"We back Israel's war on terror" says Sri Lankan Ambassador

By David Regev | Yedioth Ahronoth
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Donald Perera saw the blood-soaked stretcher carrying the body of Velupillai Prabhakaran being transported through the jungle, but he was not calm. Air Chief Marshal Perera, the Sri Lankan chief of staff at the time, had been chasing after the leader of the Tamil Tiger rebels who had terrorized his country for over 30 years. He wanted to make certain that the lifeless body in front of him was indeed that of his long-time adversary.

"I asked to see his personal gun," recalls Perera. "I knew precisely what type of gun he was carrying, as well as its serial number. Only when I saw the number 001 did I realize that he had finally been taken out. I drove home, took off my uniform and told myself that now I can retire."

Perera, 60, has since been appointed Sri Lanka's ambassador to Israel. His wife, a military dentist, and his daughter, a university student, remained in Sri Lanka.

"I was familiar with Israel before coming here," he tells the Yedioth Ahronoth daily. "In the framework of my previous positions as air force commander and chief of staff, I had a great relationship with your military industries and with Israel Aerospace Industries.

"For years Israel has aided our war on terror through the exchange of information and the sale of military technology and equipment," says Perera.

"Our air force fleet includes 17 Kfir warplanes, and we also have Dabur patrol boats. Our pilots were trained in Israel, and we have received billions of dollars in aid over the past few years. This is why I asked to be assigned to Israel – a country I consider a partner in the war against terror. Many Sri Lankans admire Israel," says Perera, a native of the capital Colombo.

As chief of staff, Perera commanded over 240,000 soldiers. His greatest challenge was to crush the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), or Tamil Tigers, who since 1976 had fought to establish an independent Tamil homeland.

Guerilla forces led by rebel leader Prabhakaran eventually took over east as well as north Sri Lanka.

The Tamil Tigers was one of the first organizations to resort to suicide bombings. "They carried out attacks against soldiers, civilians, army officers, ministers, army bases, public buildings, planes and trains. Over the years they became more advanced and formed a naval and aerial force as well. At the height of its power, the organization's guerilla force numbered some 35,000 fighters," according to Perera.

Some of Perera's close associates were killed in these attacks, others were left handicapped. Perera was also targeted by the rebels. "I was supposed to fly a cargo plane from one of the air force bases. The plane was carrying dozens of military personnel. During take off I suddenly felt a strong thump. I brought the plane to a halt, and when I got off to see what had happened I found an RPG launcher that was used to fire a rocket at the aircraft. Luckily, it passed right by me," Perera says.

Since the incident, Perera changed his daily routine. "My army-issued vehicle would be part of a military convoy while I was driving my private car, wearing civilian clothes over my army fatigues," he says.

The Tamil terror became more and more extreme, culminating with assassination of Indian prime minister Rajiv Gandhi.

Perera was appointed chief of staff in 2006, just as Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapksa decided to eradicate Tamil terrorism once and for all.

"We purchased military equipment from Pakistan, China, the US, Russia and of course Israel. The president told the nation we were headed for an uncompromising war. He explained that the price will be heavy, but called on the citizens to be patient and rally around the army. Then we got the green light to move with full force against the rebels," the ambassador recalls.

After rebel forces attempted to take over an important port in east Sri Lanka, Perera gave the order, and large army forces began pouring into the region while pushing the rebels northward. Some 7,000 people, including many army personnel, were killed during 11 months of fighting, he says.

"The victim's families understood we were fighting for an important cause – the future of their country," Perera says during the interview, conducted at the Sri Lankan Embassy in Tel Aviv. "The opposition tried to persuade the citizens not to enlist in the army or support it, but it convinced no one. Everyone knew this struggle was important and that it would exact a heavy price, but after so many years of terror they were willing to pay the price."

Prabhakaran was killed on May 16, and a day later the LTTE announced its surrender. The 30-year battle against the Tamil Tigers claimed the lives of some 70,000 Sri Lankan citizens.

After noting the similarities between the Tamil Tigers and Hamas, Perera says Sri Lanka is a staunch supporter of Israel's fight against Palestinian terror. "No one wants bloodshed. The other side (Palestinians) should be offered direct negotiations, without preconditions, to determine its level of seriousness. These talks should focus on trying to reach a compromise that would allow both sides to sign an agreement," he says.

"In case the other side shows it is not interested in a compromise, (Israel) must move on to the military phase with full force. (The government) will have to explain to the citizens that (Israel) is headed for a long and difficult struggle that will exact a heavy price, but at the end of this struggle the country's situation will be much better," says the ambassador.

"Once you have the public's support, you should fight relentlessly until all of the terror hubs are destroyed. There is no going back."

Addressing the deadly May 31 commando raid on a Gaza-bound Turkish ship, Perera says, "As a military man I can understand that Israel had to protect itself. Due to Sri Lanka's vast experience in fighting terror, I can say that it will always support countries that also oppose (terror)."

Despite its warm relations with Israel, Sri Lanka has also managed to maintain close ties with the Jewish state's biggest threat – Iran. "Sri Lanka is a developing nation in need of assistance. Iran helps us in the civilian realm," he says. "As to the sanctions imposed on (Tehran), these things should be discussed in the different forums. The Sri Lankan government is in favor of imposing military – not civilian – sanctions."

Perera, who has already visited Jerusalem, Eilat, Haifa, Netanya and Jaffa, says life in Israel suits him just fine. "The people here are very warm, open and easy-going, but on the other hand they are successful in many fields, such as technology, agriculture and education.

Some 5,000 Sri Lankan nationals are currently working in Israel. "We rarely receive any complaints from them," says the ambassador. "They like working here."

Perera's wife and daughter are expected to join him in Israel in the coming months. "When they arrive, we will travel throughout the entire country. In the meantime, I recommend that Israelis visit Sri Lanka. We'll accept you with open arms."

© Y-Net News

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"Not worried about China's presence in Lanka": US

By P.K.Balachandran | Express News Service
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The United States is not concerned about the increasing Chinese influence in Sri Lanka, the US Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia, Robert Blake, said here on Wednesday.

Briefing the media after meeting President Mahinda Rajapaksa, External Affairs Minister G.L.Peiris, and other political and business leaders, Blake said that the US and China were aware of each other’s national interests and were in touch with each other over a variety of issues. He had himself interacted with the Chinese Foreign Minister on these issues.

Blake, however, added that he had taken up with Rajapaksa the issue of Sri Lanka’s ties with Iran. He noted that the Sri Lankan leaders were aware of the US’s concerns about Iran, and the resolutions of the UN Security Council on Iran.

The ranking US official had urged the Sri Lankan President to work with the Tamil political parties to find an acceptable political solution to the ethnic question, while resettling and rehabilitating the war displaced Tamils in North Sri Lanka. He said he had asked the President to implement the 13th and 17th amendments.

Blake said that he had been trying to persuade the Tamil Diaspora in the US to undertake developmental and business ventures in the war-affected North, and had witnessed a change in their mindset.

He had urged told the Sri Lankan business community in Colombo to invest in tourism, agriculture and fisheries in the North. The US, he said, could help private firms set up ventures in the North as it had done in the Eastern province.

On human rights issues, Blake said that he had sought from the Sri Lankan government steps to ensure the freedom of the media and also transparency in regard to the conditions under which LTTE cadre were kept in the detention camps.

The US itself had not sought access to these camps, he clarified .But the US would like organisations like the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to be given access.

He urged the Sri Lankan government to accept the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon’s advisory committee on human rights in the country. The committee is not going to advice the Sri Lankan government but the UN Secretary General, he stressed. But Sri Lanka could benefit from the panel’s experience about rights issues in the post-conflict phase in many countries.

A two member delegation of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA), which met Blake earlier in the day, told him that by putting ethnic reconciliation ahead of a political settlement, the Sri Lankan government was putting the cart before the horse.

It is only a political settlement which could pave the way to ethnic reconciliation they said. The Rajapaksa government, the TNA MPs said, had not placed any proposals for a political settlement though it was more than a year since the war against the Tamil militants had ended.

They also complained about the increasing militarisation of the Tamil speaking North despite the end of the armed conflict.

© Express Buzz

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Sri Lanka: Slum dwellers denounce police-military repression

By WSWS correspondents | World Socialist Web Site
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Sri Lankan police have announced plans to charge more than 200 local residents following the police-military roundup of thousands of slum dwellers in Mattakkuliya, a northern suburb of Colombo, on July 4. Those to be charged include 22 who were arrested and remain detained.

According to defence lawyers, the charges will include the theft of three police revolvers, damaging state property and being part of an “unlawful assembly”. Those found guilty of damaging public property can be jailed for up to 20 years and those convicted of “unlawful assembly” can be imprisoned for five years.

The police-military operation against Summitpura residents in Mattakkuliya followed protests over the brutal assault and detention of a local youth, M. Nishantha, by police on July 3. When local residents responded to the arrest by demonstrating outside the Mattakkuliya police station, Sri Lankan defence authorities seized on the protest as a pretext to deploy hundreds of police and troops in the area.

Scores of homes were raided and residents assaulted, and the next day some 8,000 people were forced into an open field surrounded by armed troops. Hooded men pointed out more than 200 people, who were then taken into police custody.

The round-up in Mattakkuliya marks a new stage of repressive measures against working people and youth by President Mahinda Rajapakse’s government. It is a graphic expression of emerging police-state rule, following the government’s criminal war against the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and the ongoing military occupation of the island’s mainly Tamil east and north.

The mass arrests and charges are aimed at intimidating all protests against International Monetary Fund-dictated economic austerity measures, which will mean deep social attacks on all sections of the working class and the poor. Summitpura is one of Colombo’s poorest districts and part of a government eviction plan to free up prime land for real estate investors. More than half a million people, or half of Colombo’s population, live in shanty town districts like Summitpura.

World Socialist Web Site reporters spoke with M. Nishantha’s mother, A. Siriyawathie, last Friday. Until July 13, she was prevented from seeing her son, who has been detained at the narcotics section of the Magazine Prison at Welikada in Colombo, and then only allowed to speak with him for less than 10 minutes.

Siriyawathie told the WSWS that she saw marks on his body, indicating that he had been severely beaten. “He couldn’t walk unaided and all his fingers of one hand had been bandaged separately,” she said. “His face was swollen and blackened. He didn’t want me to visit him because I would be further saddened.” She explained that last year her son had been remanded for six months on frame-up drug charges after “police detained him with a packet of drugs that he didn’t possess”.

Other local residents who spoke with WSWS reporters rejected police allegations against Nishantha and accused the police of corrupt ties with drug dealers. They said that locals who complain about these anti-social activities are frequently harassed by police. Eyewitnesses to Nishantha’s arrest claimed that police attempted to force the youth to confess to drug possession. When he refused, he was assaulted and dragged off to the police station.

Local residents also condemned the major media, particularly the Sinhala-weekly Irida Divaina, for biased reporting. “The media didn’t report what we said. They published what police said or fictions narrated by them,” one woman told the WSWS. “When we saw the television reports, I was so angry that I felt like dashing the TV on the ground for not reporting what we said.”

Residents and Nishantha’s mother said they appreciated the WSWS and a few other media outlets for exposing the police provocation. “I think I was only able to see my son because of your exposure,” Siriyawathie said.

While 14 houses have been damaged by police, according to lawyers, the police have refused to accept residents’ allegations. Last week a magistrate ordered Colombo Criminal Division officials to allow victims to lodge complaints but some victims have been reluctant, fearful that they will be victimised by the police.

On July 5, the courts ordered the bail of 176 of the more than 200 arrested on July 4. Another 13 were released on July 14, after several identification parades, but on 100,000-rupee ($US887) personal bail. According to police, the remaining 22 will be held in remand until at least July 28.

Defence lawyers told the court that the entire process violates basic legal principles because the police were both complainants and investigators of the case and all suspects were identified and arrested by the police for identification parades.

WSWS reporters spoke with several relatives of those detained. Mohamed Nasar, 22, Suresh Kumar, 30, and Chaminda Kumar, 20, all from the same family, remain in police custody. The family is typical of those living in the shanty town. Nasar works at tea stores on casual basis and on other days sells fish. Suresh is a labourer at a Colombo fish market. Their mother explained: “The families of my sons and daughter are living here. One daughter is working in the Middle East, and Nasar and Suresh worked to feed us. We have been placed in a very difficult situation following their arrests. They are innocent.”

Suresh’s sister said she was terrified when police raided their house on the night of July 3. She said police broke in the door and dragged Suresh and Nasar away. “When we opposed this, the police abused us. One officer put a pistol against my forehead and threatened to shoot me.”

Suresh’s mother said: “They [police] only allowed me to see my sons after four days. When we saw them, they couldn’t walk. Suresh’s lips were swollen and Nasar’s face was blackened.”

Nasar’s and Suresh’s parents previously lived near Bere Lake in central Colombo but were forcibly evicted and relocated to Summitpura during a “clearing” of the city for the Non-Aligned Movement summit in 1976. The mother said: “We lived with one of our aunties here. Their home was a hut built with wooden planks and coconut leaves. The government didn’t provide us with anything, just a small muddy plot of land. My husband was a mechanic and we had many difficulties, but after he died the situation worsened. As the children grew up, we were forced to rent a house. The rent for this house is 3,000 rupees.”

Suresh’s nephew, Chaminda, was also arrested on July 3. His mother, Pushpa Rani, told the WSWS: “The police smashed his wedding photos and took away the photographs. He couldn’t walk when I saw him.” He was released the next day.

The police arrested Rani’s 14-year-old son, Kalum Kumara, and her nephew, Kasun, 18—an orphan and asthmatic. They were detained when hooded men pointed them out during the July 4 round-up. They were later released but only after police forcibly shaved their heads. Many other youth and children had their heads shaved.

Unemployed worker, Pradeep Ruwan Perera, 22, is currently being held on remand. His mother, Wijeshwari, told WSWS reporters that her son was arrested on the night of July 3 while at a friend’s house. “He was not involved in the incident. When police attacked the people he ran away with fear and was hiding in one of his friend’s place. He was beaten severely when detained.”

Wijeshwari, 40, is a labourer at a tea store and a widow. She suffers from breathing problems and can only work four days a week. She is paid just 100 rupees for packing 1,000 bags and says that her breathing difficulties prevent her from packing more. “The doctors told me it is because of the tea dust and they advised me to stop working there. But I can’t because I have no other way to live,” she said.

T.A. Romesh Sampath is also being held in remand. His wife, Indika, told the WSWS: “Sampath was arrested [on July 3] when he heard someone attacking our three-wheeler [taxi]. When he asked who was attacking the vehicle, he was dragged into a jeep. The police opposed him being granted bail.” Indika was arrested the next day at the assembly ground and jailed for two days.

There are no basic facilities for Summitpura residents, who still live in small wooden huts. There is a small dispensary but the residents have to travel to Colombo National Hospital for any medical treatment. There is no library, no vocational training or cultural programs for the youths, most of whom are unemployed.

The Urban Development Authority and Colombo Municipal Council have done nothing to improve living conditions in the area. Instead, residents will be evicted along with tens of thousands of families in other Colombo suburbs to release land for real estate developers. The redevelopment project is under the direct control of the defence ministry.

Locals angrily denounced the government repression. One woman said: “We can now understand how the military and police treated the Tamil people in the North and East. And I can also understand why they [Tamils] took up arms, because their problems were not solved.”

© World Socialist Web Site

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"Sri Lanka has unique opportunity to forge lasting peace" US Assistant Secretary says

Colombo Page
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With the Sri Lankan President's victory and the equally strong parliamentary victory following the defeat of LTTE last year, Sri Lanka has a unique opportunity to forge a lasting peace and prosperity after decades of war, the US said.

Addressing media following his meeting with President Mahinda Rajapaksa this morning, US Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs Robert Blake said he had a very productive series of meetings with the President, External Affairs Minister Prof. G.L. Peiris, and members of civil society, business community and opposition.

Welcoming the defeat of LTTE, Blake said achieving reconciliation is a key element of peace and one part of achieving reconciliation will be to finish resettling all internally displaced personas as soon as possible.

"Another key part of reconciliation is to ensure accountability for past wrongs. US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton had recently told External Affairs minister G.L Peiris that Sri Lanka's Lessons learnt and reconciliation commission holds promise and we hope and expect it will fulfill that promise. A last pillar of reconciliation will be to advance democracy and human rights. Minister Peiris affirmed during his visit to Washington that Sri Lanka wants to revive and strengthen its institutions of democracy," Blake said.

"The US will continue to be Sri Lanka's partner in all of these endeavors," he asserted.

Blake said that he discussed the process of greater power sharing and encouraged the President to engage Tamil people in the process and continue to have a dialogue with them.

Blake said that progress in implementing greater power sharing with the provinces, implementing the 17th amendment to empower independent commissions such as the human rights, police and bribery commissions and efforts to safeguard media freedom will all be important steps in ensuring an important step of peace and prosperity for all Sri Lankans.

The former Ambassador to Sri Lanka said that President Rajapaksa understands the need for power sharing and is moving forward.

However, Sri Lanka needs to do more for greater reconciliation, greater democracy, and human rights, the Assistant Secretary added.

Responding to the queries on the tussle between Sri Lanka and the United Nations, Blake said he is pleased to see that the Resident Coordinator Neil Buhne is back in the country and tension reducing.

Blake said there was some misunderstanding on the role of the UN panel appointed by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to advice him on Sri Lanka.

"The US believes the UN panel can play an important advisory role with Sri Lanka's commission. The panel is only an advisory panel and does not have an investigatory or judicial role of any kind," he said.

"UN has greater experience in many parts of the world with such conditions and that experience could benefit Sri Lanka's Commission", he added.

Addressing the issue of US trade Office's decision to review GSP trade benefits to Sri Lanka Blake said that it is important to make a distinction on the US GSP process and the EU GSP plus process.

He reiterated that the GSP benefits will remain in effect during the review process and said that the review is a collaborative process with the Sri Lankan business community to ensure their decision makers have a opportunity to visit wide range of businesses in the country to get a first hand look before making any decisions.

© Colombo Page

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Sri Lankan opposition party demands former Army chief's release

Xinhua | People's Daily Online
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Thousands of people protested in the Sri Lankan capital of Colombo on Wednesday demanding the release of former Army Commander General Sarath Fonseka who is currently in military custody over allegedly violating the military law while in uniform.

Addressing the gathering after the protest march, Democratic National Alliance (DNA) legislator Anura Kumara Dissanayake said they will not give up the protest until the government releases Fonseka.

Fonseka who led Sri Lanka Army to defeat Tamil Tiger rebels in May 2009 broke away from President Mahinda Rajapaksa six months after the war victory and unsuccessfully contested January's presidential election against Rajapaksa.

Dissanayake said the government arrested Fonseka just after the presidential election over fraud charges, but he was elected to parliament in April's general election.

"The government is still detaining Fonseka at the Naval Headquarters in Colombo violating the country's laws," he said, adding that President Rajapaksa is harassing his opponents after the elections.

He said they will not allow the government to change constitution enabling Rajapaksa to be in power for a third term and the DNA will force the government to re-establish democracy and media freedom.

Fonseka's wife Anoma Fonseka said the government is now trying to interfere the judiciary too.

"The government is harassing our family in several fronts, but we will not be discouraged," she said.

© People's Daily Online

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Critics scoff at Sri Lankan leaders’ governing proposal

By Feizal Samath | The National
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Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa and Ranil Wickremesinghe, leader of the main opposition United National Party (UNP), agreed last week to work towards a prime-ministerial form of government, which would replace the 32-year-old executive presidency.

Both Mr Rajapaksa’s ruling party and the opposition UNP said they wanted to change the constitution and revert to a British-style parliamentary democracy with a prime minister as the head of government, the country’s governing system before 1978.

However, critics and some lawmakers see the proposed change as no real change at all and simply an attempt by Mr Rajapaksa to hang on to power under a different title.

Earlier this year, the president had declared in foreign media interviews his intention to seek a constitutional amendment to remove the restriction of two terms in office for a president. The aim was to allow him to contest for a third term after his second term ends in November 2016.

“He is abandoning plans to contest a third term as president but how sincere and genuine is he?” asked Wijedasa Rajapakse, a UNP legislator and leading constitutional lawyer.

He said the president was forced to abandon plans for a third term because of international pressure, which is mounting over his persistent refusal to allow a United Nations panel to probe human-rights abuses, particularly during the last few months of the war against the Tamil Tigers in May 2009.

“We went for the discussions because we didn’t want the public to say that the UNP is scuttling the process,” the lawmaker said. He added, however, that if the executive prime minister proposal was a genuine attempt to reduce the powers of the president, then the opposition would provide its fullest support.

Tamil parliamentarian Suresh Premachandran said the president and his allies were more interested in personal power and glory than resolving the far more important problems of minority Tamils.

“The constitution is being changed for family purposes. This is a big farce,” he said. “The issues of the Tamils of language, religion, culture, land, security and meaningful devolution of power remain unresolved.

“The government has nicely sidestepped the issues facing Tamils, and is concentrating on how to stay in power. They [the Rajapaksa family] are pursuing narrow political interests,” he said.

The president’s three brothers – Basil, the economic development minister; Gotabaya, the defence secretary; and Chamal, the parliamentary speaker – play influential roles in running the country. Namal, the president’s son, was recently elected to parliament.

“Our position has always been to abolish the executive presidential system, and there is some kind of national consensus on this,” Vasudeva Nanayakkara, an MP from the Democratic Left Front, which is part of the ruling coalition, said in a telephone interview last week. He said he and other senior politicians in his party worried that the proposed constitutional reforms would extend the control of the Rajapaksa clan and leave no room for others.

“The president knows that if he allows his authority to be challenged, he would have problems. He doesn’t want to leave space for a challenge,” Mr Nanayakkara said, saying the proposed change “would be a crude version of the executive president with similar powers”.

Kusal Perera, a columnist with the Colombo-based Sunday Leader newspaper, said other senior politicians in the ruling party were also worried that the proposed constitutional reforms would extend the control of the Rajapaksa clan.

“The president knows that if he allows his authority to be challenged, he would have problems. He doesn’t want to leave space for a challenge,” Perera said, saying the proposed change “would be a crude version of the executive president with similar powers”.

He said the heated debate over the country’s form of government indicates that the president is losing support for his autocratic rule.

“Earlier none in the government outside the Rajapaksa family would challenge decisions by the president, particularly when the war was being fought, fearing they would be labeled unpatriotic. Now that the war is over, the cracks are showing,” he said.

© The National

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LR Global Partners starts Sri Lankan unit on growth prospects after war

By Anusha Ondaatjie and Asantha Sirimanne | Bloomberg
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LR Global Partners, the New York- based money manager that specializes in developing markets, has set up an asset management unit in Sri Lanka to benefit from expanding economic growth after the end of the South Asian island’s 26-year civil war.

LR Global plans to put $20 million in an initial round of investments, Managing Partner Don Laguardia said in an interview in the capital Colombo.

“We are looking at Sri Lanka as a market that has a huge potential,” Laguardia said.

The benchmark Colombo All-Share Index has climbed 43 percent this year and is the best performer after Mongolia in the Asia-Pacific region. The island’s $41 billion economy is forecast by the central bank to grow 7 percent in 2010, the fastest pace in four years, amid increased public spending on roads, ports and power plants.

The New York-based company has opened Lanka Asset Management Co. in Colombo to channel overseas investments into private placements and private equity, local unit Managing Director Channa De Silva said.

“We are also keenly interested to promote a fair amount of initial public offerings in the medium to short term through investing in unlisted companies and eventually bringing them onto the stock market,” De Silva said today in a telephone interview.

Lanka Asset plans to sell shares on the Colombo Stock Exchange next year, Laguardia said.

Leopard Capital LP, which manages a Cambodia private-equity fund, said in January it’s seeking to raise $130 million for two funds that will invest on the island.

The government defeated the separatist Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam in May 2009.

© Bloomberg

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