Trincomalee. DPA/baz.
Der Club Oceanic gilt als die beste Adresse in der Gegend um Trincomalee im Nordosten Sri Lankas. Ein Traumstrand erstreckt sich vor den Bungalows, entspannte Musik lA?A?uft in der Bar, ein Plakat kA?A?ndigt das abendliche Unterhaltungsprogramm an – das mangels Urlaubern allerdings nicht stattfindet. Seit Juni ist kein einziger Tourist mehr gekommen, die ganze Hochsaison A?A?ber nicht. Schuld ist der Konflikt zwischen den Tamilen-Rebellen der LTTE und der Regierung, der seit dem FrA?A?hjahr eskaliert. FA?A?r den Tourismus in Sri Lanka, den schon der Tsunami Ende 2004 in Mitleidenschaft zog, wird der nicht erklA?A?rte Krieg zur neuen Katastrophe.

Zu Jahresbeginn hoffte die Tourismusindustrie noch, die Folgen des Tsunamis – der die Urlauberzahlen 2005 einbrechen liess – wA?A?rden dieses Jahr A?A?berwunden. Diesen Januar kamen 36,4 Prozent, im Februar satte 43,8 Prozent mehr Touristen als im jeweiligen Vorjahresmonat. Doch der Konflikt machte den Trend zunichte. Im Juni verzeichnete die TourismusbehA?A?rde verglichen mit dem Nach-Katastrophenjahr 2005 erstmals ein Minus, im Juli ebenso, im August gab es nur ein leichtes Plus. Besuche der zahlungskrA?A?ftigen Deutschen gingen im August um fast 20 Prozent, die der Schweizer um A?A?ber 15 Prozent zurA?A?ck.

Auch in der Hauptstadt Colombo, wo es zu AnschlA?A?gen der LTTE kam, und im touristischen SA?A?den, der bislang verschont blieb, sind die Folgen des Konflikts spA?A?rbar. Hoteliers klagen A?A?ber ausbleibende Urlauber und Stornierungen, hoffen aber, dass sich die immer noch guten Reservierungen fA?A?r die dortige Hochsaison ab SpA?A?therbst retten lassen. Diese Hoffnung hat im Nordosten, wo in den vergangenen Wochen schwere KA?A?mpfen tobten, keiner mehr. “Wir hatten viele Buchungen bis zum Jahresende, aber die sind alle storniert”, sagt ein Manager des Club Oceanic, der seinen Namen nicht verA?A?ffentlicht sehen will. Ein Ende des Konflikts ist nicht in Sicht.

Der Tourismus im Nordosten feierte zwar nach dem bislang weder von der LTTE noch von der Regierung aufgekA?A?ndigten Waffenstillstandsabkommen Anfang 2002 die Wiederauferstehung. Im Sommer 2003 sei der Club ausgebucht gewesen, im Sommer 2004 ebenso, sagt der Manager. Nach den Flutwellen blieb die Drei-Sterne-Anlage geA?A?ffnet, der Tourismus erholte sich langsam. Doch jetzt kA?A?mpft das Hotel ums A?A?berleben. Was den Club gerade noch A?A?ber Wasser hA?A?lt, sind die Mitarbeiter von Hilfsorganisationen, die sich dort niedergelassen haben. Zimmer kosten noch rund 25 Euro, weniger als die HA?A?lfte des Preises, der im April verlangt wurde. Der Rabatt wird ungefragt gewA?A?hrt.

Das AuswA?A?rtige Amt rA?A?t inzwischen d[BAD]end von Reisen in die nA?A?rdlichen, A?A?stlichen und sA?A?dA?A?stlichen Landesteile ab. Auch in Colombo und “den A?A?brigen Landesteilen” sollten Reisende “grundsA?A?tzlich hohe Wachsamkeit walten lassen” – keine gute Werbung fA?A?r die tropische Urlaubsinsel. Die Australierin Sarah Salkild gehA?A?rt zu jenen Touristen, die sich trotzdem nicht abschrecken liessen. “Wir hatten A?A?berlegt, abzusagen, sind dann aber doch gekommen”, sagt sie auf der letzten Etappe der Reise in Colombo. Jetzt bricht die 32- JA?A?hrige ihren Urlaub vorzeitig ab – auch wegen des Konflikts.

“Die stA?A?ndige MilitA?A?rprA?A?senz ist ziemlich entnervend”, sagt Salkild. “In Australien sind wir keine Maschinengewehrstellungen gewA?A?hnt.” Die angespannte Lage habe sie und ihren Begleiter davon abgehalten, manche SehenswA?A?rdigkeiten zu besuchen. In einem Fall hA?A?tten sich Anbieter einer Ausflugstour vor ihren Augen um den Auftrag geprA?A?gelt – aus lauter Verzweiflung darA?A?ber, dass sonst keine Touristen kamen. Insgesamt habe sie den Urlaub genossen, manchmal sei er aber auch “echt gruselig” gewesen, sagt Salkild. “Ich wA?A?rde allen, die hierhin reisen wollen, raten, nochmal darA?A?ber nachzudenken.”

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Peace eludes Sri Lanka
Over-Militarisation Gives False Hope To Rajapaksa Sam Rajappa
Sri Lanka has emerged as the most militarised country in South Asia, according to a recent study conducted by Strategic Foresight Group, Mumbai. For every thousand population, it has eight military personnel against 1.3 in India or four in Pakistan. In terms of military expenditure, Sri Lanka spends 4.1 per cent of its GDP against 2.5 per cent by India or 3.5 per cent by Pakistan. Its defence expenditure is expected to cross one billion dollars this year against eight million dollars of the LTTE. The only threat to its territorial integrity comes from the LTTE. Against the 8000-strong ragtag armed cadres of the LTTE, Sri Lanka has an Army of 150,000 well-equipped men and a Navy of 20,000 personnel.
Its Air Force uses Israeli Kfir supersonic fighter bombers, MIG-23 and helicopters, including MI-24s. Mahinda Rajapaksa, who was voted President on a hardline manifesto in alliance with the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna and Jathika Hela Urumaya, both Sinhala chauvinist parties, has been forced by his allies to renege on whatever concessions his predecessors had shown to the ethnic minority and settle the crisis by liquidating the LTTE. In the USAA?a??a??s global war against terrorism, the LTTE, a liberation movement for the legitimate democratic rights of the Tamil minority in Sri Lanka, has fallen a victim.

Antipathy to Tamil

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is surrounded by a clutch of advisers who are incapable of understanding the Tamil ethos. Whether it is a coincidence or deliberate design, the Prime MinisterA?a??a??s principal secretary, Security Adviser, Minister of State for External Affairs dealing with Sri Lanka, Foreign Secretary, High Commissioner in Colombo, chiefs of intelligence agencies, including RAW are Malayalees whose antipathy to Tamil, the only living language to be declared a classical language, is well-known.
Taking advantage of IndiaA?a??a??s hands-off policy, Sri Lanka has allowed Pakistan to fill the void. Basheer Wali, former director of PakistanA?a??a??s Intelligence Bureau and an ISI operative, who completed his term as his countryA?a??a??s High Commissioner in Colombo on 30 June but stayed on till an attempt was made on his life, was succeeded by Air Vice-Marshal Shehzad Aslam Chaudhri, who retired recently as the Deputy Chief of Air Staff (Operations) of the Pakistan Air Force. An expert in air-mounted operations against insurgency, his posting coincides with clandestine co-operation between the armed forces of Pakistan and Sri Lanka after Rajapaksa became President.
During Chandrika KumaratungeA?a??a??s presidentship, Colombo used to keep New Delhi informed of its important military developments. Not any more. Sri Lankan Air Force sends its fighter aircraft to Pakistan for overhauling and maintenance.
The SLAF had now asked the PAF for Unmanned Aerial Vehicles and bunker-buster bombs, to be obtained from the USA, for operation against Velupillai Pirapaharan, the LTTE supremo. His elimination will not solve the ethnic crisis Sri Lanka is facing.
The ArmyA?a??a??s shopping list is valued at $20 million while the Air ForceA?a??a??s list is estimated to cost $38.1 million. Sri Lanka had also written to Pakistan to provide swift technical assistance for its T-55 Main Battle Tanks and C-130 transport aircraft.
The ArmyA?a??a??s shopping list includes 10 Baktar Shikan anti-tank guided missile weapon systems, 300 warheads and two training simulators. The success of the recent air strikes by the SLAF against the LTTE and civilian targets in the Tamil areas is attributed to the training imparted by the PAF officers with experience of air-mounted operations against Baloch freedom fighters.
Another sinister move of the Rajapaksa government is the attempt to raise a Muslim regiment in the eastern province to counter the LTTE. Muslims had been given a raw deal by the LTTE in the past. Taking advantage of the discontent of Muslims, who are also Tamils, Rajapaksa has been trying to widen the gulf between the two and use the Muslims as a bulwark against the LTTE. On 18 September, 10 Muslim youths were massacred in Pottuvil, Ampara district, allegedly by the elite counter insurgency Special Task Force troops, and the blame was put on the LTTE. The youths had gone to repair the anicut at Rattal Kulam in a predominantly Sinhala area. A training base of the STF is located near the massacre site. The media in Colombo has to accept the government version as there is no way of checking it independently.
In the first week of August, 17 AID workers in the northern town of Mutur were killed by the Sri Lankan armed forces and put the blame on the LTTE. All but one of the 17 were Tamils, working on tsunami relief for the French NGO, Action Contre La Faim. Fifteen of them were forced to kneel and then shot in the head. The other two were killed in a car as they tried to flee. All the 17 were wearing clothing that identified them as AID workers. The Swedish-led Sri Lankan Monitoring Mission squarely blamed the security forces for the killings.
On 16 August an orphanage in Mullaithivu in the Vanni area of the Northern province was bombed in which 61 innocent girls were killed. The Sri Lankan authorities, including the Deputy High Commissioner in Chennai, P M Amza, tried to mislead the public by saying that the victims were child recruits of the LTTE. International observers, who had visited the orphange, refuted the Sri Lankan version.
In his address to the Non-Aligned Movement summit in Havana on 16 September, Rajapaksa described the LTTE as the most ruthless terrorist organisation and called upon NAM and the UN to A?a??A?strongly renew the commitment to fight terrorism whenever and wherever it raises its ugly head.A?a??A? Meanwhile, Sri LankaA?a??a??s Prime Minister, Ratnasiri Vickramanayaka, said: A?a??A?More countries are coming forward to help us in getting rid of terrorism in Sri Lanka by pledging more weapons to seek them out from any jungle in the country.A?a??A?
Now it is quite evident that the Rajapaksa government is determined to settle the ethnic conflict by military conquest. The 1987 Indo-Sri Lanka Agreement enabled the merger of the Northern and Eastern provinces, one of the long cherished demands of the Tamils. Rajapaksa is all set to undo it by the dubious method of a Supreme Court order using the JVP to move a petition to renege the merger.

No understanding

Indira Gandhi knew well the mindset of the Sinhala politicians and appointed the late G Parthasarathy as Special Adviser on Sri Lankan affairs. She had a definite plan to solve the ethnic crisis. But before it could be implemented she was assassinated. Rajiv Gandhi continued his motherA?a??a??s policy and brought about the merger of the two Tamil provinces though it took some arm-twisting of President J R Jayawardene by J N Dixit, then Indian High Commissioner in Colombo who was dubbed the A?a??A?Viceroy of IndiaA?a??A? by the disgruntled Sinhala politicians.
After Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi, none of our Prime Ministers showed any understanding of the ethnic problem or desire to help Sri Lanka solve it. Simply repeating parrot-fashion that India believes in Sri LankaA?a??a??s unity and territorial integrity will not solve the problem. A certain amount of arm-twisting of Rajapaksa to come out with a federal solution is called for to solve the endemic ethnic crisis in Sri Lanka.

The author, a veteran journalist who retired from The Statesman, is based in Chennai. Buy bestina obene

Sale erexin-v see the original article:
http://www.thestatesman.net/page.news.php?clid=3&theme=&usrsess=1&id=132913

Transferred STF cop to take Hakeem to task Compazine generic drugs Diltiazem 30 mg price STF Chief Inspector S. N. Gunaratne who was transferred following the massacre of 10 Muslim construction workers in Pottuvil, is to file action against his transfer from the Sastraweli STF camp and file defamation charges against Sri Lanka Muslim Congress leader Rauff Hakeem, on Wednesday.
Gunaratne is planning to take legal action on his personal capacity against the course of action following the events, especially the accusations levelled at the STF and Gunaratne by SLMC leader and several other Parliamentarians and political leaders.
According to an eye witness account given by a survivor who was subsequently admitted to the Ampara hospital, the accusations hurled at the Special Task Force have been proven baseless, Gunaratne is to tell courts in his petition.
On the other hand, that the sole survivor was taken to the Ampara hospital not because of the interference of the STF as accused by Hakeem but due to the absence of a surgeon at the Kalmunai hospital, the petition is to state.
According to Gunaratne the politicians who rallied against him following the massacre, were not motivated by factual evidence but to cover up timber smuggling in the Raddella forest. According to Gunaratne the course of action taken by the politicians who rallied against him was following the action taken against this smuggling ring.
It is also learnt that the riots are fuelled by the politicians who are supposed to represent the area to cover up the under-developed status of the area and to curb the rising unpopularity among the people.

see the original article:
http://www.nation.lk/2006/10/08/news9.htm

The government of Sri Lanka unveils Ampara District livelihood development plan to assist the tsunami-affected masses

Thu, 2006-10-05 01:57 Purchase innopran beta By Sunil C. Perera A?a??a?? Reporting from Colombo

Colombo, 05 October, (Asiantribune.com): Purchase silvitra does it work The District Secretary of Ampara, behalf of the Government of SriLanka officially launched the Divisional Livelihood Development Plans for the nine Tsunami affected divisions of Ampara: Addalachchenai, Akkarapattu, Kalmunai Muslim, Kalmunai Tamil, Karative , Ninthavur, Pothuvil, Sainthamarudu, and Thirukkovil, at Ampara on last Monday.

The making of these plans have been facilitated by Reconstruction and Development Agency-RADA and supported by the Income Recovery Technical Assistance Programme (IRTAP) of International labour organization (ILO).

The purpose of the plans is to bring together communities, non-governmental organizations, private sector and local government in a joint planning process that is based upon community requirements and ongoing activities from a multitude of implementing institutions. The result of the process is a plan that has identified the gaps that still need to be filled in the road to full recovery of livelihoods of families and businesses in these tsunami affected areas. The planning process also improved coordination and better targeting of interventions as well as inclusion of communities in the decision making process. The DLDPS are also linked to the district recovery plans that are currently being formulated at district level by the District Reconstruction and Development Unit.

RADA’s role is to facilitate and coordinate livelihood recovery activities; the ownership of the plans is with the local authorities and communities. Now that the plans have been finalized; the success will be in the actual implementation of the priority projects. Once the plans are launched the phase of helping the divisions in matching the identified projects with implementers will start. For that funds will be solicited from various sources, such as: central government funding, decentralized budget and from the donor community.

The Government of Sri Lanka , RADA and the International Labour Organization [ILO] have jointly identified 135 priority projects out of about 1000 projects under their Divisional Livelihood Development Plan[DLDP] Ampara district to assist tsunami affected masses to become haves.

The District Secretary of Ampara District Herath Abeyweera says the government wants to grab investment opportunities to launch these income recovery projects and develop community infrastructure, local economic development and the social protection.

The District Secretary said the RADA and other organizations have already identified 15 priority projects in each divisional secretary area and the total investment would be Rs.180 million for priority projects.

Mr.Herath said implementing of the proposed plans is not an easy task, but optimistic on the donors contribution to his district where worstly affected by Tsunami and conflict. We need INGOs and NGOs support to implement these projects, he said.

At present the government and other donors constructed 700 houses for the tsunami affected community and hopes to provide over 27,000 houses for all tsunami affected masses in the Ampara district.The government has allocated Rs.1500 million to complete this task, he said.

W.M.B.S. Nissanka who is Acting Director-livelihood division of RADA said that RADA is mandated by the president to assist district and divisional stakeholders in planning, monitoring and evaluations of tsunami reconstruction projects for sustainable developments.

“So far 27 such plans have been launched and completing balance 16 by end of the year” he said. Responding to the questions from media on donor assistance for DLDP, he said that “it is quite encouraging as donors have signed MoUs for 10 projects with government in Galle and Hambantota districts, out of 138 projects commited by various donors to implement.”

He extended similar invitation for donors in Ampara district too. Responding questions made by the media; Chief Technical Advisor of the IRTAP, Doekle Wielinga said the ILO has implemented a district supply data base called “Coordinating and Planning System-CAPS” to collect data from the INGOS and NGOs and to minimize aid duplication while improving coordination. The district/divisional livelihood unit comprising ILO/RADA coordinator and Livelihood officers appointed by Ministry of Labour Relations assist district/divisional secretaries to develop a data source on aid distribution, project activities and details of the beneficiaries.

Speaking to media, Country Directress of the ILO Tine Staermose said the RADA, ILO and the government of Sri Lanka are now being developed DLDPs for 43 tsunami affected divisions including north and east. This indeed marks significant progress in the tsunami-affected districts,

further she said; One month after the tsunami, the government with the assistance of the multilateral donors and the ILO outlined a strategy for rebuilding livelihoods and reviving local economies in the affected areas known as the Rapid Income Recovery Program [RIRP] and later transform to IRTAP to foresee medium and long term development.

The key requirements were social protection for those who cannot work and for those who can work, temporary employment through community infrastructure rehabilitation and permanent income recovery through finance to replace productivity assets, capacity building vocational training and other support services.

A number of organizations are assisting with the overall income recovery effort , including banks, financial intermediaries , chambers of Commerce , INGOs and NGOs .

She said the ILO deals with the dignity of working people .The ILO also provides capacity building for implementing partners in local resource based infrastructure development , local economic recovery and development tools , capacity building on social protection , that aims improving the inclusion of vulnerable groups into the recovery programme.

– Asian Tribune –

http://www.asiantribune.com/index.php?q=node/2301