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How can we canvass for peace when we are not treated as equals?-LTTE
Bandula Jayasekara in Colombo,
SLT 4.30 p.m Thursday 27 March.
Head of LTTE's Education Wing Illankumaran alias Baby Subramaniam said that
the LTTE cannot canvass for peace and educate children in areas under their
control on the peace process when they are not treated as equals. The Senior
LTTE member pointed out that they couldn't burden their children any more
since they are facing number or problems. He " As far as we are concerned
the MOU is only on paper. Nothing else is happening. We have a shortage of
teachers. Our children don't have enough books and other equipment.
Education is important to us and we are trying to get back the education we
lost in the past years. 57% of our children are traumatized by the war," He
charged that the South got excess teachers the LTTE was told there was no
money for the North. According to Illankumaran the LTTE has drawn up plans
for the education in the North/East including the Sinhala areas. He said "We
have no partiality in our educational system" When questioned why the LTTE
did not take these issues during negotiations without complaining, the
Senior LTTE member said that only fundamental issues were being discussed
at the negotiating table at present. Commenting on the federal system,
Illankumaran was of the opinion that the Canadian type of system was best
suited to the LTTE. He said The LTTE must run the administration and have
elections only after a period of time. He said " If we just invite others
and conduct elections in the area there would be problems again. We should
develop this area"
Published: Thu Mar 27 05:28:35 EST 2003
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ASK LAKSHMAN!
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A Q&A with Sri Lanka's Former Minister of Foreign Affairs
ANSWERS 1-9 NOW AVAILABLE.
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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Rocca Outlines U.S. Assistance to South Asia
US State Dept. Washinton File,
26 March 2003 .
The United States must stay "actively and effectively engaged" in South Asia, says Assistant Secretary of State for South Asian Affairs Christina Rocca.
In a prepared statement for the U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, Rocca outlined how U.S. foreign assistance programs for South Asia support the U.S. policy priorities for the region.
....The assistant secretary said that after sending several assessment teams to Sri Lanka last year, the U.S. is currently providing demining and economic assistance, as well as establishing programs to strengthen Sri Lanka's peacekeeping capabilities and reform its military institutions.
More...
Published: Thu Mar 27 12:52:22 EST 2003
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Sri Lankan SC verdicit on right to vote
The Hindu (International),
March 26.
In what is termed as a landmark verdict, the
Sri Lankan Supreme Court on Tuesday held that the right to vote
cannot be compromised in the name of security and ruled that
preventing those living in areas under the control of the Liberation
Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) from voting in polling stations located in
Government-held territory during the 2001 Parliamentary elections
was an infringement of fundamental rights. The verdict gains
significance with local body polls expected to be held in the coming
months in the north and the east. During the conflict, voters in
rebel-held areas were required to cross over to
Government-controlled areas to cast their votes in poling stations
that were "clustered" to ensure "peaceful polling".
More...
Published: Thu Mar 27 13:32:29 EST 2003
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