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Task
Force awaiting proposals
Northern rehabilitation to begin soon
By Dilrukshi Handunnetti
Head
of the Special Task Force and Presidential Advisor Bail
Rajapakse, told The Sunday Leader the northern
rehabilitation programme will commence shortly after
specific ministries submit their proposals from which a
final plan will be formulated for immediate
implementation.
"The
Wanni development initiatives will soon begin under the
newly appointed task force. The first step is to meet
all rehabilitation needs such as food, water and
shelter. Next is to restore democratic institutions in
the north. Simultaneously, we intend building the
infrastructure," Rajapakse told The Sunday Leader.
He
also said that the government wished to resettle the
displaced in six months. "We are looking at a 180 day
plan to resettle all the Internally Displaced People (IDPs).
Its an ambitious target and requires the coordination of
several ministries to achieve the objective," he noted.
According to Secretary, Ministry for Resettlement and
Disaster Relief Services, U.L.L. Halaldeen the
government has allocated Rs. 500 million for "Uthuru
Wasanthaya" or northern resurgence through the budgetary
allocations for the year 2009. It is expected that the
government would double the allocation during the
November budget to fund the projects that are expected
to get underway by mid June under the above programme.
The
Special Task Force headed by Basil Rajapakse plans on a
two-year project to reach the primary objective of
infrastructure rehabilitation in the war ravaged
Northern Province.
At a
press conference chaired by Rajapakse on Thursday, the
task force head emphasized on the need for a two year
plan to reawaken the war battered province and rated
infrastructure rehabilitation and livelihood improvement
as the government's top proprieties when resettling the
displaced.
Accordingly, all ministries are now expected to submit
proposals in a bid to formulate comprehensive rebuilding
plan.
Meanwhile, there is rising criticism over the
composition of the 19-member task force to rebuild the
north, which excludes members of minority
communities.TNA Parliamentarian Suresh Premachandran
told The Sunday Leader that the composition of the task
force was flawed as it excluded minority members. "It is
a complete Sinhala initiative to rebuild the north
whilst excluding elected Tamil representatives from the
north", he said.
Sri Lankan Minister must resign from
WHO
Presidency for Humanitarian Catastrophe, demands
activist group
Geneva,
May 20, 2009 - Sri Lankan Health Minister Nimal Siripala
De Silva, elected president of this week's annual
session of the World Health Organisation, should end the
humanitarian disaster plaguing 300,000 civilians in the
war-torn north, or be pressured to step down by the
organisation's 193 member states, said UN Watch, a
Geneva-based human rights group.
"At a
critical time when the WHO needs the world's trust to
fight a global pandemic, the U.N.'s most important
health assembly simply cannot be headed by a government
that blocks humanitarian emergency relief to thousands,
creates conditions leading to the spread of diseases,
and seizes doctors," said Hillel Neuer, executive
director of UN Watch and an international lawyer.
"Just
as we condemn the terrorism of the Tamil Tigers, we urge
de Silva to acknowledge his government's role in the
appalling suffering of its civilians, and to take
immediate action," said Neuer, whose group has also been
urging the Human Rights Council to address the crisis by
calling an emergency session.
"How
can the World Health Assembly take seriously a president
who allows his own people in displaced persons camps,
especially children, to be hit by contagious diseases,
including reported cases of chickenpox, hepatitis A and
dysentery?" The London Times reported last week that the
Sri Lankan Government has blocked access to aid workers
trying to help the nearly 300,000 civilians displaced by
the fighting, raising the prospect of a humanitarian
catastrophe.
The
Times reported that "an estimated 80,000 people - mostly
Tamil, many of them sick, malnourished or suffering from
battlefield wounds - were making their way on foot from
the war zone in the north to government-run camps that
are already swamped."
The
UN is reportedly not being allowed any access to them,
while "accounts of conditions inside the camps - gained
from testimony recorded covertly by aid workers -a nd
the journey to them are horrifying."
Physicians for Human Rights called on the Sri Lankan
government "to ensure the protection and freedom of
movement of all civilians and medical personnel in the
conflict zone."
Three
doctors who entered no-go zones and defied the
government to report on the suffering of civilians, and
who spoke of the continuous shelling of areas with large
concentrations of civilians, are now missing.
Physicians for Human Rights said it had been told the
Sri Lankan government was detaining doctors
"incommunicado, possibly in retaliation for adhering to
their ethical obligation to protect the lives of their
patients in all circumstances."
Students query hostel building
expenditure
By Risidra Mendis
Engineering students from the Sri Lanka Institute of
Advanced Technological Education (SLIATE) have asked the
Director General - SLIATE for an explanation as to what
happened to the foreign aid of Rs 5.5 million given for
the construction of a hostel.
The
Sunday Leader learns that even though Rs 5.5 million in
foreign aid was given for the construction of the hostel
the building is yet to be completed. The hostel was to
be completed by end January 2008.
Speaking to The Sunday Leader Secretary, Higher National
Diploma in Engineering (HNDE) Students Union, Prabath
Madushanka said SLIATE Director General Kamal Padmasiri
has failed to give the students an explanation as to
what happened to the money.
"At
present 90% of the hostel building is yet to be
completed. The reason being that the tender to build the
hostel complex was given to a company that didn't have
the experience to handle such a project. The officials
of this company cannot even manage to build the roof of
a building," Madushanka said.
He
added that a large sum of money has been paid to a
construction company for work that is yet to be done.
"Now these construction company workers have abandoned
the work at the hostel. Padmasiri is giving us false
excuses when we question him," Madushanka explained.
All
attempts by The Sunday Leader to contact Padmasiri
failed.
ICRC resumes limited distribution of
supplies
By Raisa Wickrematunge
The
ICRC resumed distribution of supplies within the Menik
Farm IDP camp on Friday, May 22 it is learnt.
ICRC
Media Coordinator Sarasi Wijeratne said that the ICRC
had been granted access to part of the Menik Farm camp
after communication with the government. She confirmed
that at the moment the ICRC was not given full access to
the Menik Farm camp but added, "We hope and plan that
distribution will continue in the coming days,
especially considering the urgent needs of the IDPs."
She
stated that while the ICRC was coordinating with the
government to accommodate these needs, authorities are
concerned about the security within the camps and this
too had to be taken into account.
These
events followed the ICRC temporarily suspending
distribution of supplies to the Menik Farm camp on
Thursday. "This was a decision taken by the authorities
due to security reasons," Wijeratne said. The government
was only allowing vehicles transporting emergency
supplies access, according to Wijeratne, and this was
the reason for the suspension.
"We
put the transport and distribution of goods on hold
pending clarification from state authorities of what
these requirements amount to practically," she said. It
was reported on Thursday that the ICRC's access to Menik
Farm Zone 2 had been restricted. There were further
reports saying that UN Spokesman Gordon Weiss had said
that the UN's access to Zones 1, 2 and 3 was being
restricted.
Disaster Management and Human Rights Minister Mahinda
Samarasinghe said that these actions were being taken
with the civilians interests at heart, as there had been
complaints from them of excess vehicle activity within
the camps.
Meanwhile, a joint press release from several aid
agencies urged the government to lift the restrictions
in access to the IDP camps, saying that by doing so was
putting the civilians at risk. The vehicular
restrictions imposed meant that the agencies were unable
to provide even essential items like food and water to
the people "almost totally reliant on aid," according to
the statement.
Heads
of agencies stated, "The camps in Sri Lanka are huge.
They stretch over 1,000 acres and take nearly an hour to
walk across. Without vehicles we can't do our work
properly and that's putting lives at risk. Thousands of
people are arriving from the war zone in a very weak
condition. We're very worried about their health, with
small children and the elderly being particularly at
risk. Keeping aid agencies out will only make their
condition more critical."
It was
noted that the number of IDPs arriving at camps in the
north was still on the rise. The military has informed
aid agencies that 50,000 more IDPs are expected to
arrive within the next few days, adding to the roughly
270,000 people already living in the camps. The agencies
ended their plea by asking the government to adhere to
the agreement reached and let them carry out their
duties.
The
statement was signed by 13 aid agencies, namely Oxfam,
ASB/Solidar, Acted, the Danish Refugee Council, ZOA
Refugee Care, Forut, UMCOR, Relief International,
Handicap International, Save the Children,
Welthungerhilfe, CARE, World Visionand Medical Teams
International.
Gas price irks union
By Nirmala Kannangara
The
Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC) has incurred losses
amounting to millions of rupees due to the Consumer
Protection Authority's irregular pricing formula process
on CPC LP gas, reliable sources from the CPC told The
Sunday Leader.
The
CPC on a Supreme Court directive supplies its entire
liquid petroleum output to Laugfs Holdings according to
the Saudi Aramco prices, which is far less than the cost
price.
A CPC
higher official on the basis of anonymity said that
although the corporation sells the LP gas according to
Saudi Aramco prices, the CPC incurs huge losses due to
its failure to cover up the freight and port charges and
other government taxes.
"This
is very unreasonable as we import the crude oil after
paying freight and port charges and government taxes.
But when it comes to the sale price of LP gas, which is
one of the refined petroleum products we are not allowed
to add the extra cost to the purchaser. We give Laugfs
Holdings at the same cost we purchase from the world oil
market.
"As a
result the CPC has had to bear the freight and port
charges, government taxes, processing and storage
charges, which is a loss to the corporation," he said.
Ban Ki-Moon asks
government for UN access to IDP camps
By B.M. Murshideen
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon yesterday called on the
government to provide the UN and other humanitarian
agencies access into the IDP camps.
Ki-Moon told the media yesterday following his visit to the
Menik Farm IDP camp in Vavuniya and meeting with
President Mahinda Rajapakse that the UN and other
humanitarian agencies should be given the freedom of
movement in the IDP camps. The UN Secretary General
added that he hoped the government would take necessary
action to address the issue.
Ki-Moon noted the importance of resettling the displaced
persons at the earliest and said the UN would fully
support the government on this endeavor.
He also commended the government for its decision to
resettle the displaced persons by the end of the year.
He further said the UN would also give priority to the
demining of the once war affected area.
Responding to questions posed by journalists, Ki-Moon said
he did not refer to the situation in the north as a
blood bath, but had merely expressed concern over the
killing of innocent civilians and called on both parties
therefore to refrain from using heavy weapons.
Ki-Moon also said that he had in his possession letters
from some IDP’s which had been given to him when he
visited the Menik Farm camp for the displaced.
UNHCR to debate alleged SL human
rights abuses Tuesday
The UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) will hold a special
session on
Sri Lanka
to discuss the alleged human rights abuses committed
during its final phase of war against the Tiger rebels
on Tuesday (26).
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay last week
reportedly backed calls in the West for an independent
inquiry into possible war crimes in the tiny zone she
said may have become a “killing field.”
Meanwhile,
Sri
Lanka on Friday had presented to the UNHRC a draft
resolution stating the “principle of non-interference”
in internal matters and respect for its sovereignty,
territorial integrity and independence that was backed
by 12 countries: China, India, Pakistan, Bahrain,
Bolivia, Cuba, Egypt, Indonesia, Malaysia, Nicaragua,
the Philippines and Saudi Arabia.
A Reuters news report stated that western diplomats, who
are also preparing a resolution to be presented at a
special Council session on
Sri Lanka on
Tuesday, said Colombo's developing country allies were
likely to band together to deflect serious scrutiny of
its record.
“No matter how much we would like to have a U.N.
investigation, it wouldn't fly with the other
countries,” a European diplomat had told Reuters.
Special National Honours for the
President
President Mahinda Rajapakse was yesterday conferred the
title “Vishvakeerthi Sri Threesinhaladhishwara” by the
prelates of the Malwatta and Asgiri Chapters in
Kandy.
The Special National Honours, is the highest honour since
1815 and was bestowed on the President at the Magul
Maduwa in the Dalada Maligawa last evening.
Mine action support
The
United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) co-chaired a
meeting with the Ministry of Nation Building and Estate
Infrastructure on May 21, at which the UNDP pledged
their support to the government with regards to mine
action.
The
Early Recovery Cluster Group (ERCG) is the first step of
a long recovery process from over two decades of
conflict, according to a press release from the UNDP.
Plans for the development of the east were discussed,
and a working group in the north is to be established
following meetings with the Presidential Task Force.
The
ERCG, established in February, aimed to bring together
Government Agents and the UNDP to create "self reliance,
economic growth and development," in
Sri Lanka.
Senior
Advisor to the Ministry of Nation Building, M. S.
Jayasinghe, said the initiative was an "important forum
to coordinate activities in Sri Lanka."
The
meeting called for the coordination and cooperation of
UN representatives and NGOs, both domestic and
international, with regard to ongoing and planned
recovery efforts in the north and east of the country.
TNA Parliamentarian Kanagaratnam in
Colombo
By B.M.Murshideen
Tamil
National
Alliance
Jaffna
District Parliamentarian Sathasivam Kanagaratnam is
being held for questioning by the Criminal
Investigations Department. Kanagaratnam has been
detained after having spent six months in the safe zone.
He has
been brought to
Colombo
from the Chettikkulam, Menik Farm, by the Crime
Investigations Division last Thursday.
TNA
Vavuniya District Parliamentarian Sivanathan Kishor told
The Sunday Leader that he had taken steps to bring him
to Colombo. He also said that Kanagaratnam was being
held at the Fourth Floor by CID officials.
TNA
Parliamentarian Mavai Senadiraja said that he had
requested Indian Foreign Minister Shive Shankar Menon,
Defence Advisor L.K.Narayanan and UN officials to call
for the release of Kanagaratnam.
Still no progress in LW
investigation
The
investigation into the murder of The Sunday Leader
Editor in Chief Lasantha Wickrematunge has shown no
progress for the past four and a half months, although
the Mt. Lavinia Magistrate has ordered the police to
submit the investigation progress report to courts. The
murder trial of Wickrematunge will be taken up in June
Fate of detained doctors a mystery
By Nirmala Kannangara
The
fate of the three doctors who were detained by the
military for allegedly leaking false information on
internally displaced persons (IDP) to the international
media is still not known.
The
three Tamil doctors, Thangamuttu Sathiyamorthi,
Thurairaja Varatharajan and V. Shunmugarajah who had
been treating the IDPs in makeshift camps for the past
several months have been accused of leaking 'incorrect'
figures of IDP casualties to the local and international
media over the past few months. They were arrested by
the military on May 18, and are being held for
interrogation following their escape from rebel
territory.
When
asked as to what action the police would take against
the three doctors, Police Spokesperson SSP Ranjitha
Gunasekera told The Sunday Leader that he knew nothing
about the investigation process and wanted the newspaper
to get the details from Military Spokesperson Brig.
Udaya Nanayakkara.
But
Brig. Udaya Nanayakkara said he was totally unaware of
such a detention and told The Sunday Leader to contact
the Police Spokesperson.
"The
army has neither detained any suspect nor is in the
process of any investigations. As far as I know the army
has not detained any person for leaking false
information to the media," Brig. Nanayakkara added.
Despite the denials, Reporters Without Borders Friday
urged the Sri Lankan authorities to quickly release the
three Tamil doctors.
"The
government will be held responsible if the army's
military victory is accompanied by such criminal acts of
revenge against those have who have described the
humanitarian tragedy," Reporters Without Borders said.
"We urge the authorities to act with clemency and not
use the Tamil Tiger defeat for a generalised settling of
scores with Tamil civil society. We are also concerned
for the few Tamil journalists who covered the recent
events."
A
Health Ministry official said on May 18 that the three
Tamil doctors were arrested for providing false civilian
casualty figures to the media. 'The army arrested them
as they were fleeing the combat zone.'
Meanwhile the Government Medical Officers Association (GMOA)
told The Sunday Leader that they would not hamper any
investigation carried out against the three doctors as
it was up to the defence authorities to find out whether
the doctors have violated the E-Code. "Other than trade
union representatives none of the government servants
can give any comments to the media," said Assistant
Secretary GMOA, Dr. Upul Gunasekera told The Sunday
Leader.
According to Dr. Gunasekera the three Tamil doctors were
not GMOA members but the GMOA on several occasions had
helped them to pass through the checkpoints wherever
they were held, when travelling to restricted areas.
All
attempts to contact Health Secretary Dr. Atula
Kahandaliyanage and Defence Spokesperson Keheliya
Rambukwella, failed.
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