Only the government could solve Sri Lanka's ethnic issue - Minister

Monday, December 2, 2013

Dec 01, Colombo: Only the Sri Lankan government can solve the country's ethnic issue, not any foreign institution an influential government minister has said.

Delivering a speech winding up the budget debate in parliament Friday, Economic Development Minister of Sri Lanka and President's younger brother Basil Rajapaksa said that only the government could solve the ethnic issue.

"It is only we who can solve the ethnic issue. This is our country's problem. It is a national problem. Foreigners have no feelings for us. I know that if they wanted they could have intervened in our crisis. But they had no interest to do so," the Minister said in parliament.

He said that some countries wanted Sri Lanka to kill the slain LTTE lewder Prabhakaran for their own purposes, not in the people's interest. "Now they are shedding crocodile tears," the Minister added.

Minister Rajapaksa explained that the Economic Development Ministry has invested a massive amount of money in the North during 2009-2011.

The Ministry had spent Rs. 7.075 billion on resettlement and houses, Rs. 2.75 billion on irrigation channels, Rs. 5.247 billion on major irrigation channels, Rs. 2.611 billion on social infrastructure, education and health, Rs. 686 million on livelihood programs, Rs. 15.27 billion on poverty alleviation and Rs. 323 million on skills development, while Rs. 33.962 billion was spent on building Divisional
Secretariats and other government institutions.

According to Rajapaksa, all democratic and people's institutions in the North had been destroyed during the past 30 years and all that is being addressed now.

"The MPSs who travel to the North today had no way of going there at the time. People in the North know it. Cameron who is scared to travel to Northern Ireland in his own country can travel without fear to the North of Sri Lanka," Rajapaksa pointed out.

Democracy is not only elections, he said adding that the government wants to rebuild pubic organizations and restore stability.

Noting that the government held two local government elections in the North after liberating the country from terrorism in 2009, the Minister said had the government held Northern Provincial Council election then, the government would have won it.

He said the country should appreciate the efforts taken to give people of the North not only development but also peace and democracy and appealed to the Tamils to solve the ethnic issue within the country.

"I appeal to the Tamil people and TNA let us, being citizens of this country, solve the problem on our own. We treat all people of this country equally. Hence let us consider this our problem which we have to solve it on our own," the Minister requested.

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Sri Lanka rejects Cameron on rights inquiry as Abbott takes own course

Monday, November 18, 2013

BRITISH Prime Minister David Cameron has hinted at a stark divide between Australia and Britain over alleged rights abuses in Sri Lanka, saying it is important not to "glide over difficult issues", but his stance has been rejected by his hosts.

At a media conference on the sidelines of the Commonwealth summit in Colombo, Mr Cameron made the comments after setting a March deadline for the Sri Lankan government to set up an independent inquiry into war crimes.

Mr Cameron warned that if that did not happen he would formally demand an international investigation.

But last night a senior Sri Lankan minister rejected pressure for any international probe into alleged war crimes at the end of the country's civil war, saying the government would "definitely" not allow it.

"Why should we have an internal inquiry? We will object to it . . . definitely we are not going to allow it," Economic Development Minister Basil Rajapakse, who is a brother of President Mahinda Rajapakse, told AFP.

Also last night, President Rajapakse said Sri Lanka must be trusted to conduct its own investigation into war crimes allegations.

"People in glass houses must not throw stones," President Rajapakse told a press conference in Colombo, where he is chairing the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting.

Mr Cameron's ultimatum was delivered less than 24 hours after the British Prime Minister became the first foreign leader since Sri Lankan independence in 1948 to visit the northern provincial capital of Jaffna.

"It's fair to say to the Sri Lankans there needs to be an independent inquiry into the particularly dreadful things that happened at the end of the war but if they do not set it up I will fully back an international inquiry," he said.

Mr Cameron's tough stand has highlighted the difference between Britain and Australia's position on the fellow Commonwealth founding member, which faces allegations of war crimes and human rights abuses, including torture by state security forces, committed during and after the final stages of the country's 26-year-long civil war

Asked about Tony Abbott's position stated on Friday - that "difficult things happen" in war and it is not his place to lecture or embarrass Sri Lanka - Mr Cameron said he would let the Australian Prime Minister speak for himself.

"I think he's absolutely right that it's important we talk up the potential of this country," he told reporters.

"I am very keen to do that but we do that not by gliding over the difficult issues, the human rights issues, journalistic freedom issues, reconciliation. It's important to talk about those."

Mr Cameron said his visit to northern displacement camps and to the Uthayan newspaper office in Jaffna - where five journalists had been murdered which had been subject to numerous deadly attacks

"I will take with me the images of people who have been displaced and are desperate for homes and livelihoods and I will also remember going to that newspaper office and seeing how those journalists had suffered."

"It's very important to see the good and the bad. It's important I was able to take journalists from the UK with me so they can report on that."

Mr Cameron described his Friday night meeting with President Rajapaksa as "frank and clear" in which he raised issues of human rights, media freedom, displaced people.

"At the heart of what I'm saying is an optimistic message about this country. It has a chance for real success after the end of the civil war and my message is to seize that chance by trying to reconcile people within this country," he said.

The biennial Commonwealth summit has been mired in controversy, with Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper and then Indian prime minister Manmohan Singh boycotting the summit over the Colombo government’s failure to address alleged human rights abuses.

Early yesterday Mauritius, which has also boycotted attending this summit, pulled out of its planned role of hosting CHOGM in 2015.

Meanwhile, as reported in The Weekend Australian yesterday, the Sri Lankan government yesterday confirmed an arrangement was being negotiated with Australia to tackle people-smuggling.

Sri Lankan Minister for Media, Keheliya Rambukwella, told journalists in Colombo the deal was a memorandum of understanding between the two navies.

"There is an arrangement, an MOU to be signed between the two naval forces,'' the minister said.

"All the details have been discussed and once it is signed it will be made a public document.''

Mr Abbott told reporters in Colombo on Friday that Australia had "good and close co-operation'' with the Sri Lankan government and navy.

"I'll be thanking the Sri Lankans for the co-operation which they have extended to us on this important issue and I will have more to say about this in the next day or so,'' Mr Abbott said.

At home, Mr Abbott's assessment of torture in Sri Lanka was slammed by the federal opposition.

Mr Abbott told reporters in Sri Lanka that while his government "deplores the use of torture we accept that sometimes in difficult circumstances difficult things happen".

Labor rejected the comment.

"The use of torture is never justifiable," Labor's attorney-general spokesman Mark Dreyfus said.

"There is never a 'difficult' situation where torture should be accepted."

Additional reporting: AFP, AAP
- See more at: http://www.theaustralian.com.au

BRITISH Prime Minister David Cameron has hinted at a stark divide between Australia and Britain over alleged rights abuses in Sri Lanka, saying it is important not to "glide over difficult issues", but his stance has been rejected by his hosts.

At a media conference on the sidelines of the Commonwealth summit in Colombo, Mr Cameron made the comments after setting a March deadline for the Sri Lankan government to set up an independent inquiry into war crimes.
Mr Cameron warned that if that did not happen he would formally demand an international investigation.
But last night a senior Sri Lankan minister rejected pressure for any international probe into alleged war crimes at the end of the country's civil war, saying the government would "definitely" not allow it.
"Why should we have an internal inquiry? We will object to it . . . definitely we are not going to allow it," Economic Development Minister Basil Rajapakse, who is a brother of President Mahinda Rajapakse, told AFP.
Also last night, President Rajapakse said Sri Lanka must be trusted to conduct its own investigation into war crimes allegations.
"People in glass houses must not throw stones," President Rajapakse told a press conference in Colombo, where he is chairing the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting.
Mr Cameron's ultimatum was delivered less than 24 hours after the British Prime Minister became the first foreign leader since Sri Lankan independence in 1948 to visit the northern provincial capital of Jaffna.
"It's fair to say to the Sri Lankans there needs to be an independent inquiry into the particularly dreadful things that happened at the end of the war but if they do not set it up I will fully back an international inquiry," he said.
Mr Cameron's tough stand has highlighted the difference between Britain and Australia's position on the fellow Commonwealth founding member, which faces allegations of war crimes and human rights abuses, including torture by state security forces, committed during and after the final stages of the country's 26-year-long civil war
Asked about Tony Abbott's position stated on Friday - that "difficult things happen" in war and it is not his place to lecture or embarrass Sri Lanka - Mr Cameron said he would let the Australian Prime Minister speak for himself.
"I think he's absolutely right that it's important we talk up the potential of this country," he told reporters.
"I am very keen to do that but we do that not by gliding over the difficult issues, the human rights issues, journalistic freedom issues, reconciliation. It's important to talk about those."
Mr Cameron said his visit to northern displacement camps and to the Uthayan newspaper office in Jaffna - where five journalists had been murdered which had been subject to numerous deadly attacks
"I will take with me the images of people who have been displaced and are desperate for homes and livelihoods and I will also remember going to that newspaper office and seeing how those journalists had suffered."
"It's very important to see the good and the bad. It's important I was able to take journalists from the UK with me so they can report on that."
Mr Cameron described his Friday night meeting with President Rajapaksa as "frank and clear" in which he raised issues of human rights, media freedom, displaced people.
"At the heart of what I'm saying is an optimistic message about this country. It has a chance for real success after the end of the civil war and my message is to seize that chance by trying to reconcile people within this country," he said.
The biennial Commonwealth summit has been mired in controversy, with Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper and then Indian prime minister Manmohan Singh boycotting the summit over the Colombo government’s failure to address alleged human rights abuses.
Early yesterday Mauritius, which has also boycotted attending this summit, pulled out of its planned role of hosting CHOGM in 2015.
Meanwhile, as reported in The Weekend Australian yesterday, the Sri Lankan government yesterday confirmed an arrangement was being negotiated with Australia to tackle people-smuggling.
Sri Lankan Minister for Media, Keheliya Rambukwella, told journalists in Colombo the deal was a memorandum of understanding between the two navies.
"There is an arrangement, an MOU to be signed between the two naval forces,'' the minister said.
"All the details have been discussed and once it is signed it will be made a public document.''
Mr Abbott told reporters in Colombo on Friday that Australia had "good and close co-operation'' with the Sri Lankan government and navy.
"I'll be thanking the Sri Lankans for the co-operation which they have extended to us on this important issue and I will have more to say about this in the next day or so,'' Mr Abbott said.
At home, Mr Abbott's assessment of torture in Sri Lanka was slammed by the federal opposition.
Mr Abbott told reporters in Sri Lanka that while his government "deplores the use of torture we accept that sometimes in difficult circumstances difficult things happen".
Labor rejected the comment.
"The use of torture is never justifiable," Labor's attorney-general spokesman Mark Dreyfus said.
"There is never a 'difficult' situation where torture should be accepted."
Additional reporting: AFP, AAP
- See more at: http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/abbott-cameron-diverge-on-sri-lanka-human-rights/story-fn59niix-1226761628995#sthash.2KZoEunH.dpuf

BRITISH Prime Minister David Cameron has hinted at a stark divide between Australia and Britain over alleged rights abuses in Sri Lanka, saying it is important not to "glide over difficult issues", but his stance has been rejected by his hosts.

At a media conference on the sidelines of the Commonwealth summit in Colombo, Mr Cameron made the comments after setting a March deadline for the Sri Lankan government to set up an independent inquiry into war crimes.
Mr Cameron warned that if that did not happen he would formally demand an international investigation.
But last night a senior Sri Lankan minister rejected pressure for any international probe into alleged war crimes at the end of the country's civil war, saying the government would "definitely" not allow it.
"Why should we have an internal inquiry? We will object to it . . . definitely we are not going to allow it," Economic Development Minister Basil Rajapakse, who is a brother of President Mahinda Rajapakse, told AFP.
Also last night, President Rajapakse said Sri Lanka must be trusted to conduct its own investigation into war crimes allegations.
"People in glass houses must not throw stones," President Rajapakse told a press conference in Colombo, where he is chairing the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting.
Mr Cameron's ultimatum was delivered less than 24 hours after the British Prime Minister became the first foreign leader since Sri Lankan independence in 1948 to visit the northern provincial capital of Jaffna.
"It's fair to say to the Sri Lankans there needs to be an independent inquiry into the particularly dreadful things that happened at the end of the war but if they do not set it up I will fully back an international inquiry," he said.
Mr Cameron's tough stand has highlighted the difference between Britain and Australia's position on the fellow Commonwealth founding member, which faces allegations of war crimes and human rights abuses, including torture by state security forces, committed during and after the final stages of the country's 26-year-long civil war
Asked about Tony Abbott's position stated on Friday - that "difficult things happen" in war and it is not his place to lecture or embarrass Sri Lanka - Mr Cameron said he would let the Australian Prime Minister speak for himself.
"I think he's absolutely right that it's important we talk up the potential of this country," he told reporters.
"I am very keen to do that but we do that not by gliding over the difficult issues, the human rights issues, journalistic freedom issues, reconciliation. It's important to talk about those."
Mr Cameron said his visit to northern displacement camps and to the Uthayan newspaper office in Jaffna - where five journalists had been murdered which had been subject to numerous deadly attacks
"I will take with me the images of people who have been displaced and are desperate for homes and livelihoods and I will also remember going to that newspaper office and seeing how those journalists had suffered."
"It's very important to see the good and the bad. It's important I was able to take journalists from the UK with me so they can report on that."
Mr Cameron described his Friday night meeting with President Rajapaksa as "frank and clear" in which he raised issues of human rights, media freedom, displaced people.
"At the heart of what I'm saying is an optimistic message about this country. It has a chance for real success after the end of the civil war and my message is to seize that chance by trying to reconcile people within this country," he said.
The biennial Commonwealth summit has been mired in controversy, with Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper and then Indian prime minister Manmohan Singh boycotting the summit over the Colombo government’s failure to address alleged human rights abuses.
Early yesterday Mauritius, which has also boycotted attending this summit, pulled out of its planned role of hosting CHOGM in 2015.
Meanwhile, as reported in The Weekend Australian yesterday, the Sri Lankan government yesterday confirmed an arrangement was being negotiated with Australia to tackle people-smuggling.
Sri Lankan Minister for Media, Keheliya Rambukwella, told journalists in Colombo the deal was a memorandum of understanding between the two navies.
"There is an arrangement, an MOU to be signed between the two naval forces,'' the minister said.
"All the details have been discussed and once it is signed it will be made a public document.''
Mr Abbott told reporters in Colombo on Friday that Australia had "good and close co-operation'' with the Sri Lankan government and navy.
"I'll be thanking the Sri Lankans for the co-operation which they have extended to us on this important issue and I will have more to say about this in the next day or so,'' Mr Abbott said.
At home, Mr Abbott's assessment of torture in Sri Lanka was slammed by the federal opposition.
Mr Abbott told reporters in Sri Lanka that while his government "deplores the use of torture we accept that sometimes in difficult circumstances difficult things happen".
Labor rejected the comment.
"The use of torture is never justifiable," Labor's attorney-general spokesman Mark Dreyfus said.
"There is never a 'difficult' situation where torture should be accepted."
Additional reporting: AFP, AAP
- See more at: http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/abbott-cameron-diverge-on-sri-lanka-human-rights/story-fn59niix-1226761628995#sthash.2KZoEunH.dpuf

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David Cameron Mobbed By Protester On Sri Lanka Trip

Friday, November 15, 2013

Protesters in Sri Lanka on Friday tried to interrupt a visit by British Prime Minister David Cameron to northern areas that saw the worst of the war between soldiers and ethnic Tamils rebels fighting for a homeland.

                                                             Video : Zoomin.TV UK

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Commonwealth should not be a punitive or judgmental body, Sri Lanka President says

Nov 15, Colombo: In order for the Commonwealth to remain relevant to its member countries, the Association must respond sensitively, to the needs of its peoples and not let it turn into a punitive or judgmental body, Sri Lanka's President Mahinda Rajapaksa said opening the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting today.

Welcoming the leaders and delegates of 53 member countries of the Commonwealth at the opening ceremony of the 22nd Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Colombo, the President said the CHOGM 2013 will provide the opportunity for the members of the organization to assess its achievements with regard to development goals.

Although economic priorities take center stage, people are the greatest wealth of the nations, the President said.

Cautioning against attempts to introduce bilateral agendas into the Commonwealth, the Sri Lankan leader said the member countries need to help one another and stay together.

"We must also collectively guard against bilateral agendas being introduced into the Organization, distorting Commonwealth traditions and consensus. The strength of the Organisation lies in keeping the member countries together, helping one another in a spirit of partnership, making the Commonwealth truly unique," President Rajapaksa said.

He said the Commonwealth faced with tough challenges need to ask itself few questions.

The Sri Lankan President asked whether the need for basic facilities, healthcare, education, productive employment, access to food and safe drinking water, eradication of poverty and hunger, are of lesser importance than political concerns.

He said the Commonwealth should collectively strive towards the realization of development goals, to enable its member countries to reap economic benefits?

"Shouldn't we be addressing more vigorously the issue of 'common poverty' before we talk about 'common wealth'?" the President asked.

The President said the deliberations in Colombo must lead to the greatest practical benefits for the peoples of a renewed Commonwealth, one that is engaging, collaborative and unifying, rather than prescriptive and divisive.

President Rajapaksa's Full Speech at the opening of CHOGM 2013

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Most important civil right in Sri Lanka is to live without threat of war, Australian PM says

Monday, November 11, 2013

Nov 11, Colombo: Affirming his participation in the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Sri Lanka this week, the Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott said the most important civil right is the right to live without the threat of death or violence through a civil war.

In an interview with Alan Jones of Radio 2GB on Monday, the Australian PM said it is getting better in Sri Lanka for the war-affected Tamil people in the North and ordinary civil society is resuming in the Tamil parts of Sri Lanka.
However, he said he will be urging the Sri Lankan Government to respect everyone's rights when he visits the island to attend the Commonwealth summit beginning on November 15.

When the interviewer referred to the detention of the Australian Green Party senator Lee Rhiannon and the Indian Prime Minister's refusal to attend the summit on the basis of human rights, the Australian PM said he is attending the summit because he respects the Commonwealth and he wants Australia to be a good participant in the Commonwealth.

"I want us to be a good international citizen generally, but I certainly don't want us to trash one of the very long-standing and important bodies that we are a senior member of. So, I'll be going to the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Sri Lanka," Abbott said.

He further noted that Sri Lankan Government is very committed to stopping illegal boat arrivals from Sri Lanka and readily takes back the illegal immigrants.

"If a country is cooperating fully and effectively with Australia, it seems right and proper to maintain the best possible relations with them," the Australian PM pointed out.

When asked whether he would raise the human rights concerns the Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper raised, Abbott replied that he will not lecture other countries on human rights.

"I am not inclined to go overseas and give other countries lectures; really aren't," the Australian PM said.

Emphasizing that the Tamil Tigers were the inventors of suicide bombing and "an absolutely vicious outfit" Abbott said it's not to say that the atrocities were all on one side.

"Now, that's not to say that the atrocities were all on one side. I don't pretend that for a second. The Sri Lankan army fought a savage war against the Tamil Tigers and yes, terrible things happened in that war, no doubt about it and it wasn't all on one side. I accept that. But the war is over," he said.

"I don't say everything's perfect there for a second, but I think things are getting better and while, yes, I will be urging the Sri Lankan Government to respect everyone's rights, I think I will also be acknowledging that a lot of progress has been made and in the end the most important civil right is the right to live without the threat of death or horrific violence through some civil war," the Prime Minister said.

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