Quite a few pseudo political theorists have been trying to interpret the polling pattern of Tamils in the North and East at the last Presidential election to theorize that, even though Mahinda Rajapaksa defeated Prabhakaran he has not been able to win the hearts and minds of the Tamil population....The positive sign in the last Presidential election result however, is that Mahinda Rajapaksa, after having taken the unitary stand of one nation, garnered a near 25 percent of the Tamil vote for the first time in the history of Tamil politics. Hence we could draw inspiration from the thought that a sizeable part of the Tamils consider separatism to be their past and assimilation to be their future. Things will certainly improve if we continue to keep political opportunist like Ranil and Fonseka out of political power.

A few days after the British Foreign Secretary, David Miliband, addressed the World Tamil Forum in London and the British Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, talked to the same Forum delegates, on Friday the 5th March, the Secretary General of the UN, Ban Ki Moon, telephoned the Sri Lanka’s President, Mahinda Rajapaksa, to tell that he intends to appoint an expert committee to ‘advice him on and/or probe the alleged war crimes’ committed ostensibly by all parties at the last stages of the Eelam war to “ensure accountability on the part of Sri Lanka on human rights.” The connection between the Sri Lanka’s former colonial master, the British Government, and the UN pressure on Sri Lanka became more obvious when “a British High Commission official told The Sunday Island [7 March 2010] that Britain consistently supported the UN Secretary General’s call for an ‘accountability process.” It appears that the present move to probe war crimes is primarily a demand by the World Tamil Forum. It was a major facet discussed at the Forum in London as reported by The Times (24 February 2010).

Bowing to the pressure put on him by the LTTE Diaspora through Western Nations like the UK, US and the EU, the Secretary General of the UN has declared his intention of appointing a panel of "Experts" to advise him (the SG of the UN) on accountability issues related to Sri Lanka. This is an open letter to Ban Ki-Moon written by Asoka Weerasinghe.

China is boosting representation for its dwindling rural population in the national legislature as part of a new push to narrow the urban-rural development gap. Once an overwhelmingly rural society, China is urbanizing at an accelerating rate, with 43 percent, or 560 million people, now living in the cities, according to official figures. The urban population has risen 7 percent in the last five years.

If somebody still thinks that the west is very democratic, open minded and tolerates other views then he or she must be day dreaming. The west does not want any government that does not fit into its hegemony to exist and will try to bring that government by hook or crook. Fonseka and the so called Global Tamil Forum will be given publicity in the coming months and the so called international press will try to create heroes out of them. It cannot be a mistake by the BBC to refer to Fonseka as the leader of the opposition and the west may even try to use Ven. Bhikkus against the government if possible. If Fonseka comes to the Parliament, though an unlikely event, Ranil will be eclipsed "internationally" with the help of the western media. In any event Fonseka will be projected as a hero who has been ill-treated by the government. It is not only the GSP plus that we would lose, and we should expect economic sanctions imposed against Sri Lanka in the future, so that Fonseka and the JVP could take the fight against the government to the streets.

What is important is to be Sri Lankans.... What is necessary is to figure out who we are for that is the operational bedrock in the exercise of picking and choosing what we want from the world out there..... The decision has to be informed by who we are, what we want, what works for us and what does not.

Visiting Indian Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao is of the opinion that Sri Lanka has achieved considerable success in the resettlement of IDPs in the North and the East, with the number now standing below 70,000 and the issue has now receded from the attention of the international community, according to a statement issued by the President’s Office.

The Army and Police Special Task Force (STF) seized a haul of weapons, explosives and uniforms in the North and East during search and clear operations Saturday.

President Mahinda Rajapaksa has pointed out that the intention of the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon to appoint a panel of experts to advice him (i.e. the SG) on Sri Lanka is totally uncalled for and unwarranted.

Visiting Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao called on Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa here on Sunday and exchanged views on whole range of issues of mutual interest to both the counties in general and the ongoing rehabilitation and resettlement of the nearly three lakh Tamil civilians displaced during the war between the Sri Lankan forces and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in the course of the 34 month war (July 2006 to May 2009) in particular.

Sri Lanka’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Dr. Palitha Kohona was honoured with a Global Citizenship Award by the Orphans International Worldwide (OIWW), which was founded by Jim Luce in 1999 and is associated with the United Nations. The ceremony was held at the Webster Hall in New York recently.

BERLIN (AP) - German prosecutors said Friday that they have arrested six people suspected of being members of a wing of the Tamil Tiger rebels and of forcing Tamils living in Germany to make donations to the banned group.

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown has defended the UK's invasion of Iraq and insisted he had ensured the nation's armed forces were well funded for war.

The remittances of expatriate Sri Lankans has recorded an unprecedented increase to 3.3 billion dollars (Over Rs 350 billion) last year.

The government today rejected a fresh call by UN Human Rights Chief Navi Pillay for an investigation into alleged war crimes in Sri Lanka, saying that Pillay should respect the decision made by the inter- governmental UN Human Rights Council last year.

Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez Parrilla, speaking at the 13th Session of the Human Rights Council in Geneva on 3rd March stated that it took 60 million casualties in the 2nd world war to develop the concept of the Right to life and human dignity, however the issue of human rights has now become a tool in the hands of those who have set themselves up as the watchdogs of human rights and question others, while they themselves commit worse human rights abuses.

On the 1st of March the Dateline programme presented by George Negus on SBS television, produced a story about Sri Lanka that can only be classified as a scurrilous piece of journalism ever broadcast by a respectable media outlet. The journalist, who had travelled to Sri Lanka churned out the same hackneyed stories designed to drag Sri Lankan authorities to the war crimes tribunal. The hand of the LTTE diaspora overseas could clearly be discerned not only by the angle from which the story was presented but also from the people who had been interviewed, discredited UN workers and those for whom the LTTE terrorism in Sri Lanka had proved a lucrative industry. This SPUR media release highlights the inaccuracies of this story and invites him to a further discussion, an invitation that George Negus will of course not accept.

A powerful international adoption overseer is refusing to release the results of its inquiry into the disturbing activities of American adoption agencies operating in Ethiopia....The Joint Council of International Children's Services (JCICS) says it has completed its probe, but to release its conclusions would not be "appropriate".

A group of would be illegal Sri Lankan asylum seekers were arrested by the police in Batticaloa while planning to escape by boat to Australia, Police Spokesman SP Preshanth Jayakody said

India has voiced concern over America's reported decision to supply sophisticated weapons to Pakistan. Defence minister A K Antony on Thursday said the US should ensure that the "latest tranche of military aid" is used in fighting al-Qaida and Taliban terrorists and not against India.

A poem written by an anonymous patriot about what makes the heart beat of Sri Lanka

4/03/2010 - Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has released his landmark plan for the ailing hospital system, saying it will end the blame game with the states.

Ranil Wickremesinghe looks like an unfit, unskilled, reserve goalie in an under 13 soccer team facing up to a penalty kick by Ronaldo. He can’t save a goal even if his life depended on it.

Top officials of the International Labour Organisation (ILO) say that informal talks are on as to how labour rights and labour standards can be merged with international trade principles that are governed by the World Trade Organisation (WTO) while large multinational companies are approaching the organisation to enforce labour rights in their manufacturing processes and across supply chains and delivery channels.

UK Foreign Secretary David Miliband holding forth on race relations in Sri Lanka was hollow in his address to the Global Tamil Forum in London and still bent on pursuing separatism. He seemed bafflingly oblivious to the conscientious reconciliatory efforts being made in Sri Lanka after the recent elections. He was careening into mayhem, an affront to his bona fides.

The Police Special Task Force together with Police have seized a haul of weapons during the past four days in Mullaitivu, Akkaraipattu and Valaichchenai hidden by the LTTE.

Colombo, 04 March (Asiantribune.com): The Tamil United Liberation Front (TULF) which has released its election manifesto, for the forthcoming Parliamentary general elections, has stressed that the delay in re- settling the Internally Displaced persons in their respective residences is very unfair and full compensation should be paid immediately for the loss of lives, limbs, and properties of the IDP’s be they Tamils, Muslims, Sinhalese or Tamils of Indian Origin.

Hambantota which is an industrial port will be a free port with no tax involvements.Users are free to use the port for loading, value addition and distribution without any taxes. “Our target is to start cargo handling operations before the end of this year with the expected investments in place”, Sri Lanka Port Authority (SLPA) Chairman Dr. Priyath B. Wickrama told Daily News Business.

Bangkok, 02 March, (Asiantribune.com): Many believe that decades of talk about development and the thousands of tomes on models of development that have emanated from international organisations and development institutions the world is indeed a far better place to live in today.

While the Sri Lankan government leaders, politicians and the general population are looking away, busily engaged in implementing the democratic right of our people to vote, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) operatives and programs appear to be busily at work, at grass roots levels, in the northern and eastern regions of the country.The latest news is that USAID is taking 13 government officials from central and provincial ministries on a seven day study tour to Timor-Leste (East Timor) to learn ‘how land ownership issues are being resolved’ in that US and Australian colony.

USAID has financed Land Officers from Kachcheris in the North and East to travel to East Timor to "study post conflict land settlement. Tissa Devendra questions the rationale behind this move.

The Sri Lankan economy has made a remarkable turnaround, Finance Ministry Secretary Dr. P. B Jayasundera told the Daily News. “This is a reflection of the recovery in exports, imports, domestic construction , tourism, manufacturing activities, plantation and agriculture,” he added. “He said the economic outlook has dramatically improved towards the last quarter of the year following the military victory in the North in May last year and global recovery.

The Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) celebrates its 59th anniversary on March 1. The SLAF which had its origins as the Royal Ceylon Air Force (RCyAF) with a fleet of a dozen Chipmunk aircraft is now a formidable force with over 100 different types of aircraft and helicopters, ranging from Y 12, a light aircraft built in China to the sophisticated F7 GS, also a Chinese product.

Ambassador Ravinatha Aryasinha has said the 32% increase in tourist arrivals to Sri Lanka in January 2010, over the corresponding period in 2009, is indicative that “tourists to Sri Lanka have voted with their feet”.

March 2, 2010 marks the 195th anniversary of the day when Sinhala chieftains arrogated to themselves an authority which the nation never sanctioned and ceded Sri Lanka to the last of the alien aggressors. On that fateful day in the year 1815, darkness of foreign domination descended on Senkadagala, the last bastion of the Sinhala people.

The Global Tamil Forum (GTF) had its inaugural meeting last week. The GTF is the defunct LTTE resuscitated in a different format,’old wine in new bottles’ !. It is the current LTTE network and their goal is to set up a separate state.

Colombo, 01 March, (Asiantribune.com): Not a week passes without some absurdly critical comment by Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia Robert Blake on Sri Lanka. One could understand when Blake as Ambassador to Sri Lanka making a statement after statement on Sri Lankan issues, but there too, he has made more comments on local issues than any other Ambassador/High Commissioner including the envoy of India, a nation most of Sri Lankan consider as a relation, more than a friend as President Mahinda Rajapaksa said earlier this month.

Northern Province Governor, Maj. Gen. (retd) G. A. Chandrasiri, said that the one-time LTTE strongholds east of A9 road were now open for resettlement and reconstruction. The former Army Chief of Staff said that the work was going on apace, both east and west of the road, though they had failed to grab attention of both print and electronic media.

The Government does not have a first rate media policy but we’ve certainly seen far worse situations over the past 30 years or so. My contention has been that the Government is overly worried about criticism because the critics, apart from a handful of people like Rajpal Abeynayake and Namini Wijedasa, are absolutely compromised by corruption, fraud, political loyalties and even complicity in the designs of the LTTE. All the Government had to do was give them enough rope and watch them hang themselves.

In his inimitable style, H.L.D. Mahindapala analyses the coming General Elections in Sri Lanka. He states: "Even before the nominations closed on Friday for the next parliamentary elections to be held on April 8, 2009 Ranil Wickremesinghe, the Leader of the United National Front, has admitted that he cannot win. His aim, as declared by him, is not to win the election but to prevent the ruling UPFA from getting a two thirds majority. This may even be a Freudian slip but it reflects realistically the current political situation of the opposition which is in total disarray."

For nearly thirty years, no proper census could be held in the North and the East of Sri Lanka because of the terrorist war. As a result, figures used to calculate population data for electoral purposes still reflect the 1981 statistics. Even though over these thirty years there have been changes to the demographics of the North and the East, the electoral lists do not reflect the changes. SPUR seconds the proposal of the Commisioner of Elections to conduct a census not only in the North and East but Island wide and correct the anomalies that have skewed representations in Parliament in the past thirty year.

Sri Lanka is at the very early stages of an economic boom and therefore a technology boom, according to Mani Kulasooriya, a Founder / Director of Business Development of the recently launched local IT consultancy Latitude655.

Britain's Foreign Secretary, David Milliband, rushes in where Angels fear to tread. It looks as if he is still seeking to save the LTTE, this time round by addressing a gathering of LTTE members now calling themselves the Global Tamil Forum.

NEW JERSEY-- Addressing a gathering of more than 600 expatriates at the Sri Lanka national day celebrations here, US Congressman Frank Pallone Jr. complimented the government for its battlefield successes against the LTTE. "I am not a military expert," said Pallone, "but my view is that we should be thankful as a country that Sri Lanka was successful in rooting out terrorism."

Central Bank Governor, Ajith Nivard Cabraal said the country’s economy has shown positive developments and that there is absolutely no risk for the country even if there is a delay in the disbursement of the next International Monetary Fund (IMF) tranche.

The three TNA dissidents who submitted nominations on the UPFA ticket to contest the April 8 General Election told the Sunday Observer that their decision was prompted by their belief in President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s genuine concern for the welfare of the Tamils of the North and the East.

A bumper harvest is reported from all districts, the Agriculture Development and Agrarian Services Ministry stated.

There is a man called Gordon Brown. I have something to say to him. Here goes: Mr. Brown, your country is yet to compensate mine for crimes against humanity, genocide, plunder of resources, insults and humiliation. I know you are going through a hard time, so let me conservatively say ‘50 billion pounds’. To begin with.

Libya’s leader called for a jihad, or holy war, against Switzerland on Thurday because of its ban on mosque minarets - escalating a long-running diplomatic feud between the two countries.

Highlighting the rise of Irish terrorism once again The Wall Street Journal reported that last Monday, in the dead of night, “a 225-pound bomb went off in a car near the front security gates of the courthouse of Newry, a town near the border with the Republic of Ireland.” How did the Prime Minister of UK, Gordon Brown’s office react? A spokesman from No: 10 Downing Street said: “Such acts are entirely unrepresentative of the views of the vast majority of people in Northern Ireland. We will not allow a tiny minority to turn the clock back.” (February 23, 2009 – Wall Street Journal).

General Sarath Fonseka will be indicted under the civil law in Sri Lanka within the next two weeks, Export Development and International Trade Cabinet Minister Professor G.L Peiris said at a media briefing held at the Department of Government Information yesterday.

The voting pattern in the North and East is understandable as the Government had failed to attend to the legitimate grievances of the Tamils. It is a protest vote they registered against President Rajapakse rather than a vote in support of Sarath Fonseka.

The greatest challenge posed by Robert Blake’s recent remarks on Sri Lanka, while his agent Fonseka is yet to explain the source of the US dollar bounty, and while his neocon forces in Afghanistan are exterminating poor Afghan villagers, is to find means of expressing the utter disgust such remarks deserve; they surpass the levels of description achievable through commonly used terms such as ‘hypocritical’ and ‘dishonest’

COLOMBO: The International Crisis Group (ICG) has urged the Sri Lankan Tamil Diaspora to jettison the failed Tamil Eelam agenda of the LTTE. Instead, they should pursue the quest for a just peace in a united Sri Lanka. The Brussels-based independent NGO has a branch here.

The Sri Lanka support Group in Canberra, Australia have sent a letter making a formal complaint against ABC TVs biased broadcast on Sri Lanka in the Foreign Correspondent programme on 9th February 2010

New Delhi, 25 February, (Asiantribune.com): In an exclusive interview, with India’s leading weekly magazine, Tehelka, Sri Lanka Defence Secretary, Gotabhaya Rajapakse – a former combat officer, the real boss of the armed forces and also the President’s powerful brother – made some startling revelations. He spoke to author and renowned Delhi-based senior journalist Inderjit Badhwar. Delhi-based senior journalist Inderjit Badhwar

Speaking to Daily Mirror Online Minister Bathiudeen said that the government had launched an investigation and those found guilty will be deported. “Inquiries are going on and we will receive the results very soon. We have identified some INGO’s and if they are found guilty they will be sent back home,” the Minister said.

“The politicians and the media threw a fit over Senator Joyce’s comments on Australia’s debt, to hide the real debt situation, which is over $800 billion worse than he said,” Citizens Electoral Council leader Craig Isherwood revealed today.

South Asia’s largest water supply and sanitation project constructed at Viharagala, Sooriyawewa will be opened by President Mahinda Rajapaksa today.

Fiji will consider full withdrawal from the Commonwealth if the association of countries continues to meddle in attempts to move the nation forward, said Fiji Prime Minister Commodore Voreqe Bainimarama on Wednesday.

TColombo, 25 February (Asianrtribune.com): Minister Rohitha Bogallagama, Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama summoned the British Acting High Commissioner in Colombo Mark Gooding to the Foreign Ministry yesterday to express Sri Lanka’s strong protest with regard to the British Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs David Miliband’s intent to address the London Conference of the pro-LTTE ‘Global Tamil Forum’

23 February 2010 – Nearly 58,000 farming households in Sri Lanka are expected to benefit from a United Nations-funded programme designed to improve their livelihoods, boost their incomes and enhance their participation in the marketing and selling of their products.

Britain’s waning influence at the United Nations is set to dwindle even further with the departure of the last remaining British official in the upper echelons of the world body.

Argentina has garnered regional support in its escalating row with Britain over the disputed Falkland Islands, winning immediate backing from Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez.

The United Nations has questioned whether the federal government's proposed reforms to the Northern Territory intervention will ensure Australia meets its international human rights obligations.

The Supreme Court refused an application for interim relief to release General Sarath Fonseka, the third applicant in a Fundamental Rights petition, after submissions by the Senior Defence Counsel and the Attorney General yesterday. The Bench Comprising Acting Chief Justice Dr. Shirani Bandaranayake, Justice Jagath Balapatabendi and Justice K. Sripavan also rejected the affidavits submitted before Court in respect of this application.

There is an ongoing discussion/controversy, both locally and internationally, on war crimes committed during the long drawn out struggle between the GOSL (Government of Sri Lanka) and the LTTE (Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam). It is especially during the last few months, when the final battle for victory took place, that the issue has become prominent.

"The federal government will spend $69 million on biometric checks to reduce the risk of terrorists and other criminals entering Australia undetected." They will however, welcome LTTE cadres with open arms

Marie Antoinette was the Queen consort of Louis XV1, the last King of France whose reign ended with the French revolution in 1792. She ... became famous for her statement during the turbulent days leading to the French revolution. When bread, the staple food, became the issue of unrest among the people she retorted, “If there is no bread, then let them eat cake!”Last week, the European Union decided to announce its withdrawal of the GSP+ facility to Sri Lanka for its imports from the island nation citing ‘shortcomings’ in the country’s human rights practices. However when we evaluate the timing and the reasons adduced to this withdrawal, it is plain that there is an unmistakable parallel in this action to the element of cruelty and hubris embedded in the Marie Antoinette statement.

Consequent to the arrest of the defeated candidate Fonseka by the Military Police, the Opposition parties capitalized on this issue to rouse their supporters to take to the streets in protest demanding the release of the General and even attempted to commit a breach of peace by invading the sanctity of the Superior Courts complex.

Once upon a time there was an individual named Gordon Weiss. He was the spokesman for the United Nations in Colombo. He was an Australian national.

Countries that aided and abetted the Tamil Tiger terrrorists are now learning that terrorists have no borders. In a recent broadcast, the aBC reveals steps being taken by the Australian government to prevent terrorists coming into the country. A bit like shutting the stable door after the horse has bolted."People arriving in Australia from high-risk countries will have to submit their fingerprints and other biometric data under a proposed $70 million anti-terrorism scheme outlined in a Government white paper."

All those who are against balkanization of sovereign countries should be alert to the tactics followed by Norway directly and the USA indirectly.

The writer challenges the editor to publish this response in which he points out the different ways in which the west has tried to defend the LTTE - even going so far to categorise terrorists into good and bad.

Where were you on February 22, 2002, do you remember? It is an important date in our history. As important as June 29, 1987, when the Indo-Lanka Accord was thrust down our throats by Rajiv Gandhi, a man who responded to the then UNP Government’s abject servility to Uncle Sam by nurturing Tamil discontent into a kind of terrorism that he himself lost control over eventually. What happened in Sri Lanka eight years ago, do you remember, ladies and gentlemen?

Human Rights Minister Mahinda Samarasinghe, in an exclusive interview with the Sunday Observer, highlights the Government’s response to issues such as the white flag incident, Channel 4 video and the forthcoming HRC session in Geneva. Excerpts from the interview:

Parties interested in destabilising Sri Lanka are said to be channelling funds through various International NGOs and even local NGOs. A report published in the Indian newspaper, The Hindu states: A statement by the Foreign Ministry quoted Mr. Bogollagama as saying, “An amazing amount of assets have been found by the same authorities and it is a proven fact now that these funds have reached Sri Lanka via some International INGOs and local NGOs. He expressed his highest dissatisfaction for channelling such funds to destabilise democracy in Sri Lanka.”

Hambantota was a busy port in ancient times. When the new port is opened, Hambantota will return to its former glory as an important meeting between the East and the West.

The judicial system will be re-established on March 1 after two decades in the districts of Kilinochchi and Mullaitivu where the LTTE administered its own ‘Kangaroo’ Court with its judges and police force since 1987.

Russia will soon join Sri Lanka’s oil and gas exploration work which will be launched in the island’s Mannar gulf area. A team of Russian gas and oil experts will arrive in Sri Lanka in the middle of March to hold further discussions with the Sri Lanka government, said Power and Energy, Petroleum and Petroleum Development Ministry Secretary M.M.C. Ferdinando.

The US Embassy is livid. They are pissed off their minds because, ‘various state media outlets’ had alleged that the United States of America had supported a candidate at the recently held Presidential Election. The US Embassy in Colombo in a special media statement has categorically denied any such involvement and had chided these ‘media outlets’ for making baseless charges without giving Patricia Butenis a chance to comment on what the Embassy calls ‘spurious claims’.

The self styled International Community seems to be waiting for Sri Lanka to collapse into anarchy. Having failed to produce what was termed "Regime change" in Sri Lanka at the Presidential Elections, these "humanitarians" for whom charity begins at home, are unleasing their tame media on Sri Lanka. The editorial that appeared last week in the Sydney Morning Herald is just another example of their feeble attempts to foist the will of the self styled International community on the people of Sri Lanka. Responses to this editorial and other similar articles, are not published in the newspapers that carry these editorials and articles - showing just how impartial these newspapers are

President Mahinda Rajapakse in an interview with N. Ram of The Hindu discusses the forthcoming General Elections. "In an interview to The Hindu at Temple Trees in Colombo, the Sri Lankan President responded candidly to questions ranging from the contours of the political solution to the Tamil question he had in mind to the factors behind his 18 percentage point win in the January 26 presidential election, the subsequent arrest of retired general Sarath Fonseka, and India-Sri Lanka relations."

Commenting on the progress made thus fare on the reconciliation process with the Aborigines, RICHARD FRANKLAND AND PETER LEWIS write in The Age of 21st Feb 2010:"The road to "closing the gap" has many potholes and detours. Our vehicle, designed by government bureaucracy rather than Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, is running out of petrol because it is not fuel efficient. We having difficulties reading the roadmap and are beginning to suspect it is either only half-completed or for a different part of the country. We have lost direction. The car has broken down."

"Why are so many Americans contemptuous of their Congress?" This is a comment by Jonathon Mann of CNN about upcoming congressional elections in the US. The story highlights the following: "Incumbents rarely defeated in U.S. Congress races; 90 percent won in 2008. Polls show two-thirds of Americans think most lawmakers don't deserve re-election. That could allow Republicans to topple Democrat majorities in 2010 elections

This is the transcript of a story run by th ABC on Monday 15th February. "A GP, a group of oyster farmers and a Sydney scientist banded together to investigate mysterious water quality issues in one of the most beautiful areas of Tasmania."

Sydney Morning Herald has done it again. The Editor publishes editorials as if he is the last word on Sri Lankan politics but when errors are pointed out they black out the corrections. That’s Aussie rules for you. The following is an expanded version of the original letter sent to the Editor which, needless to say, was not published says H.L.D. Mahindapala.

One of the most famous Sedition and Espionage trials in the '50s was the Rosenberg case where both the husband and wife were sent to the electric chair for "for transmitting or attempting to transmit to a foreign Government information relating to national defence." Even in the face of death, the couple denied the charges.They were both executed.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is looking into the suspicious funding of certain elements in society by NGO’s and INGO’s which may destabilize the democracy of the country, Ministry sources said

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) recently initiated a project with the participation of the local community to remove water hyacinth which caused havoc on the Bolgoda Lake. The dried plants are then used to produce recycled paper out of which bags, bottle holders, wedding cake boxes and file covers are made.

A founder of Hamas' military wing, Mahmoud al-Mabhouh is killed in Dubai. Police tell local media a professional gang, some with European passports were responsible. His family believe Israel was behind the killing. Israel neither confirms nor denies any role in the death

In this wide ranging interview, Victor Ivan, editor of Ravaya, speaks to C.A.Chandraprema about last month’s presidential election and the post election tensions that have gripped society. Among the matters discussed are what we would and would not like to see happening in the future and how the next six to seven years of stable government can be made use of to ensure that the mistakes and undesirable aspects of the recent past are not repeated.

The table below is extracted from the published election results by the Commissioner of Elections. I have sought to look at not only those who cast their votes but also those who did not bother to vote, given that this was an extremely important election and one the TNA and SLMC canvassed hard to give their selected candidate (SF) all the support and their votes.

Richard de Zoysa died twenty years ago, in the early hours of February 18th 1990. He had been abducted from his home earlier that night by a posse of armed men, part of the death squads which had dealt with what was seen in those days as the JVP menace.

General (Retd) Fonseka's arrest for sedition has set off another media feeding frenzy and a round of Sri Lanka bashing. While seemingly anti-Sri Lankan, the article reveals that the Government of Sri Lanka has valid reasons behind the arrest and the Court Martial Process in Sri Lanka is "basically and originally British Law".

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka — The main partner in Sri Lanka's opposition coalition will contest the next elections independently, officials said Monday, the first split since its defeated presidential candidate was arrested for alleged sedition.

Manoj Lanka poses a very relevant question: What do the Tamils in Sri Lanka lack in the current political framework? He states "This piece of writing is aimed to recommend a realistic reconciliation and restoration process as it is now becoming a timely important matter which should not leave to evade in the face of election heat".

Sri Lanka's mainstream opposition parties, which demonstrated a rare unity by backing the presidential candidature of the former Army Chief, Sarath Fonseka, have decided to part ways and form their own alliances for the April 8 parliamentary election.

Facing electoral oblivion the JVP has been clutching at straws to remain relevant in the political arena. The most recent straw it clutched - the story of the computer fraud which they named computer jilmaat - seems to have unfortunately snapped in two. The recently lodged election petition is ominously silent on the "Computer Jilmaat". The Island editorial of 18th Feb states: "Now, the JVP leader and others who tried to pull the wool over the eyes of the public by propagating the jilmaat lie owe an explanation. They ought to tell their backers why that allegation was omitted."

Sri Lanka has become the first country in the Asia Pacific region to bring the Malaria menace under control by eradicating 98 percent of the epidemic.

The sustainable power sector support Technical Assistance (TA) project is funded by the Japanese Government through the Japan Special Fund (JSF) that is administered by the ADB.

Responding to Dayan Jayatilleka's article, 'The Fonseka affair - A perfect Blunder' Lalin Fernando writes: "Dayan J has made a few but crucial avoidable blunders in his article in the Island (8 Feb 2010) titled the ‘F... Affair – A perfect blunder’ which will call into question some of his assumptions and assertions and whether he too has blundered..."

Sri Lanka is united for the first time in 500 years by forces arising entirely within Sri Lanka. The 1st and essential stage in building a powerful independent state is now complete.The magnitude of this achievement can be understood in the light of subversive activities carried out by the American, British and Norwegian diplomats to undermine the democratic will of the people of in Sri Lanka. Some of the suspects that have been arrested with Sarath Fonseka have revealed that one of the incentives offered for working for him was a Green Card upon victory and a pocket full of dollars.

Sri Lanka values her longstanding relations with the EU and will therefore continue her engagement with it in the upcoming six months with a view to obtain a timely reversal of the temporary suspension of the GSP plus facility, said a statement of the Foreign Ministry issued yesterday.

The petition did not make any reference to the Opposition’s main allegation in the wake of the Jan. 26 polls that President Mahinda Rajapaksa had won a second term through a computer fraud

The offensive is the biggest joint operation since the 2001 U.S.-led invasion of Afghanistan and a major test of a retooled NATO strategy to focus on protecting civilians rather than killing insurgents. The Afgahn war waged by the US lead coalition are causing more civilian deaths each day. Last Sunday twelve civilians died in Marjah when a missile landed on their house. Today it is revealed that the missile landed on the intended target. Therefore it can be assumed that the US forces are targetting civilians in their war against terrorism.

Colombo, 15 February (Asiantribune.com): Sarath Fonseka - Facing Court MartialDoubts of many whether Retired General Sarath Fonseka could be tried under the Army Act has now been clarified and even cleared by the lawyers of Sarath Fonseka and the true position has been conveyed to him by his lawyers, Asian Tribune has reliably learnt.

To a segment of Tamils in Sri Lanka, alienation from mainstream life has become a habit of thought. It has now got embedded in sentiment and inertia. Perhaps to a people habituated to fatalistic propensities, this mode of action came a bit too easily.

There are many differences between a Presidential Election and any other kind of election but one of the more in-your-face differences is that presidential elections are essentially about two individuals (sorry Bahu, you didn’t even make a ripple) whereas other elections force the public to deal with thousands of faces.

The United Nations does not support statements made by Gordon Weiss on the Foreign Correspondent broadcast by ABC television recently. "The office of the UN Resident Coordinator in Sri Lanka, in a statement posted on its website, said that the views expressed by former UN Colombo spokesman Gordon Weiss to an Australian television station do not represent the UN."

Reporting on a protest held on General Sarath Fonseka's arrest and detention in California in front of the Sri Lankan consulate, Dr. Long explains why it was right and legal to arrest General Fonseka."...that there are very strict laws in the US about military personnel who are suspected of sedition and other such crimes committed while in uniform" He goes on to explain that the Military Law used in Sri Lanka today was modeled on the British system and "In the UK when military law is interpreted, reasonable suspicion is usually considered adequate grounds for arrest. And I believe that the Government had quite a bit more than “reasonable suspicion” to back their decision to arrest Fonseka."

Sitting through the press conference on Tuesday last, at the Opposition Alliance’s offices, to hear their condemnation of the arrest of defeated Presidential candidate Sarath Fonseka, was an exercise in amazement.

The government ought to congratulate itself on an unintended diplomatic success. Reaching out particularly to Iran and by consolidating further our close relations with China, (which is seen by the US and its new ally India, as an emerging threat to their interests) has resulted in the US doing a karanang with regard to its policy towards Sri Lanka.

Perhaps it is the fact that Sri Lanka is not playing any international cricket right now and has a fairly lean schedule ahead that makes me dwell on cricket these days, forgive me.

The United States of America is fighting a very unconventional war against radical Islamic terrorists. They will never compromise their national security.

A groundswell of support seems to be building up to free the arrested former army chief Sarath Fonseka. But the army is likely to go ahead and initiate court martial proceedings against him, the first four-star general in its history.

My uncle used to smoke a pipe. This was about 30 - years ago. He always had some pipe tobacco with him. The brand was ‘Island Pride’, smelt foul. I knew then what ‘island’ meant, but couldn’t get a hang of the word ‘pride’.

The United States is livid. No, they won’t say the word ‘livid’, they are far too cute for that, after all they are a nation that invade sovereign nations and tell the world they are doing it for the good of the people, never mind the fact that the process involves killing half a million people in battle, half a million children through sanctions and rendering another half a million homeless. So when they say ‘concerned’, they actually mean ‘livid’.

Despite its shortcomings, scrapping Sri Lanka's trade benefits would only impede its progress towards liberal democracy

Minister of Human Rights Mahinda Samarasinghe refuting former UN spokesman in Colombo, Gordon Weiss’s comment about civilian deaths during the final stages of the war against LTTE terrorism, said that no one should take serious note on his disclosure as it was a false utterance.

‘Unless the government extends a bailout package immediately to the Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) sector, a minimum of 60% of these enterprises would collapse, throwing a considerable number of the sector’s employees out on the streets’, Chamber of Small and Medium Industries president Aloy Jayawardene told the Monetary Policy Consultative Committee of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka, Feb. 11.

It was worrisome to read in India’s Economic Times that you had requested Sri Lanka’s President Mahinda Rajapaksa to free former Commander of Sri Lanka’s Army Sarath Fonseka immediately who had been arrested and facing a possible court martial.

It has been 20 years since anti-apartheid advocate Nelson Mandela was released from prison, following 27 years of incarceration.

A few days ago the JVP Leader was reported to have said that when a state joins the world body, the United Nations, it loses part of its sovereignty.

The General (retired) Sarath Fonseka has been arrested by the military police and held in custody pending court-martial. On a number of occasions, requests were made to Gen (retired) Fonseka not to throw baseless and vindictive accusations against serving military personnel and the political leadership in Sri Lanka. General (retired) Fonseka was also encouraged to take his case, if there was one, to the judiciary in Sri Lanka and seek recourse.

Colombo, 12 February (Asiantribune.com): The Fundamental rights violation petition filed on Wednesday challenging the alleged arbitrary arrest and detention of General Sarath Fonseka is coming before the Supreme Court today.

The Supreme Court yesterday granted leave to proceed with the fundamental rights applications filed by Anoma Fonseka, wife of Sarath Fonseka and New Democratic Front Secretary Shamila Perera.

With the war over and Asia leading the world out of the global recession, an economist says Sri Lanka is charged up and raring to go, showing signs of being self-sustainable with little dependence on policy initiatives but the fiscal situation remains under a dark cloud.

Eight months ago (and ten months before regional elections were due to be held all over the country), French president Nicolas Sarkozy raised a vital issue before the French parliament.

This statement "Sri Lankan Church Leaders Condemn Presidential Poll" serves to confirm the general opinion of Sri Lankans that the Catholic Church was and is a close ally of the Tamil terrorists, the LTTE and provides false information to the world about Sri Lanka.

It’s tempting to view the upcoming visit by India’s Home Minister P Chidambaram to Pakistan as a sign of positive change in South Asia.

BRUSSELS, Feb 4, 2010 (IPS) - Major changes are underway in the European Union (EU). For the first time in its history, the 27-country bloc will have a foreign minister once Catherine Ashton, a British Labour politician, receives parliamentary approval for her appointment later this month.

Elections are passionate affairs in Sri Lanka. Given that the ordinary citizen gets a few weeks to feel like king/queen-maker this is not surprising.

Two former Blackwater Worldwide employees say the security company repeatedly billed the US government for excessive or inappropriate expenses, including a prostitute for workers in Afghanistan and strippers in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

The battle over President Obama's top counterterrorism aide escalated Thursday when Sen. John McCain blasted John Brennan for accusing Republicans of aiding Al Qaeda by being critical of his response to the failed Christmas Day airline attack.

BEIJING — China's refusal to sign on to new sanctions against Iran risks prompting a backlash affecting its increasingly complex interests abroad, experts say.

Sri Lanka’s economy will grow 5.5 percent in 2010 due to improving domestic demand and potential export growth after the 25-year war ended in 2009 and as global recovery takes hold, the IMF said.

The resettlement of around 1,000 Internally Displaced Persons in Ganeshapuram, Kattayamalei, Muththuwinayagapuram, Mankulam east, Pannikulam and Indupuram villages commenced yesterday

Amid the escalating human costs of the Western military intervention in Afghanistan, currently compounded by US plans to send in some 30,000 more troops to the crisis-ridden country, a refreshing regional approach to defusing the Afghan turmoil seems to be steadily taking shape.

THE developing countries have in parochialism a menace which disrupts normal life. A small number of people take law into their hands and whip up frenzy by an appeal to divisive and communal sentiments. They not only mar the rhythm of development but also weaken the nation’s cohesion.

Further to the letter written to you by Mr. Hettiarachchi from Canada, I would like to add my own frustration with your media outlets that has been giving out false information to the world, about Sri Lanka....

Five doctors who were serving in the No Fire Zone during the last few days of the final battle in Mullaivaikkal, yesterday admitted that the figures they were dispatching to certain media about civilian casualties were false and exaggerated, due to pressure exerted by the LTTE and regretted their errors.

The government insists there is tangible evidence to prove the allegations raised against General Sarath Fonseka and appealed to both the opposition and the media not to make his arrest a political issue.

Colombo, 11 February (Asiantribune.com): Asian Tribune learns that there is a likelihood of former Army Commander and the former Chief of Defence Staff would be court martialled and also cases would be filed against him in the appropriate civil courts.

The elections are over . The post mortem are flying hither and thither. The one thing that reverberates in my mind are the words of a retired and defeated Ex Army General. “I am definitely going to reveal what I know What I was told , what I heard.

There is tremendous opportunity for foreign companies to get listed in the Colombo Stock Exchange (CSE) and this will pave Sri Lanka to be a financial centre in the region, Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Director General Channa de Silva told Daily News Business.

A fundamental rights violation application was filed by Mrs. Anoma Fonseka in the Supreme Court, yesterday, challenging the legality of the arrest of General Sarath Fonseka by the Military Police in Colombo on February 8, 2010.

It was with a massive majority that the incumbent President Mahinda Rajapaksa was elected to his second term of office. The VOX POPULI was so loud and clear that some opposition politicians are still in a daze.

NEW DELHI: A day after the arrest of former army chief Sarath Fonseka, Sri Lankan high commissioner to India Prasad Kariyawasam said the development would have no adverse effect on the island nation’s stability as the charges against Fonseka are not linked to his status as the main opposition candidate in the January presidential elections.

Democracy is safe in Sri Lanka. The recently concluded Presidential election in Sri Lanka proves this beyond a doubt.

Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa says the recently concluded presidential polls caused a sharp division among the armed forces and the people, though President Mahinda Rajapaksa secured a second term with an overwhelming majority.

Retired General Sarath Fonseka is one of those tragic Shakesperean heroes who is doomed because of a fatal flaw in his character. In short, Fonseka has been the main cause of his own downfall.

ABC-Foreign Correspondent: Hell or High Water

As many as 40,000 civilians could have been killed during the final stages of the Sri Lankan civil war, according to someone with detailed knowledge of the conflict – the former United Nations’ spokesperson in Sri Lanka, Gordon Weiss.

The Foreign Correspondent Programme screened on Tuesday 9th February is an example of poor journalism, abuse of tax payer money, an attempt to create social and religious disharmony, discrediting Australia in the eyes of the world

Gordon Weiss claims that he has “resigned” from the UN after 14 years and returned home to Australia.

We were very disappointed to see the very unbalanced TV programme broadcast on the ABC tonight.

It is regretted that a responsible media org like you plan to air a program on allegations directed by an ex-UN person.

The Sri Lankan government today reiterated that it will not adhere to a set of regulation put forward by the European Union in order to safeguard the GSP plus facility but at the same time will engage in bilateral relations with Brussels.

President Mahinda Rajapaksa dissolved Parliament with effect from midnight yesterday under the powers vested in him under Article 70 (1) of Chapter 11 of the Constitution.

General Sarath Fonseka was Army Commander for four years and Chief of Defence Staff for a short period. Both positions he held were vital for national defence. It has been found in internal inquiries that he had not been able to fulfill the responsibilities and obligations of the high positions he held. His arrest was made purely on his violation of military discipline.

Military Spokesman Major General Prasad Samarasinghe said the Sri Lanka Army will decide to hold a trial on the evidence against retired General Sarath Fonseka either at a Court Martial or Civil court after summary of evidence is forwarded to the Attorney General for his advice.

Little SE witnessed a number of horrific events which changed his psychological makeup drastically. He was forced to observe torture, then forced to induce it on victims.

Incredible, yes. Comic, decidedly so. The Tamil referendum among its overseas western diaspora goes on like an unending comic opera.

People like to be kings. Some believe they are kings, often because they misread the meaning of ‘raja yogas’.

US: President Barack Obama’s top counterterrorism adviser on Sunday lashed out at US lawmakers, accusing them of using national security issues as a “political football” for their own gains.

The coalition of parties, a motley group of political parties with divergent views, for which General Sarath Fonseka gave leadership, has been defeated at the Presidential poll which gave special recognition to some of the fundamental realities of the Sri Lankan polity.

COLOMBO: The chief of the UN human rights watchdog will quiz a Sri Lankan delegation over the controversial allegation by the former army chief that instructions were given by a senior government official to kill the top Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) leaders and not allow them to surrender during the final stages of the ethnic conflict.

Saudi Arabia will fund Saudi Riyal 172 million (Rs. 5,332 million) for the construction of a dam in Sri Lanka, which will be the highest grant offered to the island since 1981.

(Russia has agreed to start oil and gas exploration in the seas off Mannar after President Mahinda Rajapaksa visited the Russian Gas and Oil company Gazprom, Moscow yesterday.

The mental health of children is severely compromised by war and consequent displacement. Nations have a duty under various UN agreements to alleviate the effects of war on children’s mental health.

In the context of a presidential election just concluded and a general election in the offing, there lies a great challenge before the Tamils.

At the Iraq inquiry in London on January 29, former British prime minister Tony Blair found a new way to defend his decision to join George W. Bush in invading Iraq in 2003: the what-if defence. What if they hadn’t invaded Iraq, and Saddam Hussein had remained in power there?

Colombo, 08 February (Asiantribune.com): A new political alliance is gradually taking shape in the North. It is learnt that a handful of TNA dissidents might join the TULF led by V. Anandasangaree to face the forthcoming Parliamentary General Election in Jaffna and Vanni electoral districts.

New Delhi, 08 February (Asiantribune.com): While Australian authorities have been found wanting in solving many assault cases involving Indians, the Victorian police chief Simon Overland has come up with a strange and ridiculous advice to avert such incidents. Police have been sticking to their version that not all incidents could be dubbed as racial.

A big lie has been in circulation ever since the night of January 26, the day of the Presidential election.

Intervention by Sri Lankan Ambassador to Belgium, Luxembourg and the EU Ravinatha Aryasinha at an exchange of views on the “GSP+ scheme and Sri Lanka” at the European Parliament’s International Trade Committee on January 14

FOR India, time is ticking in Bangladesh. All eyes are focused on New Delhi to see if and when it begins to implement the steps listed in the joint communiqué that the Prime Ministers of the two countries signed some 15 days ago.

Available data shows the budget deficit for the first nine months of 2009 at 17.6 percent of GDP but with revenues generally coming in during the last few months of the year there is a possibility that the budget deficit could near the IMF target of 7 percent of GDP for the year.

Sarath Fonseka may not be ready to accept it, but everyone else has acknowledged that Mahinda Rajapaksa roundly defeated the man at the Presidential Election.

The Government has expedited the resettlement of 97,000 Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) living in welfare centres and with foster families in Vavuniya, from February 2.

Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama told Parliament on Friday the resounding victory of President Mahinda Rajapaksa at the Presidential Polls earned the praise of several friendly countries.

He was given a red carpet welcome as he arrived at the Vinucowa Airport in Moscow on Saturday morning.

Sri Lankan shares hit a new high in Monday’s trade, with analysts saying that investors were optimistic on the political stability in the country after the win of Incumbent President Mahinda Rajapaksa at the Jan. 26 presidential polls.

New Delhi, India (CNN) -- Limit displays of affection as you celebrate Valentine's Day or face prosecution, authorities in western India are warning the public.

NEW DELHI, February 6: India has made it clear that it does not want to be either the regional cop or "head master" in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR).

(CNN) -- A shootout in a border city that leaves five alleged drug traffickers sprawled dead on the street and seven police wounded. A police chief and his bodyguards gunned down outside his house in another border city.

The People’s Friendship University of Moscow in Russia conferred an honorary Doctorate on visiting President Mahinda Rajapaksa last evening. President Rajapaksa is seen here accepting the Doctorate at a ceremony held at the University.

Colombo, 06 February (Asiantribune.com): Russian Foreign Minister Sergei V. Lavrov is seen with Rajapaksa when he visited Sri Lanka in last OctoberSri Lanka President Mahinda Rajapaksa is to be awarded today at 6 pm with an Honorary Doctorate by the Peoples’ Friendship University of the Russian Federation, especially considering his outstanding contribution towards fostering world peace and his success against terrorism.

The UN secretary-general says Israel has "followed up on every allegation" that it committed war crimes by deliberately targeting civilians during last year's Gaza offensive.

British prosecutors have announced criminal charges against four politicians over alleged abuse of parliamentary expenses, a dramatic twist in a scandal that has rocked politics in the UK.

(BRUSSELS) - EU nations have decided to suspend Sri Lanka's preferential trade status because of the island's human rights record and will make the formal move later this month, officials said Friday.

Australian Federal Police officers were warned by a judge saying they could face criminal charges over their arrest of a Sri Lankan Tamil man at gunpoint on terrorism charges, the Age newspaper reported.

2009 proved to be a bad year for US led coalition forces in Afghanistan. In the wake of upsurge of Taliban deadly attacks and mounting US fatalities in Afghanistan (304 in 2009), Gen McCrystal pulled out all troops from forward posts and relocated them in fortified towns.

Foreign Affairs Minister Rohitha Bogollagama said in Parliament yesterday that the integrity of the election was acknowledged by the Colombo-based diplomats of the European countries during his discussions with them yesterday.

A special Police team yesterday traced a hideout used by LTTEleader Velupillai Prabhakaran during the final stages of war at Vellamulliwaikkaland and recovered several files containing classified information, 56 CDs and a large quantity of sophisticated weapons.

Australia needs to become a republic‚ not to have an Australian as head of state‚ but because Australia will not be able to develop to its full potential unless the British monetarist shackles on Australian sovereignty‚ enforced by the Crown in the Constitution‚ are broken‚ Citizens Electoral Council leader Craig Isherwood declared today.

An Open Letter to Brad Adams of HRW by Asoka Weerasinghe .

The resounding victory by President Mahinda Rajapaksa placed in perspective the feelings of many Sri Lankans, a sense of gratitude towards a President that had the courage to withstand international pressure and take the battle to the end.

Amongst the more astonishing features of the election was the association between the UNP and the JVP to promote the candidacy of General Fonseka. Or, rather, this was in itself not astonishing, for clearly both parties would have felt a need to clutch at any straw, even a blockbuster of the caliber of the General, to do better than they had done in other recent elections.

The Head of Compliance and Training of Standard Chartered Bank India and South Asia P. Ananthakrishnan says, citing International Monetary Fund (IMF) data, money laundering, whereby monies gained through crime and other illegal means are infused into formal circulation, is a global problem amounting to two to five percent of the world’s economy.

The US says that India will be a net provider of security in the Indian Ocean and beyond with the growth of its military capabilities.

President Mahinda Rajapaksa addressing the 62nd National Independence anniversary celebrations at Kandy yesterday said that having succeeded in uniting the territory he is now entrusted with the task of uniting the hearts of all sections of the people.

Spanish and Portuguese shares were dragged down Thursday by mounting worries over the health of their public finances following similar fears in Greece that have rocked the single European currency.

Haiti has charged 10 US missionaries with child abduction and criminal conspiracy for allegedly trying to smuggle 33 children out of the country.

My older daughter asks different kinds of questions. She wants to know why we have two ‘independence days’.

The government is to finalize the first draft of the National Action Plan for promotion and protection of Human Rights (HR) shortly, the Ministry of Disaster Management and Human Rights said.

Some of the 33 children that a group of American Baptists tried to take out of Haiti without papers were reunited on Tuesday with their parents.

Elections Commissioner Dayananda Dissanayaka today refuted allegations of malpractices during the course of Presidential polls. He also added that there were no incidents to nullify any results.

I have read many e-mails and articles with regard to the presidential election but failed to gain the better of my profundity to express my point of view. However soon after the successful conclusion of the presidential election, when the mind was placed at ease once more, I regained my depth of thought or understanding to write this article.

The 17th Amendment to the constitution was enacted by Parliament with much jubilation after last minute agreement on the composition of Constitutional Council. All talked about the unanimous passing of the Bill.

Recent events like Google’s complaint about censorship in China, a British woman’s being prosecuted for having illicit sex in Dubai, and a British man’s being convicted of drug smuggling in China had received swift criticisms against the host countries from both governments and mass media in the West.

Oh General ! Our General!

A LTTE suspect connected with the bomb attack on a bus in Kebithigollewa in 2006 which killed 64 civilians was arrested by a special police team of the Therunuwara police today.

A discusson by Dr. Asoka Bandarage on "The Separatist Conflict in Sri Lanka: Terrorism, Ethnicity, and Political Economy"

A court has heard that three men who raised more than one million Australian dollars for the LTTE are senior members of the terrorist organisation in Australia. The three men pleaded guilty to funding the Tigers, Radio Australia reported.

Sri Lanka received major world recognition when it was ranked as the eighth fastest growing economy in the world by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) of the United States.

The 2010 Sri Lankan Presidential Election turned out an anti-climax. All the pundits got it wrong and what was promised to be a hard-fought out election practically a photo-finish turned into a no contest with Mahinda Rajapakse creating history by becoming the first incumbent President to be re-elected to office with a resounding victory.

MEDIA RELEASE by the Lanka Support Group regarding a statement issued by Senator Chris Evans on illegal migrants on Christmas Island

New Delhi, 02 February (Asiantribune.com) : Even as the Shiv Sena stuck to its vicious campaign of “ Mumbai for Maharashtrians” , Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram on Monday rejected the Sena contention as a “pernicious thesis”.

Colombo, 02 February (Asiantribune.com): In the guise of congratulating the victory of President Mahinda Rajapaksa in the Presidential election, the Western countries have made it a habit to sermonize what Sri Lanka should do and what it should not.

India’s Union Home Minister P, Chidambaram said that India’s Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has received the 'documentation' from Sri Lanka confirming the death of LTTE Chief Vellupillai Prabhakaran.

The unsuccessful Presidential candidate Sarath Fonseka has refused to concede defeat claiming that the verdict announced by the Elections Commissioner was not in keeping with the enthusiasm of people he encountered during his campaign. He further claims that the opinion polls even as late as the January 25. showed that he had a slender lead over the incumbent.

Perhaps the saddest aspect of the campaign for General Fonseka was the complete absence of principle evinced by the vast majority of thinking persons who ended up supporting him.

Many analysts have written claiming that the votes cast in the recent presidential election testify to the ethnic divide. Others claim that the vote is an affirmation of the obduracy of the Tamils and Sinhalese who do not want to cooperate with each other.

Those in the international community that promoted regime change in Sri Lanka received a rude shock with Mahinda Rajapaksa’s clear victory at last week’s presidential election.

Boasting that he had never lost a battle in his military career (not true) Common Candidate Sarath Fonseka opened what he called his “second front” against his Commander-in-Chief, President Mahinda Rajapaksa.

It is time now, for some sober reflection on the war, the much longed for peace and security,the concluded hustings and the economic and political future of the country.

Eight months into the death of LTTE chief V. Prabhakaran, the proclaimed offender in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case, India is yet to receive his death certificate from the Sri Lankan authorities, the Press Trust of India reported.

IN the days when now defeated Sri Lankan presidential candidate General Sarath Fonseka reigned supreme as the army commander—with his Commander in Chief President Mahinda Rajapaksa and immediate boss Defense Secretary Gotobaya Rajapaksa readily indulging his every military wish, and often even personal tantrums (which by all accounts were frequent and sometimes exceedingly tiresome)—the discreet tattle in the Officers’ Mess was how during decisive stages of the final fierce push against the Tamil Tigers, Fonseka displayed an uncanny knack of always being comfortably removed from the action. So much so that some senior officers were given to quip: “When we advance we have Johnny” (meaning the Tigers’ landmines); “And when we retreat we have Fonny” (meaning Fonseka, of course!).

Colombian Poll: For once, the Colombians have gained fame in the academic realm, as subjects of a socio-anthropological study. They were primarily responsible for the defeat of Sarath Fonseka by brazenly pronouncing the defeat of Mahinda Rajapakse prematurely; lost an election they would have won.

They, the people felt the pain - the pain of losing to the war their sons and daughters, sisters and brothers, nieces and nephews, children of their friends and children of their neighbours.

Hype always trips and sometimes both the generator and the receiver. This is particularly true during election campaigns.

Sri Lanka’s policy direction is clearer after a President Rajapaksa was returned to power with a bigger majority allowing investors to emerge from any ‘wait and see’ attitude, Central Bank Governor Ajith Nivard Cabraal said shortly after the election result was in.

The (geographic) periphery proved to be (politically) peripheral, while the road to power lay through the paddy fields and the provinces of the Sinhala heartland. Mahinda Rajapakse gave the lie to the notion that the minorities, especially the Tamil minority, held the key to the outcome of the election.

Minister of Transport, Dulles Alahapperuma in a campaign speech drew from that ancient practice of throwing a piece of iron out into the garden when there was thunder and lightning, a practice that is prevalent even today in many parts of the island. He was speaking of the dilemma faced by the UNP leadership when the presidential election was announced.

Jehan Perera remains an unrepentant advocate of the LTTE’s cause - even of LTTE post mortem. Perera seems to have undergone a make-over and become an unbiased political commentator

It was on 11th January that I wrote about the Ingratitude of Man. At that time I never thought that I will be compelled to write on the same theme again. But some election results have compelled me to write.

Eelam People’s Revolutionary Liberation Front (Padmanaba) Party General Secretary Thirunavukkarasu Sritharan said that the Tamil National Alliance had misguided the Tamils.

The NDF candidate, the loser claims that he was denied victory by fraudulent means. The JVP in chorus repeats the same.

Former Prime Minister Tony Blair faced tough questioning Friday on his controversial decision to back the 2003 U.S.-led invasion of Iraq - a pledge that led to widespread protests in Britain and weakened his standing as leader.

More U.S. moves to create instability in Afghanistan - 1 million US dollars to buy off one tribe. This is still cheaper than what the US threw in for the SL elections (140 million dollars)

Australian Federal Immigration Minister Chris Evans says a peaceful protest by Sri Lankan detainees on Christmas Island will do little to help their cause.

The European Union (EU) says the large turn out at the recent Presidential elections in Sri Lanka demonstrates the wish of the Sri Lankan people to participate fully in the democratic process

A security alert has been sounded in India following the seizure of ammunition on the Tamil Nadu coast and the arrest of four Indian men who allegedly helped former Tamil Tiger (LTTE) guerrillas fleeing Sri Lanka take shelter in India.

Former British PM Tony Blair has told a public inquiry he had no regrets about removing Saddam Hussein, after delivering a defence of the Iraq invasion.

With its false accusations and refusal to engage, Human Rights Watch is undermining the cause of human rights in Sri Lanka

Jan 28, Colombo: Sri Lankan defence authorities say an LTTE leader living abroad has been arrested and brought to Colombo.

Even the last effort of creating a Tamil Eelam dreamt by unpatriotic forces of the country has been shattered and defeated by the landslide Presidential Election victory, Asgiri Chapter Anunayaka Thera Ven. Galagama Sri Attadassi Thera said..

Observers from the Association of Asian Election Authority (AAEA) said yesterday they were of the view that the just concluded presidential election was largely free and fair.

An open letter to Mr. Ban Ki-moon,Secretary of the United Nations by Asoka Weerasinghe, Canada.

The country went to the polls yesterday. They would have chosen their Executive President by now.

The victory attained is not personal to President Mahinda Rajapaksa. It was a victory of the people and a victory for democracy just as it was a victory for him.

Winging Western media and the paid agents based in SL who mislead the West

Mahinda Rajapaksa’s victory in Sri Lanka’s presidential election has exceeded all expectations, including the most optimistic projections made within the President’s camp on the basis of hard-nosed pre-election opinion polls.

The reelection of Sri Lanka’s president – whom influential Tamil expats had bitterly opposed during the long civil war – has revived questions of what role they should play in their homeland.

In the aftermath of the the global crisis, India stands out as an island of growth in an ocean of economic debris.

Human rights report indicates clear evidence of UK role in secret detention of British Muslims

One of the most important, if unheralded, tasks performed by the United Nations is the gathering, standardizing, and publishing of statistics on a broad variety of issues and subjects.

Around this time last year, U.N. leaders decided that the best way to cut rampant corruption in its ranks was to aggressively ... stop looking for it.

Looking from the sideline, and especially today when election is over, it is unavoidable to with great surprise reflect the passed and compare it with the electionresults. Some questions arise.

While the victors are jubilant and the defeated devastated we breathe a sigh of relief that President Mahinda Rajapaksa is re-elected, and look forward to a Subha Anagathayak (A Promising Future) with cautious optimism.

President Mahinda Rajapaksa scored a historic victory over Opposition presidential candidate, General (retd) Sarath Fonseka at the first national poll since the collapse of the LTTE last May.

The Sri Lankan Presidential Election – Respect the Peoples Mandate

Given changing geopolitical alliances and the increasing importance of Sri Lanka's strategic location in the Indian Ocean, the outcome of the presidential elections on Tuesday will be decisive domestically, regionally and internationally

The US miscalculated, its envoy Blake miscalculated, the West miscalculated and so did India to result in the “ Unthinkable” – Rajapakse’s astuteness, defiance, strategic realignment and resolve created military history by militarily defeating the darling of the West and its key tool to use Sri Lanka as a foothold to overtly destabilize the region, emerging markets of India as well as China. The anticipated red herring in the form of Fonseka has also backfired.

Jan 27, Colombo: The United States commended the people of Sri Lanka for the