LTTE: 'no need to renegotiate 2002 ceasefire'

No. 304 

POLL 

CALLS 

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India's military is retooling to project force more expansively - Anand Giridharadas, p5 

TAMIL GUARDIAN £1.50 

LTTE: ‘no need 

to renegotiate 

2002 ceasefire’ 

STARVATION 

ALERT 

WEDNESDAY JULY 27, 2005 www.tamilguardian.com 

CHEMICAL 

SIZZLER 

Page 6 Page 7 

REJECTING a call by Pres- ation." 

and civilians have been 

ident Chandrika Kumarat- "The failure on the part killed in recent months despunga 

inviting them for top- of the Sri Lankan governite the ceasefire that has givlevel 

talks to review and ment to comply with the en Sri Lanka its longest taste 

restructure the February conditions and obligations of relative peace since the 

2002 ceasefire agreement, of the truce agreement is the conflict erupted in the eight- 

the Liberation Tigers this causative factor for the outies. Several Sri Lankan poli- 

week urged the Sri Lankan break of violence and [ensucemen and soldiers reported- 

government to implement ing] instability in the eastern ly associated with the mili- 

the clauses and obligations districts," he said. 

tary intelligence have also 

of the truce without delay, so "The only way to stren- been killed in counter- 

as to "consolidate the condigthen the ceasefire, the very attacks blamed on the LTTE. 

tions of peace and normalcy foundation of the peace "The government's claim 

in the Tamil homeland." process, is to implement the that it did not condone or 

On Monday, President agreed clauses of the agree- support the activities of 

Kumaratunga, meeting with ment," Mr. Balasingham told Tamil paramilitaries and that 

ambassadors of the Co- Tamil Guardian. 

these groups had already 

Chairs of the Peace Process The LTTE's theoretician been disarmed under the 

(United States, European welcomed the "timely inter- ceasefire agreement is a 

Union, Japan and Norway) vention" of the Co-Chairs of baseless and malicious lie," 

in the wake of their govern- Peace Process in urging the Mr. Balasingham said. 

ments' strong criticism of Sri Lankan government to "It is a well known fact 

Colombo's failure to disarm disarm the Army-backed Ta- that the Sri Lankan armed 

Tamil paramilitaries workmil paramilitaries and to en- forces, particularly the inteling 

with the Sri Lankan milsure the security of unarmed ligence wing of the military, 

itary, had rejected the char- LTTE cadres working in operate in collusion with the 

ges and sought the renegoti- government controlled areas Tamil armed groups and 

ation of the February 2002 in compliance with the were behind the cold-blood- 

ceasefire agreement instead. ceasefire agreement. ed murders of several LTTE 

Commenting on the vie- Last week the Co-Chairs cadres and supporters in the 

ws expressed by President said they were "alarmed the eastern province," he said. 

Kumaratunga to the diplo- deteriorating security situa- "These killings, which 

mats, the LTTE's Chief Negtion in Sri Lanka," and assumed the characteristic of 

otiator and Political Advisor, called for a cessation to the shadow war against the 

Mr. Anton Balasingham, bl- violence. 

LTTE, has generated a danamed 

the Sri Lankan govern- Pointedly, whilst also gerous situation jeopardising 

ment for the non-fulfilment urging the LTTE "to stop all the ceasefire agreement," he 

of the obligations of the killings by their forces," the further said. 

ceasefire agreement which Co-Chairs insisted "the Sri "It is therefore the respo- 

contributed to the deteriora- Lankan government must nsibility of the Sri Lankan 

tion of the security situations ensure that all paramilitary state to take urgent action to 

in the island's east. 

groups are disarmed and pre- ensure the disarmament of 

In a special interview to vented from any activity that the paramilitary groups and 

the Tamil Guardian, Mr. Ba- might lead to acts of vio- to prevent them from engag- The newly built Sri Murugan Temple in East Ham, London, is styled on traditional Tamil 

lasingham Tuesday asserted lence. The government must ing in acts of violence," Mr. temples. The building, the interior of which is completed, has opened to the public even as 

that there was "essentially also guarantee the security Balasingham said. 

work continues on the elaborate exterior. However, the much awaited chariot 'ther' festi- 

nothing wrong with struc- of unarmed LTTE cadres in The LTTE's Chief val has reportedly been temporarily suspended as the authorities have withdrawn permisture 

of the ceasefire agree- government controlled Negotiator is of the opinion sion for the event which draws thousands of Tamils from across Europe. Photo A. Bala 

ment that needed revision or areas." 

that there is no need for the 

restructuring through negoti- Dozens of LTTE cadres Continued on page 2 

Morale low in MI - report India to train SLAF 

A FIVE-MEMBER team more advanced than the ones A joint statement issued 

MORALE is breaking down they are left high and dry elligence Director General from the Sri Lanka Air Force manufactured in India, from at the end of the visit noted 

in Sri Lanka's military intel- following what they see as Kapila Hendawitharana was (SLAF) was in India last another source, the paper that "particular concern was 

ligence due to unexpected shocking changes at the hier- suddenly removed from the month examining the train- added, without elaborating. expressed over the illegal 

changes in its command archy and the directive from post isolating a large number ing facilities available for air The Sri Lankan team vis- acquisition of air capability." 

structure and casualties in the top to scale down the of ground level members, defence as well as equipmeited the main IAF air defe- Before these high level 

the continuing shadow war intelligence operations", a who had been operating unnt to counter air threats, the nce facility in Lucknow, the talks in New Delhi, Indian 

between Army-backed para- senior military officer said. der direct orders from him, Sunday Times reported. capital of the state of Uttar External Affairs Minister 

militaries and the Liberation He said a number of me- the Daily Mirror reported. The move is prompted Pradesh where they saw air Kanwar Natwar Singh decl- 

Tigers, the Daily Mirror mbers of the intelligence un- Earlier Trincomalee Inte- by the reported acquisition defence operations systems ared that India is concerned 

reported Tuesday. 

it, mostly Majors and Captlligence Chief Chandika of air capability by the Lib- and how personnel are trai- about information that the 

"Most ground level army ains had requested transfers Mahathanthilage was transferation Tigers, the paper ned. They also visited Uterl- LTTE had built an airstrip 

sleuths have decided to or to be allowed to resign. erred to Colombo Headq- said. ai in the state of Rajasthan and acquired aircraft. He 

either move out to other The official said that for uarters, the paper said, sug- The five SLAF officials where they saw air defence told the Chennai based The 

divisions or resign following some time intelligence offigesting pressure from Tamil met the Commander of Ind- equipment including radars. Hindu newspaper the LTTE 

the recent shake-up in the cers had been leaving in dis- politicians who accuse him ian Air Force, Air Chief Ma- The SLAF team's visit to was believed to be getting 

military intelligence direcgust because they were not of being involved in the rshal Shashindra Pal Tyagi, India came in the wake of more aircraft. 

torate," the paper quoted an given adequate protection or recent killings of LTTE and other high ranking Indi- talks President Chandrika The Sri Lankan govern- 

official as saying this week. the necessary facilities to members was to blame. ans. The Sunday Times rep- Kumaratunga held with Indment also circulated an aide 

He was speaking amidst carry out their duties effi- Earlier, Welikanda Inteo-rted that though the SLAF ian Prime Minister, Manmo- memoire to several countries 

confusing and conflicting ciently.lligence 

Officer Sudarman team inspected air defence han Singh during a three-day giving details of how the 

reports over top level cha- Several MI operatives Gamage was transferred and equipment, no decision has visit to New Delhi beginning LTTE constructed a runway 

nges in the Directorate of organising paramilitary atta- two Captains in the military been made to procure them June 2 this year. Among and acquired aircraft, saying 

Military Intelligence, the cks on the LTTE have been intelligence attached to the so far. 

other matters, both leaders this constituted a threat to 

Daily Mirror said. 

killed in counter-attacks 23rd Division in Batticaloa However, the Sri Lankan had discussed the Tiger the entire region and was in 

"Intelligence personnel blamed on the Tigers. were also transferred, the government has obtained pa- guerrilla acquisiti-on of air violation of the Ceasefire 

are disillusioned. They feel Last Friday Military Int- paper added. 

rt of these needs, said to be capability, the pap-er added. Agreement. 

LONDON'S Tamils were 

shocked this week when two 

of their biggest annual community 

events were disrupted 

when police withdrew 

their pledged support only 

days before they were scheduled 

to take place, citing the 

possibility of public disorder. 

Organisers of the Tamil 

Sports Festival, which was 

expected to draw up to 

15,000 people on July 31, 

were forced to cancel the 

event this week after 

Guilford Borough withdrew 

their venue, saying Police 

had expressed "concern at 

the likelihood of serious disorder 

both at the event and in 

the surrounding community." 

One of London's oldest 

Tamil places of worship, the 

East Ham Sri Murugan 

Temple, has this week been 

forced to temporarily suspend 

its famous chariot festival 

this year after police 

withdrew permission for the 

event. 

Sources close to the temple 

committee told Tamil 

Guardian the police had 

refused permission for the 

days-long event - scheduled 

to begin on Sunday July 17 - 

on the grounds that there 

could be public disorder. 

The temple committee is 

said to be stunned and are in 

urgent negotiations to secure 

permission for the event, 

which also draws thousands 

of Tamils from across 

Britain and Europe, to go 

ahead. 

SEE INSIDE FOR FURTHER DETAILS 

ISSN 1369-2208 

Shock, dismay as 

Tamil community 

events are struck 

as London police 

withdraw support 

SRI LANKA'S Prime Minister 

Mahinda Rajapakse has 

been named the ruling party's 

presidential candidate as 

the incumbent president's 

second six-year term draws 

to a close. 

A 10-member committee 

nominated Rajapakse on 

Tuesday night and an official 

announcement will be made 

after the party's central committee 

endorses it Thursday, 

an official at the prime minister's 

office told the Associated 

Press on condition of 

anonymity. 

Rajapakse, 59, is a senior 

politician who has held important 

labor and fisheries 

ministries under President 

Chandrika Kumaratunga and 

was appointed prime minister 

after Kumaratunga's party 

returned to power in the 

April 2004 Parliamentary 

The British Tamil Association 

(BTA), which organises 

the Tamil Sports Festival, 

had only two weeks ago 

received a clear endorsement 

from Surrey (County) 

police, from whom they had 

also hired a police team. 

An official letter to the 

BTA signed by a senior 

police officer was obtained 

by Tamil Guardian. It says: 

"further to our meeting … I 

am pleased to confirm 

Surrey Police attendance at 

the Tamil Sports Festival on 

31st July 2005. I have 

arranged to provide a total of 

seven officers which will 

consist of a Sergeant, 3 

Police constables and 3 

Special Police Constables." 

However last week, 

Guilford Borough Council, 

which had long ago granted 

permission to the BTA, 

wrote to them again, saying: 

"the Council has received 

strong representations from 

Surrey Police in connection 

with the proposed sports festival." 

"Having assessed the 

history of crime and disorder 

associated with similar 

events in the past, the Police 

are concerned at the likelihood 

of serious disorder 

both at the event and in the 

surrounding community. 

They have therefore strongly 

advised the Council not to 

grant permission for the use 

of Stoke Park for this event," 

the Council said. 

But BTA officials said 

that the event which has 

Continued on page 2 

Rajapakse picked as 

presidential candidate 

election. 

Rajapakse's nomination 

comes amid divisions as to 

when the next presidential 

poll should be held. 

Opposition Leader Ranil 

Wickermesinghe, who will 

be Rajapakse's chief rival, 

says Kumaratunga's presidential 

term ends in December. 

However, the ruling Sri 

Lanka Freedom Party says 

Kumaratunga is entitled to 

be in office for another year 

from December, because she 

ended her first term one year 

ahead of schedule. 

The main opposition United 

National Party last week 

accused Rajapaksa of trying 

to siphon off nearly 83 million 

rupees ($827,000) worth 

of aid, but investigators 

say they have not found evidence 

of wrongdoing. 

Reaching out, p2

2 NEWS 

Tamil Guardian Wednesday July 27, 2005 

Kumaratunga 

reaches out to 

UNP, slams JVP 

AS PRESIDENT Chandrika 

Kumaratunga's minority government 

limps on in the 

wake of the exit of a key Parliamentary 

ally, she is reaching 

out to the main opposition 

United National Party 

(UNP), weekend reports 

said. A meeting between President 

Kumaratunga and 

Opposition Leader, Mr. Ranil 

Wickremesinghe could 

take place soon to discuss 

options, The Island newspaper 

reported. 

A meeting last Tuesday 

between the President and 

UNP Chairman Malik Samarawickrema 

has sparked speculation. 

Kumaratunga had 

initiated a lengthy conversation, 

The Island reported. 

Discussions on when a 

presidential election is due 

had figured in the talks with 

Samarawickrema urging the 

UNP point of view that it 

should be this year, while 

Kumaratunga held the view 

that it is due next year, the 

paper said. 

Their talks had been 

"cordial" with Samarawickrema 

taking the position that 

as the President had taken 

her oaths following her reelection 

in December, 1999 

that an election is due six years 

thereafter - that is in December 

2005, the paper said. 

However, according to 

constitutional lawyers, there 

is a strong case for Kumaratunga's 

position that under 

President J. R. Jayewardene's 

Third Amendment to the 

Constitution, her second term 

had begun on the date in 

the following year corresponding 

to that in which her 

first term began - that is November 

2000. That would 

mean that she could continue 

till November 2006. 

But "there has been agreement 

during the talks that 

divisions in the southern polity 

had strengthened the ha- 

nds of disruptive elements 

and also that Sri Lanka's development 

had been deeply 

hampered by the actions of 

politicians of all sides," The 

Island reported. 

Samarawickrema has 

suggested that the President 

and Wickremesinghe, who 

was in the US last week, discuss 

the matters they had 

gone over on the Opposition 

Leader's return to Colombo 

and Kumaratunga had agreed. 

"It is expected that a meeting 

will take place in the 

short-term," the paper said. 

UNP sources told The 

Island that Samarawickrema 

had kept Wickremesinghe as 

well as the party's deputy 

leader, Karu Jayasuriya, fully 

briefed on the talks. 

The Sunday Times newspaper 

carried details of what 

President had argued: "She 

said till the Presidential elections 

next year, she could 

work closely with the UNP." 

The President had been 

bitterly critical of the Janatha 

Vimukthi Peramuna 

(JVP), the ultra-nationalist 

party, considered the third 

force in Sinhala politics, 

behind the UNP and Kumaratunga's 

Sri Lanka Freedom 

Party (SLFP). 

In protest at Kumaratunga's 

decision to sign an aidsharing 

deal with the Tamil 

Tigers, last month the JVP 

quit the United People's Freedom 

Alliance (UPFA) which 

it had formed with the 

SLFP and other much smaller 

parties. 

President Kumaratunga 

had "said it was very difficult 

to work with the JVP 

and she never wanted to do 

it. In fact she had conveyed 

through her advisor Mano 

Tittawella to UNP leader Ranil 

Wickremesinghe the need 

to get together since both 

sides faced a threat from the 

JVP," the Sunday Times 

said. 

Kumaratunga proposed 

that at least now her party 

and the UNP should formulate 

a Common Minimum 

Programme to create a better 

environment politically, the 

paper said. 

"Such a programme could 

focus on revision of polls 

laws, which some analysts 

said, was to sideline the JVP. 

The other was to amend the 

Constitution. Both were to 

teach a lesson to the JVP." 

But Kumaratunga is facing 

challenges to her continuation 

as head of state fro 

within her SLFP, not least 

from Prime Minister Mahinda 

Rajapakse's camp who 

are promoting him to be the 

next Presidential candidate. 

However Kumaratunga 

"said she would determine 

the next presidential candidate 

and not anyone else," 

the Sunday Times said. 

The paper quoted her as 

lashing out at opponents 

within the SLFP, saying 

there were only a few families 

in Sri Lanka that had 

contributed national leaders. 

Kumaratunga is from the 

Bandaranayake family. Both 

her parents were Prime 

Ministers, her father in the 

fifties and her mother in the 

seventies. 

On July 15, the final lap 

of a protest march organised 

by the UNP drew around 

two hundred thousand antigovernment 

protesters in 

Colombo as it reached the 

final destination. 

The protest demanding 

the UPFA government and 

President Kumaratunge to 

hold the Presidential polls 

this year crippled the traffic 

in Colombo city. 

The Up-country Peoples 

Front, the Western Province 

Peoples Front and the Sri 

Lanka Muslim Congress 

took part in the final lap of 

the march along with the 

UNP leaders. 

World leaders call for 

early Presidential elections 

THE International Democratic 

Union (IDU) which met 

in Washington DC Monday 

last week under the Chairmanship 

of Prime Minister John 

Howard of Australia, expressed 

concern "at the attempts 

made by the Government 

of Sri Lanka to postpone 

the Presidential Election 

scheduled for this year 

[2005]," and called for the 

elections to be held in 2005. 

A press release issued by 

Sri Lanka's main opposition 

United National Party Thursday 

said 26 political party 

leaders, including 3 prime 

ministers had endorsed the 

call. Full text of the UNP 

press release follows: 

"Under the Chairmanship 

of Prime Minister John 

Howard of Australia, the International 

Democrat Union 

(IDU) unanimously adopted 

a resolution calling for the 

Sri Lanka Presidential election 

to be held in 2005. 

"The resolution stated, 

'The IDU expresses its concern 

at the attempts made by 

the Government of Sri 

Lanka to postpone the 

Presidential Election scheduled 

for this year. The IDU 

supports the efforts of the 

UNP and other democratic 

organizations to ensure that 

the sovereignty of the people 

is upheld and the people of 

Sri Lanka are able to exercise 

their franchise for the 

election of a President of the 

Republic this year.? 

"Party Leaders from 26 

countries, including 3 Prime 

Ministers participated at the 

meeting. This included the 

Australian Prime Minister 

John Howard, Norwegian 

Foreign Minister Jan Petersen, 

Chairman of the U.S. 

Republican Party Ken Mehlman 

and Liam Fox Chairman 

of the Conservative party 

of the U.K. 

"Those endorsing this 

resolution also included the 

German CDU, German 

CSU, French Conservative 

UMP, the Spanish Peoples 

Party, Canadian Conservative 

Party, and the Greek 

New Demokratica. 

"The meeting Chairman, 

Prime Minister John Howard 

congratulated Mr. Wickremesinghe 

on his unanimous 

election as Chairman of the 

Asia-Pacific Democrat Union 

(APDU). In that capacity 

Mr. Wickremesing-he becomes 

a Vice-Chairm-an of the 

IDU along with the Foreign 

Minister of Norway Jan 

Petersen and Greek Prime 

Minister Kostas Karamanlis. 

At Prime Minister Howard's 

initiative the IDU party 

leaders expressed the hope 

that member parties from Sri 

Lanka, Canada, Germany, 

Norway and Honduras succeed 

at elections due in this 

coming year. 

"Later, Mr. Wickremesinghe 

along with other party 

leaders met with President 

George W. Bush at the White 

House at a roundtable discussion 

on freedom and democracy. 

At the meeting, Mr. 

Wickremesinghe was one of 

four IDU members to address 

the global party leaders." 

‘no need to renegotiate ceasefire’ 

Continued from page 1 

revision or restructuring of 

the ceasefire agreement 

through negotiation. 

"Technically, there is 

nothing wrong with the 

[truce agreement]. The current 

escalation of violence 

could only be attributed to 

the failure on the part of the 

Sri Lankan government to 

fulfil its obligation under 

[it]," he said. 

"We urge the international 

community, particularly 

the Co-Chairs of the Peace 

Process to use their good 

offices to bring pressure on 

the government to act with 

responsibility, conducting 

itself in compliance with the 

ceasefire agreement," Mr. 

Balasingham said. 

In response to the Co- 

Chairs criticism, President 

Kumaratunga summoned the 

ambassadors of the four and 

in a meeting at which she 

was accompanied by Foreign 

Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar, 

registered her 

protest. 

"It is unfortunate that the 

four Co-Chairs repeated the 

position of the LTTE about 

the Government's support to 

'paramilitary groups'," President 

Kumaratunga's office 

quoted her as telling the 

diplomats. 

"[My] government's obligations 

to disarm paramilitary 

groups under the Ceasefire 

Agreement was completed 

to the satisfaction of 

the Sri Lanka Monitoring 

Mission," she had also claimed, 

referring to the international 

monitoring body. 

Earlier this month, in the 

wake of the killings and an 

abortive paramilitary attack 

on LTTE members travelling 

under Army-escort, the Tigers 

withdrew their cadres from 

military-held areas - where 

they are allowed under 

the terms of the truce - to 

areas they control. 

The withdrawal has helped 

ease tensions because the 

cadres are no longer exposed 

to attacks that the military 

blame on feuding between 

the Tigers and a renegade 

faction, but which the LTTE 

has said are proven to be 

facilitated and organised by 

Sri Lankan military intelli- 

gence. 

But Hagrup Haukland, 

head of the SLMM, said that 

although he did not expect 

killings to escalate at this 

point, any trust between the 

two sides had evaporated. 

"It's the worst situation I 

have experienced over these 

3-½ years in terms of the 

mistrust and the climate 

between the parties," he 

said. "The cornerstone in the 

ceasefire agreement is the 

ability of the LTTE to conduct 

their political work in 

the north and east. And if 

they can't do that then, for 

sure, the ceasefire is void." 

And despite President 

Kumaratunga's defiant stand, 

her government this week 

came up with new proposals 

to ensure the safety of 

LTTE cadres transiting through 

Army-held territory. 

The LTTE has not commented 

on the new proposals, 

but the last Sri Lankan 

offer, restricting the journeys 

LTTE cadres could make 

and refusing a request to distribute 

Army soldiers escorting 

the Tigers amongst their 

vehicles was rejected. 

Thousands of unemployed graduates and those who hold temporary teaching jobs 

protested in front of the Fort Railway station in Colombo on July 15 demanding the Sri 

Lanka Government provide them with permanent employment. Demonstrators carried 

placards and shouted slogans against Minister of Education and the Government of Sri 

Lanka. The protest organized by the Graduate Employment Union, started in front of 

the Fort railway and proceeding towards the Financial Ministry but was stopped by the 

police at the boundary of High security zone. Heavily armed Special Task Force soldiers 

and policemen barricaded the main street and provided security around the Presidential 

residence. The United People Freedom Alliance government promised to provide 42,000 

jobs for unemployed graduates, but one year later has created only 3,000 new positions, 

protesters said. 

‘Our leaders are dancing 

to Western tune’ 

LEADERS of the ultra-nationalist 

Janatha Vimukthi Perumana's 

last week slammed 

Sri Lankan President Chandrika 

Kumaratunga for dancing 

to the tune of the West. 

"From today we start a 

new struggle to find a new 

patriotic and national leadership. 

Hereafter, we won't 

allow several embassies in 

Colombo to decide which 

way the wind blows," the 

JVP's powerful propaganda 

secretary, Wimal Weerawansa, 

declared Tuesday. 

Weerawansa, co-president 

of the Patriotic National 

Movement (PNM) and JVP 

parliamentary group leader 

was addressing a massive 

gathering at the open air theatre 

in Nugegoda for the first 

rally of the Federation of 

National Organisations 

(FNO), the Gulf News 

reported.. 

"The country needs a 

new leadership that won't dance 

to the tune of Westerners, 

a new leadership that 

will not betray the pride of 

the nation to the whims and 

fancies of the treacherous 

forces plotting to divide this 

motherland," he said. 

"From the day we won 

independence, we had rulers 

who danced to the tune of 

SRI LANKA last week claimed 

that only one trade union 

was opposed to restructuring 

the Ceylon Electricity 

Board and that legislation 

would be introduced shortly 

to unbundle the CEB into 

several companies, The 

Island newspaper reported. 

Finance Minister Sarath 

Amunugama, addressing the 

weekly cabinet press briefing 

in Colombo, said that the 

government has decided to 

form between four to seven 

CEB owned subsidiary companies 

with a view to ensuring 

better management and 

profitability. 

"Legislation will be 

introduced shortly to give 

effect to the cabinet decision 

. Unbundling would result in 

the creation of companies 

for power generation, bulk 

electricity trade and two or 

more companies for distribution." 

he said. 

Amunugama, repeatedly 

emphasized that the pro- 

the Western forces. Western 

forces were successful in 

removing patriotic leaders 

arising from people's power 

and manoeuvered with the 

help of their local cronies to 

empower a puppet leadership, 

working in their interests." 

"But, from today we start 

a new struggle to find a new 

patriotic and national leadership. 

Hereafter, we won't 

allow several embassies in 

Colombo to decide which 

way the wind blows. It 

would be this platform and 

this unity among patriotic 

forces which will decide 

where the wind blows in Sri 

Lankan politics," Weerawansa 

said. 

On Friday JVP leader 

Somawansa Amarasinghe 

called on "all progressive 

forces" to unite to defeat 

"sinister moves of neo-colonialism" 

and said "only the 

solidarity of true patriots can 

ensure the survival of true 

democracy." 

""Since independence, 

our leaders were proven failures 

against Western expansionism 

and the Super powers' 

moves to take control of 

all other minor nations. This 

is neo-colonialism," he said. 

"Most of our leaders tod- 

posed legislation would not 

amount to privatization but 

an exercise aimed at better 

management. 

"With the assistance of 

the ADB, we will relieve the 

CEB of a Rs 90 billion debt 

burden. 

This will help bring down 

the cost of power generation 

and would relieve the 

poor of having to pay one of 

the highest rates for electricity 

in the world. It would 

also help bring down the 

overall cost of living." 

The Rs 90 billion ADB 

loan, he said, would have to 

be repaid in 40 years with 

provision for a 10-year grace 

period. 

Amunugama, said that 

the government has found 

necessary funding for the 

Norchcholai coal power and 

Kotmale hydro power projects 

and work would commence 

soon. 

The cost of living, he 

said depends on the cost of 

ay are West-built and know 

nothing but to follow the orders 

coming from few Western 

embassies in Colombo. 

They are not leaders of people, 

thus they have no confidence 

but have to rely on the 

Western powers." 

The ultra-nationalistcum-Marxist 

JVP has repeatedly 

condemned Western 

involvement in Sri Lankan 

affairs, including Norwegian 

role in the island's peace 

process, as neo-colonialism. 

The JVP which came to 

power for the first time in 

April 2004 in the United 

People's Freedom Alliance 

(UPFA), headed by 

President Kumaratunga, is 

considered the third force in 

Sri Lankan politics. 

The organisation launched 

two abortive inserructions 

against the state, once 

in 1971 and again in the late 

eighties. Both were crushed, 

the second with widespread 

killings and rights abuses. 

The JVP quite the UPFA 

on June 16, in protest at 

President Kumaratunga's 

succumbing to international 

pressure to sign a joint aid 

distribution mechanism, the 

Post-tsunami Operational 

Management Structure (P- 

TOMS). 

Sri Lanka to restructure CEB 

power, cost of transport, cost 

of inefficency and high 

interest rates. 

"We are totally in agreement 

with the CEB unions 

that if annual plans had been 

followed and these projects 

had been implemented earlier 

the cost of power generation 

would have been cheaper. 

The demand for power 

increases by ten per cent 

annually but generation has 

remained static." 

But JVP-led unions in 

the Ceylon Electricity Board 

are demanding a written assurance 

from Power and Energy 

Minister Susil Premajayantha 

that the CEB will 

not be privatized at least for 

the next two years, the Daily 

Mirror reported. 

Union leaders warned that 

if such a written assurance 

was not given, they would 

block the implementation of 

the latest CEB reforms package 

approved by the cabinet 

last Wednesday. 

NEWS IN BRIEF 

Communal violence 

Sinhala mobs armed with batons attacked Tamil plantation 

workers in Panthi tea estate near Mathugama, a small 

town in Western Province, 61 km. from Colombo, Mr. 

Mano Ganesan, leader of the Western Province Peoples' 

Front (WPPF) said. Two Tamil civilians were injured in the 

attack Monday last week. Policemen were sent to the estate 

around 11:30 p.m and the Inspector General of Police also 

visited the area upon complaints made by the parliamentarian. 

The tea estate is located one kilometer from 

Mathugama. (TamilNet) 

Diesel VAT dropped 

Sri Lanka has decided to remove the 15 per cent Value 

Added Tax (VAT) imposed on diesel with immediate effect, 

in a bid to "stabilise diesel prices in the face of galloping 

world oil prices." Finance Minister Sarath Amunugama 

claimed there would be no need for private bus owners to 

increase their bus fares whenever there is a hike in world oil 

prices. However, if there is a steep increase in world fuel 

prices the government will be compelled to seek other alternative 

avenues to offset the losses, he added. (Daily News) 

Tourist arrivals up 

Tourist arrivals in Sri Lanka from January to May, 2005 

grew by 8.1 per cent totalling 208,389, despite the 

December 26 tsunami, the Finance Ministry said. In May 

alone, tourists arrivals grew by 35.5 per cent to stand at 

40,878, according to the mid-year fiscal position report of 

2005. This indicates an eight per cent growth in total tourist 

earnings during the first five months of 2005, it said. 

(Sunday Times) 

India HC vehicle taken 

The private vehicle of Assistant High Commissioner of 

India K R R Pillai, has been stolen while he was on his way 

to Colombo from Kandy on a private trip. ''He had asked his 

driver to park the vehicle for tea half way through to 

Colombo at Warakapola. When he came out of the tea cafe 

he had found that his jeep was missing. He and the driver 

have lodged a complaint with the Warakapola police,'' the 

High Commission official said, adding Mr Pillai and his 

family reached Colombo safely. Vehicle theft has been on 

the rise in Sri Lanka in the recent past. (UNI) 

Credit from China 

Sri Lanka has received a US$ 300 million preferential 

credit line from China, to be utilised mainly for infrastructure 

development. The fund will be used for four projects - 

the coal power plant in Norochcholai, the Hambantota 

bunkering and tank farm, development of a rail system 

between Katunayake and Ratmalana and the Colombo- 

Katunayake expressway, Finance Minister Sarath Amunugama 

says. Meanwhile the German Financial Cooperation 

has contributed 49 million euros for tsunami rehabilitation 

and reconstruction work. (The Sunday Leader) 

Warrants - except in urgent cases 

A new Bill presented to Parliament last week to deal 

with computer crime will give wide powers of search and 

seizure, backed by a warrant, to an expert or police officer 

to obtain any information in the possession of any service 

provider and to intercept any wire or electronic communication. 

However, the need for a warrant is exempted in 

cases where the investigations need to be conducted urgently, 

there is likelihood of the evidence being lost, destroyed, 

modified or rendered inaccessible and there is a need to 

maintain confidentiality regarding the investigation. 

(Sunday Times) 

Police demoted 

In an unprecedented move, 59 policemen were demoted 

to a lower rank following a directive by the National Police 

Commission. Accordingly, 17 Sub Inspectors were demoted 

to the ranks of Police Sergeants and 42 Police Sergeants 

were demoted to the ranks of police constables, due to lack 

of qualifications and other legal reasons.The 59 officers had 

been promoted to their ranks in January, 2003 by the police 

department. However the NPC had found that the officers 

were not eligible for their promotions. (Daily Mirror) 

No VAT on gems 

The Sri Lankan Cabinet has decided to abolished the 

15% Value Added Tax (VAT) on the imports and trading of 

rough, cut and polished gemstones, diamonds and precious 

metals. "We have taken a bold step forward in the right 

direction to make Sri Lanka the hub in the gem Industry," 

Advanced Technology and National Enterprise 

Development Minister Rohitha Bogollagama said, adding 

gem and jewelry industry is now an 'open, progressive and 

value added' sector. (Daily News) 

Shock, dismay as 

Tamil community ... 

Continued from page 1 

been held for several years, 

always with police presence 

and protection provided by a 

well known British private 

security firm, had been disrupted 

only once, in 1999, 

when a member of the crowd 

had attempted to shoot 

another. 

"Since then, the police 

have had a strong presence, 

and have even conducted recruitment 

at the event, drawing 

considerable interest" a 

senior BTA official said. 

This week, as the BTA 

released leaflets to the public 

announcing the event's cancellation, 

there was shock 

and dismay amongst the 

community. 

Sentiments were heightened, 

as the Council's letter 

to the BTA, which, along 

with the police letter, was 

released to the public (without 

the names of the signatories), 

refused to explain what 

the "concerns" are. 

The Council wrote to the 

BTA: "due to the confidential 

nature of the information 

supplied to the Council, [we] 

regret that [we are] unable to 

supply you with any further 

details in connection with 

the concerns raised by 

Surrey Police." 

Several Tamil and non- 

Tamil businesses that had 

competed for marquees at 

the community's premier 

annual open air event and 

sponsored prizes expressed 

frustration at the last minute 

disruption, saying that they 

had prepared substantial 

quantities of promotional 

material and gift samples. 

The Tamil Sports Festival 

draws cricket and other 

sports teams comprising former 

pupils from famous 

schools across the Tamil homeland. 

Sportsmen and women 

which had been eagerly 

anticipating the annual tournament 

were left bewildered 

at the last minute withdrawal 

of police support. 

There is speculation that 

the police concerns referred 

to violence between gangs of 

Tamil youth on the fringes of 

the London community, 

which has been increasingly 

reported in recent years. 

Many Tamils acknowledge 

that there is a problem, 

but point out that it is the 

responsibility of the police 

to deal with criminal violence. 

The efforts of community 

organisations such as the 

BTA and the various temple 

committees to involve the 

police in their events was an 

important step in checking 

gang violence, an official 

close to another well known 

temple in West London told 

Tamil Guardian. 

"Even if there is problem 

of a handful of violent youth, 

the Tamils here should 

not be prevented from hosting 

their cultural and community 

events," he argued. 

"After all, just because there 

are some hooligans amongst 

football supporters, no one 

expects the matches to be 

called off?" 

Editorial, p5


‘Disarming 

paramilitaries 

vital for peace’ 

THE Liberation Tigers of Tamil 

Eelam, last Wednesday 

called for the immediate disarming 

of the paramilitary groups 

in accordance with the 

ceasefire agreement with the 

Sri Lankan government. 

LTTE's Political Head 

Mr. S. P. Tamilselvan, after 

meeting with a Norwegian 

delegation in Kilinochchi told 

the press that the ceasefire 

monitors did not bring any 

new message that will improve 

the deteriorating ground 

conditions in the NorthEast. 

He accused Colombo and 

the Sri Lankan armed forces 

for nurturing and promoting 

paramilitary groups in the 

SLA held areas of the North- 

East in violation of clause 

1.8 of the CFA. "We stressed 

to Norwegian delegation the 

urgency of disarming the 

paramilitaries according to 

the terms of the CFA," 

Tamilselvan told reporters. 

The Norwegian delegation 

comprised of Norwegian 

Deputy Ambassador, Oddvar 

Laegreid, Head of Sri 

Lanka Monitoring Mission 

(SLMM), Hagrup Haukland, 

and other Norwegian embassy 

and SLMM officials. 

"The responsibility of 

bringing the situation to normalcy 

lies entirely in the 

hands of the Government of 

Sri Lanka and its armed forces," 

Mr. Tamilselvan told the 

press. The activities of the 

paramilitary groups - killings 

of civilians and LTTE's 

political cadres - are taking 

place within the SLA occupied 

areas, LTTE's Political 

Head said. "The paramilitaries 

can be effectively and 

immediately controlled if 

Colombo is seriously committed 

to the CFA agreement 

and the peace process," Mr. 

Tamilselvan said. 

He added that the Tigers 

have repeatedly pointed out 

to Colombo, as stipulated in 

the clause 1.8 of the CFA 

agreement, that the paramilitaries 

must be disarmed and 

vacated from the SLA occupied 

areas of the Tamil 

homeland in the North East. 

"This very basic clause 

of the CFA agreement need 

to be respected in both word 

and deed and given due respect 

by Colombo and its armed 

forces. The killings of civilians 

and our unarmed political 

cadres in the SLA held 

areas must be stopped and a 

safe environment created for 

our unarmed political officials 

and cadres to engage in 

political work," he said. 

“This is not the first time we 

have told the Norwegians 

this” He further said that the 

LTTE understands the concerns 

of the International 

Community and the efforts 

of the Norwegian facilitators 

in the peace process, but said 

the responsibility lies entirely 

with Colombo as it has 

not taken or implemented 

any concrete measure to 

implement the above mentioned 

clause in the Cease 

Fire Agreement. 

IN A PRESS release issued 

by the US Embassy in Colombo 

Tuesday, the Co-chairs 

for Sri Lanka Peace Process 

expressed alarm at the escalating 

violence called on the 

LTTE to stop killings, and 

the Government of Sri Lanka 

to disarm all paramilitaries 

and to guarantee security 

to unarmed LTTE cadres. 

"The Co-Chairs of the 

Sri Lanka peace process, the 

European Union, United 

States, Japan and Norway, 

are alarmed by the deteriorating 

security situation in 

Sri Lanka," said the press 

statement representing the 

United States of America, 

the European Union, Japan 

A section of the Sea Tigers' Marine Commando regiment on training exercises at an 

undisclosed location in the North-East of Sri Lanka. A section of the marines are seen 

posing here for the photograph. The Sea Tigers have been key in launching amphibious 

assaults during combat operations against the Sri Lankan military. Photo LTTE 

Norwegian delegation including Hagrup Haukland of the (SLMM) and Odvar Laegreid, from the Norwegian Embassy 

met with an LTTE delegation led by Mr. Tamilselvan in Kilinochchi to discuss the ongoing security crisis. Photo TamilNet 

‘Sri Lanka must guarantee security of 

unarmed LTTE cadres’ - peace co-chairs 

and Norway. 

"Since February 2005 

there has been an escalation 

of violence resulting in the 

killing and injuring of persons 

associated with the Government 

of Sri Lanka, the 

Liberation Tigers of Tamil 

Eelam and other political 

parties," the statement said. 

"Unless security is guaranteed, 

a central pillar of the 

Ceasefire Agreement will be 

undermined. If the Ceasefire 

Agreement ceases to function, 

the wider peace process 

would be gravely jeopardized 

and international support 

for that process would 

be deeply eroded," said the 

statement 

OPENING event of a residential 

nine-day workshop 

for nearly 30 staff engaged 

in social mobilization in different 

districts of NorthEast 

was held in Kanagapuram in 

Kilinochchi Saturday, reported 

TamilNet Sunday. Director 

of the Socilal Mobilization 

section of the Tamils 

Rehabilitation Orga-nization 

(TRO), Mr M Selvarajah, 

presided the event. 

TRO Planning Coordinator, 

Lawrence Christy, TRO 

Deputy Director, Mr V Reagan, 

Advisor to the Social 

Mobilization Division, Ms 

Environmental Commission 

formed in Kilinochchi 

THE inaugural event of the 

Thamileelam Commision for 

Environmental Governance 

(TCEG) was held at the 

Planning and Development 

Secretariat (PDS) located in 

Kilinochchi presided by 

Liberation Tiger's Head of 

Political Wing S P Tamilselvan 

on Saturday, reported 

TamilNet. The main mission 

of the Commission is to ensure 

environmental protection 

in the NorthEast. 

Senior members of the 

LTTE, K V Balakumaran and 

Karikalan lit the common 

flame and S P Tamilselvan 

hoisted the Tamileelam 

national flag. 

More than 150 attendees 

from Health department, Local 

councils, Agriculture department, 

Irrigation depa-rtment, 

Office of the Gover-nment 

Agent, International 

and Local NGOs and cadres 

of LTTE involved in environmental 

matters participated 

in the inaugural event. 

Director of Sub-committee 

on Immediate Humanitarian 

and Rehabilitation 

Needs (SIRHN), Selvin 

"The Co-Chairs call on 

the Government of Sri 

Lanka and the LTTE each to 

take immediate action to 

prevent killings. The LTTE 

must stop all killings by their 

forces. The Sri Lankan government, 

in accordance with 

the Ceasefire Agreement, 

must ensure that all paramilitary 

groups are disarmed 

and prevented from any 

activity that might lead to 

acts of violence. The government 

must also guarantee 

the security of unarmed 

LTTE cadres in government 

controlled areas," the Cochair 

said in their statement 

"Maintenance of the 

Ceasefire Agreement is the 

Tamil charity begins social 

mobilization workshop 

Rajani Iqbal lit the ceremonial 

lamp. 

More than thirty staff from 

Batticaloa, Amparai, Trincomalee, 

Vavuniya, Mannar, 

Mullaitivu, Kilinochchi 

and Jaffna districts are attending 

the training sessions. 

"The Social Mobilization 

unit was conceived to strengthen 

and to increase the 

effectiveness of socio-economic 

projects the TRO has 

been implementing in different 

disctricts of the North- 

East. After this comprehensive 

training staff will have 

the skills to organize and 

Irenuess, detailed the activities 

of the new commission. 

The commission while pursuing 

the main mission will 

also be responsible for creating 

environmental education 

programs, recommending 

guidelines relating to the 

environmental preservation 

and will conduct an environmental 

impact evaluation on 

commercial, industrial activities 

that are likely to affect 

the environment, he said. 

Deputy Director of PDS, 

Shanmugalingam Ranjan, 

formally presented the Commission's 

Policy Document 

to S P Tamilselvan. 

Professor Jeyasingham from 

Eastern University and 

Professor Sriskandarajah from 

Denmark outlined the critical 

importance of preserving 

NorthEast environment 

and the importance of taking 

preemptive efforts to replenish 

depleting resources. 

Tamilselvan speaking at 

the event said, "Successive 

governments of Sri Lanka, 

in addition to destroying the 

infrastructure and livelihoods 

of Tamil people, showed 

responsibility of the two parties 

alone. In this effort, they 

have had the excellent assistance 

of the Sri Lanka Monitoring 

Mission and the full 

support of the international 

community. The Co-Chairs 

believe that it is time the parties 

demonstrate the seriousness 

of their commitment to 

the Ceasefire Agreement by 

coming together to resolve 

outstanding issues and renew 

their co-operation. The 

SLMM can only fulfill its 

functions under the Ceasefire 

Agreement if the parties 

actively demonstrate the will 

to uphold the agreement," 

concluded the statement on 

behalf of the four co-chairs. 

educate villagers transforming 

them into a community 

with confidence and self 

reliance to make rapid social 

and economic progress," 

said Reagan in his introductory 

remarks to the trainees. 

Other speakers said that 

they have confidence in the 

ability of the trainees and 

that they will work with 

commitment in their respective 

villages to uplift the 

community. After the officila 

opening ceremony concluded 

Ms Iqbal conducted 

the the first training session 

to the attendees. 

Attendees at workshop organised by TRO to promote social mobility. Photo TamilNet 

similar intensity in destroying 

the environment and 

natural resources of the 

NorthEast. Sri Lanka Ar-my 

has destroyed much of our 

forestry. Coconut esta-tes 

and Palmyrah population 

have been destroyed for use 

as lumber to construct 

bunkers, reinforce observation 

posts and to protect the 

camps. 

"We have made significant 

progress already in 

reforestration. The Economic 

Consultancy House 

(TECH) has annual events 

celebrating environmental 

day where people are educated 

on environmental matters 

and free saplings of fruit 

bearing trees are distributed 

free. Coastal areas are 

receiving focuss-ed study to 

prevent erosio-n and more 

recently actio-ns are being 

formulated to protect the 

coastline from natural disasters. 

The conservation and 

optimal use of water from 

our network of irrigation 

tanks, saliniation in coastal 

and interiar lands are being 

addressed. 

PARAMILITARY groups 

working with the Sri Lankan 

military continued to be at 

the centre of violence in the 

North-East of Sri Lanka, despite 

international condemnation 

of their activities, said 

press reports. The Sri Lankan 

military have stepped up 

their presence across the North-East, 

and appear to be taking 

a more hostile position. 

Two Tamil youths, Mr. 

Kumarasamy Pathmaharan, 

23, from Jaffna town and Mr 

Subramaniam Kohulan, 26, 

from Sarasalai west, Chavakachcheri, 

were found knifed 

to death at Manippuram 

northwest of Vavuniya, Police 

said Tuesday. Vavuniya 

Police condcuting investigations 

into the killings have 

yet to arrest the perpetrators. 

Meanwhile on July 18, 

Mr. Kanapathipillai Ilaiathamby, 

40, was shot and injured 

at his house on School 

Road at Kalkuddah in Valaichenai. 

Unidentified gunmen 

who came to his house 

Sunday evening asked the 

victim to come out and shot 

him at his chest and hands 

before fleeing the premises. 

Three days earlier, three 

persons, two Muslims and a 

person with Sinhala-Tamil 

mixed background, were 

shot and killed by unidentifed 

gunmen at the Sixth Mile 

post, Akkaraipattu. The 

killers had stopped the persons, 

who were traveling in 

a three-wheeler, tied the victims 

hands behind before 

shooting them dead, Police 

said. Soldiers from the Special 

Task Force (STF) and Police 

personnel are deployed 

in Akkaraipattu town. 

NEWS 

Violence in NE 

continues rising 

A LARGE number of civilians, 

majority of them fishermen, 

demonstrated Tuesday 

morning in Mannar 

town, opposing the implementation 

of the Sedusamudram 

Canal Project (SSCP) 

claiming that the project will 

destroy fishing resources in 

Mannar Sea. Mannar District 

Fisheries Societies' Federation 

and Mannar Peace 

Movement jointly organized 

the protest. 

The demonstration commence 

from the Mannar 

public pl-ayground and concluded 

at about 11.30 a.m. in 

front of the Mannar district 

Secretariat, reported TamilNet 

press agency. 

Organizers of the demonstration 

later handed over a 

memorandum to the Assistant 

Divisional Secretary 

Ms.S.Mohanathan. 

Mr.Vinonoaharathalinga 

m, Vanni district parliamentarian 

participated in the 

demonstration, sources said. 

General shut down was 

observed in Mannar town 

when the demonstration was 

held. Normalcy of the town 

was disrupted, sources said. 

About 8000 fisher families 

live in Mannar district. 

Mannar fishermen are cur- 

3 

The victims have been 

identified as Abdul Lathif Rivaz, 

26, a father of 4 children 

from Union Road in Akkaraipattu, 

Mohamed Nazar, 

25, from Sea Road in Akkaraipattu 

and Jayasekara Banda 

Kucharanan, from Veerachanai 

in Batticaloa. 

Elsewhere on July 18, Sinhala 

mobs, linked to hardline 

Sinhala political parties 

attacked Tamil plantation 

workers in Panthi tea estate 

near Mathugama, a small town 

in Western Province, Mr. 

Mano Ganesan, leader of the 

Western Province Peoples' 

Front (WPPF) told TamilNet. 

Policemen were sent to 

the estate around 11:30 p.m 

and the Inspector General of 

Police also visited the area 

after complaints were lodged 

by the area's MP. 

Meanwhile, on July 16, 

Vavuniya district Head of 

LTTE Political Wing, Mr 

Gnanam, protested to the members 

of SLMM that harrassment 

by the Sri Lanka Security 

forces on LTTE cadres 

engaged in political work 

has increased and requested 

the SLMM to take steps to 

ensure LTTE cadres' safety. 

"Recent grenade attack at 

the Vavuniya LTTE offices, 

increasing incidents of Sri 

Lanka Army (SLA) threatening 

behavior towards LTTE 

cadres including a shooting 

incidents and the escalating 

violence in the Trincomalee 

district are forcing us to take 

precautionary measures. The 

situation is rapidly deteriorating 

and if this continues 

we will soon not be able do 

any political work," Gnanam 

told the SLMM. 

Mannar fishermen 

protest against 

Canal project 

rently deprived of their legitimate 

catch due to frequent 

poaching by Indian trawlers, 

fisheries federation in the 

north-western town said. 

In addition to the main 

demand against the implementation 

of SSCP, Mannar 

District Fisheries Societies' 

Federation has requested the 

authorities concerned to 

implement the following 

demands for the development 

of fishing industry in 

Mannar: 

■ Remove the Sri Lanka 

military’s high security zone 

in land and sea along 

Mannar coastal areas. 

■ Permit Mannar fishermen 

to use fishing boats fitted 

with 15 HP engine instead of 

9 HP engines. 

■ Expand the marketing 

facilities by allowing exporting 

fish, prawn and other 

species. 

■ Implement sea erosion 

project along Mannar coast. 

■ Reopen the unit of the 

Fisheries harbour Corporation 

in Mannar 

■ Action should be taken to 

establish Higher Education 

Institute for fishing in 

Mannar 

■ Ice factory should be constructed 

in Mannar. 

NEWS IN BRIEF 

SLA excavation ruins fertile fields 

Mr.V. Shanmugam, President of the Thenmaradchchi- 

Mirusuvil Farmers Associations' Federation Monday 

expressed deep concern that several acres of fertile paddy 

fields are ruined following excavation of soil by the Sri 

Lanka Army (SLA). SLA soldiers use soil from paddy fields 

to build earth bunds and to strengthen their bunkers and sentry 

points, civil sources said. Mr Shanmugam further said 

that SLA action is destroying natural and mineral resources 

of the area. Cash and paddy crops in these lands are 

destroyed due to water stagnating in the areas where excavation 

is taking place, he said. (TamilNet) 

SLA refuses bridge reconstruction 

The Sri Lanka Army (SLA) has again refused permission 

for the Jaffna civil authorities to commence reconstruction 

work on the bridge over the Thondamanaru 

lagoon, which connects Valigamam north and 

Vadamaradchchi division in the Jaffna district district secretariat 

sources said. The Thondamannaru Bridge was 

destroyed during the military operation SLA launched in 

1987. Thondamannaru Bridge is the main access to 

Valvettithurai and Valalai areas via Achchuveli Road and 

Palaly Airport Road. (TamilNet) 

Family injured in Army barbed wire 

Three members of a family including a baby were 

injured when they got entangled in a barbed wire erected by 

the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) along the Point Pedro Guest 

House Road Thursday night. The incident took place when 

several families were returning late in the night after attending 

an event where boats and nets were handed over to 

tsunami affected fishermen held at Supparmadam coastal 

area, sources said. The injured were returning in a push 

bicycle and got entangled into the security fence when they 

attempted to give way for a motor vehicle from the opposite 

direction. The mother of the baby was severely injured and 

is yet to be released from hospital. (TamilNet)

4 

NEWS 

‘Colombo’s political drama threatens peace’ 

THE ruling against key aspects 

of the Post-Tsunami Operational 

Management Structure 

(P-TOMS) agreed between 

the Sri Lankan government 

and the Liberation Tigers 

of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) 

are yet another political ploy 

to oppress the people of the 

North-East, said a senior LT- 

TE spokesman on July 17. 

"As Tamil people have 

repeatedly witnessed in their 

tortuous history of the past 

several decades, Colombo has 

shown its reluctance to provide 

remedies to Tamil people 

even after humanitarian 

disasters of colossal proportions. 

Sinhala leaders un-der 

severe international pressure, 

signed the deal after dragging 

for six long mont-hs, 

the Sinhala chauvinists then 

staged protests to derail the 

deal, and when all techniques 

were exhausted Sinhala 

nationalists engaged the willing 

apex court to use constitutional 

reasoning to scuttle 

the deal," said S P Tami-lselvan 

after a 4-hour long meeting 

with the TNA leaders in 

Kilinochchi Sunday. 

Mr. Tamilselvan pointed 

out that the escalating shadow 

war in the east, Sri Lanka 

Government's reluctance to 

provide security to cadres forcing 

the LTTE to take counter 

measures, and scuttling 

of agreements that benefits 

Tamils are some of the ground 

conditions that have poisioned 

the tenuous peace. 

"This doesn't come as a 

suprise for the Tamil people. 

During the more than three 

and half years of cessation of 

hostilities little has been achieved 

in terms of implementation 

of any remedial measure 

to alleviate the suffering 

of NorthEast Tamils. The Tamil 

National Alliance MPs 

and the LTTE have agreed to 

unitedly work to highlight 

this sad state of affairs to the 

International community," 

said Tamilselvan. 

The pattern of behaviour 

of justice in the Sri Lankan 

state and the Supreme Court 

is well recorded. Everyone 

knows very well how the verdict 

of the Supreme Court 

when the culprits of a [Bindunuwewa] 

mass murder were 

brought to justice. They 

were simply set free by the 

Supreme Court, he said. 

With the recent stay order, 

the hopes of achieving a 

solution through negotiations 

have been shattered, Mr. 

Tamilselvan told the press. 

Sri Lankan Forces and 

the Sinhala leadership alone 

have to decide how they are 

going to resolve the Tamil 

national question. We have 

repeatedly informed them 

that time was running out. 

Leader Pirapaharan has clearly 

spelt out to the Scandinavian 

monitors that Tamil 

people cannot wait indefinitely, 

Mr Tamilselvan said. 

Parliamentarians of Tamil 

National Alliance (TNA) 

in the meeting with the 

LTTE’s Political Head resol- 

The Liberation Tigers met with Tamil MPs to discuss the crisis over the P-TOMS deal on July 17. Photo TamilNet 

ved to jointly explain to the 

International community the 

realities on the ground with 

regards to the current stalemate 

and controversy created 

by the Supreme Court's stay 

order and the Tamil stand 

with regards to the nature of 

the Sri Lankan Constitution, 

TNA officials said. 

"Although we have been 

meeting the TNA parliamentarians 

regularly today's meeting 

has special significance. 

Situation on the ground 

has deterioted to dangerous 

levels and there are no signs 

that our people will get help 

to rebuild their lives after 

tsunami. TNA parliamentarians 

told us that they will 

work diligently to inform the 

international community of 

the predicament of our people. 

Liberation Tigers will 

closely collaborate with 

TNA in this effort," Mr. 

Tamilselvan told reporters. 

Mr Tamilselvan called 

the ruling by the Sri Lankan 

supreme court an "unfortunate 

turn of events." 

"Sinhala leaders have 

been using one strategy or 

another to scuttle any deal 

that provides some benefit to 

Tamils. Sinhala leaders often 

resorted to using Sinhala 

Buddhist chauvinists, extreme 

Sinhala nationlist parties, 

or Buddhist clergy and if all 

fails, using the judicial system 

to defend the injustices 

and institutionalized discrimination 

of Tamils," he 

said referring to the recent 

ruling. "Joint Mechanism 

was drafted to provide swift 

redress to a people who have 

undergone untold hardships. 

The reaction of the Sinhala 

polity to this humanitarian 

deal can be explained in the 

above historical context." 

He also questioned the 

partiality of Sri Lanka's judicial 

system, given their rulings 

on past matters related 

to Sri Lanka's racist policies. 

"Sri Lanka's judicial system 

has always sided with the 

majority. Recent ruling on a 

mass murder [Bindunuwewa] 

trial where the supreme 

court acquitted all accused is 

a clear example of what 

Tamil people can expect 

from Sinhala justice system. 

Sri Lanka's parliamentary 

legislative history too contains 

several instances of enacting 

laws intended to suppress 

Tamil rights," he said. 

He went on to say that 

the LTTE had warned the 

Norwegian facilitators that 

the Sri Lankan government 

would prevent the implementation 

of any Joint Mechanism 

agreement. "Sri Lanka's 

President, under se-vere 

international pressure, 

signed the Joint Mechanism 

after delaying more than six 

months. Fully cognizant that 

similar delaying tactics will 

be employed during implementation, 

we warned the 

Norwegian facilitators on 

the day the agreement was 

signed that they should take 

steps to implement the JM 

without delay," he said. 

"The Government of Sri 

Lanka, after waiting nearly a 

month, announces its representative 

to the P-TOMS committee 

one day before the 

Court's ruling. This is part of 

their political theatrics. In this 

situation we no longer desire 

to babble further on the 

JM. Looking at the last three 

and a half years, we have no 

confidence that Sinhala leaders 

are capable of implementing 

anything they have 

agreed to," he concluded. 


NEWS IN BRIEF 

Rotary Club gets new president 

Mr. A.Z.Jeeno Singarayer was elected as the twentyseventh 

President of the Trincomalee Rotary Club for the 

year 2005-2006. Mr.S.I.R.Croos, outgoing President, handed 

over the presidency at an event held Thursday at 

Trincomalee Hotel Club Oceanic with the Rotary District 

Governor Mr.Nihal Bogahalande as the chief guest and 

Mr.Krish Rajendran, Past District Governor as the Guest of 

Honour, sources said. Mr. Singarayer in his address said the 

district has experienced protracted war for the last two 

decades that has brought high degree of devastation. Further 

the district was rampaged by tsunami. Displacements, 

deaths, damage to assets, loss of livelihood so on are the 

outcomes of the war and tsunami. At this juncture, 

Rotarians should come forward to take up greater responsibilities, 

than ever, to support the resettlement and the 

revival of livelihoods of the conflict affected population and 

tsunami victims, Mr.Singarayer stressed. (TamilNet) 

Indian official's limousine stole 

Thieves stole the limousine of the Deputy Indian High 

Commissioner in Sri Lanka, Mr Ramanpillai, at gun point 

in Ambepussa, a popular tourist spot along the Colombo- 

Kandy road Saturday morning. The incident took place at 

around 10:30 a.m. when the Deputy Indian envoy who is 

based in Kandy stopped his vehiche and entered the 

Ambepussa Rest House for tea with his family, sources said. 

The diplomat was travelling from Kandy to Colombo for 

the weekend sources said. The Toyota vehicle was driven 

away by the unidentified gunmen towards Colombo and the 

police has launched a man hunt to apprehend the thieves 

and recover the vehicle sources said. Police enlisted the 

support of the Air Force to conduct aerial search along the 

Colombo-Kandy high way from where the vehicle was 

taken away. (TamilNet) 

Expropriation of land deferred 

Colombo High Court Monday issued a stay order on the 

the State's attempt to expropriate land belonging to estate 

workers at the Ingurugama tea estate in Badulla district, 

legal sources said. Families of several estate workers were 

asked to relocate to provide space for building University 

campus for Uva province. Justice Eric Basanayake and 

Justice Sribavan issued the stay order. Senior attorneys Mr 

B Sivaloganathan and Ms Suganthi Rajakulendran appeared 

for the plaintiffs V Rani, K Thangarajah, V Kalaichelvi, K 

Vijayalaxmi, V Pumaalai, M Kumaraswamy, V 

Katpuranam, N Mariathas, S Nadesan and S Parvathy. The 

defendents in the case were Sri Lanka's Attorney General, 

Minister of Land Development, Surveryor General, 

Government Agent of Badulla district and Proprietors of the 

Grand Estate, sources said. (TamilNet) 

Humedica assists Jaffna fishermen 

Humedica, a Gernam non-governmental organization 

Thursday concluded its first phase distribution of fishing 

boats with outboard engines, fishing nets and bicycles to 

tsunami affected fishermen in the coastal villages from 

Thondamannaru to Katkovalam in Point Pedro in the Jaffna 

district. At an event held at Supparmadam, coastal village 

which is located about 2 k.m. off Point Pedro town 

Thursday evening Humedica representatives distributed the 

final consignment of fishing boats, fishing nets and bicycles 

to 316 beneficiaries. Earlier on several occasions the 

Humedica distributed these items to 438 beneficiaries at 

various coastal villages in the north, sources said. 

Mr.K.Suriyakumaran, Secretary of the Vadamaradchchi 

Fisheries Societies Federation said Tamil people especially 

tsunami affected fisher folk have lost confidence on the 

government that it would render necessary assistance to 

them to restore their livelihood after the Supreme Court ruling 

on the implementation of the P-TOMS. (TamilNet) 

UNICEF funds school projects 

UNICEF has allocated Rs 2.5m to build basic nine 

schools in Vadamaradchy, Jaffna, to build facilities to provide 

drinking water and to build latrines, sources in Jaffna 

said. Only schools that were completely destroyed by tsunami 

and functioning in temporary shelters have been selected 

for this project. UNICEF and Vadamardchy region education 

department are making arrangements to expedite the 

rebuilding work so that students benefit from the added 

facilities without delay. (TamilNet) 

SLA to construct new road 

Mr.Tyronne Fernando, North East Governor Saturday 

declared open the renovated Tellipalai District Hospital and 

commissioned the newly installed Cobalt Cancer Treatment 

Plant in the cancer unit of the hospital. Meanwhile, a decision 

was taken at a conference held in Sri Lanka Army 

Jaffna headquarters in Palaly and attended by the 

Mr.Tyronne Fernando and Major General Sunil Tennekoon, 

Jaffna SLA commander, to open a new access road to the 

Cancer Treatment Unit enabling the patients and employees 

to have easy access to the hospital, sources said. (TamilNet) 

Jaffna Cancer unit to reopen 

The renovated Tellipalai District Hospital at a cost of 

about 90 million rupees and the Cancer Treatment Unit at a 

cost of 55 million rupees are to be commissioned by the 

North East Provincial Governor Mr.Tyronne Fernando on 

Saturday morning after a lapse of fifteen years. North East 

Provincial Ministry of Health has organized the opening 

event, sources said. Mr.W.Siriwardene, Provincial Health 

Ministry Secretary, Mr.S.Rangarajah, Chief Secretary of the 

North East Provincial Council (NEPC), Mr.K.Ganesh, 

Jaffna District Government Agent and several health ministry 

officials are to attend the opening event. (TamilNet) 

Hindu Conference begins in Jaffna 

Three day Hindu Conference began in Jaffna Friday at 

the Jaffna College of Education premises. The All Ceylon 

Hindu Mamantram (ACHM) has organized the conference 

in collaboration with the Jaffna College of Education to 

mark the golden jubilee year of the ACHM. 

Mr.V.Kailasapillai, President of ACHM presided over the 

inaugural event. At the commencement special prayer was 

held in the Hindu Temple, which is located in the Jaffna 

College of Education (JCE). Thereafter students took the 

guests in a procession to the conference hall. (TamilNet) 

District conference hall opened 

Mr.Pandu Bandaranayake, Deputy Minister of Public 

Administration and Home Affairs declared open the new 

conference hall built at a cost of 12.7 million rupees in the 

Trincomalee District Secretariat built inside the Fort 

Frederick in the east port town last weekend. The District 

Secretariat has been functioning in a two-century-old building 

constructed during the British rule. The conference hall 

is the first new building constructed in the District 

Secretariat premises after about two hundred years, said 

Mr.Gamini Rodrigo, Government Agent and District 

Secretary at the opening event, sources said. (TamilNet) 

German NGO donates water pumps 

Juergen Wahn Stiftung, a German Foundation which has 

been funding the Veloor Development Project since the village 

was destroyed by tsunami disaster, Sunday donated 

water pumps with accessories worth about 2 million rupees 

to 41 farmers to restart their cultivation. Mr.K.Ratnakumar, 

President of the Nilaveli-Veloor Rural Development 

Society, and Mr.C.Suntharamoorthy and Mr.S.Kumaraguru 

on behalf of the Juergen Wahn Stiftung handed over the 

water pumps to the beneficiaries. Eighty-eight men, women 

and children died in the disaster. Of the displaced 1796 persons 

of these families 670 were children. (TamilNet)


TAMIL GUARDIAN 

P.O.BOX. 16226, LONDON SE1 4FE, UNITED KINGDOM 

E-mail: editor@tamilguardian.com Website: www.tamilguardian.com 

Tel / Fax: +44 20 7357 8731 

WEDNESDAY JULY 27, 2005 EDITION 304 

The Liberation Tigers' decision 

to withdraw their political cadres 

from Sri Lanka government-controlled 

parts of the eastern province 

has, at least in the short term, 

reduced violence there by denying 

the Army-backed Tamil paramilitaries 

their easy targets. But the 

withdrawal is itself a serious setback 

for the ceasefire and the peace 

process. As the head of the international 

monitors in Sri Lanka, Hagrup 

Haukland, aptly put it: "the cornerstone 

in the ceasefire agreement 

is the ability of the LTTE to conduct 

their political work in the north and 

east. And if they can't do that then, 

for sure, the ceasefire is void." 

This abysmal situation has not 

developed overnight. Indeed this 

problem has been simmering since 

the ceasefire was signed in February 

2002 (and only escalated in the 

past year). Colombo not only 

ignored its obligations under the 

truce to disband the paramilitaries 

but bolstered these forces and 

resumed targeted killings. And for 

far too long, this issue has been 

ignored by all concerned. Indeed, 

the dangerous low-intensity conflict 

has been caricatured as the 

LTTE attacking 'political rivals.' Sri 

Lankan military intelligence's determination 

to press home a murderous 

campaign against LTTE members 

and supporters (and the wider 

insistence of Colombo's armed 

forces - particularly the Navy - on 

testing the LTTE's tolerance) has 

thus seriously weakened the truce. 

The unequivocal demand last 

week by the Co-Chairs of the Peace 

Process that Sri Lanka disarms its 

paramilitary outfits and ensure the 

safety of unarmed LTTE cadres in 

its controlled areas is thus both 

timely and welcome. But the nub of 

the problem was revealed almost 

immediately; President Chandrika 

Kumaratunga's predictable 

response to the joint statement by 

the United States, European Union, 

Japan and Norway was to vehemently 

deny her military's central 

role in fostering the paramilitaries 

and to harangue the LTTE instead. 

Moreover, her next impulse was to 

Action, Not Words 

Sinhala leaders have never honoured a deal 

The Tamil community in Britain 

was shocked and dismayed this 

week by the abrupt cancellation of 

its premier outdoor event, the 

'Tamil Sports Festival' (TSF), and 

the suspension of a key event for 

the Hindus amongst them, the chariot 

festival of the Sri Murugan 

Temple in East Ham. In both cases, 

the relevant authorities are reported 

to have acted on undisclosed police 

advice. Thus the Tamil community's 

sense of consternation has been 

heightened by a lack of clarity on 

what police concerns about "serious 

disorder both at the event and in the 

surrounding community" might be. 

After all, both events are longstanding 

fixtures on the Tamil social 

scene, drawing visitors from 

across the UK and, more recently, 

from Europe. Only on one occasion 

- in 1999 - have the organisers of 

the Sports Festival stopped the 

event - and that, moreover, after a 

single spectator attempting to gain 

entry pulled a gun on another in a 

private dispute. That the local authorities 

which last week withdrew 

their support for the Sports Festival 

cited "a history of crime and disorder 

associated with similar events" 

is thus even more perplexing. Indeed, 

tens of thousands have attended 

the ever expanding TSF in past years. 

There has been negligible crime, 

particularly given the visible, but 

friendly, police presence as well as 

guards from a well-known private 

security firm. Indeed, the Metropolitan 

Police has even conducted 

recruitment fairs at these events, as 

has the London Fire Brigade. 

There is speculation in the community 

that the police concerns 

stem from increasing violence 

amongst gangs of Tamil youth. This 

is an acknowledged problem and 

organisers of all events are conscious 

about such difficulties 

seek the redrafting - i.e. dismantling 

- of the February 2002 truce. Quite 

properly, the LTTE has bluntly 

rejected the notion. As the movement's 

Chief Negotiator and 

Political Strategist, Mr. Anton 

Balasingham, told this newspaper 

this week, "there is nothing wrong 

with the truce agreement. The current 

escalation of violence could 

only be attributed to the failure on 

the part of the Sri Lankan government 

to fulfil its obligation under 

it." But in seeking to redraft the 

ceasefire agreement, President 

Kumaratunga is merely continuing 

Sinhala leaders' tradition of tearing 

up deals they sign with the Tamils. 

In sixty years, not a single agreement 

signed by a Tamil leadership 

with a Sinhala one has survived - 

the fiasco of the Post Tsunami 

Operations Management Structure 

(P-TOMS) is but the latest. All have 

either failed to be implemented or 

simply been abrogated - and the 

ethnic conflict has continued, escalating 

on the way. Let us be clear. 

The Tamils do not trust Sri Lanka's 

Sinhala leaders. Even the conditional 

goodwill extended to (then) 

Premier Ranil Wickremsinghe in 

2002 is based on his lack of a violent 

history with us. The limited 

benefits accruing to some sections 

of our community from the peace 

process stem from Colombo's failure 

and inability to destroy the 

LTTE. In other words, there is no 

reason for us to assume a continuation 

of the present peace is a natural 

order of things. On the contrary, 

we believe it is only a matter of 

time before Colombo resumes its 

efforts to crush our liberation struggle. 

Kumaratunga's determined 

continuation of the paramilitary 

campaign against the LTTE is the 

surest indicator of this. The Co- 

Chairs have expressed their concern 

and displeasure, but it very 

much remains to be seen what Sri 

Lanka does. As ever, the ceasefire 

and peace process depend not on 

Colombo's assurances - indeed, 

words have rarely been cheaper - 

but on concrete facts on the ground. 

Unwarranted Prohibition 

Police action unfairly stigmatises Britain's Tamils 

(indeed, the TSF's organisers this 

year had again paid for extra police 

and private security after detailed 

planning discussions with local 

authorities). However, the solution 

to this problem is surely for British 

law enforcement authorities to 

work closely with the Tamil community 

in identifying and prosecuting 

these criminal elements. By 

way of comparison, the problem of 

football hooliganism in Britain has 

not been addressed by simply cancelling 

matches. Indeed, British 

police forces have quite rightly 

stressed the importance of community 

involvement in tackling crime. 

Whilst the police are justifiably 

seeking greater assistance from the 

Tamil community, the latter is in 

turn bewildered as to why British 

law enforcement authorities have 

not paid more attention to the 

increasing violence by Tamil gangs, 

both against each other and law 

abiding people. 

Meanwhile, the drastic measure 

of cancelling the Tamil community's 

leading events sends exactly the 

wrong signals to all concerned: that 

we are an inherently disorderly people 

with criminal tendencies. The 

cancellation of the TSF - and the 

abrupt and antagonistic manner it 

was affected - has disrupted relations 

built over the years by the 

Tamil community with local 

authorities, other communities and 

the Police itself. And it still leaves 

the problem of gang violence. 

Comprising successive waves of 

immigrants and refugees since the 

sixties, Britain's Tamils, whilst 

maintaining close ties to their traditional 

homeland, form a law abiding 

and established community. 

They are actively seeking - and 

deserve - the support of the authorities 

and police in hosting their public 

events and living safely. 

THE visit to Washington last 

week by India's prime minister, 

Manmohan Singh, symbolizes 

a change in the fraught 

but inextricable relationship 

between the world's two 

largest democracies: an unrivaled 

superpower and an 

aspiring one. 

For decades, it has been a 

dalliance of love and hate. 

Indians have craved American 

visas, denim, movies 

and music. But the two countries 

were "estranged democracies" 

in the past, as 

Singh said recently. Previously, 

the Cold War had led to 

chilled relations, with Washington 

backing Pakistan 

and the Soviet Union backing 

India. 

In a joint statement issued 

last week by the two 

countries, President George 

W. Bush called India a "responsible" 

nuclear country. He 

also recommended a deal 

that would allow India to 

buy fuel and parts for civilian 

nuclear reactors if it 

opened its nuclear sites to 

inspection. 

The proposal is expected 

to come under fire from 

those reluctant to reward a 

country formerly known as a 

renegade nuclear power. But 

the Bush administration has 

gotten a "fairly positive" 

response from allies and 

congressional leaders for the 

proposal, an official said. 

Regardless of how soon 

uranium will flow to this 

country of one billion, Singh's 

visit may signify America's 

welcoming of a new 

type of superpower - militarily 

potent, economically dynamic, 

regionally assertive, 

independently minded but 

still nonthreatening to the 

United States. Call it superpower 

lite. 

Singh, a bookish former 

scholar with a sky-blue turban 

and hushed voice, manages 

to achieve a combina- 

tion of humility and assertiveness. 

India's image is starkly 

different from that of China, 

the other fast-developing 

country, which is seen as a 

menacing rival, especially 

after President Hu Jintao 

said it would become a "world 

power second to none." 

Compared with the United 

States' relationship with 

China, there seems to be less 

conflict with India, despite 

India's efforts to project its 

economic, diplomatic and 

military influence more assertively 

- including in ways 

that contravene U.S. desires. 

It raises the question of 

whether India, which has 

jealously lagged behind China 

economically, will have a 

long-term advantage because 

it can be a world power 

without being a threat. 

The Bush administration 

earlier this year said that it 

was the United States'' official 

policy "to help India 

become a major power in the 

21st century." It is a startling 

contrast to the harsher vocabulary 

used in Chinese-U.S. 

dialogue. 

Standing beside Bush at 

a White House media briefing, 

Singh struck a decidedly 

humble note. 

"The support and good 

will of the friendly people of 

the United States in managing 

the transition from a 

developing country to a fastexpanding 

economy is something 

we greatly welcome 

and greatly appreciate," he 

said. The agreement could 

have important consequences 

for India's power balance 

with Pakistan. Since 

1998, when India and Pakistan 

conducted nuclear 

tests, the region has lived 

under fear of nuclear conflict 

between the two nations, 

which were partitioned 

in 1947 when British colon- 

ists left the subcontinent. 

In the patois of regional 

politics, the Washington deal 

"de-hyphenates" India and 

Pakistan, giving New Delhi 

a different relationship to 

Washington - as a power in 

its own right, not a weight to 

be balanced against 

Pakistan's. Though Pakistan 

is believed to seek a nuclear 

status similar to India's, analysts 

describe that prospect 

as highly unlikely. 

Pakistan, which has 

acknowledged that one of its 

chief scientists has shared 

nuclear technology with Iran 

and other countries, had no 

official reaction to the agreement. 

But Nicholas Burns, 

under secretary of state for 

political affairs, told The 

New York Times that 

Secretary of State Condoleezza 

Rice had spoken to 

President Pervez Musharraf 

of Pakistan. Burns described 

Musharraf's reaction as 

"constructive" and "not 

overly problematic." 

Bush made a surprise 

EDITORIAL AND OPINION 

Superpower lite: US rethinks India 

India is no geopolitical shrinking violet and the 

US has noticed, writes Anand Giridharadas 

in the International Herald Tribune. 

THE back-to-back nature of 

the deadly attacks in Sharm 

el-Sheik and London, as 

well as similarities in the 

methods used, suggest that 

the al Qaeda leadership 

might have given the orders 

for both operations and are a 

clear sign Osama bin Laden 

and his deputies remain in 

control of the network, 

according to interviews with 

counterterrorism analysts 

and government officials in 

Europe and the Middle East. 

Investigators on 

Saturday said they believed 

the details of the bombing 

plots in Egypt and Britain - 

the deadliest terrorist strikes 

in each country's history - 

were organized locally by 

groups working independently 

of each other. 

In Sharm el-Sheik, 

where the death toll rose to 

88, attention centered on an 

al Qaeda affiliate blamed for 

a similar attack last October 

at Taba, another Red Sea 

resort. 

In London, where 52 

bystanders were killed in the 

subway and on a bus, police 

have identified three of the 

four suicide bombers as 

British natives with connections 

to Pakistani radicals. 

But intelligence officials 

and terrorist experts said 

they suspect bin Laden or his 

lieutenants might have spon- 

sored both operations from 

afar, as well as explosions 

that have killed hundreds of 

people in Spain, Turkey, 

Saudi Arabia and Morocco 

since 2002. The hallmarks in 

each case: multiple bombings 

aimed at unguarded, 

civilian targets that are 

designed to scare Westerners 

and rattle the economy. 

The officials and analysts 

also said the recent 

attacks indicate the nerve 

center of the original al 

Qaeda network remains 

alive and well, despite the 

fact that many leaders have 

been killed or captured since 

the Sept. 11, 2001, hijackings 

in the United States. 

Bin Laden might be in 

hiding, the officials and analysts 

said, and much is still 

unknown about the network, 

but they added that his organization 

remains fully capable 

of orchestrating attacks 

worldwide by recruiting 

local groups to do its bidding. 

"What the London and 

Sharm el-Sheik attacks may 

have in common are the people 

giving directions: This is 

what needs to be done, and 

this is how you do it," said 

Magnus Ranstorp, director 

of the Center for the Study 

of Terrorism and Political 

Violence at the University of 

St. Andrews in Scotland. 

Prince Turki al Faisal, 

the former director of foreign 

intelligence for Saudi 

Arabia who was named last 

week as the kingdom's new 

ambassador to the United 

States, said in an interview, 

"All of these groups maintain 

a link of sorts with bin 

Laden, either through 

Internet websites, or through 

messengers, or by going to 

the border area between 

Pakistan and Afghanistan 

and maybe not necessarily 

meeting with bin Laden himself, 

but with his people." 

"Since September 11, 

these people have continued 

to operate," he said, speaking 

at his residence here, 

where he has been serving as 

ambassador to Britain. 

"They are on the run, but 

they still act with impunity. 

They can produce their 

material and get it to the 

media, it seems, anytime 

they like. Along with that, of 

course, are the orders they 

give to their operatives, 

wherever they may be." 

Overthrowing the Saudi 

monarchy has been a longtime 

goal for bin Laden, a 

wealthy Saudi native once 

close to the kingdom's rulers 

but stripped of his citizenship 

in 1994. 

Some senior U.S. officials 

have argued that bin 

Laden has been effectively 

bottled up since the U.S.-led 

invasion of Afghanistan in 

2001 and question whether 

al Qaeda has the ability to 

plan major operations such 

decision to propose lifting 

what some Indians have 

termed "nuclear apartheid" - 

a prohibition that has 

stopped other countries from 

selling fuel or parts for civilian 

nuclear reactors to India. 

India's nuclear program has 

been labeled as renegade 

since it first tested nuclear 

weapons in 1974 and refused 

to sign the Nuclear Nonproliferation 

Treaty, which has 

187 signatories. 

The deal, if backed by 

the U.S. Congress and other 

nuclear states, would help 

satisfy India's demand for 

energy, which exceeds supply 

by 11 percent. 

There is also symbolic 

importance in Bush's comments 

in the joint statement 

that India is a "responsible 

state with advanced nuclear 

technology" that "should 

acquire the same benefits 

and advantages other such 

states." 

The deal would usher 

India into the inner sanctum 

occupied by other "responsible" 

nuclear states like the 

United States, Britain, France, 

China and Russia - the 

permanent members of the 

Security Council. In a speech 

to Congress, Singh asked 

U.S. lawmakers to back 

India for a permanent seat. 

"You would agree that 

the voice of the world's 

largest democracy surely 

cannot be left unheard on the 

Security Council," he said. 

While Washington is 

cool to such an idea, Bush's 

overture reflects the peculiar 

kind of nuclear power that 

India represents. It forswears 

first use of nuclear weapons 

- as does China, in fairness, 

but in contrast to Pakistan. It 

lives by a self-imposed 

moratorium on new testing. 

It has strenuously argued for 

the phased abolition of 

nuclear weapons. 

Yet India is no geopolitical 

shrinking violet. It is 

pushing its influence in Asia 

with trade agreements, direct 

investment, military exercis- 

5 

es, aid funds, energy cooperation 

and new infrastructure. 

Its circle of friendships spans 

from Iran to Japan and 

includes emerging ties with 

countries like Tajikistan, 

Thailand, Myanmar and 

Vietnam. 

India has also irked the 

Bush administration by negotiating 

a multibillion-dollar 

deal to buy natural gas from 

Iran, which Washi-ngton is 

seeking to isolate over 

alleged nuclear proliferation. 

India's military is also 

retooling to project force 

more expansively. The navy 

is said to be leasing nuclear 

submarines and has announced 

plans to become the 

first developing country to 

build an aircraft carrier - a 

$662 million vessel that, 

were it afloat today, would 

be the largest from any 

country outside of Europe 

and the Americas, officials 

and analysts say. 

Yet these developments 

do not seem to worry U.S. 

officials. Defense Secretary 

Donald Rumsfeld has compared 

India with China 

explicitly. "We anticipate 

that the relationship with 

India will continue to be 

strengthened," he said in 

June. "With respect to China, 

it's not completely clear 

which way they are going." 

The transparent, manageable 

ascendance of this 

superpower lite puts India in 

an unusual position and has 

sparked confusion in India: 

Has Singh won a victory for 

India's standing, or will 

India be a U.S. satellite? 

The Hindustan Times, a 

national newspaper, said that 

the nuclear agreement was 

"a historic bargain which 

could transform the global 

balance of power in as significant 

a manner as Richard 

Nixon's opening to China." 

It said the deal recognized 

India as a "thriving Asian 

nation that possesses sufficient 

gravitational force to 

keep the balance of power 

stable." 

Diffuse, shadowy and bloody terror 

Similarities between the Britain and Egypt 

bombings suggested that al Qaeda was behind 

them, with Osama bin Laden in control, writes 

Craig Whitlock for the Washington Post. 

Singh's visit 

may signify 

America's welcoming 

of a 

new type of 

superpower - 

militarily 

potent, economically 

dynamic, 

regionally 

assertive, independently 

minded but 

still nonthreatening 

to the US 

as the Sept. 11 attacks. 

In April, for example, the 

State Department concluded 

in its annual report on terrorist 

activity around the world 

that al Qaeda had been supplanted 

as the most worrisome 

threat by unaffiliated 

local groups of Islamic radicals 

acting on their own, 

without help from bin Laden 

or his aides. The pattern of 

attacks in 2004, the report 

stated, illustrates "what 

many analysts believe is a 

new phase of the global war 

on terrorism, one in which 

local groups inspired by al 

Qaeda organize and carry 

out attacks with little or no 

support or direction from al 

Qaeda itself." 

Some regional Islamic 

radical groups function independently 

of al Qaeda, but 

enter into alliances for specific 

operations or campaigns, 

experts say. In Iraq, 

for instance, a primary network 

of insurgents is led by 

Abu Musab al Zarqawi, a 

Jordanian who has pledged 

loyalty to bin Laden and acts 

publicly on behalf of al 

Qaeda but has developed his 

own organization. 

But intelligence officials 

and analysts from European 

and Arab countries said there 

is increasing evidence that 

several of the deadliest 

bombing attacks against 

civilian targets in recent 

years can be traced to suspected 

mid-level al Qaeda 

operatives acting on behalf 

of bin Laden and the network's 

leadership. In some 

cases, counterterrorism 

investigators have concluded 

bin Laden or his emissaries 

set plans in motion to 

launch attacks and then left 

details up to local networks 

or cells. 

"The rather well-formed 

structure that they had prior 

to 9/11 does seem to be 

degraded," said a senior 

British counterterrorism 

official, who spoke on condition 

of anonymity. "But 

there is still a fairly potent, if 

diffuse network out there 

that still aspires to make 

decisions. We should be very 

wary about writing them 

off." 

Writing to Tamil Guardian 

Letters for publication should contain the writer's signature, 

name and full address. They should be brief and are subject 

to editing. Letters and unsolicited manuscripts are not 

acknowledged or returned. 

Letters should be addressed o the Editor. 

Email letters should be sent to 

editor@tamilguardian.com

6 INTERNATIONAL 

Tamil Guardian Wednesday March 29, 2004 

Sluggish world response as millions starve in Africa 

International aid is now starting to trickle in, 

but Niger is not the only place in the region 

where starvation is a reality. It just happens to 

be the place where a BBC film crew has been. 

THE United Nations still has 

only about a third of the money 

it needs to feed millions 

of starving people in faminestricken 

Niger, amid warnings 

that 150,000 children 

will soon die without food 

aid. The UN World Food Program 

needs only about $40 

million to provide effective 

aid in Niger, but even dramatic 

footage of starving children 

has led to only a third 

of that being pledged, Australia's 

ABC radio reported. 

International aid is now 

starting to flow, but the head 

of the UN Office for the Coordination 

of Humanitarian 

Affairs, Jan Egeland says 

only about $6 million has 

been paid, with another $10 

million pledged. 

"It took graphic images 

of dying children for this to 

happen," he said. 

Aid agencies have been 

calling for aid in Niger for 

months, but it's taken the pictures 

filmed by a BBC news 

crew to get world's attention. 

The severe food crisis in 

Niger and in other African 

countries could have been 

THE Bush administration 

had gotten a "fairly positive" 

response among its allies 

overseas and Congressional 

leaders for a landmark new 

agreement to give India help 

for its civilian nuclear program 

while allowing it to 

retain nuclear weapons, the 

New York Times reported 

last week. 

R. Nicholas Burns, under 

secretary of state for political 

affairs, said European leaders 

had been told in recent 

weeks that a deal might be in 

the works, but that it had not 

been clear there would be an 

agreement until the last minute, 

leaving little time to brief 

foreign and Congressional 

officials in advance. 

"I don't expect a lot of 

opposition in Europe," Mr. 

Burns said in an interview, 

adding that Secretary of State 

Condoleezza Rice also spoke 

to President Pervez Musharraf 

of Pakistan and that 

his reaction was "constructive" 

and "not overly problematic." 

A spokesman at the 

Pakistani Embassy said there 

had been no reaction in 

Islamabad to the deal announced 

Monday, between 

President Bush and Prime 

Minister Manmohan Singh 

of India. 

prevented if the UN had a 

reserve fund to jump-start 

humanitarian aid while 

appeals for money were considered, 

Egeland, said. 

Much of the crisis in 

Niger was foreseeable because 

of a massive locust infestation 

and recurring drought 

across the belt of countries 

lining the southern edge 

of the Sahara. 

Questions are now being 

asked about the reasons for 

the delay, as fears grow for 

other famine-stricken communities 

in Mali, Mauritania 

and Chad. 

It was last November 

when a plague of locusts and 

drought sparked warnings 

that the poor, desert nation 

of Niger would soon face 

famine, but the world took 

no notice. Initial appeals by 

the UN for money for food 

yielded not one response. 

It took last week's BBC 

pictures of malnourished 

babies and desperate people 

fighting for food and medicine, 

to get a reaction. 

NGOs are airlifting some 

food to Southern Niger, but 

with 1.2 million people in 

desperate, immediate need 

The accord would bring 

a major change in the international 

accords governing 

nuclear technology, essentially 

exempting India from 

longstanding requirements 

that only countries willing to 

forswear nuclear weapons 

may purchase or obtain civilian 

nuclear technology, equipment 

and fuel from the 

nuclear energy suppliers. 

India has never signed 

the Nonproliferation Treaty 

and never accepted inspections 

of its nuclear facilities. 

Now it is to accept inspections 

of its civilian but not 

its military nuclear facilities. 

For the agreement to be put 

into effect, Congress would 

have to change a 1978 law 

barring American nuclear 

energy aid to nuclear weapons 

states, as well an accord 

of a coalition of nations known 

as the Nuclear Suppliers 

Group, which has long agreed 

to similar restrictions. 

A European diplomat 

said that although the deal 

was a "step in the right direction" 

for India, because India 

would agree to safeguards 

for its civilian nuclear program, 

it posed the risk of 

weakening the Nuclear Nonproliferation 

Treaty "if it is 

poorly implemented." 

of food, it's not enough. 

Two months ago, UN 

Humanitarian Affairs chief 

Egeland called Niger the 

world's number one forgotten 

and neglected emergency. 

Now for many, he 

says, it's too late. 

"Niger is the example of 

the imbalances in world generosity, 

and only now when 

children are dying in the 

middle of July do we get 

assistance," he told ABC. 

One-hundred-and-fiftythousand 

children will soon 

die in Niger if more food is 

not provided and UNICEF 

Niger spokesman Abdul 

Karimo Adjibadi says they'll 

cost a lot more to save now, 

than if the world had 

responded earlier. 

"The international community 

is now trying to 

respond quickly to what we 

need, but we have to pay ten 

times the amount we need to 

do the same thing," Adjibadi 

said. But Niger is not the only 

place in the region where 

starvation is a reality. It just 

happens to be the place 

where the film crew has 

been. 

Kate Pattison from 

Oxfam says the world must 

take action in neighbouring 

Mali and Mauritania to prevent 

the same thing happen- 

US and India strike 

landmark nuclear deal 

The Bush administration expects little resistance at home and abroad 

to a nuclear deal with Delhi, the New York Times reports. 

India hesitant on 

Iran oil deal 

INDIA'S oil minister said on 

Saturday a proposed gas pipeline 

from Iran across Pakistan 

was a risky venture that 

would be difficult to finance, 

but added talks on the $7 billion 

project should continue. 

"The pipeline proposal 

is, as the prime minister stated, 

fraught with terrible risks," 

Mr Mani Shankar Aiyar 

told a news conference. 

Indian Prime Minister 

Manmohan Singh expressed 

concerns about the project 

during his visit to the United 

States this week, when President 

George Bush recognized 

India as a responsible 

nuclear state and promised 

cooperation with its civilian 

atomic power programme. 

Some officials suggested 

India may abandon plans to 

import Iranian gas in return 

of a nuclear energy deal with 

the United States, which has 

expressed concerns over the 

Iran-India project because of 

its opposition to Tehran's 

nuclear programme. Mr Aiyar 

said the issues were not 

related. "I don't think there is 

any connection between the 

two," he said, but he added 

the project faced formidable 

challenges. "In my view it is 

going to be extremely difficult 

to put together an international 

consortium which should 

be willing to finance 

this project," he said. 

The proposal to build the 

pipeline has been on the drawing 

board for years but uneasy 

relations between Pakistan 

and India have prevented 

any progress. Mr Aiyar 

said India should import piped 

gas as it faces a deficit of 

200 million cubic metres a 

day in 20 years even if more 

gas was discovered in the 

country. "It is essential that 

we continue the process of 

neg-otiations which, as the 

prime minister said, is at 

present at a very preliminary 

stage," Mr Aiyar said. 

India is also keen to develop 

nuclear energy, which 

meets only 3 per cent of its 

power requirement but the 

government aims to increase 

that to about 25 per cent by 

2050. 

"India has to implement 

what it committed itself to, 

and perhaps go even further," 

said the diplomat, asking 

not to be identified because 

European governments were 

still formulating their official 

positions. 

The deal between India 

and the US drew criticism from 

nuclear experts at research 

institutions specializing 

in efforts to stop the spread 

of nuclear weapons and from 

a former top Bush administration 

official involved in 

the issue. "It's disappointing 

that we've given something 

to India and not gotten something 

substantial in return," 

said John S. Wolf, a 

former assistant secretary of 

state for nonproliferation 

affairs. "This agreement is 

difficult to reconcile with the 

international norms advanced 

by the United States for 

the last 40 years." 

Various administration 

officials say that a core of 

officials had wanted to help 

India from the start of Mr. 

Bush's time in office. Among 

the advocates of concessions 

to India, those officials 

said, were Defense Secretary 

Donald H. Rumsfeld and 

Robert Blackwill, a former 

ambassador to India who 

served on the National Security 

Council staff. 

Mr. Blackwill, in the current 

issue of The National 

Interest, a public policy magazine, 

says he frequently 

battled with the State Department 

on nuclear issues, describing 

opponents of giving 

India wider latitude in the 

nuclear area as "nagging 

nannies" whose policies he 

refused to put into effect. 

Mr. Burns, who has been 

a point man in the India negotiations, 

said Secretary Rice 

and Stephen Hadley, the 

national security adviser, 

had hammered out the final 

details. He said exempting 

India from the nonproliferation 

norms should not create 

problems for the administration's 

other efforts to try to 

get Iran and North Korea to 

adhere to nonproliferation 

obligations as both countries 

had signed the treaty, but 

then cheated. North Korea 

later withdrew from it. 

Mr. Wolf said he expected 

that the US' allies in Europe, 

as well as Russia and 

China, would probably support 

the India deal because 

they would jump at the chance 

to sell nuclear components 

to India. "Whatever they're 

saying now about this 

agreement," he said, "they'll 

be in New Delhi tomorrow." 

ing there. 

"This isn't just about 

Niger, this is about Mali, this 

is about Mauritania. The 

food crisis is across the 

whole of the Sahel Region," 

she says. 

"Niger is the worst 

affected country at the 

moment, but Oxfam has had 

programs in Mali and 

Mauritania where we've 

been working to try and prevent 

the situation there getting 

to crisis point." 

Medecins Sans Frontieres 

warned this week that a 

growing number of children 

were also severely malnourished 

in southern Sudan. 

It's said that about 2.5 

million people are facing 

starvation in Niger, but 

across the region, five million 

people need food. 

The head of the UN 

Office for the Co-ordination 

of Humanitarian Affairs, Jan 

Egeland, says the international 

response had also 

been slowed by bureaucracy. 

Mr Egeland said his UN 

office had $US50,000 

($66,400) to quickly respond 

to emergencies, but only for 

loans, which must be repaid. 

The office was seeking 

$US500,000 for grants to 

rapidly launch emergency 

relief campaigns as soon as 

warning signs emerged. 

INDONESIA'S President 

has told the military to exercise 

restraint following clashes 

with rebels in Aceh which 

broke out after a draft peace 

agreement was concluded. 

Andi Mallarangeng also 

told Reuters that President 

Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's 

government still expects 

comprehensive peace in Aceh, 

where three decades of 

fighting have killed at least 

12,000 people. 

The peace agreement 

between the government and 

Free Aceh Movement 

(GAM) rebels announced on 

Sunday before last in Helsinki 

is due to be signed there 

on August 15. 

"When the president carried 

out the decision, all offi- 

A young Nigerois children suffering from severe malnutrition is treated at the Medecins Sans Frontieres (Doctors without 

Borders) centre of Maradi. The UN appealed for millions of dollars in aid from donors to tackle an 'acute humanitarian 

crisis' in the African state where 2.5 million people, including 800,000 children, are facing famine. Photo AFP 

Clashes after Aceh peace deal agreed 

cials must follow that. Security 

officials have to (exercise) 

restraint to maintain the 

peace process," Mallarangeng 

said. 

Last week, Indonesian 

military chief General Endriartono 

Sutarto pledged to 

hold back any offensive 

activities, but GAM and the 

military separately reported 

on Wednesday that there had 

been fighting since the 

Sunday announcement. 

Fighting in the province 

has generally tended to be 

sporadic, marked by short 

sharp clashes on some days 

followed by periods of calm. 

Despite pledges to 

reduce military activity by 

both sides after the Dec. 26 

earthquake and tsunami that 

devastated the province, violence 

continued with hundreds 

of deaths reported since 

the disaster. 

GAM and the government 

often blame one another 

for initiating the fighting, as 

was the case again this 

week. 

On Thursday a GAM spokesman, 

Teuku Jamaica, told 

Reuters the military had 

beefed up its security posts 

after the signing of the draft 

agreement, and accused the 

military of conducting security 

sweeping to search for 

GAM members near the provincial 

capital Banda Aceh, 

1,700 km (1,060 miles) northeast 

of Jakarta. 

Justice Minister Hamid 

Awaluddin said the govern- 

PKK seeks talks backing, 

but Iraq, Turkey say US 

offensive imminent 

A TOP Turkish general and 

Iraq's Foreign Minister say 

the United States had given 

direct orders for the capture 

of rebel Kurdistan Workers 

Party (PKK) leaders in Iraq. 

But the PKK, who have 

been battling Turkish soldiers 

for two decades, this 

week owed to keep up their 

fight until Turkey agrees to 

open a dialogue with militants. 

However it is a call that 

Turkey refuses, saying all 

the guerrillas of the 

Kurdistan Workers Party, or 

PKK, must surrender or die. 

Speaking to the Associated 

Press, Murat Karayilan, 

the military leader of the 

PKK, says that Washington, 

which is pressing for more 

democracy in the Middle 

East, must allow the Kurds a 

voice and vows to keep 

fighting on. 

"We seek peace, but Turkey 

seeks war and wants our 

surrender," he said "It wants 

to get rid of us entirely. The 

Kurds' resistance will continue." 

Turkish officials have 

dismissed that PKK peace 

claim as a mere change in 

tactics by the group, which 

the Turkish government and 

the United States consider a 

terrorist organization. 

Iraqi Foreign Minister 

Hoshiyar Zebari warned 

Turkey on Sunday against 

military incursions to pursue 

PKK rebels, saying Turkish 

incursions could destabilize 

Iraq. Zebari also told Reuters 

U.S. forces in Iraq were 

poised to capture the rebels, 

who have waged a violent 

campaign against Turkey to 

win Kurdish self-determination 

for decades. 

General Ilker Basbug of 

Turkey's politically influential 

General Staff said last 

week the United States had 

given orders for the capture 

of PKK rebels in Iraq, 

adding that Turkey had a 

right to enter Iraqi territory 

to attack them if no action 

was taken. 

"A cross-border operation 

against the PKK is one 

of many options in the struggle 

against the PKK, in fact 

it is the last resort," the CNN 

Turk Web Site quoted him as 

saying. 

However, analysts say 

Washington, which like the 

European Union includes 

the PKK on its list of terrorist 

groups, has had its hands 

full battling insurgents opposed 

to U.S.-led forces in Iraq 

and has been reluctant to 

open a new front against the 

PKK. 

"They are in regions outside 

the control of the central 

and Kurdish government. If 

they move the American 

forces could arrest them. We 

have an obligation to Turkey 

and to control all non-Iraqi 

armed groups and prevent 

them from activities against 

neighboring countries," 

Zebari said. 

"We refuse any regional 

military interference in Iraqi 

affairs, whether Turkish, Iranian 

or Arab, because it destroys 

confidence and shifts 

the focus when our priority 

is finishing the political 

process, improving the security 

situation and providing 

basic services," Zebari said 

in an interview. 

The U.S. embassy in 

Ankara declined to comment, 

and no Turkish or U.S. 

government comment was 

immediately available. 

Turkey's General Staff 

says the rebels have crossed 

into Turkey more frequently 

and in large numbers in the 

past year and now number 

nearly 2,000 inside the country, 

carrying out attacks on 

military targets in the mainly 

Kurdish southeast. 

Clashes tailed off sharply 

after the 1999 capture of 

PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan, 

now imprisoned on an island 

south of Istanbul, but 

have escalated since the 

PKK dropped its selfimposed 

unilateral truce. 

PKK military chief Karayilan 

also said that the rebels, 

who were once fighting 

for a Marxist Kurdish state 

in the southeast of Turkey, 

now want to be part of a 

democracy. 

"We want to live in a 

democratic way and establish 

a democratic Kurdish 

movement while giving up 

extremist socialist ideas," 

Karayilan said. "We also 

notice a change in American 

policies, which now support 

democratic governments. 

America came to change the 

Middle East, and Kurds have 

a great role in this matter." 

Turkey considers all of 

its Muslim citizens to be Turks 

and has rejected Kurdish 

aspirations as an attempt to 

break apart the country. It 

was illegal in Turkey to 

speak Kurdish until 1991, 

and broadcasting in Kurdish 

only began in 2004. 

Secretary of State Rice warns against walling Gaza 

US Secretary of State Condoleezza 

Rice warned Israel 

that Palestinians must be 

able to move freely between 

the separate territories they 

will eventually hold. The 

Gaza Strip must not become 

a walled enclave after Israel 

withdraws troops and settlers 

next month, Rice said. 

She also pressed Palestinian 

leaders to clamp down on 

militants opposed to any 

accommodation with Israel. 

Rice returned to Washington 

on Sunday after three 

days of shuttle diplomacy in 

the Middle East that was intended 

to encourage the Israelis 

and Palestinians to keep 

working on the details of 

Israel's planned withdrawal. 

Rice said the two sides 

were making progress, although 

she came away with no 

new commitments. Several 

practical issues remain unresolved 

less than a month 

before the mid-August start 

date for withdrawal. One of 

the most difficult questions 

is how Israel will control its 

side of a long border with a 

Palestinian Gaza. Palestinians 

say they fear Israel will 

use worry over possible terrorism 

as an excuse to make 

travel and trade impossible. 

Rice echoed some of that 

concern in remarks with 

Palestinian President Mahmoud 

Abbas. Economic development 

of the impoverished 

seaside territory is key to the 

success of Israeli-Palestinian 

peace, she said. "That means 

that when the Israelis withdraw 

from Gaza it cannot be 

a sealed or isolated area, with 

the Palestinian people closed 

in after that withdrawal." 

Gaza and the separate 

West Bank territory must 

have some connection between 

them, Rice said. "We are 

committed to openness and 

freedom of movement for 

the Palestinian people." 

Israel has held the Gaza 

territory for three decades. 

Under an international blueprint 

for peace, the land would 

become part of an eventual 

independent Palestinian 

state. The U.S. has no formal 

role in the Gaza pullout plan. 

ment would scale down its 

military and police numbers 

in Aceh between mid-September 

and Dec. 31 in conjunction 

with the gathering 

and destruction of GAM 

weapons. 

In the Helsinki negotiations 

that began in January, 

GAM dropped its demand 

for independence for the 

province on Sumatra's northern 

tip, and the government 

moved to accommodate 

GAM's request for political 

participation in Aceh. 

Peace deals have been 

reached before, however, 

and ultimately foundered as 

each side pointed a finger at 

the other for lack of followthrough 

on promises. 

Aceh, with abundant nat- 

HOT on the heels of a Sky 

television poll showing British 

Muslims had a deeply 

divided loyalty to their country, 

the Daily Telegraph newspaper 

Saturday published 

a survey revealing nearly a 

third of Muslims to believe 

"Western society is decadent 

and immoral and should be 

brought to an end." 

The newspaper's poll, 

which is thought likely to 

still further widen the chasm 

between communities in 

multi-cultural Britain, said 

roughly a quarter of Muslims 

sympathised with the 

motives of the London bombers. 

Commentators said the 

thin Muslim line appeared to 

be turning into the final, most 

decisive hurdle for an officially 

multi-cultural country 

with a huge, settled population 

of Muslim and other 

religious minorities. 

In a comment that described 

the poll's findings as "at 

once reassuring and disturbing", 

the Daily Telegraph 

said the 6% of Muslims who 

felt the bombings were justified, 

"may seem a small proportion 

but in absolute numbers 

it amounts to about 

100,000 individuals, who if 

not prepared to carry out terrorist 

acts, are ready to support 

those who do." 

Twenty-four per cent of 

ural resources, is a devoutly 

Muslim province of 4 million 

people with a long history 

of revolt against Jakarta 

and Dutch colonial rule. One 

issue in the GAM rebellion 

is natural gas and the revenue 

split between the province 

and the central government. 

Aceh was harder hit than 

anywhere else by the Dec. 

26 earthquake and tsunami. 

The killer waves left some 

170,000 dead or missing in 

the province. 

An effective peace deal 

could insure that a $5 billion 

reconstruction effort over 

the next several years, which 

involves major commitments 

by foreign donors, goes 

smoothly. 

British Muslims 

seen divided 

THE UK is to set up a global 

database of extremists 

who face automatic vetting 

before being allowed in, Home 

Secretary Charles Clarke 

has said. The database would 

list "unacceptable behaviour" 

such as radical preaching, 

websites and writing 

articles intended to foment 

terrorism, the BBC reported. 

Individuals' presence on 

the list means they may face 

exclusion from the UK. Hopes 

for an international conference 

on Islamic extremism 

were also outlined by 

Prime Minister Tony Blair. 

Mr Clarke said he wanted 

to apply more widely the 

home secretary's powers to 

exclude an individual from 

the Muslims contacted for 

the survey said they had 

sympathy with the feelings 

and motives of those who 

carried out the multiple, serial 

attacks on London. A 

substantial majority -56%said 

that whether or not they 

sympathised with the bombers, 

they could at least understand 

why some people might 

want to behave in this 

way. 

Fifty-eight per cent said 

they thought the ideology of 

the bombers was "perverted 

and poisonous", in line with 

prime minister Tony Blair's 

public comments. But roughly 

26% expressed reluctance 

about such dismissiveness, 

the survey said. 

Eighteen per cent of the 

Muslims said they felt little 

loyalty towards Britain, a finding 

described by the paper 

as indicating that "well over 

100,000 British Muslims 

feel no loyalty whatsoever 

towards this country." However, 

the survey found that 

less than half of all Muslims 

said they felt "very loyal." 

The newspaper said, in 

comments expected to be 

played up over the coming 

weeks and months, that its 

poll was "remarkable"in its 

revelation of "the sheer scale 

of Muslim alienation from 

British society." 

UK plans global 

extremists list 

the UK if their presence is 

deemed "not conducive to 

the public interest". In a statement 

to Parliament he said: 

"In the circumstances we 

now face, I have decided 

that it is right to broaden the 

use of these powers to deal 

with those who foment terrorism 

or seek to provoke 

others to terrorist acts. 

It targets those who, while 

not directly inciting, glorify 

and condone terrorist acts 

knowing full well that the effect 

on their listeners will be 

to encourage them to turn to 

terrorism, the BBC reported. 

He said there would be 

consultation before the final 

list of "unacceptable behaviours" 

was decided upon.


Old story but, great chemistry 

Worth a look, Moviebuzz writes of 

'Priyasakhi' for Sify Movies. 

IF YOU like candyfloss 

romance and its bitter-sweet 

nature, love and family relationships, 

mush and melodrama, 

then walk straight 

into 'Priyasakhi'. This vanilla 

coated love story is about 

what happens in the life of 

the lead characters, Madhavan 

and Sada after romance 

and marriage. 

What works in favour of 

'Priyasakhi' is the palpable 

and terrific on-screen chemistry 

between the lead pair. If 

originality is not your top 

priority this predictable story 

by director K. S. Adhiyaman 

reminds you of Mani 

Ratnam's 'Alaipayuthe', Aziz 

Mirza's 'Chalte Chalte' and 

an old Mohanlal classic 

'Dasaratham'. 

'Priyasakhi' is built on 

simple bits of screen writing 

and director Adhiyaman's 

perception on how a woman 

should be after marriage, a 

story beaten to death from 

the 60's tearjerkers. Still the 

performance and the love 

banter between Madhavan 

and Sada touches your heart. 

He has also painted an intimate 

portrait of love and 

family relationships and the 

values of joint family and at 

the same time examines the 

life and style of the so-called 

modern society women and 

their family life. 

Santhana Krishnan (Madhavan) 

alias Sakhi is a manager 

in an automobile company 

with a happy family 

Sundar C’s attempt to break the mould 

'Chinna' is another psycho pot-boiler 

reports IndiaGlitz. 

SUNDAR C has a penchant 

for comedy capers that are 

low on logic but high on 

entertainment. 'Chinna' is 

unlike Sundar C's film, 

which is not just very serious 

but also lacks his trademark 

humour. However thanks to 

a fast narration and good 

performance by Sneha, 

'Chinna' manages to leave an 

impression with the audience. 

The storyline reminds 

one of movies like 'Kadhal 

Kondein' and 'Guna'. 

The movie begins with 

Gayathri (Sneha) who reaches 

Rameshwaram from Chennai 

to do a research work 

on sea corals. She comes 

across a gangster Chinna 

(Arjun), who lives by sword 

and bullets. 

On coming to know 

about his past (he is said to 

be a schizophrenic), Gayathri 

develops sympathy on 

Chinna and slowly gravitates 

towards him. As days 

go by, she develops an affair 

with him. 

Meanwhile, coming to 

know of her love with the 

gangster, her parents persuade 

her to give him up and 

return home. Eventually, Chinna 

lands up in prison for a 

murder which he commits to 

save Gayathri from trouble. 

After Chinna lands up in 

prison, Gayathri's parents 

force her to marry a engineer 

Vikram ('Whistle' fame 

Vikramadhitya). 

Vikram and Gayathri 

reach Ooty to begin their 

newly married life. Now 

enters Chinna, who is let 

free from prison. He comes 

to Ooty only with a sole aim 

of getting Sneha back in his 

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consisting of grandmother, 

mother, elder brother and his 

family, and younger sister. In 

one of his trips abroad he 

chances to meet a model 

Priya (Sada) in Dubai. It is 

love at first sight for Sakhi 

who woos Priya and proposes 

to her. Priya also falls 

hook-line-sinker for Sakhi 

and soon they get married. 

Priya's family is just the 

opposite of Sakhi's - a henpecked 

father (Pratap Pothen) 

and mother (Aishwarya), 

a society lady who boozes, 

flirts and goes to discos. 

Priya finds it difficult to adjust 

with Sakhi's family, their 

culture and traditions that is 

alien to her. Misunderstanding 

and unhappiness sets in 

and they decide to separate. 

What happens then? 

The first half of the film 

including the casual mobile 

phone flirtations, romantic 

scenes of how Sakhi tries to 

woo Priya, their marriage, 

first night including love 

making scenes after a discord 

are handled with sensitivity 

by Adhiyaman. 

Bharadwaj's music is melodious 

especially the 'O 

Priyasakhi' and 'Muthal 

Muthal Paarthen' that are 

picturised superbly as the 

camera of 'Sethu' Sriram 

etches out the deserts and 

landmarks of Dubai and 

Ooty green beautifully. 

Madhavan and Sada are 

the life and soul of 

'Priyasakhi' and they have 

CHETTY & CO. 

SOLICITORS 

SOLICITORS 

 

given their best. Madhavan 

looks cool with his Tom 

Cruise hairstyle and his performance 

is top class. Sada 

steals the thunder in the climax 

with her sensitive portrayal. 

And Aishwarya as 

life. The rest is Chinna's violent 

and desperate attempts 

to get her back (not even 

hesitating to commit a few 

murders for accomplishing 

his mission). 

It's Sneha all the way in 

the film. She has given a 

matured performance oozing 

glamour in a couple of 

songs. She has shown fine 

understanding of a difficult 

role. Arjun, too, does not lag 

behind. It is a different kind 

of a role for him. In a psychologically 

complex character 

(suddenly such roles 

are the in-thing in Kollywood), 

he shows some refreshing 

adaptation. Unlike in 

other movies where he flexes 

his muscles, in 'Chinna' 

Arjun has scope to perform. 

Vikramadhitya plays the 

second fiddle well in the 

movie. Riyaz Khan, Manivannan, 

Vijay Kumar, Mansoor 

Ali Khan, Livingston, 

Ponnambalam and Aarthy 

are the supporting cast. 

The music of Iman is a 

major let down while other 

technical aspects pass muster. 

Sundar C is usually cast 

in a mould. He has tried to 

come out of it in 'Chinna'. 

Though the final outcome is 

not totally satisfactory, you 

should applaud him for making 

a try. 

A plausible romantic 

thriller in the end is 'Chinna'. 

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Priya's loud and garrulous 

mother who loves partying is 

a revelation. Kovai Sarala in 

a cameo role is irritable. 

On the whole, 'Priyasakhi' 

is definitely worth a 

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What Satyaraj does in 

Tamil, Mohan Babu does 

in Telugu. Babu had 

remade Satyaraj's 'Velai 

Kedachachu' and played 

the lead role in the Telugu 

version 'Assembly 

Rowdy'. Now the actor is 

playing the 50+ don that 

Satyaraj played with such 

flair in 'Adithadi'. The 

ageing don's obsession for 

a college-going teenager 

had the audience in splits. 

And now Mohan Babu, 

with its remake 'Political 

Rowdy', is all set to give 

the Telugu viewers a taste 

of some hilarious comedy. 

Telugu Satyaraj 

Chandramukhi Satyaraj 

Grouse 

Talking of Satyaraj, 

his still for his new film 

had Jyotika call him up 

and compliment him on it. 

It was a picture of him 

dressed in a dancer's costume, 

with jewellery, 

flowers et all. Jyotika was 

so amused when she saw 

what was a take-off on her 

role of 'Chandramukhi', 

that she lest no time in 

ringing him up and expressing 

her amusement, 

Satyaraj's answer to her 

was a cheeky 'laka laka 

laka…'. The actor appears 

in this garb for a scene in 

his new film 'Englishkaran', 

which promises to 

be a hilarious entertainer. 

Nayantara has 

this grouse against 

Malayalam film 

makers. That the 

industry doesn't 

extend comforts and 

luxuries to their 

heroines like the 

Tamil industry does. 

That while the 

Tamil film-makers 

allowed her the use 

of a caravan solely 

for her use for 

'Chandramukhi', 

and for her subsequent 

films too, the 

Malayalam industry 

was not so forthcoming. 

The 

actress, in an interview to a Malayalam magazine, happened 

to mention this. And also, that for a Malayalam film 

shooting she had asked for a caravan but was refused. 

"That's why I'm concentrating more on Tamil films," the 

actress is reported to have added. Naturally, this hasn't 

amused the Malayalam industry bigwigs. Further, in the 

Malayalam film industry, every artiste is treated the same, 

they say, adding they thought it was a matter to be lauded. 

Another comeback? 

He announces his 

comeback every few 

months, signs a new film, 

and then we neither get to 

hear of him nor his film. 

For Kartik withdraws into 

his shell, barely accessible 

to the media. But now 

the actor has surfaced 

again, and this time says 

he's serious about turning 

over a new leaf. "What 

you see before you is a 

middle-aged new face," 

he quipped, as charming 

as ever, at the announcement 

of his new film 

'Iniyillai Idaivelai' a remake 

of a Malayalam film. 

"A leopard can't change its spots," say hardened cynics, 

but one hopes Ka-rtik is serious this time! 

Playing god 

It's Ajit's wrong choice of 

films or plain bad luck. 

Because a couple of his films 

do get stalled now and then, 

at times for no fault of his. 

This time one hears that 

'Godfather', which was 

announced with much fanfare 

with K S Ravikumar as director 

and Ajit playing three 

roles, has been stalled, due to 

financial problems. So the 

actor's next release may well 

be 'Kadavul', directed by 

Bala, a film that may well 

help resurrect his career and 

steer him off his lean patch. 

In disguise 

That Rajinikant is 

known to go around the 

place in disguise, and 

visit temples and theatres 

and roads is a well known 

fact by now. And most 

times no one is the wiser 

that the man next to them 

is the Superstar himself. 

In Bangalore, where it's a 

bit more easier to get 

away with than in 

Chennai, the actor goes to 

roadside eateries, for his 

daily walks round gardens, 

and to the theatres 

too. At times he takes an 

auto, changing it on the 

way. The star had seen 

'Apthamitra' a record four 

times in Bangalore this 

way, before he made up his mind to star in the remake. 

One hears that in Chennai too he'd visited various theatres 

where 'Chandramukhi' was being screened, each time 

dressed in various guises. Here's one actor who changes 

his look and dresses more in real life than in reel life! 

Double action 

CINEMA 

Cine Scope 

'Manikanda' has been 

revived and shooting for 

this Arjun-Jyotika starrer 

has started again after 

more than a year's gap. 

Arjun plays a dual role, 

that of father and son. 

Uma has since been 

added to the cast, and 

while she is paired with 

the senior Arjun, Jyotika 

is paired with the son. 

There's Malavika too and 

one can expect an item 

number from her. The 

'Action King' has eight 

villains to pit his fighting 

prowess against this time 

round. Directed by 

Selva, it's reportedly based on a true story centered on a 

village that had seen no elections for the past 17 years. 

Going places 

She's balancing her 

career admirably, travelling 

around south, selecting 

suitable roles from the 

various ones offered to 

her in the south Indian 

languages. She's also 

striking the right balance 

between offbeat films and 

the typical potboilers, 

winning in the bargain a 

couple of awards too. 

With the shooting of the 

Tamil film 'Kasturiman', 

directed by her mentor 

Lohita Das, completed, 

Meera Jasmine is back 

with director Lingusamy 

in 'Sandaikozhi', with 

'Chellamay' Vishal as the 

hero. Jasmine teamed up 

with Lingusamy in her debut Tamil film 'Run' and it had 

spelled success for the duo. They must be hoping to repeat 

it here too! 

Sati Leelavati in Kannada 

'Sati Leelavati' goes to 

Kannada. And directing it 

is none other than 

Ramesh Arvind, popular 

actor in all south Indian 

languages. The Tamil version 

had Kamal Haasan 

and Ramesh Arvind sharing 

frames with Heera, 

Kalpana and Kovai 

Sarala. While Kamal and 

Ramesh Arvind will be 

re-enacting the roles 

they'd done in the original, 

Heera's role is being 

played by Daisy (she's 

done a film in Tamil), 

Kalpana's by Shruti, and 

Kovai Sarala's by Urvasi. 

For Ramesh Arvind it's 

his first directorial venture, and one hopes the hilarious 

sex-comic caper will regale the Kannada audiences like it 

had done the Tamil viewers. 

Gayatri gets a break 

Here's some news for 

fans of Gayatri Jayaram. 

After doing films in all 

south Indian languages, 

the actress had all but disappeared 

from the acting 

arena. Now news trickles 

in that the pretty actress is 

acting in a Kannada film. 

Titled 'Sami', Gayatri is 

paired in the film with 

Darshan, one of the popular 

young heroes of 

Kannada cinema. She 

plays a journalist. When 

asked where she'd gone 

all these days, the actress, 

who's also a trained physiotherapist, 

says that she 

was working as a trainer 

at a swimming pool in a 5star 

hotel in Malaysia. 

"Now I'm back to films," says Gayatri. 

Too real? 

It was a slap that 

Gopika would not forget 

that easily, a slap given by 

her co-star Ravikrishna. Of 

course, it was for their new 

film. It was during the 

shooting of a crucial scene 

that the incident reportedly 

happened. The scene 

required the hero to have an 

altercation with the heroine 

and slap her hard in the 

midst of the heated argument. 

And Ravi, to make 

the scene look realistic, 

brought all the realism to 

his hand and slapped her 

hard. It was only when the actress reeled and fell in a faint 

that realisation dawned that she wasn't acting either! But 

nothing to worry, a few drops of water and Gopika was 

back on her feet again. But it was surely an experience she 

wouldn't forget in a hurry! And all for some realism! 

Expensive but busy 

Film-makers may grumble 

about Reema Sen's 

hike in her fee post 'Chellamay'. 

But the actress has 

yet managed to sign some 

films with young heroes 

like Simbu. Reema features 

in 'Vallavan' which 

Simbu directs though she'll 

be sharing frames with 

Nayantara and Sandhya. 

But one hears that Reema's 

role is the challenging one, 

a character with grey shades. 

And Reema, with her 

obvious oomph, is sure to 

sizzle the screen this time 

round too. The actress also 

has a film with Prashant. 

7

8 EVENTS 


The annual "THER" festival of the four-century-old historic Sri Visvanathaswami (Sivan) Temple in Trincomalee was 

held Tuesday July 13th after about twenty-two years in a newly constructed thirty-three feet tall chariot. The trial run 

of the new chariot buit at a cost of Rs 4 million was held on July 11th. Photo TamilNet 

A large number of civilians, mostly fishermen, demonstrated Tuesday last week in Mannar town, opposing the implementation 

of the Sedusamudram Canal Project (SSCP) claiming that the project will destroy fishing resources in Mannar Sea. 

Mannar District Fisheries Societies' Federation and Mannar Peace Movement organized the protest. Photo TamilNet 

For advertising on Tamil Guardian 

advert@tamilguardian.com Tel/Fax: +44 20 7357 8731 

The Trincomalee Methodist Church distributed one million rupees worth household implements to 204 families and 

500,000 rupees worth push cycles to 70 secondary students in Kallady in Eachchilampathu division, who were afftected 

by Tsunami that hit the seaside village on Boxing Day in December 2004. Photo TamilNet 

Sri Lanka's Supreme Court (SC) Friday last week issued a stay order on four main points of the Post-Tsunami 

Operational Management Structure (P-TOMS) signed between the Government of Sri Lanka (GoSL) and the 

Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), legal sources said. Fund management, location of Regional Committee in 

Kilinochchi, Project approval and implementation issues in Regional Committees are the issues being mentioned in the 

stay order, according to the information available at the moment. The Sinhala nationalist Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna 

(JVP) and the Buddhist extremist JHU filed cases seeking the Court to make P-TOMS null and void. Photo TamilNet 

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