By Charles Haviland - BBC Sinhala .............................................................................................................................................................................................
The Sri Lankan cabinet is holding a special meeting in the former capital of the defeated Tamil Tiger rebels, Kilinochchi in the far north of the island.
The town was the guerrillas’ stronghold for 11 years until January 2009. By assembling there, the government is making a clear statement of its role in reunifying the island after years of civil war.
For years during their separatist war, and long after losing Jaffna further north, the Tamil Tigers held Kilinochchi.
It served as their command centre with the trappings of a state-within-a-state – law courts; administrative offices; a tax system and a bank.
Eighteen months ago, though, it fell to the Sri Lankan army and they established a strategic base right inside the buildings used earlier by their deadly foe.
For the Sri Lankan cabinet to meet in this town is a potent symbol of the government’s achievement in vanquishing the Tigers and reunifying an island whose land was divided for so long.
The government’s critics, however, say it must now do more to heal the island’s ethnic divisions, which are still raw, especially in the north and east.
Some opposition MPs have condemned the Kilinochchi cabinet meeting as a waste of money, with one saying he expects hundreds of luxury vehicles to converge on the town.
A prominent moderate Tamil politician, V. Anandasangaree, said he felt that that constant government visits were “irritating” local people still in shock after the war or searching for missing family members.
The government spokesman, Keheliya Rambukwella, said constructive criticism was welcome but that ministry officials would be available to solve people’s problems and it would be money well spent.
Chaired by President Mahinda Rajapaksa, the cabinet ministers will review the progress of reconstruction in the former war zone whose people are only graudally returning to their homes.
A massive war memorial has recently been built in Kilinochchi. Recent visitors there say other construction work is proceeding slowly, hampered by the density of landmines in the area.
By Devan Daniel | The Island .............................................................................................................................................................................................
The government collected 2D seismic data on a 600 km stretch of sea floor off the Southern coast in search for signs that oil may be discovered, a petroleum ministry report said.
The survey which was carried out in 2009 was intended to investigate the petroleum potential of two gravity anomalies indicated by satellite off the Southern coastal belt of Sri Lanka, the 2009 Performance report of the Ministry of Petroleum Industries said.
The ministry charted a seismic data acquisition ship which collected the data of nearly 740 linear kilometres late February 2009.
"Currently, the data is being processed at Fargo Seismic Imaging Services in Mumbai. Preliminary views of the data suggest the existence of sedimentary basins in the survey area which is the first requirement in the search for petroleum," the ministry said in the report, which was released last month.
The Mannar basin off the North-Western coast and the Chauvery basin off the Northern coast have been identified as potential locations for offshore oil.
In July 2007, the government awarded Cairn India a license to search for oil on a single block of sea bed on the Mannar basin which amounted to an area of 10 percent of the total extent on Sri Lanka’s side of the basin. India, has already found oil on its side and commercial extraction is already taking place.Cairn India paid Sri Lanka a signature bonus for being awarded the license and it plans to invest around US$ 110 million in searching for a possible drilling site and subsequent assemble of an oil rig if a commercially viable carbon deposit is found.
A Petroleum Resources Agreement was singed between Cairn India and the government which resulted in the incorporation of Cairn Lanka Limited.
The company recently acquired 3D seismic data of the 3,400 sq km exploration block offered to it and the data is being analysed by Cairn India’s geologists looking for the best place to start drilling but meanwhile it is studying wave and water current patterns in the Mannar Basin, crucial data to determine the type of oil rig they would have to lease.
Exploration drilling is expected to commence by 2011 and according to government estimates, there is a 60 percent probability of finding offshore oil deposits.
Two other blocks in the Mannar Basin were offered to India and China but so far the governments of the two countries have not responded to these offers.
Meanwhile, the government has entered into an agreement with Nexant Inc of USA to develop regulations for offshore petroleum operations with funds from US Trade and Development Agency.
The new regulations being drafted are: Sri Lanka Offshore Petroleum (SLOP) Geophysical Regulations, SLOP Drilling Regulations, SLOP Occupational Health and Safety Regulations, SLOP Environmental Protection Regulation, SLOP Registration and Administration Regulations, SLOP Production and Conservation Regulations and SLOP Diving Regulations.
The drafts to the above regulations have been completed and once translations in to Sinhala and Tamil are completed, the regulations would be subject to a consultative process after which the Attorney General would review and format the regulations.
By Easwaran Ratnam | Daily Mirror Online .............................................................................................................................................................................................
The three member panel appointed by UN Secretary General Ban ki-moon to advise him on Sri Lanka is not authorized by any decision making body of the UN, Sri Lanka’s Permanent Representative to the UN in New York Dr. Palitha Kohona said.
In an emailed response to a question posed by Daily Mirror online Dr. Kohona said that the move by the UN Chief to appoint the panel sets precedent as it is not authorized. He also noted that a similar move on Sri Lanka was resoundingly rejected by the UN Human Rights Council last year.
UN Secretary-General Ban ki-moon had earlier reiterated that the three member panel appointed by him on Sri Lanka has been set up to advise him with regard to taking forward the objectives of the Joint Statement of 23 May 2009 between Sri Lanka and the UN and is not an investigative body.
The Secretary-General had said the strong reaction to his establishment of the panel of experts on accountability in Sri Lanka is not warranted.
The United States naval ship USS Pearl Harbor arrived at the port of Trincomalee in Eastern Sri Lanka Tuesday on a goodwill mission, Sri Lanka Navy announced.
Sri Lanka Navy ceremonially welcomed the US Navy ship carrying 24 officers and 328 sailors.
The Harpers Ferry-class dock landing ship is 186 meters in length and has a displacement of 11,251 tons. The ship is capable of transporting 500 marines.
Sri Lanka Navy said the US Navy crew of the ship will be participating in a series of special programmes organized by the Navy to enhance the relationship between the two navies.
BBC Sinhala .............................................................................................................................................................................................
The United States government has signed an agreement with the Sri Lankan government to provide financial to local authorities in the eastern province.
The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Ministry of Local Government and Provincial Councils have signed the agreement "to expand the Supporting Regional Governance Program (SuRG) to all 37 Pradesihya Sabhas and one Urban Council in the Eastern Province," a statement from the US embassy in Colombo said.
The US embassy said the SuRG program will be expanded to include all local authorities in the province.
It said USAID/Sri Lanka has invested nearly two billion US Dollars to benefit all the people of Sri Lanka, since 1956.
U.S. Ambassador Patricia A. Butenis said, "This demonstrates our shared vision on the importance of local government serving the needs of its citizens, and increasing transparency and accountability in service delivery and development."
By JDS .............................................................................................................................................................................................
Amale decapitated body was found along the coast of Mannar island in Sri Lanka’s north, reports from Jaffna said Tuesday.
It is not immediately known whether it was a murder. According to reports, the authorities are unable to identify the headless body, which is lying in the Mannar General Hospital Mortuary.
By JDS .............................................................................................................................................................................................
An ethnic Sinhala medical doctor has been arrested on Tuesday in Sri Lanka’s north for allegedly murdering a Tamil nurse working under him after a prolonged harassment and torture, reports from Jaffna said.
According to reports, a police team has arrested Dr. Priyantha Seniviratne from Medical staff quarters in Thinnavely, in Jaffna town and produced the murder suspect before Kayts magistrate.
Dr. Priyantha was arrested for allegedly murdering a 27-year-old nurse, Darshika Saravanan, attached to the Family Care unit of the Velanai Central Medical Center.
The remains of Darshika Saravanan were recovered Saturday morning from the Velanai hospital, triggering a wave of shock and anger among the northern medical staff as well as the people of the area.
Wide-range of protest over the murder has resulted in the Health Ministry immediately despatching a four-member investigation team to probe the murder. Coinciding the funeral on Tuesday, the medical staff and trade unions have staged a protest rally demanding an impartial and independent probe into Darshika’s murder. The protestors also demanded the authorities to compensate the grieving family.
UNP parliamentarian for Jaffna, Mrs. Vijayakala Maheshwaran has also issued a statement condemning the murder and demanding the authorities to carry out an immediate probe into her killing and also to ensure law and order in the Jaffna islets.
Sri Lankan police have filed a new case against former army chief and defeated presidential candidate Sarath Fonseka for allegedly employing military deserters, his party said Tuesday.
Fonseka, who is also now an opposition lawmaker, is accused of employing 10 army deserters in the run-up to the January presidential poll he contested unsuccessfully against President Mahinda Rajapakse.
He was named as an accused in a criminal court hearing Monday and formal charges are expected when the court reconvenes on July 26. If convicted, Fonseka faces a possible 20-year prison sentence.
On Monday, the government had also pressed 21 new charges against Fonseka in connection with another case in which he is accused of awarding irregular contracts while serving as army chief.
"This a political vendetta against a war hero," opposition lawmaker Vijitha Herath, who is part of Fonseka's Democratic National Alliance coalition party, said on Tuesday.
Fonseka is currently in military custody, facing two courts martial for allegedly dabbling in politics while in uniform and illegally awarding contracts to a company where his son-in-law had an interest.
Fonseka led the Sri Lankan army to a spectacular victory against Tamil Tiger rebels in May last year, ending the island's 37-year separatist conflict.
But he fell out with President Mahinda Rajapakse afterwards over who should take credit for the military success. He made an unsuccessful bid to unseat him in elections in January.
By JDS .............................................................................................................................................................................................
Afresh group of over 250 internally displaced people, brought from the internment camps to be resettled in the Madhu Assistant Government Agent (AGA) division, was reportedly left without basic infrastructure facilities, including food.
According to reports from Jaffna, the government authorities have brought in 257 internally displaced Tamil civilians of 110 families from the internment camps in Vavuniya to the Periyapandi Virichchan Maha Vidyalayam to resettle them in the area.
“This fresh group of people, including children were brought in to the school on Monday morning to be resettled in the Madhu Assistant Government Agent (AGA) division, but they remained there till Tuesday evening. They were starving, even the children without milk food,” a report said.
The people have been asked to resettle themselves in their own native villages, which are lying without basic infrastructure facilities after war and are totally unfit for immediate resettlement.
“Although it is nearly 48 hours since the people were brought in to this school aiming to be resettled, no authorities have visited them yet,” the report said.
Analysts say that this is yet another instance where the war victims are being resettled without basic infrastructure facilities, after languishing in detention camps after several months since 2008, just an eye-wash to tackle the international pressure.
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