Email this page

1. Elections 2. The President's UK visit 3. Election violence 4. War news 5. Other news 6. Articles

A news bulletin on Sri Lanka produced by Australian and New Zealand activists working for peace in Sri Lanka. contact: Australia - Willie mailto:willie@apex.net.auwillie@apex.net.au New Zealand - Malathy mailto:malathy@ihug.co.nz

1. Elections ==========

Nominations for elections closed on Oct 28 and nearly 4600 candidates have registered for the 225 parliament seats.

Recent defectors from the government have entered into a 24 point Memorandum of Understanding with the main opposition United National Party (UNP), covering a wide range of issues including the ethnic conflict and the economy. The Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) has decided to contest in alliance with UNP in some districts and separately in the eastern Muslim dominated districts. The Ceylon Workers Congress (CWC) and Upcountry People's Front (UPF) have also decided to contest the election in alliance with the UNP. Leaders of the Tamil parties' consisting of, Tamil United Liberation Front (TULF), All Ceylon Tamil Congress (ACTC), Tamil Eelam Liberation Organization (TELO) and Eelam Peoples' Revolutionary Liberation Front (EPRLF-Suresh wing) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to contest the forthcoming general election under one symbol. TULF spokesperson said, "The Tamil parties alliance has been formed to muster support of the Tamil people and their political forces for the freedom struggle of the LTTE in and out of Parliament and not aimed at elections,"

In the meantime the Foreign Minister Kadirgamar, whose government has just over one month in power, has stated: "As far as the Government is concerned, it definitely wishes to bring the war to a close, it favours a negotiated settlement to the national question, and a mutually agreed ceasefire will be an all important step in that direction."

Political parties and other community groups urged the Elections Commissioner (EC) to exercise the extensive powers, vested in him under the 17th amendment to the constitution, to hold a free and fair election. The 17th amendment was voted in by parliament only a few days before the dissolution of parliament giving greater powers to EC. EC has warned that he will use these powers to conduct a free and fair elections but he also stated that he cannot guarantee that the elections will be free and fair.

When more than 50 police were transferred after the announcement of elections, the opposition UNP charged that the transfers were aimed at aiding fraudulent election practices by the government. EC used his powers under 17th amendment and ordered the Inspector General of Police (IGP) to cancel the transfers. IGP has rejected the power of the EC to make such orders. EC has also invited foreign election monitors.

2. The President's UK Visit ==========

The President Chandrika Kumaratunga left for London on Sunday Oct 28 on an official visit. President met Home Affairs minister David Blunkett and discussed the LTTE fundraising in UK. She said, "Democratic rights cannot be used to raise funds for terrorist activities else where." "Fight against terrorism is same whether it is in the USA, UK, or Colombo", she said. She also met British Foreign Jack Straw.

LacNet reported that the President has hired a top British Public Relations company in her attempt to boost her image, which has been tarnished amidst continuing defections from her ruling party. In London she was also interviewed by many media outfits.

In a BBC interview with David Frost she said that UNP during its rule the used JVP to assassinate her late husband. http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/audiovideo/programmes/breakfast_with_frost/newsid_1624000/1624615.stm

In an interview with the Editor of BBCs Sinhala language programme, Priyath Liyanage, the President said that PA government was the first government to acknowledged Tamils grievances. She blamed the opposition UNP for abandoning the devolution proposals.

President's response in a BBC interview with Tim Sebastian of "Hard Talk" has been criticised as "domestic election campaigning" in UK because she continually accused UNP of greater human rights violations whenever she was queried of her own government's record.

New York Times of October 26th published letter from the President, titled, "Sri Lanka Knows Terror", in their guest column. She states in the letter that the Tamil Tigers have killed more than 62,000 people. http://college1.nytimes.com/guests/articles/2001/10/26/876309.xml (Note: The accurate statistics of deaths due to the ethnic conflict in the north are not available. An estimate of 65,000 are often quoted. Based on LTTE and defense ministry figures 35000 are combatant deaths, of which roughly equal numbers are LTTE cadres and security forces. A letter to the editor of Boston Phoenix from Amnesty International in 1998, quoted between 1000 and 2000 civilian deaths caused by LTTE.)

3. Elections violence ==========

On Oct 29, two people, including a policeman were killed and at least 13 others were injured in the first suicide bomb attack in the capital for a year. Amnesty International in its press statement condemned the attack. The statement said that the attack has come at a time when the country is preparing for parliamentary elections. It also added that in the run-up to earlier parliamentary elections on 10 October 2000, at least 24 civilians were killed in two separate attacks on election rallies by LTTE suicide bombers.

RAVAYA of Sunday Oct. 21 reported that the former minister in the present government, S.B. Dissanayake who defected to opposition, has charged that the President and the Deputy Minister of defense Mr. Ratwatte are planning to have him assassinated.

On Oct 22, a PA nominee for the parliament elections and an ex-deputy minister, Mervyn Silva, and seven armed people forced their way into the editorial office of one of the newspapers and threatened the journalists present. Editor's Guild of Sri Lanka has condemned the death threats. Paris based media watchdog Reporters Sans Front ires (RSF) also expressed its deep concern over the threats.

The RSF also reminded the killing of BBC journalist Nimalajaran in October last year, which many believe was an election related assassination. In the meantime the first death anniversary of Nimalranjan was commemorated in London which was addressed by leading media personal. Although he was killed in a high security zone at a time when government imposed curfew was on, the perpetrators of the crime are yet to be identified.

On Oct 23, a grenade was lobbed at UNP headquarters in Colombo in which a security guard was wounded.

On Oct 29, an opposition activist died in hospital after allegedly being beaten up by ruling party members five days earlier. A deputy minister, Reggie Ranatunga, was arrested in connection with the assault and later released on bail.

4. War News ==========

On Oct 30, a fuel tanker travelling north and escorted by the Sri Lanka Navy was hit by Sea Tigers. The tanker caught fire and more than eight soldiers on the ship were killed and several navy sailors may also have perished.

On Oct 18, Tamil Tiger rebels shot to death three soldiers and two civilians in a northeastern village on Wednesday (source: Defense ministry).

On Oct. 18, Sri Lankan troops killed 11 LTTE rebels in two separate attacks in the northern part of the country (source: Defense ministry).

On Oct 18, a claymore blast injured a civilian in a part of Batticaloa district under the control of LTTE (source: TamilNet). Other reports claimed that it was aimed at an LTTE vehicle which passed the spot minutes earlier in which Karikalan a senior LTTE leader was travelling.

On Oct 22, a sea battle off Sri Lanka's northern coast destroyed three rebel boats and either killed or seriously wounded 20 guerrillas (source: Defense ministry). Voice of Tigers claimed 5 of their suicide bombers were killed in this incident.

On Oct 22, one policeman and a home guard were killed in claymore blast in Vavuniya district (source: TamilNet).

On Oct 23rd, three policemen were wounded in a grenade attack in Vavuniya. Three members of the Liberation Tigers were killed when the police retaliated according to police sources (source: TamilNet).

On Oct 23, 2 civilians were killed and eight wounded due to shelling by the security forces in the Batticaloa town (source: TamilNet).

On 24 Oct, seven Sri Lanka army personnel, including a Lt.Colonel were killed in a claymore blast in Jaffna.

On 26 Oct, LTTE rebels fired mortar bombs in the northeast of the country soon after an army attack on their position in the same area, leaving six dead and 10 injured on the two scenes (source: Defense ministry).

On Oct 28, security forces shot dead at least 10 people, including six separatist Tamil Tiger rebels and four apparent sympathisers of the group, in various clashes (source: Defense ministry)

6. Other News ==========

Director General for the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery and Corruption was informed that he has been removed from his post. LacNet reported a source at the bribery commission as saying that President has not given any specific reason as to why she sought to remove the Director General.

Asian Human Rights Commission issued an urgent appeal for children's welfare in Sri Lanka. The appeal was based on the statistics given in a report that appeared in the Lakmibha daily. These statistics are:

- 500,000 children are oppressed by the war. - 1.8 million children are malnourished. - 200,000 children are disabled. - 60,000 children do not go to school. - 15,000 street children exist. - No survey has been done on the state of children since 1991. - Sri Lanka signed the U.N. Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) in 1991, but still Sri Lanka does not have a steering committee to put the requirements of the convention into practice. - By the year 2000, 991 schools had been closed.

A group of journalists working in the main stream print and electronic media held a workshop on Oct 7 to discuss the responsibility of the media towards solving the ethnic problem. A group selected on the basis of their agreement on policy and understanding of the positions to be taken on this issue met again on Oct 25 and issued a declaration. The declaration calls for a recognition of the rights of Tamil and Muslim communities in the media reporting.

Anthrax fear hit Colombo with suspicious letters received at American, British, Australian, Indian and French diplomatic missions as well as the offices of the United Nations Development Program in Colombo, a leading private school, the police, and at least two business establishments. All of them turned out to be hoax.

Toronto police arrested more 40 Tamils gang members who the police say were responsible for several recent killings. The arrest was welcomed by the Toronto Tamil community of nearly 150,000 who have been troubled by the killings.

Book titled, "The Will to Freedom" by Adele Balasingam, the Australian born wife of LTTE's political advisor Anton Balasingam, was released this week. The book deals with the two decades long campaign of the Liberation Tigers' and its leadership

7. Articles ==========

Marie Colvin, the journalist who lost an eye while reporting the war in Sri Lanka was one of the three women who won the Woman of the Year journalist award. Her acceptance speech: "Bravery is not being afraid to be afraid" was published in the UK Sunday Times Oct 21st: http://www.tamilcanadian.com/cgi-bin/eelam/view.pl?indexview=117-101-100-114-1

ENDS

Email this page

back to top