove in bringing about a negotiations. That objective and that government.”

TAMIL TIMES 35
Sri Lanka: : Politics of Purity
Nira Wickramasinghe litics and mindsets of those who have drownied Sri Lanka in civil enged by a creative recovery of the island's hybrid identities.
representing the Sri he Liberation Tigers TTE) met on 28-29 for talks to thrash ment to the civil war island of Sri Lanka so against the backpperations raging on ountry. It was sadly politician-warriors d entrenched in their ble positions, and reed to their wounded widows, 25,000 child nternally displaced people killed since
pped back from their s for a moment, they that they spoke the guage offear and difexclusiveness; a lannly end in insoluble
nd in our direct con: government to esof inquiry - the govthis - and interna) help find out the pened and then to t to hold those peod we have been ap2rnment just in reintend to do that. be a general sense ; policy towards Sri in this respect with ers an abiding hope end to the conflict, the combined influn Union and Japan, nited States, worklike India, to see if nfluence to bear to ions that might be rnment and helpful ceasefire and peace is our immediate s the policy of my
The mirage of peace
Both sides attended the Geneva talks with ulterior intentions. The Colombo government was paying lip-service to an international community that had wanted the meeting as a sign of goodwill; the LTTE saw the event as an opportunity to highlight the humanitarian crisis in the north and east of Sri Lanka due to the closure by the government of the A9 highway. The civilians in Jaffna were once again sacrificed by the intransigent attitude of both parties.
Since 2004, the governments of successive presidents, Chandrika Kumaratunga and Mahinda Rajapakse, have sought to undermine the ceasefire agreement reached in 2002 by Sri Lanka's then prime minister, Ranil Wickremasinghe. This created the room for a Sinhalese nationalist backlash. Rajapakse was elected on 17 November 2005 promising a just peace, but the overtone was that a military solution was the only option to save the Tamil people from the clutches of the "fascist' LTTE and to protect the integrity of the nation.
In October 2006, government forces were badly hit in two attacks at Muhamalai and Habarana where more than 230 military personnel were killed. The government's response is a plan to double its defence expenditure in 2007 and prepare for a major assault against the Tamil Tigers. The LTTE too is busy rearming.
Thus, exactly a year after the presidential election, and three weeks after the abortive Geneva talks, it is clear that for both sides, the preferred option is war in order to gain unilateral military advantage; establishing a dynamic for peace in the present grim context is a remote prospect.
The only positive element in an otherwise depressing scenario is the signing of a memorandum of understanding between the two main political parties: the ruling Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) and the United National Party (UNP), over working towards a political solu

Page 36
36 TAMIL TIMES
tion in the country that entails devolving power to the north and east. But by the time the military operations arc over, it must be feared that the tired, battered and starved populations of the north and east will refuse even a reasonable offer put forward by a government that has shown little compassion for their suffer1ng.
A discourse of purity
In Sri Lanka, where issues of history and territory have been at the heart of the claims and counter-claims of leaders of the Sinhalese and Tamil communities, it is useful to adopt a rhizomatic approach to history: that is, one where the future and past are constantly in the process of becoming each other.
The understanding of culture in Sri Lanka - of statesmen, rebels and practitioners of "conflict resolution” - has predetermined the type of resolution to the civil war in the country and in a sense precluded other frameworks for reconciliation.
Everyone in Sri Lanka - except those dismissed as "spoilers' and "un-liberal' forces - tends to accept that people "have' a culture with clear-cut boundaries and easily recognisable features. The way issues of inequity and difference have been addressed is deeply influenced by this approach.
Furthermore, people forget that the distribution of communities varies from one region to another. While there areareas with a majority of over 80% (Tamil in the far north, or Sinhalese in the far south), there are also areas with approximately 25% minority populations, and areas with approximately equal representation between groups (such as the plantation district of Nuwara Eliya, and the Trincomalee and Amparai districts in the east).
The dominant belief is, however, in purity of cultures compounded by territorial exclusivity: ideas that acquired hegemonic status with the growth ofnationalism and anti-colonialism and which have been further entrenched in recent decades. Colonial rule helped propagate the idea that identities were fixed and stable and that one could not jump from one to another.
For example, in tificate of discharge gine-cleaner, had to his name, in this cast did not contest the embodied in such re vided into well-defin munities. In the ear Sinhalese lay pri Dharmapala (1864 national dress for the be devoid of externa the Sinhalese man s entire body like thi only a loin cloth, no the fair Portuguese. There were of cd ments, which should the power of defin the colonial power value-coding displac bunal presidents ch over their trousers, both European and
There are many order of progress an able dichotomies o east/west, traditiona civilised - were und never claimed hybri erated and reinforc course of purity.
The state denies dling many identiti life in border areas communities, men a still speak) two lan to visit all places o churches, Buddhist devales. In the east and Muslim villag terspersed and ther nificant degree of in colonial period. Ur participated in Hii and some Hindu Parayar drummers ary role in the ce saints’ festivals.
Beyond the feder
Colombo-bas touched by the col lation distribution the overlapping of practices, continu
 

DECEMBER 2006
e 1920s in his cerG Stephen, an entate his race after Tamil. Nationalists eading of society uirements: one did and discrete comy 20th century the acher Anagarika 1933) promoted a inhalese that would cultural influences: ould not "show the Veddas who wear wear a trouser like
urse subversive mobe rekindled, where tion was denied to nd the apparatus of ed: many village trise to-wrapa sarong hus acknowledging ceylonese customs. ways in which the i reason, the implaccolonial thought - l/modern, primitive/ one. But nationalism dity and instead reited the colonial dis
the option of strades. But in everyday , and among coastal ld women spoke (and guages and continue f worship - Catholic temples and Hindu ern province, Hindu S are commonly inwas probably a sigermarriage in the preil recently, Muslims du temple festivals, castes such as the vere given a customabration of Muslim
l argument
d think-tanks, unplexity of the popuof Sri Lanka and by ientities and cultural o advocate a federal
reorganisation of the state as the formula for solving the "ethnic problem". They are implicitly supported by aid donors and multilateral agencies.
But the formation of cultural enclaves as a solution to the demands for justice by the Tamils of Sri Lanka is both troubling in itself, and inadequate or insufficient. Since more than half of the Tamilspeaking people live outside the wouldbe devolved regions (i.e. the north and east). It is the Sri Lanka state in its entirety that needs to undergo a drastic change.
This would mean sapping the cultural exclusiveness of our schools - organised according to language/ethnic streams, offices, clubs, associations, and political parties. Unfortunately there seems to be no political formation capable of this type of innovative thinking. The possibility of a social-democratic, secular type of rule was closed from the mid-1950s; at that time, both main parties - the UNP and the SLFP - adopted policies that emphasised the majority culture and language, while the old left that harboured more secular values was decimated by the rise of the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (People's Liberation Front (JVP), a nationalist/populist new left. .
Since then, the dominant Sinhala and Buddhist culture and language permeate all institutions and the everyday life of citizens, while minority religions and languages are permitted to exist as cultural forms rather than as political options. Multiculturalism exists only in law; in practice government circulars are rarely written in both languages and police stations are aggressively monolingual. The president of the country addresses his citizens in Sinhala only; wears the Sinhala national dress and is regularly seen on state TV worshipping in Buddhist temples together with his Catholic wife.
In 2006, as part of the Vesak festival that celebrates the birth, enlightenment and death of the Buddha, the state (for the first time in Sri Lanka) decreed an entire week of abstinence for all inhabitants and visitors to the country. Once again the stress was on preserving Buddhism in its purest form rather than ac(continued on next page)
ORMATION SITE nkans.com

Page 37
DECEMBER 2006
No lethal weapons for Sri Lanka
Nov 19, Chennai: India has taken "great care not to provide Sri Lanka with lethal offensive items of military hardware, specially of the kind that could be used against the Tamil population," Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has said.
In a letter to Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam general secretary Vaiko, he said: “We will reiterate to the Government of Sri Lanka that they must find a political solution through negotiations that will meet the genuine and legitimate rights of the Tamils, rather than adopting tactics that lead to death of innocent people.” Releasing copies of the Prime Minister's letter at a press conference here, Mr. Vaiko said Dr. Singh wrote to him on November 12 in response to the MDMK's plea, through a detailed memorandum on August 30 and a letter on November 6, for despatching humanitarian assistance to the Lankan Tamils.
Over 18,742 Tigers killed in 24 years
Nov 25 - The LTTE has recently announced that more 18,742 members of the organisation have been killed during the 24 years of its armed rebellion in Sri Lanka. The figure appears to include Tigers killed
not only in fighting the Sri Lanka armed
forces, but also thc military confronta Keeping Force (I fighting against groups.
The LTTE Sai the dead cadres w
14,677. 4,065 fer killed. The Tigers died in suicide atta in the course of att ity of the dead Blac, 217. The Tigers als der it auxiliary foi patriots. The Tiger of this year alone, killed.
UNICEF v to stop recrl
NOV 26 - UNI Karuna faction le Karuna Amman to recruitment of chil UNICEF, which w monitor child rights fire agreement at th
(continued from page 36) cepting its modernity and allowing people to choose the life and mode of religious practice they wished.
The way forward
At a time when the state is openly and often aggressively promoting Sinhalese culture and Buddhism while paying lip-service to multiculturalism, the challenge today is to revitalise citizenship as an alternative to multiculturalism. Reconciliation is only possible within a state structure that recognises multiple identities through multiple acts of identification. Dividing territory according to “cultural identities' with the view to devolving powers should not be considered a panacea.
Sri Lankans deserve better than two federal units, mirror images of each other, each practicing similarly exclusivist policies, each fostering dreams of authentic
cultures and pure "races'. A parallel strat
egy is needed, aiming at radically transforming the existing state to ensure that common values of equity and justice for
all its citizens are for the other cano that nurtures pride and hybridity, rath of the purity and au IsOpen University,
Nira Wickrama in the department c tional relations, t lombo, Sri Lanka. and studied at the C Sorbonne and at where she earned
Among her boo Sri Lanka: New C Delhi, Thousand Dressing the Colo Clothing and Idel Lanka (New Delh 2003); and Sri Lan A History of Contes and University of 1
This article dra Wickramasinghes culture and lineag nal of Internationa
 

se killed in the LTTE's tion with Indian Peace PKF) and internecine other Tamil militant
d that the majority of vere males, numbering male cadres were also said that 299 cadres had cks, the majority of 220 acks at sea. The majorkTigers were also male, solisted 279 deaths unrces and 454 others as S said that in the course 818 of its cadres were
vants Karuna uiting children
CEF is pressurising the 'd by LTTE renegade immediately cease the dren to his cadre-base. as given the mandate to violations of the ceasene Oslo round of Peace
respected. Autonomy inly happen in a state : in cultural mélange er than in the fantasy thenticity of cultures. 17.11.2006)
isinghe is a professor if history and internahe University of CoShe grew up in Paris /niversité de Paris IVOxford University, er doctorate. ks are Civil Society in ircles of Power (New Oaks/ Sage, 2001), nised Body. Politics, tity in Colonial Sri 'i, Orient Longman, ka in the Modern Age: ted Identities (C Hurst Hawaii Press, 2006). ws on material in Nira “Sri Lanka s conflict: es of the past ” (Jourl Affairs, 60/1, 2007
TAMIL TIMES 37
Talks in November 2002, in its latest report released on October 31st alleged that the Karuna group had recruited/abducted 142 children.
The organisation's communications officer Junko Mitani said that, "UNICEF has established contact with political arm of the Karuna group Tamil Makkal, Viduthalai Pulikal (TMVP) at the central level and the district level. We continue advocating for the release of children whose cases have been verified by us and where parents have given consent to do so. We are also advocating for the cessation of recruitment of children by the group."
Ms. Mitani assured that as and when recruitment of children is confirmed, the organization will continue to raise the issue with the perpetrators and the authorities responsible for the protection of children. She also noted that UNICEF continues to cooperate with other UN organizations, NGOs and communities as well as the Government to protect children from under-age recruitment.
Navy destroys LTTE boats
Nov 28 - Sri Lanka's navy on Monday (27) reportedly destroyed a boat suspected of ferrying arms for Tamil Tigers off the island's west coast, the military said. The navy spotted a suspicious fishing boat off the coast of Chilaw, 70 kilometers (43 miles) north of Colombo, and was fired upon by its six occupants when they approached, an official at the Media Center for National Security said. The navy returned fire and the boat caught fire with a huge explosion, the officer said on condition of anonymity, citing policy.
Heroes' Cemetery buldozed
Nov 30 - Sri Lanka Army has bulldozed the Alankulam Heroes' Cemetery in Muthur East, on November 25, said LTTE's Trincomalee District Political Head, S. Elian on Wednesday (29). “Sri Lankan military has once again desecrated a war cemetery. No military in the civilized world, would engage in a such act," charged Mr. Elilan. Headstones were bulldozed away and the resting place was destroyed by the military two days ahead of Heroes Day, he further said. Alankulam Heroes' Cemetery, the district's largest Heroes Cemetery where memorial stone of Major Ganesh, a senior LTTE commander who died in a battle with the SLA in 1986 and the tomb of Lt. Col. Kunchan, one of the commanders to die recently were located in Alankulam in Muthur East.

Page 38
38 TAMIL TIMES
1500 kg explosives seized near Madurai
Nov 30, Madurai, Tamil Nadu - Around 1,500 kilograms of Sri Lankabound explosives have been recovered near here, when the van carrying the consignment met with an accident. According to police, the accident took place at Manamadurai, about 40 kilometres from Madurai. The police broke open the door of the vehicle as the driver identified as Vijay Kumar, had fainted after the accident. He has been arrested. Gelatine sticks and detonators were also recovered. The consignment was heading towards Sri Lanka via the sea route, as the material was found in water-proof packages of a very high quality. Mohaideen, a native of Uchipuli near Ramanathapuram, is said to have hired the vehicle. He managed to cscape after locking it from outside, revealed police sources. Investigations are on in the matter. (ANI)
“Kutrapathirikkai” to released
Dec 1: The Madras High Court has directed the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) to issue an 'A' certificate to the Tamil film "Kutrapathirikkai" (Charge sheet or indictment), which is based on the Rajiv Gandhi's assassination, within four weeks.
The First Bench, comprising Chief Justice APShah and Justice K Chandru, on 30 November upheld an order by a single judge of the High Court that the certification be issued, especially since the producer had deleted four to five reels of “objectionable" portions in the movie. "We are in complete agreement with Justice D Murugesan's order and hold that the CBFC's appeal is devoid of any merit," the Bench observed. The Bench, which had watched a special screening of the movic a week ago, also agreed that the movie was a work of fiction and did not glorify the LTTE, a banned outfit in India. The makers of the movie have been fighting a legal battle for the past 13 years, with the CBFC refusing to certify the movie, thereby stalling its release. (Chennai-on-line)
Army lost 300 soldiers in Muhamalai
Dec 3 - Army Commander Lt Gen Sarath Fonseka has admitted in the United States last week that the military had had to sacrifice about 300 soldiers within a week-and-a-half of battle in Muhamalai. It was a larger figure than had ever been cited by the military in Sri Lanka following the Muhamalai battles. “However, engaging in such battles was necessary in order to deny the LTTE strategic advantage
into security forces they were seeking to ( to retake the Jaffna pe reported as telling US State Nicholas Burns.
LTTE on STFip
Dec 4-Tamil Tig of Special Task Force were deployed in the around 8.40a.m today December). The ST conducting a search o the group of LTTE ca the Tsunami housing on 3 December. Fou fered injuries and wel eral Hospital Ampara. that one of the injurc cumbed to the injuri transmission of the six LTTE cadres we retaliation., accordin,
French aid gr opera
Dec. 4 - The Fre Against Hunger anno that it was resumingo) four months after employees were kille humanitarian conditi Hunger suspended i Lanka - and said operations worldwide were killed while per relief in the seaside August. The workers Against Hunger T-sl group said. On Mond statement that it pla. the coming days in t district, one of the at the conflict and ho displaced persons. A which had been work 1996, expects to e. areas later
Polic With LTT
Dec 6 - The po suspected LTTE cadr who purchased a lor facility for Rs. 2.8 m allegedly for the LT arrested and the lorry freezer was seized b at a Nugegoda polic ing to OIC Mirihan Samarasinghe, alle, credited funds to th

. DECEMBER 2006
controlled areas, as lo recently by trying ninsula,” Fonseka is Under-Secretary of
ttacks ersonnel
gers attacked a group (STF) personnel who Sangamankanda area (Monday the 4th of TF personnel were peration; looking for dres who had robbed project at Rottikulam r STF personnell sufe rushed to the GenHospital sources said :d soldiers later suces. Overheard radio LTTE revealed that re killed in the STF g the military.
'oup resumes tiOnS
nch aid group Action unced on Monday (4) perations in Sri Lanka 17 of its Tamil d, citing deteriorating ons. Action Against ts operations in Sri it was rethinking - after the 17 workers forming post-tsunami town of Muttur in were wearing Action hirts at the time, the ay, the group said in a ns to open a base in he eastern Batticaloa eas most affected by me to some 75,000 tion Against Hunger, ing in Sri Lanka since xpand that to other
grab
uspects
ice claimed that five es including a woman y with a deep freezer illion from Colombo TE organization were together with a deep y the Mirihana police checkpoint. Accorda Special Unit, Upul gedly the LTTE had e suspect’s bank ac
count to purchase the vehicle. He said three of the suspects, including the woman were from Matale and others from Kilinochchi. The Police allege that the LTTE's plan was to stuff the lorry with explosives to carry out a massive blast. The suspects are being questioned under detention orders.
Indo-Lanka nayiesto coordinate sea patrolling
Dec 6-Ruling out joint patrolling with the Sri Lankan Navy, Indian Naval Chief, Sureesh Mehta said that the two navies are however, planning té.go for coordinated patrolling of their areas. "The Indian Navy has no role to play in a sovereign Lanka. It can only help in the peace process,” Naval Chief, Admiral Sureesh Mehta told reporters on the eve of Navy Day. He said the Indian Navy was taking precautionary measures to counter the problem of refugees in the event of a civil war in Sri Lanka. "Our concern is the influx of refugees, while the Sri Lankan Navy has to ensure that arms and contraband do not reach the Tamil Tigers.” To exercise checks and controls, he said the two navies were planning to go for coordinated patrolling in which each side would provide information to the other on what was happening in their areas. (IRNA)
TNAssembly's resolution on plight of SLTamils
Dec 7- The Tamil Nadu Assembly on Thursday (7) adopted a resolution expressing deep concern over the conditions of Tamils in Sri Lanka who lacked "protection to life and property". State Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi moved the resolution, which said: “This house is deeply concerned about the travails of the Tamils in Sri Lanka because of lack of protection to life and property We request the central government to take necessary steps to alleviate the situation to the satisfaction of all concerned." The resolution was passed by a voice vote.
Appealing for calm, the chief minister reiterated the commitment of his party Dravida Munettra Kazhagam (DMK) to the cause of Sri Lankan Tamils and said that "If need be, I will undertake another trip (to New Delhi) to brief the Central government. But it has to be understood by all that the steps taken by the central government alone can remedy the situation in the island. As responsible components of the UPA at the centre we can only appeal to the chairperson and the prime minister." "All of us will have to act concertedly to help our brothers and sisters in Sri Lanka and this can be done only by strengthening the hands of Prime Minister,” he saj (İ.

Page 39
DECEMBER 2006
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OBITUARY
Mrs Gnanambal Thiagarajah daughter of the late Mr and Mrs Annamalai (Urumpirai) passed away after a brief illine SS on 24th November 2006. The funeral took place on 2nd December 2006. She was the Widow of Sinnadurai Thiagarajah of Vannarponnai. She was the loving mother of Dr (Mrs)
Chitra Velauthapillai (Lincoln), Mrs Thilaka Chanmugalingam (Toronto), Mrs Chelvy Elanganayagam (Toronto) and mother-in-law of Dr Eswaran Velauthapillai, Mr Chanmugalingam and Mr Elanganayagam. She was the beloved grandmother of Dr Arani Velauthapillai, Mrs Abirami Ganendra and Miss Karthika Elanganayagam. We Wish to thank all those Who attended the funeral sent floral tributes, messages of sympathy and helped us in numerous ways. We deeply regret our inability to thank them individually. May her Soul rest in peасе.
Brindhavan, Stow Road, Sturton by Stow, Lincoln. LN12BZ Tel 01427787043
Mr. Chelappah Ratnasabapathy
Mr. Chelappah Ratnasabapathy (Retired OA CGR) Beloved husband of late Parameswary, loving father of Sivaganeshan (Attorney-atLaw/Solicitor, UK), Sivashanmugam (Retired Engineer, Australia), Mallikadevi and
late Ragunathan, father-in-law of Dr. Kamala Sivaganeshan (Retired E.N.T Doctor, UK), Manohari (Retired Banker, Australia) and Kularajahdeva (Retired Valuer, Sri Lanka), Grandfather of Prashanth (IBM, Singapore), Yasothan
 
 
 
 

TAMIL TIMES 39
(Bank ofAmerica, UK), Sharmila (Citigroup, Australia) and Cris (Wall Street Journal, Singapore), Great Grandfather of Nikita, expired on 26. 11.2006. Contege leaves residence 142 New Bullers Road, Colombo 04, Sri Lanka at 2 p.m. on Wednesday 29.11.
2006 for Cremation at the Hindu Section, Borella Kanatte at 3p.m. The body will be kept at the above mentioned residence on Wednesday 29. 11.2006 (TP: 5337296/258 0361).
54 1/3 Rajasinghe Road, Colombo 06, Sri Lanka (12).
2:
Mr. Cinnaiah Sivapragasapillai fondly known as, Kundumani Master, passed away peacefully on Sunday 26th November 2006 in Colombo Sri Lanka, He was beloved husband of Mrs Ankayatkanni Sivapragasapilai ( Retired Assistant Principal of Ramanathan College, Chunnakam); ever loving brother Mr Cinnaiah Ratnasingham ( Malayasia), precious father
of Mrs Sivasakthy Sivanesan ( Caranatic Music Teacher, Bharayatiya Vidya Bhavan , London. ), Sivanathan & Sivanesan (Canada), Sivashankar (London), Sivakalai ( Colombo ), Sivaganga ( Austriyalia), Sivaharan (Colombo), father-in-law of Karthigesu Sivanesan (London ), Mythili Sivanathan & Usha Sivanesan (Canada ), Swaranarani Sivashankar ( London), Premnath & Sivanuja Sivaharan (Colombo ) and loving grandfather of Sivapriyai, Sivayogan, Luxan , Sivakumaran , Sivasruthi, Sivanangai, Sivagowri, Bhairavi, Mayuri , Sivashankari , Sivahami, Nethri, Kasthuri & Karthika .
After religious rituals from No.2, Vaidya Place, Vaidya Roadt, Delhiwalla, he was crenated on Thursday, 30th November 2006 at 3.30pm at Mount Lavinia Hindu Crematorium.
IN MEMORAMS
Second Year Remembrance
(1936-2004)
In ever loving and cherished memory of Mr Sinnathurai Kanagenthran on the second anniversary of his passing away on December 29, 2004. Deeply missed and dearly remembered by his beloved wife Vijeyaledohumy, son Akilan, relatives and friends world over. We will foreverpreciously treasure the love, wisdom and wonderful memories he brought into our lives.

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40 TAMIL TIMES
Fourth Year Remembrance
- In everloving memory of Mr. Canagasabai Viyakesparan on the third anniversary of his passing away on 13th December 2002.
Dearly loved, sadly missed and fondly remembered by his beloved wife Neelambal; loving Sons Jivitkumar, Branavan and Senthuran, daughters-in-law Roshanthi, Ramanthi and Vijitha, precious grandchildren Manisha, Manojkumar, Ambika and Janaka, Sister Viyakeswari brothers-in-law Sahadevan, Rasadevan, Vamadevan and Nadarajah.
- 787B Kenton Lane, Harrow, Middlesex HA36AH. Tel 020 8954 1640.
AUSTRALIAN NEWSLETTER
AUSTRALIA is witnessing several bushfire outbreaks this summer with hundreds of homeowners are preparing to fight or flee fires, with several fires burning out of control in Victoria, New South Wales and South Australia. In Victoria, about 12,000 hectare of mostly national park was razed in fires sparked by lightning on a single day. Among resources being used in Victoria to attack the fire included 7 tankers, nearly 100 other vehicles, 47 bulldozers and about 28 aircraft including the aircranes dubbed Elvis and Malcolm - where Smoky conditions allowed them to be deployed. As conditions worsened, the state of Victoria issued a plea for help across Tasman from New Zealand, since neighbouring states of New South Wales and South Australia were fighting their own bushfires and could not be relied on to help. The fires are expected to affect 600,000 hectare of forest and cleared land-half the devastation Caused in the entire 2002-03 Summer bushfires.
Thousands of Buddha Statues at the Melbourne Town Hall will form the largest display of its kind in Australia as part of next year's celebration of 2550 years of Buddhism. A relic from the Great Stupa in the Central Victorian town of Bendigo will be the centrepiece of the exhibition of statues, images and paintings from major temples acroSS Victoria. The week-long celebration will form part of Melbourne City Council's Chinese new year celebrations.
The Natural History Museum in London is to return the remains of eighteen aboriginal people to Australia, which includes the skull of an aboriginal person, thought to have been illegally exported to Britain in 1913. Australian Aborigines regards such collections as an affront to their customs and spiritual way of life and have long canpaigned for the repatriation of human remains held in British museums and universities.
SOUTHAUSTRALIAN motorists are set to become the first in Australia to face fines if they smoke in a car when a child is a passenger. Under the new laws police will have the power to issue an on-the-spot fine of A$75 to a anyone smoking in a
 

DECEMBER 2006
private car when a child under sixteen is present. According to Australian research findings, passive Smoking can cause a whole range of serious illnesses, including bronchitis, pneumonia, Chest infections, lung cancer and cardiovascular disease and about eight percent of new asthma cases in children are attributable to passive smoking.
MELBOURNE Lord Mayor John So has been voted the world's most outstanding mayor-five years after becoming the city's first popularly-elected leader. Between June and Octoberthis year more than one lakh people from across the globe voted on about 600+ mayors as part of the World Mayor internetbased project organised by City Mayors, a international organisation working to promote local government. Mr. So who was born in Southern China became the first directly-elected Lord Mayor of Melbourne in July'01, defeating several highprofile candidates, including Australian Democrats founder, Don Chipp.
- Sivasupramaniam Sitsabesan
Forthcoming Events
January 2006
18. ArmavaSai 20. Feast of St. Fabian
01. Pirathosha, The Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God
03. ThiruvenbaVai Ends &
Aarudra Tharshan, Fool
Moon,
06. Sankadakara Sathurthi; Maragatha Linga Abi; Solemnity of the Epiphany
21. Feast of St. Agnes 22. Sankadakara Sathurthi; Feast of St. Vincent 24. Feast of St. Francis de
Sales 25. Feast of the Conversion
Of St. Paul 27. Feast of St. Angelea
13. Feast of St Hilary Merici o 14. Thai Pongal 28. Feast of St. Thomas 15. EekathaSi Aquinas
16. PirathOSha 17. Feast of St.Anthony
29. Eekathasi 31. Feast of St. John Bosco
MOTHER EARTH
Varatha Shanmuganathan
Tsunami speaks and flash flood talks. The Arctic ice cap weeps. The drought keeps away the moisture Captive and dries up the pasture. A
Forest fires rage. Hurricanes and typhoons ravage. Carbon emissions and warming Oceans with them engage.
The geography, the topography Hot, cold, icy and windy Wild, tame and sandy Change. That's not handy.
Mother Earth, Bhudevi'and Poomaathevi'. Respectfully addressed but is indecently abused.
The nations of the World Respect our Earth all in all. Kyoto Agreement and Nairobi Summit Are meaningless unless we commit. Commitment and Peace on Earth Will save our beauteous Earth.
(Bhudevi-Sanskrit and Poomaathevi-Tamil)
kỵ

Page 41
DECEMBER 2006
Dancer performed With confidence, flair and freshness of flavour
Bharathanatya Arangetram of Rakshini Lakshmi Ravindran
Rakshini Lakshmi Ravindran's Bharathanatya Arangetram at the Beck Theatre on 2nd September 2006, was enthralling from start to finish. One was impressed by what one saw of Rakshini, a disciple of Smt. Indumathi Srikumar, a young dancer endowed with a prettyface and winning Smile. Her involved abhinaya and execution of jathis ShoWed that She is a dedicated learner, and has the enthusiasm and energy to portray the different facets of this form.
Rakshini Commenced the recital with Aananda Nantana Ganapthimin Ragam Natai, a composition of Oothukadu Venkata Subbaiyar. The way Rakshini presented the picturesque poses of Lord Ganesha that flashed One after the Other mirrored the artiste's devotion towards the art form and her request for perfection.
The main piece of the evening was the Varnam in Ragamalika setto Khanda Jathi Ata Talam. The Varnam was embellished with numerous exacting theermaniams, which she performed with aplomb. Hertotal involvement showed in her effortless abhinaya. Obviously, the thoroughness which she has imbibed has enabled her to put on a consummate form of Nritha and Natya.
The highlight of Rakshini Ravindran's dance Arangetram was the padam Kuyile in Ragam Yaman Kalyani. Shringara or the erotic Sentiment of love is universal and timeless. In this piece the nayika or heroine isin love with Lord Muruga and she talks about her passion, and her longing to be with him. She confides her feelings to a Cuckoo bird and sends it as a messenger of her love. The expressive side of the dancer came
“Thoorathup Pachchai”
One of the highlights of the cultural event presented by Tamil Relief Centre, Edmonton in the UK on 28 October 2006 at Salisbury School Edmonton was the drama called "Thoorathupachai" (The grass is greener on the other side of the fence). It was written and staged entirely by the senior citizens of the TRC. The cast comprised entirely of senior citizens, barring a very few who played minor roles. The theme selected was well known and popular, but some what threadbare. Nevertheless, it was presented well by the Writer and the actors made the whole story very gripping.
The play commences with an elderly lady who is in Sri Lanka, preparing to come to UK for holiday on the invitation extended by herson and daughter-in-law, who are living in the UK. Friends and relatives, who come to know of her trip, visit ostensibly to wish her, but in actual fact to send gifts through her to their kith and kin in UK. In this particular scene the author and the actors brought out the poignancy of the mentality of the visitors in sharp focus, a characteristic feature not uncommon in reality. One of her close friends, in Such a visit, suggests to her to consider her nephew as a Suitable marriage partner for her daughter who is of marriageable age.
 

TAMIL TIMES 41
forward in this piece. Rakshini's understanding of dance and her portrayal of the form exemplified the Solitary splendour of aesthetic excellence.
The Mahishasuramarthini Sthothram — Aiygirinandhini which followed the padams was another feature in Rakshini's cap, the Bhakthi Abhinaya was portrayed effortlessly and took the audience into a spiritual mood. The finale Thilana composed by Sri Maharajapuram Santhanam in Ragam Sivaranjini was a treat to watch, Rakshini performed with charm and perfection. There was no doubt that Rakshini mesmerised the audience with her scintillating performance that night. This was fully endorsed by the evening's Guest of Honour, Ms. Nartaki Nataraj, a famous Bharatathanatyam exponent from
Chennai.
A well deserved congratulations goes to the Guru, Smt. Indumathi Srikumar whose able guidance and dedication enabled Rakshini to reach such high standards. the night was further enriched by such fine accompanying artistes with Sri KRajasekharan, a product of the famous Kalakshetra, Chennaion Vocal whose powerful singinjust made the day for the audience, Mridangam by none other than Sri M. Balachandar, whose intricate playing along with the dancer's jathis and moods was simply superb, very well supported by Sri A.G.A. Gnanasundaram on Violin, Sri Thiagarajan Ramani of Chennaion flute and Selvi Shyla Shanmugalingam on Thambura.
An excellent Selection of RakShinis costumes, simple stage décor, crisp compereing by Smt. Ilamathi Skanthabalan, and above all commencing the Arangetram sharp on time added to the grandness of the night's programme. it is Worth Congratulating Rakshini's parents, Ravindran and Vanaja for having organised the evening So well.
Arangetram is only a stepping Stone in a dancer's career, therefore, I sincerely hope and wish that Rakshini will enhance further in this fine art and reach to great heights.
Gayathri Rajasekharan, M.A., M. Phil.
She treats that suggestion with complete disdain as she has already set her mind in finding a partner for her daughter in the UK, believing that the daughter could lead a cosy life in a foreign land. Having come overto UK and seen for herself the plight of the members of her expatriate community and their hectic life style, she gets disheartened. The disillusioned lady realises that it is a mirage that the grass at a distance appear greener and decides forth with to give her daughter in marriage to her nephew who is comfortably placed in Sri Lanka.
The play effectively drives home the point viz: it is the distance that lends a charm. Every one who took part in the drama, especially the senior citizens deserve highest accolade for their dedication and efforts. One could easily notice and admire the histrionic ability of the elderly lady who played the leading role. The three elderly gentlemen who played the role of custom officers were well composed and exhibited the stern character that normally associates with this profession. Besides, they were sartorially elegant in the customs officer's uniform dress.
The actors, most of them, have taken part in the drama produced last year as well. We could confidently expect, with the experience they are gaining and honing of their dramatic skills, more impressive performance next year.
- V.P. Singam

Page 42
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