No immediate need for evacuation:
Lanka
Asian Age, May24.
Sri Lankan deputy foreign minister Lakshman Kiriella on
Wednesday said though Indian help was welcome, there
was no immediate need for evacuation of troops from Jaffna.
“If such a situation arises and India could help us, we will
welcome it.
More..
Published: Wed May 24 23:14:00 EDT 2000
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Gopal Gandhi to go as envoy after
crisis ends
Asian Age, May24.
Mr Gopal Gandhi, secretary to the President of India, is
slated to be appointed Indian high commissioner to Sri
Lanka.The appointment, though cleared at the highest level,
is being held in abeyance due to the current turmoil in Sri
Lanka. Mr Gandhi, a grandson of Mahatma Gandhi, had
served a successful tenure as high commissioner to South
Africa before his current assignment in Rashtrapati Bhavan
More..
Published: Wed May 24 23:08:48 EDT 2000
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CBI knock at Dr Subramanian Swamy's door
JAL News, May24.
Janata Party leader Dr Subramanian Swamy's controversial book on
Rajiv Gandhi's assassination has landed
him in the lap of the Multi-Disciplinary Monitoring Agency (MDMA)
investigatingt the conspiracy angle to the ghastly
murder. The Jain Inquiry Commission had already pointed the needle of
suspicion on Dr Swamy besides tantrik Chandraswami and
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi and the MDMA was
constituted basically for the follow-up action.
More...
Published: Wed May 24 23:00:27 EDT 2000
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India will wait for Jaffna to fall
Asian Age, New Delhi, May 24.
India has virtually decided to wait for Jaffna to fall to the
LTTE before moving in with its “humanitarian aid” package,
which could include the evacuation of stranded Sri Lankan
troops and civilians caught in the cross-fighting.Reports
from Colombo quote an unidentified government
official as expressing unhappiness about the plans being
made by India for the evacuation of troops. He pointed out
to
news agencies that his government had not given up the
fight for Jaffna and had taken the Indian position amiss
More..
Published: Wed May 24 22:57:59 EDT 2000
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LTTE claims to have shot down Airforce Helicopter
Frederica Jansz in Colombo, 8.45 a.m. SLT Thursday May 25.
The LTTE in a press release issued last night claimed to have shot down the
M1- 24 Airforce helicopter killing to gunners. The rebel statement says,
"Soviet built MI24 helicopter gunship was shot down this evening (may 24)
at Manthuvil in the Thenmarachchi division of the Jaffna peninsula as
fierce fighting broke out between the LTTE combat units and the Sri Lankan
government troops. Two pilots and a gunner were killed in the incident."
The Government however asserts that the pilots were rescued though two
gunners were killed as a result of the crash.
The LTTE further claims that the Tigers suppported by heavy artillery and
mortar fire, have launched a new offensive thrust yesterday and are
advancing towards Meesalai, a small town situated along the A9 highway
between Chavakachcheri and Kodigamam.
Published: Wed May 24 22:53:54 EDT 2000
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Vaiko against extending help to Lanka
Asian Age, May24.
“It is their internal problem. If Sri Lankan government cannot
protect the unity, integrity and sovereignty of that
country, it
is their problem. Why should we extend any military
assistance?” asked the firebrand MP. Even the issue of
humanitarian help could be dicey as it had a wide scope for
interpretation, he added.He also denied the allegation made
by the Lankan
President that many South Indians were being recruited by
the LTTE to carry on the fight. “It is a baseless,
malicious
and most vicious accusation against India. This is nothing
but falsehood,” Mr Vaiko said.
More..
Published: Wed May 24 22:52:40 EDT 2000
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Grenade thrown at Norwegian Mission
Frederica Jansz in Colombo, 8.15 a.m. SLT Thursday May 25.
A hand grenade was lobbed outside the Norwegian embassy in Colombo last
night at around 8.45 p.m. SLT. The grenade hit the embassy wall, bounced
off, and exploded in the compound next door. There were no casualties.
Jon Westborg, Ambassador for Norway in Colombo said the attack is probably
to protest against a Norwegian effort to broker peace to Sri Lanka's
conflict. The attack came soon after a Norwegian delegation left Colombo
and flew to New Delhi to build diplomatic momentum to end fighting in Sri
Lanka.
Published: Wed May 24 22:43:18 EDT 2000
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Helicopter gunship goes down in the North
Frederica Jansz in Colombo, 8.25 a.m. SLT Thursday May 25.
A Mi - 24 helicopter gunship went down in the Thenamarachi division last
night as heavy fighting broke out again between Lankan troops and the LTTE
in the Thenamarachi division. Two gunners were killed, but the pilots were
rescued soon after the chopper crashed.
The reasons for the chopper going down are not yet clear. Reports however
state that the rear cabin of the helicopter caught fire at the time of
emergency landing. Meanwhile the LTTE are reported to be keeping up a
fierce and steady attack on troops bases in West Sarasalai in the
Thenamarachi division.
Published: Wed May 24 22:43:18 EDT 2000
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US Under Secretary of State to discuss Lankan crisis with Indians
Frederica Jansz in Colombo, 8.30 a.m. SLT Thursday May 25.
Speculation is rife that the visit of Thomas Pickering, US under secretary
of state to New Delhi this week is to pressure India to take action in
helping resolve Sri Lanka's deepening crisis.
Pickering, is reported to hold official discussions with Indian Defence
Minister, George Fernandes, Foreign Secretary Lalit Mansingh and National
Security Advisor Brajesh Misha this week.
New Delhi has been reticent in making any committment to helping Sri Lanka
militarily, but has also made it clear that it will not allow any other
country to interfer in the region.
Published: Wed May 24 22:43:19 EDT 2000
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President tells Hindu why she cannot let Jaffna go
Frederica Jansz in Colombo, 8.35 a.m. SLT Thursday May 25.
President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunge in her interview with the
Indian Hindu newspaper this week, spelt out why she cannot let Jaffna fall
to the rebels. Among the reasons given are: The Government cannot let down
the people of Jaffna, who fear the LTTE; No self-respecting government can
allow a bunch of terrorists (LTTE) to exercise authority over any part of
the country; Destabilisation of the plantation sector by the LTTE has to be
prevented and; The LTTE must be prevented from destabilising the region.
Published: Wed May 24 22:43:19 EDT 2000
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Sri Lanka does not ask for Indian help
NDTV.
May 24
Sri Lanka stated on Wednesday that it had no immediate
plans of asking for Indian
help to evacuate its troops
from the Jaffna
peninsula. In Chennai, the Sri Lankan Deputy Foreign Minister, Mr.
Lakshman Kiriella,
confirmed that Sri Lanka was not keen on India
evacuating its troops from
Jaffna just yet. He said, "If the situation
arises, we welcome it. But I do not
know whether the ground condition really calls
for this."
More..
Published: Wed May 24 22:11:09 EDT 2000
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Sri Lanka turns to diplomacy to try end Tamil
offensive
MSNBC, May 24.
With the Tamil rebels
pressing their attack on the key northern peninsula
of Jaffna, Sri Lanka's president is appealing to
India to help bring the separatists to the peace
table, an Indian newspaper reported Wednesday.Admitting
India has turned down a request for ''urgent military assistance,''
Chandrika Kumaratunga openly sought negotiations in an
interview published in
The Hindu newspaper.
More..
Published: Wed May 24 22:05:35 EDT 2000
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Needed, a dose of realism - AN OpEd
Hindu, May25.
New Delhi, therefore, needs to inject a dose of realism into its
strategy towards Sri
Lanka. The best outcome by far would be if the SLA were able to check
the
LTTE's advances on its own. Since the SLA is inducting the arms and
aircraft it
needs to do this, New Delhi may be spared the need to offer military
equipment. But
the least it can do is to stop repeating, ad nauseam, that it will not
under any
circumstances whatsoever, use military force against the LTTE. This can
only
demoralise the SLA, embolden the LTTE and earn India fresh enmity among
the
Sinhala chauvinists who have begun to uncover old grievances against
India in the
South.
More..
Published: Wed May 24 20:19:56 EDT 2000
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Time for a ceasefire - An OpEd
Hindu, May25.
The disappointment and frustration of the
island's President, Ms. Chandrika Kumaratunga, in her interview to this
newspaper
is understandable. She must realise that without a professional armed
force, a
thinking leadership and motivated soldiers, it is difficult to
prosecute a war for two
decades on the run. The continuing desertions in the ranks and frequent
changes at
the top confirm this malaise.
More..
Published: Wed May 24 20:12:51 EDT 2000
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Moslems, the forgotten victims of Sri
Lanka's war
Financial Times, 24 May 2000 13:44GMT.
PUTTALAM, Sri Lanka, One evening in October 1990,
Ismath Indon was suddenly faced with a choice
between life or death.
He had two hours to close his thriving meat shop, and leave
Jaffna city with his wife, five
children and a few armfuls of belongings -- or be
shot by separatist Tamil Tiger guerrillas.
Before Sri Lanka's ethnic conflict took off in 1983, some 750,000
Tamils, Moslems and
Sinhalese lived side by side in the Jaffna
peninsula, a flat and arid spur of land at the
northern tip of the Indian Ocean island. But after
the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) seized Jaffna from
government troops in 1990, the population shrank to around 500,000 as
non-Tamils were sent packing.
Few hesitate to dub it ethnic cleansing.
More..
Published: Wed May 24 19:52:38 EDT 2000
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Tamil refugees await Jaffna's fall
Rediff, May24.
Karunan Shivappa, a Sri Lankan Tamil at the Gumudipoondi
refugee camp, is on a fund collection drive. He
managed to collect Rs 500,
with which he and his friends recently purchased some
firecrackers. Though mired in poverty, Shivappa and his ilk are
preserving them for the Big
Day, when Jaffna peninsula in Sri Lanka will fall to
the Liberation Tigers of
Tamil Eelam. "Jaffna will fall soon. We are overjoyed
with the LTTE's success. Eelam
zindabad," Shivappa shouts as a host of malnourished
children from the
refugee camp touch and smell the crackers.
More..
Published: Wed May 24 19:48:47 EDT 2000
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CEASEFIRE PRESSURE ON LANKA
The Telegraph, May24.
The Norwegians, who wield considerable influence over the
LTTE leadership, spent some time in Delhi
briefing the Indian
establishment on their talks in Colombo.
The terms they had put
forward on behalf of the LTTE to Kumaratunga
were not
found entirely acceptable by the Lanka
government.
The Tigers are also believed to be preparing ground for a final
blitzkrieg on military positions north of
Jaffna as they realise
that all overtures for negotiations are being
snubbed by
Colombo.
More..
Published: Wed May 24 19:28:37 EDT 2000
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Delhi help offer irks Colombo
The Statesman, May24.
India’s declaration that it was prepared to help evacuate troops from
northern
Jaffna in fact appeared to have irked the Lankan
government. A Colombo
mandarin criticised the statement as a blow to the
morale of Lankan troops. “We
have asked for help, not to withdraw from Jaffna,”
he reportedly said while running
down the Indian statement.
More..
Published: Wed May 24 18:39:00 EDT 2000
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No breakthrough on Lanka ceasefire
Deccan Herald,
NEW DELHI, May 24.
The Norwegian diplomatic efforts to bring about a ceasefire between the
Lankan Troops and LTTE appeared
to have so far made no progress even as India and the United States
today reiterated that there existed no
military solution to the island state`s ethnic problem.
Following Norwegian chief ''facilitator`` of a renewed peace process in
Lanka Mr Erik Solheim`s consultations
with senior Indian officials here today, it appeared that the Sri
Lankan Government remained reluctant to
accept the LTTE`s offer of a ''conditional`` ceasefire despite the
current grim scenario on the battle front in
the Jaffna peninsula.
More..
Published: Wed May 24 17:26:51 EDT 2000
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Govt's humanitarian help may extend to refugee
relocation
Pioneer, May25.
The Vajpayee Government's position that it is prepared for
a "humanitarian"
intervention in Sri Lanka could extend to addressing an
increased flow of
refugees in the event of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil
Eelam gaining
decisive victories in the next few days.
More..
Published: Wed May 24 17:23:16 EDT 2000
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Attack against the Norwegian Embassy in Colombo
Reporter Mariann Nordstroem, AFTENPOSTEN, 24-May-2000 21:45.
No one was injured when an unknown man on a motocycle threw an explosive to
the norwegian embassy building in Sri Lanka wednesday night.
The explosive item went over the roof of the norwegian embassy and landed on
the garden of a neighbouring uninhabited house, where it exploded, Victor
Roenneberg, the acting spokesman for the Foreign Ministry said to
Aftenposten.
The attack took place around 2100 local time, and there were only the
security personnel at the building. According to the ambassador Jon
Westborg, no one was injured, but a number of windows was broken. No one has
taken the responsibility for the attack which came the day after Foreign
Ministry's special advicer Erik Solheim and the state scretary Raymond
Johansen visited the country to discuss Norway's role in the peace process,
with the President Chandrika Kumaratunga.
"It is not unthinkable that the attack has a connection with the Norwegian
roll in the peace endevours," Roenneberg said.
He informs that the police is actively carrying out investigations. The
foreign ministry has considered the safety of all personnel of the embassy
many times over the last few months. All suggested security measures have
been implemented and vi think that these are adequate. If the local police
or the embassy thinks further measure should be considered, then that will
surely be done, he said.
According to the latest investigations that were carried out after the
attack, the device could not have been as poweful as a grenade.
Erik Solheim, who was in New Delhi in India, said to TV2 that there are
forces in Sri Lanka who want to stop the peace process.
- We are for the moment very optimistic. If we didn't believe in a peaceful
solution, no norwegian political would have engaged in this, he said.
More...
Published: Wed May 24 17:00:28 EDT 2000
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US warns against a "humanitarian catastrophe in
war-torn Sri
Lanka
NEW DELHI, May 24 (AFP).
The United States on Wednesday called for a peaceful
solution to end the military crisis in Sri Lanka and
urged all
parties to avert a "humanitarian catastrophe" in the
war-torn island.
More..
Published: Wed May 24 17:09:53 EDT 2000
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Sri Lanka sets up crisis centre amid Jaffna battles
COLOMBO, May 24 (AFP).
Sri Lanka announced a crisis management centre for
government soldiers as they traded artillery and
mortar bomb
attacks with Tamil Tiger guerrillas in the northern
peninsula of Jaffna.
More..
Published: Wed May 24 17:09:53 EDT 2000
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Sri Lanka stung by Indian withdrawal offer
COLOMBO, May 24 (AFP) .
Sri Lanka was mulling Wednesday how to react to a
surprise offer by India to help evacuate thousands of
troops
defending the northern peninsula of Jaffna against a
Tamil rebel offensive.
More..
Published: Wed May 24 17:09:54 EDT 2000
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Sri Lanka shelling amid diplomatic peace moves
COLOMBO, May 24 (AFP).
Government forces and Tamil Tiger rebels exchanged
artillery fire and mortar bomb attacks in the northern
peninsula of Jaffna amid diplomatic moves to bring
about peace talks, officials said Wednesday.
More..
Published: Wed May 24 17:09:54 EDT 2000
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Grenade thrown at Norwegian embassy in Colombo
NEW DELHI, May 24 (AFP).
The Norwegian embassy in the Sri Lankan capital
Colombo came under a grenade attack Wednesday,
diplomatic
sources here said, adding that there were no
casualties.
More..
Published: Wed May 24 17:09:54 EDT 2000
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|
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Bomb blast at Norwegian embassy amid Sri Lanka peace
moves
Yahoo!-Asia, COLOMBO, May 24 (AFP).
A bomb exploded outside the Norwegian embassy here
Wednesday hours after Norway's Deputy Foreign
Minister Raymond Johansen left Sri Lanka amid
diplomatic moves to end the island's separatist
bloodshed.
More..
Published: Wed May 24 16:56:39 EDT 2000
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India, U.S. rule out support to Eelam
Hindu, May25.
India today said
that it was withholding any fresh initiative
for ending the strife in Sri Lanka even as
New Delhi and Washington reiterated
their rejection for an independent Tamil
State. While endorsing
this view, Mr. Pickering made four additional points while indicating
the U.S.
approach to the crisis.
More..
Published: Wed May 24 16:45:23 EDT 2000
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Fighting spreads to Sri Lanka's east
CNN, May 24, 2000.
Sri Lanka's civil war spread east
Wednesday as the nation's air force attacked rebel
positions
following shelling at a government army camp and air
base.
There was no report of damage. Meanwhile, Sri Lankan
President Chandrika Kumaratunga said the government was
considering creating a third-party group of nations to
help
resolve the conflict.
More..
Published: Wed May 24 16:42:02 EDT 2000
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Sri Lanka political talks postponed; president ill
Orientation, COLOMBO, May 24.
Talks between Sri Lanka's main opposition and the government were
put off Wednesday as President
Chandrika Kumaratunga was ill, the opposition said. The main
opposition United National Party (UNP) said they were at Kumaratunga's
tightly-guarded Temple
Trees residence for 45 minutes Wednesday before they were told that
she was unable to attend a
scheduled meeting.
More..
Published: Wed May 24 16:37:53 EDT 2000
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Why India cannot be indifferent to the Lanka
crisis - A Commentry
Rediff, May24.
I must have been rather balanced in my column on
Jaffna, 'Damned if we do, damned if we don't' about
India's impossible dilemma in the current crisis. I
received peeved
mail from all parties to the conflict -- Tamil Sri
Lankans accused
me of ignoring human rights violations; Sinhalese Sri
Lankans
accused me of not supporting their nation's territorial
integrity;
and Tamil Indians accused me of not sympathising with
their
island cousins or even impugning their patriotism.
More..
Published: Wed May 24 16:34:31 EDT 2000
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Tigers tell Sri Lankan
army to surrender by Friday
MSNBC, LONDON, May 24.
Tamil Tiger rebels
gave Sri Lankan government troops
bottled up in the northern Jaffna peninsula
until Friday to surrender and said they had
launched a thrust on a highway linking
two key towns. The clandestine Voice of the Tigers radio
(VOT) advised
government troops to raise white flags to signify their
surrender and added that they would be treated in
accordance
with international humanitarian law.
More..
Published: Wed May 24 16:32:32 EDT 2000
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India, US not to support 'Tamil State' in Lanka
Hindu, May 24..
India and the United States today
ruled out support to any independent Tamil State carved out of
Sri Lanka and said there was no military solution possible to
the
ethnic strife on the island nation. "The US does not support any
kind of independent State in Sri
Lanka," US Under-Secretary of State for Political Affairs
Thomas Pickering asserted and was joined by Foreign Secretary
Lalit Mansingh who said "that remains our position too."
More..
Published: Wed May 24 14:02:37 EDT 2000
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Lanka: Self immolation bid foiled
ChennaiOnline, May 24:.
Two youth today attempted to set themselves ablaze to urge the Centre
not to send the Indian
Army to assist the Sri Lankan troops.
More..
Published: Wed May 24 13:53:04 EDT 2000
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U.S. backs Norway, India in S.Lanka
peace role
MSNBC, May24.
U.S. Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs Thomas
Pickering, reiterated Washington's opposition to Tamil
separatism and said a military solution was not feasible.
''We remain and believe that a military solution to
Sri
Lanka is not possible,'' he said. ''We are supportive of
the
Norwegian initiative.
More..
Published: Wed May 24 13:29:26 EDT 2000
|
|
Daily Press Briefing,
US State Department, Tuesday, May 23, 2000.
QUESTION: You don't have any announcements about travel by
Pickering?
MR. REEKER: I don't have an announcement about travel by
Pickering. I will try to get more details. But I do
understand that Pickering is in the South Asia area -
More...
Published: Wed May 24 13:19:17 EDT 2000
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Bomb rips through Norwegian embassy in Sri Lanka
COLOMBO, May 24.
A blast ripped through the Norwegian embassy here Wednesday hours after
Norway's deputy foreign minister
Raymond Johansen left the island after a peace mission, officials
said.The explosion was heard within several blocks of the fashionable
Cinnamon Gardens diplomatic quarter of the capital Colombo and shattered
windows at the chancery but there were no casualties, officials said.
More..
Published: Wed May 24 12:56:18 EDT 2000
|
|
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Helicopter gun ships crashes in Sri Lanka
COLOMBO, May 24.
A helicopter gun ship crashed in northern Sri Lanka Wednesday during an
anti-guerrilla operation, killing two gunners, but two pilots were
rescued, the government said. The Mi-24 gun ship went down while
providing cover to ground troops in the Thenmarachchi sector of the
Jaffna peninsula, the government said in a statement.
More..
Published: Wed May 24 12:52:45 EDT 2000
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|
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Sri Lankan rebels take
war to east - Helicopter shot down.
MSNBC.
Sri Lanka's Tamil Tiger
rebels diverted attention from the main
theatre of war in the northern Jaffna
peninsula, shelling an army camp and air
base in the east, military officials said on
Wednesday. The guerrillas shot down an airforce Mi24
gunship killing two crew on the peninsula, military
officials
said.
More..
Published: Wed May 24 11:30:00 EDT 2000
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|
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385 Lankan jail birds abroad
Frederica Jansz in Colombo, 9.10 p.m. SLT Wednesday May 24.
A survey conducted by six foreign missions has found that some 385 Sri
Lankans are serving jail terms in foreign nations, namely Singapore and the
Middle East. The Lankans, being held by foreign governments, have been
apprehended for robberies, drug abuse, forged travel documents and
violation of road rules.
Published: Wed May 24 11:16:04 EDT 2000
|
|
US Under Secretary of State holds talks with Lalit Mansingh
NDTV, May24.
Prominent among them is the initiation of the Asian Security
dialogue in which Sri Lanka is
reported to have figured. The US
apparently wants India to play a constructive role in
resolving the conflict in its neighbouring
country.
More..
Published: Wed May 24 10:57:58 EDT 2000
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|
I don't see why Jaffna should fall at all
May24.
It will be a long drawn out fight unless Sri
Lankan forces give way for one reason or another.
And whether there will be a
ceasefire or not is a question that also depends on the
make-up of Prabhakaran's mind. Prabhakaran has
promised he will take Jaffna. Given the kind of person he
is, I don't think he'll have a ceasefire before he takes
Jaffna=97or not, one way or the other.
He is saying all sorts of things, that you (Sri Lankan
forces) leave Jaffna, we will give you safe passage. This
is all towards that psychological warfare of not having to
fight for Jaffna, or further reduce moral and fighting spirit of
Sri Lankan forces.
More..
Published: Wed May 24 10:12:37 EDT 2000
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|
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Many Sri Lankans fear rebel takeover
CBS, May24.
Residents of Sri Lanka's
northern Jaffna peninsula hoping that the international community,
especially India, would come to bail them out as they do not want to
live
under the control of the separatist Tamil Tiger guerrillas. "People in
Jaffna are wary of Tigers because of their experience with
the merciless militants. They certainly don't want the Tigers to
capture
the peninsula as it would mean a spate of lamp-post killings. Many
will
be thrown into the torture chambers," Suresh Premachandran, secretary
general of the Eelam People's Liberation Front, told the United Press
International.
More..
Published: Wed May 24 10:01:01 EDT 2000
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|
|
'The LTTE has killed more Tamils than the
Lankan army'
Rediff, May24.
As the battle for Jaffna intensifies, Sri
Lankan President Chandrika Kumaratunga
told Aaj Tak that though she understood India's problem
in providing military support to her country, the people
expected a lot of support from India.I know of no other
armed force which has have killed so many of its own
people -- who they say they are fighting to liberate.
There are more Tamil civilians killed by the LTTE than
by Sri Lankan governments."
More..
Published: Wed May 24 09:55:51 EDT 2000
|
|
|
Is Sri Lanka displeased with Indian offer?
Pioneer, May24.
In an apparent expression of displeasure over India's offer to evacuate
trapped troops from Jaffna peninsula, Sri Lanka today said the
announcement could affect the morale of its soldiers
fighting Tamil rebels.
"We have asked for help, but not to withdraw from
Jaffna," a senior
government official, who preferred to remain anonymous, said
reacting to
New Delhi's decision that it was prepared to evacuate the
troops provided
Sri Lanka formally asked for it and proper conditions existed.
More..
Published: Wed May 24 09:52:02 EDT 2000
|
|
|
Literary & books: For writers seeking a peaceful retreat
Yahoo, May24.
IN a world where everyone wants a piece of him, finding a place to work
is no longer the least of the
writer's problems. Bearing in mind the need for peace and tranquillity
to ease the creative process, Dr Brendon Gooneratne has set up Pemberley
House, an international study centre which offers residential
and research facilities for local and international scholars.
Pemberley House, situated in Haputale, Sri Lanka, blends function with
beauty. Nestled in 4.8 hectares of landscaped gardens 1,300 metres above
sea level, this colonial bungalow underwent four years of
renovation to equip it for modern living. (Please read the full
article for application details -Editor TLA)
More..
Published: Wed May 24 09:17:24 EDT 2000
|
|
|
Tigers open new front in
Batticaloa
Times of India, May24.
LONDON: Sri Lanka's Tamil Tiger rebels
diverted attention from the main theatre of
war in the northern Jaffna peninsula by
shelling an army camp near Batticaloa in the
east, military officials said on Wednesday.
Only sporadic fighting was reported in
Jaffna, the former rebel stronghold where
30,000 government troops are under attack
from the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam.
More..
Published: Wed May 24 09:07:28 EDT 2000
|
|
|
Lanka welcomes India's
offer to evacuate troops
Times of India, May24.
"If the situation arises and India can help, we
will welcome it, but I don't know if the
ground situation is such that we need to
evacuate the troops immediately," Sri Lankan
Deputy Foreign Minister Lakshman Kiriella
told reporters on Wednesday morning, a day
after India made the offer.
More..
Published: Wed May 24 09:07:28 EDT 2000
|
|
|
Vaiko fears Lanka sanctions
on Tamils
Times of India, May24.
Marumalarchi DMK (MDMK)
General Secretary Vaiko, a staunch supporter
of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam
(LTTE), on Wendesday said he feared the Sri
Lankan government would impose economic
blockades to subjugate the Tamils in Jaffna
once the troops trapped there were
evacuated.
More..
Published: Wed May 24 09:07:28 EDT 2000
|
|
|
India, US discuss Lanka
Times of India, May24.
India and the U S on
Wednesday held talks on Asian security,
including the evolving situation in Sri
Lanka's Jaffna peninsula.He would fly to Pakistan tomorrow
evening
and then travel to Colombo for talks with the
Sri Lanka authorities.
More..
Published: Wed May 24 09:07:28 EDT 2000
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Southern Air Command on
alert
Times of India, May24.
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Southern
Air Command is on full alert and
preparedness to meet any eventuality arising
out of the Sri Lankan crisis, Air Force
sources said on Wednesday. They said here that preparations
were in full swing as Sri Lanka was barely 30 minutes by
air from Thiruvananthapuram.
More..
Published: Wed May 24 09:07:28 EDT 2000
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Sri Lanka Sees Room for India in Talks to End War
yahoo, May24.
Sri Lanka is considering the establishment of a third-party group of
mediating countries -- which could include India -- to end the ethnic
war on the island, its president said
in an interview published on Wednesday. Chandrika Kumaratunga told The
Hindu newspaper the arrival of new weapons had aided the Sri
Lankan military to gain the upper hand in recent fighting with the
rebels of the Liberation Tigers of
Tamil Eelam (LTTE) on the northern Jaffna peninsula.
More..
Published: Wed May 24 08:57:50 EDT 2000
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Psychological support unit for Lankan soldiers
Frederica Jansz in Colombo, 5.15 p.m. SLT Wednesday May 24.
A new facility for crisis intervention has been established by President
Chandrika Kumaratunge with effect from today. A press release from the
Special Media Information Centre states that the facility will provide
psychological support to service personnel for copying with disability and
dysfunction. It will also provide emotional assistance to dependents
during times of grief as well as lend assistance to dependents in helping
trace soldiers injured, missing and killed in action.
Meanwhile a special committee of parliamentarians the government says, is
working at the level of each electorate and attending to the problems
related to service personnel. This committee is operating from the
Presidential Secretariat.
Published: Wed May 24 07:51:14 EDT 2000
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Week long call for Army deserters to return expires
Frederica Jansz in Colombo, 5.20 p.m. SLT Wednesday May 24.
A week long call for army deserters to return to the force expired today.
Military sources however have been unable to confirm how many ex soldiers
came back. The call was made in view of Sri Lanka's escalating war in the
country's North. It was promised that deserters would not be punished in
the event they returned to take up their tour of duty.
Published: Wed May 24 07:51:14 EDT 2000
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Lankan President disappointed at India's refusal to lend military assistance
Frederica Jansz in Colombo, 5.25 p.m. SLT Wednesday May 24.
President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunge in an interview with the
Indian Hindu newspaper has voiced disappointment that India is reticent
about providing Sri Lanka with military assistance in her hour of crisis.
The President says that while she can understand India's hesitancy in
responding postively to providing armed strength to help Lanka's war
stricken soldiers, India, however, she says, does hold the responsibility
to help Sri Lanka solve her bloody war.
Published: Wed May 24 07:51:14 EDT 2000
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Selfish interests colour
Sri Lanka's ethnic war
The Straits Times, May 24, 2000.
By Nirmal Ghosh,
India correspondent, New Delhi.
Politicians are using the conflict to further their
own aims, and with elections in August, the
outcome of the war will be felt in the results.
Honesty, good faith in short supply in Sri Lanka's
ethnic politics.
There is support on the ground for a negotiated
political solution. But there is also cynicism because
most Sri Lankans believe the conflict is used by
politicians to further their own short-term agendas. In
this context, a general election to Parliament is
scheduled for August; the outcome of the war and of
any negotiation will definitely colour the results.
More...
Published: Wed May 24 02:46:00 EDT 2000
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Norwegian peace-broker to brief India on Sri Lankan conflict
Yahoo-AFP, Tuesday, May 23 11:47 PM SGT.
NEW DELHI, May 23 (AFP) -
Norway's special peace envoy to Sri Lanka, Erik Solheim, will arrive here from Colombo on
Wednesday to brief the government on the
conflict in Sri Lanka, India's National Security Advisory Brajesh Mishra said Tuesday.
"There has been talks yesterday and today in Colombo between Sri Lanka and Norway and
Solheim will come to New Delhi tomorrow
to brief us of the talks," Mishra told reporters after a special meeting of Prime Minister
Atal Behari's cabinet on the Sri Lankan crisis.
The Norwegian initiative is believed to be backed by the United States, diplomats say.
More...
Published: Wed May 24 02:19:32 EDT 2000
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Leftist political party to stage a massive demonstration in Colombo.
Roy Denish in Colombo, SLT, 11.35 am Wednesday..
Leftist political party Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) will stage a
massive demonstration in Colombo tomorrow to protest the closure of the
pro-opposition English weekly newspaper, The Sunday Leader.
The newspaper's printing press located just out of Colombo was sealed by
the government on Monday after it published a story titled "war in fantasy
land-Palaly not under attack".
A spokesman for the party said that demonstration would be held at Lipton
circus to protest government's decision to close the newspaper by the
elected government. But a spokesman for police headquarters said that the
party had not asked for permission to hold the demonstration.
Under the new Public Security Act, which came into effect on May 3, holding
demonstrations is banned, the spokesman added. With news trickling that JVP
will hold the demonstrations as planned, police headquarters planned to
throw a tight security at the venue, the spokesman added.
Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna's presidential candidate secured three per cent
of votes at the last year's presidential election in which president
Chandrika Kumaratunge was re-elected for second term in office.
Meanwhile, The Sunday Leader newspaper editor Lasantha Wickrmatunge said
that his company lawyers would file legal action against the government for
sealing the printing press.
Director of information Ariya Rubasinghe in a letter to Wickrmatunge said
that the news item "war in fantasy land-Palaly not under attack" was
prejudicial to the interest of national security and the preservation of
public order.
Published: Wed May 24 02:16:17 EDT 2000
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Fighting erupts in Sri Lanka's East
Frederica Jansz in Colombo, 11.20 a.m. SLT Wednesday May 24.
Heavy fighting is reported to have erupted in Batticaloa situated in
Eastern Sri Lanka. Tiger rebels are reported to have shelled the Sri Lanka
Army camp situated four kilometers out of Batticaloa town.
Tamil news services said last evening that the town is tense following the
bombarding and counter shelling. The Tigers fired mortars on the SLAF base,
the Vavunathivu camp and the 23-3 brigade headquarters in Batticaloa town
last night. Mi -24 helicopters of the Sri Lanka Airforce are reported to
have bombed Tiger positions situated across the lagoon at Batticaloa.
Published: Wed May 24 01:23:11 EDT 2000
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Indian Navy on Alert as India considers more dominant role in ending Sri
Lanka's conflict
Frederica Jansz in Colombo, 10.35 a.m. SLT Wednesday May 24.
India yesterday discussed the crisis in Sri Lanka as its Navy stood on
alert in case thousands of Lankan troops in the Island's northern peninsula
need to be evacuated as the war with Tamil Tiger rebels esclates. India
however has reiterated that there has been no official request yet from the
Sri Lankan government for its Navy to help evacuate Lankan troops from the
country's embattled north.
Earlier this week the LTTE offered to stop their fire if Lankan soldiers
would surrender in order "to avoid a bloodbath" the Tigers said as they
geared to take Jaffna. The rebel offer stated that all soldiers would be
handed over to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) within
24 hours of their laying down of arms.
The military however have ruled out all possibility of a surrender.
Brigadier Palitha Fernando speaking to Lacnet this week asserted firmly "
We will not surrender. We will fight to hold Jaffna."
Meanwhile Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee, at a cabinet meeting
in New Delhi last evening, discussed Sri Lanka's crisis situation while a
Norwegian delegation took wing for India to hold talks on brokering a
possible peace initiative between the Sri Lankan government and the LTTE.
The Norwegians just completed a two day stay in the Island after meeting
with the Lankan President, Foreign Minister, Opposition Leader and other
local officials with a view to ending Sri Lanka's bloody ethnic war.
The Indian press today reported that India will not agree to a secessionist
movement devide Sri Lanka. However, India's Home Minister L. K. Advani has
been quoted as saying India, would like to see that all Sri Lankan Tamils
share the right to self determination and equal governance.
Published: Wed May 24 01:14:56 EDT 2000
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President calls for unity as the country faces its most decisive moment in
history
Frederica Jansz in Colombo, 10.55 a.m. SLT Tuesday May 24.
President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunge in a message to the nation
yesterday called for austerity and public donations to the national defence
fund to ensure a military battle.
Saying the nation is facing its most decisive moment in history she said,
" The whole nation is facing a grave crisis as regards national security.
We have to face the battle of protecting the sovereignty, territorial
integrity and unity of the country and safeguarding the people."
"Our heroic brothers in the security forces are leading the forefront of
this battle with the blessings of all the people. Our heroic soldiers are
engaging in battle in a fearless and courageous manner to prevent a
division of our country. They have a deep resolve to achieve victory."
The President reiterated that it is morally wrong for people on other areas
to conduct various celebrations and rejoince while soldiers are sacrificing
their lives on the battlefield. She requested the nation to make
sacrifices and join hands with the war heroes to share their happiness and
grief.
Published: Wed May 24 01:14:56 EDT 2000
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UNICEF concerned over Lankan children forced to feel the heat of battle
Frederica Jansz in Colombo, 11.05 a.m. SLT Wednesday May 24.
Carol Bellamy, Executive Director for UNICEF has expressed concern that Sri
Lankan children "are being forced to feel the heat of battle" where
fighting for the town of Jaffna has been putting children and women at
enormous risk.
Bellamy has appealed to leaders on all sides of the conflict to view
children as "zones of peace" and take precautionary measures to protect
them from the effects of war.
Bellamy reiterated that despite commitments by the LTTE not to recruit
child soldiers "the practice appeared to be continuing. It's a shame that
we see these violations continuing just when the world is pushing the end
the practice of using children to fight wars."
Published: Wed May 24 01:14:56 EDT 2000
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Row over Sri Lanka arms
deal
BBC, Tuesday, 23 May, 2000, 14:22 GMT 15:22 UK.
A British armaments company has confirmed
that it is taking legal action against the Sri
Lankan Government for what it says is a
breach of contract over the supply of
bullet-proof vests.The statement also accuses an unnamed
agent in Sri Lanka of demanding over $100
commission on each vest to meet what it
describes as hidden costs. In an interview with the BBC on
Sunday, the
Sri Lankan Defence Secretary, Chandananda
Silva, said that he could not comment on the
details of the case because of the impending
legal action. However, he maintained that the vests were
not being used because they were not up to
standard.
More..
Published: Tue May 23 23:17:24 EDT 2000
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Sri Lanka in grave security crisis, India offers help
Orientation, COLOMBO, May 23 (AFP).
Sri Lanka Tuesday said it faced a grave security
crisis and India offered to rescue troops trapped in
the island's embattled Jaffna peninsula
amid diplomatic moves to bring about a truce.
More..
Published: Tue May 23 21:41:59 EDT 2000
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Delhi discusses Sri Lankan crisis
BBC, May 23.
A Norwegian special envoy is to brief India on the
crisis in Sri Lanka
amid mounting speculation about Delhi's
role.
Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari
Vajpayee cancelled his
engagements to hold urgent talks with
senior colleagues on the
situation.
More..
[Listen]
Published: Tue May 23 21:25:48 EDT 2000
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India sends letter rogatory to 21 countries on Rajiv murder conspiracy
JAL News, May23.
The Multi-Department Monitoring Agency (MDMA) inquiring into the Rajiv
Gandhi assassination
conspiracy is sending letters of rogatory to 21 countries, seeking all
possible information about monetary or logical support
that may have been provided to bump off the former prime minister.
The letters of rogatory were obtained from a CBI court in Delhi on
Monday and they were now being despatched to the
Indian embassies and missions in the respective countries for delivery
to the governments there, the CBI sources said. The MDMA would wait for
three months for response to the letters of rogatory and then a team of
senior officers may visit
six or seven countries where some kind of information may be available
about help obtained by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) to
conspire and kill the former Prime Minister.
More..
Published: Tue May 23 21:23:14 EDT 2000
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Embittered Kumaratunga refuses to give in to LTTE
India-Today, May23.
Kumarantunga added that she would like foreign governments and
their peoples to recognise terror when they see it. ''They don't like it
when it happens in their countries. But by their silence, by their
tolerance of the most terrifying terrorist group in the world, they
are
encouraging them to practice all their terror.''
More..
Published: Tue May 23 21:09:25 EDT 2000
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Sri Lanka Resumes Air Raids
Yahoo!, May 23.
NEW DELHI, India (AP) - Sri Lankan warplanes bombed
rebel positions Tuesday, part
of a battle the president said was so important that
people should cancel ``unnecessary
celebrations'' and donate part of their salaries to
the war effort instead.
More..
Published: Tue May 23 21:09:03 EDT 2000
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Tamil Nadu parties are softening their stand towards
LTTE
Daily Pioneer, May23.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which leads the National Democratic
Alliance
(NDA) that has several Tamil groups among its members,
finds itself in an unenviable
position. Neither it can be seen to be sympathetic to
the Liberation Tigers of Tamil
Eelam (LTTE) -- whose activists killed former Indian
Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi --
nor can it ruffle the feathers of its Tamil Nadu allies
who have openly backed the
Tamil cause in Sri Lanka.
More..
Published: Tue May 23 20:56:37 EDT 2000
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The lure of Lanka --An Essay
May23.
But what India needs to decide, once and for all, is the nature of its
involvement in the internal affairs of Sri Lanka.
Between Indira Gandhi's
premiership and her son's, New Delhi had swung from
one extreme to the
other: first arming and training the Liberation Tigers
to become death
machines, and later fighting them. As India wrestles
with the island-nation's problems, the question of
involvement can only be looked at through one prism:
is a united Sri Lanka
in India's strategic, geopolitical interests? Or
should India aid the break-up
of a sovereign nation citing ties of history, language
and culture?
More..
Published: Tue May 23 20:29:38 EDT 2000
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BARGAINING IN LANKA HOLDS INDIA
BACK
The Telegraph, May23.
India today held back its military power from stepping into the
Sri Lankan crisis after the LTTE and the
Colombo
administration failed to reach an
understanding over the Eelam
(motherland for Tamils) issue. There was
news that the Chandrika Kumaratunga
administration had
agreed to a ceasefire and it was time for
Indian naval
personnel to move in and escort the trapped
Sinhalese
soldiers in Jaffna and move them out to a
safer destination.The LTTE was making impossible demands.
They were not just demanding Eelam, they
were also harping
on their rights to weapons and ammunition
left by the fleeing
Sri Lankan forces.
More..
Published: Tue May 23 19:55:28 EDT 2000
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Global support for India likely
Daily Pioneer, May23.
Even if India were to proactively engage the LTTE in the event of the
latter
continuing its intransigence, it is unlikely that India
will invite overwhelmingly
negative reactions from major international powers.In
Sri Lanka's case, India has made it more than apparent that it has no
argument with
the Sri Lankan Government on the ethnic issue. In fact,
given India's categorical
support for Sri Lanka's territorial integrity, an
international consensus backing India's
efforts towards restoring normalcy would not be
difficult to seek.
More..
Published: Tue May 23 19:45:12 EDT 2000
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No operation from TN soil’
The Statesman, May 23..
Mr M Karunanidhi said a firm “no” today with regard to
providing any military assistance to the Sri
Lankan government using Tamil Nadu
soil to avoid any political backlash from the
pro-LTTE political outfits here.
The Chief Minister is said to have indicated his
stand to the Prime Minister who
is in constant touch with him considering that the
situation has a direct impact
on Tamil Nadu.
More..
Published: Tue May 23 19:37:51 EDT 2000
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Delhi waits for SOS from Lanka
The Statesman, May23.
India is prepared for an operation to evacuate the
beleaguered Sri Lankan troops from northern Jaffna
provided “proper conditions”
are obtained and a formal request is received from
Colombo, it was officially
stated here tonight.A key element to the equation
would be the result of the Norwegian peace
moves. Norwegian special envoy, Mr Eric Solheim,
reaches here tomorrow from
Colombo.The Sri Lankan Deputy-External Affairs
Minister, Mr L Kiriella, who
arrived in Chennai late last night, failed to get
an appointment with Mr M
Karunanidhi. Sources said the CM was reluctant to
meet without the Centre’s
clearance.
More..
Published: Tue May 23 19:37:51 EDT 2000
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`Jaffna's fate remains on how much Censored Censored
Censored...'
Indian Express, May 23:.
The reader gets a paper full of holes. Or with stories liberally
peppered with
the word ``Censored'' indicating places where
the Competent Authority has
wielded the black marker. He goes through the
old fill-in-the-blanks school
routine. But what sense can they make of The
Sunday Times defence
column which ends this way: ``The fate of
Jaffna now remains on how much
Censored Censored Censored Censored
Censored Censored Censored
how best troops will be able to counter their
advance.''
More..
Published: Tue May 23 19:21:02 EDT 2000
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Joint India-US-Norway peace efforts possible, says
Lanka
Hindustan Times, (Colombo, May 23).
The Sri Lankan Foreign Minister, Mr Lakshman Kadirga-mar,
said today that he
saw the possibility of a “joint effort” by Norway, India
and the US to bring the
government and the LTTE to the negotiating table to solve
the ethnic conflict in the
country. "At the moment, the only obstacle is fairly and
squarely the LTTE. They are being
utterly intransigent. They have not been bona fide at all
towards the negotiations.
The agenda of Prabhakaran has always been something else —
a separate state.
More..
Published: Tue May 23 19:16:41 EDT 2000
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Navy, Air Force on standby for
evacuation of troops
Times of India, May23.
A large naval and air force flotilla is on
standby under a contingency plan drawn up by India for
undertaking emergency evacuation of Sri Lankan troops in
Jaffna if the government takes such a decision at the
request
of Colombo, highly placed navy sources said on
Tuesday.sources said Norwegians mediators were in touch with
LTTE for a safe passage.
More..
Published: Tue May 23 19:09:22 EDT 2000
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India under pressure to act Jaffna
broker
Times of India, May23.
NEW DELHI: India appears to be under increasing US
pressure to step in and help end the Jaffna conflict.
US
under secretary of state Thomas Pickering's sudden arrival
on Tuesday has led to speculation that he is here for
urgent
consultations with Indian leaders on the deepening crisis
in
Sri Lanka.Speaking on condition of anonymity, Lankan
foreign
ministry officials said Pickering would take up the
task as
mediator in case India did not take a more proactive stand
within a week.
More..
Published: Tue May 23 19:02:35 EDT 2000
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Chandrika appeals to people
Hindu, MAY 23..
The President of Sri Lanka, Ms. Chandrika Kumaratunga,
went over national television this evening appealing to her people to
stand by the
country's soldiers as they fought the LTTE in the northern peninsula.
Pointing out that the soldiers were engaged in a battle to prevent a
``division'' of the
country, she asked the people to make ``some sacrifices'' that would
send out a
message to the troops that the country was behind them.
More..
Published: Tue May 23 18:54:38 EDT 2000
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'3 conditions for evacuation'
Hindu, MAY 23..
Highly-placed sources in the Government said that the evacuation option
can begin
only under three conditions. Jaffna has to fall, the Sri Lankans have
to make a
formal request for a pullout and the conditions of a ceasefire have to
be created on
the ground.
More..
Published: Tue May 23 18:51:23 EDT 2000
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We cannot let down the people of Jaffna: An interview with President
Kumaratunge
Hindu, MAY 23..
The following are excerpts from an interview that the
President of Sri Lanka, Ms. Chandrika Kumaratunga, gave to The Hindu.
I think India has, could have a lot of influence
over the LTTE, if they so wish... How one could persuade Prabhakaran I
don't
know, but I am an eternal optimist. I don't think history can be made
to move
according to the whims of one individual. There are so many other
related forces,
internal and external, that come in to change the course of history.
More..
Published: Tue May 23 18:45:25 EDT 2000
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'India can bring LTTE to the table'
Hindu, MAY 23..
The President of Sri Lanka,
Ms. Chandrika Kumaratunga, has expressed
disappointment at India's refusal to give her
Government military assistance in the war against the
Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and
concern at pro-Eelam statements made by political
leaders in Tamil Nadu. Ms. Kumaratunga said the ambitions of the LTTE
leader, Mr. Velupillai
Prabhakaran, did not end at Jaffna. ``He would like to be king of
Sri Lanka,'' she
said, adding that it would be worse than having ``Hitler and Idi Amin
put together''
More..
Published: Tue May 23 18:40:02 EDT 2000
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"No talks with Lankan general"
Chennai Online, May 23:.
The ministry of defence today denied that Sri Lankan chief of defence
staff General Rohan Daluvatte had preliminary discussions in connection
with India's intervention in the ongoing fighting between the Sri Lankan
army
and the LTTE in the Jaffna peninsula.
More..
Published: Tue May 23 16:15:43 EDT 2000
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LTTE ban correct, will stay: Thakre
Chennai Online, May 22:.
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Kushabhau Thakre today disgreed
with Shiv Sena's demand for lifting the ban on the Liberation Tigers of
Tamil Eelam (LTTE) which is engaged in a fierce battle with the Sri
Lankan
armed forces in Jaffna.Thakre, who arrived here this morning for an
interaction with the newly elected office bearers of the Tamil Nadu
unit, said “The ban is correct...it will continue.”
More..
Published: Tue May 23 16:13:20 EDT 2000
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Sri Lankan military says rebels repulsed near
Jaffna
CNN, May 23, 2000.
COLOMBO, Sri Lanka -- Government
troops said Tuesday they had repulsed
Tamil Tiger rebels from the
outskirts of Jaffna, as India prepared to help Sri
Lanka evacuate soldiers from the
peninsula.
More..
Sri Lankan President Chandrika Kumaranatunge spoke
with CNN about the war and her personal involvement in
the government (Note: Cleared by Sri Lankan censors)
[Watch]
India is Seeing an influx of refugees from the war
[Watch]
Published: Tue May 23 15:52:56 EDT 2000
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Centre will not take the IPKF route: Advani
Hindu, May 23..
Union Home Minister L K Advani
today asserted that the Government would not take the ``IPKF
route'' in dealing with the developments in Sri Lanka, but
would ensure that no other power inimical to India got a
foothold in the troubled island. Advani told reporters that
India wanted the integrity of Sri
Lanka to remain intact and the Tamils to be given respectable
position in governance.
More..
Published: Tue May 23 15:46:47 EDT 2000
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Senior US diplomat to arrive in India amid war in Sri
Lanka
Yahoo!, NEW DELHI, May 23 (AFP).
US Under Secretary of State Thomas Pickering will
arrive here Wednesday to discuss issues in the South
Asian
region, including the waris raging in Sri Lanka,
officials said Tuesday.
More..
Published: Tue May 23 15:30:24 EDT 2000
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India against intervention in Sri Lanka,
says Jaswant
Hindustan Times, May 23.
INDIA IS not going to enter into a "fire-fight" in Sri Lanka
while offering humanitarian assistance, External Affairs Minister
Jaswant Singh said here today. "India is not going to enter into a
fire-fight in Sri Lankan soil if and when it finally has to engage in
humanitarian assistance", Singh said when asked about reports that
the Indian Navy was on a 72-hour alert and ready to assist in
evacuating Sri Lankan troops trapped in Jaffna peninsula in case Colombo
called for such help.
More..
Published: Tue May 23 15:25:32 EDT 2000
|
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India wants truce before
evacuation
Times of India, may23.
India on Wednesday was
juggling with its options as the countdown for
the fall of Jaffna continued. Sources say India is trying to
open up
channels to the Tigers as well and bring to an
end the violence in Jaffna, which it feels
could affect India's security. This is a course
fraught with danger since LTTE is banned in
India and its leader, V Prabhakaran, is
wanted for his part in the conspiracy to kill
Rajiv Gandhi. LTTE would use any
opportunity to compel India to reverse this
decision and grant the organisation some kind
of recognition.
More..
Published: Tue May 23 14:15:10 EDT 2000
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Lankan refugees seek security
of Tamil Nadu
Asian Age, May22.
A pregnant woman Thavamani from Jaffna was
quoted saying that she was scared of losing her
baby because of the big noise caused by the
low-flying Lankan aircraft seeking militant targets
for bombing. The boom from the exploding shells
made her constantly sick and sleepless, she told
the officers at Mandapam.
More..
Published: Tue May 23 13:14:18 EDT 2000
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Sri Lanka leader calls for sacrifices
as war rages
MSNBC, May 23.
President Chandrika
Kumaratunga on Tuesday urged Sri
Lankans to donate money for the war
effort and told them to avoid frivolous
celebrations as government troops battled
Tamil Tiger rebels in the northern Jaffna
peninsula. ''The whole nation is facing a grave crisis as
regards
national security,'' Kumaratunga said after the government
reported only sporadic fighting in Jaffna on Tuesday.
Few ordinary Sri Lankans realise the severity of the situation due to
the draconian censorship laws invoked
earlier this month.
More..
Published: Tue May 23 13:05:27 EDT 2000
|
|
|
Police foil assassination attempt on
former Sri Lankan lawmaker
MSNBC.
May 23
Two suspected
Tamil Tiger rebels posing as job seekers
tried to assassinate a former Sri Lankan
lawmaker in his home today, but guards
gunned down one of them and the other
later killed himself by setting off a
grenade, police said.Police had said in an initial report
that the retired member of Parliament, M.K. Gunawardene, had been
killed by a female suicide bomber. There was no
explanation for the false report.
More...
Published: Tue May 23 12:59:47 EDT 2000
|
|
|
'The denial of the right to
information is equal to slavery' - An interview with Sri
Lankans
in Sri Lanka
WSWS, May23.
Those interviewed represent a wide cross-section of Sri
Lankan people from small shopkeepers and students to
plantation workers and filmmakers. All of them speak
eloquently and forcefully of their hostility to the
emergency powers that not only impose censorship but
outlaw all strikes and protests and allow the military
to
commandeer personnel and equipment for the war. They
also voice their desire for an end to the protracted war
against the separatist Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam
(LTTE), a distrust of the entire political establishment
and their belief that working people—both Tamil and
Sinhalese—share common class interests.
More..
Published: Tue May 23 12:31:34 EDT 2000
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Sri Lanka regime under fire for press take over
Orientation-AFP, COLOMBO, May 23 (AFP).
Sri Lanka's main opposition Tuesday lambasted
President Chandrika Kumaratunga for using tough
emergency laws to take over three newspapers.
More..
Published: Tue May 23 12:31:05 EDT 2000
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Sri Lanka's tea workers announce "prayer strike" for
wage increase
Orientation-AFP, COLOMBO, May 23 (AFP).
Sri Lanka's most influential trade union Tuesday said
tea plantation workers will spend much of their work
time offering lengthy prayers for a pay rise after
wage talks collapsed, effectively crippling the
mainstay of the economy.
More..
Published: Tue May 23 12:31:05 EDT 2000
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Indian cabinet meets as navy readies to evacuate
Lankan troops
Orientation-AFP, NEW DELHI, May 23 (AFP).
The Indian Navy is ready to evacuate thousands of Sri
Lankan soldiers trapped in the embattled north of the
country if ordered, a Defence Ministry spokesman said
here Tuesday.
The statemen came as the Indian cabinet went into an
emergency session on the crisis in its smaller
neighbour.
More..
Published: Tue May 23 12:31:05 EDT 2000
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Norwegian peace-broker to brief India on Sri Lankan
conflict
Yahoo! Asia-news, NEW DELHI, May 23 (AFP).
Norway's special peace envoy to Sri Lanka, Erik
Solheim, will arrive here from Colombo on Wednesday to
brief the government on the conflict in Sri Lanka,
India's National Security Advisory Brajesh Mishra said
Tuesday.
More..
Published: Tue May 23 12:13:59 EDT 2000
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Tigers stage another suicide bombing
Yahoo-afp, May 23.
Sri Lanka's Tamil Tiger guerrillas Tuesday staged a suicide bomb attack
against a regional politician who escaped with minor injuries, police
said.The bomber detonated explosives strapped to his body while visiting
ruling party politician, M. K. Gunawardena, at his home in the
north-eastern town of Kantalai, officials said.
More..
Published: Tue May 23 10:25:38 EDT 2000
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Eight LTTE rebels killed
Hindu, May 23.
Even as a Norwegian peace mission
was underway here, eight LTTE rebels were killed in heavy
fighting between Sri Lankan troops and the LTTE that has
spread to new areas in northern Jaffna peninsula. While heavy
fighting continued in Chavakachcheri and
Ariyalai sectors, clashes were reported from Chemmani,
south-east of Jaffna town, a Government press release said
today.
More..
Published: Tue May 23 10:18:09 EDT 2000
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Vaiko calls on PM, discusses Lankan situation
Hindu, May 23..
MDMK leader Vaiko today called
on Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee and discussed the Sri
Lankan situation. "After my discussions, I am thoroughly
satisfied with the meticulous and cautious approach of the Indian
Government towards the ethnic strife in Sri Lanka," Vaiko told PTI.
More..
Published: Tue May 23 10:11:34 EDT 2000
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Battle for Jaffna
continues
BBC, Tuesday, 23 May, 2000, 13:18 GMT 14:18 UK.
Government forces in northern Sri Lanka are
continuing their battle against Tamil Tiger
rebels for control of the Jaffna peninsula, a
day after saying they had repulsed two rebel
attacks. The Tigers say they
now control the town -
but defence officials
said intense fighting
was continuing and the
Tigers had suffered
heavy casualties.
More...
Published: Tue May 23 10:07:46 EDT 2000
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Norwegian Minister briefs Indian envoy in Sri
Lanka
Hindu, May 23. Norwegian Deputy Foreign Minister.
Raymond Johansen, trying to broker peace between the Sri
Lankan Government and the LTTE, met Indian High
Commissioner here last night after declaring that India has an
important role to play in bringing peace in the island nation.
More..
Published: Tue May 23 09:53:54 EDT 2000
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FMM Condemns closure of Newspapers
Frederica Jansz in Colombo, 7.15 p.m. SLT Tuesday May 23.
The Free Media Movement (FMM) today condemned the closure of two national
newspaper 'The Sunday Leader, its sisiter paper 'The Irida Peramuna' and
'The Uthayan' newspaper in Jaffna. The FMM has called upon both the
international community and all called upon all democratic forces, "here
and abroad, to exert maximum pressure upon the Sri Lankan government to
desist from using emergency regulations to restrict the freedom of
expression and other democratic rights in Sri Lanka."
Meanwhile 'Reporters Sans Frontiers' an international media organization,
also issued a statement today which protested against a Sri Lankan
Government decision yesterday to shut down the press of The Sunday Leader
and its sister paper.
A staff member of The Sunday Leader told Lacnet the news paper plans to
take legal action against the State decision to keep it closed for a period
of six months. Similar to 'The Uthayan' newspaper in Jaffna, 'The Sunday
Leader' too had about 100 employees on its staff.
Published: Tue May 23 09:52:58 EDT 2000
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VoT condemns international military assistance to Lanka's war
Frederica Jansz in Colombo, 7.20 p.m. SLT Tuesday May 23.
Tamil news services reported today that the Voice of Tigers in a radio
broadcast this morning had said at a meeting held at Mallavi that it
condemnd the government for preventing food and medicines from reaching
predominantly Tiger territory in the Vanni. The Tigers are also reported
to have protested against international military assistance to help Lankan
troops battle rebels in Sri Lanka's war stricken north. The rebels have
further called for the international community to recognise the call for
self determination of all Sri Lankan Tamils.
Published: Tue May 23 09:52:58 EDT 2000
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Ceylon Electricity Bd Considers Pwr Cuts If Rains Fail
Yahoo-DowJones, May23.
Sri Lanka's state-owned electricity monopoly said Tuesday it will be
forced
to resort to daily power cuts if seasonal monsoon rains fail, a senior
official said. D.G. Wijeratne, Ceylon Electricity Board's additional
general manager in charge of transmissions, told Dow Jones Newswires
that the board is reviewing the situation on a daily basis.
More..
Published: Tue May 23 09:16:21 EDT 2000
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Indian Navy ready to evacuate Sri Lankan troops if ordered: official
Yahoo-afp, May 23.
The Indian Navy is ready to bring out the thousands of Sri Lankan
soldiers trapped in the battlezone of Sri Lanka if ordered, a Defence
Ministry spokesman said here Tuesday."The navy is prepared but the
government will have to take a view (on any evacuation)," spokesman
Pramod Sharan Bhatnagar told AFP. "We will act only if there are no
hostilies. It will be only a rescue mission," Bhatnagar said.
More..
Published: Tue May 23 09:14:42 EDT 2000
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Tamil parties seek Sri Lanka ceasefire
COLOMBO, May 23.
Moderate Tamil political parties in Sri Lanka Tuesday called for a
ceasefire between warring Tamil Tiger guerrillas and government forces
in the northern peninsula of Jaffna.The 10 political parties said in a
joint statement that neighbouring India, as well as Norway which is
currently moving to bring Tamil Tigers and the Colombo government to the
negotiating table, must ensure a lasting political solution to the
island's ethnic bloodshed.
More..
Published: Tue May 23 09:11:34 EDT 2000
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Cabinet committee on security discusses Sri Lanka
May 23.
The cabinet committee on security met again this morning and
reviewed the Sri Lankan crisis. The National Security Adviser, Mr.
Brajesh Mishra said that the government had received no request
from Sri Lanka for evacuating troops from the Jaffna peninsula. The
military option has already been ruled out.
More..
Published: Tue May 23 09:05:10 EDT 2000
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India calls urgent cabinet meeting
on Sri Lanka
MSNBC, May23.
Indian Prime
Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee has
called a second cabinet meeting on
Tuesday to discuss the Sri Lankan
crisis, an aide to the leader said.The meeting comes amid
speculation in New Delhi that
Colombo's government may have sought help in its war
against Tamil rebels.
More..
Published: Tue May 23 08:52:13 EDT 2000
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Sporadic fighting reported in Sri
Lanka's Jaffna
MSNBC, May23.
Sporadic fighting was reported in Sri Lanka's bloody
northern battlefields on Tuesday, a day after the
government said it had successfully repulsed attacks by
Tamil Tiger rebels on the army's defences. India,
meanwhile, put its navy on alert in case Sri Lanka asked for help to
evacuate troops from the Jaffna peninsula.
More..
Published: Tue May 23 08:50:25 EDT 2000
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India to rescue Sri Lankans trapped by Tigers
May 23.
India was preparing a large-scale evacuation plan last
night to rescue thousands of civilians trapped in the
town of Jaffna, and the beleaguered Sri Lankan troops
in the town.
More..
Published: Tue May 23 03:06:58 EDT 2000
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Sri Lanka losing village women
The Straits Times, May 23.
Many Sri Lankan villages are losing their men and
women -- to the war-front and abroad. These villagers
leave to make a living, but the income is often
squandered and comes with a heavy price: neglected
children and broken families
More..
Published: Tue May 23 02:59:53 EDT 2000
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Indian troops 'set to move in'
The Straits Times, May 23.
London paper reports build-up in Kerala state
LONDON -- Against a backdrop of mounting speculation
that Indian forces would step in to resolve the crisis
in Sri Lanka, Norwegian peace brokers yesterday began
talks with leaders in Colombo.
The Daily Mirror newspaper reported that 15,000 Indian
troops had been moved to Trivandrum in the state of
Kerala.
More..
Published: Tue May 23 02:59:53 EDT 2000
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Service chiefs meet to review Lanka crisis
STATESMAN, May 22.
NEW DELHI, May 22. — The Cabinet Committee on Security
and the Chiefs of Staff reviewed the Sri Lanka
situation this morning. Later in the day, the Chiefs
examined various options should India decide to
intervene.
(The Lankan government today said it would explore
“diplomatic means” to invite India to join the
mediation process while the visiting Norwegian
delegation said India had played a very important role
and would continue to do so in reaching a solution.
After days of dithering, the Lankan foreign minister
today said his ministry was looking for avenues to
“approach” India’s offer to mediate, adds PTI from
Colombo.)
More..
Published: Tue May 23 02:44:48 EDT 2000
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President extends ban on public demo's
Frederica Jansz in Colombo, 9.20 a.m. SLT Tuesday May 23.
President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunge last evening extended the ban
on all public demonstrations and protest rallies to June 4, 2000. A press
release from the Competent Authority stated the President has instructed
the Inspector General of Police to strictly enforce the ban. The President
is using the powers empowered to her under the present Emergency
Regulations and stringent regulations under the Public Ordinance Act
promulgated by the President three weeks ago.
Published: Tue May 23 00:32:00 EDT 2000
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