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A Sad day for Humanity - An Editorial
The Lanka Academic,
March 2, 2001.
About 1600 years ago, a group of artists and sculptors endevoured
to create one of the world's tallest statues in a desolate area of the world. Today a group of
religious zealots began destroying these remarkable achievements of ancient Afghan engineering
and a culture rich of arts. These, immense statues similar to Egypt's Pyramids, are symbols of our
past, regardless of what faith we believe in. The Bamiyan statues are no longer objects of
religious veneration but are more or less objects of art belonging not only to the Afghan people
but the entire civilized world. What would have been the reaction of the international community if
religious zealots began destroying the Pyramids, the holy city in Mecca, the Taj Mahal, the
ancient Mayan ruins or the Stonehenge in the name of one religion or another.
Destroying these statues do not serve any purpose to anyone. This act by the religious fanatics of
the ruling Taliban is nothing but a reversion to medieval barbarism. The Lanka Academic urges
everyone to take a strong stand against this ruthless destruction. We urge the highest religious
authorities in the Islamic faith and other faiths to appeal to the Teleban leaders to spare these
relics of past human glory and achievement. We humbly request all Islamic countries to come
together to voice the world opinion to the Taleban leaders in their strongest terms. Many third
world nations stood by the Arab world and the Islamic world during various times of crisis
important to the Arab world. Now is the time to return the good will.
We urge Lanka Academic readers to write, call or email your political leaders in your
respective countries to urge them for immediate action. We specially urge our readers in the
Islamic world to prevail upon your local leaders to intervene NOW to stop this barbarism. The time
for action is now!!!
Published: Fri Mar 2 10:22:52 EST 2001
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ASK THE GOVERNOR!
Q&A WITH THE GOVENOR OF THE CENTRAL BANK OF SRI LANKA
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The Central Bank of Sri Lanka is a semi-autonomous body at the
apex of the financial sector in Sri Lanka today. The objectives of
the Central Bank include the stabilization of domestic monetary values
and the preservation of the external stability of the Sri Lankan
Rupee. It is the advisor to the Government of Sri Lanka on economic
affairs and it is responsible for the implementation of Exchange
Control Regulations. On January 23rd, 2001, the Central Bank
permitted flee float rates for the Sri Lanka Rupee, leading to a
massive 6.62% overnight depreciation of its value. The UNP is seeking
the mediation of the Court of Appeal to quash this controversial
decision. With this backdrop, we invited the Governor of the Central
Bank, Mr. A. S. Jayawardene to be the guest at our current Question
and Answer session.
Your questions to date are here.
We have closed this
session now and
have sent all the questions to the governor and awaiting his response.
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Taliban fire mortars at Afghan Buddha statues
Yahoo India,
March 2.
Afghanistan's ruling Taliban fired mortars and cannon at the
world-famous, rock-hewn Buddhas at Bamiyan on Friday in defiance of international
protests, sources said.A day after the radical Islamic movement announced it had begun destroying all statues in the 90 percent of
Afghanistan it controls, an Afghan news agency also said the Taliban were also assembling explosives to blow
up the two ancient monuments.They are using any weapon they have got at the Buddhas," said a Taliban official who asked not to be
identified.
More...
Published: Fri Mar 2 09:34:05 EST 2001
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Sri Lanka plays down Tigers ban
BBC South Asia,
Friday, 2 March, 2001, 14:38 GMT .
The Tamil Tigers are due to be banned in the UK under Britain's new anti-terrorism legislation. Mr Kadirgamar urged the Tigers, who are fighting for a separate Tamil state in the north and east of Sri Lanka, not to view the ban as an attempt to derail a Norwegian-brokered peace initiative.
More...
Published: Fri Mar 2 11:21:10 EST 2001
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India pushed British ban on LTTE
ExpressIndia.com,
Friday,March 2,2001.
COLOMBO: India lobbied Britain to ensure Sri Lanka's separatist Tamil Tiger rebels were banned as an international terrorist organisation, Sri Lanka's Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar said Friday. Sri Lanka had sought India's assistance to pressure London over the separatist Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), but New Delhi also took up the issue on its own, Kadirgamar said. "I took it up with India's External Affairs Minister Jaswant Singh and he told me they had already taken up the matter with Britain," Kadirgamar told reporters here. "That is a particularly friendly gesture by India." "We owe a deep debt of gratitude to India. Unsolicited by us, Jaswant Singh made representations to the British government for the banning of the LTTE." But he denied state media reports he was travelling to London at the weekend to thank London officials. "There is no truth in that and there is no question of one sovereign state thanking another sovereign," Kadirgamar said.
More...
Published: Fri Mar 2 11:22:16 EST 2001
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Sri Lanka airforce buys 50 planes in a year
123India.com,
Mar 02 2001 19:34 IST.
COLOMBO, March 2 (AFP) - Sri Lanka's airforce said Friday it had bought 50 aircraft over the past year, significantly boosting its fire power capabilities against the separatist Tamil Tiger guerrillas. Airforce chief Jayalath Weerakkody said in a statement that they had purchased Israeli-built Kfir jets, swing-wing MiG-27 ground attack aircraft, Bell 412 VIP transport helicopters and C-130 transport planes.
More...
Published: Fri Mar 2 10:05:19 EST 2001
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Sri Lanka hopes for regional summit this year
123India.com,
Mar 02 2001 19:48 IST.
COLOMBO, March 2 (AFP) - Sri Lanka Friday said it hoped it could hold a summit of the seven-nation South Asian group that is plagued by squabbling between two arch rival member state, India and Pakistan. Sri Lanka's Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar said he was hopeful that a summit could take place anytime before the end of this year as all member states had agreed to the first step of an official level meet.
More...
Published: Fri Mar 2 11:20:05 EST 2001
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Sri Lankan rebels free two civilians
MSNBC,
2 March.
Sri Lankan rebels free two civilians
COLOMBO, March 2 — Sri Lanka's Tamil Tiger rebels on Friday released two Sinhalese fisherman among about 20 captives after an appeal by a delegation of Buddhist monks.
More...
Published: Fri Mar 2 10:02:50 EST 2001
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British commentators annoy Lankan cricket coach
Times of India (Breaking News),
Friday .
2 March 2001
Sri Lanka's cricket coach, Dave
Whatmore, says he is annoyed with some
British cricket writers for their disparaging
comments about his side after it beat England
by an innings and 28 runs in the first cricket
test."There have been some unsatisfactory
comments made in the aftermath of Sri
Lanka's fantastic victory. Much of the
post-match analysis was biased and far too
one-sided," Australia-born Whatmore wrote
on the Crickinfo.com Web site on Friday.We were particularly annoyed, though, by
unfounded accusations," Whatmore said of
British media reports calling some of the Sri
Lankan players cheaters.
More...
Published: Fri Mar 2 09:15:59 EST 2001
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Cricket Board President to contest for another term
Waruna Karunatilake in Colombo,
1240 SLT 02.03.01.
Cricket Board President Thilanga Sumathipala is to contest for a third
term. The Executive Committee of the Cricket Board set March 31st as the
date for its AGM. The EXCO has passed an unanimous resolution requesting
Mr.Sumathipala to contest. The Decision comes amidst growing speculation
that Parliamentary speaker Anura Bandaranaike was interested in the post if
he is allowed to take it up uncontested.
Published: Fri Mar 2 01:52:04 EST 2001
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Sri Lankan Tamil donate USD 10,000 to Ranaviru fund
Bandula Jayasekara in Los Angeles,
LA Time 2.00 p.m. March 2.
A Sri Lankan diplomat in Los Angeles
told "The Lanka Academic" that a Sri Lankan Tamil living in Los Angeles
donated 10,000 USD to the Ranavirusvana authority recently. The official
refused to divulge the name of the person saying it was done to protect the
donor from the LTTE. He said many Tamils living in Los Angeles have donated
generously to the National Defense fund and all of them want to see a
peaceful Sri Lanka. The official added that Sinhalese, Tamils and Muslims
living in Los Angeles are living peacefully without any problems and the
spirit of unity was shown at the Independence Day celebrations in February.
Published: Fri Mar 2 17:10:09 EST 2001
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Government to acquire two bus repair facilities
Waruna Karunatilake in Colombo,
1231 SLT 02.03.01 .
The Government has decided to acquire two bus repair facilities privatised
7 years ago. The cabinet has approved a proposal by the Transport Minister
Dinesh Gunewardene to re acquire the facilities which are closed down at
the moment.
Published: Fri Mar 2 01:52:03 EST 2001
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Afghans smash ancient statues, defy world appeals
Yahoo India,
March 1.
The radical Taliban movement began smashing all statues from
Afghanistan's rich cultural past on Thursday, turning its back on urgent international
appeals to save the ancient artefacts. n Kabul, Mullah Qudratullah Jamal, the ruling Taliban's information and culture minister,
said centres where the campaign had been unleashed included Bamiyan Province - site of
two soaring statues of the Buddha hewn from a solid cliff that are the most famous relics of
Afghanistan's history. "All statues will be destroyed," he told reporters. "Whatever means of destruction are needed to demolish the
statues will be used.
More...
Published: Thu Mar 1 11:38:24 EST 2001
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Sinhala hardliners favour war
The Hindu (International),
Friday, March 02, 2001.
COLOMBO, MARCH. 1. Hardline Sinhala opinion today called on the Sri Lankan state to seize the opportunity provided by the British ban on the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, to break off the peace process, but moderates said the onus was now on the Government to demonstrate its seriousness in finding a political solution to the conflict. `
More...
Published: Thu Mar 1 21:04:30 EST 2001
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Bamian could have saved if we listed- World Heritage chief
Saroj Pathirana in London,
Thursday 01 March 1800 GMT.
Bamian Buddhist statues are not included in the UNESCO’s list of World
Heritage Monuments and Sites, chief of UN’s Natural Heritage Centre, Dr.
Natarajah Ishwaran said today. Talking with BBC’s Sandeshaya, Dr. Ishwaran
said that although former Afghanistan government accepted to inscribe
them in the World Heritage list in 1970’s, practical problems arose as there
has been a long running war.
According to UN convention Dr. Ishwaran said that it was the duty of
individual countries to name any site as a World Heritage site. He accepted
that relying on Nation States to nominate World Heritage is a matter which
is controversial.
He said, however, this sort of a problem did not arise in the past and the
UNESCO will have to look into the matter in the future.
Published: Thu Mar 1 12:54:19 EST 2001
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Rent-a-suicide-bomber threat triggered British ban on Tigers: minister
123India.com,
Mar 01 2001 12:36 IST.
COLOMBO, March 1 (AFP) - Britain banned Sri Lanka's Tamil Tigers because of a possible rent-a-suicide-bomber threat against world leaders, Media Minister Anura Priyadharshana Yapa said here Thursday. Sri Lanka's separatist Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) could have offered the services of their elite band of suicide bombers for other terrorist organisations to carry out attacks, Yapa said.
More...
Published: Thu Mar 1 03:58:01 EST 2001
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Lanka hails banning of LTTE, Kadirgamar to visit London
Yahoo India,
March 1.
In a euphoric response to the proscription of the LTTE in Britain, Sri Lanka Thursday
said its Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar would travel to London this weekend to personally thank the
British government, while the main opposition party asked the government to redouble its peace efforts in
aftermath of the ban. It is no surprise to us. We always knew they will ban the LTTE," a government spokesman said, even as the
Sri Lankan air force sent its Israeli jets to pound an LTTE base at Iyakachchi, close to Elephant Pass in the
northern Jaffna peninsula.
More...
Published: Thu Mar 1 14:38:25 EST 2001
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Cricket: England Should Stop Mourning and Play Good Cricket- Graham Thorpe
Saroj Pathirana in London,
Thursday 01 March 1800 GMT.
Veteran English batsman Graham Thorpe urged his team to concentrate on the
next test in Kandy and stop whingeing over umpiring of the first test in
Galle. "The umpiring was not the reason we lost the last test. The reason
we lost in Galle was because, apart from two batsmen, we simply did not play
to the standard required" Thorpe was quoted in London’s freely distributed
Metro.
England lost the opening test in Galle by an innings and 28 runs. London’s
papers were full of criticism over poor umpiring as well as over-zealous
appealing and running over the wicket by the Sri Lankan cricketers. ICC
match referee decided to fine four SL cricketers.
Commentators in Colombo believe that those happened are human errors and
some decisions went against Sri Lanka, too.
Published: Thu Mar 1 12:54:18 EST 2001
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ATD keeping close watch on LTTE activities in Los Angeles
Bandula Jayasekara in Los Angeles,
LA Time 8.25 p.m. Thursday 1 March.
By Bandula Jayasekara in Los Angeles: Anti Terrorism Division (ATD) and the
Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) is keeping a close watch on the LTTE
and other terrorist organizations in the area, a senior official told the
Lanka Academic yesterday. The official said that The Anti Terrorism Division
is responsible for intelligence gathering functions related to terrorism in
the United States. The division also investigates individuals and
organizations that posses the potentials to commit terrorist acts or cause a
significant disruption of the public order.
The official said , that that the officials of the unit had been present at
the Monrovia high school in Los Angeles last year, when the LTTE screened
one of their movies. The sources also revealed that Liberation Tigers of
Tamil Eelam is more active in the Lancaster where few of their members
have made attempts to establish close contacts with the politicians in the
area.
Published: Thu Mar 1 11:26:57 EST 2001
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TULF deplores ban on Tigers, hardline Sinhalese rejoice
India Abroad,
march 1.
SRI LANKA'S moderate Tamil party Wednesday deplored the British ban on the
separatist Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) while a hardline nationalist
Sinhalese party said it was "thrilled to bits" by London's action.
"It is very unfortunate that this law has become
applicable when the prospect of a serious peace
process is commencing," said R. Sampanthan,
general secretary of the Tamil United Liberation
Front (TULF).
More...
Published: Thu Mar 1 09:05:31 EST 2001
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Sri Lanka Bombs Tamil Tigers; Foreign Min To Visit UK
Yahoo India,
march 1.
The Sri Lankan air force claimed a victory after bombing Tamil rebel bases near a
strategic causeway Thursday, hours after Britain classified the separatist group fighting for a Tamil homeland
as terrorists."Pilots have confirmed destruction of all buildings. It is believed that the terrorists have suffered heavy losses
in terms of manpower and equipment in this raid," a defense ministry statement said. The base was a key rebel
supply point.State-run radio said Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar would visit Britain over the weekend to follow
up the British decision. The ban still requires Parliament's approval.
More...
Published: Thu Mar 1 09:09:32 EST 2001
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Singapore-born Indians make vegetarian fare trendy in Lanka
India Abroad,
March 01, 2001 18:30 Hrs (IST) .
A SRI Lankan with a craving in his stomach
but a hole in his purse usually heads for the
nearest "thosai kaday," eateries dishing out
low-priced traditional Indian food like
"dosa," "idli" and "paratha." But vegetarian fare just moved up a notch among
non-vegetarian loving Sri Lankans with Komalas, a
Singapore-based fast food chain, opening a
restaurant here. The bright lights, air-conditioning
and McDonald's-style of service might pad up the
bill a tad, but the Singapore-born Indian owners, R.T. Sekar and R.C. Sekar, are
counting on ambience to bring the crowds in.
More...
Published: Thu Mar 1 13:58:18 EST 2001
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Only 10,000 Americans visited Lanka in 1999
Bandula Jayasekara in Los Angeles,
LA Time 8.00 a.m. March 1.
Tissa Wijeratne, Consul General for
Sri Lanka in Los Angeles told ?The Lanka Academic? today that he requested
the tourism authorities in Sri Lanka to begin a campaign to create a greater
awareness among American nationals and encourage more Americans to visit
Sri Lanka in the future. The Consul General said that in 1999 only 10,000
Americans visited Sri Lanka when compared to 400,000 to Thailand, 280,000 to
India, 300,000 to Singapore, 40,000 to Maldives and 30,000 to Nepal.
Wijeratne said ? Most Americans don?t know where Sri Lanka is located and we
have to tell them that there is a country by the name of Sri Lanka?
The new Consul General office, which opened in Los Angeles one and a half
years ago, was established primarily to promote trade and tourism between
the two countries. The state of California is the richest state in the
United States of America.
Published: Thu Mar 1 10:59:21 EST 2001
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Lanka bombs rebel bases after Britain brands Tigers
Times of India (Breaking News),
march 1.
The air force bombed Tamil
rebel bases on Thursday, hours after Britain
classified the separatist group fighting for a
Tamil homeland as terrorists.Several MiG-27 and Israeli-built Kfir jets
bombed rebel positions on the Jaffna
Peninsula, a stronghold of the Liberation
Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in the north.
More...
Published: Thu Mar 1 09:07:42 EST 2001
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Sri Lanka urges Tigers to talks after British ban
Times of India (Breaking News),
2 March.
Senior government minister, Mangala Samaraweera,asked the separatist Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam(LTTE) to enter negotiations without pre-conditions,officials quoted him as saying.
They said the minister issued the call on state television on Thursday while thanking the British government for including the LTTE in a list of 21 groups outlawed as "foreign terrorist organisations."
More...
Published: Fri Mar 2 10:13:59 EST 2001
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