NEWS

Permanent ceasefire talks amid goodwill gestures

The process of drawing up a permanent and stable ceasefire between the Liberation Tigers and the Sri Lankan armed forces continued this week with a delegation from the Norwegian government returning to London for another round of discussions with the LTTE's chief negotiator and political advisor, Mr. Anton Balasingham.

The modalities of a permanent ceasefire to lock down the prevailing tranquillity in the island's war zones involved considerable complexities entailing lengthy discussions between the Norwegian facilitators and separately with representatives of both sides, sources close to the LTTE said. As this edition goes to print Tuesday, Oslo's team were in a meeting with Mr. Balasingham, they said.

Oslo's initiative received a welcome - though widely expected - boost earlier this week when the Liberation Tigers Sunday extended their unilateral cessation of hostilities for another month (to February 24) and the Sri Lankan government reciprocated likewise on Monday. The existing cessations of hostilities being observed separately by both sides were due to expire on January 24.

"We have decided to extend the truce for another month as a gesture of peace and goodwill and also to provide further space and time for the Norwegian facilitators to workout terms and conditions for a mutually agreed structured cease-fire," the LTTE said in a statement Sunday. A Norwegian Foreign Ministry statement later said in Oslo that Sri Lanka had asked it to "make it public" that Colombo was also extending its truce till February 24.

In another gesture of goodwill, the Liberation Tigers Monday released ten Sri Lankan prisoners of war in their custody, press reports said. They were released to representatives of an organisation representing relatives of soldiers Missing in Action (MIA).

Two weeks ago, the Liberation Tigers drew up their proposals for a permanent ceasefire which were taken to Colombo by the Norwegian team. The Sri Lankan government is understood to have studied these and made further suggestions for consideration. Tuesday's meeting in London between Mr. Balasingham and a Norwegian delegation led by Erik Solheim, Special Advisor to Oslo's Foreign Ministry, was expected to centre on these, the sources said.

The sources said that Tuesday's discussions would cover subjects such as movement of unarmed personnel in the other sides territories, monitoring committees and mechanisms to investigate and resolve breaches, and regional specificities. They pointed out that, in particular, the lack of clearly demarcated frontlines in the island's eastern province required unambiguous agreement between both sides as to what was permitted and not permitted under the terms of the ceasefire.

Furthermore, the LTTE wanted both sides to agree the final document before either party to the conflict signed the document, the sources said. "A permanent ceasefire must necessarily be incorporated in a single document satisfactory to both the LTTE and the Sri Lankan government," the sources quoted LTTE officials as saying.

To enable the rapid evolution and signing of a document satisfactory to both sides, the LTTE wanted to ensure that it focused on issues related to the ceasefire only, rather than incorporate linkages to peace talks or other matters, the sources said. Sri Lankan press reports this weekend had suggested that the document might include the fixing of a time frame for the completion of the peace process and the matters pertaining to the proscription of the LTTE.

Norway, which has been trying to broker talks in Sri Lanka for nearly three years, announced two weeks days ago that it was "cautiously optimistic," after Norwegian Deputy Foreign Minister Vidar Helgesen met the LTTE in London and Sri Lankan leaders in Colombo. "We are convinced that there are opportunities to move further step by step towards negotiations," Helgesen said, adding however that the process would be challenging and both parties would face difficulties.In another optimistic development this week, a senior monk in Sri Lanka's influential - and traditionally hardline - Buddhist clergy is reported to have endorsed possible negotiations between the two sides and the de-proscription of the LTTE to assist such talks. Asgiriya Mahanayake Most Ven. Udugama Buddharakkhita was speaking Monday on the BBC's Sinhala service.

The Liberation Tigers have frequently argued that they cannot negotiate as outlaws, a point reiterated last week by S.P. Thamil Selvan, head of the LTTE's political section to reporters who accompangied a supply convoy carrying hitherto prohibited essential items to the LTTE-held Vanni region last week. "Legitimacy is very important for the LTTE," Thamilselvan said Wednesday. "The de-proscription will allow us to enter negotiations as a legitimate entity. The de-proscription is a sine qua non (essential requirement) for talks."

But in Colombo, government minister G.L. Peiris told reporters that the issue of the ban was not an immediate concern and would be discussed later. "The process has not reached that stage yet," he said.

Chandrika claims authority over “war and peace”

Sri Lanka's President Chandrika Kumaratunga this weekend warned that key decisions related to efforts to end the island's protracted ethnic conflict would ultimately rest in her hands and not with the Parliamentary government, reported TamilNet.

In an interview published in the Daily Mirror newspaper Saturday, she also questioned the competence of the newly elected United National Front (UNF) government to handle the ethnic question, while at the same time paradoxically saying that her Peoples' Alliance (PA) - which was crushed at the last elections by the UNF - would support its efforts to find a peaceful solution.

However Kumaratunga, who is also the commander of Sri Lanka's armed forces, warned that "constitutionally it is exclusively the President's right to take all actions regarding war and peace."

She also told Reuters last Thursday that "I have not been informed by the government, but anything to do with the ceasefire final decision must be taken by the president."

The Sri Lankan government and the LTTE are, through the Norwegian facilitators, presently discussing details of a permanent, stable ceasefire to replace their unilateral and separate cessations of hostilities.

Kumaratunga also pointed out in her interview to the Daily Mirror that as the President, she would not only have the final say regarding any solution, but that she would have to be represented in the peace talks: "Constitutionally, I have to be there whether or not I insist on it." When pushed on whether she would in fact insist on this, she refused to commit: "I would have to decide later." The President said she would provide her "fullest support" to the UNF, on the proviso that it keeps her informed, but stated that she has "every reason in the world not to trust them [UNF]."

"I will go to any limit as long as I don't see that the government is trying to betray the country and the people," the President said when queried as what extent she would co-operate with the government's peace efforts. However in the same interview, exacerbating the government's dilemma over the de-proscription of the Liberation Tigers, she stressed her opposition to lifting the ban.

"Lifting the ban before [the LTTE sits at the negotiating table] would be very dangerous and end up in nought," the President said.

"I believe the ban is a very important advantage the government can use [to force concessions out of the LTTE]," Kumaratunga said. Not to do so "is not a very professional way of doing it, as far as the government is concerned." Mrs Kumaratunga's comments came soon after the Liberation Tigers earlier in the week reiterated their position that they could not negotiate as an outlawed organisation.

"Legitimacy is very important for the LTTE," Thamil Chelvan, the head of the LTTE's political section told reporters who met him in Mallavi last Wednesday. "The de-proscription will allow us to enter negotiations as a legitimate entity."

Responding on the government's behalf, cabinet Minister Prof. G.L. Peiris told reporters that the issue of de-proscription was not an immediate concern and would be discussed later. "The process has not reached that stage yet. No official request has been sent to the government along that lines," he said.

"Such matters have to be discussed at the time of substantial political discussions," the Minister said.

Kumaratunga disagreed. "I strongly believe that any further conditions should be conceded to the LTTE only after they come to the negotiating table," she told the Daily Mirror, implicitly criticising the UNF government's decision to ease the economic embargo on the Tamil areas not controlled by the Sri Lanka Army.

Kumaratunga was quick to dismiss the opinions of the international community and the Tamils with regards to how her actions could disrupt the UNP's strategy.

"My concern is not to get some extra votes from the Tamil people on this or get a clap or applause from abroad. I don't give a hoot about those things," said Mrs Kumaratunga, implying that these were the reasons for the government to consider lift the ban on the LTTE. When the Daily Mirror queried the President as to whether she saw the cohabitation between the UNF and the PA Presid-ent as working, Kumaratunga cast the responsibility onto the United National Party (UNP), the main constituent of the UNF.

"Well, it is up to them. I have done my best to make it work; it is up to them now to ensure they don't do certain things." Referring to former members of the PA who had crossed over to the UNP, Kumaratunga said "Some ministers who went for various material benefits to the UNP are made to abuse me on television stations. So, it is up to the UNP to do their bit for co-habitation I have done more than my bit."

Batticaloa Tamils still subject to harrasment, embargo

Harassment of Tamil civilians by the Sri Lankan armed forces is continuing at check points in the Batticaloa district despite the Sri Lankan government's directives to reduce tensions and establish normalcy in the island's war zones, press reports said this week.

The most serious harassment is said to be at ongoing at the Pattiruppu Bridge, where the Special Task Force, an elite police commando unit has been assigned duties. Tamil women are even being strip-searched there, press reports said.

Despite the government's easing of the economic embargo on Tamil areas, the Sri Lanka Army in Batticaoa said last Wednesday that government officials have to obtain explicit clearance from its brigade headquarters in the eastern town to transport relief supplies to refugees and others who receive assistance under the state's poverty alleviation program.

The Government Agent for Batticaloa, Mr. Sinnathamby Shanmugam, said that the SLA is still stipulating that government departments in the eastern district should obtain due permission from the military for taking essential goods and food to areas that are not under its control, reported TamilNet.

Mr. Shanmugam said that the SLA has not been issued specific instructions so far about the relaxation of restrictions and ban on essential goods, medical supplies, teaching aids, fertilizers, building materials etc., to areas that are not under the military's control. He said that there should be no restrictions or ban on essentials and food under the new regulations gazetted by the United National Front government

The SLA banned hundreds of thousands of civilians in the east from cultivation, access to farmlands and grazing grounds, fishing waters and from taking essential goods, medical supplies, teaching aids, fertilizers etc., for more than 12 years.

One in ten deaths due to cancer

Cancer accounts for 11.5 per cent of deaths in Sri Lanka and cancer deaths keep mounting, Health Ministry statistics have revealed.

Out of the 400,000 persons who sought hospital treatment in 1990 almost 29.3 per cent were diagnosed for cancer while the figure has now increased to 31.5 per cent compared out of 400,000 patients, reported the Daily News on Thursday. Improvement in diagnostic techniques however have resulted in more detections being made and increased chances of curing the victims.

Statistics also show that among the types of cancer, were breast womb colon and prostrate gland cancer were the most prevalent with the causes traced being, consumption of liquor and genetically modified smoking and ingestion of certain types of chemicals into the system.
Heavy drinkers have an increased risk of cancers of the mouth, throat, esophagus, larynx, and liver.

Health Ministry sources however say that cancer could be cured through early detection. The government has set up new Cancer Institutions with the latest diagnostic equipment at Karapitiya, Kandy, Anuradhapura and Jaffna to combat the deadly disease. The public has been warned to undergo regular check-ups at least once in six months as a precautionary measure.

JVP’s policy “often changes”

The Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna's policy framework with respect to the "Tamil national question" has had many variations over time, Lionel Bopage, former General Secretary of the JVP and one time second-in-command to Rohana Wijeweera, said on Thursday. Bopage, who now resides in Australia, was speaking at a luncheon meeting of the Rotary Club of Colombo at the Taj Samudra on the topic "Tamil National Question and the JVP", reported the Island.

According to Bopage, even during feudal times administration in the island was decentralised and it was the British who imposed a "unitary constitution". Sri Lanka is a multi-ethnic country unlike Britain and therefore what suited Britain does not necessarily suit us, Bopage said. He insisted that the only solution to the conflict was through a confederate arrangement.

"The reality today is that we are a divided country, and this is because of the unitary character of the constitution. At the beginning G. G. Ponnambalam put forward the 50-50 demand, which was essentially seeking equality. This was followed by a demand for a federal set up and later to a separate state. The JVP has rejected both Eelam and federalism and although they are agreeable to equality, they do not have an objective programme to enforce it."

Meanwhile, the JVP, led by its General Secretary Tilvin Silva and parliamentarian Vijitha Herath, distributed leaflets in Fort warning the public of the dangers of de-proscribing the LTTE. The JVP has launched a massive campaign against the Norwegian peace initiative, said press reports in Colombo. Its members also distributed leaflets describing the new government's peace process as peace with Eelam. The JVP opposes the move and says it will not succeed. It accused the government of strengthening the Tigers' hands at a great risk. The JVP also accused the government of conniving with the LTTE on their terms and opening the gates for them without taking into account their past record.

Local polls set for late March

The Elections Department will schedule the Local Government polls between March 15 to March 29. The date will be announced after closing the nominations on February 8, official sources told the Daily News yesterday.

The District Returning Officers will accept nominations from registered parties and independent groups from Friday, February 1 till noon February 8. Deposits from independent groups will be accepted till February 7.

According to the amended Local Authorities Elections Act, it is compulsory for the parties to ensure that 40 per cent of their nominees are youth candidates. This amendment was brought in on a recommendation of the Youth Commission appointed by President R.Premadasa in 1991. Colombo district nominations will be received at the Colombo Elections Office, Rajagiriya and others will be at respective Kachcheris or Elections Offices.

The Youth candidates should be over 18 years of age by June 1, 2000 and below 35 by the last day of nominations.

Meanwhile, the Government has decided to conduct the local government elections in the North and East also after a lapse of nearly ten years, Minister of Provincial Councils and Local Government, Alick Aluvihare was quoted in the Sunday Times as saying.

The decision drew contrasting reactions from Tamil parties and the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) sources from both sides told the Island newspaper. While the SLMC says that the election must be held in these areas, the Tamil parties favour a postponement saying that such elections will hamper the creation of a conducive climate for the proposed peace talks with the LTTE, the newspaper said.

The Elections Department will not invite international monitors for the local government polls this year. There had been only one occasion where international observers were present at a local government election. That was in 1991, the sources said.

Lanka targets industry growth

Sri Lanka's Enterprise Development, Industrial Policy and Investment Promotion Ministry has identified 13 industries to help spur economic growth, a senior official said last week.
The plan is among initiatives which the government has been quickly putting in place now that peace on this war-torn island is looking increasing possible. Beset by a drought which hurt the important agricultural sector, the economy is likely to have shrank in 2001, its first contraction ever.

"The ministry will be the catalyst in a market economy and make the macro climate conducive so that entrepreneurs can flourish," Ministry Secretary Ranjith Fernando told Dow Jones Newswires in an interview. "We want to set up sectorial task forces with private-sector chairmanships to map plans spanning 5 years," he said.

Fernando said the new United National Party government, which assumed office after Dec. 5 parliamentary polls, had identified industries according to studies carried out by U.S. and Japanese industrial research teams.

They are industries dealing in apparels, leather, rubber, plastics, machinery, electronics, information technology, food and beverage, fiber from coconuts used for making rope, jewellery, tea, spices and ceramic sectors. "But this will only be the start and a practical way of getting about a development plan," Fernando said.

Once the plan is in place, these industries will begin to add to output from the manufacturing sector, currently about 16% of gross domestic product.

The government of Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe assumed office at a time when the economy is headed for its worst performance since statistics began to be tabulated in the 1950s.

The economy is expected to have posted its first full year contraction in 2001 after latest central bank statistics showed the economy shrank 3.7% year-on-year in the third quarter.
The bank has said the slowdown was largely due to the depressed world economy and poor demand for the country's manufactured goods.

Moreover, a drought in certain areas of the island and poor rainfall elsewhere have hit agricultural output, and triggered an energy crunch that has affected industries.
Fernando said key institutions like the Export Development Board and Board of Investment would come under his ministry's purview, helping it to oversee a well-coordinated drive to promote Sri Lanka to foreign investors.

"Exports will play a key role in industries' development targets," he said.
"We can't pin all our hopes on peace, but we will make (the current positive moves toward peace) a huge effort in our drive for foreign direct investments," Fernando added.

JVP blamed for assault on nurses

Medical Students of Ruhuna University demonstrated opposite the Galle bus stand during their lunch hour urging the government to act immediately to release students who were taken into custody following the bloody clash at the Karapitiya Medical Faculty premises last week reported the Island newspaper on Saturday

Nine medical students who were charged with assaulting female student nurses attending a paid course in Lactation Management (DL-M) conducted by the Medic-al Faculty, had surrendered to police last Tuesday and were remanded.

The Karapitiya Medical Faculty was closed last Wednesday until further notice as the assaulted nurses started a satyagraha demanding authorities to arrest the undergrads who were involved in attacking the nurses including a pregnant nurse whom was admitted to hospital with two other student nurses following the clash.

Medical students had assaulted the programme coordinator and the paramedical staffers who came to the university premises to conduct the DLM course and damaged the vehicle of the programme coordinator, witnesses said.

Ajith Kumara, President of the Students Council of Ruhuna University alleged that the government is on a hunt for undergraduate student activists and said that all nine students remanded were student activists of the students council.

Dr. Sujeewa Amarasena the programme coordinator who was attacked by the medical students said that he just wanted to stop undergraduates armed with bottles and clubs attacking female student nurses. "It was so ugly to see the male undergraduates attacking the fem-ale students. When I intervened to stop this brutal attack, they attacked me," he said.
"This is entirely led by the JVP supporters of the campus. They want to create chaos in the campus. This clash was planned and executed totally by the JVP led student council members who want to create terror inside the institute," he said.

Port plans 50% productivity rise

The Sri Lanka Ports Authority has set a target of improving productivity by 50% at the Jaya Container Terminal, the flagship terminal of the island's main Colombo port, through both technical and work-related enhancements, a senior official said Thursday.

"We are going for a target-centered approach. We are looking at motivation and an incentive scheme, among others," Ports Authority Chairman Parakrama Dissanayake told Dow Jones Newswires.

He declined to give further details. The Jaya Container Terminal, or JCT, has an annual container throughput capacity of 1.5 million twenty-foot equivalent units, or TEUs.
"Plans are in place to enhance the JCT's capacity to 2 million TEUs, by the end of 2002," said a statement from the Ministry of Port Development and Shipping.

The statement said a Productivity Development Committee, comprised of top ports authority officials and the Harbor Master, had been set up to see through the implementation of the productivity drive.

Although geographically well-placed, the JCT has been losing out to regional ports due to dwindling productivity levels.

The ports authority had said earlier that it plans to corporatize the JCT in 2002 in a bid to turn it into an independent cost center. A labor rationalization program, that was hoped would move the terminal to a three-shift work basis from two shifts, was shot down by unions last year.

India, Lanka open sky policy

Colombo is soon to embrace an open sky policy with no restrictions on the number of Indian carriers flying to Sri Lanka, Arjuna Mahendran, chairman of the Board of Investment said in India last week.

"He hoped that this would lead to Indian private carriers flying to Colombo", said a statement from the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), reported the Island newspaper. CII is based in Bangalore where it has organised the Partners-hip Summit 2002, being attended currently by Mahendran.

The BOI chairman also said that Sri Lanka had proposed a long-term economic linkage with India by building of a land route, setting up free ports as well as large-scale transfer of technology in sectors such as agro-based industries and information technology.

Mahendran, detailing his government's priorities, said that the first was to resolve the ethnic conflict while the second was to revive the economy. Elaborating the reform process in the country, he said that petroleum prices would soon be equated to world prices. As a result, foreign oil companies would be allowed to enter the market. Already, the insurance and power sector has been opened up to private investments.

Poor servicing caused accident

The railway accident, which occurred last week near Rambukkana, Sri Lanka, was a result of poor maintenance and negligence on the part of senior officials in the Railway Department, railway engineers told the Daily News newspaper on Friday.

The ill-fated Kandy-Colombo intercity express did not have a speedometer and at least ten complaints had been made about defects in its engine, the paper said. The accident left 15 people dead and over 200 injured.

The engineers also alleged the engine room of this train was not equipped with a communication set and the driver could not communicate with the control room or the nearest railway station.

He claimed that last year about 50 accidents had taken place - some small, some big - and they had warned the authorities in writing but little or no corrective action had been taken.
The Locomotive Engineers Union said the Railway Department was squarely responsible for the disaster because of poor maintenance of tracks, utilising un-serviceable train carriages and defective signal systems.

Engineers union president P. B. Wettesinghe told a news conference yesterday that as many as 250 of the 575 passenger coaches now running were not fit to run because they had brake defects which directly affected the engine. The engineers un-ion warned that from now on the drivers would not operate trains which were not track-worthy and due to that there could be train delays in future. Mr. Wettesinghe said the union had little faith in committees or other inquiries at Railway Department level and put its case directly to Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe at a meeting today.

Power crisis to go on until mid-year

Sri Lanka is to face longer power cuts, as the country's energy crisis looked set to last until the middle of the year, reported the BBC on Friday. Sri Lanka generates two thirds of its electricity from water, but five years of failed monsoons has seen the number of black-outs increase.

"The crisis is of alarming proportions," Minister for Power and Energy Karu Jayasuriya said on Friday.

In an effort to reduce the country's reliance on hydro-power, the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) is pushing ahead with plans to explore plants powered by coal, diesel or naphtha. Power cuts are, as of Saturday, to be increased from one hour to as much as four hours in some cases. So far, the impact on business is limited by the fact that the power is only cut at night time. "We will not have daytime power cuts unless it is absolutely necessary," DC Wijeratna, general manager of the Ceylon Electricity Board, told the BBC's World Business Rep-ort. "At the moment, we are trying to get some emergency power plants... to immediately tide over the problem."

New plants will "start coming from around March, one after the other, then we do believe we can face a drought with much more confidence", he said. "We are doing our utmost, we have undertaken a major repair and maintenance programme to ensure all the existing... machines are at their peak capacity."

The new government - elected last month - has sought 100 megawatts of emergency power from private producers between March and June.

Dias to continue as Army Chief of Staff

The government has agreed with President Chandrika Kumaratunga's stance that Major General Neil Dias should continue as Army Chief of Staff until April 12 this year, reported the Island newspaper on Saturday, quoting political and defence sources.

The Defence Ministry on Wednesday informed Army headquarters of the decision to recall Dias, the first in line to replace Army Commander Lieutenant General Lionel Balagalle, if the government retires the army chief, the sources said.

The next in line is Deputy Chief of Staff Major General Lohan Gunawardene, the sources said adding that he is followed by Majors General, Anton Wijendra, Shantha Kottegoda, Chula Seneviratne and Sarath Fonseka.

President Kumaratunga in her executive capacity remains Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces although she no longer holds the defence portfolio - now held Tilak Marapana, who took decisive action last week to resolve unprecedented problems caused by the raid on a military safe house. The Chief of Staff's fate was announced shortly afterwards, the sources implied. Dias was in the US to attend Defence Management Course at the US Post Naval Graduate School in California when Army headquarters signalled to that effect despite President Kumaratunga's directive last year that Dias could continue as Chief of Staff until April 12, 2002. Dias who led one of the three Divisions involved in the Riviresa offensive that secured the Jaffna peninsula long under LTTE domination, was promoted a Major General soon after the operation came to a successful conclusion in December, 1995.

Tigers welcome easing of embargo, call for lifting of ban

The Liberation Tigers last week reiterated their position that they could not enter into negotations with the Sri Lankan government whilst their organisation remained proscribed.
"Legitimacy is the most important thing to be a partner in any negotiations, and therefore, lifting of the ban is a must," Mr S P Thamilselvan, head of the LTTE's political section told reporters when he met them in Mallavi last Wednesday.

Mr. Thamilselvan stress-ed the need for any potential agreements to be undertaken between legitimate entities. "The de-proscription will allow us to enter negotiations as a legitimate entity. The de-proscription is a sine qua non (essential requirement) for talks," Reuters quoted him as saying.

Thamilselvan told reporters he welcomed the partial lifting of sanctions on the vast northern region under LTTE-control but that more needed to be done to alleviate the difficulties of the people in the Vanni. He, however, welcomed the newly elected government's actions thus far and called for a permanent ceasefire to be agreed soon.

"This government is sincere and serious about peace and we feel that time is of the essence and they should ensure that Tamil people here live in the same conditions as those elsewhere and not as second class citizens," Reuters quoted Mr Thamilselvan as saying.

"People have given this government a clear mandate of peace. It should not ignore that. The economic embargo was eased on Tuesday. This should be extended to all goods. Also, rather than through a single route, goods should be allowed into Tiger controlled areas on all routes," the Thinakurral newspaper quoted him saying.

The senior official of the Liberation Tigers also stressed the importance of India's support for any potential peace process. "India's role is essential. We believe India should reconsider its position and extend all assistance to the peace process, especially since they have been vocal in their support for it," Mr. Thamilselvan said, according to the Hindustan Times.

Mr. Thamilselvan said India, as a "good neighbour," should be concerned about the plight of the 2.5-million-strong Tamil community in Sri Lanka. "If, after decades of fighting, the Government of Sri Lanka and LTTE can from time to time decide to have talks, there is nothing wrong in India reviewing its stand," the Hindu reported quoting Mr Thamilchelvan.

Mr Thamilselvan described southern India as an ideal location for talks as it had the medical facilities necessary to accommodate Mr Anton Balasingham, the Tamil Tigers' chief negotiator who has had a kidney transplant, reported the BBC.

He went on to deny that the LTTE's participation in Norwegian endeavours to facilitate peace talks was merely as a result of pressure from the International community. Mr Thamilchelvan said, "the truth that our organisation is one fighting against state terrorism will one day emerge," reported the Thinakkural newspaper.

He said Australia, Britain, Canada and India, which have also proscribed the LTTE, would in the future realise the difference between the LTTE's liberation struggle and international terrorism.

Mr Thamilchelvan was optimistic on progress from the current stage of discussions.
"We do not anticipate any impediments as both sides appear to be confident. The Government appears to be genuine and sincere in its attempt to find a peaceful solution. So at the moment we do not see any impediment impending," Mr Thamilchelvan told the Sunday Times newspaper in an interview.

“The overriding impression is one of isolation”

As part of its public relations blitz to highlight its partial easing of the economic embargo, the new United National Front government allowed a large group of journalists to enter Liberation Tigers controlled areas for the first time in over five years. The journalists took the opportunity to meet the leader of the political section of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), Mr. Thamilchelvan.

However, the government denied permission to the Ta-mil language media to enter Tamil Tiger controlled areas in Wanni, the Thinakkural newspaper reported. Sinhala and Indian reporters, as well as personnel from government controlled media had their transport arranged by the government to go there, the paper said. Journalists who visited the area reported on the stark conditions the people living there faced.

"The overriding impression being inside the Vanni is one of isolation, of being somewhere so remote that it is entirely cut off from the rest of the country. The roads are no more than dirt tracks full of craters, which make any journey torturous. We took seven hours to cover 80kms," reported the BBC's Anna Horsburgh Porter.

There is no public transport, very few cars, and everyone travels by bicycle, she said. There are no shops apart from roadside shacks, and no electricity, so that when darkness falls, only a few dim kerosene lamps provide any light.

"The people I talked to say they lack even basic amenities like running water and toilets, and are living at subsistence level" Ms Porter said.

The atlas of the surveyor general makes a mockery of topography where main roads are reduced to dirt tracks with patches of asphalt used decades ago still visible from time to time, the AFP correspondent said.

"It is beautiful scenery with the lush greenery, but the people are living in the middle ages," commented a western journalist, underscoring the problems in this area where 42 local and foreign reporters spent two days.

Like in most Sri Lankan villages the civilians here have no access to electricity and running water, but the conditions in Wanni are far worse. Prices are double or triple of what they are elsewhere, the AFP reported

Communications facilities are also at a bare minimum. The only land line telephone in the 5,000 sq-km region is located at the Madhu church, reported the AFP.

Batticaloa NGOs want PTA repealed

Members of the consortium of NGO's of Batticaloa demonstrated in the eastern town Friday morning urging the government to repeal the Prevention of Terrorism Act (RTA), release Tamil political prisoners and remove restrictions on fishing and street blocks in the district set up by the Sri Lankan security forces, reported TamilNet.

Addressing the demonstrators, the president of the consortium, Mr. A. Selvedran, said Friday that the United National Front government should create conditions of normalcy in the district and that the army and Police should vacate the schools, temples and libraries which they occupy in Batticaloa.

He said that it has been the long-standing wish of the people of Batticaloa that the army should remove its bunkers and defended positions in and around the town's Weber Stadium.
Mr. Selvendran was a candidate of the Tamil National Alliance at the general elections in December 2001. He said that the peace process could make meaningful progress only if the cessation of hostilities is negotiated into a mutual and stable ceasefire. The demonstrators later handed over a memorandum addressed to the Prime Minister to the Government Agent.
Meanwhile, Attorney General last Wednesday directed the Inspector General of Police to submit the names of Tamil youths who have been detained in several prisons in the country under the Prevention of Terrorism Act. The AG further directed the IGP to furnish the names of the youths who have been indicted in courts and are being held without any charges in prisons and detention centres.

Last week the Chief Justice directed the Attorney General to take immediate steps to clear the backlog of PTA cases, stating that more than six hundred Tamil youths are languishing in prisons without being charged in courts.

The AG has further directed the IGP to submit the number of PTA cases where the prosecution solely depends on the confession made by the suspects to prove their guilt.

“Thenmarachchi looks like Hiroshima”

Sri Lanka's Minister for Rehabilitation, Resettlement and Refugees was surprised by the extent of the destruction inflicted upon the Chavakachcheri sector, which was heavily shelled by the Sri Lanka Army when it withdrew from the region and subsequently fought back into it in 2000.
"The Thenmarachchi area looks like the atom-bombed town of Hiroshima," said Dr Jayawardana during last week's visit to the Jaffna peninsula, reported the Uthayan newspaper.
Speaking to reporters afterwards he said, "Landmines and booby traps will have to be removed from the area prior to reconstruction of Thenmarachchi. We are to have discussions with UN agencies concerned with refugees regarding this matter."

Chavakachcheri District Council leader Mr Anton Ponnaiah has called on the Sri Lankan minister to create an environment conducive for the resettlement of people in the largely deserted part of the Jaffna peninsula. He asked for water, educational and housing facilities to be created.

"People of Thenmarachchi have sought shelter in other parts of the peninsula. For them to go back to their home, first, buried landmines have to be removed. Otherwise, it will be too dangerous for them to go back," Mr Ponnaiah was quoted as saying by the Tamil language newspaper.

De-mining of the war-ravaged Chavakachcheri town on the Kandy-Jaffna highway and its environs will cost at least Rs.300 million, Dr. Jayawardane said. "The biggest obstacle to resettlement is the large number of mines scattered all over this area. Jaffna GA K.

Shanmuganathan and senior Army officials have estimated that de-mining would cost at least Rs. 300 million. We will discuss this issue with UNHCR and other relevant officials".
The Minister inspected the unloading of goods at the Point Pedro jetty. He also visited Jaffna Ayurvedic hospital and the Sahana Elders Home, which have been damaged in the fighting. He assured that his ministry and the Ministry of Health would together reconstruct the Ayurvedic hospital, reported the Daily News.

Meanwhile the Thinakkural newspaper reported an increase in the numbers of civilians starting to resettle in their homes in Thenmarachchi. Those unable to move back in are visiting their properties and carrying out repairs.

Six schools in the area have begun to function, leading to many families coming back to live in their properties around theses schools. Most businesses and the market in Kodikamam town have also gone back to normalcy. Transport services are also operating from the town, the paper said.

Corrupt Jaffna officials said concealing refugee crisis

Tamil MPs and Non Governmental Organisations last week slammed civil servants in Jaffna for concealing the extent of refugee problems in the region during the visit of Dr. Jayalath Jayawardene, Minister of Rehabilitation and Resettlement. They also accused the administration established under the previous People's Alliance regime of corruption, press reports said last week.

Jaffna MPs V Anandasangari and A Vinayagamoorthy have asked Dr Jayawardana to appoint a commission to probe the financial dealings of the Resettlement & Rehabilitation Authority of the North (RRAN), reported the Uthayan newspaper.

Mr Anandasangari said, "The 7-year dictatorial rule in Jaffna has now come to an end. Government officials in Jaffna were unable to make any decisions; and the people were greatly affected by this."

Sri Lanka's state press reported Friday that the Consortium of the Non Governmental Organisations in Jaffna has in a press release accused senior officials of the Jaffna Secretariat of completely sidetracking the Consortium in the agenda drawn for the visits of Dr. Jayawardene when he was in Jaffna.

They allege that the minister's programmes had been drawn as if to eclipse the miserable living conditions of the refugees living in refugee camps, the state owned Daily News newspaper said.

The release states that there are five hundred thousand people living in the Jaffna peninsula. Of them a hundred and forty five thousand have been uprooted from their homes and are living as refugees.

Eight thousand eight hundred people are confined in refugee camps. The Minister's programme had been drawn in a manner to prevent him from seeing and hearing the miseries of the refugees.

Non Governmental Organisations that canvas the aid of local and international welfare organisations were also shut out from meeting the minister.

Pongu Thamil protests resume in Jaffna

More than 1500 undergraduates, teachers, school students and members of the public took part in the latest Pongu Thamil rally at the Jaffna University Thursday morning. Addressing the rally on the campus grounds the Vice Chancellor of the university, Prof. Pon Balasundarampillai, said "Life should return to normal among the Tamils before the government begins talks with the Liberation Tigers."

"All restrictions and blockades in the north and east should be removed. Fishermen should be allowed to fish freely. Our lands which are occupied by the army should be given back and camps should be removed. And people should be able to move about freely. It is only then that we can have true peace and hold peace talks," Prof. Balasundarampillai said, TamilNet.
Tamil National Alliance MP for Jaffna Mr. V. Anandasangaree and the new Mayor of Jaffna, Mr. Sellan Kandaiyyan also took part in the rally.

The Jaffna University Students' Union (JUSU) leader Mr. Selvarajah Gajendran who addressed the rally said: "Last year, this day was a political turning point in Tamil affairs. We started 'Pongu Thamil' in this university as a mass movement to proclaim the Tamil people's legitimate right to self-determination and their identity as a distinct nationality. The 'Pongu Thamil' movement nailed the Chandrika government's canard that the Tamils had no grievances and it revealed the truth about their sufferings.

"We showed the world the Liberation Tigers are the sole representatives of the Tamil people. This was the day which inspired the people of Jaffna who were petrified with mortal fear after the Sri Lanka army occupied the peninsula to rise against intimidation and oppression. The Tamils have asserted their aspirations through the general elections that the Liberation Tigers are their sole representatives and that the ban on the LTTE should be lifted before the negotiations", Gajendran said.

Trincomalee ban deprives thousands of livelihood

More than five thousand fishermen of Kinniya, China Bay and Mutur in the Trincomalee district have been deprived of their livelihood due to the ban imposed currently by the Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) on fishing in the Koddiyar Bay and in the waters off the eastern port town, fisheries officials told TamilNet Thursday.

Fishing is banned by the SLN in the waters off the coast from Mutur to Kinniya China Bay and the Trincomalee town. Inland fishing in the district is prohibited after dusk.

"None of these fishermen have been granted relief of any sort by the government so far although the SLN ban deprived them of their livelihood many years ago. They lead a miserable life in abject poverty. We have brought the matter to the notice of the Trincomalee Government Agent but there has been no response so far from the Department of Social Services or the Ministry of Fisheries," a fisheries official said.

The Sri Lanka Navy permits fishing in the Back Bay Sea which lies between the eastern port town and the Foul Point only between 7 in the morning and 6 in the evening.

The SLN has also stipulated that fishermen have to stay within five km from shore and fish only between 6 a.m. and 7 p.m. in the waters from Nilaveli to Manayaveli, a coastal suburb of the Trincomalee town, according to a senior official at the Divisional Fisheries Office.

"The SLN attributes the ban and restrictions to the security of the Trincomalee harbour. This is not acceptable because the Navy can easily work out modalities and procedures with the fishing communities and the fisheries department for the purpose. And furthermore there is a ceasefire now between the LTTE and the government," said Mr. C. N Yogarajah, a community leader in a fishing village near Trincomalee town.

Many Trincomalee fishermen, including Sinhalese, have been killed and a large number injured in attacks by the SLN. More lost their boats and fishing gear in these incidents.

"The number of Tamil and Muslim fishermen in China Bay and Kinniya is in the tune of 2,500. Around 3000 fishermen live in Mutur," Fisheries Department officials said.

Stake net fishing ('Kadduvalai') in the shallow waters by the Trincomalee town was completely banned until 5 January this year. Stake net fishermen are now permitted to wade for two hours in the morning-from 7 am to 9 a.m.

Deep sea fishing is allowed beyond five km from the shore. Those engaged in deep-sea fishing should also leave the shore after 7 a.m. and return before 6 p.m. although they can stay out at sea for several days. More than ninety percent of the fishermen who go to the deep sea in 'multi-day boats' are Sinhalese.

Inland fishing is permitted during the daytime in the reservoirs of Kantalai, Vendarasankulam, and Pankulam (Morawewa) and the lagoons of between the coast and hinterland in the northern parts of the district. Four Tamil youth who went around 6.30 p.m. to catch prawns in the lagoon near Gopalapuram, north of the eastern port town were killed by the SLN on 22 November 2000.

There are 7829 fishing families comprising 35,945 persons in the in Trincomalee district. But only 12,443 fishermen are active currently because of the restrictions and ban by the Sri Lanka Navy. There are 116 fishing villages and 68 fishing boats' landing centres along the district's long coastline.

Several fishing hamlets on the northern part of the district were destroyed systematically by the SLA since the 1984 and fisherfolk in these parts were driven out as refugees to Mullaithivu, Jaffna and India. Large traditional Tamil fishing villages such as Salli remained semi derelict for many years since 1990 while the Navy clamped a strict ban on all fishing there.

There are 7 fishing divisions in the district. The fishing fleet comprises 1,191 Non-mechanized traditional craft, 28 Mechanized traditional craft, 1,204 Day boats with Outboard motors, 160 Day boats 28-32 feet long and 59 Multi-day boats over 34 feet.

Mylanthanai massacre case before Sinhala Jury

The Colombo High Court last Wednesday ordered that the Mylanthanai massacre case should be heard before Sinhala speaking Jury. In this case 21 army personnel have been indicted with the murder of 35 Tamil villagers of Mylanthanai in Batticaloa district on 9th August 1992.
When this case was taken up for inquiry before the Colombo High Court Mr. S.Sriskandaraja, only 18 accused were present, reported TamilNet. The prosecution told court that three accused had died.

The accused have been indicted on 85 counts including murder, attempted murder and unlawful assembly. The defense made an application that the trial against the accused should be held before Sinhala speaking Jury. The High Court Judge allowed the application.
The 35 Tamil villagers of Mylanthanai in Punanai area in Batticaloa district were massacred by Sri Lanka Army soldiers following the death of Lt Colonel Hector Kobbekadauwa in Jaffna in a land mine attack.In December 1999 the case was postponed until a judge proficient in Tamil was available to try the case. The case has continued to drag.

At the time, Colombo High Court Judge Chandra Ekanayaka said that it was preferable for a judge proficient in Tamil to hear this case as the proceedings of the inquest, and the notes relating to the identification parade, are in Tamil. How-ever, Senior State Counsel S. Thurairaja representing the Attorney General (AG) argued that the prosecution had forwarded Sinhala translations of these records, and therefore the problems would be minimal.

Mr. Thurairaja continued that the Attorney General had already exercised the fiat on two occasions. Once it was to transfer the case from Batticaloa upon a request by the defence.
Senior defence Counsel Daya Perera (PC) submitted that his clients have asked for a trial before a Sinhala speaking jury. Therefore, the judge has to be proficient not only in Tamil, but must also be able to address the jury in Sinhala. There ought to be a compromise, somewhere, he concluded.

In the case, 21 SLA soldiers are indicted for massacring 35 Tamils, including a one-year-old baby, men and women at Mylanthanai on 2 August, 1992. Initially there were 23 suspects at the non-summary proceedings. Thereafter, 21 of them were committed to High Court for trial. Now, 18 of them stand trial as three of them are believed to be dead.

Confessions slammed as “a travesty of justice”

The East High Court Judge Mr. J. Visvanathan last Wednesday allowed an application made by the defence counsel in a case filed under the Prevention Terrorism Act that a Tamil translation of the confession purported to have been made by the accused should be provided to him (the accused) before the commencement of the proper trial.

The sole evidence against a Sri Lankan person accused under the PTA, is his or her confession to the Police which is invariably recorded in Sinhala. Almost hundred percent of the persons arrested by the Sri Lankan security forces under the PTA today are Tamils, the vast majority of whom do not understand the Sinhala language, reported TamilNet.

"It would be a travesty of justice if the inquiry were to be held against the accused without providing him the Tamil translation of his confession", the judge said.

Attorney Mr. K.Sivapalan in support of his application cited several cases where higher courts had determined that an accused was entitled for a translation of his statement to the police.
The High Court Judge in his order delivered last Wednesday at the Trincomalee sessions of the East High Court said: "In the particular case the confession of the accused has been recorded in Sinhala language. The prosecution is to use the confession against the accused to prove his guilt. A voiredire inquiry would be held if the defense challenges that the police has obtained the confession by torturing the accused. If the court held after such inquiry that the confession was a voluntary one then it would be used against the accused. It would be considered a travesty of justice if the inquiry were to be held against the accused without providing him the Tamil translation of his confession. Therefore the accused has every right to obtain a Tamil translation of his confession which was recorded in Sinhala language before the commencement of the trial."

The High Court Judge cited judgments delivered by higher courts in support of his determination in this case. State Counsel Mr.Sasi Mahendra appeared for the prosecution.
Human Rights Watch said there were 18,000 people arrested under the emergency regulations, the vast majority of whom were detained with out trail.

Medical torture reports rejected

The Trincomalee Magistrate Tuesday ordered that two Tamil youths, allegedly tortured in detention by the Sri Lankan security forces, should be examined by the Colombo Judicial Medical Officer, when it transpired during the proceedings that the District Medical Officers who had examined the young men had stated in their reports that there were no fresh wounds on the two suspects who have been arrested and detained under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA)

The Magistrate Mr. S. Thiagendran made the order after recording the statements sof K. Sutharsan of Alankerni and Anputhasan Theepan of Thaha Nagar in the Trincomalee district that they were subjected to severe torture and assault in detention, reported TamilNet last week.

The two youth are being held in the Kalutara prison, south of Colombo. They were brought to the Trincomalee courts Tuesday. Anputhasan Theepan said he was severely assaulted and tortured by the security forces. The Police had tied his genitals with a nylon rope and dragged him around with it during interrogation. The police took him to hospital but he was not produced before the District Medical Officer. Instead the police officer who accompanied him went to the room of the DMO and came out stating that the DMO had given the medical report.

In both cases, the District Medical Officers have stated in their medical reports that no fresh injuries were found on the suspects. Further inquiry into these cases were put off for February 15. Attorney K. Sivapalan appeared for the suspects.

Muslim PTA detainees appeal to MPs

Young Muslim detainees, who were arrested in accordance with the draconian Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA), have made an appeal to Muslim MPs to be more active in working towards their release, reported Thinakkural last week. Mr T Thangavadivel, Senior district MP for Batticoloa, who recently visited the prison met the prisoners.

Muslim MPs are in the government, but yet they have failed to take any notice of the Muslim prisoners who are unlawfully detained, the detainees said. They went on to state that "they are saddened by the fact there are many Muslim men and women who are arrested unlawfully in accordance Anti Muslim terrorist law, but Muslim congress members took no action against this," the Tamil language paper reported.

Tamil press reports said that Tamil Prisoners at the Kalutara prison were scheduled to start a hunger strike on Monday. Their intention is to demonstrate against being detained without fair trial. Tamil National Alliance is supporting their strike and is said to be planning a series of demonstrations in the North and the East, the Uthayan newspaper said.

Mr Chandrasekaran, Leader of the Malayaha Makkal Munnani, is said to meet the Minister for Justice to initiate a plan to set up three tiered action plan to help the release of the Tamil detainees held in Kalutara and other prisons in Sri Lanka, reported Thinakkural. More than six hundred Tamil youths arrested under the PTA are languishing in prisons at Boosa, Kalutara, Welikada, Bogambara and Anuradhapura without being brought to trial.

EPDP’S Devananda questioned?

The Sri Lankan police are questioning the leader of a Tamil political party over the murder of a well known Jaffna journalist, Mayilvahanam Nimalarajan, reported the Uthayan newspaper.
The name of the person and political party in question was withheld by the police. According to media sources the suspect is believed to be Douglas Devananda, the leader of the paramilitary Eelam People's Democratic Party (EPDP).

Sri Lanka's Attorney General has ordered a statement to be taken from the suspect, the Tamil language newspaper said, quoting state radio. The investigation has been accelerated since the new United National Front party came to power said the radio.

Meanwhile, Tamil media reports said that one of the two suspects who murdered the journalist is currently finding shelter from police investigations in the Sri Lanka Army.

Police are looking for two suspects, Napoleon (Sebastian Ramesh) and Murali ( Danieal Michael Colin), both of whom are members of the EPDP. Napoleon is also wanted in connection with an attack on the Tamil National Alliance supporters at Naranthenai in which two TNA members were killed.

Nimalrajan was assassinated last year by gunmen suspected to belong to the EPDP at his home in a high security zone of the Sri Lanka Army controlled Jaffna peninsula. The killers opened fire fatally wounding the reporter and hurled grenades, injuring members of his family, before escaping through SLA lines.

He covered the civil war for various news organizations, including the BBC's Tamil and Sinhala-language services, the Tamil-language daily Virakesari, and the Sinhala-language weekly Ravaya.

Nimalrajan had reported on the election malpractices of the EPDP, a key ally of the formerly ruling People's Alliance of President Chandrika Kumaratunga.

The New York-based Committee to Protect Journlists wrote to President Kumaratunga earlier this year in protest "Niimalarajan had received several death threats in the weeks before he was killed. The the attack may have come in reprisal for his reporting on vote-rigging and intimidation in Jaffna during the recent parliamentary elections," said the letter.

EPDP gunmen appear in court

The two members of the paramilitary Eelam People's Democratic Party (EPDP) members accused of killing two Tamil National Alliance (TNA) supporters at Naranthenai on November 28 were produced at court without a lawyer, Tamil media reports said last week. According to one of the suspects N Mathanarajan, none of the lawyers are prepared to attend the court on their behalf. It is also notable that N Mathanarajan is a member of Urkavalthurai (Kayts) district council and was also elected as a Jaffna district member of parliament.

The chief police officer of the Urkavalthurai was present at the hearing, which took place in front of Justice T Vicknarajah. "A third suspect, called Napoleon, could not be arrested but we are willing to charge him", said the chief police officer. The judge has agreed to proceed with the case in the absence of this third suspect as requested by the police. Mr N Mathanarajan said that his party leader is taking action to transfer the case to Colombo. The judge stated that without the order from the high court he doesn't have the authority for such action, and until he receives such order he will proceed with the case." The witnesses can be cross-examined by the suspects if no lawyers are present, according to the judge. The court has been adjourned till January 29, 2002, and the suspects were held in custody.

War on terror seen curbing human rights

A leading human rights organisation has accused governments around the world of using the US-led war on terrorism as an excuse to carry out repressive policies and crush on internal dissent, the BBC reported last week.

A report by the US-based Human Rights Watch singles out Russia, Uzbekistan and Egypt as the main offenders, saying they are waging wars against political opponents who they claim are terrorists. The report also says the United States and its western allies are turning a blind eye to abuses in friendly countries in return for their support in the campaign against terror.
However, it adds that progress has been made towards curbing human rights abuses, such as the trial of former Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic and indictment of former Chilean military ruler Augusto Pinochet.

"Terrorists believe that anything goes in the name of their cause. The fight against terror must not buy into that logic," said Kenneth Roth, the organisation's executive director. The report condemns the 11 September attacks on America, calling it "antithetical to the values of human rights". It says "Whether in time of peace or war... certain means are never justified, no matter what the ends."

The organisation says it was concerned that following the attacks, many governments tried to take advantage of the situation "by touting their own internal struggles as battles against terrorism". It accuses the US and its western allies of a "shameful silence" over abuses carried out in the Middle East and North Africa, ostensibly in the fight against extremists.
Saudi Arabia, it says, "imposes strict limits on civil society, severely discriminates against women, and systematically suppresses dissent," while Egypt "does all it can to suffocate peaceful political opposition".

The report claims that since 11 September, the US has toned down its criticism of human rights abuses by Russia in Chechnya and played up alleged links between Chechen rebels and Osama Bin Laden's al-Qaeda terror network. Russian President Vladimir Putin had embraced the anti-terrorism rhetoric to defend his government's "brutal campaign" in the breakaway republic, it says.

New restrictions in the US, such as proposed military tribunals for suspected terrorists, could compromise America's credibility in opposing human rights abuses elsewhere, the report adds.
The report says the future shape of Afghanistan will test the anti-terror coalition's commitment to human rights. While the defeat of the Taleban had created an opportunity for positive change, "many of the forces vying to replace the Taleban, including elements of the Northern Alliance, also have horrendous human rights records".

The international community should work to end discrimination against women in Afghanistan and collect evidence of abuses by all Afghan factions that could be used against suspects in court, the report adds.

According to the 670-page report, which covers 66 countries, one of the worst abusers of human rights is Uzbekistan. The report says the country has no political parties or independent media and sanctions the torture of Muslims caught praying outside the state-run mosque.

However, the report notes that there are some examples of progress in respect for human rights. Morocco and Jordan have become more open societies, it says, while Qatar and Bahrain have promised to hold elections. And Iran has shown a gradual political liberalisation and allowed the emergence of a movement demanding respect for civil liberties.
"But if the West continues to accept repression as the best defence against radical policies, it will undermine the human rights culture that is needed in the long run to defeat terrorism," the report concludes.

Kofi Annan cautions

The United Nations' Secretary-General Kofi Annan last week warned that the international community's war against terrorism could not justify violations of human rights. Mr. Annan stressed that "there is no trade-off between effective action against terrorism and the protection of human rights." Arguing to the contrary, he said "hum-an rights, along with democracy and social justice, are one of the best prophylactics against terrorism."

Looking to the future, the Secretary-General called for the urgent development of a long-term anti-terrorism strategy for all countries to defeat the scourge. "I believe they can only do so when the global struggle against terrorism is seen as necessary and legitimate by their peoples - and that such universal legitimacy is something the United Nations can do much to confer," he said.

US under rights pressure

The United States came under new pressure this week to recognize the al-Qaida and Taliban prisoners at this Navy base as POWs, the Associated Press reported.

Some British legislators asked for a meeting with the U.S. ambassador in London to express concern about the prisoners.

"You can't play around with human rights ... and the rights of such prisoners are set out in the Geneva Conventions which both the U.S. and ourselves are signed up to," said Ann Clwyd, chairwoman of Parliament's Human Rights Committee.

Deputy Prime Minister John Manley of Canada, speaking during a trip to Pakistan, said the "prisoners need to be treated in accordance with humane norms and international law. And we expect the United States will do so.''

The United States has be-en careful not to use the term "prisoners" because those detained would then be covered by the Geneva Conventions. Under the conventions, POWs must be tried by the same courts and under the same procedures as U.S. soldiers. They could be tried for war crimes through courts-martial or civilian courts but not by military tribunals.

"The question of legal status is not just an academic question, it is a question of life and death," said Avner Gidrone, a senior policy adviser for London-based Amnesty International.
"If the intention is for the United States to try these prisoners through a military commission, it would almost certainly carry the death penalty, would not meet international standards and would violate standards of due process."

A group of British diplomats was at Guantanamo Bay Naval Base Saturday to inspect conditions of three detainees who say they are British. The U.S. military also allowed a Red Cross team to visit the facilities and interview detainees this week. The Red Cross has said its report will be confidential, shared only with U.S. officials.

U.S. officials say the prisoners are being treated as humanely as possible considering the danger they present The Geneva Conventions also dictate that prisoners be housed in the same conditions as their captors. However, in Guantanamo, soldiers are staying in stucco houses and tented camps.

Some 110 prisoners, including people believed to be citizens of Britain, Saudi Arabia, Yemen and Australia, are being held in temporary cells with walls of chain-link fence covered by a corrugated metal roof.

Amnesty says the camp's cells - eight-by-eight feet - are below U.S. standards for ordinary prisoners.

India says distrust of Pakistan runs deep

Despite a visit by Secretary of State Colin Powell, India showed little sign Saturday of changing its tone toward Pakistan, saying its distrust of its rival runs too deep for conciliatory gestures, reported the Associated Press on Saturday.

Powell wound up his tour of the region, flying from Nepal to Japan. In New Delhi on Friday, Powell said he believed the two countries were pulling back from the brink of war.
He highlighted steps Pakistani President Gen. Pervez Musharraf has taken to confront anti-India extremists within its borders, including 1,900 arrests. New Delhi blames the extremists for terrorist attacks in the disputed province of Kashmir and other parts of India.
Lal K. Advani, India's interior minister, said it was difficult to take Musharraf's promises at face value, referring to a speech a week ago in which the Pakistani leader announced the crackdown.

"The cynicism, skepticism and distrust is too deep. Only a speech won't do. One has to see what happens on the ground," he said.

Indian officials have repeatedly said they welcomed Musharraf's remarks but wa-nt Pakistan to do more and want to see whether the crackdown halts attacks in India. "Will terrorists continue to get money from there (Pakistan)? Will they continue to get shelter?" Advani said. "The answers to these questions will decide India's future course of action."

Advani returned to India after meeting this week with President Bush, Powell and other U.S. officials. In Islamabad, his Pakistani counterpart, Moinuddin Haider, asked India to hold talks to reduce border tensions.

"The Indian government should abandon its bullying posture and engage in dialogue through means like sports," the Pakistani minister said Saturday. India has been refusing to play cricket with Pakistan in each other's country because of tensions.
Nuclear-armed neighbors India and Pakistan have massed hundreds of thousands of troops on their border since a Dec. 13 attack on the Indian Parliament, which India blamed on Pakistan-based Islamic militant groups and Pakistan's spy agency. Pakistan has denied involvement.

Advani accused Pakistan's government of providing patronage to 20 men wanted in India, including "official limousines."
Musharraf has said he would never hand over Pakistanis but left open the possibility that some of 14 Indians among the 20 suspects could be extradited.

Powell said India had delivered more evidence to Pakistan about the 20 men, who are accused of terrorist acts in India. Pakistan Foreign Minister Abdul Sattar said Saturday that supplemental information sent by India to bolster its case was being reviewed.
He also indicated that Pakistan would send its own wanted list to India. He gave no further details. "We have names on a list and we will forward that list in the course of time to the government of India," Sattar said.

Mostly Hindu India and Muslim Pakistan have fought two wars over Kashmir since 1947. India accuses Pakistan of funding and arming Islamic militants fighting in the Indian-controlled part of the region, where a 12-year insurgency has killed more than 32,000 people. Since the Parliament assault, which killed 14 people including five attackers, cross-border gunfire and shelling have escalated in Kashmir. Dozens of civilians have been killed and tens of thousands displaced on both sides.

China, India to strengthen ties

Visiting Chinese Premier Zhu Rongji and his Indian counterpart Atal Bihari Vajpayee last Monday agreed to enhance bilateral relations by further expanding cooperation, the China Daily reported.

"We have more common understanding than differences and our interests far outweigh any friction," Zhu said during his meeting with Indian Prime Minister Vajpayee.

Vajpayee said India does not view China as a threat and both nations should learn from each other and create a harmonious future together as neighbours and friends.

Zhu suggested that the parliaments, parties, media and academic circles of the two countries expand personnel exchanges while maintaining high-level visits. Zhu announced China has decided to open a direct flight route from Beijing to New Delhi in March to facilitate bilateral exchanges.

The Chinese market will open wider to India now that it is a member of the World Trade Organization and the two sides should find more ways for economic co-operation, Zhu said. He also called for more exchanges and co-operation in science and technology and regional economic co-operation.

The two sides agreed to accelerate the process of verification of the actual line of control along their borders. China and India signed two agreements on the maintenance of peace and tranquility and confidence-building measures in the military along the line of actual control in border areas in 1993 and 1996 respectively.

China, as a neighbour of both India and Pakistan, hopes the two countries can solve their problems through peaceful negotiations which not only serve the interests of their people but also is conducive to peace and development of South Asia, Zhu said.