Pro-tiger elements dreamt of a Kilinochchi Consulate and lifting the Ban

By Walter Jayawardhana

A pro-Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) faction of Canada’s Liberal Party went to its last convention held to elect a new leader with a condition that if they won a future liberal Party government should establish a Canadian Consul General’s office in Kilinochchi.

Another pro-LTTE faction wanted them to promise they would lift the ban on the Tamil Tigers in return for their support for the support for the new leader.

The pro-Tiger cliques were demanding that they be granted those promises if they were to put their support behind anybody who were competing  to become the new Liberal Party leader.

But fortunately for Sri Lanka, those cliques were rejected revealed James Travers, columnist for the Toronto Star newspaper.

Writing in the issue of the Star of December 9 under the topic, Delegates as agents for ethnic interests, James Travers said, Ignatieff organizers say one Montreal faction put the price of its support on a future Liberal government establishing a consulate in the area fighting for independence. And Rae supporter Tarek Fatah this week exposed detailed discussions with Tamils allegedly offering to trade votes for a promise to delist Tiger guerrillas as terrorists.

Both campaigns say they rejected those and other ethnic overtures, claims strengthened by their conspicuous failure to win late-ballot converts. And there’s no evidence yet that anyone agreed to anything contrary to Canadian hegemony.

For a long time the pro-LTTE terrorist elements have established themselves in the Canadian Liberal Party to the extent that former Liberal Party Prime Minister (when he was the country’s Finance minister) Paul Martin and cabinet minister Maria Minna attended a Tamil New Year dinner held to collect funds for the terrorist group. It was in fact held by a front organization by the LTTE and the Liberal Party leaders attended the dinner despite a forewarning given by the Canadian High Commission in Colombo.

Writing about delegates who went to Montreal to take part in the Liberal Party Convention Travers said, a significant number of delegates went to Montreal as more than Liberals, or even Canadians they went as pressure points for ethnic and foreign interests. Groups with ties to Sri Lanka’s complex conflict are being singled out for their aggressive tactics.

 The following is the full text of the column:

Just seven days after choosing a new leader, Liberals have a problem that isn’t Stéphane Dion. His first-week reviews, while not entirely flattering, glow in contrast to retrospectives on the peculiar process that made him an upset winner.

It’s clear now that unusual forces shaped a convention that contradicts conventional wisdom. Nothing from Friday night’s speeches to Saturday’s maneuvers follows patterns that for decades made leadership choices somewhat predictable.

What didn’t happen is what now makes Montreal so intriguing. A too-close-to-call contest wasn’t won or lost in the campaign’s last public performance, and the final decision wasn’t primarily about winning the coming election.

Did the media miss some portentous tea leaves? Absolutely. But so did the political pros. Backroom thinkers for both front-runners confirmed in interviews this week that many of their seminal assumptions were simply wrong.

Based on polling and intuition, Bob Rae strategists believed his potential to beat Stephen Harper, his speechmaking and delegate fragmentation would put the former Ontario premier on the last ballot. Instead, the convention’s top priority wasn’t the coming election, the most troubled speaker is now leader, and voter blocs made the difference between winning and losing. Miscalculations by the Michael Ignatieff camp include faith that the party would forgive his Israeli war crime comments, that the Liberal establishment would protect its interests, and that enough delegates abandoning failing candidates would flock to the favorite.

Instead, Ignatieff was punished, even critically wounded, on a first ballot that wasn’t just pro forma, the party’s palace guard didn’t respond to Gerard Kennedy’s early move to Dion, and delegates driven by their own agendas migrated en masse.

Underlying all this is another twist that would be darkly humorous if it weren’t heavy with serious implications: A convention once destined to be decided by the Québécois-as-a-nation debate was skewed by the evolving political realities of a country of multiple nations.

A significant number of delegates went to Montreal as more than Liberals, or even Canadians they went as pressure points for ethnic and foreign interests.

Groups with ties to Sri Lanka’s complex conflict are being singled out for their aggressive tactics. Ignatieff organizers say one Montreal faction put the price of its support on a future Liberal government establishing a consulate in the area fighting for independence. And Rae supporter Tarek Fatah this week exposed detailed discussions with Tamils allegedly offering to trade votes for a promise to delist Tiger guerrillas as terrorists.

Both campaigns say they rejected those and other ethnic overtures, claims strengthened by their conspicuous failure to win late-ballot converts. And there’s no evidence yet that anyone agreed to anything contrary to Canadian hegemony.

But even if tainted by sour grapes, reports of such blatant bargaining are troubling. If nothing else, they suggest a fresh layer of partisan grubbiness.

True, block voting is not a new phenomenon. It’s both an established fact in party nomination fights for heavily ethnic urban ridings and an unseemly consideration in national immigration policies.

What’s also true is that citizen engagement is a democratic cornerstone. Active involvement is a positive, not a negative.

Still, the political process makes its own assumptions. Among them are these: Voting is an act of individual conscience; ballots are more than raw capital to be accumulated for barter; and everyone shares an overarching interest in the outcome, no matter how different their opinions.

All of last weekend’s deviations from those norms are worrying, particularly the absence of a common purpose. Shocked by their own conclusions, some organizers now say a number of delegates were united only by their interest and were peering at the political process through a different prism.

Delegates arriving in Montreal with fixed agendas were more interested in finding a sympathetic champion than a leader or winner. Why? Because they are willing to gamble and it’s a safe bet that sooner or later whoever leads the party will become prime minister.

Framed in that context, the convention decision changes. It becomes less about candidate qualities and more about their responses to specific demands.

Another convention decision makes that dynamic more ominous. After considerable debate, Liberals voted to save delegated conventions from the scrap heap.

Once again, that’s not quite what it seems. In opting for drama over less-theatrical, one-member, one-vote contests, Liberals rescued the process more easily manipulated.

That looks more dangerous today than a week ago. A convention showcasing a healthy coalition of green and young delegates, a convention that bucked much of the establishment to choose a decidedly different leader, is now attracting less complimentary attention.

Moving forward, Stéphane Dion still has ample opportunity to prove the choice was wise. But Liberals looking back a week have reason to worry about the future.   

 

Supermodels boosting the image of Lanka to the West

Text by Zanita Careem
Pix by Dimuthu Premaratne

Highway to Peace a fashion organised by the Sri Lanka Tourist Board and the United Nations Volunteers at H2O night club was a glitzy affair showcasing the latest collections from Lou Ching Wong, the Fabric Gallery, Vati fashions, Odel Unlimited, the Yoland Collection by Yoland Aluvihare Holm and a collection from the renowned Haute Couturier Roberto Henrichsen from Trash Couture. Trash couture is a popular label among Hollywood stars like JLO, Britney Spears, Angelina Jolie among several others.

There were four supermodels, from Europe who came all the way to take part in this fashion show.

The main objective of this event was to boost the image of Sri Lanka in Europe and fashion TV, Vogue and Condanast were here to cover this event.

Tourist Board Chairman, Udaya Nanayakkara said at a press conference that Sri Lanka is facing a major crisis in tourism. Sri Lanka is a tourist destination, we need to build confidence among the tourists in Europe. The Sri Lanka Tourist Board will continue hosting high people events to attract more celebrities in the future. These events will be an opportunity to portray a positive image of Sri Lanka said Udaya Nanayakkara.

Supermodel Dji Dieng who was here is known as the possible next Naomi Campbell of the fashion industry (La Republica 17th Oct.’06). With the longest measured legs on the catwalk and an electrifying presence, Dji models for brands such as Hermes, Vivienne Westwood, Trash couture and Diesel to name a few. This is Dji’s second visit to Sri Lanka under the SLTB’s invitation.

Supermodel Anna Zee is known for her platinum blond hair and icy skin. Her height and ‘blondness’ are permanently demanded from photographers, stylists and Haute-couturiers.

Stunning models Linde Stoel and Sophie Van Hoker will also join them on the catwalk alongside our own Sri Lanka models, which will be a great opportunity for our own young models and fashion industry, opening new avenues and opportunities for them to participate with supermodels, international Haute couturiers and gain exposure.

Major sponsors include, Dji Dieng Management/CCR Comptoir SA, SriLankan Airlines, Galle Face Hotel, H2O, in Vogue Magazine, Derana, Sunday Island, UNESCO, USAID, Odel, Lou Ching Wong, Vati, Fabric Gallery, Yoland Collections and Trash Couture.

The United Nations International Volunteers Day brought together volunteers from all walks of life, drawing attention to their important contributions to social development and peace building. This year the Sri Lanka Tourist Board and the United Nations Volunteers commemorate d International Volunteer Day by holding a Peace concer on December 5th and 6th with the theme of ‘Lets Volunteer for peace and MDGS’. ‘’With these events we aim to reflect on the spirit of the volunteerism in Sri Lanka, bring about awareness globally to our countries’ resilience, generate greater support for the Sri Lankan peace process, and most importantly, bring the tourists back to Sri Lanka’’, said Okama from the UN volunter service.

The peace concert hosted an array of entertainment, showcasing both local and international talents. Staged at the Sugathadasa Indoor stadium, the agenda included a laser show, performances by UN spokespersons Bathiya and Santhush, the Sunera foundation, “Salamalakum” by supermodel Dji Dieng and German jazz/pop violinist Lando, up and coming French rock star Thomas Lavernhe and the world famous electronica group Supermax. This concert aimed to reach over 1.5 million television viewers islandwide over the age of eighteen, 3000 participants, and over 1 million overseas viewers linked via satellite transmission and web cast, said Okama.

-The Sunday Island

 

Susie, Prasanna in the running

Sprint-queen Susanthika Jayasinghe will eye her second consecutive Asian Games gold medal in women’s 100m this afternoon, following her emphatic victory in a rain affected heat that saw her making to the final eight of the shorter sprint here at the Al Khalifa Stadium, yesterday.

Jayasinghe is the reigning Asian Games champion following her victory at the last edition in Busan, South Korea four years ago.

Thousands of supporters filled the seats of an otherwise empty stadium to support their heroine and Jayasinghe provided them with plenty to cheer about.

Having got off to a perfect start, Jayasinghe proved that she is still one to be reckoned with even at the age of 31, clocking an impressive 11.50 secs.

"I will win," Jayasinghe uttered with full of confidence.

The heavy rains continued to hamper the proceedings of the second day in succession with organizers making every possible effort to keep events to the schedule.

Jayasinghe, who has just recovered from viral flu, Chikungunya, was in perfect condition and will now face the biggest test this afternoon when she runs in the final at 20.45 hours Sri Lankan time.

"I can’t tell anything more but I am going to take the gold medal home," a confident Jayasinghe assured her supporters.

However, Guzel Khubbieva of Uzbekistan recorded the best timing in heats, 11.38 secs followed by young Bahraini athlete Al Ghasara Ruqaya, who clocked 11.40 secs.

Umanga Surendra, the men’s 100m sprinter made no impression as he crashed out of the final after clocking a poor 10.80 secs in heats. Umanga, the South Asian Games champion with a best of 10.52 secs, managed to finish fourth.

Sri Lanka’s 400m runner, Rohan Pradeep Kumara crashed out of the men’s 400m final following a disappointing run in the first heat. Rohan, the bronze medallist at the previous games in Busan, Korea, was far behind his usual form and clocked a pathetic 47.91 secs to finish fourth thus making an early exit from the Games. But his compatriot Prasanna Amarasekera made his way through to the final finishing second in the third and the final heat. Young Amarasekera clocked 47.79 seconds to book his place in the final which will be held on Sunday.

In men’s Long jump qualifying round, Sri Lanka’s Nayana Prasad finished last out of eight competitors, clearing a distance of 6.71metres.

Chaminda Wijekoon finished last in the men’s 1500m heats clocking a pathetic 3 minute:51.23 seconds.

Meanwhile, Sri Lanka’s high jump sensation Manjula Kumara will be looking at his first-ever Asian Games gold medal when he takes the field in the men’s high jump final at 18.30 hours Sri Lanka time at the Al Khalifa Stadium this afternoon. He will be joined by Nalin Priyantha, another promising high jumper in the making.

Manjula, the Asian Championship gold medallist, will be strongly challenged by Japanese, Daigo Naoyuki and Huang Haiiqiang of China who will take the filed as top ranked competitors with personal bests of 2.33 and 2.28 metres.

However, the young high jumper was full of confidence of winning the title — a feat Sri Lanka has failed to achieve since 1962 Asian Games. Nagalingam Ethirveerasingham won Sri Lanka’s first-ever high jump gold medal in 1962.

Sri Lanka’s women javelin throwers, Nadeeka Lakmali and Anne Maheshi and shot putter Nadeeka Muthunayake will also battle it out in their respective finals today.

Following the retirement of the 400m women’s champion Damayanthi Darsha, Menaka Wickramasinghe and Chandrika Subashini will try to make a winning start in their respective heats to earn a placing in the women’s 400m finals.

Despites, Jayasinghe’s performances, the rest of the Sri Lankans competing in 23 other disciplines continued to falter on day nine of the competition with no noteworthy performances being recorded.

-The Sunday Island

 

Thousands flee and scores are kiiled as LTTE targets guns on civilians

By Walter Jayawardhana

Heavy casualties have been reported in the Seruwila area in the Eastern Province where Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) artillery guns have been targeted at civilian settlements in Serunuwara and and Somapura in the besieged Eastern Province of Sri Lanka, hospital sources in Kanthale said.

Sri Lanka Army sources said two soldiers died and scores of other soldiers injured when the LTTE targeted their army camp with artillery fire.

Two soldiers paid supreme sacrifice and 30, were injured in the armed confrontation with the tiger terrorists when they launched artillery and mortar attacks, in Kallar, and Serunuwara area today (09) since morning, the army said.

Independent reports said at least four civilians got killed and scores of others have been injured when the LTTE fighters aimed their artillery guns at Sinhalese villages in the Eastern province according to reports collected at the Kanthale hospital from the injured.

The artillery attacks started 5.30 a.m. on the villages of Serunuwara, Somapura, and Mahindapura making thousands of Sinhalese villagers flee for safer areas the injured said. Six civilians have been admitted to the Kanthale Hospital and a 22 year old young woman who was seriously injured has been transferred to Kandy hospital the sources said. Among the injured was also a home guard.

Army sources said, the continuous artillery and mortar attack on the villages have prompted over 3000 civilians to leave their homes and seek safety. These displaced persons numbering 276 belonging to 98 families are staying in the Agrebodhi Viharaya, Kantalai and another, 650, at Suriyapura School. Many other refugees were also at Virunna Pirivena Kanthale.

Refugees claimed that the artillery fire has been targeted on their villages have been fired from the LTTE guns in the Eichilanpattu jungles where the Tamil guerillas are camping.

The dead body of a 15 year girl struck by the LTTE mortar fire was seen at the mortuary of the Serunuwara hospital, the hospital sources said. Kallar, Medagama have also been struck by the artillery fire refugees said.  Refugees from Sirimangalapura said they were transported to Suriyapola by a truck belonging to the temple. They used the same cab to transport two civilians who died by the LTTE shells. Another dead body had to be abandoned by the monk due to a shower of LTTE RPG’s they said.

Rehabilitation Minister Ishak Badurdeen was in Kantale hospital to find out the immediate needs of the hospital. Many complained to him about the shortages of the hospital.

Due to the ensuing battle there were also 9 dead bodies at Vakarai hospital mortuary.  About 25 were receiving treatment hospital sources said. Hospital sources also requested the ICRC to transfer 13 of them to Batticaloa hospital, they said.   

 

Tamil Nadu backs LTTE? That’s a misconception

By Mangala Moonesinghe

There is a misperception prevailing amongst many people in Sri Lanka regarding the government and people of Tamil Nadu as patently demonstrating a heavy bias in favour of the LTTE. This may be due to a variety of reasons but primarily as a fall out of the anti Tamil riots that occurred in 1983 and the reaction of Tamil Nadu and the Indian government to the barbaric attack on innocent Tamils living in Colombo.

With the passage of time it has become clear that 1983 was not a spontaneous uprising of the Sinhalese against the Tamils but an organized attack by a group of Sinhala extremists. It also remains clear that the State apparatus that should have moved into action to suppress the mobs failed in their duty and permitted the most inhuman attack on the Tamil citizens of this country who had no protection from their government.

Conundrum

India accepted the Sri Lankan government’s invitation and moved in to help resolve the ethnic problem with increased devolution through the establishment of the Provincial Government system and the merger of the Northern and Eastern Provincial Councils. This helped to ease the conundrum that existed at the time and re-established friendly relations between the two countries.

historical process

The historical process moves on and nothing remains static. The negative reaction and attitudes expressed by the people of Tamil Nadu and its leadership at that time has since changed. This is due to the intervening events and development that has taken place to make an attitudinal change in the thinking of the people and in the Governments in Tamil Nadu.

The assassination of the former Prime Minister Shri Rajiv Gandhi in 1991 by a LTTE suicide cadre in Tamil Nadu, changed the minds of the people of both Tamil Nadu and of the whole of India to one of extreme anger and hostility towards the perpetrators. The accused were tried and convicted of the murder of their young, popular, and most promising Prime Minister at the time. The government of India has since banned the LTTE and renews the legal request for the extradition of the leader of the LTTE.

It is in the light of these events that one must analyse and scrupulously understand that the relations of India and Tamil Nadu has changed since then to one of neutrality and friendship to Sri Lanka. We have overcome the unfortunate turn of events that cast displeasure with the unceremonious demand for the withdrawal of the IPKF.

More mature

We the people and the Governments have since then been more mature in our approach to our dealing with the various dilemmas faced in the ethnic crisis. No amount of provocation by the LTTE has brought about a negative Sinhala reaction against the Tamil minority. However over the years the actions of the LTTE has provoked several countries to proscribe the LTTE.

It is also pertinent to refer to the leader of the MDMK party in Tamil Nadu, Mr. Vaiko. He is the surrogate and the standard bearer of the LTTE . But the strength of the party and its leader has not been analysed sufficiently.

A few years ago during the AIDMK government under Chief Minister Jayalalitha, Vaiko was incarcerated for two years due to a call made by him at a public meeting to support the LTTE, a proscribed organization in India and he was convicted for violating a section of the Prevention of Terrorism Act. If the people of Tamil Nadu felt such empathy to Vaiko one would have expected demonstrations and protests on the streets of Chennai for his release. No such demonstrations took place.

The two major parties elected to govern Tamil Nadu during the past two decades have always been the DMK led by Karunanidhi and the AIMDK under the leadership of Jayalalitha Both these governments have shown no leniency towards the LTTE since the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi. For the benefit of the readers, the election results obtained from the Elections Commission of India -State Elections 2006, 2001 and 1996 to the Legislative Assembly of Tamil Nadu are given below.

State Elections 2006 to the Legislative Assembly of Tamil Nadu.

Contested Won

DMK 132 96

AIADMK 188 61

MDMK 35 6

State Elections 2001 to the Legislative Assembly of Tamil Nadu

Contested Won

AIDMK 141 132

DMK 183 31

MDMK 211 0

State Elections 1996 to the Legislative Assembly of Tamil Nadu

Contested Won

DMK 182 173

AIDMK 168 4

MDMK 177 0

The above figures clearly indicate the strength of the LTTE amongst the people of Tamil Nadu as represented by Vaiko who leads the MDMK.

India including Tamil Nadu is our closest neighbour. For centuries the people of the two countries, have been integrated by common cultural, religious and linguistics ties. India is projected to surface as a global economic power house. The state of Tamil Nadu is fast becoming the industrial base of India while Bangalore and Hyderabad are the recognized centers for the exponential growth of the IT industry.

India with its second largest market in the world can be a distinct advantage to the economic and social development of Sri Lanka. For the past few years India has become the number one tourist generating country to Sri Lanka and a large proportion of this traffic comes from Tamil Nadu. In the area of trade too Tamil Nadu’s contribution to the increase in bilateral trade is impressive. At the time the Free Trade Agreement was signed between India and Sri Lanka in 1998, India exported goods to the value of US$ 555 million to Sri Lanka, and Sri Lanka in the same year exported goods to the value of US$ 35 million to India. In 2003 India exported to Sri Lanka goods to the value of US$ 1,076.17 million and in the same year Sri Lanka exported goods to India to the value of US$ 241.14 million. During this period while India exports to Sri Lanka doubled in value Sri Lanka has increased the value of exports to India from US$ 35 million to US$ 241.14 million. ( figures obtained from the Ministry of Commerce Feb. 2004, Customs data 2004).

Change

The importance of the facts given above is to see that we go ahead with our negotiations with the LTTE and arrive at a solution acceptable to all the contending parties which will provide us with the base for accelerated economic and social development. The situation favourable to us today can change tomorrow. Hence in the pursuit of retaliatory military operations, it must be of paramount importance to ensure that no civilians become the victims of attacks. Under no circumstances can we forget that they need to be protected, fed, provided with shelter, medical facilities and other basic human needs. This is an obligation of the government which must ensure the wellbeing of all the people of the country.

It is also necessary to remind ourselves that in conflict resolution, antagonisms must be eliminated and an atmosphere of compromise and accommodation is substituted. If not, the platform for negotiations collapses. It is the positives that must come to the forefront.

What will we gain by an end to the war? Save lives of soldiers, prevent an increase in the number of maimed individuals, prevent the deaths of innocent civilians caught in the crossfire, prevent children being traumatized, prevent brutalization of society, and not of least importance is the creation of conditions enabling an economic take off.

Today we have a unique situation where the two major parties have come together to resolve the ethnic issue, an important factor that eluded the country in its search for peace all these years. It is absolutely vital that we present a devolution package that will satisfy the contending parties without any further procrastination. We have discussed the package of devolution for over 20 years and have held many All Party Conferences and yet have stagnated without any movement forward. Since the confrontational posturing of the two major parties has been removed, it should be easier to work out a consensus without any fear. It is therefore necessary to bring about a closure to this much vexed problem and face the 21st century with hope for a better future for all our people.

(The writer served two terms as Sri Lanka’s High Commissioner to India between 1995 and 2000 and again between 2002 and 2005. He also chaired the Parliamentary Select Committee to arrive at a political solution to the problems of the Northern and Eastern Provinces)

-The Sunday Island