More Deaths Doesnt Mean We are Winning.. Keep recent Histroy in Mind and be Careful..

Sri Lankan troops killed seven Tamil Tigers in the island's far north on Monday, taking the death toll from fierce fighting to 73, mostly rebels, since Saturday alone, the military said.

Troops destroyed three rebel bunkers in the far northern Jaffna peninsula early on Monday, the latest in a series of confrontations along a shared "border" that separates government territory from the rebels' de facto state in the north.

Weekend clashes in the northern Jaffna Peninsula, northern district of Vavuniya and northwestern district of Mannar amid now near-daily air raids, land and sea battles and bombings killed 62 rebels and four soldiers, the military said, as a 25-year civil war escalates.

"Troops attacked three bunkers in Jaffna and killed seven LTTE terrorists," a spokesman at the Media Centre for National Security said, asking not to be named in line with policy.

The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), who seek to carve out an independent state in north and east Sri Lanka, were not immediately available for comment.

There were no independent accounts of how many people were killed or what had happened. Analysts say both sides tend to overstate enemy losses and play down their own.

President Mahinda Rajapaksa's administration notified mediator Norway late on Thursday it was formally scrapping a six-year ceasefire pact that fell apart on the ground in early 2006. Well over 5,000 people have been killed since then.

The government has given a 14-day notice period, meaning the paper truce officially ends on Jan. 16.

Source-Reuters- click for more details

Back on Track.. At least trying to...

jan 07, Batticaloa: Sri Lanka Transport Board (SLTB) yesterday recommenced the public bus service between Batticaloa and Aryampathi after 18 years.

The bus service which links areas where Tamils and Muslims live was stopped in 1990 due to the rising of terrorist activities in the Batticaloa District.

According to SLTB sources, Kattankudi bus depot operates the service. There are 10 shuttles to be carried daily, the sources added.

Source-Lanka Page

www.youtube.com/watch?v=0SBFmJDR4ks

Ten governance lessons from Mervyn Silva episode

Mervyn Silva, some call him Dr. Mervyn or ‘Modern Dutugemunu’, (hereinafter Mervyn) is a character reflecting in today’s political culture. Politicians, sociologists, anthropologists and many others will try to understand how he operated with impunity for so long. What is attempted here is to identify some governance issues revolving around Mervyn’s political episode leading to a calamity at Rupavahini.

1. Being unhappy with insufficient prominence given in the previous day’s State television news, Mervyn has walked into the Rupavahini premises and assaulted the news editor! This is how today’s politicians understand State media. Mervyn is only one of them. All State media institutions, print or electronic, are engaged in “campaigns” for their political masters. State electronic media has, no doubt, produced good programmes but, they have continuously used news and contemporary programmes for propaganda activities, without any sense of public broadcasting. Boards of Directors are all appointed on political grounds (not on merit) and naturally, the appointing authorities do expect support in return in the form of “full prominence” at State expense.

2. An active media could not only expose these errant politicians but also control them by creating pressure on those who matter. Unfortunately, our polarised media, particularly, State media, did not sufficiently express solidarity previously, when Mervyn physically attacked journalists and private media institutions. The final (Rupavahini) episode has shown that even a polarised media can be united against a common threat, even belatedly. Hats off to the media for giving live pictures of the incident, while showing unconditional solidarity. Now, people expect the media not to give up halfway or allow compromises, short of successful prosecution of Mervyn and his gang, and expulsion from parliament once and for all. It is also important to be prepared to face persecution of Rupavahini staff at the instigation of political arm of the government.

3. Who appointed him to Parliament and then to cabinet? Mervyn has received less than 3000 preferential votes at the last general election. His wife, a National list MP, stepped down to make room for Mervyn to become an MP, after he failed to get elected. Ultimately, a person rejected by the voters was appointed a National list MP by the previous President. This raises a serious issue of the electoral system and how the system is abused by politicians. If the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) stands for democratic values, it is absolutely necessary for them to investigate the appointment of Mervyn as an MP, and take disciplinarily action for his misdemeanor. He could continue with his notorious activities with impunity, because he was appointed a minister and later, party organiser, by the present President. It is the President who is ultimately responsible for keeping him in the cabinet. Mere removal of Mervyn from cabinet at this stage, may only be a political strategy to keep him in politics, but what is required is to take this as a case study with a view to establishing rule of law even against ministers.

4. Who gave him a “Doctorate”? Obviously, those who have conferred him a bogus doctorate must be investigated to find out their expectations in awarding him such an “honour”. Awarding him an honour is certainly another contributory factor for him to continue with his thuggery.

5. No doubt, police had to protect even the suspected political thugs against attacks by unruly crowds. Police protection is at present needed more for the people than for the politicians. The policemen escorting politicians are also entitled to prevent the protected politician from engaging in unlawful activities and if necessary, to arrest them! Silence of the law enforcement officers is a matter of concern. This is probably the result of politicisation of police.

6. While being jubilant over a victory, it is pretty dangerous for the civilian population to think that the public will have more and more opportunities to physically confront politicians.

What is most likely is that opportunist politicians will use this trend to attack political opponents and critics using the unarmed civilians as a strategy. Thus the public should be careful not fall into traps of political parties, while engaging in collective action.

7. What types of bodyguards are used by today’s politicians? There is no screening of bodyguards and it is no secret that army deserters and criminals seek refuge under politicians, without any accountability. They are allegedly used by politicians when they need extra legal support to attack institutions, individuals and opponents. Who pays these thugs and under what accounts? Thus, there is a grave need to identify the aspect of financial irregularity and security threats created as a result of such recruitments.

8. Rupavahini footage shows that Mervyn was using “CC numbered” unregistered vehicles, which is an offence under section 2 of the Motor Traffic Act read with its regulations. He is always accompanied in these vehicles by thugs and protected by policemen; but why no prosecutions? Should not police take actions on this not following the normal law of the country?

9. Gun packing politician had to surrender to unarmed staff of the Rupavahini Corporation! The staff has shown that only spontaneous struggles can be successful in the face of armed political thugs. This also proves that no political ideology or political party leadership is needed to face threats of this nature, whatever the struggle may be. However, the staff needs more protection now than before, because there can be retaliations in the form of interesting investigations, at the instigations of the political masters. In that context, the staff has to be prepared to challenge the politically motivated groups of policemen and other investigations, which will be conducted probably by a set of stooges, handpicked by someone interested in the whole thing.

10. The President and the SLFP have now made statements to the effect that they will take tough action against Mervyn.

The final lesson to learn is not to take politicians’ public announcements seriously, until action is taken. It was also reported that the President had found fault with Rupavahini for giving undue publicity to Mervyn Silva’s issue! Among the possibilities are Mervyn being excluded (or being dropped half way), in a possible prosecution, unless there is a vigilant monitoring of the entire judicial process. Whether ‘B’ reports filed by police will contain true statement of facts is another issue because, it is alleged that he managed to substitute ‘B’ reports in his son’s case. This is a question of rule of law!

The above issues emphasise the need to have a fuller and comprehensive analysis of the situation rather than taking Mervyn’s Rupavahini episode in isolation.

Source
By J.C. Weliamuna
the Nation on Sunday..

Will it be over.. in 2008?

Sri Lanka's top military commanders have vowed to win the decades-old war against Tamil separatists in the new year, a state-run daily said.
Army chief Sarath Fonseka said he hoped government forces would be able to dislodge the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) from the line of bunkers guarding their de facto mini-state in the north of the island.

"We can bring the war against the LTTE to a turning point once we are able to destroy the LTTE capabilities to operate in bunkers and forward defence lines," Fonseka was quoted as saying in the Daily News.

The paper also quoted both navy chief Wasantha Karannagoda and air force commander Roshan Gunatilleke as saying they were "confident" of defeating the Tigers in the new year.

The LTTE has been leading a drawn-out campaign for an independent homeland for the island's ethnic Tamil minority since 1972. More than 60,000 people have been killed in the conflict.

Karannagoda said the guerrillas were starved of supplies after the navy sank their fleet of gun-running ships in 2007, but the rebels continued to receive some items from neighbouring India.

"The arms and ammunition they receive at present come only across the Palk Straits from Tamil Nadu" in southern India, the paper quoted Karannagoda as saying.

Government forces wrested control over the east of the island in July, and have since focused attention on dismantling the mini-state in the northern Wanni region.

"The Tri-Forces commanders yesterday expressed confidence that 2008 would be a decisive year in their effort of eliminating terrorism... they were already on course towards accomplishing this task," the Daily News said.

On Sunday, the state-run Sunday Observer said the military planned to "eliminate" the Tamil Tigers -- and their estimated 3,000-strong army -- in the next six months.

And on Saturday the brother of the island's President Mahinda Rajapakse and its powerful defence secretary, Gotabhaya Rajapakse, said the government should formally pull out of a now-moribund truce brokered by Norway in 2002.

The ceasefire, he said, has "become a joke."

The air force carried out strikes against rebel-held territory in the north on Monday, following heavy clashes at the weekend, military officials said.

The defence ministry said troops killed at least 33 members of the LTTE and wounded another 38 in the latest battles in the district of Mannar. The ministry placed its own losses at six soldiers wounded, but the Tigers said they had killed at least 20 government soldiers and wounded another 40.

Both sides regularly make sharply differing claims about the number of casualties and independent verification is rarely possible. Journalists are not allowed into rebel-held areas in the north.

AFP

Why is it so difficult..?

The SLFP is sharply divided over action against National List MP Mervin Silva who now faces the prospect of being produced in the Colombo Magistrate’s Court over last Thursday’s raid on Rupavahini where he was roughly dealt with.

While a section of the SLFP wants Silva to be prosecuted for leading an attack on a public institution, an influential section has disagreed, The Sunday Island learns.

Silva finished last in preferential vote terms on the party’s Colombo District list at the last parliamentary election but was appointed on the National List.

``He should be dealt with,’’ a serving minister who defected from the UNP said. ``The whole country wants it.’’

For over four hours, the government lost control of the station, an official said. Had that happened in any other country that would have signaled a military coup or a political take-over.

Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa during a meeting of the National Security Council had made this point. We learn that the government also expressed concern over the failure of law enforcement authorities to bring the situation under control for over four hours.

Police brass had acted blindly in an explosive situation with the army contributing to the mess, the sources said. It was case of law enforcers trying to negotiate with several hundred persons, the sources said.

"Take Mervin out of the picture and you get a different scene. The fact is that a minister was held hostage for over four hours in one of the most important public institutions," a senior official said. ``The rescue attempt was botched due to inept handling.’’

Although, the UNP Thursday night demanded that Silva be stripped of his ministerial portfolio and be prosecuted, the UNP, during its last tenure did nothing to discipline its members with pistol packing politicians and their sons allowed to run amok, government sources said on grounds of anonymity.

The SLFP had Silva’s wife on its National List, with some analysts saying that this was to guarantee then President Chandrika Kumaratunga of a seat in parliament if she wanted one under a new dispensation. In the event, Mrs. Mary Lucinda Silva gave her place to her husband.

SLFP General Secretary Maithripala Sirisena on Friday lashed out at Silva but by innuendo. Sirisena who had publicly advocated a tough stand against trouble-makers acknowledged that the top must set an example. Discipline, he asserted, should be restored from top to bottom and not the other way round.

Political sources said that the vast majority of the government parliamentary group wanted President Mahinda Rajapaksa to take disciplinary action against Silva and allow the Colombo Police to prosecute him but the boorish MP’s backers have made a strong case for him.

"The SLFP’s Kelaniya organizer (Silva) has influential associates," a senior public official said on condition of anonymity. ``Had the police been given a free hand, they wouldn’t have messed up the case.’’

He agreed that the local police made an obvious bid to shield the MP resulting in Colombo’s Chief Magistrate, Mr. Mohammed Macky, slamming the police for poor handling of the controversial case.

Referring to the MP’s conduct, Elmore M. Perera, President of the Organisation of Professional Associations (OPA) said, "What can you expect from a pig but a grunt."

The former Surveyor General who practiced law post-retirement, and is widely respected for his independence, noted that this was not an isolated incident. He accused the government and the top SLFP leadership of turning a blind eye to the despicable conduct of political ruffians. In fact, they, too, should be equally blamed for the general breakdown of law and order in the country, he said.

The state-controlled media too is divided over its handling of the issue. State media gurus have meekly accepted a political order that the incident should be played down. Rupavahini Chairman Ariyaratne Atugala during Thursday’s fracas called for a ``peaceful settlement.’’

A section of Rupavahini workers have accused him of siding with his political bosses who are only interested in protecting the likes of Silva. The government has directed the state media, both print and electronic, to play down the incident.

The footage of the incident had been taken by police to prevent Rupavahini from beaming it while senior management `white washers’ had taken action to censor the reports on the incident as the government wanted the story to die a natural death.

"This is nothing but censorship," a spokesman for Free Media Movement said.

ITN’s main news bulletin on Friday gave the incident which raged for hours exposure of a few seconds. Rupavahini was no better.

Media organisations accused the government of trying to portray Thursday’s violent protest against Silva as an UNP inspired campaign against the government. They said that Rupavahini’s decision to go live and invite rival media organisations, particularly Sirasa, had angered political bosses.

The JHU expressed its solidarity with Rupavahini workers on Friday when it joined a protest outside the station. The party’s decision may have been influenced by Silva’s attack on Ven. Kolonnawe Sumangala in Parliament on the day the Speaker was elected. Ven. Sumangala quit active politics immediately after that.

Police said that the arrest of a double murder suspect Mestriyage Don Nuwan Udaya Gunatilake of Nagahamulla, Kolonnawa who accompanied Silva and the presence of an influential Colombo Municipal Councillor believed to be one of the richest men in the country, besides Silva revealed the unholy alliance. The councilor tried to cover his face, but cameramen had managed to video him.

Although Silva’s gang had been armed and Silva himself was alleged to have carried a weapon and displayed it in Rupavahini Chairman’s room, police appeared to have ignored that fact.

The Island

I wonder if he learned about Newton's Laws in School..

Source http://www.lankatruth.com/