April 2009                              Vol.1.No.1

A pressing need was felt for the reemergence of Eelam Update and after a gap of some years, the publication is restarting with the April 2009 issue. The Eelam Update conveys an overview of the monthly happenings in Sri Lanka.  While most of our readers will receive the issue in electronic format, a hard copy can be sent to those who request for the same.

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WAR

Military announces two-day humanitarian pause

Sri Lankan security forces began a two-day ceasefire on Monday 13^th), as the government called for the cornered Tamil Tiger cadres to allow thousands of civilians to flee the conflict zone.

Troops halted their offensive on the orders of President Mahinda Rajapakse to mark the traditional Sinhala and Tamil New Year, military spokesman Udaya Nanayakkara said.

"We are not conducting any offensive operations," Nanayakkara said. "We have not fired and we have not received any fire so far from the other side."

He said that government troops had not reported any civilians leaving the remaining rebel-held territory since the ceasefire began.

The Sri Lankan troops resumed their offensive against Tamil Tiger cadres in the northeast at the end of a 48-hour ceasefire, the two sides said early Wednesday.  A military spokesman said security forces restarted operations against the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). The pro-rebel Tamilnet website said both sides began exchanging rocket and gunfire as the military's unilateral two-day ceasefire ended at midnight.

Source: AFP

Sri Lanka deports British journalist

Jeremy Page, reporter for the British paper, The Times, was escorted to the detention room on arrival at the Katunayake International Airport last week, locked up for the night, and deported to the UK the next day, says Page in an article in Timesonline. He was denied a journalist's visa for Sri Lanka since August despite multiple applications, and he was identified and deported when he tried to enter Sri Lanka on a tourist visa. "I know why I'm blacklisted: the Government [of Sri Lanka] thinks, or pretends to think, that I support the Tigers. That is nonsense. I have no personal connection to either side of this 26-year civil war," writes Page.

"For almost two years, the Government has prevented most independent reporters from getting anywhere near the fighting, taking only a hand-picked few on day trips arranged by the army since January," Page says on the censorship of free media in Sri Lanka.

Comparing the danger local journalists face in Sri Lanka to what he experienced in other parts of the world where he has covered violent conflicts, Page writes, "I regularly interview members of the Taleban in Afghanistan. In Russia, I reported on both sides of the Chechen conflict. In China, I interviewed dissidents and Tibetan independence activists. To do the equivalent in Sri Lanka, however, is not only forbidden: it is highly dangerous if you are a local reporter."

Source: TamilNet 


 

Sri Lanka gives rebels 24 hours to surrender

Sri Lanka gave the Tamil Tiger rebels 24 hours to surrender or face a final military assault, after the military rescued 35,000 civilians from the last swath of rebel territory, officials said.

The government issued the ultimatum, giving the Tamil Tiger rebel chief Velupillai Prabhakaran and his fighters 24 hours starting Monday (20^th) at noon to surrender before the military launches a final assault aimed at crushing the insurgents and ending the island nation's 25-year civil war.

Defense spokesman Keheliya Rambukwella told reporters that the rebel chief had until noon on Tuesday (21^st) to make up his mind.

Earlier Monday, government forces opened up routes for more than 35,000 people to leave a rebel-controlled "no-fire" zone, said President Mahinda Rajapaksa.

Military spokesman Brig. Udaya Nanayakkara said soldiers advanced into the zone and seized a fortification built by the rebels before rescuing the civilians. It is not possible to verify the military's claims because the war zone is restricted to journalists.

Rajapaksa called it the "largest-ever" hostage rescue mission, in a speech shown on state television.

It was not possible to contact the rebels for comment. The rebels have refused previous calls for their surrender.

The United Nations has voiced concern for the safety of an estimated 100,000 civilians who have been trapped with rebels in the "no-fire" zone measuring only 7.7 square miles (20 square kilometers). The U.N. also estimates that some 4,500 noncombatants have been killed in the last three months amid fierce fighting.

The government and aid groups have accused the rebels of holding civilians as human shields in the zone, a charge the rebels deny.

In recent months the military has ousted the Tamil rebels from all their strongholds in an all-out offensive, forcing the rebels to retreat to the "no-fire" zone for a final stand.

Source: The Associated Press

UAV footage shows LTTE firing at civilians

Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) footage of the Sri Lanka Air Force showing a small group of armed LTTE cadres firing indiscriminately at a group of civilians attempting to cross over to the cleared areas in North of Puthumathalan where the Army 55 division is stationed.

In the footage the vague shapes of civilians shot by the LTTE are visible upon closer inspection.

Source: The Daily Mirror

Surrender deadline lapses, 15,000 more flee Tigers

With the deadline for the LTTE to surrender expiring at noon on 21st, a further 15,000 civilians had escaped from the Puthumathalan ‘No Fire’ zone to the Government controlled Puthukudiruppu. That number took the total to over 50,000 escapees since Monday and over 100,000 since the exodus from terrorist clutches began a month ago.

Authoritative Military sources said that only around 10,000 civilians are still trapped in the ‘No Fire’ zone and the troops would continue operations to rescue them too.

At noon on Monday the government gave the Tigers 24 hours to surrender but by noon on Tuesday they had not responded and military sources said the troops would continue with there mission to wipe the terrorists out.

The Tigers, including their leader Velupillai Prabhakaran are now said to be trapped in the southern part of the NFZ.

"Prabhakaran and key LTTE cadres, whose days are numbered, are mingling with the civilians, but their fate is a foregone conclusion," military sources said.

Source: The Island

Two senior Tamil Tiger rebels in Sri Lanka have surrendered to the military, the army's website says.

It says that the rebels' media co-ordinator, Daya Master, gave himself up along with a top interpreter, named George, who worked for senior rebels.

Correspondents say that if the reports are true it will be a major setback for the rebel leadership.

It has insisted that rebels should commit suicide by swallowing cyanide capsules rather than be captured.

The army says that the pair were taken at Puthumathalan on Wednesday (22^nd) "in the company of fleeing civilians".

The rebels are surrounded by the army in a small area of land in the north-east of the country. The Tigers have not yet commented on the army's claims.

Translator

The military website says that Daya Master played a significant role in the rebel outfit and was their media spokesman for the past few years.

It says that his decision to turn himself in will come as "a rude shock" to rebels and "expatriates who have been pumping hard currency into their coffers".

The army says the other man who gave himself up, George, was the translator for senior rebel leader SP Thamilselvan, who was killed in an air strike in 2007.

Source: BBC News

SLA fire hampers ICRC evacuation of seriously wounded civilians from Vanni

Sri Lanka Army (SLA) started cannon fire from Manthuvil in Puthukkudiyiruppu across Nanthikkadal lagoon towards the coastal stretch of Mu'l'li-vaaykkaal Wednesday afternoon as local ICRC workers were providing coordinates to the ICRC ship to come close to the shore to transport the severely wounded from the makeshift hospital, according to reports from the medical sources in Vanni.

The ship was scheduled to transport at least 500 of the seriously wounded civilians at the makeshift hospital run by the RDHS of Ki'linochchi and Mullaiththeevu districs at Mu'l'li-vaaykkaal.
The ICRC ship was moved towards deep sea following the SLA fire.

Source: TamilNet

Civilian casualties top 20,000 in Vanni:

Leaked UN document

A new document originating from the UN and circulated among the diplomatic missions in Colombo this week has put the figures of the civilians killed in Vanni since January as at least 6,432 and 13,946 wounded, according to a news report by the Associated Press Friday (24). "The casualties were reported as 'verified data' in the document," the AP said.
The leaked document by the UN had put civilian death toll at 2,683 as of 07 March. More than 3,700 civilian have been killed within a period of 40 days in March and April.
"The U.N. has declined to publicly release its casualty figures and had no immediate comment on the document," the AP reported.

Source: TamilNet

LTTE declare unilateral ceasefire

The LTTE have declared a unilateral ceasefire today (26^th), with the military having surrounded them in a tiny area along with thousands of civilians, but the move was immediately rejected by the government.

"In the face of an unprecedented humanitarian crisis and in response to the calls made by the U.N., EU, the governments of India and others, the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) has announced a unilateral ceasefire," an LTTE statement said.

Sri Lanka responded by saying the rebels must either surrender or be destroyed.

"That is a joke. They were not fighting with us, they were running from us. There is no need of a ceasefire. They must surrender. That is it," Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa told Reuters in a telephone interview.

Source: Reuters

Govt. rules out deal for LTTE bosses to

surrender to third party

The government has dismissed suggestions that the top LTTE leadership should be allowed surrender to a third party in an effort to bring the final battle to an early end.

Authoritative government sources told The Sunday Island that LTTE leaders now trapped in 10 sq. km. area on the Mullaitivu coast should surrender to the army without any further delay or prepared to face the consequences.

Sources said that nothing could be as ridiculous as allowing the international community to throw a lifeline to the sinking Tigers.

"We are on the verge of finishing off the enemy," a senior Defence Ministry official told The Sunday Island asserting that the ongoing offensive wouldn’t be stopped.

"We have made our position very clear to all interested parties," he said adding that even if LTTE leader Velupillai Prabhakaran, his intelligence chief Pottu Amman and other hardcore terrorists including Sea Tiger leader Soosai surrendered to the army, they would be prosecuted.

Sources emphasized that the LTTE wouldn’t be allowed to negotiate a settlement in which it could transform from a defeated terrorist group to a political party overnight.

There wouldn’t be or couldn’t be any third party involvement in this any longer, sources said, insisting the government wouldn’t give up its right to militarily destroy the LTTE.

The armed forces top brass is confident that LTTE leaders could be either killed or captured if they didn’t bite their cyanide capsules.

Source: The Sunday Island

Birth certificates of Prabhakaran, son recovered

from war zone

Sri Lankan troops have recovered the birth certificate, horoscope and albums of LTTE supremo Velupillai Prabhakaran and his son Charles Antony here in northern war zone.

During search operations, troops of the 53 division unearthed the birth certificate, horoscopes and albums of the LTTE leader and his family, Sri Lankan army officials told visiting foreign journalists, who immediately rushed to see and take pictures of the documents.
The birth certificates of Prabhakaran and his son Antony were neatly laminated and kept for public view.

54-year-old Prabhakaran had reportedly buried these documents before he fled from his residence in Pudukudiyiruppu east and Sri Lankan troops encircled the rebels in a one square kilometre area, which was also subsequently brought under army control.
The visiting journalists were also allowed access to some photo albums which had group photos of the LTTE leader with his wife, son and daughter.

Source: The Daily Mirror

Sri Lanka halts combat operations against rebels

The Sri Lankan government today (27^th) ordered security forces to halt all combat operations against the LTTE with immediate effect. The announcement came amidst growing international pressure which urged for a ceasefire with the Tamil Tiger rebels.

The order was issued by the Presidential Secretariat in Colombo, which in a statement maintained that, “Our security forces have been instructed to end the use of heavy caliber guns, combat aircraft and aerial weapons which could cause civilian causalities." The Presidential secretariat added that the security forces would confine their attempts to rescuing civilians who are held hostage and give foremost priority to saving civilians.

Source: The Lanka Academic

IDPs

Bishops make suggestions after visiting IDP camps

A delegation of Catholic Bishops led by the President of the Sri Lanka Bishops Council Most Rev. Dr.Vianney Fernando, Bishop of Kandy visited several camps where internally displaced people (IDPs) were housed in the North and also the Vavuniya Hospital to gain first hand knowledge of the situation prevailing there.

On their return to Colombo, the delegation sought a meeting with Presidential Advisor and MP Basil Rajapaksa and made various suggestions to him to improve the living standards and other needs of the IDPs.

Bishop of Galle, Rt. Rev. Harold Anthony Perera, National Director of Caritas Sri Lanka Rev. Fr. Damien Fernando and Public Relations Officer P.Anthonymuthu along with Rev. Vianney Fernando met Mr. Rajapaksa and made the following suggestions:

Arrangements to be made for the IDPs to live with their immediate families, schooling of children of IDPs and access for relations to visit the IDPs.

Responding to the suggestions, Mr. Rajapaksa said elderly people would be allowed to leave the camps. A permanent school will be built in the premises of the IDP camps and children will be issued with books and stationery and on the issue of relations meeting the IDPs Mr. Rajapaksa said such meetings could be allowed only in stipulated places.

Source: The Asian Tribune

Medicine and Food low for trapped civilians in No – Fire Zone in Sri Lanka - Amnesty International says

Admitting that Amnesty International had no access to the no – fire Zone in Sri Lanka’s eastern coastal area in the Mullaitivu District in which the Tamil Tigers are holding approximately 100,000 civilians as human shield to deny the army the final victory the international rights organization says in a statement released 16 April that the two contacts it made with two medical workers in the no – fire zone gave a dismal picture of the plight of the trapped civilians.

AI says that one medical worker reported to them when contacted 92 injured civilians have been brought to the hospital while the fighting intensified. The medical worker, according to the AI release, reported that there were 75 casualties and that the food and medical supplies were running low.

However the AI says that it cannot verify these reports as the GSL has prevented access to the area.

Source: The Asian Tribune

Competent Authority Officer and three Coordinating Officers appointed to look into the welfare of war displaced civilians

To look into the welfare of the displaced civilians, Government of Sri Lanka has appointed Army Chief of Staff as Competent Authority Officer and three Government Agents as Coordinating Officers.

Army Chief of Staff Major General G. A. Chandrasiri has been appointed on 24th as the Competent Authority officer under emergency law to promote war displaced civilians welfare. All welfare measures aimed at displaced civilians will be under overall supervision of the newly appointed officer.

Concurrent with the appointment of the Competent Authority, Kandy GA Gotabhaya Jayarathna, Pollonnaruwa GA D. A. Lal Wimal, and Anuradhapura GA H. M. K. Herath have been appointed as coordinating officers.

Three coordinating officers will assist in all welfare measures while Vavuniya Government Agent (GA) mediating in between to smoothen the process.

Kandy GA has been assigned to coordinate constructions, shelter, and lodging, while Pollonnaruwa GA is to coordinate food, health and sanitation. Anuradhapura GA will be assigned water supply, electricity and infrastructure.

Source: The Asian Tribune  

India

Pranab asks Lanka to mitigate Tamils’ plight, rules out mediation

Deeply concerned over the humanitarian situation in Sri Lanka, India on 17^th appealed to the Rajapaksa government to respond to the Tamil civilian problem in the war zone but ruled out any mediation on the issue.

"India is deeply concerned about the humanitarian situation in Sri Lanka. Continuing conflicts have been taking a heavy toll among Tamil civilians caught in the crossfire (between Sri Lankan troops and LTTE)," foreign minister Pranab Mukherjee said in a statement issued at a hurriedly-called press conference here.

Ruling out mediation in the situation, Mukherjee said "no question of mediation. We were not offered to mediate. Our policy is quite clear. The current concern is to ensure security and safety of civilians trapped in the 'no-fire' zone."

Stating that India has been repeatedly expressing it concern and shock to Colombo and asking for safe passage to the civilians, he made it clear that the military action hurting the Tamil civilians was unacceptable. The minister noted that India had rushed humanitarian supplies, including medicines, food and other items for the trapped civilian population. A 62-member emergency medical unit treated serious cases at Polomoddai. "We will soon send another consignment of 40,000 family packs in northern Sri Lanka."

Source: The Daily Mirror

Tamil MPs meet Narayanan, Menon

A four-member Sri Lankan Tamil MPs team, led by R. Sambandan and belonging to the Tamil National Alliance (TNA), called on National Security Adviser M.K. Narayanan and Foreign Secretary Shiv Shankar Menon here, seeking India’s intervention in the ongoing civil war in the island nation. They wanted New Delhi to urge the Sri Lankan government to announce a ceasefire and help innocent civilians to leave the conflict zone.

The delegation was assured by India that "some action will be taken immediately," according to Mr. Sambandan. The MPs, who had come here on India’s invitation, are also likely to call on External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee. They met Mr. Narayanan on Wednesday (15^th) and Mr. Menon on Thursday (16^th).

The other MPs in the delegation were: Suresh Premachandran and Mavai Senathiraja (both from Jaffna) and Selvam Adaikalanathan (Vanni). Mr. Sambandan was elected from Trincomallee in the Eastern province of that country.

Mr. Sambandan said they had asked India to ensure safety of an estimated 2.5 lakh civilians caught in the conflict zone.

They apprised the officials of the "real situation" in the war-torn areas where every day 100-200 civilians were getting killed and double the number sustained injuries. There was an embargo on transportation of food and medicine, visit of media personnel and international agencies, he alleged.

Souce: The Hindu

Pranab asks Colombo to extend the ‘pause’

A TNA delegation’s visit to Delhi has coincided with a forthright statement from External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee that no-fire zone should continue in Sri Lanka. He has ruled out any Indian mediation saying the ethnic Tamil imbroglio and the war in Vanni are the Island nation’s internal affairs.

‘India is deeply concerned about the humanitarian situation in Sri Lanka. Continuing conflicts have been taking a heavy toll among Tamil civilians caught in the crossfire (between Sri Lankan troops and LTTE)’, Mukherjee, who is electioneering in West Bengal said in a prepared statement issued at a press conference in Kolkata. The press meet was called at short notice according to media dispatches.

Significantly, the Mukherjee statement came minutes before the visiting TNA leaders met the press here in Delhi at the end of their rounds of the Foreign Office and National Security Advisor’s office.

Most observers see in the TNA visit a political angle that has a direct bearing on the election scene in Tamil Nadu but the TNA leader R.Samapanthan MP has denied any such linkage aimed at benefiting the Congress and DMK which are pitted against a resurgent Jayalalithaa.

Source: The Asian Tribune

Sri Lankan issue comes to the fore in TN polls

The Sri Lankan Tamils issue has been pitchforked to the centrestage in the run up to the May 13 Lok Sabha elections in Tamil Nadu with political parties bringing into sharp focus the "humanitarian crisis" in the embattled north of the island nation.

With the Sri Lankan Army penetrating deep into the LTTE strongholds and several lakhs of civilians trapped in the war zone, the demand for India's intervention to bring about a ceasefire has become more strident by the day, ahead of the Lok Sabha polls.

Almost all parties have highlighted the issue in their manifestos demanding cessation of the hostilities.

Raising the pitch to a new high, DMK President and Chief Minister M Karunanidhi has even called for snapping of "all diplomatic ties" with Sri Lanka if it did not respond to India's appeal for a permanent ceasefire.

Stepping up pressure on the UPA government of which his party is a key constituent, Karunanidhi last week sent telegrams to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi on breaking diplomatic ties.

The Lankan Tamil issue has also provided ammunition for the political parties to question each other's credentials and concern in fighting for the Tamils cause.

Source: PTI

LTTE a terrorist outfit, no change

in position – Manmohan

The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) is “a terrorist organisation” and its chief Vellupillai Prabhakaran “a proclaimed offender”, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said Tuesday.

Two days after Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi’s contentious remarks about the LTTE chief being a “friend”, Manmohan Singh said: “The LTTE is a terrorist organisation. Prabhakran is a proclaimed offender. That position has not changed.”

“Tamil Nadu chief minister has clarified his position. The Congress party spokesperson (Kapil Sibal) has explained (the) Congress position,” the prime minister told Times Now television.

Manmohan Singh was reacting to the DMK chief’s controversial remarks in a television interview in which he described Prabhakaran as a “good friend”. Karunanidhi did a U turn Monday saying the LTTE was indeed a terrorist outfit and that his remarks were taken out of context.

Sibal Monday rejected Karunanidhi’s comments as his “personal opinion” and said the Congress views Prabhakaran as a terrorist and the LTTE as an extremist outfit.

The DMK is a key ally of the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA).

Source: IANS

Karunanidhi’s protest cripples TN

A dawn-to-dusk shutdown called by Tamil Nadu's ruling DMK seeking an end to fighting in Sri Lanka virtually crippled life in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry, residents and witnesses said.

Almost all public and private vehicles went off the roads in Chennai while most shops and businesses were shut.

News reports said that life was also hit in many cities including Tiruchirappalli, Coimbatore, Salem, Erode, Madurai, Tuticorin, Tirupur and Villupuram besides Puducherry.

Chief Electoral Officer Naresh Gupta said arrangements had been made to ensure that candidates are able to file nominations for the Lok Sabha elections despite the shutdown.

The DMK called Thursday's (23^rd) shutdown to press the central government to put pressure on Sri Lanka to declare a ceasefire.

Colombo has refused to halt its military offensive against the Tamil Tigers. More than 100,000 grieving and fatigued Tamil civilians have fled the war zone, creating a huge humanitarian crisis.

Source:    (IANS)

Indian delegates meet Sri Lankan President

The Indian National Security Adviser M.K. Narayanan and Foreign Secretary Shiv Shankar Menon called on President Mahinda Rajapaksa at the Temple Trees on 24th.

President Mahinda Rajapaksa and Indian official held discussions on the current developments in Sri Lanka, and matters of mutual interest.

During this meeting, the Indian visitors gained increased awareness of the relief measures taken by the government to the heavy influx of IDPs taken by the government.

"It was a very cordial meeting and they discussed the current situation," official sources said. There was no comment from the Indian side.

Mr. Narayanan and Mr. Menon arrived here by a special aircraft and were flown to the President's house in a helicopter. They left for home immediately after the meeting.

Indian High Commissioner Alok Prasad, Secretary to President Lalith Weeratunga and Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa were also present at this meeting.

Source: The Asian Tribune

.

Peacekeeping Force Not Warranted says India; Emissaries say Rajapaksa was ‘receptive’

A day after two special emissaries of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh met a ‘receptive’ Mahinda Rajapaksa, the Sri Lanka President, Delhi remains under pressure to go beyond mere articulation of India’s concern for the Tamils of southern neighbour.

There is no move to send a peace keeping force though.

‘The situation in Sri Lanka is grave but it doesn’t warrant India sending a peace-keeping force’, Minister of State for External Affairs Anand Sharma stated.

‘Lip sympathy is not enough’, M Venkaiah Naidu, who spearheads the Southern campaign of the Bharatiya Janata Party, told Sharma from Rameshwaram. ‘Exert pressure on Sri Lanka to stop the military offensive’, Prakash Karat, the Marxist chief honcho, who is heading an alternative front for the BJP and Congress led alliances (NDA and UPA) demanded.

Anand Sharma argued that clear distinction should be made between the LTTE and Tamil civilians. ‘Don’t mix up the combatants with the civilian victims’, he said in Kolkata during a media interaction. He, however, appeared to express a sense of helplessness when told a questioner in Kolkata, ‘It’s an evolving situation and the crisis is grave. We have expressed our concern especially on the humanitarian aspect’.

Source: The Asian Tribune

Indian Polls: Jaya asks vote promising to work for Eelam for Lanka Tamils

Jayalalithaa Jayaram, the AIADMK supremo is the latest convert to the cause of ‘Separate Eelam’ for Sri Lanka Tamils. Vote the AIADMK Front if you want Eelam for Tamils in Lanka, she told election rallies in Western Tamil Nadu.

In her address to meetings at Erode and Salem, her refrain was: we will strive for Eelam if we win all the 40 seats at stake in Tamilnadu and Puducherry.

Ten days back when she kick started the AIADMK campaign, Jayalalithaa mainly focused on what she called as the failure of DMK, her arch rival, in securing the interests of Tamils in Sri Lanka. She did not sound very categorical on Eelam issue though in her alliance boasts of unabashed Eelam champion Vaiko and his MDMK.

On Tamil issue, AIADMK manifesto said Tamils should be accorded equal status with that of the Sinhala majority, with devolution of administrative power in the Tamil-dominated provinces of Sri Lanka. If these moves fail, then the AIADMK will press for a separate State of Eelam to ensure that Tamils in the Island live a life of dignity.

Now her plank is ‘If you want Tamil Eelam, vote for the AIADMK Front’.

Jayalalithaa attributed her change of heart to a heart rendering video footage from Lanka. The footage was shown to her by Spiritual Guru Sri Sri Ravi Shankar who visited the war-torn areas recently. ‘Guruji met me on Thursday and showed me the video footage. I was shocked to see it and came to know hitherto unknown facts. Till now we thought there is a war going on. After seeing the DVD I came to know that it is different. Concentration camps are meant to traumatize Tamils’.

‘It is now clear that the Sri Lankan government's sole agenda is to wipe out the Tamil race from the island. They have no intention of giving them equal rights’, the AIADMK supremo, who is seen as the front runner in the Tamil Nadu sweepstakes in Lok Sabha elections, said.

She said independent ‘Tamil Eelam' is the only lasting solution to the decades-old ethnic crisis and promised that her alliance would strive to achieve the goal if her alliance wins all the 40 seats at stake in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry.

She charged the Sri Lankan Army with forcing Tamils to flee from their native land. She dismissed as ‘drama’ and ‘eyewash’ the visit of National Security Adviser M K Narayanan and foreign secretary Shiv Shankar Menon to Colombo as India's special envoys to press for cessation of hostilities, saying "nothing has happened since their visit."

Source: The Asian Tribune

Karunanidhi on hunger strike on LTTE issue

calls it off the same day

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi who went on hunger strike on 27^th  on the LTTE issue in Sri Lanka after his main opponent Jayalalithaa had demanded a separate Tamil Eelam in Sri Lanka called off the indefinite fast after the Sri Lankan Presidential Secretariat issued a statement announcing that combat operations against the LTTE had concluded.

President Rajapaksa assures India of political package for Tamils

Sri Lanka leadership is understood to have assured India of its serious intention to provide political package to the Tamils and thus bring them into the mainstream of the island nation.

Informed sources said the assurances came at the highest level. While the broad contours of the Colombo plan for ethnic Tamils remains still wrapped in mystery, with all the focus geared towards relief and rehabilitation of thousands of displaced families, indications are that there would be something more than the 13th amendment on the table. More powers to the provinces by way of transferring some items from the concurrent list to the provincial list and even creation of a second chamber of Parliament are being talked about as components of the political reform that should see a southern consensus which is vital for a lasting solution.

Delhi expects the ethnic Tamil community to handle the post-war situation adroitly and articulate the aspirations and concerns of the people. Observers opine that the election eve emotional binge in Tamil Nadu should be seen as a localized affair of the moment and that it would not have a bearing on the long term relations between the two countries. ‘There is and will be life after May 13 (the day polling takes place in Tamil Nadu for the Lok Sabha seats from the state)’.

India’s immediate concern is relief and rehabilitation of the people who have emerged out of the No War Zone. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has already approved a Rs.100-crore grant. Delhi will be sending 50,000 family packs comprising food items, shelter, and medicines. These will last for three weeks; already 40000 such packs were sent last week.

The makeshift field hospital which is functioning for the past couple of months on the coast will be shifted inland. The bed capacity would be increased and more doctors would be posted. Presently it has 100-beds and 62 doctors.

Source: The Asian Tribune

'India did not supply offensive

equipment to Sri Lanka'

India has not provided any help to the Sri Lankan Army that could assist them in the military operations against the Tamil Tigers in the island nation, Home Minister P. Chidambaram said Tuesday (28^th).

"No help has been given to Sri Lankan Army that can help in offensive operations," Chidambaram said in an interview to the news channel NDTV.

He asserted that the bulk of equipment Sri Lanka had received had come from Pakistan and China.

"Some time ago, we gave them some defensive radar equipment that would detect hostile aircraft. But then, much of the equipment that Sri Lanka has got, in fact the bulk of the equipment that Sri Lanka has got, has come from Pakistan and China," said the home minister.

Terming media reports on this issue as exaggerated, Chidambaram said India has no intention of giving any equipment to Sri Lanka that can be used for offensive purposes.

"That's been the policy of successive Indian governments in which every Tamil party was a member at some time or other - the AIADMK, the DMK, the PMK, the MDMK and how can they pretend that they don't know what has been happening over the past several years?" Chidambaram asked.

"Every one of them was a member of one or other government between 1998 and 2008," the home minister pointed out.

Source: IANS

Post-conflict, India sees Sri Lanka’s next big task 3 as: Relief, rehabilitation and reconciliation

Now that Sri Lanka’s nearly-three-decades-long civil war is nearly over with the crushing of the separatist Tamil rebels, India is hoping that a triumphant President Mahinda Rajapaksa will quickly get down to the Next Big Task before him and his country.

As India sees it, Rajapaksa’s and Sri Lanka’s Next Big Task comprises: providing immediate relief to the hapless and innocent Tamils who escaped or rescued from the clutches of the LTTE; their rehabilitation (preferably sending them to their own homes and helping them to settle down); and build a consensus and implement constitutional steps to bring about a grand Reconciliation between the majority Sinhala and minority Tamil communities so that they can get down to working together to rebuild their beautiful country that was ravaged by Asia’s longest bloody and brutal civil war.

India, which has consciously maintained a low profile as far as Sri Lanka is concerned, believes that the Tamils in the island need a political system in which they can feel comfortable.

As India sees it, holding a quick election in the Northern Province may not be such a great idea for the simple reason that it has not worked in the Eastern Province, where there is an obvious power tussle between Vinayagamurthy Muralidharan aka Karuna Amman and Chief Minister Sivanesathurai Chandrakanthan alias Pillaiyan.

The government should show political will to devolve meaningful powers to the Tamil population.

Policy-makers here are gratified by the assurance that Rajapaksa gave in recent weeks to his Indian interlocutors, including External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee, that he wants to move as quickly as possible to implement the Sri Lankan Constitution’s 13th Amendment Plus.

This could include moving some items from the concurrent to the provincial list, and the setting up of a second chamber of federal representatives.

A top source, who has been actively involved in New Delhi’s on-going dialogue with Colombo, admits: "There must be an attempt after a quarter century of wars, but the path won’t be easy. There has been Sinhala chauvinism and an alteration in civil-military relations. Things won’t suddenly flip back to normal."

In the meanwhile, India will soon be sending 50,000 additional family packs as part of the $20-million grant announced on Monday. These are in addition to the 40,000 family packets already sent.

Each of these packets lasts for three weeks, and comprises enough food items, shelter, and medicines for a nuclear family.

India already has a de-mining team in place. In view of the fact that the area of the just-concluded armed conflict is heavily mined, more personnel will be sent.

India is also in the process of shifting its temporary hospital from the coast to inland. The capacity of the 100-bed hospital with a team of 62 doctors will also be expanded.

Source: The Island

International Community

UN expert warns of potential 'bloodbath' in Sir Lanka

A HUMAN rights expert from the United Nations warned of "a bloodbath" in Sri Lanka unless government and rebel forces stopped fighting and allowed thousands of civilians trapped in the war zone to flee.

The civilians were huddled in a narrow "no-fire" zone on the island's north-east coast – but this was also where the rebel Tamil Tigers were holed up after a series of defeats by government troops.

Walter Kaelin is an independent human rights expert appointed as the representative of UN secretary-general Ban Ki-moon on the human rights of internally displaced persons said that more than 100,000 civilians were trapped and their lives were more at risk now that the rebels had been cornered in the zone,

Mr Kaelin said in a radio interview: "If the Sri Lankan army would try to go into there, if the LTTE (Tamil Tigers] would not be ready to let these civilians go, then we'll end up with a bloodbath, and this must by all means be avoided."

Source: The Scotsman

Tokyo Co-Chairs meet on Sri Lanka

Representatives of the Tokyo Co-Chairs - The US, EU, Norway, and Japan - convened a second conference call on Monday morning (13^th) to discuss the humanitarian situation in northern Sri Lanka. Assistant Secretary for South and Central Asian Affairs Richard Boucher participated for the United States.

The conversation took place during a conference call initiated by the State Department.

The meeting discussed the situation and concern for the safety of more than a hundred thousand people trapped by the conflict between government forces and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in a narrow strip of land in northern Sri Lanka, says State department spokesperson Robert Wood.

The Co-Chairs welcomed the 48-hour halt to military operations announced by the Sri Lanka government on April 12 and are looking for the civilians to be released and for the fighting to be ended without further bloodshed.

The meeting members urged both sides to facilitate the immediate shipment of urgently needed food and medicine, and facilitate the immediate evacuation of the sick and wounded.

The members also reiterated their call for the Tamil Tigers to permit freedom of movement for the civilians trapped in the conflict zone. State department says that the Co-Chairs remain in close contact and will continue their discussions of the situation in Sri Lanka.

Source: Asian Tribune

Two-Day Truce Insufficient To Alleviate Sufferings In Sri Lanka - Says UN Officials

At the end of a two-day humanitarian pause in Sri Lanka’s military offensive against separatist rebel Tamil forces, the head United Nations humanitarian official said the ceasefire was inadequate in easing the plight of more than 100,000 civilians caught up in the conflict.

"It’s clear that 48 hours was not long enough to allow us to get in significant amounts of aid, or indeed to allow visits by humanitarian workers to the area," Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs John Holmes told reporters in New York, warning of the possibility of a “blood bath” on the beaches of the South Asian island nation.

"Unfortunately, it is also clear that not only did this not allow more civilians to get out, there seemed to be less civilians getting out during the pause than before."

According to Mr. Holmes, the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) prevented civilians trapped in the designated no-fire zone – a 14-square kilometre area in the northern Vanni region of Sri Lanka – from leaving during the ceasefire.

"Civilians should not be used as pawns or human shields in this way," he stressed, calling on the LTTE to allow safe passage out of the no-fire zone to those who wish to leave.

Holmes, who is also the UN Emergency Relief Coordinator, said he would have liked a "longer humanitarian pause and preferably one agreed by both sides for more days than two," a sentiment shared by Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon according to a statement issued over the weekend.

The fighting has now resumed, according to the latest reports, and the Under-Secretary-General today called on the Government "to live up to the promises they made on repeated occasions not to use heavy weapons in this area," which are among the "factors that is causing civilian casualties."

Source: Asian Tribune  

UN's Ban sends chief of staff to Sri Lanka

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has sent his chief of staff to Sri Lanka, where the world body is trying to arrange for thousands of civilians trapped by fighting to escape, a U.N. spokesman said on Thursday (16^th).

Spokesman Farhan Haq told reporters the official, Vijay Nambiar, was already in Sri Lanka, but gave no details of his activities there. "The Secretary-General is doing his utmost to alleviate the situation and in that regard he continues a number of high-level contacts," Haq said.

Following a 25-year-long conflict, Sri Lanka's military has the rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) encircled in a 7 square mile (17 square km) strip of northeastern coastline, along with tens of thousands of civilians they have forced to stay with them.

"One of the points we want to stress in this regard is that we continue to be concerned that the (LTTE) do not appear to have responded constructively to the request to allow civilians to leave, and we found this to be truly disappointing," Haq said.

Source: Reuters

LTTE using Tamil civilians as "human shield":

UK, France

UK and France on Thursday(16^th) asked Sri Lanka to offer another truce to the LTTE to enable Tamil civilians to make a safe exit from the rebel held areas, even as the European nations blamed the Tigers for "forcefully preventing" people from leaving the conflict zone.

"It is clear that the LTTE has been forcefully preventing civilians from leaving the conflict area and we deplore their determination to use civilians as a human shield," said a joint statement issued by the British and French ministers on the Sri Lankan situation.

Both the countries have asked Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa to offer another truce to the LTTE so that the trapped Tamil civilians could make a safe exit from the conflict zone.

"We urge President Rajapakse to announce a new pause. Democratic governments are rightly held to higher standards for civilian protection than terrorist organizations. We also urge the LTTE to allow civilians to move to safety," it said.

They also asked the LTTE to lay down arms while stating that the outfit has been preventing civilians from leaving the conflict zone.

"We do of course continue to call on the LTTE to renounce terrorism and lay down their arms as a necessary element for a long-term solution," British Foreign Secretary David Miliband and his French counterpart Bernanrd Kouchner said on Thursday.

Source: PTI

Nambiar meets President, FM

UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon’s Chief of staff, Vijay Nambiar met with President Mahinda Rajapaksa and Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogolagama on 18th for talks. The situation in the Safe Zone and that of UN staff prevented from leaving IDP camps in Vavuniya was believed to have figured in the discussions.

Source: The Daily Mirror

Link aid to political transformation of Sri Lanka’s North and East, ICG tells donors

The International Crisis Group in its report on Sri Lanka says the twin humanitarian crises facing the country require urgent and coordinated international action. It disputes the government claim that the Eastern Province is a model of democratisation and post-conflict reconstruction and asks the donors to force Colombo to take tangible steps for the democratic political transformation in both the North and the East.

"Before committing any additional reconstruction and development assistance, donors must insist that the basic conditions for sustainable development are guaranteed and that the government has taken tangible steps towards democratic political transformation in both the north and the east", the report says.

"Otherwise, there is too great a risk that international funds will ultimately be wasted or possibly even prolong conflict, ICG cautions.

Says Robert Templer, Crisis Group’s Asia Program Director: ‘When the fighting concludes, government calls for large-scale international humanitarian reconstruction and development assistance in the north will soon grow. Sri Lankan government and donors should not repeat mistakes made in the Eastern Province, where violence continues despite development activities'.

The report says that in the Eastern Province, violence, political instability and the government’s reluctance to devolve power to the provincial administrations are undermining ambitious development plans. ‘Rather than treating the situation as a typical post-conflict environment, donors need to ensure additional monitoring and coordinated political advocacy. They should insist on a written agreement on basic principles with the government, to be signed during a high-level donor development forum and prior to the commencement of any new projects’, it observes.

The report also calls upon the Sri Lankan government to provide the basic level of human security necessary to successful development work by ending impunity for human rights violations and placing its counter-insurgency campaign under strict legal accountability. It must also empower provincial councils to address development and security needs.

"The provision of humanitarian aid and reconstruction by itself is not enough", warns Donald Steinberg, Crisis Group Deputy President for Policy. "The problems the people of the north and the east have been enduring for decades are ultimately political in nature. They require a careful, democratic and inclusive political response".

Source: Asian Tribune

HRW seeks UN Commission of Inquiry

An expected major attack following the Sri Lankan government’s “final warning” to the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam underscores the need for heightened measures to minimize civilian casualties, Human Rights Watch said on 20th. The continuing laws of war violations by both the Sri Lankan army and the LTTE indicate the need for a United Nations commission of inquiry to investigate war crimes by both sides, Human Rights Watch said.

Sources in the 20-square-kilometer “no-fire zone” reported to Human Rights Watch that the Sri Lankan army is still using heavy artillery in attacks on the densely populated area and that the LTTE continues to block civilians from fleeing. There were unconfirmed reports of hundreds of civilian casualties on 20th alone. At least 10,000 people have managed to escape in the previous day but 50,000 to 100,000 civilians remain in the conflict area under grave threat.

“The government’s ‘final warning’ to the Tamil Tigers should not be considered a final warning to the thousands of trapped civilians,” said Brad Adams, Asia director at Human Rights Watch. “Both sides need to show far greater concern for civilians, or many more civilians will die.”

Under international humanitarian law applicable to the armed conflict in Sri Lanka, both the Sri Lankan armed forces and the LTTE are obligated to take all feasible precautions to minimize harm to civilian life and property. But since January, both sides have shown little regard for the safety of civilians in the embattled Vanni region in northeastern Sri Lanka, and more than 4,500 civilians are believed to have died in the fighting, according to UN estimates. The LTTE has violated the laws of war by using civilians as “human shields,” by preventing civilians from fleeing the combat zone, and by deliberately deploying their forces close to densely populated civilian areas. The Sri Lankan armed forces have indiscriminately shelled densely populated areas, including hospitals, in violation of the laws of war.

Human Rights Watch reminded Sri Lanka of its obligations under international law to investigate credible allegations of war crimes, including by members of its own forces, and appropriately prosecuting those responsible. Past Sri Lankan government investigations into allegations of war crimes have led to few prosecutions, particularly in recent years. Human Rights Watch also called on the UN Security Council to establish a Commission of Inquiry into allegations of war crimes by both sides.

“The Sri Lankan government needs to hear loudly and clearly from a concerted international community that they, just as the Tamil Tigers, will be held accountable for what happens to the civilians in the no-fire zone,” said Adams. “It is high time for the humanitarian crisis in Sri Lanka to be officially taken up on the Security Council’s agenda.”

Individuals who commit serious violations of international humanitarian law with criminal intent – that is, deliberately or recklessly – should be prosecuted for war crimes, Human Rights Watch said. War crimes include using human shields and deliberately attacking civilians. Evidence as to whether indiscriminate attacks on civilians were deliberate or reckless would include information on the known number of civilians in the area under attack, attacks striking presumptively civilian objects such as hospitals, and a showing that such attacks occurred repeatedly.

In addition to those who ordered or executed unlawful actions or attacks, commanders who knew or should have known of war crimes being committed and failed to take measures to stop them can be held responsible as a matter of command responsibility.

“Military commanders on both sides need to be taking civilian security into account in every action they take,” said Adams. “By not doing so, they are leaving themselves open to future investigations and prosecution.”

Source: Daily Mirror

Civilians in conflict zone at risk- ICRC

 

Civilians in the conflict zone continue to be at risk owing to the extremely poor security conditions there, the ICRC said in a statement adding that the few remaining medical facilities in the area, all makeshift, have been directly affected by the fighting, with both staff and patients killed and wounded in recent days.

“Some of the people involved in the evacuations, including ICRC personnel, have been injured while helping patients to board the ferries. Along with the acute shortage of vital medical supplies, unsanitary conditions greatly increase the risk of wound infections. The ICRC has been striving relentlessly to increase the amount of urgently needed medical supplies and sanitation equipment reaching the trapped population,” ICRC said

Congressional Hearing Assesses Sri Lankan Crisis

The situation in Sri Lanka, where government forces are fighting to eliminate the last stronghold of Tamil separatist rebels, was the subject of a U.S. congressional hearing Tuesday (21^st). 

Discussion of the military conflict and what the United Nations and human rights groups call a dire humanitarian situation came during a hearing of the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission, formerly known as the Congressional Human Rights Caucus.

Sri Lankan government troops are pressing an offensive against the separatist Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam in their last stronghold, the northern area of Vanni. Thousands of civilians have fled to government-controlled areas. 

Representative Jim McGovern chaired the hearing:

"The particular case we are exploring this afternoon, Sri Lanka, is a situation where both the government forces and the Tamil Tigers have abdicated their responsibility to protect from mass atrocities civilian non-combatant who are caught in the cross-fire of war," said Jim McGovern. "It has therefore fallen to the international community, and especially humanitarian organizations like UNHCR and the ICRC, along with a handful of NGO's, to try to assure their safety."

The United States considers the Tamil Tigers a terrorist organization. The State Department on Tuesday appealed to both sides in the conflict to spare civilians, and urged the Sri Lankan government to permit international monitoring and access to sites where internally-displaced persons are being processed.

Source: VOA

To minimize further bloodshed in ‘no-fire zone’
ICRC calls for exceptional precautionary measures

As fighting rages in north-eastern Sri Lanka, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has warned that conflicting parties must take immediate action to prevent further mass casualties among civilians. The ICRC said it was extremely worried about tens of thousands of civilians, including women, children and elderly people, many of them wounded or sick, who are trapped in the rapidly shrinking area along the coast that had been declared a ‘no-fire’ zone by the government.

"What we are seeing is intense fighting in a very small area overcrowded with civilians who have fled there," said the ICRC’s director of operations, Pierre Krahenbuhl. "The situation is nothing short of catastrophic. Ongoing fighting has killed or wounded hundreds of civilians who have only minimal access to medical care."

The ICRC said in a statement that it is concerned that the final offensive in the area by government forces against fighters of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) could lead to a dramatic increase in the number of civilian casualties.

It has reminded both parties of their obligation to comply with international humanitarian law in all circumstances. In the current context, which is exceptional in that combat is occurring in a very densely populated area, extreme precautions must be taken to avoid or in any event minimise civilian casualties. The ICRC has also reminded the parties of the prohibition on attacking persons hors de combat and of the obligation to treat captured combatants humanely.

"The LTTE must keep its fighters and other military resources well away from places where civilians are concentrated, and allow civilians who want to leave the area to do so safely," said Mr Krahenbuhl. "On their part, government forces are obliged to ensure that the methods and means of warfare they employ make it possible to clearly distinguish at all times between civilians and civilian objects, on the one hand, and military objectives, on the other. In this situation, we are particularly concerned about the impact on civilians of using weapons such as artillery."

"In the coming days the ICRC will strive to assist and protect the thousands of displaced civilians fleeing the hostilities," said Mr KrŠhenbŸhl. "However, it is imperative that independent humanitarian organisations also be allowed to provide desperately needed services and relief for civilians still trapped in the ‘no-fire’ zone today," the ICRC said.

Source: The Island

US urge Sri Lanka to allow observers

The US has urged the government of Sri Lanka to allow international observers to ascertain a more precise figure of civilians trapped in the no-fire zone. It called on the government of Sri Lanka and the LTTE to refrain from indiscriminate fire and shelling into and from the no-fire zone, saying that it has credible reports of increasing casualties as a result of intensified military action.

The State Department in a statement on 22nd said, "It is a positive development that tens of thousands of civilians have left in recent days, however many more civilians remain. The exact number is unclear and we urge the government of Sri Lanka to allow international observers to ascertain a more precise figure."

It supported the UN Secretary-General’s call for UN staff to be allowed into the no-fire zone to facilitate relief operations and evacuation of civilians, and says, "We urge the government of Sri Lanka to allow the UN and the ICRC local and international staff access to all sites where internally-displaced persons coming out of the no-fire zones are being processed and provided shelter and other services."

The US has also requested the Sri Lanka government to pursue diplomacy and to advocate the release of the remaining civilians from the no-fire zone.

Source: Asian Tribune  

UN Security Council strongly condemns LTTE

"The LTTE is a terrorist organization and should be condemned for its use of civilian as a human shield. The LTTE should immediately lay down arms and renounce its terror tactics," President of the UN Security Council, Ambassador Claude Heller said on Wednesday (22^nd).

He was summing up the views expressed by the members of the Security Council at an informal briefing following the visit of UN Under-Secretary General Vijey Nambiar to Sri Lanka earlier in the week.

A UN Security Council statement said:

It is significant that the Council unanimously agreed that the LTTE’s holding civilians’ hostage was unacceptable and welcomed the movement of large numbers of civilians out of harms way. They called on the international community to extend all assistance to the Sri Lankan Government to deal with the influx of civilians who are fleeing from the LTTE’s hold.

It was significant that the Security Council did not call for a ceasefire or a humanitarian pause believing that this would only provide a breathing space for the LTTE and prolong the civilian suffering. They concluded that the quickest way to end this conflict was for LTTE to lay down arms, surrender and let the political process proceed as there was no military solution.

At this informal interactive session held in the basement of the UN building, the members also urged the government to be cautious about the civilians when taking military action to secure a safe passage for civilians. They also called on the Government to work closely with the UN in providing humanitarian assistance to the displaced civilians including those in transit.

Source: The Island

Surrender to a third party- US tells LTTE

The United States has called on the LTTE to lay down their arms and surrender to a third party and also appealed to both the Rajapaksa Government and LTTE to end hostilities.

"The Co-Chair countries and the G-8 are working together closely to find a way to end the fighting. The Tamil Tigers must stop holding civilians and stop putting them in harm's way. We call on the Tamil Tigers to lay down their arms and surrender to a third party," State Department spokesman Robert Wood told reporters here today(25).

The US remains extremely concerned for the safety of the remaining civilians in the no-fire zone, he said.

As the Lankan military went in for a final assault against the LTTE, Wood said Assistant Secretary Richard Boucher and US Ambassador to Sri Lanka Robert Blake participated in a conference with the Tokyo co-chairs yesterday (24^th).

Source: Daily Mirror

Co-Chairs asks Lanka to offer amnesty to LTTE

The US-led 'Tokyo Co-Chairs' today (26^th) asked the Sri Lankan government to offer amnesty to the Tamil Tigers, devise a clear resettlement plan and open the way for a political dialogue with the rebels.

A statement in this regard was issued by the US State Department today on behalf of Tokyo Co-Chairs, which had its third teleconference in less than 10 days to discuss the deteriorating situation in Sri Lanka.

Calling on the Sri Lankan Government and the Tamil Tigers to end hostilities, the State Department Acting Spokesman Robert Wood said: "We urge the Tamil Tigers to lay down arms to a neutral third party." "We further urge the Government of Sri Lanka to offer amnesty to most Tamil Tigers and to devise a clear resettlement plan and to open the way for a political dialogue," he said.

Welcoming the reported escape of civilians from the conflict zone in northern Sri Lanka, the statement said Co-Chairs remained deeply concerned about the large number of civilians who are still caught in the conflict area.

Source: PTI

Holmes in Lanka, seeks UN Access to Safe Zone

United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator John Holmes who arrived in Colombo at the start (26^th) of a two-day visit to Sri Lanka began talks with the government over the humanitarian situation in the North and called for another humanitarian pause.

In the course of his visit, Mr. Holmes was to meet with representatives from the Government of Sri Lanka, the humanitarian country team, civil society and the donor community. He met the Minister of Human Rights Humanitarian Affairs Mahinda Samarasingha yesterday.

The UN office in Colombo said Mr. Holmes would again raise extreme concerns about civilian casualties from the fighting and the need to get the tens of thousands of civilians still trapped in the conflict zone out of harm’s way without further loss of life.

He would underscore the urgent need for access by the United Nations Country Team to the conflict zone in the northeast, which the President of Sri Lanka agreed to during the recent visit of the Secretary-General’s Chef de Cabinet Mr. Vijay Nambiar and to the screening centres through which tens of thousands of IDPs are passing on their way to the camps.

"The months of fighting during which the inhabitants of the conflict zone have been trapped have taken a terrible toll among the civilian population," Mr. Holmes said. “I call on the LTTE with all the urgency I can to let out the remaining civilian population and lay down their arms; and on the Government to exercise maximum restraint including no use of heavy weapons. We need a new humanitarian pause to get aid and aid workers into the combat zone. We must have access to all IDPs wherever they are, including in the conflict zone, and the screening process must also be made more transparent,” said Mr. Holmes.

Source: Daily Mirror

G8 condemns use of ‘human shields’ in Sri Lanka

The Group of Eight nations issued a plea on Saturday (25^th) for thousands of civilians caught up in Sri Lanka's civil war and strongly condemned the Tamil Tiger rebels' use of "human shields".

"The plight of civilians still trapped by the fighting and who remain at extreme risk from the ongoing hostilities is our primary concern," said a statement issued by Rome, chairman of the G8 which groups the United States, Japan, Germany, Britain, France, Italy, Russia and Canada.

Source: Reuters

Sri Lanka must respect heavy weapons pledge – UN

Sri Lanka must put in practice its latest pledge not to use heavy weapons as it fights the Tamil Tiger rebels, with more than 50,000 people in "mortal danger" in the war zone, the U.N. aid chief said today.

Amid mounting diplomatic pressure to protect civilians caught in what many expect to be the final battle in Sri Lanka's 25-year conflict, the government said on Monday (27^th) it would no longer use heavy weapons as it moves in to rescue those still trapped.

"I hope that the idea of not using heavy weapons will genuinely be respected, which I am afraid has not been the case in the past," U.N. Undersecretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs John Holmes told reporters.

"It's absolutely important that what the government has said is now respected."

On his second trip to the Indian Ocean island in as many months, Holmes met President Mahinda Rajapaksa after touring refugee camps near Sri Lanka's northern war zone as part of his two-day emergency visit.

Sri Lanka and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) accuse each other of targeting people packed into a coastal strip of less than 10 square km (3.8 sq miles).

"We need to see what that does mean on the ground. I hope it means the intensity of fighting will be very much reduced," Holmes told reporters.

The United Nations estimates "50,000 plus" people are still there, and possibly more, Holmes said. The government estimates no more than 20,000 are left, after an exodus of 113,000 which started a week ago.

"Our figures were more accurate than the government's," he said, referring to Colombo's mid-February estimate of no more than 70,000. "However many there are, these people are in mortal danger."

He said thousands of civilians had been killed, but declined to confirm an internal U.N. tally showing nearly 6,500 civilian deaths since the end of January, saying there was not enough detailed information to make that an official U.N. figure.

Talks with the LTTE had borne no fruit, Holmes said.

"In the contact I had, there was no give in terms of letting civilians go or laying down their weapons," Holmes said.

The LTTE insist people are staying with them by choice, despite numerous witness accounts saying they are shooting people who try to flee and forcibly recruiting others to fight.

Holmes said there still was no agreement on permitting a U.N. humanitarian team into the war zone as Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called for last week, nor on the release of U.N. local staff from refugee camps.

The United Nations pledged $10 million on top of $10 million already given to help deal with the refugee exodus, he said.

Holmes said facilities were overwhelmed in the first few days but joint efforts of the government and aid agencies have improved conditions.

Existing refugee camps are up to standards, but the government must allow greater freedom of movement, rapid resettlement of people and work to reunify families, Holmes said.

Source: Reuters

Government Admission Shows Need for

UN Inquiry-HRW

The Sri Lankan government’s admission that it has been using heavy weapons in an area crowded with displaced civilians underscores the need for an international commission of inquiry into violations of the laws of war by government forces and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, Human Rights Watch said today (27^th).

The Sri Lankan Presidential Secretariat conceded today that it had been using heavy weapons in the recent fighting, despite earlier statements that it had ceased their use. The statement said: “Our security forces have been instructed to end the use of heavy caliber guns, combat aircraft and aerial weapons which could cause civilian casualties.”

“By finally admitting it has been using heavy weapons all along, the Sri Lanka government has shed light onto its official deception as well as its brutal military tactics,” said Brad Adams, Asia director at Human Rights Watch. “The UN Security Council should stop burying its head in the sand on Sri Lanka and urgently create an international commission of inquiry to look at abuses by both sides.”

For months, the Sri Lankan government has denied that its operations against the LTTE were killing civilians and ignored appeals by the United Nations and many other members of the international community to stop attacks in the government-declared “no-fire zone,” where it had encouraged civilians to take shelter. For example, on April 23, Defense Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa told the BBC: “We are going very slowly towards the south of the no-fire zone to rescue the remaining civilians. Our troops are not using heavy fire power, they are using only guns and personal weapons.”

Numerous accounts by witnesses as well as photographs and satellite imagery have demonstrated the continuing use of heavy artillery and aerial bombardment in the fighting between government forces and the LTTE. According to the UN, an estimated 6,400 people have been killed and more than 13,000 wounded in the conflict area since January 2009.

Source: Daily Mirror

British, French Foreign Ministers arrive in Sri Lanka

French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner and British Foreign Secretary David Miliband have arrived in Sri Lanka for a one-day visit. Kouchner and Milliband are expected to hold talks with Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse, Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama during their stay in the island, officials from Sri Lanka's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.

They are also scheduled to visit the camps of the Internally Displaced People in the northern town of Vavuniya where more than 100,000 civilians fled the LTTE controlled areas and are being camped in the transit welfare villages.

British Foreign Secretary Miliband has called for a ceasefire for humanitarian reasons in Sri Lanka, saying his priority of the visit "will be to address the humanitarian situation in northern Sri Lanka and the continuing grave risk to civilians in the conflict zone."

He has urged the Sri Lankan government to allow civilian oversight of all Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) and to fulfill the commitments it has made to improve conditions in the IDP camps including better access to medical facilities, transparent registration processes, international monitoring, as well as freedom of movement in and out of the camps.

The Anglo-French foreign ministers' visits come closely on the heels of a visit by the U.N. Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator John Holmes, who failed to reach an agreement with the Sri Lankan government on the access to the conflict area by the UN.

Source: Asian Tribune

Sir John Holmes appealed to the donors to respond to the humanitarian needs in Sri Lanka

Sir John Holmes called on donors to respond to the humanitarian needs in Sri Lanka and announced that the United Nations was allocating a further US Dollars 10 million from the UN Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF). He made this appeal after the conclusion of his two-day visit to Sri Lanka. He also conveyed the willingness of the UN to assist Sri Lanka in post-conflict issues, including rehabilitation of ex-combatants.

The United Nations Under Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Sir John Holmes visited Sri Lanka on 26th and 27th of April on the invitation of the Government. During his visit, Sir John Holmes had discussions with President Mahinda Rajapaksa Foreign Minster Rohitha Bogollagama, Minister of Disaster Management and Human Rights Mahinda Samarasinghe and several other senior officials. He also visited the relief centres accommodating displaced people in Vavuniya and the Omanthai transit point where displaced persons escaping from the LTTE are received by the GOSL.

Sir John Holmes’s visit took place against the background of the humanitarian operations launched by the Sri Lankan Security Forces which recently resulted in the liberation of approximately 110,000 civilians.

Source: Asian Tribune

Aid

France provide 100-bed field hospital for IDPs

Responding to a call to the international community made by Foreign Ministry for emergency relief assistance for the large number of civilians who have fled LTTE control and sought sanctuary in the cleared areas in recent days, the French government had agreed to provide 100-bed field hospitals together with 75 medical staff.

Source: Daily Mirror

Sri Lankan official appeals for aid

Sri Lanka's minister of resettlement and disaster relief, Rishad Bathiudeen, met yesterday (25^th) with former president Bill Clinton and UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon to request assistance for some 170,000 displaced civilians who have made their way out of areas held by Tamil rebels battling the Sri Lankan government.

We want to resettle them immediately," Bathiudeen said in a telephone interview. "We want all the activities to treat them, to give them food and water."

Bathiudeen, a Tamil-speaking Muslim who himself lived for a time in a camp for displaced people after Tamil rebels asked Muslims to leave the area, also appealed to Sri Lanka's expatriate community around the world.

He said more than 300,000 people have been internally displaced by the fighting between the government and Tamil rebels who seek a Tamil homeland.
Bathiudeen was in New York for a UN initiative on lessons learned from the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. Both the Sri Lankan government and the rebels have been accused of endangering civilians in their 25-year conflict.

Source: Boston Globe Sun, 2009-04-26

UK commits £2.5 million humanitarian assistance

Britain is committing a further £2.5 million in humanitarian assistance to Sri Lanka which will be allocated in the coming weeks, British Minister for International Development, Mike Foster said yesterday (27^th). 

With camps for displaced people struggling to cope with the floods of people escaping the conflict zone, the visiting Minister called on the Sri Lankan government to do everything possible to enable humanitarian agencies to help these vulnerable people.

“I welcome the Government’s announcement that it will end combat operations in the conflict zone, and I call on both sides to allow civilians a safe passage to get to a place of safety.

In order to ensure that the most urgent needs of all civilians are met, humanitarian agencies must be given access to both the Vanni region and to the camps.

The Sri Lankan government must also fast-track visas for humanitarian workers and the movement of all humanitarian goods into the affected areas.  Currently, desperately needed supplies are being delayed by administrative procedures,” he said.

During his visit, Mike Foster visited Vavuniya where he saw two of the transit camps where arrivals from the conflict zone are first accommodated.

“It is clear that the present facilities for those escaping the conflict are unable to cope with such large numbers of people.  The new arrivals urgently require every type of assistance, from food and water, to adequate shelter and access to health care and sanitation.

The UK’s humanitarian funding to Sri Lanka now totals £7.5 million.  New funding allocations have been made to UNHCR for the purchase of 5,000 family size tents, and to UNICEF for their work providing water and sanitation facilities in the camps, and protecting children separated from their families.

Source: Daily Mirror

To increase health standards of IDPs
WHO donates Rs. 120 million to Health Ministry

The Health Ministry has received Rs. 120 million from the World Health Organization to increase health standards of internally displaced persons arriving in government controlled areas of the Vanni, a spokesman for the Ministry said yesterday (27^th). A preliminary sum of Rs. 100 million was handed to the Ministry to strengthen medical services in Vavuniya, Padaviya, Cheddikulam, Mannar and Puwarasamkulam hospitals.

He said the funds would be utilised to increase the bed strength of these hospitals, and on equipment, for internally displaced persons in addition to providing lodging for doctors and nurses who travel from Colombo to serve the IDPs.

Health Minister, Nimal Siripala de Silva said the number of patients that were hospitalised in these areas exceeded the bed strength. The Padaviya hospital had 469 patients while the number of beds available was 397. The bed strength of Vavuniya Teaching Hospital was 448, but the number of patients exceeded 1,257.

De Silva said that the statistics given by the Disaster Management Unit of the Health Ministry stated the bed strength of Cheddikulam as 131, but the number of patients was 520. The Puwarasakulam Hospital had 518 patients, Pompaimadu has 119 patients and Mannar hospital had 849 patients. The bed strength of Mannar Hospital was 341.

The Minister said there were clinics in all welfare camps with doctors and nurses providing a 24 hour service.

Source: The Island

Crisis in Sri Lanka: UNICEF airlifts 50 tonnes of emergency supplies as numbers in urgent need swell

UNICEF said that 50 metric tonnes of airlifted emergency relief supplies landed today (28^th) in Colombo. The supplies will immediately be sent to northern Sri Lanka to meet some of the most urgent needs of more than 100,000 people who have fled fierce fighting over the past week.

The emergency airlift includes nutritional supplies, water treatment units for safe water, oral rehydration salts, and medical supplies. An additional airlift will follow on Tuesday.

"Sri Lanka is facing a humanitarian crisis that requires a rapid response,"said UNICEF’s Representative in Sri Lanka, Mr Philippe Duamelle. "We estimate that there are approximately a quarter of a million people who need help and they need it quickly."

Last week UNICEF sent 50 metric tonnes of high energy biscuits for those who had just escaped fierce fighting. This is on top of the more than 130 metric tonnes of nutritional supplements that have been provided to treat malnutrition over the last weeks.

Source: Asian Tribune

Germany increases aid for IDPs to 4.7 mn Euro

Germany has decided to increase its aid for Sri Lanka’s internally displaced people to 4.7 Euro, its Federal Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier announced yesterday (28^th).

In addition, the German Federal Foreign Office will provide 500,000 Euro to the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in aid of IDPs.

Following a telephone conversation with the President of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) Jakob Kellenberger, Steinmeier issued the following statement:

"I appeal urgently to all conflicting parties in Sri Lanka to ensure the protection of the civilian population and adhere to international humanitarian law, International Aid Organisations must be granted access to all refugees immediately. It is especially important that these people receive the medicines they desperately need. Moreover, it is clear that a lasting solution to the conflict can only be achieved through political means. My country is ready and willing to do all it can to support such a process."

Source: The Island

Politics

President Committed to Full Implementation

of 13^th Amendment

President Mahinda Rajapaksa is committed to the full implementation of the 13th Amendment to the Sri Lankan Constitution which ensures substantive provincial autonomy.

Addressing the widely publicized UN world conference against racism and racial discrimination under the theme “United against Racism, Unity and Justice for all”, which was underway in Geneva, Minister Douglas Devananda said the All Party Representative Committee is finalizing proposals, including necessary constitutional amendments, to address grievances of the Tamils.

“The sources of conflict lie in factors related to our deliberations here. They are also related, as in many places, to colonialism. Though post-colonial Sri Lanka saw legislative changes which made Tamils feel they were being treated unequally and discriminated against, the majority Sinhalese felt Tamils got disproportionate advantages during colonial rule. Redress was thought necessary but the Tamils felt those actions were discriminatory,” he said.

The Minister also said the flames of the conflict should have been doused by the Indo-Lanka accord of 1987, brokered by the Prime Minister of India at the time, Rajiv Gandhi, who was later murdered by the LTTE. It paved the way for a power sharing arrangement. The agreement also required the militants to lay down arms and join the democratic main stream and almost all of us did so at the time.

He also said Sri Lanka is party to major international human rights instruments and has acceded to the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination. Since language rights are perhaps the most important issue of contention in Sri Lanka, we have taken measures to enforce bilingualism in administration while improving training in this field. We have also taken steps to ensure recruitment of Tamil speaking persons into our defence forces, he said.

Source: Daily Mrror

Sri Lanka ruling party wins vote for war

Sri Lanka's ruling party won by a landslide in a local election that the country's president had turned into a referendum on his military campaign to crush Tamil rebels.

Mahinda Rajapakse's Freedom Alliance won 68 seats in the Western Provincial Council, the highest level local government, leaving only 36 seats in the hands of four opposition parties following Saturday's (25^th) vote. Official results showed that the ruling party won 64.73 percent of the popular vote while its closest rival, the United National Party, collected 29.5 percent.

There are no opinion polls in Sri Lanka on the government's handling of the military campaign, but surveys have shown strong support for Rajapakse's policy.

Source:  AFP.