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A bridge too far

Published on 09/07/2008 in From our own Correspondent, Ideas, Money Matters, press coverage, taxis and wild life. 0 Comments

by Kath Noble

Sri Lanka wasn’t short of help in the aftermath of the tsunami that hit the country more than three and a half years ago. Millions of people were affected, a lucky few losing no more than worldly possessions in the waves, while so many others saw their loved ones washed away forever, and the disaster moved those watching it unfold from afar to donate an unprecedented amount of money towards the recovery of survivors. Governments gave even more. Sri Lankans got an inkling of why this extraordinary outpouring of assistance didn’t result in well-being for everybody when a leading donor completed its flagship project and a new bridge was opened at Arugam Bay.

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Pledges from overseas for the relief and reconstruction effort amounted to about $3.3 billion. Whether this all materialised is open to debate, but more important is what happened to the funds that did make it over here.

People aren’t all doing well. Newspapers occasionally carry reports of survivors who are still living in temporary accommodation or even on the streets, and a surprising number of those who were fortunate enough to benefit from a shelter scheme appear to have seen their new homes deteriorate to the point of being almost unliveable within a matter of months. Housing clearly isn’t the only difficulty. Livelihood programmes were infamous for their tendency to rely on giving away a random number of sometimes rather inappropriate items to the most obvious recipients while having no overall plan for the development of the affected sectors of the economy. Sri Lanka has probably achieved rather more than some of the other countries that were struck by the tsunami, but there are still plenty of issues waiting to be resolved over three and a half years later.

The $3.3 billion sounded like it was going to be more than enough to do the job. President Kumaratunga spoke enthusiastically on many occasions about the opportunity that such a level of international aid presented for developing the country in addition to ensuring the recovery of the affected people, and Bill Clinton was but one of the foreign voices who chimed in with inspirational words on what he was keen to refer to as building back better. It just doesn’t seem to have happened that way.

Price erexin-v Blame is popularly put on corruption. It has undoubtedly played a part but not necessarily the major role in what has gone wrong.

Non-Governmental Organisations are certainly another relevant target. Approximately $1 billion out of the total amount of assistance is said to have arrived via such channels, but much has already been said on this subject. Non-Governmental Organisations certainly didn’t spend all of their money wisely and they also managed to create a thoroughly unproductive culture of dependency wherever they set foot.

The Arugam Bay bridge has a different but equally useful story to relate. The United States Agency for International Development made the replacement of this bit of infrastructure the centrepiece of its support for the country after the tsunami and spent some $10.6 million. A total of $134.5 million was allocated as official aid by the United States. Other projects included the installation of a new water supply system, the reconstruction of ten vocational schools, the development of three fisheries harbours and the implementation of a coastal management programme. The United States Agency for International Development gave the contract for all of these projects to an American company by the name of CH2M Hill.

The United States claimed that it all exactly conformed to the expectations of survivors. Its press release on the occasion of the ceremonial opening last week professed to have held a large number of meetings with local people and community representatives in order to work everything out. Participation is a slippery concept. Arugam Bay residents might not have had much to say about what was described as a state-of-the-art design involving a composite of steel girders and concrete panels that hadn’t ever been used in this country but is often employed in the United States. The United States Agency for International Development reassured them and the rest of us that it was both less expensive and faster to build. Comparisons require a bit more information than that. The $10.6 million and three and a half years might not have sounded so wonderful if it referred to the bailey bridge that was installed in the same location within a couple of months and at minimal cost by the Indian Army.

Arugam Bay inhabitants clearly weren’t given a choice between spending on extras like guardrails and lights or something else unconnected with the bridge, and they didn’t have the chance to say that they’d rather use the whole sum on other projects and continue to use the perfectly serviceable existing infrastructure for a while. The United States thus ensured that a small town in a remote area ended up with something that wouldn’t look out of place in downtown New York.

Economic growth was brought into the debate as the ultimate excuse. The United States claimed that the bridge would help the town to retain its status as a tourist attraction and boost the local economy by providing easier access to the sixty or more hotels in Arugam Bay. Around 5,000 people and 1,400 vehicles are expected to cross the lagoon per day. Arugam Bay natives might have pointed out that visitors were already travelling along the road some few kilometres to the interior and indeed going across the bailey bridge set up by the Indian Army. Symbolism surely isn’t a reasonable explanation for inflated expenditure in an area with so much poverty even before the tsunami and it isn’t clear why anybody would expect vastly increased numbers of holidaymakers to turn up just because it is now a little bit easier to get from Pottuvil to Panama.

Infrastructure doesn’t magically increase economic growth. East Germans can surely testify to this having seen their prospects decline and unemployment increase following a major investment drive after their reunification with the West. Examples simply proliferate on this issue.

The United States boasted that the project had at least provided jobs for the survivors. Eighty percent of the work was done by local people, but we need not waste time wondering whether this also amounted to four fifths of the wages. The American company brought their own employees to design the bridge, and an Indian company was subcontracted to supervise the masons, carpenters and others who undertook the construction. Engineers and management staff aren’t exactly in short supply in this country, yet many of these salaries and their associated company fees went straight out of the economy to India and the United States. Indonesian companies provided much of the prefabricated material needed for this particular design, so still more money went overseas. Technology transfer was supposed to be an important aspect of the project, and employees were said to have learnt a few new skills from the experience, but this might not be very useful if nobody is planning any more state-of-the-art bridges in Ampara.

Sri Lankans might wonder who actually got what they wanted in Arugam Bay. The United States is renowned for pursuing its own interests through the foreign aid it offers. Around 70% of its funds are officially tied to the purchase of goods and services from its home companies. That’s an annual average of about $7 billion. The United States isn’t the only country to do this, of course. Nine out of ten donors make at least some of their aid conditional in this way, and almost half of all aid is so affected, while the value of what is given would increase by about one third if they didn’t attach these kinds of strings. The Arugam Bay bridge was actually subject to a competitive bidding process in which firms from almost every country were eligible to participate. The United States Agency for International Development made it much more likely that one of its own corporations would end up winning the contract by making their entire tsunami programme a single undertaking with cost considered only at a later stage in the selection process.

(Coincidentally, CH2M Hill is very well-connected in Washington. It contributed the most of all construction companies to political campaigns during the Presidential, House of Representatives and Senate elections of 2004, of which 70% went to the Republican Party. The company proceeded to win a number of multi-billion dollar no-bid contracts for rebuilding work in both Iraq and New Orleans.)

The $3.3 billion promised to this country to rebuild after the tsunami starts to look a bit feeble if we bear in mind that considerable amounts ended up being spent in this way. The Arugam Bay bridge is surely not an exceptional case. Money flowed out of local communities almost as fast as it was poured in. Benefits did accrue to the survivors but many opportunities were lost as well. Aid turns out to be a rather misleading term. It may come from well-meaning people, but there is something amiss with the systems that get the money from them to the intended beneficiaries. State donors are as much to blame as Non-Governmental Organisations. Sri Lanka has plenty of evidence of that.

source:
http://www.island.lk/2008/07/09/features1.html

Peace Building

Published on 08/07/2008 in Ideas, Money Matters, press coverage and services. 0 Comments

08 Jul, 2008 09:00:02

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Sri Lanka should build English medium schools in East: official

July 07, 2008 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s government should start English medium schools in the East of the island, because educators in the areas are clamouring them, a top official in charge of peace building efforts said.

The Secretariat for Coordinating the Peace Process (SCOPP) is encouraging communities in the Eastern Province to formulate their own development initiatives for the area which will also contribute to peace building.A key initiative was the request for an English medium schools in the Trincomalee district, Rajiva Wijesinha secretary general of SCOPP told reporters in Colombo.

“Principals from Moslem, Tamil and Sinhalese schools in the region have requested for an overarching English medium school to supplement a teacher shortage.”

“This will also help children of different ethnicities to blend with each other, hopefully when the children unite, the adults will also do so,” Wijesinha said.

The secretariat has opted to allow the communities to plan their own development schemes for the region. It will also help communities unite in the peace building process, SCOPP says.

“These are the areas we have to move in and act quickly because the people themselves have asked for it,” Wijesinha said.

Sri Lanka Army freed from the Eastern region of the island from Tamil Tigers over the past year. Provincial polls were also conducted in the Eastern Province in May, where TVMP the break-away faction of Tigers won the chief ministerial portfolio.

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Since then, development work has been initiated in the region.The government also opened the new Arugam Bay Bridge connecting Pottuvil, Arugam Bay and Panama in the Eastern province, which was swept away in the 20047 tsunami, to the public this month.

SCOPP has also appointed civil coordinators for the region to stir constant discussion and exchange of information.

It is important to bring community action together against ‘spoiling’ activities such as abductions and torture, says Wijesinha.

However, the region has a dearth of job opportunities and skilled labour due to lower levels of education, he also said.

source:
http://www.lankabusinessonline.com/fullstory.php?nid=2116385285A?A?

President moves strategically

Published on 08/07/2008 in people, press coverage and Security & Safety. 0 Comments

Rajapaksa condemns assault on media freedom

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Karuna AmmanA?a??a??s return adds new dimension
UNP Leader moves to avert political landmines

President Mahinda Rajapaksa is moving strategically to win the two provincial council elections. He has the political acumen and versatility to convince the electorate that the UPFA government is doing the best for Sri Lanka as far as the economy and the war are concerned.

According to the government, the war is on a winning note and they are closing into the northern most strongholds of the LTTE.
Under these circumstances, the people will bear the hardships thrust upon them due to the escalating oil prices and the international trends, such as the global food shortage.

Formidable candidates
The President knows very well that the UNP has fielded a very formidable candidate for the North Central Province, Major General Janaka Perera, who has fought many decisive battles. He has been a very versatile Army officer that the Sri Lanka Army has produced during recent times.

President Chandrika Kumaratunga, after having considered his services to the nation, appointed him as the High Commissioner for Australia and thereafter for Indonesia, a very strategic location where Tiger activities are at a high pitch.
The PresidentA?a??a??s objective and the rationale in going for these two provincial council elections are to test the waters in a difficult situation.

He wants to ascertain whether the electorate backs him with his agenda to flush out terrorism. However, he needs to counter the UNP move. And the President was clever enough to choose a disabled candidate from the North Central Province to be fielded in the list to match the UNPA?a??a??s formidable candidate.

Upali Wijekoon, a junior officer of the Army who lost his limbs in the explosion that took the life of Lieutenant General Denzil Kobbekaduwa is the person who has been chosen by the UPFA.
Wijekoon met with the President last Wednesday at Temple Trees and he was seen in a wheelchair, being pushed around by his supporters.

Wijekoon is a hero indeed, and has the capacity to speak well on political platforms. His harrowing story of how he escaped the lethal landmine explosion is yet another innovative political story for the peasants of the North Central Province, which is sure to grab their attention.

He is a man of the soil and political analysts are of the view that the President had shown his maturity and keen grasp of the situation by nominating Upali to contest the provincial council elections.
President Rajapaksa also had various problems in finalising the two lists for these two provinces. At the same time, he had not chosen to cast aside people who had been known as loyalists of President Kumaratunga.

Old guard
Berty Premalal Dissanayake, the former North Central Province Chief Minister, was at one time a close associate of Kumaratunga, and continues to be so even today. However, President Rajapaksa had reposed utmost confidence in Dissanayake to win the electorate.

The only hindrance here is that Dissanayake is running for the third time as the chief ministerial candidate in the North Central Province. Perhaps a new face would have done better and many in the UPFA had yearned for new faces for both these provinces, which could attract the attention of the people.

The minus is that stale faces do not attract the new votes and the younger population. This is a problem not only for the UPFA but for the UNP too. In the UNP, the old guard is still active and they decide for the party and it is not sure as to whether the UNP is in a position to muster the support of the younger generation at grassroots level.

Though the UNP had been able to nominate a chief ministerial candidate for the North Central Province, it had failed to do so for the Sabaragamuwa Province. For Sabaragamuwa, the UNP hierarchy had decided to run an open list, with Neranjan Wijerathne, the former Diyawadana Nilame of the Dalada Maligawa, and popular film actor Ranjan Ramanayake heading the two districts.

This is to the UPFAA?a??a??s advantage. The UPFA will start its campaign in the Sabaragamuwa Province by focusing on the problems of the UNP A?a??a?? that the UNP was unable to field a chief ministerial candidate for Sabaragamuwa.

According to UNP insiders, the problems faced by the party hierarchy are numerous. They maintain that they were unable to field a chief ministerial candidate due to threats received by their nominees. This is what has happened to Upul Shantha Sannasgala, the UNP maintains.

SannasgalaA?a??a??s name was proposed by the, UNP hierarchy after consulting the seniors in the province who apparently did not want to come forward for a local election thinking that it would lower their image .but what they failed to understand was the attention and the focus they would have in the entire country during the period, even if they loose the elections.

Hakeem is one who exploited this situation for future benefit and Hisbullah was equally known to the whole country because he too portrayed the picture that he would be the Chief Minister of the East in the event the UPFA returns the highest number of Muslim members to the Eastern Provincial Council.

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Both Dunesh Gankanda and Talatha Atukorale of the UNP failed to realise that they would come into the limelight if they contested as chief ministerial candidates. Now itA?a??a??s an open list where film star Ranjan Ramanayake is gaining prominence.
Though there were problems over RamanayakeA?a??a??s nomination to be included in the open list for Ratnapura District in the Sabaragamuwa Province, UNP Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe surmounted all these after an intense discussion with Ramanayake, who promised to indulge in a fearless campaign for Sabaragamuwa.

UNP Leader Wickremesinghe sincerely wanted Atukorale to be the chief ministerial candidate but she was not ready to grab the opportunity because she felt that she had been sidelined by the UNP hierarchy by not being appointed as the district leader for Ratnapura.

The problem faced by Wickremesinghe was that there was no provision in the UNP Constitution to appoint the same person for two important positions. This was brought out when Wickremesinghe had discussions with Atukorale over her candidature for the chief ministerial post. Atukorale now heads the Lak Vanitha programme of the UNP.

However, the UNP has kept the Ratnapura District leadership open without appointing anybody. If Atukorale is not appointed, then it should go to Gankanda but the UNP has kept it open considering AtukoraleA?a??a??s political aspirations.

It is now up to Atukorale to decide whether she should head the Lak Vanitha, which is much higher in position, or become the political leader of the Ratnapura District.
Atukorale no doubt is a capable organiser who has the knowledge and the will to organise grassroots level organisations for the UNP.

However, there are people within the UNP who are trying to drive a wedge between Wickremesinghe and Atukorale. They have temporarily suspended the campaign against Wickremesinghe to oust him. The temporary lull is to see a bad defeat for the UNP in the two provinces in a bid to intensify their campaign.

But Wickremesinghe is sure of his candidates and that they could deliver the goods for him. More than anything, he has a lot of faith in his General Secretary Tissa Attanayake, who saved the day for him.
The move by the rebels within was to first oust Attanayake from the position of general secretary but Wickremesinghe, being a shrewder politician, foresaw all the problems that were accumulating within the party circles and acted in a more mature manner to avert the political landmines in his way.

AtukoraleA?a??a??s issues
When Atukorale came to Sri Lanka from a retreat in the US, there were two people who urged her not to accept the chief ministerial position. One was Lakshman Seneviratne and the other was Johnston Fernando. Even former UNP Chairman Malik Samarawickrema prevailed upon her to reject WickremesingheA?a??a??s call but Atukorale, given her grievances with the party, has fallen in line.

She had several rounds of talks with Wickremesinghe to sort out the problems she was facing within the Ratnapura District UNP organisation. At the same time, Wickremesinghe used emissaries to settle problems for him. The chief men he used in this task were S.B. Dissanayake and Sajith Premadasa. Both names have been proposed by the rebels and various other groups as suitable men to don the deputy leadership mantle of the party.
Wickremesinghe appears to have taken a cue from these proposals, to entrust them with the task of settling internal problems for him.

Now Premadasa would actively engage himself in canvassing in the North Central Province for Janaka Perera while Dissanayake would put his might in the Sabaragamuwa.
Janaka Perera, an experienced military officer, has once again come into the limelight after a long hiatus. The UNP organisation in Rajarata has apparently endorsed his candidacy and the UNP supporters are rallying around him.

However, the UPFA has a good candidate on its side. Upali Wijekoon can turn the tide towards the UPFA.
The JVP will simultaneously make inroads into the vote bank of the Rajarata and the prevailing situation will also favour it, although there is a split down the middle.

The Wimal Weerawansa group is more likely to campaign for the UPFA, endorsing the UPFAA?a??a??s military campaign in the north.
The most important for President Mahinda Rajapaksa at this juncture is to campaign in order to sustain his war effort in the north. If he is successful in this, he would be able to win the North Central Province, with Wijekoon in the forefront, who had sacrificed for the same of the motherland.

However, the cost of living and other problems will have a negative effect on the governmentA?a??a??s campaign. But President Rajapaksa, being a mature politician, will know how to turn things around in his favour.

HakeemA?a??a??s stance
In the meantime, UNP Leader Wickremesinghe is facing another problem owing to a hard decision taken by SLMC Leader Rauff Hakeem.
When the three SLMC leaders, namely Hakeem, Hassan Ali and Basheer Segu Dawood, resigned to contest the Eastern Provincial Council elections, they created three vacancies in Parliament.

One vacancy was filled by Mohamed Naushad, the UNPA?a??a??s convenor for the east. Naushad was next in line to succeed Hakeem in parliament and at present there are two vacancies in the National List, one created by Basheer Segu Dawood and the other by Hakeem.

Wickremesinghe recently had extensive discussions with Hakeem to nominate UNP National Organiser S.B. Dissanayake for one of the National List slots. Although DissanayakeA?a??a??s name was struck off the Electoral Register, the UNP Leader, after having consultations with leading lawyer Faiz Mustapha, agreed at the request of Dissanayake to appoint him as a Member of Parliament for one month.

The Elections Department is also in a quandary as to whether such an appointment would be legitimate.
If such an appointment was made by Wickremesinghe on the assumptions made by his lawyers, the Elections Commissioner would fall into a difficult situation. He would have no option but to consult the Attorney General. If the Attorney GeneralA?a??a??s ruling is contrary to the UNP lawyersA?a??a?? opinion, then there would be a legal battle and it is not clear whether Dissanayake would be able so sit in Parliament until such time the legal battle is over.

However, a political controversy and a huge legal issue have come to a standstill since Hakeem was adamant that he should be appointed to the National List slot from the UNP. He does not want to pave the way for Dissanayake even temporarily to test the waters, thinking that he would be compelled to stay out of Parliament permanently.

However, insiders in the UNP feel that Hakeem was virtually toeing the line of rebels in the party, who are against Dissanayake since they believe that Dissanayake was responsible for leaking out several crucial decisions of the UNP to the government.
At the moment, the whole thing has been put on hold and both the President and the UNP Leader were busy in finalising the nominations during the latter part of the week.

KarunaA?a??a??s return
As things stand, shrouded by political uncertainty, the latest is the re-emergence of former TMVP Leader Karuna Amman in the local political scene.
Karuna, who slipped into London through a forged diplomatic passport, was deported by the British authorities after languishing in jail for some time. He was escorted by British officials to Colombo on a special flight two days ago and then he was whisked off in a special vehicle with escorts.

It is not certain how Karuna would now face the political realities in the Eastern Province. Having broken off from the mainstream LTTE, Karuna made it possible for the government to extend its writ over the entire Eastern Province within a short period.
KarunaA?a??a??s departure from the LTTE took place during the premiership of Ranil Wickremesinghe, when the LTTE was engaged in talks with the government for a negotiated political settlement based on a more federal like solution.
Karuna slipped out of the east with the help of UNP MP, his erstwhile friend, Ali Zahir Moulana, who is now domiciled in the United States.

At the moment it is not clear as to how Karuna would react to the latest developments in the Eastern Province. Karuna was succeeded by Sivanesathurai Chandrakanthan, alias Pillaiyan, who is determined to not allow Karuna to take over the reins of the east.
Could this lead to another factional fight between the breakaway LTTEers is the pertinent question that arises given the re-emergence of Karuna.

If Karuna decides to return to the east, it will add new dimensions to the political equation in the Eastern Province. Or will he decide to leave the country permanently to another destination for his own safety?
The LTTE would be eagerly looking at the political developments in Colombo and in Batticaloa that would complicate things for the present administration.

Undoubtedly, President Rajapaksa is saddled with many problems while the SAARC Summit is around the corner.
The assault on media personnel has dismayed the President, who wanted to know who was behind this sinister campaign.

At the opening of the Arugam Bay Bridge, under the auspices of US Aid, the President pronounced that the assault on media personnel and subsequent harassments was a conspiracy against the government.
The President was right in saying that he realises the gravity of the situation since he was a friend of the media from the days he entered politics.

While in opposition and as the prime minister of Sri Lanka, Rajapaksa was the champion of the free media and he encouraged journalists to be free and fair and to stand up for the rights of the people. He promoted free expression by the media.
Therefore, the present trend of trying to stifle the media would cause immense problems for President Rajapaksa. It is certainly an attack on the pillars of democracy since there would be no democracy without a free media.
Media freedom

The people in a vibrant democracy have the right to know what is going on in the country and the media helps them to engage in a healthy debate and discussion on important matters for the state. That is how a democracy tests the pulse of the people.
Without a free media, there is no democracy. The President feels this as strongly as any other leader who has cherished democratic principles in the past.

He appeared to be perturbed over the present trend and he has personally called for the evidence that is available in the assault cases against journalists and engaged in a difficult exercise to bring the perpetrators to book.
He has already consulted Attorney General C.R. De Silva and asked him whether he would sift through the evidence available to take legal action against the elements are causing immense embarrassment to the President and to his political image.

It is by finding the culprits that the President could tell the country that he stands for democracy and a free media and the President is keen that the perpetrators should stand before court for trial.

It is therefore the announcement made by the Sri Lanka Press Institute (SLPI) and the publishers that would help the investigators to find out who the culprits are. If the investigators always come up with excuses that there is no evidence, the SLPI announcement would immensely help them to further their investigations.

The remarks made by Minister Keheliya Rambukwella and subsequently by the Police Spokesman could be condemned by all A?a??a?? that the journalists are setting up such incidents in order to get visas to go overseas. These statements, which have no basis, will surely be condemned by the government and those who cherish democratic traditions.

****

source:
http://www.nation.lk/2008/07/06/politics1.htm

Arugambay – Oluvil: fishermen against harbour expansion

Published on 08/07/2008 in Money Matters, people and press coverage. 0 Comments

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The project is part of a wider plan undertaken by the government to jumpstart the countryA?a??a??s economy. It risks driving small operators out of business in favour of large-scale commercial enterprises.

Ampara (AsiaNews) A?a??a?? Fishermen in the village of Oluvil (Ampara district) are scaling up their protests against the governmentA?a??a??s decision to build a local commercial harbour as part of a broader infrastructural development plan undertaken to improve the quality of life and ensure economic growth.

Named Nagenahira Navodaya (Eastern Awakening), the planned new harbour will be able to cater to large ships with holds exceeding the eight-metre depth level mark.

Local fishermen complain that the new facility has already caused a decline in their activities, depriving them of their livelihood; for its part the government has insisted that future benefits will make fishermenA?a??a??s lives happier and more prosperous.

Residents have complained that hundreds of people have seen their property expropriated or been displaced as a result of harbour construction work.

Local activists cannot hide their concern for the future of fishing. For Herman Kumara, general secretary of the World Forum For Fisher People (WFFP), the new harbour will cater to large scale commercial fishery rather than small fishermen.

Only large boats will be able to dock, whilst the small boats will not be able to enter, which is what A?a??A?is happening at Colombo Harbour presently.A?a??A?

According to locals, 58 families are left out of the 100 or so that once called the village home. Through subsidies, payouts and other expedients, the government was able to get the rest to move, but it evaluated property based on 2002 data, not 2008, thus not taking into account price changes and current inflation.

Locals also criticised the authorities for what they see as lies. Job promises have not panned out and only a few fishermen have been hired to build the new harbour, A?a??A?far below what was promised.A?a??A?

source:
http://www.asianews.it/index.php?l=en&art=12695&size=A

Largest ever Infrastucture Investment

Published on 06/07/2008 in Blogs, Money Matters and press coverage. 0 Comments

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Date: Sun, 6 Jul 2008 07:11:19 +0400

Local: Sun, Jul 6 2008 8:11 am

Subject: Largest-ever mobilisation of funds for public infrastructure

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< http://www.google.com/url?sa=X&q=http://www.sundaytimes.lk/080706/Finan
cialTimes/ft322.html&ct=ga&cd=Y6Mr8xg64lQ&usg=AFQjCNEVynFVq8LFeRcSt31-iz
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Sunday Times.lk – Columbo,Sri Lanka
Treasury Secretary Dr. P.B. Jayasundara, speaking at the Sri Lanka
Economic Summit 2008 on “Managing Public Finance to Enhance Efficiency”,
said public investment which dropped during 2002-2003 has now been
raised to six percent with plans to stabilize it at seven percent,
adding that public spending shouldn’t be sacrificed because of
inflation.
Expenditure compression is not the solution because private investment
cannot take place without the public spending in place, the Secretary
said. The downward trend in government spending seen in the last 10
years has been reversed and unemployment is on the decline and is at an
all time low of six percent.
Speaking of managing public expenditure efficiently, he said that it is
done in clusters to see where wastage occurs. He said scrapping a few
ministries is not the answer. Spending on national security, which is at
three and a half percent of the GDP is a critical component of public
expenditure, he said, adding “The government considers it an
investment”.
Speaking of the infrastructure developments that are taking around the
country, the Secretary noted that during the last 30 years development
has been concentrated in certain areas, leaving some others lagging
behind. Among these are the Eastern Province and the Mannar – Puttalam
areas. In the East, several projects are underway, including the Arugam
Bay Bridge, and the move to create an Export Processing Zone. Large
irrigation systems, highways and other developments are taking place all
over the country, Dr Jayasundara said.
Speaking of the funding for the projects, he said that this is the
largest mobilization of foreign funds with work being carried out on
three ports, two international airports, roads and irrigation schemes.
He also added that implementation periods have been shortened and
consultation curtailed, with donor assistance targeted towards country
specific needs and not donor specific needs.
The Secretary noted the rising cost of fuel and food prices in the
international market as new challenges but stated that adjustments in
Sri Lanka are much stronger that in the rest of South Asia. Speaking at
the same session providing the private sector perspective was Dr Anura
Ekanayake, Deputy Vice Chairman of the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce who
stated that it is the private sector who contributes 80 percent of the
GDP of the country but said that in Sri Lanka it is performing below the
regional par. He also noted that while public investment has increased
private investment has slowed down and added that given the size of the
private sector economy, the government will not be able to fill the gap.
Inflation, high interest rates and high energy costs were seen as some
of the factors adversely affecting the private sector. Dr Ekanayake
pointed out that the country’s inflation during 2007 and 2008 is way
above those of the competitors, while the prime lending rate in Sri
Lanka as of May was at 18.7 percent. In the commercial and household
categories Sri Lanka has the highest price for a unit of electricity
while in the industrial category, the local unit price is second only to
that in Singapore. He also noted that low confidence in the stock market
as another reason for the decline in private investment.
He pointed out a few immediate issues that need to be addressed such as
conflict, rising inflation, high cost of capital and energy and
relatively poor infrastructure. As solutions to these problems, he
suggested that in the short term, public expenditure should be reduced,
revenue collection should be increased keeping rates steady and reforms
in the public sector. In the medium to long run he stated that exports
need to be focused on and commercial agriculture needs to be established
in the country noting that agriculture productivity levels have been
stagnating for the last decade. The government should also combine with
the private sector to improve infrastructure, he said

source:
http://groups.google.com/group/PuttalamPhotos/browse_thread/thread
/a6df07d8751db8cf/8981f0707712aa19?hl=en&q=arugam#8981f0707712aa19

Wildlife Newsletter (Lahugala etc.)

Published on 06/07/2008 in Blogs, press coverage and wild life. 0 Comments

Ayubowan! Vanaakum! Dear friends,

Thank you for joining the Sri Lanka Wildlife Conservation Society (SLWCS) mailing list over the years. This is our 2nd newsletter for 2008. We currently have 3157 registered users.

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WILDLIFE NEWS: Rich in biodiversity – poor in protection and conservation

The SLWCS conducted biodiversity surveys in several ecologically important areas in the western, northern and eastern provinces. The following is a brief summary highlighting some of the important outcomes of these surveys.

Kalpitiya-Karaitive-Puttalam Lagoon and Coastal Wetland Complex
Five different habitat types were identified based on the floristic composition including 4 aquatic and 3 terrestrial habitats. FLORA: A total of 168 plant species belonging to 43 families occur in the five habitat types. Among them there are 4 endemics, 3 nationally threatened and 4 invasive species. The diversity is greatest in the home gardens, and lowest in the salt marshes. Among the plant forms, shrubs and trees predominate. FAUNA: A total of 278 vertebrates were recorded from the KKP. The vertebrates include 34 species of fish, 6 species of amphibians, 22 species of reptiles, 200 species of birds and 17 species of mammals. Among the invertebrates 47 are butterflies, 8 species are dragonflies and 3 are crustaceans. Among the recorded species, 11 are endemic, while 2 are globally threatened and 39 are nationally threatened. NEW RECORDS: A flock of 17 Great Knots (Calidris tenuirostris) were recorded once at a tidal mudflat at southern Uchchamunai. This was the first large flock recorded in Sri Lanka.

The Eurasian Oystercatcher (Haematopus ostralegus) was found to occur in the northern parts of the lagoon. The other rare observations are of the Spotted Redshank (Tringa erythropus) and Sanderling (Calidris alba) which were recorded in the off-season. Interestingly, the Ruff (Philomachus pugnax) which is considered a common wader was recorded only once. First year juveniles: First year juveniles that remain without migrating back to their breeding grounds in the spring are known to stay in Bundala and Palatupana coastal wetland complexes in the south of Sri Lanka. This study revealed that 12 such species remain in KKP. They remain restricted to parts of the lagoon, which have extensive tidal mud flats. Almost all first year juveniles had attained their breeding plumage by September. Among them, the breeding plumage of the Little Stint (Calidris minuta), the Lesser Sand Plover (Charadrius mongolus), the Curlew Sand Piper (Calidris ferruginea) and the Golden Plover (Pluvialis fulva) is very distinct. The juveniles of the Little Stint (Calidris minuta) and Lesser Sand Plover (Charadrius mongolus) stay back in large numbers. This emphasizes the importance of carrying out the study during the migratory and non-migratory seasons.

Bellanwila Attidiya Sanctuary
Five main vegetation types were identified within the Bellanwila-Attidiya sanctuary: Marshland vegetation, Annona dominated woodland vegetation, Open water vegetation, Canal bank vegetation and Home garden vegetation. A comparison of data collected from various surveys since 1982 with the SLWCS 2005 survey data shows a reduction in the total number of species including endemic species for most of the taxonomic groups while exotic and pest or invasive species have increased tremendously. From a total number of 345 species recorded in the Sanctuary 10 years ago the number of species has declined to 168 by 2005.

Bandaragama Wetlands
A total of 117 species of vertebrates and 41 species of butterflies and dragonflies including 9 endemics were recorded at the Bandaragama wetlands. No previous data exist for this wetland.

Cheap mircette and Seruwila
The surveys conducted by the SLWCS were the first surveys ever done in the Seruwila area. The surveys identified 4 major habitat types in the area: Tropical dry evergreen forest, Scrub-forest, Wetlands Including tank and mangrove ecosystems, Human modified or disturbed habitats (archeological reserves, paddy fields, Chena lands, fire disturbed, demilitarized zones, and areas grazed by cattle). A total of 148 species of vertebrates and 57 species of butterflies including 4 endemics were recorded during the field survey.

Lunugala
The surveys conducted by the SLWCS were the first surveys ever done in Lunugala area. Four distinct habitat types were identified: savanna grasslands dominated with Aralu (Terminalia chebula), Bulu (Terminalia bellerica), Nelli (Phyllanthus emblica,) and Deminiya (Grewia demine) tree species, dry mixed evergreen forest, wet evergreen forest dominated by Dipterocarpus species and human modified habitats containing tea and rubber estates, paddy fields, chena lands, disturbed habitats (clear cut forests without any cultivation or vegetation) and silvicultural land (plantation forest consisting of mostly Pinus, Eucalyptus and Canarium (turpentine) species. A total of 82 species of vertebrates, 57 species of butterflies and 8 species of dragonflies were recorded during the field surveys.

Lahugala
The surveys conducted by the SLWCS at Lahugala were some of the first studies that have been done in this area which has been mostly overlooked due to its remote location as well for the security issues prevalent in the area for the past 25 years. Seven habitat types were identified in the Lahugala area: Tropical Dry mix forest, Scrub-forest, Scrub-grassland, Wetland, Grassland, Riverine forest, and Human modified or disturbed (Paddy field, Chena, fire or open areas grazed by cattle). A total of 117 species of vertebrates, 81 species of butterflies and 5 species of dragonflies were recorded during the field surveys.

Conclusion
Almost all of the areas that were surveyed show that these areas still have impressive numbers of species that are indigenous and endemic to the island. Unfortunately all of these places without exception are under serious threat and pressure from unregulated exploitation by the local communities and by various development activities. In addition illegal loggers from outside areas are an ongoing threat to some of these highly diverse habitats.

Currently the Society is carrying out similar surveys in the recently liberated Eastern Province to gather data to assess the impact of over 25 years of human conflict on biodiversity A?a??a?? especially elephants, dugongs and sea turtles in the area.

The Saving Elephants by Helping People Project (SEHP) A?a??a?? celebrating 10 years as the longest operating successful participatory effort to mitigate human elephant conflicts in Sri Lanka.

Today, human elephant conflict defines the relationship between people and elephants in Sri Lanka. In 1997, the Founder President of SLWCS, Ravi Corea based on a survey he conducted established the first ever community-based HEC resolution project. This landmark community-based project called A?a??A?Saving Elephants by Helping PeopleA?a??A? (SEHP) in Sri Lanka, the first of its kind was born, exploring ways to resolve the increasing threats associated with human-elephant conflict and its close relationship with poverty, through community development, capacity building and research. The SEHP project tested an innovative concept, which was to fence elephants A?a??E?OUTA?a??a?? of human settlements rather than A?a??E?INA?a??a?? protected areas. This concept takes into consideration that 70% of the Sri Lankan elephant population ranges outside the national parks. The project pioneered the use of solar-powered electric fences to protect homesteads and crops from elephant raids. It uses a management model that fully integrates community participation to HEC resolution.

Today the SEHP Project has achieved the following: A?A? Poverty Reduction: The fences have helped to raise the socio-economic standards of these villages by significantly reducing crop raiding by elephants. Prior to the introduction of solar powered electric fences, 70% of the land was left uncultivated due to elephants frequently raiding the fields. After the fences were introduced, elephant raids have significantly reduced in some villages by 100% enabling villagers to cultivate all their fields. They are now cultivating seasonal and annual crops, which they could not do before. Help alleviate poverty through increased income. Approximately 7 hours per day per farmer has been saved, which used to be spent on protecting crops in the night. Villagers can sleep at night now or use that time for other activities. Villagers used to spend on average Rs.5,400 (< $50) per annum to purchase kerosene oil, firecrackers, flashlight batteries and bulbs to protect crops in the night. Since the SEHP project was implemented, the average monthly cost per household to maintain the electric fence is Rs.180 (>$2) per year. Therefore the average household is saving Rs.5,220 (approx $48) per annum.

The environmental awareness of some communities has increased by an average of 23%. In two villages, 100% claim their wellbeing and safety has improved since the electric fences were erected. Feedback from villagers shows their mobility, especially after nightfall, has increased due to the security from the fences. The social life of villagers has vastly improved, increasing their quality of life. Reduced stress due to the lower risks of elephant attacks. Children do not have to miss school because of elephants and potential damage or deaths in the village. Biodiversity Conservation: The alleviation of HEC has made farmers more supportive of elephant conservation. SEHP has made it possible for humans and elephants to co-exist in areas, where they share space by minimizing the violent interactions. Agriculture is one of the major drivers of biodiversity loss in many ecosystems. With a growing human population to feed, the Sri Lanka governmentA?a??a??s ongoing efforts to increase agricultural production will have profound impacts on biodiversity and associated ecosystem services. The SEHP initiative promotes that for sustainable development, it requires that biodiversity conservation and agricultural production are reconciled. The various SEHP programs are introducing pioneering and innovative land use practices towards achieving this objective. Visit our website to find out more information on these initiatives: A?A? Field Scouts Program (FSP) A?A? Project Orange Elephant (PoE) A?A? Home Garden Development Project (HGDP) A?A? Habitat Enrichment Project (HEP), English and Computers to Rural Schools Project, Tourism Infrastructure Development Projects.

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SLWCS DEVELOPMENTS AND PROJECTS:

SLWCS is pleased to announce the following developments (for further details on any of these projects, please email info@slwcs.org or go to our website www.slwcs.org

The President of SLWCS (Ravi Corea) was appointed the HEC Task Force Coordinator for the IUCN-Asian Elephant Specialist Group (AsESG). This was in recognition for all the work that both he personally and SLWCS have undertaken to promote community integrated human elephant conflict (HEC) resolution, poverty alleviation, sustainable land use, and wildlife conservation.

The Operations Director of the Society (Chandeep Corea) was elected as the Editor in Chief and Executive Committee Member of the Geo Informatics Society of Sri Lanka, which will soon become the National Geo-Informatics Institution.

The Society was appointed as consultant to UNESCO-Sri Lanka, and undertook a Rapid Ecological and Resource Utilization Survey (RERU)1 in both Seruvila (now accepted as a World Heritage Site), and more recently, Lunugala in the Badulla District. This was the first ever ecological, socio economic and resource utilization survey ever conducted in the area, which is one of Sri LankaA?a??a??s 9th poorest GN Divisions . SLWCS also helped UNESCO organise several round table conferences following the survey to discuss the findings and development plans with stakeholders.

The SLWCS have beenA?A? hired as consultants by the International Elephant Foundation (IEF) and flew to Indonesia in March/April, to conduct HEC training for the Bengkulu Natural Resources Conservation Department (BKSDA). Since its inception the Society has been developing a toolbox for HEC Mitigation. An integral component of this is the assumption that the protection and management of natural resources requires active community participation for sustainable conservation and community development. A small team from SLWCS went to Bengkulu in Indonesia to help them with their HEC Mitigation project and to train a team from the BKSDA in Community Participation approaches and practical GIS application for community based research. The trip was a huge success.

Presentations: The Society presented four technical papers (click here to see the papers click here to see the papers at the International Riverscapes Conference held in Colombo, which were very well received. The 4 papers dealt with wetlands conservation, results and issues as a result of several biodiversity and socio-economic baseline surveys that were recently conducted, and about a possible new locality record for the endemic freshwater fish species, Channa orientalis. An important lesson learned by all the participants at the conference was the need to adopt integrated landscape level management of riverscapes for long term conservation. The Society extended an invitation for conference participants, (which is now extended to all of our readers) to visit our project sites in Wasgamuwa, Knuckles Mountain foothills, Lahugala and Somawathiya to work with the SLWCS on collaborative research and conservation projects.

Collaborations: The Society has been invited by both the Department of Wildlife Conservation and the Mahaweli Authority of Sri Lanka to develop landscape level management strategies for the mitigation of HEC in the Central and North Central Provinces.

Nominations: The SLWCS was recently nominated for the UNDP Equator Net Award and for the BBC World Challenge 2008 award. We are all waiting in anticipation to see what the outcomes of these nominations would be.

Rapid Ecological and Resource Utilization (RERU) Survey A?a??a?? A thorough ecological, biodiversity and socio/economic assessment of a predefined area, over a short period (approximately 6 days on average), along with suggestions for improvements and actions that need to be taken for the improvement and development of the area.

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Purchase danazol 200mg OTHER PROJECT UPDATES:

Wasgamuwa A?a??a?? The SLWCS established their first project in Wasgamuwa, a village in the Central Province over a decade ago, with the A?a??A?Saving Elephants by Helping PeopleA?a??A? (SEHP) project, which fence elephants OUT of villages rather than IN reserves, using solar powered electric fencing. This project still remains the most successful participatory HEC resolution program in Sri Lanka today. The communities are still working together to maintain their fences. Unfortunately, due to the security situation in Sri Lanka, the number of international volunteers has declined drastically since February, so sadly the main field research site at Wasgamuwa is operating on a skeleton staff. The locally trained Field Scouts have continued to collect data on the fences, HEC, and socio economic issues without help from volunteers. Through this important research SLWCS have discovered that elephant raids have reduced by 100% in some areas, and approximately 7 hours per day of farmers time has been saved, and Rs.5,500 (approx $50) per annum saved from not having to purchase paraphernalia to chase away crop raising elephants, as well as saving thousands of rupees previously spent on repairs to property damaged by elephants. We have just been informed that two volunteers will be joining our Research Team at Wasgamuwa in July, which is great news!

SLWCS made an exciting discovery in one of the field sites, of a possible, but not confirmed presence of an endemic fish species (see the presentation A?a??A?A Fish StoryA?a??A? above), and would like to encourage researchers and conservation enthusiasts to join the team in undertaking further studies of the area. SLWCS is also keen to find funding to continue the good work in the area, by carrying out the Habitat Enrichment Project (HEP), as an additional means of deterring elephants and alleviating poverty, by planting citrus and other crops varieties that are known to be not preferred by elephants.

Irrigasulpotha Camp Site (at Wasgamuwa) A?a??a?? SLWCS have renovated one of the smaller SLWCS field camp sites, building a shower/toilet facility, which is now available for hire for Eco, elephant and research tours. Please contact info@slwcs.org for more information.

Lahugala A?a??a?? SLWCS have been working with communities in Lahugala, in the Ampara District since 2004. These villages consist of poor farming and Tsunami displaced communities, largely affected by HEC. Following the success of the SEHP project at Wasgamuwa, SLWCS has emulated the same project in Lahugala, and are working with the community, having erected a solar powered electric fence, and are successfully working to help the people maintain it. SLWCS have also conducted a reforestation project in a Chena affected area, which will prevent soil erosion, improve the soil fertility and provide an income for families. SLWC is also providing plants (fruits, vegetables, medicinal, herbs, spices, fodder, and timber species) to poor families to develop their home gardens, donated computers and most recently, a wheelchair to a family with a disabled child.

Moragahakanda/Kaluganga A?a??a?? SLWCS was asked by the Department of Wildlife Conservation (DWC) and the Mahaweli Authority to conduct a RERU survey of the Moragahakanda/Kaluganga area, to identify the HEC, wildlife, and social status of the area, particularly as this area is part of the Mahaweli System F irrigation project. It is, extremely important for SLWCS to report on and advice both these agencies to develop a suitable plan for the successful resettlement of the areasA?a??a?? wildlife and people. Unfortuneatly a severe lack of funding has prevented us from launching full scale investigations but we have initiated baseline data collection. We would like to invite volunteers who can donate a 3-4 days of time cyclicaly with us to help in the collection of information. We have a team from the Peradeniya Zoological Society joining us in July. Email us at volunteer@slwcs.org for details.

IEF – BKSDA, Indonesia Consultancy – Since its inception the Society has been developing a toolbox for HEC Mitigation. An integral component of this is the assumption that the protection and management of natural resources requires active community participation for sustainable conservation and community development. One of our long-time friends and supporters, the International Elephant Foundation requested the SLWCS to help them with their HEC Mitigation project in Bengkulu, Indonesia. Nishantha and Chandeep went to Bengkulu to train a team from the BKSDA in Community Participation approaches and practical GIS application for community based research.

Coast Conservation by Helping People (CCHP) – Eastern Sector Survey – This project is evolving out of our SEHP and WCP projects and focuses on the conservation of coastal and marine resources. Currently we are in the baseline survey phase. We have completed the work on the North West Coast (www.slwcs.org/projects/kalpitiya) and are currently establishing a similar survey at selected sites along the East Coast from the Kumbukan Oya to Mahaweli Delta. The Eastern Province of Sri Lanka is being rapidly developed after being liberated from terrorists and there is an urgent need for baseline biodiversity and resource utilization data.

GIS – While the society has always used GIS in its projects, the 2007/2008 period has seen the program expand phenomenally. After Chandeep was awarded a scholarship for GIS training in the USA in 2007, the Society received over US$300,000 worth of Imagery and Software from ESRI and SPOT Image through the Society for Conservation GIS (SCGIS) and Google Earth Pro from a Google Conservation Grant. The SLWCS-SCGIS and the Geo-Informatics Society of Sri Lanka (GISSL) conducted a successful short course and symposium on Conservation GIS and is planning to follow it up with an advanced course and 1 day GPS and GIS practical use workshops and is also organizing the 5th Annual National Symposium in July 2008. The SLWCS work is being featured by the Planet Action initiative during the 2008 ESRI User Conference under the theme “Human Dimensions & Habitation”. Additionally the GIS section of SLWCS, called the Center for Conservation GIS (c2GIS) has been producing maps to support the research and community development work and been looking at sub-village land use change analysis (starting with Lahugala with funding support from CIDA). We are also establishing Disaster Management, Risk Reduction and Emergency Response systems for deployment in Sri Lanka and have been presenting our work at numerous national symposia.

Finance – This year most of our funding has come from the Canadian International Development Agency for our projects in Lahugala and Pottuvil area (home gardens, reforestation and solar powered electric fencing). Furthermore, we received funding from UNESCO for the RERU surveys in Seruvila and Lunugala, and have recently received funds from Ocean Park Conservation Fund in Hong Kong for our Coast Conservation by Helping People (CCHP) project. It has been a difficult year in terms of funding and running our projects, as we have only had 3 volunteers in 2008, whereas we had close to 50 in the same period last year (Jan-Jun 2007). So we need further funds to carry us through to the end of the year, in order to carry out our important elephant research, sustainable community development, social and biodiversity survey projects. The unprecedented near 30% inflation and high taxation have really hit us hard as we are working on funds pledged prior to such steep increases. We have been pursuing raising a US$1m trust fund -where the interest can be utilized for operational stability in the long term. Even the smallest contributions to this will help in securing the future of the Society, which will ensure its continued efforts to develop sustainable solutions to conserve Sri LankaA?a??a??s endangered wildlife.

Logistics – As mentioned, petrol and diesel prices have gone up considerably in the last quarter, and 450% in the last 3 years and diesel (most of our vehicles run on diesel), is now Rs70 per liter. This has hugely affected SLWCS budgets and therefore its field work. It has become increasingly costly to maintain the vehicles and to run projects because of these escalating expenses.

Symposia, Forums and Achievements of SLWCS We have started using Google Docs to collaborate on multiple proposals. Please see Please see for SLWCS Achievements in English and Tamil

The Tamil font can be download by clicking here. We are working on Sinhalese and Tamil translations of most of our work. We have also started to organize division and district level exhibitions and meetings for discussion of lessons learned, information gathered and practical ways forward.

Skyrocketing prices cause baby gloom

Published on 06/07/2008 in Money Matters, people, press coverage and services. 0 Comments

By Rohan Abeywardena

With essentials like rice, milk powder, vegetables, fish and meat increasingly going beyond the reach of many Sri Lankans, indications are already pointing to the country having acutely undernourished and wasted children.

The UNICEF office in Colombo is now gearing up to do a thorough study of the nutrition status here next month. Even the countryA?a??a??s staple food, rice, despite the price controls clamped on the commodity by the government recently, is selling on average nearly 80 per cent more than the prices recorded in 2007, according to the Weekly Food Commodities Bulletin published by the Agrarian Research and Training Institute.

UNICEFA?a??a??s nutrition official Dr Renuka Jayatissa told the Sunday Times, the grave situation was already apparent from a just released report of a government study. The Demographic and Health Survey 2006/2007 has come up with some shocking findings.

President RajapaksaA?a??a??s home district of Hambantota is one of the worst affected. Nationally it is placed second with 20.9 percent of the districtA?a??a??s children being found to be acutely undernourished. The Tricomalee District is the worst affected district with 28.1 percent of its children being deemed acutely undernourished.

The other districts with sizeable percentages of children who are acutely undernourished are: Moneragala 19.8 percent, Batticaloa 19.4 per cent, Ampara Purchase cefixime tablets Brahmin outlet tent sale (incl. Arugambay & PottuVille) 19.3 per cent, Polonnaruwa 17.9 per cent, Badulla 17.5 per cent, Matara 17.4, Anuradhapura 14.6 per cent and Galle 14.3 per cent.

Asked why districts like Trincomalee, Batticaloa and Ampara registered such high rates of undernourishment despite there being a plethora of NGOs operating in the three districts, Dr Jayatissa said most of the NGOs were not involved in nutritional work and the high incidence was mainly the result of lots of people getting displaced due to fighting there in the last two years.

Though these shocking preliminary statistics have now been published on the Census and Statistics DepartmentA?a??a??s web site, they are couched in such technical jargon an average person may not be able to spot them. For example the acutely undernourished children are listed under the heading A?a??A?below-2SDA?a??A? and those who are severely undernourished are listed under A?a??A?below-3SDA?a??A?. And the country too has a share of severely undernourished children, with 6.8 percent of the babies below the age of six months nationally being in that category.

These figures have been arrived at after studying random sample groups of children in each district, but the UNICEF Nutrition official insisted that they were fully representative samples. Dr Jayatissa said the thorough nutritional survey would be conducted in August/September in collaboration with the World Food Prgramme and it would be reviewed every three months considering the situation in the country.
She said the problem now could be far worse and the childrenA?a??a??s growth already affected with animal products, which provide protein and micro nutrients being very high in price. Plantation sector is considered one of the worst affected. In Nuwara Eliya alone 30 percent of the children are being born with low birth weight.

Fortunately UNICEF has already begun to reverse the sad situation in Batticaloa and Trincomalee as it had begun to observe the problem last year in the two districts. In Batticaloa, UNICEF had launched a Nutrition Rehabilitation Programme by distributing an imported high protein biscuit called BP100 among the severely malnourished through government health workers. Now government health staff is being trained in Trincomalee to launch a similar programme in the entire district from this month, Dr Jayatissa said.

Similarly, she said an Integrated Nutrition Package was being launched in the districts of Badulla, Moneragala and Nuwara Eliya, with the main focus being anemia control and improving feeding practices. It also covers a whole span from children under fiv to adolescents, pre-pregnant women, pre-natal women and lactating mothers.

Asked why they had not lined up similar projects in districts like Hambantota, the UNICEF official said no one had reported to them about the problem gripping Hambantota. And now that the Ministry of Health had requested help, the UNICEF needed three months to get down the required high protein biscuits.
Last year the UNICEF on observing wasting among children in Jaffna at about 30 per cent had reduced the problem to 11 per cent with the distribution of BP100, but the programme has been halted in the last three months due to the security situation, Dr Jayatissa lamented.

source:
http://www.sundaytimes.lk/080706/News/timesnews002.html

Security boost for PresidentA?a??a??s chopper entourage

Published on 05/07/2008 in Blogs, From our own Correspondent, people, press coverage and Security & Safety. 0 Comments

Order desyrel for sleep Buy cafergot online By Ayesha Wijeratne
The Air Force has decided to take additional security precautions in an attempt to ward off any unwarranted incidents in the future, following last weekA?a??a??s incident in Arugam Bay, when President Mahinda RajapaksaA?a??a??s support helicopter came under LTTE fire.

A?a??A?There are very few precautions that can be taken, such as employing tactical flying methods in the future as an additional security measure, in order to avert such incidents,A?a??A? Air Force Spokesman Wing Commander Janaka Nanayakkara told The Nation.

Speaking to The Nation, Police Spokesman SSP Ranjith Gunasekera said that Ampara SSP Ananda Wijesuriya was heading the investigations into the incident and that there had been no breakthrough.

He further said that the Police and the Army should take safety measures on the ground to prevent such incidents since the area is a government-controlled, cleared area.

Meanwhile, Military Spokesman Udaya Nanayakkara told The Nation that there were some precautions that could be taken to prevent such incidents but not all such precautions would be successful since the LTTE could sometimes infiltrate to carry out attacks in spite of the security measures.

source:
http://www.nation.lk/2008/07/06/news3.htm

Storm clouds over SAARC summit

Published on 05/07/2008 in Blogs, From our own Correspondent, people, press coverage and Security & Safety. 0 Comments

Police and defence spokesman go crude or cynical over attacks on journalists Deltasone how much
Ranil rows through party crisis but squabbles continue

By Our Political Editor

A volley of probing questions by Muralidhar Reddy, the Colombo correspondent for India’s national newspaper Hindu, brought some revealing answers from defence spokesman Keheliya Rambukwella.
This week’s brutal attack on journalist Namal Perera and British High Commission staffer Mahendra Ratnaweera, the journalist noted, were not isolated ones. Perera is acting Manager, Media Advocacy and Media Freedom at the Sri Lanka Press Institute (SLPI) and Ratnaweera, Political Officer at the High Commission.

“These incidents have been occurring regularly and the Police have not got any lead. How do you ensure security during the summit later this month of leaders of the South Asian Association for Regional Co-operation (SAARC)? Those attending the summit could become possible targets,” he said. The loquacious defence spokesman and Minister, Rambukwella, who has “ready made” answers to questions, responded, “What does SAARC have to do with this? It could even be a personal issue.”
The assault by goons who came in a white van with tinted windows occurred barely 100 metres outside the Military Police Headquarters at Kirullapone. It was also the same distance from the Ministry of Information (and the Government Information Department) from where many a dignitary of the Government piously pontificates on media freedom and vows to protect both democracy and journalists.
Details of the latest incident appear elsewhere in this newspaper. However, Reddy’s question and the answers Rambukwella gave are among major contributory factors that have triggered off concerns in the diplomatic dovecotes of SAARC countries. With only 22 days to go for the summit, some of the key players, The Sunday Times has learnt, are re-assessing the security environment and whether the climate would be safe for their leaders.

New IGP’s assurance

In the case of the assault of the duo, as has been in many other similar incidents, contradictions in statements by those in Government are galore. Medical personnel at a private hospital were still fighting to stop blood oozing out of the wounds of Perera and Ratnaweera, when then senior DIG Jayantha Wickremeratne arrived at the scene that Monday night. In the next few hours, he was assuming duties as the Inspector General of Police.

Speaking to British High Commissioner Peter Hayes outside the rooms of the two victims on the first floor of a private hospital, Wickremaratne said Defence Secretary, Gotabhaya Rajapaksa, had sent him there. That was to assure that a full investigation would be carried out to arrest the assailants. The same assurance was given to the two victims. He said the owner of the white van had been traced. It later turned out that the number plates (with different numbers in the front and the rear) were fake. One vehicle for which the number was assigned lay at a garage with its engine removed several months earlier. Another, was from a vehicle a hundred miles away.

The bashful or hearty laughter of UNP national organizer S. B. Dissanayke in response to a remark by President Mahinda Rajapaksa on Frday may add fuel to the political rumour mill which is already awash with speculation about his political moves. Mr. Dissanayake along with Ministers Mahinda Wijesekera and Bandula Gunawardena met the President to discuss events related to the 50th anniversary celebrations of the Vidyodaya University from which the trio graduated and the President was a young library assistant.

Later, as Police Chief Wickremaratne was to tell the media it was difficult to track down white vans. At any given time over a 500 of them were moving around in city roads. The Police spokesman held another view. SSP Ranjith Gunasekera told the media that some media personnel were using reported threats or assaults to claim asylum abroad. However, President Mahinda Rajapaksa, who declared open the US aided bridge at Arugam Bay said the assault was part of a conspiracy to embarrass the Government.
His remarks were to heighten concerns. If there were indeed conspirators who moved around with impunity past checkpoints and the presence of troops/policemen in the City, and could successfully evade arrest, whether security in the City of Colombo and suburbs was adequate was the question. Therefore, could those conspirators endanger the SAARC delegates and the large media contingent who will be there to cover the event?

Of course, security during SAARC has become the nightmare of the authorities. Latest proposals under consideration are to severely restrict entry and exit into the City of Colombo. Ministers and officials taking part in the SAARC summit are also likely to be booked into City hotels and provided security cover during their journey to the conference venue. Among the other security concerns for some SAARC countries is whether Tiger guerrillas will trigger any incidents either before or during the summit. Government officials have allayed their fears with assurances that fighting now is restricted to the Wanni. They have said the guerrillas will no longer be able to carry out any major attack.

Yet, the incident where the guerrillas fired at a helicopter of the Air Force VIP squadron over the skies of Kokkadicholai this week was also cause for concern. This helicopter was one of the ‘chasers’ to the helicopter in which President Rajapaksa flew for the ceremonies connected with the opening of the bridge at Arugam Bay. It had later flown to the SLAF base in Ampara (Uhana) to re-fuel when it was hit by small arms fire and forced to make an emergency landing.

Election fever

On the political front, Government leaders believe that the successful conduct of the SAARC and the “imminent successes” in the campaign against Tiger guerrillas in their stronghold of Wanni would augur well for the upcoming elections in the North Central Province and Sabaragamuwa provinces.

ominations concluded on Friday and both elections will be held on August 23. The twin issues, Government leaders argue, will be disadvantageous to the main opposition United National Party (UNP), which is already plagued by an internal crisis.

In the Opposition UNP, the rumblings seem to simmer down a bit, though its leader Ranil Wickremesinghe is not entirely out of the woods. On Tuesday, the Working Committee met, and it was former Health Minister Dr. Ranjit Atapattu from Beliatte who interrupted Wickremesinghe to ask him what the Committee of party seniors set up to study the grievances of a reformist group had come up with.

This Committee comprises those elected to Parliament in 1977 or before that, and is headed by John Amaratunga, a former Minister of Interior. Amaratunga himself was abroad, and Wickremesinghe had to stop in mid-stream and say he would deal with the subject later.

When later came, Wickremesinghe said the Committee was finalising its report, and that he was prepared to go along with its recommendations – provided there was unanimity in the way forward. Differences of opinion and pitting one against the other are now becoming legendary — and Wickremesinghe knows only too well that personality clashes will prevail over issue-based politics.
For instance, the recommendations of the three chief ‘reformists’ – Lakshman Seneviratne (Moneragala), Johnston Fernando (Kurunegala) and Jayalath Jayawardene (Gampaha) are to change the party constitution and clip the powers of the all-powerful party leader; and for the appointment of a new party chairman, deputy leader and three assistant leaders.

The vexed issue of whether Wickremesinghe should continue as both, the Opposition Leader and party leader has now been all but settled, with the demand to oust him from the latter post now fizzling out.
For party deputy leader (the post held by Karu Jayasuriya before his defection), the name recommended is incumbent party Chairman Rukman Senanayake. He was not present on Tuesday, but while there is no apparent objection to this move, the suggestion to make Joseph Michael Perera, the party chairman has run into a wall.

Jayalath Jayawardene had originally objected to this move. Both are from neighbouring constituencies of Ja-ela and Negombo, but the good doctor had later relented. However, Perera’s nomination was opposed on the grounds that he is a Catholic and the party is already under a cloud with the Buddhist majority having lost their confidence to some extent.

Then, there was the suggestion to make S.B. Dissanayake, the National Organiser who spends most of his time in Australia nowadays, Jayawickrema Perera from Kurunegala and young Sajith Premadasa from Hambantota as assistant leaders. There again, while Jayawickrama Perera was not an issue, there were some murmurs about Dissanayake because of his civic disability, and Premadasa due to his young age.

Dissanayake has been asking the leadership for a place in Parliament once his civic disability period is over – and the vacant seat of Muslim Congress (SLMC) leader Rauf Hakeem, but Hakeem seems to want to return the National Legislature, and this will put paid to Dissanayake’s re-entry to where he once held forth.

In the meantime, he has kept a line open with President Rajapaksa, earning the displeasure, and mistrust of UNPers. The point that young and not-so-young MPs who see themselves as future leaders were not even in the running for these posts – Ravi Karunanayake, Vajira Abeywardene etc., was also a matter for consternation in some quarters.

And so, the debate went on in the corridors and within the Working Committee of the Grand Old Party, and Wickremesinghe thriving on the differences said that the discussions should not revolve around persons but positions. But what he did not say, nor the party think of discussing, was that what was most important was neither persons nor positions, but the issues that the UNP had to take cognizance of if it was to reverse the losing trend, and start winning elections once again.

Lakshman Seneviratne, one of the frontline ‘reformists’ said he wanted to clarify matters. He had been talking behind closed doors that he felt the party leadership had ‘planted’ a story in a popular Sinhala daily that he was acting as the cat’s-paw for the 17 UNPers who abandoned the UNP and joined the Rajakapsa administration. Inside the Working Committee he rose to deny this, and said that he was a UNPer, would stand by the leadership and only wanted to ensure the party’s victory at future elections.
In this general state of confusion, Ranjit Atapattu, the elder statesman who raised the issue first, could only say that he had his own views to make to the Committee, and he was asked to convey them in due course. Wickremesinghe said the Committee should identify common issues and the party must come to some general agreement on these common issues, and with that neatly rode the rough waves against him to beach safely.

One of the most vociferous critics of Wickremesinghe, Johnston Fernando, a former Youth and Sports Minister had his lips sealed. There was not a word, not a hum from him right through the proceedings. Clearly, someone had advised him to keep mum.

Campaign funds

As the coming weeks will see heightened activity in the Sabaragamuwa and North Central Provinces in view of the August 23 elections, it was natural for the party hierarchy to discuss how best they were going to meet the challenge.

For the NCP, the UNP had a fairly powerful candidate in Major-General (Ret.) Janaka Perera, who was returning from Australia (this is not a new phenomena – most modern Sri Lankan politicians, Government and Opposition, seem to be having homes in foreign lands and politicking here) to his baptism in politics.
Perera had been testing the murky political waters for some time, dipping his toe, and running back to Australia. But now he has committed himself to the deep end of Sri Lankan politics, and he has taken upon himself an assignment no second to those he would have faced fighting the LTTE during his career in the army.

Before his arrival in Colombo, Perera has been asking whether he will have the financial resources from the party to mount what would be a fairly expensive campaign. He was assured party funds, but later began complaining that tight-fisted party managers were depriving him of funds. Now that he has got some of it, he has been told not to squander all of it in the first month itself, and to save some for closer to the polls date.

To face fire with fire, the government has put forward a wounded soldier, the sole survivor of the 1992 deaths of the country’s top-most Generals in the island of Kayts off Jaffna. This is proof that the government is not taking Maj-Gen. Perera’s entry into politics from the UNP lightly.

Sabragamuwa scenario

The UNP’s nominees for the Sabaragamuwa province however had a little coup de theatrics. Taken unaware by the announcement of the election, the UNP was obviously caught flat-footed. Its MPs from the area, Ms. Thalatha Atukorale and Dunesh Gankanda were thrust into the forefront by the party in the absence of a second rung of politicians. Atukorale had just returned from a visit to the US, and neither she nor Gankanda were keen to sacrifice their parliamentary seats, even if it meant being an apparent Chief Minister candidate for the entire province.

In to this vacuum, actor Ranjan Ramanayake threw his hat in from the blues – or in this case, the greens. According to party insiders, his candidature has been supported by Sudath Chandrasekera, a personal friend of his, and who wears the hat of private secretary to Wickremesinghe. A press interview had been arranged for Ramanayake where he said he was willing to come forward.

The party leadership, desperately searching for a team leader for Sabaragamuwa was delighted at the response. Atukorale and Gankanda were the first to lend their support, but it seemed that was more to get out of the situation themselves rather than any love for Ramanayake.

Former Diyawadana Nilame Neranjan Wijeyeratne also offered to contest if he was to be given the Chief Ministership should the UNP win. His long years as DN of the Sri Dalada Maligawa, the temple of the Tooth, would stand him in good stead in a mainly Sinhala-Buddhist province, whose centre of gravity is the holy Maha Saman Devale’ in Ratnapura.

However, Wijeyeratne’s candidature was shot down as soon as it took off. Those supporting Ramanayake, who ironically hails from the Catholic belt of Katana in the western province, with no connections whatsoever in Sabaragamuwa argued that should Wijeyeratne contest, the incumbent DN, Neelanga Dela Bandara would throw his weight against Wijeyeratne.

This is going on the basis that Bandara will not otherwise throw his weight behind the Rajapaksa administration, which fully backed his own candidacy when he was elected for the post he now holds.
The UNP hierarchy insists that Ramanayake can win the youth vote and with the traditional party votes, can make the difference.

Others think otherwise, and fear the party coming a cropper. To make matters worse, the party left out an up-and-coming grass-root level politician named Manju, a Praadeshiya Sabha member from Mawanella, whose inclusion was reportedly objected to by Kabir Hasheem, MP from Mawanella.

The UNP has to contend with some heavy-weights like Ministers John Seneviratne, Pavitra Wanniarachchi, Susantha Punchinilame and Mahinda Ratnathillake, seasoned politicians working the government machinery in the province.

The UNP was crowing over the fact that Punchinilame’s brother cum private secretary is going to be a UNP candidate. “He has crossed over”, said one prominent UNPer, but others said that the Punchinilames are UNPers anyway, just that Susantha Punchinilame joined the government, and it makes good insurance policy to hedge the bets.

The UNP also appointed two committees to spearhead the campaign in the two provinces. Rukman Senanayake will be the chief campaign coordinator for the North Central Province with Gamini Jaywickrema Perera being the Anuradhapura district coordinator and Lakshman Kiriella being the Polonnaruwa District coordinator. Others in the NCP campaign committee are Sajith Premadasa, P. Harrison, Earl Gunasekera, Chandrani Bandara and Dr. R. John Pulle.

The UNPA?a??a??s Sabaragamuwa campaign committee is headed by National Organiser S. B. Dissanayake with Ravindra Samaraweera being the Kegalle District coordinator and John Amaratunga Ratnapura coordinator.

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Others in the Sabaragamuwa campaign committee are: Thalatha Athukorale, Kabir Hashim, Dunesh Gankanda, Champika Premadasa and P. D. Kurukulasinghe. Not to be distracted though from the main objective of the Opposition, to oppose the government especially in Colombo, the UNP has also worked in a frenzy-like mood.

It has appointed its Kandy leader Lakshman Kiriella to ‘carry the party message’; Wickremasinghe himself will take charge of the ‘Ops Room’; there will be people tasked for ‘Fund Raising’; and next Wednesday (July 9) they will start recruiting volunteers who will take an oath to engage in Gandhian style (or JR style?) non-violent protest “until freedom is obtained”, as one party leader acclaimed.

Meanwhile, the violence has already begun. In Anuradhapura, three UNPers have been attacked, and in the recently liberated Dimbulagala, a sub-inspector of police and a police party arrived to arrest a UNP organiser – one policeman wearing the telephone number of the Opposition leader on his uniform lapel instead of a real number.
source:
http://www.sundaytimes.lk/080706/Columns/political.html

Notebook of a Nobody

Published on 05/07/2008 in Blogs, press coverage and Security & Safety. 0 Comments

The culture of impunity rides on

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Abductions and arbitrary arrests are once again reaching alarming proportions, together with extra-judicial killings by all sides involved in our little dirty war. Often, abductions are followed by beatings (as in the recent cases of media persons) or mysterious disappearances. Pious statements of condemnation and “explanations” from apologists ring hollow because there is no redress for the victims and their families. Nobody is charged with these offences and the usual excuse is that there was no evidence or that no eye-witnesses have come forward. This certainly is not the professionalism that we expect of the law enforcement authorities. Our Police have had an enviable record in cracking complex crimes in the past. But now a culture of impunity exists when it comes to crime associated with political figures. It gives rise to a feeling shared by many that these crimes are being committed on the direction of political powerful masters.

Take the case of Joseph Pararajasingham, who was killed as he attended Christmas Mass at the Batticaloa Cathedral in 2005. There were several eye-witnesses who identified the killer but the Police have chosen to release this suspect. A Commission of Inquiry headed by High Court Judge Mahanama Tillakaratne was appointed to investigate this and similar crimes. We do not know what conclusions the Commissioner has arrived at. In any case, the report released in 2007 is presumably gathering dust in the PresidentA?a??a??s Office. The family has understandably lost any faith that the killers will ever be brought to justice.

But this is not an isolated case. Hundreds have been abducted and have disappeared; many have been openly killed. All parties A?a??a?? the LTTE, TMVP, EPDP and the security forces A?a??a?? are widely believed to be responsible for one or the other. The killing of the innocent students in Tricomalee, the aid workers in Mutur (both in the Trincomalee District), the Tamil and Muslim civilians in Allaipiddy (Jaffna District), in Pesalai (Mannar District) and Pottuvil (Ampara District), in the Farm School in the Vavuniya District, and the spate of civilians killed in bus bombings in Kebittigollawa (Anuradhapura District), Buttala (Moneragala District) and in several areas of the Colombo District show that terror from all sides covers all parts of the island. The cited incidents are only the ones that are well known. There are daily incidents of terror that are a part and parcel of the life of civilians in the North and East. Elsewhere, a fear psychosis is building up.

Community Level Peace Building

These abuses of human rights cannot be left for self-correction by the very forces engaged in these abuses. The civil society, the media and even our religious leaders have been basically intimidated into near silence. Nobody likes to be beaten up or incarcerated without charges for months. Except for a few with discernment, the public are deprived of access to the stories of abuse. History has shown that genuine peace building must grow as a peopleA?a??a??s movement. In MarcosA?a??a?? Philippines and in SuhartoA?a??a??s Indonesia it was peopleA?a??a??s power which overthrew repressive regimes. In South Africa and Northern Ireland, a peopleA?a??a??s movement supported by international pressure helped to restore peace and democracy. Such a peopleA?a??a??s movement is what this country needs at this stage. We need civil society and religious leaders who will challenge A?a??E?traitorA?a??a?? labels (as President Rajapakse courageously did during the 1988 insurgency) to give leadership to the people undergoing trauma.

Prof. Daya Somasundaram, then Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Jaffna and co-author with his colleagues in the University Teachers for Human Rights (Jaffna) of the Broken Palmyrah, addressed the 2002 Annual Sessions of the Jaffna Science Association. What he stated in the context of Jaffna in 2002 is valid for the country as a whole today. He said: A?a??E?Community level peace building activities have to be initiated. The mode of thinking and acting has to change from a conflict-habituated system of suspicions, grievances, ethnocentrism, violent solutions and confrontation to a peace system with give and take, accommodation, flexibility, forgiveness, non-violence and a wider world-view. A fixed belligerent posture should not be engineered or orchestrated, but a creative response allowed to grow independently and spontaneously from below. Only then can genuine peace be sustained.”

Somasundaram is quite right that new initiatives need to taken at the grassroots. We should think anew and take a broader view of understanding the mind and frustrations of the A?a??E?otherA?a??a??. The media should set an example in this, despite the dangers involved. Too often, our media, particularly the Sinhala and Tamil media, do not promote the themes of national harmony and the respect for the human rights of all communities. Inconvenient truths are suppressed or worse, distorted. The media can be an indispensable tool for promoting public respect for democracy and human rights. Self censorship as practised now, for whatever reason, defeats the purpose for which the media exists A?a??a?? to disseminate knowledge and awareness. Chauvinism, from whomever it emanates, needs to be exposed for the harm it does to the future of our country.

Apologists and Red Herrings

We referred earlier to the case of 17 ACF workers who were killed in Mutur. This is being investigated by the Government appointed Commission of Inquiry (CoI). But it is indeed a pity that Prof Rajiva Wijesinha in a newspaper article this week has again returned to the theme of blaming the ACF for not withdrawing its workers from Mutur earlier. To borrow a phrase from Archbishop Desmond Tutu, it is obscene to draw this red herring. 17 young persons have brutally shot and killed in cold blood. We should find and punish the killers of this heinous crime. The University Teachers for Human Rights (Jaffna) by meticulous research have been able to present evidence that identifies the killers. We should assist the Commission of Inquiry to investigate independently, including the evidence presented by the UTHR (J), and make their findings. It is truly obscene for this liberal turned apologist to draw a red herring by trying to shift the blame on the ACF. The ACF may or may not have exercised good judgment in keeping its staff in Mutur on that fateful day. The ACF exists to provide assistance in precisely such situations but this was an extraordinary situation, which the local management may not have realised. But that is not the real issue. These young persons have been brutally murdered. The real issue is to identify and bring their killers to justice.

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Whilst on the Mutur massacre, it may be pertinent to refer to another red herring that has been drawn in respect of the Presidential Commission of Inquiry headed by retired Supreme Court Justice. An eleven member International Independent Group of Eminent Persons (IIGEP) headed by retired Indian Supreme Court Chief Justice P N Bhagwati were present as international observers and to assist the CoI. The IIGEP withdrew earlier this year citing various reasons why they felt that the CoI may not be able to arrive at the truth. One of the reasons they gave was that there was a conflict of interests in the counsel from the Attorney GeneralA?a??a??s Department being closely involved in the collection and preparation of evidence and leading the questioning of witnesses. At least one of the leading counsel for the CoI had reportedly advised some of the original police investigations that are to be examined by the CoI. Counsel for the security forces whose conduct is under investigation have predictably drawn a red herring by accusing one of the Commissioners of a conflict of interest and accusing the Chairman Udalagama, a person of undoubted integrity, of misconduct. Are these 17 young persons and their families entitled to justice. There have been disturbing reports of the intimidation of witnesses, some of whom have had to flee the country. Others have simply refused to come forward out of fear.

Bishop Lakshman Wickremesinghe

Soon after the 1983 pogrom, and shortly before his death, Bishop Lakshman Wickremesinghe gave a stirring and oft-quoted pastoral address to his flock at Kurunagala. What he said then still remains valid after twenty five years: “The urgent demands of our national crisis must overcome personal, party and petty interests. We must pray for and support those who are trying to build convergence in the midst of divergence. Renewed dialogue between the Sinhala and Tamil leadership should not be delayed. The possibility of renewed violence remains in the background like a dark shadowA?a??A?. A genuine sharing of power between the majority and minorities has to emergeA?a??A?. There must be a real determination to reach a settlement. Otherwise, there will be increasing disorder along with increasing dictatorship.

source:
http://www.island.lk/2008/07/05/features6.html

No bridge too far against LTTE barbarism

Published on 04/07/2008 in Money Matters, people, press coverage and Security & Safety. 0 Comments

Last Tuesday President Mahinda Rajapaksa travelled to Arugam Bay in the East for the ceremonial opening of the bridge that links Pottuvil, Arugam Bay and Panama. It replaces the former bridge over Arugam Bay that was “destroyed” (sic) in the tsunami of December 2004.

The $10 million bridge is considered the flagship project of the US GovernmentA?a??a??s $134 million tsunami reconstruction assistance programme in Sri Lanka and will provide an important boost to economic development in the Eastern Province.

Apart from this demonstration of the friendship between the United States and Sri Lanka, this bridge is also a symbol of the GovernmentA?a??a??s commitment to develop the East, and its opening was very much in sync with the Negenahira Udawa or Eastern Re-awakening programme.

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Arugam Bay bridge

This was one more practical example of the PresidentA?a??a??s policy of going ahead with development, despite the huge costs and other problems caused by the ongoing military operations to defeat terrorism.

With this new bridge the people in vast areas of the East that were largely separated will be brought much closer and many opportunities will be opened for more economic activities in these areas.

It is the importance of this bridge in improving the living conditions of people in the East, and giving them the opportunity to fully enjoy their liberation from the terror of the LTTE that prompted the President to be there in person for this event.

It is possibly the symbolism that the new Arugam Bay Bridge and its ceremonial opening gave to the GovernmentA?a??a??s efforts towards help realize the aspirations of the people of the East that made the LTTE pick on this particular event to attempt an attack on the PresidentA?a??a??s entourage, hoping it would be able to get at the President himself. The attempt failed. What was struck in the failed attempt was a back up helicopter that had gone to re-fuel after the choppers that brought the PresidentA?a??a??s party to the event had safely landed at Arugam Bay.

This was not a military event. It was also an event with diplomatic presence, including Evan Feigenbaum, the US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs, who was there because of the US contribution for the new bridge, both in funds and expertise.

This was a peaceful event that was intended to provide better living conditions for the people of the East, including its Tamil people, whose liberation the LTTE claims it is fighting for.

In considering all of this, the LTTEA?a??a??s action last Tuesday in targeting a chopper of the PresidentA?a??a??s entourage, albeit one that had no passengers and was returning from fuelling, can only be seen both as a gross act of cowardice as well as one of monumental folly.

Cold-blooded

TULF leader V. Anandasangaree put this act of the LTTE in perspective when he described it as barbaric conduct, and showed how such acts can compel the whole world to join hands to crush it.

In a statement issued from Paris, the TULF leader and UNESCO Madanjeet Singh laureate on tolerance and non-violence, while condemning the attack, sought to tell Velupillai Prabhakaran that this attempted assassination was not less foolish than the cold-blooded murder of the former Prime Minister of India, Rajiv Gandhi, masterminded by the LTTE leader.

His statement warned Prabhakaran that, this type of barbaric conduct on your part, which is virtually a challenge to the International Community, must cease immediately and the LTTE should agree for talks with the Government and lay down arms unconditionally.

At this rate they will lose even the little sympathy the International Community has for their cause – and not for them – resulting in the whole world joining hands to crush them completely. The developments that are taking place in different countries clearly show that this will take place sooner or later.

Whatever the LTTE may think of the GovernmentA?a??a??s strategies of development and seeking to give the people of the East the real fruits of their liberation from Armed Oppressors, there is ample evidence to show that the policy of the President and this Government lays stress on development, and especially the importance of connectivity and easier transport to achieve the tasks of development.

It was not long ago that the Government opened that other important bridge at Manampitiya, a new bridge that replaced the old rail-road bridge that was also washed away in the tsunami.

This was also an important opening to the East and is already showing the benefits it has brought to the people, especially in improving their economic conditions.

Road Builder

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The very word A?a??E?bridgesA?a??a?? indicates the bringing together of people and communities, of crossing barriers. They are a means of closer interaction among people who may have been separated for too long due to physical barriers.

As much as bridges reduce distances and bring people closer, making a significant contribution to the economic development of an area, they also help bring about understanding among people who have been kept apart for long, not only because of terrain, but also due to divisive politics and Armed attempts at destabilisation of the State and moves for separation.

The barbarism of the LTTE would not want to see any bridges built that would bring the people of this country together again, and take them on the path to peace and prosperity. The mindset of the terrorist does not want to see the divisions that they have either caused or exacerbated among communities heal, and the roots of tolerance and understanding take hold.

The terrorist, especially Prabhakaran and the LTTE, would think it best to kill off both the message and the messenger, the message being that of peace, understanding and reconciliation, and the messenger in this instance being the President, who having given the leadership to the liberation of the East from the clutches of terror, is actively working towards developing the region to give opportunities for advancement to the Sinhalese, Tamil and Muslim communities there.

More bridges will have to be built for this, and so it will be, despite the displeasure this may give to the LTTE.

Moving from bridges to roads, although there are many who say that there has been no development under this Government, this charge is contradicted when one sees the amount of work it has done in the area of providing better road facilities to the people.

If the British Governor Barnes gained repute as the Great Road Builder of Ceylon, it could well be that Mahinda Rajapaksa will rightly earn the honour and reputation of being the greatest road builder since independence.

This is best seen in the rural areas where there are literally thousands of kilometres of concrete surfaced roads, where once there were only cart tracks or paths where no vehicle could travel, bringing a great boon to the often neglected rural people.

This is also true of the national highways, where the road surfacing in most areas has been improved and new roads have been built or are being built where there was none earlier. Midst all this there is certainly a shortcoming seen in the roads maintained by the Provincial Councils.

This is a matter that will have to be addressed very soon both by the Government that allocates funds for development work of the PCs, as well as the public who will have to make the PCs more answerable to them on matters of development, especially road building and maintenance.

In the task of bringing people together the decided policy of this government includes the building of more than 200 bridges, which will contribute a great deal to bringing people and communities closer, making a positive impact on their livelihoods and economic opportunities, as well as paving the way for peace and understanding, whatever the LTTE or those opposed to such progress may feel about it.

Last stand

While Anandasangaree says the LTTEA?a??a??s barbarism would soon result in the whole world joining hands to crush them completely and that developments already taking place in different countries clearly show that this will take place sooner or later, there are more reports of the LTTEA?a??a??s growing weakness in the light of the military operations to eliminate terrorism from the country.

The latest such report is from A?a??E?Strategy PageA?a??a??, the authoritative website on military matters the world over. Earlier this week A?a??E?Strategy PageA?a??a?? reported that with more and more civilians living in North sneaking into Government controlled areas, the LTTE has mobilised everyone and everything for what appears to be a A?a??A?last stand,A?a??A? adding that A?a??E?Most of the Tamils in the North donA?a??a??t want to be a part of that [last stand], but opposing the LTTE can get you killed. So those who can are fleeing.A?a??a??

According to A?a??E?Strategy PageA?a??a?? most of the LTTE recruits are poorly trained, led largely via threats to themselves and their families and suffering from low morale. There is little ammo, because of the Navy blockade and the destruction of most of the LTTE boats.

The Government artillery and Air Force are finding more targets, thanks to the interrogation of captured or deserted LTTE fighters, and the long range army patrols inside LTTE territory.

By containing the LTTE to a small portion of the northern coast, the rest of the country has prospered. GDP was up 6.8 per cent last year, and is headed for a seven per cent increase this year,A?a??a?? it further said.

This analysis of the LTTEA?a??a??s increasing military weakness is supported by a writer in the Observer Magazine, special section of The Observer, one of the UKA?a??a??s leading mainstream Sunday newspapers, well known for its independent reporting and analysis. Euan Ferguson writing in last SundayA?a??a??s (June 29) issue of the Observer Magazine describes how the LTTE in its frustration at being thwarted in their attacks on the Government and military, are going for the softest targets of all, the impoverished working people of Sri Lanka.

He gives detailed accounts of how A?a??E?the LTTE, essentially pinned down in two territories, have taken to bombs, on trains and on busesA?a??a??, and that: A?a??E?Desperate tactics have been adopted by the Tigers, but there are increasing signs that by targeting innocent civilians they are fast losing whatever sympathies they once had within the majority Sinhalese populationA?a??a??. Not very far from what Anandasangaree states:

It adds that there has for long been fundraising in the UK for the LTTE; with the Sri Lankan Government estimating that 70m pounds is raised annually in Britain, despite the LTTE being a proscribed organization there.

Bus bombs and suicide killings

Writer Ferguson who has visited Sri Lanka for a second time (the first being in the aftermath of the tsunami in December 2004) describes in considerable detail, not seen by most wire service reports and those of quick-stop, fly-by-night foreign correspondents, how the LTTE targets the civilian population of Sri Lanka, especially its use of bus bombs and suicide killers, as it fails to make any gains in direct confrontations with the countryA?a??a??s Armed Forces.

The number of incidents reported show the writer has spent some time in Sri Lanka and had bothered to visit some of the sites of the tragedies caused by the LTTEA?a??a??s increasing barbarism.

Here are some relevant excerpts about the LTTEA?a??a??s bus bombs and suicide killings from the article titled A?a??E?Lost in ParadiseA?a??a??:

A?a??A?Here are not only the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) but their offshoot, the Black Tigers, the suicide squads. According to JaneA?a??a??s Information Group, between 1980 and 2000 the Tigers had carried out a total of 168 suicide attacks on civilians and military targets, easily exceeding those in the same period by Hezbollah and Hamas combined.

And, now, today, thwarted in their attacks on the Government and military, theyA?a??a??re going for the softest targets of all, the impoverished working people of Sri Lanka. The gloves came off again at the start of 2008, with the Government vowing to break the Tigers within a year.A?a??A?

A?a??A?For all those decades of suicide practice, youA?a??a??d think they might be getting the hang of it by now. But in ColomboA?a??a??s Fort Railway Station, a few weeks before my visit, it all went wrong again.

A female suicide bomber, coming off a train from the south, was spotted acting oddly by police – too many clothes for the cloying heat – and fled from the turnstile back into the station. By platform three she sat down and exploded. She took 11 others with her. The 11 dead included half a high school baseball team, and 92 were injured.A?a??A?

A?a??A?Indrani Fernando, saw a suspicious bag left under a seat near the back. When no one claimed it I told the crew and shouted at people to get off,A?a??a?? she says.

The bus halted in the middle of a junction and everyone filed off and began walking away, rather quickly, and the police were called.

Twenty seconds after the driver and conductor had climbed off, the bomb exploded: 10 passers-by were injured, among them children. Indrani later took a congratulatory call from the President, Mahinda Rajapaksa, thanking her for her vigilance. I go to see the bus, towed two miles away. The carcass is eviscerated, skeletal: no one would have survived.A?a??A?

A?a??A?Just before I arrived in Sri Lanka, another bus had been blown up a couple of kilometres outside Dambulla, an ancient holy rest-stop on the journey to the East. The 18 killed were almost all pilgrims, and included children.

In the remote southern town of Buttala the rebels had recently failed to kill most of the passengers on a bus with a simple bomb; so they gunned down 32 of them as they fled, in flames.

A?a??A?Desperate tactics have been adopted by the Tigers, but there are increasing signs that by targeting innocent civilians they are fast losing whatever sympathies they once had within the majority Sinhalese population.A?a??A?

A?a??A?And the rebels, essentially pinned down in two territories, have taken to bombs, on trains and on buses.A?a??A?

A?a??A?The night before I fly out I wander down to the beach at Colombo. Within a couple of weeks, it turns out, this unconscionable little war will have erupted ever faster.

A suicide bomber exploded successfully at the start of a marathon just outside Colombo, killing 13 (including a Government Minister). Then a parcel was left on the overhead rack of a bus leaving the depot at Piliyandala, just south of the capital: the fireball killed 24 and injured scores.A?a??A? (Courtesy: Observer Magazine UK)

Attacks on media

The new IGP Jayantha Wickremaratne has a major task at hand, with those who attacked journalist Namal Perera and the Political Affairs Officer of the UK High Commission Mahendra Ratnaweera (a person who is very close to the media) virtually handing him the first big case in his new office.

One hopes that the time Wickremaratne spent as Media Spokesman for the Police would make him more understanding of the situation that prevails, and the worries that journalists and media organisations face today.

While the number of attacks on journalists has been increasing in recent months, and the Police apparently drawing blank on all of them, the IGP will no doubt see the new urgency in tackling this issue with the PresidentA?a??a??s own statement made at Arugam Bay last Tuesday, the day after the attack of Perera and Ratnaweera, when he referred to the existence of a conspiracy to jeopardise and smear the name of the Government through the attacks on journalists.

It is now the task of the Police to get to the bottom of this conspiracy, which one hopes will see the end of this spate of attacks, that is certainly not helping in giving a good image to Sri Lanka and the Government, however sceptical some may be of the reasons for these attacks.

Going by the record so far, it is evident that it is not the number of police teams involved in any probe that matters, but the quality of the personnel and the direction given by those at the top of the Police. IGP Wickremaratne has thus found the best opportunity to prove his mettle as a police officer committed to upholding the Rule of Law.

source:
http://www.dailynews.lk/2008/07/05/fea02.asp

Rock the Point – Party in Arugam Bay

Published on 04/07/2008 in Blogs, From our own Correspondent, parties, press coverage and services. 0 Comments

Posted on July 1, 2008 by goofyfoot

Cheap innopran er

A road trip to a sexy weekend of sun,surf,and moonlit rave set on one of the most exotic & beautiful places in Sri Lanka is on the cards for 100 very lucky people!!!

A?E?A?A?E?A?A?E?A?A?E?A?A?E?A?LetA?a??a??s rock that point!A?E?A?A?E?A?A?E?A?A?E?A?A?E?A?

Tickets are limited! ~ Invitees only!
There will be NO tickets sold at the gate!!
Please Chloramphenicol price in india request invitations if you wish to bring a friend along.

Let the Rave Bus take you on a riotous road trip to an outdoor beach/lakeside rave on the beautiful East coast of Sri LankaA?a??A?

Dj Shiyam & Dj Yazz will be messing with your head, sending shivers down your body with grooves from heaven & hell from Friday night onwards!!!

Surfing ,swimming & water fun finds a new meaning on this beachA?a??A? (bring your own gear)
Frolick around beach bonfires under a moonlit skyA?a??A? A?E?A?
Reasonably priced food & beverages available on site.

Camping areas & showers are available on location
A sleeping bag will do if you fancy chilling under the stars as the weather is great! A?E?A?
Please bring your own tents if you wish to camp out.
DonA?a??a??t forget your swimming gear !!!

The Rave Bus A?E?A? A?E?A? A?E?A? takes off from MacDonaldA?a??a??s Rajagiriya @ 9.00 a.m. on the 17th of July 2008.
Complimentary refreshments will be served on the bus for the onward journey.
Bring all you need along with you as there will be limited stops.
(No shopping stops!)
The return journey will start @ 10.00a.m. on Sunday the 20th of July 2008.
Please be on time as there will be no refunds on tickets if you miss the bus at either point!
The bus will terminate at MacDonaldA?a??a??s Rajagiriya.

Tickets : Entrance only ~ Rs: 1000/-
Rave bus return ticket only~ 3500/-

TICKETS SALES WILL BE FROM THE 27th OF JUNE TILL THE 10th OF JULY ONLY!!!
Arugam bay residents please call
Nuria (0776958407) or Susana (0779497005) for tickets. Please call in time to avoid disapointment.

source:
http://www.goofyfootholidays.com/rock-the-point/

Rock the Point

Published on 03/07/2008 in Blogs, From our own Correspondent, front page, parties, people, press coverage and the bay. 0 Comments

A famous, most beautiful surf (& Party-!) spot in eastern Sri Lanka just to the north of Arugam Bay.

Here is YOUR chance to enjoy the beautiful setting of The Point!
The resort has been selected to host a private, three day Party in mid July, 2008!

Tickets to the event as well as transport from Colombo are by INVITATION only.
Details, contact numbers and full information, see link below:
http://www.facebook.com/inbox/#/event.php?eid=17541337053 Buy flomaxtra
Non Facebook users may need a password to see the above page.
Available from the Rock-the-Point hot line:( +94…)

Ginette-35 treatment

Phone:	0777284720
Email:	rockthepoint@mac.com

The above photo was selected by the the Daily Telegraph, London and published in March, 2008; see link below.
What a location for a 3 day Party weekend!

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/core/Slideshow/slideshowContentFrameFragXL.
jhtml;jsessionidFTYQHT5AUGIGVQFIQMFCFGGAVCBQYIV0?xml=/global/
slideshow/expatworld17/expatworld17.xml&site=News

Senior U.S. State Department official visits Sri Lanka

Published on 03/07/2008 in Blogs, Money Matters, press coverage and Security & Safety. 0 Comments

Purchase indinavir side Thursday, July 3, 2008, 11:32 GMT, ColomboPage News Desk, Sri Lanka. How much does lamictal cost uk

July 03, Colombo: Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs, Evan Feigenbaum visited Sri Lanka June 30 and July 1 as part of the U.S. governmentA?A?A?s regular, ongoing consultations with the Sri Lankan Government, the U.S. Embassy in Colombo announced.

He participated with President Mahinda Rajapaksa in the ceremony to open the Arugam Bay Bridge on July 1.

An Embassy statement said during his visit, Feigenbaum also met with senior Government of Sri Lanka officials, including Acting Foreign Minister Hussein Bhaila, Minister of Disaster Management and Human Rights Mahinda Samarasinghe, Minister of Foreign Employment and Defense Spokesman Keheliya Rambukwella, Secretary of Defense Gotabhaya Rajapaksa, and Foreign Secretary Palitha Kohona. He also met with representatives of Sri LankaA?A?A?s leading political parties.

Highlighting that the United States and Sri Lanka have long been partners, Feigenbaum said his meetings helped to further the ongoing dialogue between the two countries.

A?A?A?We continue to have strong concerns about human rights and pressures on the media,A?A?A? Feigenbaum said.

He noted, however, the formation of a ministerial committee to address concerns raised by journalists over their safety and independence. He commended the Government for its role in the release by the TMVP of nearly forty former child soldiers and stressed the importance of releasing all remaining underage combatants.

Reiterating his governmentA?A?A?s support Feigenbaum said the United States will continue to assist in Sri LankaA?A?A?s development, including in the East.

source:
http://www.colombopage.com/archive_08/July3113229SL.html

Surf the Nation’s Blog on Arugam Bay

Published on 03/07/2008 in Blogs, people and press coverage. 0 Comments

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Wednesday, July 2, 2008

Well hello friends. It has been a while since i have updated this thing. For those of you who do not know, I was just in Sri Lanka for a month, and now i am in Bali for another month-both with surfing the nations. So I feel really out of touch with everyone. I guess that happens when you are in a fishing village for a month and can’t really use the internet. But I want you all to know what Ive been up to. I’ve decided that hopefully in the next few days I will write more on here and give you lots of details about Arugam Bay, Sri Lanka. So this first blog started out as an email to my parents but then i decided i would fill everyone in…it’s written really sloppily, but thats how i always write so i hope you do not mind. This first one is just about Arugam Bay and the set up of it.
So. Arugam Bay. It’s a little fishing village. I really didn’t realize that it was so small until we left. Arugam bay is on the east side of the island. we arrived in colombo and took a 10 hour ormore bus ride to the opposite side of the island, all on semi bumpy roads. Pottovil is a bigger town next to Arugam bay. We drive through Pottovil which is one main strip that has tailer stores-i don’t know. where they make your clothes, little convenient stores that have laundry soap, crackers, water and fruit, fruit stands and restaurants. nothing is nice and new with air conditioning, everything is hole in the wall style stores. at the end of pottuvil is a new big bridge that was at the end of being built. It is the nicest thing we saw pretty much our whole drive..pretty much in all of sri lanka maybe haha. but arugam bay is on the other side. obviously arugam bay is a bay and the whole little town is shaped around the bay. we lived towards the middle/beginning of the bay (Surfing the nations has property there). the street is lined with lots of rotti stands, which is like sao bing yo tiou (for people from taiwan)-the outside bread type stuff…and i pretty much ate that for breakfast lunch and dinner. for breakfast it was two plain ones for 20 cents, lunch was maybe a vegetable or egg and vegetable rotti, and dinner was koti rotti which is rotti cut up with some veggies mixed in. so i really got my fill of carbs! so the street has lots of these little greasy hole in the wall rotti shops, probably at least 20 hotel/bungalos that have no people staying in them and little stores. i guess oprah has a hotel out there-Tri star, but no one was even staying in it. when we got there there were only a handful of tourists and 25 of us…ahha. but by the time we left the tourist season had picked up. At the end of the street (or where arugam bay kinda ends) is a buddha in a glass box that renee likes to call the buddha information center…take a left there and a 1 minute walk down a broken road and it opens up to the ocean. boats are lined everwhere with men who act as though they have never seen elbows and calves (It’s a strict muslim community so we women were dressed in skirts below the knee and loose t-shirts the whole time…we were really longing for some freedom from frumpy clothes!)…then a little walk around the bay and you are at the point! there is only one surfing point in arugam bay so pretty much the five tourists that were there for a nice surf vacation were quite shocked the first morning we were there and 20 people crowded the point. so yeah…oh yeah. i can give you more details about the property (this would be so much easier if i could show you pictures right now, but i obviously can’t!) the property. it is the first property off the street and then there is one property right behind us and then the beach. we have a front entrance that is a gate (kind of i guess) and then a side door..we only use the side door and the alley that it is off of has a nice view out to the ocean. so our property is half lined in bricks and then half fenced in by palm frawns.i think that is what they are called. its palm branches woven together to make pieces to make fences, roofs, shade, walls, everything. and the property is one piece of land. i’m not exactly sure how big it is. it’s not big, but its not small. on the property is palm trees, a house- a cement house with two bedrooms, a (i don’t even know what itis called) but its like a shadey area…a cement slab with a roof on top…so that is where all our meetings were and if anyone was on the property this is where they were sitting because it was too hot in the sun. then we have a well, which was my favorite part because i loved pulling the bucket up with the dirty water to flush our toilet or to water the plants. I could pretend that i had left this modernized world and was living the origional way..the property also has .a bathroom and a shower. the shower is super sick, its got the palm frawn wall setting and has trees in it and then a cement slab for where you can stand and shower. but we didn’t shower there becasue the water is brown and dirty-something was wrong with the well…so they either gotta dig another well or wait for 3 months till the whole town gets clean water. our first two days there we used thed irty water but we decided it would probably be better to use our neighbors-aloha cabanas showers instead. then we had 7 tents set up around the property where we all slept. My bags were covered in sand by the time I left.
so that is the set up of A Bay. As for daily life. A regular day was wake up between 6:30 and 8 (my tent always woke up early because we were right next to the door and all the boys were always at dawn patrol-morning surf-and would wake up right when the sun came out) the first week i was there i ate at aloha cabanas every morning, milk tea and a jaffle (like a bananna panini) but then that became too expensive($3.00) . so i would have my quiet time with some milk tea, and then we would usually have a meeting around 9 or 10-have worship, testimony and a little bible study. the last week or so we were studying galations so we would read a chapter as a group and dig into it, and then by this time it is about noonish and the surfers would surf and us non surfers would hit the ocean and do a little body surfing or just getting refreshed by the water…then we started work on the property. i was on the alley team (we cleaned the alley and the name just stuck) and so we pretty much had no jobs because we werent painters or good with construction..so we would just go and chill with people in the community. One day a bunch of us girls bought ice cream for the Why Not family (i’ll tell you more about them later). we got close with two families that lived right next door to eachother. the Ali family and the Why Not family. (the why not family had a restaurant that we ate at everynight called why not. cuz why wouldn’t you eat there-great local prices and good food) the Ali family is the family that made me fall in love with Arugam Bay the most. there are 4 older girls, two boys and a 3 year old girl. By the time we left the three oldest girls were married and pregnant, and rodja is 18 and probably soon getting married. we’d go over and they would make us tea and we would just sit. not really talk because there’s a big language barrier, but we would just kinda talk and laugh. they always fed us strange snacks…like berries that made our mouths extremely dry. they tasted like unripe bananas. the Ali family’s dad, who we called papa is something big with at the mosque. A Moula (sp?) i think is what it is called. I don’t really know what that means, but he was something important at the mosque. So his family was run by strict Muslim rules. This means that the women of the house were never allowed to leave the house except to cross the street to get water from their neighbor’s well. This means they were really happy to have us over at any time of the day. The people of Arugam bay were so so welcoming and friendly (sometimes its hard to tell if its genuine or whether they just are wanting to be friends with stn so they can get money…) but the Alis are genuine friends, people with STN have known them for years. We couldn’t really communicate that well with the girls. Rodja spoke a bit of english so it was always a challenge to know what was going on. On the day before we left we were supposed to go berry picking with the family in their garden but we told them we couldn’t get there until 10:30 instead of 9:00..when we arrived the berry pickers were gone..the time change was lost in translation (this was one of our favorite phrases)…it was kinda okay though because it was going to be an hour walk in the blistering sun. While we were there Falilah, the 3rd daughter got married out of no where. she had a “boyfriend” that she married. we’re not sure exactly how the ceremony was supposed to go or what exactly was going on but i was just so happy to be able to be apart of a muslim/sri lankan wedding. And then there was the Why Not family. We met them one day while we were sitting at the Ali’s place and we saw some little kids peeping through a crack in the fence. Renee went over to talk with them…an hour or so later we were all sitting around like..where is renee?! we weren’t sure if maybe she had left to go home because of a bad case of diahrea (this happens a lot here..people will just dissapear to the bathroom) or where she could have been…but we found out that she had been trapped next door by the 15 kids that live there. So since then we became friends with the little girls (they’re about 15 and younger) and spent a lot of time at their place. One day Renee and i got to do laundry with them-not in a washing machine, but by hand…it made me happy.
So i’ve had enough of typing for today. I will continue tomorrow or some other day to tell you more about life in A Bay.

Thank you all for your prayers and support. We really felt them!

source:
http://speckinthewind.blogspot.com/2008/07/well-hello-friends.html Costco children’s motrin

Knocked out by a tsunami, a bridge is rebuilt, raising hopes in tourism

Published on 02/07/2008 in Blogs, Money Matters and press coverage. 0 Comments

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Wednesday, July 2, 2008

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