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Majority believe that peace can be achieved through talks
Bandula Jayasekara in Colombo,
SLT 8.25 a.m Thursday 20 March.
Latest opinion poll conducted by the Peace Confidence Index (PCI) reveals
that an overwhelming majority (83.7%) continues to believe peace can be
achieved through peace talks and 54.3% of the Sri Lankans are satisfied with
the progress of the peace talks. The latest poll was conducted from 31
January to 14 February amongst 1397 respondent samples from 17 districts.
However according to the poll 60.1% have expressed uncertainty as to when
there would be peace in Sri Lanka. Over 65% of the Sinhala community and 39%
of the Muslim community are unable to indicate when there would be peace
while 55.3% of the Tamils and 47% of the Up-Country Tamil communities feel
there will be peace soon. The decline in the opinion that the government is
committed to finding peace through talks still continues 70.2% in July 2002
to 56.7% in January 2003. The Tamil community feels that it is international
pressure that drives the government to go for talks and also an increase in
the belief that that the LTTE goes in for talks 'to fool the people' from
16.1% in November 2002 to 28.7% in January 2003. This opinion mainly stems
from the Sinhalese. As for the role played by the Norwegians, overall
approval for Norway assisting in the peace process has declined in January
2003(42.3%) while the disapproval has increased to 28.2%. The Tamil 89.5%
and the Up-Country Tamil 79.6% communities however support the assistance
given by Norway. The approval of Norway continuing to facilitate the talks
has decreased where as there is an increase in the disapproval 29.4%. It
comes mainly from the Sinhalese. There is also an increase in the opinion
that India's involvement will add a positive impact in the Sri Lankan peace
process. The survey results also indicate that 61% disapprove of the
government permitting the LTTE to import hi tech radio equipment while 66.7%
disapprove of the involvement of the Norwegian government.
Published: Wed Mar 19 21:25:08 EST 2003
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 ASK LAKSHMAN!
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A Q&A with Sri Lanka's Former Minister of Foreign Affairs
We are pleased to introduce Mr. Lakshman Kadiragamar, former Foreign
Minister of Sri Lanka, as the 11th guest in our series of Q&A
sessions. Presidents Counsel and Member of Parliament, Mr. Kadiragamar
is currently the special adviser on Foreign Affairs to the President
of Sri Lanka. Send in your questions to Mr. Kadiragamar and receive
his answers here.
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IT'S NOT CRICKET, STUPID, IT'S COMPUTERS, LOVELY COMPUTERS
Fulbright Scholar Brings Computers to Urban Disadvantaged Children in
Colombo, Sri Lanka.
By Chulie de Silva, Colombo.
You would think on a warm Saturday morning, children in Sri Lanka
would be watching a cricket match and cheering on their heroes. No,
not in Kew Road, Slave Island, a multi-ethnic enclave just five
minutes away from the exclusive Trans Asia Hotel in Colombo's central
down town area. The cricket match played on at the Malay Cricket Club,
on Saturday 25, January but thirty children were flocked round five
computers in a little rectangular room of the Vocational Training
Center (VTC) run by the Sri Lanka Malay Association's (SLMA) Rupee
Fund. [More...]
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U.S. Launches Website on Visa policy
Bandula Jayasekara in Colombo,
SLT 11.00 a.m Thursday 20 March.
The U.S. Department of State has unveiled a web site, "Destination USA:
Secure Borders, Open Doors," launching a public education campaign to
communicate changes in U.S. visa policies and procedures. According to a
release from the US embassy in Colombo the the web site serves as a single
point of access to U.S. visa information.
Sections on "Doing Business and Working Temporarily in the United States,"
"Studying in the U.S. and Coming on an Exchange," "Visiting the U.S.," and
"Coming Permanently to the U.S.," are designed to help users find
information about current visa rules and procedures quickly and easily.
Heightened concerns about security in the wake of the September 2001
terrorist attacks, together with subsequent U.S. government reorganization
to address homeland security issues, have led to changes in the visa
policies. Changes in visa procedures reflect a desire to ensure "the safety
of U.S. residents and visitors alike, not to make it more difficult for
legitimate travelers to enter the United States." A brochure, "Obtaining a
U.S. Visa: a step-by-step outline of today's U.S. visa application
procedures," can also be downloaded from the web site. The site will guide
potential visitors through the application process "Destination U.S.A." can
be accessed at www.unitedstatesvisas.gov http://www.unitedstatesvisas.gov
Published: Wed Mar 19 23:52:39 EST 2003
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Child Soldier dies in LTTE camp
Bandula Jayasekara in Colombo,
SLT 9.30 a.m Thursday 20 March.
A child soldier being trained in guerilla warfare at LTTE camp in Sampur has
died of gunshot injuries according to the Muttur Police. Muttur Police says
that the fourteen year old had succumbed to his injuries while training at
the camp in Muttur. The boy was abducted by the LTTE in Trincomalee while he
was on his way to school several months ago. The LTTE had invited the
parents of the child to attend his funeral held at the LTTE camp having
refused to hand over his body to his parents for burial at home. The LTTE
continues to recruit and train child soldiers despite assurances given to
the government and the international community. Early this year the LTTE
leadership gave another undertaking to the UNICEF Executive Director Carrol
Bellamy that they would not recruit child soldiers. The issue was also
discussed after the peace talks in Berlin. The Lanka Academic contacted the
UNICEF office in Colombo to get their comments on the death of the child
soldier. However the Chief Information officer said that the UICEF
Representative in Sri Lanka Ted Chaiban was not available for comment since
he is on a tour of Wanni.
Published: Wed Mar 19 22:37:15 EST 2003
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