Dialogue with govt will be unsuccessful without normalcy in North-East - Suresh Premachandran

Efforts to initiate dialogue between the Sri Lankan government and the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) will be unsuccessful unless there is normalcy in the North-East, Suresh Premachandran, the party spokesperson, told the Tamil Guardian today, ahead of a visit by the TNA to South Africa later this week. "If there is no normalcy in the North-East area then the people will not be with us, and dialogue cannot continue without keeping the people with us," Mr. Premachandran explained. Stressing however that this was "not a pre-condition" to the talks, Mr. Premachandran said, "We have already spoken to the South African High Commissioner about this. I myself have personally spoken to him before Geneva on this, that we need normalcy." "Without normalcy dialogue cannot continue," he added.

Sri Lanka to strengthen ties with Bahrain

Sri Lankan president Mahinda Rajapaksa will boost ties with Bahrain on a scheduled visit to the country later this month, announced the Bahrain news agency today. The Sri Lankan Ambassador to Bahrain, Anwar Rajakaruna, met with Bahrain officials today to discuss the itinerary of Rajapaksa’s visit later this month.

Western Provincial Council minister calls for ban on TNA

A minister for the Western Provincial Council has called on the Sri Lankan government to ban the Tamil National Alliance, reported the Daily News . Udaya Gammanpila, who is also a legal advisor to the Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU), said that the political philosophy of the LTTE should be countered more aggressively by the government, adding that the TNA should also be banned if it called on the government to lift the ban on diaspora organisations. “Sri Lanka has done only a fraction of what other countries had done to immobilise the political will and functions of terrorist organisations who have been defeated, ” Gammanpila said.

Singapore launches capacity building projects in Jaffna

The Singapore Foreign Affairs Minister, K Shanmugam, today , launched a new youth development project at Jaffna Library. The community development project by the Singapore International Foundation (SIF), aims to enhance English Language communication amongst Jaffna youth, by providing learning resources and training for English teachers in Jaffna. The project aims to help at least 3,000 children aged between 10 and 18 years old within the Jaffna district.

Work towards political solution beyond 13A to avoid international pressure, says India

The Indian High Commissioner to Sri Lanka, Y.K Sinha, addressing the Foreign Correspondents Association, urged Sri Lanka to work towards devolution of powers beyond the 13th amendment and a political solution to deal with international pressure. “Our emphasis, in this context, has been to encourage the Government of Sri Lanka to take forward the process of broader dialogue and show concrete movement towards a meaningful devolution of powers, through full implementation of the 13th Amendment and going beyond," said the high commissioner. Sinha further reiterated that India had outlined on a number of occasions, the need for steps towards genuine reconciliation, that included investigations into allegations of human rights violations, restoration of normalcy in affected areas, reduction of ‘high security zones’, satisfactorily addressing the issue of missing persons and redressed of humanitarian concerns of affected families.

TNA's Shivajilingham calls on govt to deproscribe diaspora groups

M.K Shivajilingham, an outspoken member of the Northern Provincial Council and the Tamil National Alliance (TNA), called on the Sri Lankan government to lift the ban imposed on 15 Tamil diaspora organisations, reported Colombo Page . Arguing that the diaspora organisations had not been involved in any illegal or terrorist activities, Mr. Shivajilingham pointed out that the government had failed to provide evidence of such activities. Speaking to the Tamil Guardian earlier this week, Mr. Shivajilingham said, "The Sri Lankan government is trying to cut us off from the diaspora, especially trying to stop political parties, such as the TNA and the TNPF, from engaging with diaspora organisations,"

Abstention was ‘political decision’ – India

India’s External Affairs Ministry said that the decision to abstain from the resolution on Sri Lanka at the UN Human Rights Council last month was a “political decision” for the welfare of the Tamil people in Sri Lanka. Responding to a question about Finance Minister Chidambaram’s criticism of India’s abstention, Foregin Secretary Sujatha Singh said the resolution was “extremely intrusive”. “Any decision relating to foreign policy is a political decision, is it not? And no official will take a decision without taking a political sign off,” she told PTI .

BJP ‘won’t support Tamil Eelam’ – official

A senior BJP official said today that the party will not support a separate Tamil Eelam. Speaking to reporters in Bangalore, Venkaiah Naidu said a solution to the problem has to be reached within a united Sri Lanka and there was no question of supporting a separate Tamil Eelam, as the party was against division of Sri Lanka. "If any solution to the Sri Lankan Tamil problem has to be arrived at, it should be within the framework of the concept of united Sri Lanka," he said.

Divisions in Sri Lanka existed before UNHRC resolution, says US Ambassador

The US Ambassador to Sri Lanka, Michele Sison, in a speech to the Sri Lankan Foreign Correspondents Association, Thursday evening, outlined that US concerns in Sri Lanka remain unchanged. The Ambassador dismissed accusations that the US was targeting Sri Lanka. Outlining that its actions were echoing longstanding international concerns, including those of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, she said, “This resolution, and its call for an independent international investigation, does not in any way preclude – and is, in fact, meant to support – a genuine, credible, and...

US to fund NGO programs aiding refugees from Sri Lanka in India

The United States Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration, announced this week that it would provide funding opportunities for non-governmental organisation programs aimed at benefiting refugees from Sri Lanka in India The funding applications must focus on at least one of four sectors, which include, Protection, Livelihoods, Capacity Building and Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH). The United Nations' refugee agency, UNHCR, estimates that over 70,000 Tamils have sought refuge in India from rights violations and the armed conflict in Sri Lanka. See full funding application criteria...

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