Sri Lanka: Is the war really over? A Ground Report !!!

The end of the conventional war in the north and the east of Sri Lanka witnessed the almost total annihilation of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) including its leadership. However, the Government forces are still carrying out clearing up operations throughout the island. Tens of thousands have been slaughtered; many thousands wounded; hundreds of thousands expelled from their habitats and many hundreds of thousands interned into camps. The deaths of the militants have been celebrated by the overwhelming majority of the Sinhalese and some of the Tamils and Muslims. The Government of Sri Lanka (GoSL) is allegedly engaged in destroying any incriminating evidence of its culpability in war crimes. The fate of three doctors, who were earlier praised by the UN for their heroic services to the wounded during the war, serves as an example.

HistoryThe LTTE commenced as a guerilla force and over time developed its own conventional fighting capability by having a ground force, a navy and a rudimentary air force. It had a strong local and diasporic base and a vast fund raising network. The LTTE targeted attacks on civilian, political, security individuals, religious symbols and civilian groups, particularly in the south. Its initial aim was to fight against the Sinhala discrimination and the government security forces. In the process it began to kill members of other Tamil groups and repress its own Tamil community.

The LTTE was ruthless in removing diversity of opinion within the Tamil community by armed force, not by political means. Thus many leaders of the Tamil bourgeois parties[1] and left parties and groups[2] were eliminated. The ruthless repression of any political opposition to it alienated many working people in the areas under the LTTE control.

I believe that the LTTE’s defeat was brought about by its military strategy and tactics based on terror and over reliance on conventional force, its violent attempt to become the sole representative of the Tamil people; misreading of the international balance of forces and a lack of progressive economic or political policies. It simply believed that imposition of a separate Tamil state was the only response to the discriminatory policies of the successive governments against Tamils. It substituted ethnic struggle for class struggle. As a nationalist movement it could have survived by either compromising with the capitalist class or resorting to mass struggle, but it did not do either. The political support of the Sinhala workers and the other oppressed people for the nationalist struggle of the Tamil people gradually diminished. The methods of the LTTE enormously helped the Sinhala ruling elites to whip up anti-Tamil chauvinism to protect the privileges and interests of the ruling elites.

War Preparations and the LTTEWhen the security forces of the GoSL went to war in 2006, they were well-trained and enjoyed superiority in firepower and mobility. They built up their force levels on land, in the air and at sea en masse to ensure success against the LTTE. Evidently, the LTTE failed to read this turnaround taking place in the capabilities of the Security Forces and adapt its military line of action accordingly. Instead, it stuck to a conventional warfare mode that was doomed to fail although it inflicted many casualties on the advancing government troops.
When the LTTE floundered in the Eastern Province in 2006, offering only limited stiff resistance, the regime made up its mind to go all the way against the LTTE.

Is the war over?Elimination of the top leadership of the LTTE with many of their cadres assassinated or dead may not represent the total end of the LTTE. The post-Pirapaharan era of the LTTE may represent a departure from the strategy and tactics of terror previously adopted by the LTTE.

The GoSL and the LTTE have declared that the war is over. Does this mean that the GoSL will devolve political power to the North and the East? Those who lean towards the left and Tamil groups within the GoSL believe it will devolve power at least to the extent granted by the 13th amendment to the Constitution[3]. Those who lean towards the right within the GoSL believe it will not devolve power at all. Those who are outside the government are similarly divided. Given the sorry history of devolution in the country it is hard to believe that the optimists will succeed. The extreme nationalist forces within the GoSL have already commenced their campaign against any power devolution.

The GoSL has stated that the state of emergency and Prevention of Terrorism Act would remain in force for some time to come. The eastern province has been firmly under army control since mid-2007. There are army checkpoints in the town centre, armed thugs prowl the back streets and reports of abductions and disappearances continue. To quote the Defence Secretary, “The war is like a cancer. Even after curing a cancer, there is a period for radiation treatment. It is the same with the war on terrorism.” Meanwhile the President in his victory speech has adopted a new doctrine following on the path of Bush doctrine. While inviting investments in the north and the east, while talking of a home grown solution to the political situation, there are no minorities in the island, he said. He branded the population into two categories: those who love the country and those who don’t.

Media FreedomThe GoSL’s vendetta against anyone critical of the war, particularly in the media continues. Targeting journalists for “treason” indicates a broad offensive against human rights bodies and non-government organisations, which have been branded as “terrorist sympathisers”. The methods used are not limited to arrest and prosecution as evident from the assassination of Lasantha Wickrematunge, editor of the Sunday Leader, who was posthumously awarded UNESCO World Press Freedom Prize 2009. As in numerous other cases, the police have made no arrests yet. Most of these threats seem to target international organisations that exposed to a limited extent the exterminationary tactics used by the GoSL. Only three days back, the Centre for Policy Alternatives[4] received a 1989 type of threatening letter demanding compliance with the GoSL programs. Disappearances seem to continue. On June the first, Poddala Jayantha, General Secretary of the Sri Lanka Working Journalists Association was abducted by a gang who came in a white van, severely assaulted and later released.

Access to camps and war ravaged areasDespite many requests by the international community, the GoSL has continued to refuse full access to the areas destroyed by the war and to the hundreds of thousands of displaced Tamil civilians interned in the so-called welfare villages encircled by barbed wire and security forces.

The Economic repercussionSri Lanka spent and will continue to spend a significant part of its gross domestic product on the war effort, thus exacerbating its dependence on the world capitalist system. The very high military expenditure has significantly contributed to a weakening economy, rising cost of living, inflation, unemployment and an impending economic collapse. The GoSL hopes to survive by relying on massive foreign loans. It is using the “war victories” as a mechanism to divert attention from the crises the country is faced with. The next pretext will be in the form of “an emergency” caused by the rapid deepening of the country’s economic crisis and an eruption of working people against the imposition of new burdens. The broader fear in Colombo ruling elite is that the military defeat of the LTTE will be followed by a wave of political unrest and social struggles. The GoSL has mortgaged the Sri Lankan state to the hilt to finance massive military spending and imposed the full burden of the war on the working class. Now, confronting the impact of an unprecedented global economic crisis for which it has no answers, the regime has no alternative but to use police state measures to stamp out opposition, particularly by working people.

Key political decisions are made by a military cum political unit rather than in parliament or cabinet. Unelected bureaucrats can make outrageous threats against diplomats and journalists. GoSL operates with complete contempt for the law, the constitution and the courts. Elements of the Sinhala majority in the south now want the President to be treated as the King of Sri Lanka. The government will boost its armed force, already one of the largest per capita in the world, from 200,000 to 300,000 within a population of around 20 million. The navy and air force each have around 30,000 personnel and the home guard another 35,000. All of the above will be used against workers, peasants and youth seeking to defend their rights and conditions.
The role of China, India, Pakistan and the USThe Global political and economic balance of forces has played a significant role in what is happening in Sri Lanka. All the major powers, with the United States in the lead, have backed the GoSL while turning a blind eye to its abuse of democratic rights. Britain and other EU countries also assisted the GoSL by selling military equipment in the last three years of the war, it was reported. If the US is now raising concerns, it is only because instability in Sri Lanka threatens broader American economic and strategic interests in South Asia, in particular the growing influence of China. This is of major concern to the Indian Government also.

The US and India are intent on countering China’s strategy. Thus under the guise of humanitarian concerns, India has sent a military medical team to Sri Lanka. Earlier the US proposed to send a Marine Expeditionary Brigade to northern Sri Lanka to evacuate refugees - an offer that appears to have been turned down. None of these moves is motivated by concern for working people in Sri Lanka who have born the brunt of 25 years of war. Rather the island is being drawn into the international rivalry that is intensifying as the global economic crisis deepens and foreshadows far more catastrophic conflicts.

Military defeat and Political defeat of the LTTEYet, the difference between defeating the LTTE militarily and destroying the LTTE politically does not seem to have been completely understood by many.

The GoSL would require enormous amounts of human, material and financial resources to be spent on maintaining its forces in the north and the east. The psychological effects caused by the war on society as a whole, including the Tamils and armed forces of all sides to the conflict will continue to be challenging and daunting, which will make the dream of political unity an ever receding mirage.

The Tamil psyche is hurt as never before. Their feeling of subjugation has multiplied with the end of the conventional war. Most Tamils perceive this war as an invasion to grab ‘their land’. Their sense of anger and resentment will remain for a long time. The war and its aftermath have accelerated the tensions and distance between the majority of the Sinhala, Muslim and Tamil diaspora. This has also brought the Sri Lankan national question to the forefront of international discourse, second only to the questions of Palestine and Darfur. It has become embedded in the maelstrom of conflicts that are currently inflaming large parts of Asia. The desperate and deadly situation faced by the many thousands of Tamil civilians interned in the camps will become a serious international issue.

These developments do not bode well for the GoSL or the Sinhalese, though Sinhala nationalist groups and the GoSL will try to put a positive spin on the situation. Almost all Sinhala nationalist groups seem to see this phenomenon as of a transient nature, which they believe would go away when the ‘massive’ infrastructure development programs for the north and east are jump started.

My simple question is: How could the capitalist ruling elites of the island, who have never been able to engender and sustain such development in the South of the island, be expected to undertake such a development in the North and East of the island?

Link to Class StruggleFrom its very origins, the war has been bound up with the class struggle. At every point of crisis, the weak Sri Lankan bourgeoisie has whipped up anti-Tamil chauvinism as the means of dividing the working class and shoring up its hold on power. The war was launched in 1983 by a United National Party government amid a horrific wave of anti-Tamil pogroms. These were being carried out in response to a growing rebellion by the working class against the impact of the government’s free market agenda. Over the past three years, the GoSL has repeatedly accused striking workers and protesting students of being accomplices of the “Tiger terrorists”. Having been strengthened by the defeat of the LTTE, the most reactionary sections of the ruling elite will soon be calling for the crushing of the new enemy, the working people.

The LTTE’s defeat is primarily a political, not a military question. Its perspective of a separate capitalist state of Eelam has proven to be a deadly trap for the working people. Its sectarian outlook and attacks on Sinhalese civilians has only deepened the communal divide and played into the hands of the Sinhala extremists in Colombo. The LTTE’s plans for a separate state represented the interests of the Tamil bourgeoisie, not the Tamil masses, and always depended in the final analysis on the support of one or other of the imperialist powers.

The atrocities committed in Sri Lanka will serve as a warning to working people anywhere in the globe. As capitalism plunges into its worst economic crisis since the 1930s, the ruling elites around the world are reaching into the tool bag of political reaction to secure their rule. Anti-Tamil chauvinism in Sri Lanka finds its parallels in anti-immigrant xenophobia, various nationalisms and numerous forms of chauvinism based on religious, ethnic and linguistic divisions. These can also become the starting point for local and international wars. The only alternative to such barbarism will be to explore the path towards socialism.

ConclusionIn Sri Lanka, as elsewhere, cultural diversity and tensions were manipulated to divide and weaken the working people to preserve the interests and privileges of the ruling elite. In the process, the fundamental democratic and social aspirations of the people have been crushed. The military defeat of the LTTE has not resolved the fundamental issues that underpinned the conflict. It has shown that the territorial unity of the capitalist state can be maintained only on the basis of ruthless repression of the people using military force. Through such repression it has reinforced its defence of Sinhala nationalism. The socio-economic problems of discrimination based on language and nationality and poverty linger on.

The LTTE’s military defeat clearly confirmed that the struggle against imperialism and the fight to secure democratic rights can only be advanced on the basis of a program relying on the support of the working people of the world. The answer to discrimination and racial oppression lies not through a separate state, but through the broad unification of the oppressed people in a common struggle against it.

As I have indicated many times before, our stand in defending the democratic rights of the Tamil people against all forms of chauvinism and racism, was neither an expression of political support for the LTTE nor for separation, nor to bring about a Tamil capitalist regime in the north and the east. Rather it is an expression of our acceptance of the right of the Tamil people for self-determination and the necessity for building unity of the Tamil and Sinhala working people to defend their interests against exploitation and repression by the ruling elite which divides diverse communities along racial, religious and caste lines.

I believe that the way forward lies in the paradigm change Sri Lanka needs to go though, which is alien to its current political traditions of exploitation through repression and subjugation. Firstly the equitable distribution of the fruits of economic development and participatory democracy are essential for the society to progress, especially, when the majority of people are surviving from one meal to the other. Internationally, there is a widespread demand for a refashioning of the world economic order, an end to the unconscionable arrogance of the wheelers and dealers and a call for governments to be more accountable for the welfare of its people. Sri Lanka needs to understand this reality and act accordingly. Secondly, while recognizing the specific problems facing the Tamil community, the injustices faced by the Sinhalese, and Muslims and challenges they all face due to capitalist globalisation also need to be recognised and addressed.

Mystery surrounds Michael Jackson's sudden death !!!

Los Angeles: One day after Michael Jackson's sudden death, speculation was already turning on Friday to what killed the 50-year-old "King of Pop" just weeks before his long-awaited series of comeback concerts.

Jackson, a former child star who became one of the best-selling pop artists of all time before a descending into a strange and reclusive lifestyle, died on Thursday afternoon at a Los Angeles hospital, where he had been rushed in full cardiac arrest after collapsing at his nearby rental home.
Few details were known early on Friday about the circumstances surrounding his death, but the entertainer was reportedly unconscious and not breathing by the time he arrived at UCLA Medical Center, and doctors were unable to revive him.

His body was flown by helicopter from the hospital to the coroner's office late on Thursday.
Brian Oxman, a spokesman for the Jackson family, told CNN on Thursday that the family had been concerned about his health and had tried in vain to take care of him for months.
"Michael appeared at rehearsals a couple of times, he was very seriously trying to be able to do those rehearsals," Oxman said of Jackson's preparations for a series of 50 concerts that were scheduled to begin in London in July.

"His use of medications had gotten in the way, his injuries which he had sustained performing, where he had broken a vertebrae and he had broken his leg from a fall on the stage, were getting in the way," Oxman told CNN.

Authorities have scheduled an autopsy for Friday. But they cautioned that it could take weeks to determine a cause of death, which will likely have to wait for the return of toxicology tests.
Those tests will determine if Jackson had any drugs, alcohol or prescription medications in his system.

Detectives from the Los Angeles Police Department's Robbery Homicide division searched Jackson's home in the upscale Holmby Hills neighborhood of Los Angeles at the behest of Chief William Bratton.

But they called the investigation an "every day" event.

The London concert swing was billed as a comeback for Jackson, who dominated the pop charts during the 1980s with such hits as "Thriller" and "Billie Jean" and was credited with turning music videos into a costly and cinematic art form.

750 million records sold
He is considered one of the most successful entertainers of the past century, with a lifetime sales tally estimated at 750 million records and 13 Grammy Awards.

"Michael was and will remain one of the greatest entertainers that ever lived," said Motown Records founder Berry Gordy, Jackson's first label boss. "He was exceptional, artistic and original. He gave the world his heart and soul through his music."

But Jackson's reputation as a singer and dancer was overshadowed in recent years by his increasingly abnormal appearance, and bizarre lifestyle, which included his friendship with a chimp and a preference for the company of children.

He named his estate in the central California foothills Neverland Valley Ranch, in tribute to the J.M. Barrie's Peter Pan stories, and filled it with amusement park rides and a petting zoo.
Jackson was twice accused of molesting young boys and was charged in 2003 with child sexual abuse. He became even more reclusive following his 2005 acquittal and vowed that he would never again live at Neverland.

Facing a battered reputation and mountain of debts that the Wall Street Journal reported ran to $500 million, Jackson had spent the last two months rehearsing for the London concerts, including Wednesday night at the huge Staples Center arena, home to the Los Angeles Lakers basketball team.

Despite reports of Jackson's ill-health, the promoters of the London shows, AEG Live, said in March that Jackson had passed a 4-1/2 hour physical examination with independent doctors.
"I can't stop crying over the sad news," pop star Madonna said in a statement. "I have always admired Michael Jackson. The world has lost one of the greats but his music will live on forever."
Jackson was born on August 29, 1958, in Gary, Indiana, the seventh of nine children and first performed with his brothers as a member of the Jackson 5.

His 1982 album Thriller yielded seven top-10 singles. The album sold 21 million copies in the United States and at least 27 million internationally.

The following year, he unveiled his signature "moonwalk" dance move, gliding across the stage and setting off an instant trend, while performing "Billie Jean" during an NBC special.
In 1994, Jackson married Elvis Presley's only child, Lisa Marie, but the marriage ended in divorce in 1996.

"I'm so very sad and confused with every emotion possible. ... This is such a massive loss on so many levels, words fail me," Presley said in statement.

Jackson married Debbie Rowe the same year and had two children, before splitting in 1999, and he later had another child with an unidentified surrogate mother.

He is survived by three children named Prince Michael I, Paris Michael and Prince Michael II, known for his brief public appearance when his father held him over the railing of a hotel balcony, causing widespread criticism.

What is about MJ and Indians?

'Michael Jackson was the first international pop singer that many Indians heard,' Jaggu and Tarana, the well-known Mumbai [Images] radio jockeys, said on their farewell morning show on Friday morning. MJ was The King whose popularity in India did not rest with English-speaking-pop-music-listening Indians alone. Jacko was one pop singer known to Indians of all kinds. You could hear his music from a paanwallah's two-in-one or from a taxi driver's tape deck.

Many years ago when Robert Plant was visiting Mumbai, Rediff journalists rushed to get some pictures of the Led Zep star while he shopped in Fort. Seeing the commotion, one passerby remarked confidently: "Yeh Michael Jackson [Images] hain (He is Michael Jackson)."
For many in India, English music was Michael Jackson.

A youngster who used to live as a paying guest in Mumbai in the late 1990s remembers an interaction with his landlord who spotted a guitar in his room. His question: "Aap dancer ho? (Are you a dancer) Like Michael Jackson?"
What is about MJ and Indians?

The reason why Michael Jackson died !!!

Michael Jackson had been taking a cocktail of seven prescription drugs that caused the fatal cardiac arrest, if reports are to be believed.

The legendary star passed away last night at the age of 50 after he suffered a heart attack at his home in Holmby Hills, California, and failed to recover even after repeated resuscitation attempts.

Celebrity magazine Life & Style has now reported that Jackson was addicted to prescription drugs in the months before his death. A source has revealed that Jackson had been popping pills, including anti-anxiety drugs Xanax and Zoloft and painkiller Demerol, for weeks before he lost his life.

An insider has revealed that the Thriller hit-maker took a suspected overdose of drugs on Thursday morning, which caused respiratory and cardiac arrest.

In an interview with CNN, Jackson's family lawyer, Brian Oxman, commented that the icon was killed by an abuse of prescription drugs, and compared his death to that of tragic star Anna Nicole Smith .He has claimed that Jackson's death is down to the people who surrounded him before his untimely demise.

"I believe (his manager) Frank DiLeo was with him at the time (of his heart attack), that is what I have been told," Contactmusic quoted him as saying. "This family has been trying for months and months and months to take care of Michael Jackson .The people who have surrounded him have been enabling him.

"If you think the case of Anna Nicole Smith was an abuse, that is nothing compared to what has taken place in the life of Michael Jackson.

"I do not know what medications he was taking, but the reports that we have received within the family are that they were extensive.

"I don''t know the cause of all this. But this is something that I feared. This is a case of abuse of medications, unless the cause is something else. This was something which I feared and something which I warned about. Where there is smoke there is fire," he added.

Life of the King of Pop - Michael Jackson !

Michael Jackson was born on August 29 in Gary, Indiana, 1958. His father, Joseph Jackson, was a guitarist but was believed to be forced into giving up his musical ambitions following his marriage to Katherine.

Despite of giving up music, Joseph Jackson tried hard to provide for his family's musical interests at home. And by the early 60s the older boys Jackie, Tito and Jermaine had begun performing around the city; by 1964 Michael and Marlon had joined in.

A musical prodigy, Michael's singing talents were amazingly mature and he soon became the dominant voice and focus of The Jackson 5. It was Gladys Knight who officially brought The Jackson 5 to Berry Gordy's attention, and by 1969 the boys were producing back-to-back hits as Motown artists. Soon after, the talent of little MJ got known.

Success was inevitable for Michael, and by the 80s he had become far more popular than The Jackson 5. In 1979, Michael released his first solo album with the support of producer Quincy Jones. This was Off the Wall, featuring songs like Don't stop till you get enough. The album had four songs in the Us Top 10 hits.

1979 was also the year when Jackson had his first rhinoplasty following a fall during a concert. Among his multiple surgeries, Michael Jackson had a total of four rhinoplasties, as he was never quite satisfied with his nose after his fall in 1979.

The biggest year in Jackson's life was 1982, when he released the album Thriller. The album held its position in the top 10 of the Billboard 200 for 80 straight weeks and nearly half that time it remained on the number one position. The album had songs like Thriller, Wanna be starting something and Beat it. The album continues to be one of the top best-selling albums even today. Jackson won eight Grammy Awards for that album.

In 1983, Jackson did his famous moonwalk for the first time. He did it for a live performance for the stageshow Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever.

Michael Jackson has been involved with a number of charities and even been honoured for that in different way. The highlight of his charitable work came in 1984 when he co-wrote the song We are the world with Lionel Ritchie under the banner called USA for Africa and got together a huge number of singing sensations to contribute to the song. Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, Tina Turner, Stevie Wonder, Kenny Rogers, Cyndi Lauper, Ray Charles and a host of others. Jackson has a number of other songs with a social message, like Heal the world and Black or white.

By the late 80s, stories of Jackson's obsession with his appearance made headlines repeatedly. Apart from all the nose-jobs, there were stories of him setting up an oxygen chamber to better his skin. It was in the 80s itself that Jackson says he was hit by diseases like Vitiligo and Lupus that made his skin lighter. Most people, however, don't always believe these stories and feel that Jackson changed his colour voluntarily.

Some doctors claim that Jackson suffers from body dysmorphic disorder that a mental disorder that disables the patient from making a connection with his mirror image. It is a result of this, doctors say, that he feels the need to change his appearance repeatedly.

In 1987, Jackson released the album Bad, which also became a superhit and topped the charts for weeks. Songs like Bad, The way you make me feel and Dirty Diana were featured on this album.

In 1988, Jackson built his infamous Neverland ranch in California. Due to his childhood fascination with Peter Pan, that character was the inspiration behind his mansion, which also has a theme park in it.

In 1991, Jackson released Dangerous with songs like Black or white, and Remember the time.
One of the worst years in Jackson's life was perhaps 1993 when he was accused on sexually abusing a child called Jordan Chandler. Since Jackson settled out of court, it raised speculations that the charges were true. Those were humiliating times for Jackson as the child in question described details of their relationship, which later were considered untrue, and Jackson had to agree to a 25-minute strip search apart from the search of his entire estate. To make things worse, one of his sisters called him a pedophile, a statement she later took back.

Jackson's mental and physical health took a terrible turn ever since the child molestation charges. He got addicted to painkillers and even illegal drugs. It was around this time that he got married to Lisa Marie Presley. The two divorced two years later.

In 1995, Jackson released HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I. and in 1997, Blood on the Dance Floor. Also in 1997, Jackson married for a second time. His second wife was a nurse by profession, named Deborah Jeanne Rowe. Together they have two children. The couple divorced in 1999 and Rowe gave Jackson full custody of the kids.

In 2002, Jackson had a third child whose mother is unknown. Jackson claims that the child is a result of artificial insemination.

Sadly, in 2003, stories of child molestation came back to haunt him as he was charged with seven counts of sexual abuse against children. A mental health professional testified in court saying that ackson had become a regressed 10-year-old and did not fit the profile of a pedophile. He was finally acquitted of all charges in 2005, after which he moved to the Middle-East.

In 2008, Michael announced that he has converted to Islam in a ceremony officiated by an Imam where he pledged his allegiance to The Koran.

In 2009, Michael decided to announce a grand comeback tour, under which he will travel across the world. Show tickets were sold-out within the hour of releasing.

It is also confirmed that Jackson now has the initial stages of skin cancer, which is treatable.
One of the few artists to have been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice, his other achievements include multiple Guinness World Records including one for Thriller as the world's best-selling album 13 Grammy Awards.

Despite all the controversies, Michael Jackson's skills as a singer, dancer, writer and businessman remain unparalleled. And that's what makes him a legendary artist.

Sarabjit a victim of Pakistani legal system !!!

The Pakistan supreme court on Wednesday dismissed a review petition filed by Sarabjit Singh and upheld the death sentence given to him for his alleged involvement in the Lahore bomb attacks of 1990. But there is a fundamental flaw in this. No criminal case can be heard ex parte, which means without representation from the other side. Unfortunately, this is exactly what has happened with the hapless Punjab man.

Justice Raja Fayyaz Ahmed dismissed Sarabjit's review petition "on merit" and upheld the death sentence awarded to him by an anti-terrorism court in 1991. Shockingly, the apex court gave its verdict after his counsel failed to appear in court.

By contrast, look at the way India has been dealing with the Kasab case, though it is an open-and-shut matter with hundreds of eye-witnesses and video footages. It has not only waited for someone to represent him, but has been giving him ample time and space to defend himself.

Even if we don’t take into account Sarabjit’s family’s protestations regarding his innocence, something which Pakistan human rights activist and former minister Ansar Burney seems more than convinced by, especially after he came to Punjab’s Bhikiwind to investigate personally, the fact that the poor man may head to the gallows because his counsel failed to appear in court is a travesty of justice.

In fact, Sarabjit should have got a new lawyer by now because his counsel, Rana Abdul Hamid, has failed to appear in court for the past few hearings, including the last one on Monday. Hamid, incidentally, has left Sarabjit in the lurch after he was appointed an additional advocate general last year.

Intermittently, even Pakistan seems to be convinced about his innocence because he has been saved from certain death many a time now. Sarabjit has been on death row since he was convicted for alleged involvement in four bomb blasts in 1990 that killed 14 people. Though he was set to be hanged on April 1, 2008, the Pakistani government put off his execution indefinitely after Pakistan PM Yousuf Raza Gilani intervened.

Later, even after then President Pervez Musharraf dismissed Sarabjit's mercy petition last year, his execution was deferred for 30 days. This was done to enable the PPP-led government to review his case following India's appeal for clemency.

Now only the Pakistan president has the powers to pardon or remit Sarabjit's sentence. But this raises a disturbing question: is Pakistan using Sarabjit, who most probably is really the farmer that he claims to be, as a pawn in its diplomatic game of oneupmanship? Is it trying to exert some psychological pressure on the Kasab trial? If that be the case, Pakistan would, unfortunately, forfeit its claim of looking at the Sarbjit Singh case with fairness and no mala fide intention.

Back in India, it’s time the government intervened with some force and appealed to Pakistan to at least give this death row convict a chance to defend himself and get himself a lawyer. That’s not asking for too much.

UN honour for Gujarat government body !!!

Water and Sanitation Management Organization of Gujarat has been conferred the 2009 Public Service Award by the United Nations for 'fostering participation in policy-making decisions through innovative mechanisms' in the field of 'institutionalisation of community management' and users' level participation in the drinking water supply.

The award was given away on June 23 -- designated by the General Assembly as the UN Public Service Day -- at an impressive ceremony at the UN headquarters in New York.

WASMO was among a total of 12 public organisations from various countries -- eight in the 'Winners' category and four in 'Finalist' category' -- that were honoured.

The awards are a prestigious international recognition for excellence. Since its institution in 2003, a number of public organisations from India have been conferred the Award in 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2008.

WASMO's programme involved improving access to water in rural areas by engaging citizens in water management, developed by the organisation in 2002. The programme has been also instrumental in playing a key role in achieving the Millennium Development Goals.

'This year's winners and finalists show that public services can be delivered more efficiently, effectively and equitably all over the world,' Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said at the awards ceremony.

He said the ingredients are simple -- commitment, hard work, innovation, talent and technological know-how.

'Combined, they make a powerful recipe. And together, these women and men make vital contributions to our efforts to build a better world for all,' he said.

Ban said the UN has long recognized that effective governance and efficient public administration are central to the global development agenda, and particularly in achieving the MDGs -- the set of anti-poverty targets world leaders have pledged to try to achieve by 2015.

On behalf of WASMO, the award was received by V S Gadhavi, secretary, water supply, Government of Gujarat. Other member of the delegation included Jaipal Singh, additional secretary and chief executive officer, WASMO.

In a brief statement at the ceremony, Gadhavi said the Gujarat government's 'out of box' initiative, has been able to create the enabling environment for strong community engagement and almost 75 per cent of the total villages of Gujarat have embraced the community-led development in WATSAN sector, one of the major agenda of the MDG.

He said that building working partnerships with reputed NGOs, other sector players and community has given effective institutional mechanisms for development besides a providing a great learning experience about the capacity of community led governance at local levels.
'We have been able to achieve a paradigm shift in role of governance form 'provider to facilitator' wherein community has demonstrated the philosophy that 'users are the best managers'.

He said that the issues of ownership and inclusion 'are prudently resolved' in the village meeting and that the initiative has a great impact on the overall Human Development Index in the state.
'In a water-scarce state like Gujarat, the governance model in the form of WASMO has tried to bring in sustainability for WATSAN sector.'

In 2008, Programme of Communitisation of Public Institutions and Services, Nagaland, was conferred the award in the winners category and District Lokvani Society, Sitapur, Uttar Pradesh ,was conferred the award in the finalist category.

Pak SC dismisses Sarabjit's review petition !!!

Pakistan's Supreme Court on Wednesday dismissed a review petition filed by Indian national Sarabjit Singh and upheld the death sentence given to him for his alleged involvement in bomb attacks in 1990.

A three-member bench led by Justice Raja Fayyaz Ahmed dismissed Sarabjit's review petition on merit and upheld the death sentence awarded to him by an anti-terrorism court in 1991.

The apex court gave its verdict after his counsel failed to appear in court.

Sarabjit's counsel had failed to appear in court for the past few hearings, including the last one on Monday.

Rana Abdul Hamid, the lawyer who was representing Sarabjit, had been unable to appear in court after he was last year appointed an additional advocate general by Punjab province.

Sarabjit has been on death row since he was convicted for alleged involvement in four bomb blasts in 1990 that killed 14 people.

Sarabjit was set to be hanged on April one last year though Pakistani authorities put off his execution indefinitely after Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani intervened in the matter.

Following an appeal by Sarabjit, the Lahore High Court had upheld his death sentence in 2003.
The apex court too had upheld his death sentence in August 2005.

Former President Pervez Musharraf dismissed Sarabjit's mercy petition last year.

Sarabjit's execution was initially deferred for 30 days by Musharraf last year.

This was done so that the Pakistan People's Party-led government, which had just assumed power at the time, could review his case following India's appeal for clemency.

In October last year, then Law Minister Farooq Naek met Sarabjit at Kot Lakhpat jail in Lahore to examine his case so that President Asif Ali Zardari could decide whether to pardon him.

There has been no movement in this matter since then.

Naek, who is now Chairman of the Senate or upper house of parliament, had pointed out that only the President had the powers to pardon or remit Sarabjit's sentence as his mercy petition had been dismissed by the Supreme Court.

Air France crash: Black boxes located !!!

French military ships have detected a signal from the black boxes of Flight 447 in the Atlantic depths, newspaper Le Monde reported on Tuesday.

The report says a mini research submarine, the Nautile, dived on Monday to search for the boxes based on a "very weak signal" from the flight recorders picked up by the French ships.

The report on Le Monde's website on Tuesday gives no source or other details.

It is not clear whether the signal came from the flight's data recorder or the voice recorder.
The two so-called black boxes, key to helping determine what happened to the Air France plane that plunged into the ocean May 31, will only continue to emit signals for another eight days or so.

Officials with the French military and the French marine institute that operates the mini-sub, Ifremer, could not immediately be reached for comment on the report.

French air accident investigators and Air France officials did not immediately respond to phone calls. Brazilian and American officials said that as of Sunday evening no signals from the black boxes had been picked up.

The Airbus A330 plane fell into the Atlantic after running into thunderstorms en route from Rio de Janeiro to Paris.

All 228 people aboard were killed.

The cause of the crash remains unclear.

POLITICAL SOLUTION – MISSING IN ACTION !!!

The focus of Tamil media has shifted from people entrapped in the one time LTTE held areas in Mullaitivu to the people in camps which are called welfare camps by the Government and detention camps by the anti-government elements. Tamil media or for that matter the Tamil politicians do not seem to place much emphasis after the physical decimation of the LTTE on the political solution to the ethnic problem that was once much talked about.
However, this surely does not mean that the politically conscious Tamils consider that the political solution they were fighting for is no more needed with the defeat of the Tigers. They seem to be nervous to speak about matters that would upset the euphoric psyche of the southern people. Occasionally some Tamil politicians are being heard meekly grumbling over the lack of enthusiasm on the part of the Government to find a political solution to the ethnic problem. Otherwise Tamil media and politicians are obsessed now with the situation in the camps where the people displaced from all over the Wanni are housed.
It is clear that the Government cannot and would not hold them in camps forever or at least for years. Once the infrastructure including electricity and water supply is restored, roads, paddy fields, vegetable plots, surroundings of schools and houses, lakes and irrigation canals are cleared of landmines and booby traps and also once the houses damaged and destroyed by the war are repaired or rebuilt, people have to be resettled. Authorities might take steps to screen these internally displaced people (IDP) for possible LTTE cadres and sympathizers in the meantime.
Irrespective of the fact where these people live, in camps or in their original places, people would tend to talk politics and concentrate on the lethargy in the state machinery and again will begin to paint things in ethnic colours, once they begin to bury the harrowing memories of cruelty and the barbarity of the war. Even if the ordinary people do not want to see things in ethnic colours politicians in the South as well as in the North would show the things to them in such colours. Then again Tamil politicians will cry for political solutions and go on pilgrimages to Chennai, Delhi and Western capitals.
Under the present circumstances where the euphoria over the war victory coupled with majoritarian triumphalism reigns, the people in the North as well as the South, no one would dare to press the Government hard for a political solution since it would earn the wrath of the majority. But the question is what is the government going to do in this regard? One may argue that there is no need for a political solution or for that matter a pacification process now that the LTTE has been crushed, their leaders have been killed, every inch under their writ has been recaptured by the troops and the vast arsenal the outfit possessed has been confiscated by the state.
Also one may argue that even if the LTTE or any other Tamil group resumes another rebellion, it can be crushed as the LTTE, the most ruthless and powerful terrorist outfit in the world according to some analysts was decimated and that therefore, there is no point in wasting time and energy in finding political solutions to the Tamil grievances.
There have been controversies over many Tamil demands, but some of their demands such as the right to work in their own language are uncontestable. Those are the rights that cannot be given by any other community. They are birth rights of communities. Talking about giving rights to another community is itself a term soaked with racism. Any community can plunder rights of other communities if they have power, but no community can offer rights as the rights are natural. Only thing other communities can do is to recognize them and act accordingly. Likewise what the Tamils (not some of the Tamil parties) expect the rulers and the other communities is not to give them their rights, but to recognize them.
No one for the moment denies that the Government troops would crush any powerful or ruthless insurgency as they did in respect of the LTTE. But the important question one may pose in response to that is whether we should create a situation which can in turn present a bloody insurrection for us to test our military prowess destroying thousands of lives and property worth billions in the decades to come. Some form of reconciliatory process therefore must be in place to avert a re-emergence of ethnic animosities and recurrence of bloodshed. You may call this a political solution while another may treat it as a corrective measure. Even the stance of the JVP that is dead against the political solutions and devolution of power is that bringing about equality among communities would solve the current problem. It is an admission that there are inequalities among communities and the need for corrective measures.
However, the “universally” accepted term for the remedy for the Sri Lankan ethnic issue seems to be political solution or more specifically the devolution of power. The UN Secretary General Ban-Ki-Moon, the Japanese special envoy Yasushi Akashi and various foreign leaders have been referring to a political solution to the ethnic problem during their recent visits to Sri Lanka. Indian leaders too are invariably calling for political solutions.
Government’s stance in this regard is extremely vague. President Mahinda Rajapaksa while addressing the nation to announce the defeat of the LTTE said in parliament on May 19 that, “it is necessary that the political solutions they need should be brought closer to them faster than any country or government in the world would bring.” This manifests that he has understood the need of corrective measures to the mishandling of issues by the past governments.
Also the joint communiqué issued by the Sri Lankan Government and the United Nations at the end of the UN Secretary General Ban-Ki-Moon’s visit to Sri Lanka last month said that “President Rajapaksa and the Secretary-General agreed that addressing the aspirations and grievances of all communities and working towards a lasting political solution was fundamental to ensuring long-term socio-economic development.”
However, Government does not seem to have a concrete programme to evolve any political solution other than the over dragged APRC process. On the other hand parliamentarian Wimal Weerawansa a close ally of the Government ridiculed APRC Chairman Professor Tissa Vitharana openly claiming that President Rajapaksa had found fault with Vitharana for mentioning about the political solution at a meeting held to pay tribute to the security forces. This casts doubts on the credibility of the government.
Even if we agree on the need for a political solution, it is high time for the experts to survey whether devolution of power is the only structural setup that can ensure the rights of the various communities, since Sri Lanka has already experimented the system for the past twenty years.
However, taking into account the mood of the southern people, the degree of pressure on the Government for political solution and the confusion in the country over what the lasting solution should be, it is surmisable that the status quo in respect of political solution would be the same for some years to come.

Karunanidhi's appeal to Centre on relief to Sri Lankan Tamils !!!

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi on Friday asked External Affairs Minister S M Krishna to prevail upon Sri Lanka to allow unloading of a ship carrying relief material sent by overseas Tamil diaspora for the displaced people in the island nation.
The Vessel -- MV Captain Ali -- which set sail from Britain on April 20, is currently anchored outside Chennai port as it was turned away by Lankan Navy on June nine after detaining it for several days.
According to Lankan Navy, the ship was turned away on the ground that it violated internationally accepted formalities followed by merchant ships seeking to enter Lankan waters and that it did not conform to the International Ships Port Facility Security (ISPS) code.
In a letter to Mr. Krishna, Mr. Karunanidhi said the ship carrying humanitarian aid collected by Tamils in Europe for the internationally displaced Tamils in Sri Lanka was turned away by the island nation's Navy. It is carrying about 884 tonnes of food, medicine and other relief materials.
"I consider it appropriate and timely as well as critical for Government of India to intervene at this juncture and persuade Government of Sri Lanka to allow unloading of the relief materials sent through the Vessel," he added.
He said he was deputing State Minister for Higher Education K Ponmudi to meet Krishna to take up the matter with him.

The tragedy of refugees in Sri Lanka, hidden from the eyes of the world !!!

“Small children are suffering malnutrition and a lack of medicines. There are young girls who are pregnant, between 17 and 19 years of age, in need of care… the government has no capacity at all to handle this massive problem, no news so far has come out in the news papers in Sri Lanka, the rest of the nation is kept in dark regarding the situation of the refugees”.

This is how a social worker recently describes the situation for the internally displaced persons (Idp) held in the refugee camp in Chettikulam 12 kilometres from Vavuniya to AsiaNews. He had visited the camp before (see AsiaNews 05/06/2009) and now he says: “some of our friends returned there yesterday and report that the situation is still serious”.

Prasanna – a pseudonym to protect his anonymity – says that in Chettikulam there are more than 300 thousand people and added to that number, refugees who live in smaller camps dotted around the area of Mannar and Jaffna. But he adds that “there is still no data on the precise number of the refugees”.

“No one speaks of the IDPs – says Prasanna - not a single photo is allowed out of the camp, no papers write anything about it, people do not know about the great tragedy is going on in their country”.

The social worker appeals to the international community, “and in particular to the Indian government”, to show greater concern for the plight of the refugees. “The only interest of the Colombo government - says Prasanna - is to find more Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam members who are living in the camp and kill them”.

UNHCR has taken satellite photos of the area occupied by the Chettikulam camp, “an immense area subdivided into different and separate zones”, the AsiaNews source explains. “The military brought us to one are and told us to help the people there. We have not been allowed to visit other zones. The area is so vast that it is impossible to estimate how many people are being held there”.

Monsoon delayed; 45% less rains in June !!!

The delay in monsoon now appears to be worrisome as the weather office on Friday said the country had received just over 50 per cent of the normal rainfall so far this season.
Of the 36 meteorological sub-divisions, 28 reported deficient or scanty rainfall while eight received excess or normal rains.

"Actual rainfall for the country as a whole is 39.5 mm against a normal of 72.5 mm with a deficiency of 45 per cent," India Meteorological Department Director B P Yadav said.
Southwest monsoon, which had brought cheer to the farming community due to its early onset on May 23, had stopped in the tracks over Konkan region of Maharashtra since June 7.

Cyclone Aila, which razed parts of Orissa and West Bengal, struck a devastating blow to the monsoon system by sucking away moisture from the winds and weakening the annual rainfall system.

However, the weatherman said that monsoon is expected to advance over some more parts of Maharashtra, including Mumbai in the next two-three days.

But central India may not receive rains any soon in the absence of a strong surge, the weather office said.

Under normal conditions, monsoon should have reached Mumbai by June 10 and covered entire Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and parts of Uttar Pradesh by June 15.

Centre rejects Modi's anti-terror Bill, again !!!

This will not go down well with Chief Minister Narendra Modi’s government in Gujarat. The Centre on Friday announced it had returned for the second time a stringent anti-terrorism Bill framed by the state government.

The Union Cabinet has sought three amendments to the Gujarat Control of Organised Crime Act (GUJCOCA), announced Home Minister P Chidambaram at a press conference.

“Under the proposed Gujarat Control of Organised Crime Act, a confession before a police officer is admissible in a court. This should be made inadmissible,” Chidambaram said after a cabinet meeting presided over by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

“The Act also contains a clause stating that a court cannot grant bail if the public prosecutor opposes it. The court should have the power to grant bail even if the public prosecutor opposes it,” Chidambaram said.

The third amendment related to Section 20 (2) of the Act that the Home Minister did not specify.

“Once these amendments are effected, the cabinet will be in a position to recommend to the president to grant assent to the act,” Chidambaram said.

Chief Minister Modi suspected the Centre had a political motive in seeking the amendments. "This is what we have been asking for. But I see politics behind all this. Why does the centre have double standards?" he told CNN-IBN.

Subramanian Swamy for ‘autonomous Tamil state’ in Sri Lanka !!!

CHENNAI: The U.S., China and Israel that helped Sri Lanka have the moral responsibility to prevail upon President Mahinda Rajapaksa to ensure constitutional guarantee of equality to Tamils, said Subramanian Swamy, Janata Party leader, on Wednesday.

Talking to reporters here, Dr. Swamy said India also could not shirk its responsibility as it had extended help to Sri Lanka. “Now that the LTTE is no longer in the picture we can go ahead and help the Tamils. There is a need to create an autonomous Tamil state.”

Dr. Swamy, who will be in the U.S. till August, decided to visit Washington to meet officials in charge of the South Asia and prevail upon them to put pressure on Sri Lanka.

Sri Lanka was planning to create a military base in Katchatheevu and India should not allow it to happen. “It must warn Sri Lanka that it will not hesitate to cancel the Katchatheevu agreement if the country goes ahead with its plans,” he said. As regards the Sethusamudram project, he had written to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh asking him to issue a directive that the project be put on hold till all the analysis was done with regard to its environmental impact. Instead, the government could develop the Tuticorin Port into an international container port, connecting to Kolkata by a railway line along the coast.

LTTE leader now admits Prabakaran is dead !!!

Colombo (PTI): An LTTE leader, who had earlier disputed the fact of LTTE chief Velupillai Prabakaran's death, has now admitted that the Tiger supremo is no more.

Head of "International Secretariat" of the intelligence wing of the LTTE, Arivazhakan, who had earlier disputed claims that Prabakaran was dead, has now confirmed in a media statement that the Tiger chief was killed, the online edition of the Daily Mirror newspaper said on Thursday.

Arivazhakan had last month dismissed the report of Prabakaran's death as "engineered rumours spread by the government of Sri Lanka and its military establishment" and had asked the global Tamil community not to trust the report.

Amidst suspicions of a power-struggle among the remnants of the LTTE, the group's newly-named chief of international relations S. Pathmanathan had last month itself admitted that Prabakaran was dead.

This was almost a week after the Sri Lankan government announced that its troops killed the LTTE chief in the fighting in the northern war zone.

Chennai wants Katchatheevu back from Lanka !!!

Katchatheevu, a 275-acre, uninhabited islet on the Palk Strait between Sri Lanka and India, is becoming the next big issue in Tamil Nadu politics with the Opposition parties demanding a resolution in the state assembly to press New Delhi to retrieve the island from Sri Lanka. Then PM Indira Gandhi had handed over the island to Sri Lanka in 1974.

The politicians are aghast at reports of Sri Lankan army personnel attacking Indian fishermen in the island. The fishermen frequent the region because of the big catch. They sometimes use the island to dry their net.

Replying to the opposition demand on Thursday, chief minister M Karunanidhi said he was willing to move a resolution provided all parties gave their unconditional support. "Leaders of many parties have expressed their desire that India should retrieve Katchatheevu from Sri Lanka. I'm willing to move a resolution to this effect in the assembly if all parties, including opposition parties, are willing to provide unilateral support. The DMK has always strongly opposed India's move of handing over the islet to Lanka."

Karunanidhi had on Tuesday written to prime minister Manmohan Singh, drawing his attention to Sri Lanka's proposal to set up a military base in Katchatheevu.Fishermen from Tamil Nadu, especially in the Rameshwaram region, often get into trouble with Sri Lankan navy personnel.
In a recent incident, fishermen complained of an attack by the Sri Lankan navy in which a fishing boat split into two. Other boats rescued the fishermen but they complained that a Sri Lankan warship was permanently based near Katchatheevu, creating problems for them. The fishermen conceded that at times they crossed the International Maritime Border Line in search of a bigger fish.

The island has a Catholic shrine that attracts devotees from both countries. But the Sri Lankan government banned Indians from worshipping there, following intensification of the war against the LTTE. Though Sri Lanka claims it has destroyed the LTTE and the war has ended, Indian fishermen still complain of harassment by the Sri Lankan navy.

Some Rameshwaram fishermen, however, say that more than the better catch, it is the huge haul of conches of different sizes and shapes that draws Indian fishermen there."Some of the big conches command a huge premium of Rs2 lakh per piece. It is mostly bought by people in Kerala. In fact, the deal is done on the shores the moment the fishermen reach Indian soil," a fisherman told DNA.

Coast guard sources say some "unscrupulous" Indian fishermen were to blame for the problem, as they clandestinely engage in "nefarious activities".

Sri Lankans face tough time ahead !!!

Aid agencies warn that the condition of Sri Lankans living in camps will still be a major challenge for months to come.

The United Nations estimates that up to 300,000 people were displaced during fighting between Sri Lankan army and the Tamil Tigers in which the government forces declared victory on May 18 ending 26-year of the conflict.

The agency said it had been able to send £400,000 to three partners in Sri Lanka - World Concern, Leads and Habitat for Humanity - as they help the Tamil people, the vast majority of whom are now being held in government-controlled camps.

The funds have helped the groups in their distribution of food, water, clothing, hygiene packs, shelters, kitchens and environmentally-friendly toilets and cookers.

However, overcrowding – with some people sharing a tent with 10 others - poor diet and water shortages remain issues.

Tony Senewiratne, National Director of Habitat for Humanity Sri Lanka said, "I believe that the people in the camps are having a really tough time despite all that people are doing to alleviate the situation.

"This is not going to change in the short term."

Selina Prem, Country manager of World Concern working on the east coast, said food shortages had eased over the last few weeks but the big problem now is wells drying up in the dry season.
For 8,000 people in north Trincomalee there is little water available locally and thousands of litres are needed daily.

Commenting on how the displaced were coping, she said, "People seem generally to have accepted the fact they have to stay in the camps but their desire is to go home or to be able to travel to other camps to meet up with family members.

"They are glad the fighting is over but their concern for the future is not the political settlement but when they can go home, how to start again – all the personal worries of family, home and livelihood."

Leads is providing meals at 11 kitchens for more than 18,000 people in Vavuniya and recently provided clothes and footwear for 10,000 people at camps in Jaffna, where building work is underway on 100 emergency shelters and communal kitchens.

Also it's planning to build 200 emergency shelters and sanitation for people with disabilities once sites are secured.

Tearfund's Clare Crawford said, "Our partners in Sri Lanka are the most amazing examples of teams of people, called by God, ready to give everything in the service of the wounded, the poor, the widow, the child.

"They are helping thousands of people who have gone through immense suffering and tragedies."

Chidambaram calls Maoists for talks !!!

The Centre on Friday asked the Maoists in Lalgarh area of West Bengal to lay down arms and come for talks. Home Minister P Chidambaram said he endorsed the appeal of West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee to the Maoists and the tribals to come for talks.

"I endorse that appeal. If they wish to talk, they should come forward to do so. We will be happy to facilitate the talks," Chidambaram told media-persons after a Cabinet meeting in New Delhi [Images]. The Home Minister said the ongoing operation by police and paramilitary personnel in Lalgarh would take more time and the forces should expect the "unexpected". "Progress will be slow. They (forces) are making progress. ... So far, the operation is going according to plans but they must be prepared for the unexpected. I sincerely hope that with the kind of action we have advised, the operation will be successful.

"An operation of this kind will take some time. In fact, it will take considerably more time than was anticipated," he said when asked about the situation in Lalgarh. He said the forces were "moving and moving cautiously" and the ongoing operation was not against the tribals but only against the Naxalites .

500 cops kill one dacoit after 3-day shootout !!!

Lucknow: After battling over 400 heavily armed police personnel for more than 50 hours in an Uttar Pradesh village, bandit Ghanshyam Kewat was on Thursday shot dead after he tried to escape by jumping off the roof of the house under siege.

Before attempting his escape, Kewat killed a constable of the Special Task Force (STF), taking the number of police personnel killed in the prolonged gunbattle in Suruwal Rajapur village in Chitrakoot, 280 km from here, to four.

Director General of Police (DGP) Vikram Singh confirmed that Kewat, who headed a gang that operated in Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh and was wanted for over two dozen murders, abductions and other crimes, had been gunned down.

The gunbattle started on Tuesday night after an STF team reached Suruwal Rajapur on a tip-off that bandits, including Kewat, were hiding there.

"Kewat was on the first floor of a house that the cops had covered for the past 30 hours. However, he managed to reach the roof and jumped into the fields behind," a police official told IANS.

He had also tried to escape earlier on Thursday.

Additional Director General of Police Brijlal, who is heading the operations, told IANS: "Kewat made a desperate attempt to escape from the village at around 2.30 a.m. by firing indiscriminately. However, the entire village has been surrounded by us and the return fire by our cops forced him to turn back and take cover."

A commander of the Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC) and a police constable were killed Wednesday morning and a constable of the Special Operations Group was killed Tuesday night.
Over a dozen policemen, including two senior officers, were injured in the exchange of bullets. Inspector General (IG) of the PAC B.K. Gupta and Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of Banda range S.K. Singh had received bullet injuries Wednesday afternoon and were rushed to Allahabad by a helicopter.

"Both Gupta and Singh sustained bullet injuries in their lower abdomen. They have been admitted here (Lucknow). I visited them Wednesday evening and the doctors said they are fine and recovering fast," DGP Vikram Singh told reporters.

Who are the Maoists, what do they want ???

New Delhi: Maoist rebels have killed 10 government supporters in West Bengal this week and declared a "liberated zone" close to the city of Kolkata, sparking unease among investors in the communist-ruled state.

The attacks by the rebels, who are fighting for the rights of poor farmers and the disenfranchised, are among the most brazen in years.

Who are the Maoists?
The rebels began an armed struggle with a peasant revolt in Naxalbari village in West Bengal in 1967 but were initially crushed by the Congress-led government.

After regrouping in the 1980s, they began recruiting hundreds of poor villagers, arming them with bows and arrows and even rifles snatched from police.

Authorities say they are led by Koteshwar Rao, also known as Kishanjee, who is in charge of militant activities, and Ganapathi, the political leader. Neither have been seen in public and remain hidden in dense forest bases.

How big is the movement?
The rebels have an estimated 22,000 combatants in more than 180 of the country's 630 districts. They operate across a "red corridor" stretching from Andhra Pradesh to Chhattisgarh and into West Bengal.

How severe is the Maoist threat?
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has described the insurgency as the biggest internal security challenge since independence. More than 1,000 attacks were recorded in 2008, as the Maoists targeted politicians, police and villagers suspected of being informers.

Authorities say the Maoists have a well thought-out plan to spread their influence into urban areas. Some of their recent attacks have been closer to cities and the latest strike in West Bengal is a show of their capability. Others say their influence will not extend far beyond remote rural areas.

The Maoists regularly attack railway lines and factories, aiming to cripple economic activity. Their base in the "red corridor" gives them control of some of country's mineral rich areas.
They could feed off the resistance in parts of rural India, including in West Bengal, against rapid economic growth that excludes hundreds of millions of poor.

The rebels advance to Lalgarh in West Bengal is near the construction site of a $7 billion steel plant by India's third largest steel producer, JSW Steel Ltd, which is watching how the government tackles the violence. It could potentially scare off prospective investors from setting up shop in and around the Maoists' sphere.

How do the Maoists get arms?
They are in touch with other militant groups operating in India, including groups in Kashmir and the northeast, who help them. Police say they are equipped with automatic weapons, shoulder rocket launchers, mines and explosives.

West Bengal vs Naxals: The showdown begins !!!

Kolkata: The West Bengal government on Thursday rushed reinforcement of security forces to its troubled Lalgarh region in West Midnapore district even as the Maoist rebels called for a two-day shutdown in five states beginning on Monday to protest the security operations.

Official said police and paramilitary forces had been asked to move to West Midnapore district, about 200 km from Kolkata, to conduct a joint operation to flush out Maoist guerrillas who have been active in organising a tribal movement alongside a group called the People's Committee Against Police Atrocities (PCAPA).

"We have moved forces in the morning," Inspector General of Police Raj Kanojia said.
Asked when the operation against the guerrillas will be launched, Kanojia said, "We have our people there. They will take the decision at the appropriate time."

Another senior police officer, who did not wish to be named, said, "We are ready to launch the operation. We are waiting for orders."

Reports from Midnapore town, the headquarters of the district, said five companies of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and two companies of the Cobra Force, specially trained to combat Maoists, have reached the district.

Police have also sent a large consignment of tear gas shells and protective shields for security personnel taking on the Maoist rebels in the troubled area.

However, the PCAPA and Maoists have dug up roads and felled several trees on approach ways to Lalgarh to obstruct the entry of the security forces.

On Wednesday, the state government had declared that it was ready to launch an operation to free Lalgarh from the control of the outlawed Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) even as the guerrillas shot dead three workers of the ruling CPI-M.

In response, a top rebel leader said the Central and state governments had started psychological warfare against the people in Lalgarh with its show of force.

"The Prime Minister (Manmohan Singh) and Home Minister (P Chidambaram) have started a psychological warfare by amassing huge forces. If they start the operations, we will resist with the help of the people who are with us," CPI-M politburo member Kishanjee told a television channel over phone.

Kishanjee alias K Koteshwar Rao hails from Andhra Pradesh but has been camping in Lalgarh.
He said the rebel group has decided to call for a two-day shutdown beginning on Monday in West Bengal, Chhattisgarh, Orissa, Jharkhand and Bihar.

Lalgarh has been on the boil since last November when a landmine exploded on the route of the convoy of Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee and then central ministers Ram Vilas Paswan and Jitin Prasada.

Police arrested some school students and allegedly harassed tribal women following the landmine blast. In protest, angry tribals virtually cut off the area from the rest of the district.

During the last few days, the agitators have torched CPI-M offices, driven away the party's supporters and forced police to wind up several camps, thereby establishing a virtual free zone.

Maoists have been active in the three western districts of the state – West Midnapore, Bankura and Purulia. They also backed the Trinamool-sponsored movement against the state government's bid to establish a chemical hub at Nandigram in East Midnapore district.

Sri Lanka May Become ‘Hong Kong of India’ After War !!!

Sri Lanka’s economy can bounce back from its weakest growth in six years and become the “Hong Kong of India” as the end of almost three decades of civil war boosts business opportunities, HSBC Private Bank said.
Decades of fighting on the Indian Ocean island shackled its $32 billion economy, which according to figures released yesterday expanded 1.5 percent last quarter from a year earlier as the global recession intensified the slowdown. Ports, retailers, apparel and tea exporters could lead a recovery after the Tamil Tiger rebels were defeated last month.
“The rebound will be spectacular,” said Arjuna Mahendran, the Singapore-based chief investment strategist for Asia at HSBC Private Bank, which oversees $494 billion in assets. “To start with, Sri Lanka’s location gives its port a natural advantage.”
Sri Lanka could benefit from its proximity to India, just as Hong Kong profits from being a trade hub to China. Sri Lanka lies 31 kilometers (19 miles) south east of India, the world’s second-fastest-growing major economy.
Seventy percent of the volume handled by the Colombo port is trans-shipment of goods imported by India and this could be increased because Indian ports don’t have adequate depth, Mahendran said. Sri Lanka has embarked upon a plan to quadruple capacity at the Colombo port in three years.
The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam were defeated on May 16, ending their 26-year struggle for a separate homeland in Sri Lanka. The Tigers, who controlled a third of the country at one point, fell swiftly since January as the Sri Lankan military launched an unprecedented offensive to wipe them out.
‘Lot of Potential’
“It’s something you never expected to happen when you have lived most of your life under the specter of war,” said Otara Gunewardene, who runs Odel, Sri Lanka’s biggest department store. “It’s unbelievable. I see things differently now and see a lot of potential for growth.”
Odel plans to sell a stake in the company to overseas investors and spend $20 million to add another 70,000 square feet to its flagship store in Colombo and open new outlets in other cities in the country.
“We fought terrorism and now the economic war has to be fought,” said Malik Fernando, whose family owns Dilmah Tea Co., among the best-known Ceylon tea brands in the world. “For manufacturers, the cost of doing business is very high because infrastructure, like roads and power, was neglected because of the war.”
Small Economy
Dilmah, for example, operates a bus service in Colombo to pick up their workers from home because “we know that if they use the public transport, they are going to be late, fagged out and stressed,” Fernando said.
Still, Sri Lanka can be turned around quickly as it is a small economy and Dilmah is exploring options to expand in the hotels and tourism business, Fernando added. John Keells Holdings Ltd., the island’s biggest diversified company, said it sees opportunities to grow in all its businesses from property development to banking and insurance.
Tea exporters could also benefit from a 30 percent surge in prices this year while the worldwide recession hasn’t sapped demand for the high-end lingerie and apparels the nation sells overseas, HSBC’s Mahendran said.
Sri Lanka, which receives about 500,000 tourists each year, aims to increase that number by at least 20 percent annually through a global campaign entitled “Small Miracle,” said Dileep Mudadeniya, managing director of the Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau.
More Tourists
The war discouraged travelers from the U.S. and Europe for years from visiting the teardrop-shaped tropical island.
Occupancy rates have been 40 percent in the past two years in Colombo’s five-star hotels, which have a combined capacity of 2,000 rooms, said Jerome Auvity, general manager at Hilton Colombo. As a result, the average room tariff is about $62 a night, he said.
“There is no immediate reaction suggesting business is rising,” Auvity said. “Give it another six months to see whether confidence returns to Sri Lanka’s leisure market. There is still this dark cloud, this debate and issue regarding the displaced people.”
The final battles have left about 300,000 people displaced and living in more than 40 camps across the northern part of the country. President Mahinda Rajapaksa said last month he intends to resettle them in the region within 180 days.
Still, the Board of Investment of Sri Lanka expects foreign direct investments to quadruple to $4 billion by 2012, led by investments in ports, tourism, telecommunication and textiles.
Foreign Investment
“We have been getting encouraging responses from foreign investors,” said Dhammika Perera, chairman of the Board. “We expect three leading hotel chains to sign an investment agreement with us in about three months.”
Sri Lanka’s economic growth can accelerate almost four times the current pace to 6 percent by 2010, says Prakriti Sofat, an economist at HSBC Holdings Plc. in Singapore. Citigroup Inc. economist Anushka Shah expects growth at 5.7 percent next year.
The nation’s benchmark stock index, the Colombo All-Share Index, surged 3.1 percent to 2416.02 at close of trade today, the most since the week the war ended, as local investors snapped up shares.
The Securities and Exchange Commission is now keen for the likes of George Soros, Mark Mobius and other top fund managers to invest in the country and help the Colombo Stock Exchange double its capitalization to $14 billion in a year.
“It will take a while for people to realize that a 30-year war has ended and the dividends it can bring,” said Channa de Silva, director general of the Commission. “Sri Lanka is a country waiting to unfold and we are confident there will be a lot of interest internationally.”

Tamil protest ends after 73 days !!!

A 73-day protest involving thousands of people demonstrating over the plight of Tamils in Sri Lanka has ended.

The protest featured hunger strikes, mass sit-ins blocking central London roads and people throwing themselves into the River Thames.

One of those involved, Ambi Seevaratnam said: "After 73 days, nothing has worked. The Tamils have been betrayed by the international community."

Protesters have at times clashed with police in Parliament Square.
Last month, a senior Metropolitan Police officer warned the long protest was diverting resources from other areas.

Commissioner Sir Paul Stephenson said if it continued it would have a "long term" impact on crime.

Police in London chose not to use force to clear the protesters, but maintained a 24-hour presence, with the cost of the operation exceeding £10m.

Participants had put up several tents in the centre of Parliament Square and at one point opened a curry takeaway.

We only [blocked the roads] for attention. We couldn't get our message across... I'm 100% sure people understand it was because of a crisis in Sri Lanka

Sivendran Nadarajah, protester The number of protesters varied over the 73 days from a handful to more than 15,000 as organisers called in support via text message and website posts.
About 100,000 demonstrators joined a march and rally organised by the British Tamil Forum in early April.

Surges in activity followed developments in Sri Lanka. In May government forces wiped out almost the entire senior Tamil Tiger leadership, ending the 26-year war between the army and the rebels.

The UN believes that nearly 7,000 civilians may have been killed and another 13,000 injured in the war since January. More than 250,000 people have been displaced from their homes in the north.

Suren Surendiran, of the British Tamil Forum, said further events, including another central London rally this Saturday, had been planned.

Cannot play media.You do not have the correct version of the flash player. Download the correct versionHe said: "I am pleased with how the protest has gone. It was an opportunity to make the British public aware of our concerns and despair.

"Previously people thought of Sri Lanka as a holiday destination or a place for cricket. Now they are aware of some criminal activities, including state-sponsored terrorism.
"Whether people take sides or are aware of the details, I don't know. But they are aware something is happening there."

Tamils 'betrayed'
Sivendran Nadarajah, 20, from Mitcham in south London, told BBC Asian Network he thought the protests had been "worth it" because they had brought the truth about Sri Lanka to the fore.
He said protesters were sorry for the inconvenience caused when they blocked roads with the protest.

"We only did it for attention. We did a lot of protests calmly, peacefully, where thousands of people turned up. We couldn't get our message across. But when we blocked the road... I'm 100% sure people understand it was because of a crisis in Sri Lanka."

The rebels made a last stand in the conflict zone, before being defeated Ambi Seevaratnam, who was involved in talks between student organisers and police, said many people remained extremely angry about the fighting in the country.

She said students had decided to continue to put pressure on politicians and the media.
"To achieve this it is not enough to stand in Parliament Square and scream," she said.
"After 73 days, nothing has worked. We feel the Tamils have been betrayed by the international community."

The Tamil Tiger rebels started fighting in the 1970s for a separate state for Tamils in Sri Lanka's north and east. They argued Tamils had been discriminated against by successive majority Sinhalese governments.

A statement by a UK Tamil students group said on Wednesday a pledge would be made as the protest ended "to continue the struggle for self determination by other means".

LTTE remnants regrouping?

A month after their defeat in the hands of the Sri Lankan army, the remnants of the LTTE plan to re-organise and pursue the goal of a separate Tamil state from abroad, with the rebels' international relations chief Selvaras Pathmanathan taking the lead.

"The struggle of the people of Tamil Eelam has reached a new stage. It is time now for us to move forward with our political vision towards our freedom," Pathmanathan said in an e-mail audio file that has flown around the Tamil diaspora, the British media, including BBC and The Times, reported.

Pathmanathan, who is wanted by Interpol in connection with his role as the Tigers' main arms smuggler, gave no indication that the group would renounce violence but announced the establishment of a "provisional transnational government of Tamil Eelam".

He said Rudrakumaran Vishwanathan, their overseas-based legal adviser, would head a committee which would decide on a future course of action "within democratic principles".
Tamil Eelam is the name given by the Tigers to the north and eastern areas of Sri Lanka to which they lay claim.

Pathmanathan is one of a handful of senior cadres who escaped annihilation last month because he is based overseas. It is not clear from where has he issued the message, media reports said.
In the final phase of the battle, the troops eliminated the top Tamil Tiger leadership, including its supreme Velupillai Prabhakaran.

The Sri Lankan government has dismissed the so-called 'provisional transnational' government, pointing out that the LTTE does not exist any more.

"The LTTE is no longer a factor. It was military defeated and it cannot achieve a separate state even if it had the military prowess What can it do it now?" Lankan Media Minister Anura Priyadarshana Yapa was quoted as saying.

The pro-LTTE TamilNet did not carry Pathmanathan's statement and it is not clear if he is really in charge of the rebel remnants.

However, in a column, it has said the "need of the time now is the metamorphosis of the existing infrastructure into a democratic and inclusive transnational government of Eezham Tamils to strengthen the diaspora socially, economically and culturally; to achieve the goal of independence and sovereignty of Eezham Tamils in the home country and to meetthe international challenges internationally."

The Tamil diaspora, mostly in Canada, Australia and UK, has been donating millions of dollars for the LTTE cause.

The Tigers are a banned terrorist group in most Western countries. Last week, the founder of the British Tamil Association was sentenced to two years in jail for illegally procuring electrical components for the group.