News

> Govt. moves away from unitary state in Geneva

> A Sinhalese in LTTEteam

> Norway proposes two more rounds

> LTTE calls for full implementation of CFA

> Govt. ready to accept UNP high jumpers

Intl. community puts Lanka on red notice

 War unwinnable for both

 Humanitarian crisis must be addressed

 Solution within federal framework

 Halt military action, culture of impunity and acts of terrorism

 Kohona, Puleedevan in luncheon meeting

By Lasantha Wickrematunge in Geneva

In a hard hitting statement at the commencement of the peace talks in Geneva yesterday, Norwegian facilitator and Minister for International Development Erik Solheim warned that the international community was fastrunning out of patience and called for amilitary de-escalation, halt to the culture of impunity and all acts of terrorism with immediate effect.

The Norwegian Minister also stressed the opinion of the international community that the war was not winnable and urged immediate steps be takento stop the human suffering of the displaced people. He said the international community wants to see progress in the talkswithout which Sri Lankarisks losing political and economic support.

The Minister told the two delegations that as a small country Norway was involved with the peace process for over seven years and acted with patience and will continue to do so though the sovereign people of Sri Lanka and the international community will not have the same patience.

Solheim further said the international community was of the view a solution must be based on the six agreements reached during the earlier rounds of talks and the Geneva 1 agreement respecting the unity and sovereignty of Sri Lanka.

The implication of Solheim's statement was that the international community expects a federal solution within a united Sri Lanka in terms of the Oslo Communiqu, which was one of the six agreements reached.

The talks commenced at the Conference Center Varembe in Geneva yesterday at 9.50 a.m. with a welcome address by the deputyhead of the Political Affairs directorate of the Swiss Department of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Heidi Tagliavini.

The stage for the talks was set with the Norwegian facilitators on Thursday andFridayshuttling between the Epsom Hoteland the Royal Hotel where the government and LTTE delegations were housed respectively in a bid to finalise the agenda.

The LTTE insisted that the talks should be based on the humanitarian crisis and the implementation of the agreement reached in Geneva 1 including the ceasefire agreement while the government called for a discussion on the core issues within a definite time frame.

The LTTE, it is learnt had also indicated that the opening of the A9 highway was a must in terms of the CFA if the talks are to progress.

Given the deadlock over the agenda, the Norwegian facilitators on Friday arranged a luncheon meeting between, Government Peace Secretariat Head,Palitha Kohona and LTTE Peace Secretariat Chief S. Puleedevan. The facilitators were represented by Special envoy Jon Hanssen-Bauer andEmbassy official Erik Nuremberg.

Informed sources saidKohona had agreed at the luncheon meeting todiscuss the humanitarian issues to break the deadlock.

Kohona told The Sunday Leader after the luncheon meeting he was optimistic of the talks and that both sides need to compromise in a bid to resolve the crisis.

LTTE Political Wing Leader S. P. Tamilchelvan told The Sunday Leaderthey would insist on discussing the humanitarian issues first including the opening of the A9 highway beforeany discussions on the core issues.

There was further sepa-ratediscussions between Solheim, Hanssen-Bauer and the government and LTTE delegations Friday night to finalise the agenda and it was agreed thatfollowing the opening addresses by the two delegations, issues surfacing therefrom will be taken up for discussion with priority given to the humanitarian issues.

Solheim's hard-hitting comments at the commencement of the talks came in this backdrop.

He said the failure to implementsome of the agreements reached during Geneva 1 has led to an escalation of violence resulting in over 200,000 people gettingdisplaced and between 1000 to 2000 killed according UN statistics.

"This is equivalent to the killings in Lebanon. There have been a lot of human rights abuses, military campaigns and terrorist killings. Norway as facilitator is working closely with the international community and they are deeply concerned. They see a need for dialogue. There is no support for war. It is not winnable," he said.

Solheim also pointed out that the talks will be based on three issues, namely 1) the humanitarian suffering of the displaced people and killings, 2) military de-escalation, halt to the culture of impunity and terrorism and 3) a political solution.

He said no way can the peace process move forward without addressing the political issues.

Solheimfurther said the commencement of the talks provided a ray of hope and was a step in the right direction and that the international community expects a solution based on four broad principles.

"The solution should be based on the six agreements reached in the earlier rounds of talks and Geneva 1, it should be based on the CFA and implementing it to the letter, meeting the legitimate aspirations of all communities and within the unity and sovereignty of Sri Lanka," he said.

Ambassador Tagiliavini inher statement saiddevelopments in Sri Lanka in the past months have seriously endangered the peace process and caused considerable concern within the international community.

"Switzerland, as the depository state of the Geneva conventions feels it cannot forgo its responsibility to remind the parties to the conflict of their obligations to respect International Humanitarian Law, in particular to protect civilians from the effects of armed conflict," the Ambassador warned.

Following these two statements, the government and the LTTE made their opening statements before adjourning for lunch.

Solution based on regional geo-political realities

Govt. moves away from unitary state in Geneva

Signaling a major policy shift, the government yesterday announced it was ready to devolve powerbased on geo-political realities to resolve the ethnic conflict.

In a clear shift fromthecommitment to a unitary state to the Indian model of federalism, Government's Chief Negotiator, Minister Nimal Siripala De Silva in his opening address at yesterday's talks in Geneva said the government stands ready to present a Sri Lankan model of devolution within an undivided country to address the root causes of the conflict.

"It will also be a model which will be consistent with regional geo-political realities," Minister De Silva said.

The Minister also pointed out that the President had clearly stated he was ready to go the extra mile in the search of peace, a dignified and honourable peace.

He further said the government is committed to giving the highest priority to launching a reinvigorated peace process to usher in a sustainable peace, which will provide a solution to the country's national question.

"The government hopes that these talks will be the beginning of a productive dialogue and a fruitful exchange of views with all persons concerned on the many substantive issues relating to this conflict that has taken a massive toll on the people of the country. Foremost among these are the restoration of democracy, political pluralism, meaningful devolution, human rights and economic development," De Silva said.

The Minister was also critical of the LTTE and accused it of human rights abuses and civilian massacres includingKebettigollawa andunarmed military personnel.

Referring to the agenda for theGeneva talks the Minister saidthe opportunity is to address the core issues and challenges that lie in the way of a peaceful future.

The Minister also said there is an urgent need to address the issues of democracy, human rights and economic development and in particular address the aspirations of all the people in the east and the north.

A Sinhalese in LTTEteam

The LTTE delegation for the Genevapeace talks included a Sinhala woman from Kilinochchi.

The Sinhalawoman delegate of the LTTE at the talks is the deputy head of the Tiger Women's Political Wing, Tamilvili alias Geetha.

The real name of Geetha as per her passport is Revathi Piyawardena whose father is a Sinhalese and the mother a Tamil, both of whom are living in Kilinochchi.

A spokesman for the LTTE in Geneva confirmed the Sinhala identity of Geetha, but said she has lived all her life in the north and does not speak Sinhala. The wife ofLTTE Police Chief, B. Nadeson is also Sinhalese. Nadeson is also a delegate at the talks.

Norway proposes two more rounds

The Norwegian facilitators have proposed to both the government and the LTTE to agree to fix dates for two further rounds of talks in December and January at the conclusion of today's session.

The Sunday Leader learns the government had agreed to the proposal, but the LTTE had indicated they would make their response known subject to the outcome of today's talks.

The LTTE is insisting that the government opens the A 9 highway for traffic in terms of the ceasefire agreement, which it agreed to uphold and respect during the Geneva 1 talks for the talks to progress further.

 No mention of political issues

LTTE calls for full implementation of CFA

The LTTE yesterday called on the international community totake action to ensure the 100% implementation of the CFA and the strengthening of the SLMM.

Making his opening statement at the Geneva talks, LTTE Political Wing LeaderS. P. Tamilselvan said he was confidentsuch actions will bring normalcy in the lives of the people and help in taking the peace process towards a satisfactory conclusion.

Tamilselvan also said the LTTE welcomes the participation of the government at the talks and expressed hope they will take a firm decision to take all the necessary actions to alleviate the misery of 'the people in the Tamil homeland.'

He further said the closure of the A9 route and the resulting near starvation are cruel and deliberate actions.

The LTTE also accused the governmentof killing 870 civilians, causing the disappearances of 408 civilians including 98 children since Geneva 1whilean internationally backed CFA was in force."The list of miseries of our people at the hands of the Sri Lankan military and its paramilitary is very long indeed. The best we can hope from the current talks is therefore the strengthening of the CFA agreement that has the potential to lead to a permanent, just peace in the island. This CFA has the unique distinction of lesseningthe threat of resumption of the three decades long war," Tamilselvan also said

Govt. ready to accept UNP high jumpers

President Mahinda Rajapakse has decided to take any UNP MP who wishes to join the government notwithstanding the MoU signed last week.

Health Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva told The Sunday Leader the MoU signed with the UNP does not preclude the President from accepting crossovers and swearing them inas ministers.

He said the President has the power under the constitution to swear in any member as a minister and that no MoU can take awaysuch right.

The Minister also said it is now for the UNP to decide whether it wants any ministries and that the government was prepared to make any sacrifice to accommodate the UNP in the cabinet.

Asked whether there were any ministries left to be given without taking away existing portfolios from ministers, de Silva said they were ready for any sacrifice to take the UNPers into cabinet.

De Silva said he personally went through the MoU with a fine toothcomb to ensure there was no prohibition to members from the UNP crossing over to the government.

Calls for HR monitoring mission intensify

By Amantha Perera

Calls for the setting up of an international human rights monitoring mission in Sri Lanka renewed last week as the government and the Tigers were preparing to go to Geneva.

There were also indications that the government may be moving towards cooperating with the UN Human Rights Commission.

"As a part of this constructive engagement, the Government recently consulted the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights with regard to the decision taken by President Mahinda Rajapakse to invite an international independent group of eminent persons to observe the conduct of investigations and inquiries into certain alleged human rights violations by the Presidential Commission of Inquiry, which will soon be appointed. The Government of Sri Lanka appreciates the contribution made by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights in this regard and we look forward to working with OHCHR in this endeavour," Foreign Minister Mangala Samara-weera said at the UN compound in Colombo.

UN officials and human rights watch- dogs upped the tempo last week and also called for the inclusion of the upkeep of human rights on the agenda of the talks. Philip Alston, the UN Secretary General's Special Rapporteur on extra judicial, summary or arbitrary executions, told the UN General Assembly on October 20 that there was an urgent need for an international mission in the country.

Last week Human Rights Watch wrote to both President Mahinda Rajapakse and the LTTE supporting the formation of such a mission.

"As Human Rights Watch has noted previously, the 2002 Ceasefire Agreement and the resulting Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission gave inadequate attention to human rights issues. Large-scale hostilities largely ceased from 2002 until mid-2006, but serious rights abuses, including numerous killings and abductions, continued. The failure to fully incorporate human rights concerns into the ceasefire process was undoubtedly a contributing factor to the renewal of major hostilities in April," HRW Asia Division Director Brad Adams said in the letter.

Alston also called for more international pressure and the UN General Assembly to support the call for the mission.

"The first challenge is to acknowledge the need for significantly more sustained and high-level international involvement than has thus far been the case in efforts to pressure the parties to move towards a peaceful resolution of the conflict. This is still a conflict that can be resolved, but the parties will not get there on their own," he said.

A group of 32 international aid agencies also came out in support of the mission and larger international participation.

It appealed "to the governments and the United Nations, in particular the members of the UN Security Council - but also the Special Representative of the Secretary General for Sri Lanka and the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights - to use all possible means of diplomatic pressure on all concerned parties to demand that they respect International Humanitarian Law."

Among the signatories was the French aid agency Action Contre le Faim (ACF). It was the murder of 17 ACF workers in Muttur on August 4 that re-ignited calls for the formation of an international mission.

The group also called on "the Government of Sri Lanka to undertake every measure to ensure that this war crime of Muttur does not stay unpunished, and thus guard against impunity, in close collaboration with declared international experts, so that those responsible for the massacre of the 17 humanitarian workers of Action Contre la Faim be identified and tried"

Nine bodies of slain workers have been exhumed are awaiting fresh postmortems at which Australian forensic experts too would be present.

SLFP, UNP deal to share power says LTTE

The LTTE on Friday said it saw the agreement between the SLFP and the UNP as an exercise in sharing the spoils in the south without any serious movement towards addressing the ethnic crisis.

The Political Wing Leader of the LTTE, S. P. Tamilselvan told The Sunday Leader they did not consider the agreement between the two southern parties as a serious development since the real purpose of it appeared to be the sharing of portfolios.

He said the past experiences have shown that the southern politicians are only interested in reaching agreements to enjoy the perks of office and all indications were that the UNP also entered into the agreement with that objective.

Tamilselvan also said, the recent decision to demerge the north and east was a clear indication the government was not serious about a political settlement to the crisis.

"The very fact that President Mahinda Rajapakse sent the two lawyers who represented the JVP in the case as part of his negotiating team is a clear indication the whole exercise had his blessings. What guarantees can we have under such circumstances that any international brokered agreement will stand the test of time," Tamilselvan asked.

He further said the LTTE was not ready to discuss core issues with the government until such time the humanitarian crisis is addressed and the agreements reached in Geneva 1 including the Ceasefire Agreement is fully implemented.

Re post mortems held on aid workers' bodies

By Sarasi Wijeratne

The re post mortems of the 11 exhumed bodies of the ACF workers have been completed and the ballistic evidence which was found during the course of the examinations will be sent to the Government Analysts for further investigation.

"I will be summoned by the court to provide information on the re post mortems and the court will order that any foreign matter found during the course of the examination be sent to the Government Analysts Department," said Anuradhapura JMO Dr. D. L. Waidyaratne who carried out the re post mortems.

The Anuradhapura Magistrate Wasantha Jinadasa who has been appointed Additional Magistrate Muttur by the Judicial Commission will preside at the hearing in Kantale for which a date has not been set according to Dr. Waidyaratne.

ACF too were unable to confirm the date of this hearing.      

Dr. Waidyaratne who will be submitting the post mortem reports on all 17 bodies with additional information from the re post mortems included to the courts, confirmed that ballistic evidence was found during the examinations in the bodies which had been x-rayed and that he will not be required to wait for the results of the Government Analyst to submit his post mortem reports to the court.    

The post mortems were carried out over four days in the presence of one Australian forensic expert.

"He was very co-operative and the work was carried out in keeping with the terms of reference in a very professional manner," said Dr.Waidyaratne.  

Meanwhile, ACF said they are pushing the Sri Lankan authorities to return the bodies to Trincomalee so the families can carry out their 90 day commemoration ceremonies. 

Ranil to lead UNP representative comm

The representative committee of the UNP to work on the collaboration with the SLFP in terms of the MoU will be headed by party leader Ranil Wickremesinghe, The Sunday Leader learns.

The other three nominees of the UNP are deputy leader Karu Jayasuriya, Chief Opposition Whip, Joseph Michael Perera and Chairman designate, Rukman Senanayake.

The SLFP team will include Prime Minister Ratnasiri Wickramanayake, Maithripala Sirisena, Nimal SiripalaDe Silva and John Seneviratne.

Sports events cancelled

By Kumutu Amarasingham

Local and international sports events scheduled for this month and the next  have been cancelled due to security concerns.

The Sunday Leader learns the regatta or inter-school rowing tournament and the Rugby Asiad Tournament, scheduled for November, have been cancelled citing security reasons.

"The regatta was cancelled by the Rowing Club following instructions by authorities to avoid having the event," Sudath Liyanagunawardena, master in charge of sports at Royal College, said.

When contacted by The Sunday Leader Army Spokesman Brigadier Prasad Samarasinghe said the military had issued no security warning regarding sports events.

However the cancellation of the Rugby Asiad Tournament was the result of a report submitted to the International Rugby Board by Rushmans Ltd., a company that specialises in the task of analysing state of affairs, stating the security situation was not conducive to the hosting of the tournament in Sri Lanka.

"Due to the report by Rushmans Ltd. we were asked to postpone the Rugby Asiad Tournament till the situation improved, conclude Round C by November and move the World Cup Qualifiers Tournament to another country by the International Rugby Board," said CEO, Sri Lanka Rugby and Football Union, Dilroy Fernando.

Better deal for commuters soon

A discussion between Transport Ministry officials, private bus owners, provincial council members and the police to provide better facilities for passengers travelling in buses was held recently.

Among the issues discussed at the meeting was  preventing  overcrowding  in buses and the issuing of bus tickets, preventing bus drivers from waiting for long periods at bus halts and providing a code of ethics for bus drivers and conductors.

Speaking to The Sunday Leader Transport Minister A. H. M. Fowzie said at present private bus owners pack people into buses in an inhumane way.

"A bus that can reach its destination in half an hour takes one hour to get there, because bus drivers and conductors have no concern for the passengers. Bus conductors also shout at passengers in an unpleasant way," Fowzie said.

Jaffna running out of food

By Amantha Perera

Food supplies were running thin in Jaffna and prices of some items had quadrupled, UNICEF said in a web posting last week.

"In the town, queues form outside food shops. Although the government is continuing to bring in supplies by ship and has set up a rationing system, almost everyone talks about shortages of flour, rice, sugar and lentils. In the black market, sugar and petrol are now about four times their normal prices," the UN agency said.

More than 50,000 people remain displaced in the peninsula and most of them are living with host families, according to agencies. The government last week commenced air-lifting supplies and at least two plane loads of 25 tonnes were sent earlier in the week. The government said that the onset of the monsoon had hampered sea transport.

The World Food Programme last week said that it had opened a common logistics base that all relief agencies could use to supply the north east.

"Due to the challenges of  the high degree of mobility of these internally displaced persons, the complexities of reaching them through adverse security situations and the limited access to many of them during military operations, the actual food assistance reaching these vulnerable people has been well below the requirements," WFP said.

The World Health Organsiation had said earlier in the week that almost one fourth of the 200,000 IDPs remained inaccessible.

The International Committee of the Red Cross in the meantime urged both the government and the Tigers to discuss the humanitarian situation in Jaffna at this weekend's talks.

"We think humanitarian issues could figure on the agenda and should be addressed during the upcoming talks here in Geneva," Reto Meister, delegate general for Asia,   International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) was quoted as saying in Geneva.

A group of 32 international aid agencies issued a joint appeal, on the eve of talks, seeking both parties to cooperate in providing relief to the civilians.

They appealed "to the parties to the conflict to respect International Humanitarian Law, including respect of humanitarian principles, in particular to facilitate unimpeded access to all victims and protection of all civilian populations."

The Tigers had also indicated on Friday that the A9 road, closed for outside traffic since August 11 should be opened if any talks were to follow the current round.

Tourism industry reeling following attacks

By Arthur Wamanan

The current security situation in the country has dealt a severe blow to the tourism industry, with very few or no new bookings being made following the recent suicide attacks in Habarana and Galle.

Director Corporate Communi-cations, SriLankan Airlines, Chandana de Silva told The Sunday Leader  tourist arrivals had fallen by 40%. "This is mainly due to the travel advisories issued by countries like Germany, France and Australia," he said. Director General, Sri Lanka Tourist Board (SLTB) S. Kalaiselvam said they were expecting a positive outcome with the peace talks.

"The peace talks are being held. We hope that this  will have a positive bearing on the tourist arrivals. However, we could only decide on the outcome after monitoring the arrivals for two to three weeks," Kalaiselvam told The Sunday Leader.

However, tourist arrivals for the forthcoming high season beginning November are likely to be low due to the recent attacks in major tourist spots such as Galle and Habarana, a spokesperson for Aitken Spence Hotels said.

Speaking to The Sunday Leader, he said no new bookings have been made so far after the attacks on the Galle harbour.

"There have been no bookings for the winter season so far. The coming season looks horrible. The situation  worsened after the attack on the Galle harbour," he said.

He also said there were instances where bookings were cancelled due to the prevailing situation.

"We do not have figures and statistics regarding the cancellations, but there have been some instances where bookings were cancelled," he added.

Officials at the Ceylon Hotels Corporation (CHC) also said the tourist bookings for the winter season was 'on the low side.'

An official at the CHC told The Sunday Leader  domestic tourism too had been affected due to the violence in the country.

"Most of the hotels depend on  domestic tourism when arrivals of  foreign tourists are low. But this time, even the local tourists are not travelling due to the country's situation," the official said.

The official further said the attacks in major tourist destinations like Habarana and Galle had affected  bookings.

Tourism in the east has also experienced a downfall. President,  Arugambay Tourism Association A. Raheem told The Sunday Leader there were no tourists remaining in Arugambay at present.

A long wait for Jaffna University students

Frustration is beginning to show in most of the students at the Jaffna University due to the  the campus being closed for more than two months.

Students complained that their future was uncertain due to the security situation prevailing in the region.

The university authorities said the campus could not be opened at the moment as most of the students living outside the peninsula had left. "There are students in the peninsula. But, there are lot of factors to be considered before opening the campus, such as security of the students," said a university official.

Officials at the campus said the students were provided with special passes to gain safe passage out of the Jaffna peninsula.

"The passes are being provided for the students by the Jaffna Kachcheri. However, students have to follow a tedious procedure in order to receive the passes," officials said.

The Registrar of the campus P. Kandasamy said the university administration was functioning.

"The campus is not likely to open for students in the near future," he said. Students who had come to Colombo said they would return if the A9 road was opened and their security was guaranteed.

"But, it is very unlikely that it will happen in the near future. Therefore we are forced to move to other fields. But, we do not know where to begin or what to do," said a student who had come to Colombo.

Seven security personnel injured

Seven security personnel were injured in three separate incidents in the north and east yesterday. Three policemen were injured due to a claymore blast in Vavuniya yesterday at around 7.45 a.m.

Media Center for National Security (MCNS) said the policemen were admitted to the Vavuniya hospital. Three STF personnel were injured in Batticaloa due to a claymore blast on the Akkaraipattu-Kalmunai Road.

The MCNS said the injured were admitted to Eluvaththuval hospital. A soldier was seriously injured when an unidentified group fired at a army picket point in Batticaloa.

Meanwhile, an employee at the office of the Karuna group (Tamil Makkal Viduthalai Pulikal/TMVP) was shot by unidentified gunmen in Chenkaladi.

Trains to be maintained

by private sector

The Railway Department has called on the private sector to help maintain the railway stations and carriages. The private sector will maintain the railway stations and carriages for a period of five years, commencing next month.

Speaking to The Sunday Leader Railways Minister A. H. M. Fowzie said the private sector will be given the opportunity of displaying advertisements in train carriages.

"The Ministry will charge the private sector for the advertisements displayed in train carriages," Fowzie said.

UNP to function as opposition in parliament

By Mandana Ismail Abeywickrema 

The UNP has claimed its legitimate right to continue its status and position as the main opposition in parliament as the party has neither abdicated its identity nor has integrated into the government.

Coalition partner of the UPFA government, the Marxist JVP has claimed following the signing of the MoU between the SLFP and the UNP that it would now look at the possibility of becoming the main opposition in parliament.

UNP parliamentarian and legal expert, K. N. Choksy told The Sunday Leader that the UNP is entitled to continue as the main opposition party with the leader of the UNP as the leader of the opposition in parliament.

He said that the concept of opposition in parliament does not receive statutory recognition either in the constitution or in the standing orders of parliament. "The position in the UK and in India is much the same," Choksy said.

According to Choksy, however, by long standing parliamentary practice and procedure, the Speaker recognises the largest party in parliament, apart from the government, as the main opposition party and recognises the leader in parliament of such party as the leader of the opposition.

"Today, indirect recognition is given by financial provision being made for the maintenance of the opposition leader's office," he said.

He also states, "The recently concluded MoU between the SLFP and the UNP in no way integrated the UNP into the government. Each party is entitled to continue its separate identity."

Choksy explained that the MoU provides only for active co-operation in the five areas enumerated in Clause 1, the principle of which areas are the resolution of the conflict in the north and east and the principles of good governance.

"Parliamentary history has shown many instances of the main opposition in parliament co-operating with the government to resolve grave national issues. A striking example was when the Labour Party headed by Clement Atlee co-operated with the Conservative government led by WinstonChurchill during the Second World War," he noted.

He also explained that the MoU provides the framework for co-operation, particularly on the resolution of the national problem.

"The UNP has not abdicated its identity as a party and is therefore legitimately entitled to continue its status and position as the main opposition in parliament," Choksy said.

However, the JVP it is learnt is seriously looking at the possibility of taking over the role of the main opposition in parliament following the signing of the MoU between the SLFP and the UNP as stated by one of its politburo members last week to a daily newspaper.

The JVP is in the process of seeking legal advise on the matter before pursuing it further by officially informing the secretary general of parliament of its "legitimate" right to accede to the position of the main opposition in parliament.

The party is currently holding 10,000 public meetings to educate the public on the challenges faced by the country.

TNA wants A9  re-opened

By Arthur Wamanan

The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) last week urged the LTTE to give priority to the opening of the A9 road at the peace talks in Geneva.

TNA Parliamentarian N. Raviraj told The Sunday Leader this was the burning issue of the Tamils living in the north.

"We have written to the LTTE urging them to give top priority to the opening of the A9 road at the talks. Many people are suffering due to the closure of the road," he said.

He added the closure of the road had drastically decreased the quantity of items being transported to the north.

"There were 300 to 400 tonnes of goods sent through the A9 road to the north. Now the government is sending only 25000 kilograms of goods. This is absurd," he said.

He also said the government too had no choice but to open the A9 road as it was clearly stated in the Ceasefire Agreement (CFA). "The CFA clearly states that the A9 road should be opened. Therefore, the government has no choice but to open the road," added Raviraj.

The A9 road was the only mode of access to the north by land and transport to the north was restricted after the road was closed on August 11. The TNA's letter to the LTTE states, "The Jaffna peninsula is a humanitarian catastrophe waiting to happen. Since the closure of the A9 highway, which is the only land route that links the Jaffna peninsula with the rest of the island, the humanitarian situation has reached critical levels."

It further stated "Due to the inability to bring in goods to sell, traders have been very badly affected. Due to the total ban on fishing, the fisher folk have been made destitute. Business has come to a virtual standstill. Due to the severe restrictions imposed by the GOSL armed forces and the unavailability of farming products, farming has also virtually ceased. All in all, the GOSL has made the entire Jaffna District civilian population completely aid dependant."

Minister to reintroduce CEB reforms

By Nirmala Kannangara

Power and Energy Minister John Seneviratne is to reintroduce the reforms to restructure the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) within the provisions of the Electricity Board Act of 1969.

The reforms were earlier shelved by the government due to pressure exerted by its coalition partner, the JVP and its affiliated trade unions.

The JVP threatened to withdraw its support to the government in parliament over the issue forcing the government to think twice on the introduction of reforms to the CEB.

Minister Seneviratne made several attempts to bring reforms to the CEB, but the bill was  held up by the Supreme Court citing that a two-thirds majority would be needed since there were certain provisions that violated Article 12 of the constitution.

Minister Seneviratne told The Sunday Leader that he has already taken steps to appoint a committee to study the bill again, and  report to him  ways and means of restructuring and reforming the CEB within the existing framework.

" The CEB is badly in need of reforms. This is a gigantic organisation that serves the entire  country. There are about 14,000 workers, and 75% of the country's population use electricity for  domestic and industrial purposes. There is a huge public cry that this institution is corrupt and inefficient," Seneviratne said.

According to the Minister, experts have suggested that there should be reforms to enhance the quality of the board to overcome the  shortcomings.

"I as the Minister took every possible effort to implement the reform proposals, the basis of which was envisaged by an expert committee to overcome the shortcomings. When we referred the bill to  the Supreme Court it was held," Seneviratne said.

However the Minister is certain that he could introduce the reforms within the Electricity Board Act of 1969 to restructure the CEB.

EPDP says LTTE not for peace

The Eelam People's Democratic Party (EPDP) last week said the LTTE was not for peace claiming that it wanted to create a war environment despite the two major parties joining to find a solution through negotiations.

EPDP Leader and Social Service and Social Welfare Minister Douglas Devananda in a statement said the EPDP warmly welcomed the agreement signed between the government and the United National Party (UNP).

 He however added that the LTTE would not accept the new development as it was all out for war.

"The new development may not be to the acceptance of the war mongering Tigers who are hell bent on creating chauvinistic rifts among ethnic communities with politics of self-interest and showing the world a totally different picture as the sole representatives of the Tamil speaking people," he said.

He also added the LTTE lied to the people a solution could not be reached due to the conflicts between the government and the opposition.

"Tigers, in future will not be in a position to lie to the public to the effect that the rift  between the government and the opposition is the barrier for arriving at a peaceful settlement to the ethnic issue and get involved in destructive politics," Devananda added.

Jaffna GA requests more fuel

By Warren Balthazaar

The Jaffna Government Agent  has called on the government to provide the people of the Jaffna peninsula and other areas in the north with  a steady supply of fuel.

Since the deterioration of the security situation in the north and the closure of the A9 highway, fuel distribution has come   to a virtual standstill.

According to Jaffna GA, K. Ganesh, the people in Jaffna are now faced with an acute fuel shortage.

"The fuel supply in Jaffna and other areas in the north is not satisfactory and is in need of  immediate supply of fuel," he said.

 Ganesh however observed that transportation in the north was 'normal' and that there was no major issue. He was  confident that the transport sector in the north would function without any 'issues.'

As for the supply of essential items to the north, Ganesh said that essential items reached the north early this week and that the quantities were adequate for the civilians including the IDPs.

Petroleum and Transport Minister A. H. M. Fowzie affirmed that there was a shortage of fuel in the north and said that steps were being taken to ship out more fuel to the area.

According to Fowzie, the shipment of fuel that left for the peninsula on Thursday (26) is expected to reach the peninsula on Monday (30).

Fowzie also noted that it was difficult to send fuel to the north by ship as it was a slow process.

According to Fowzie, transport in the north was adequate, but the CTB was operating at a heavy loss. The losses, it is learnt, amounts to Rs. 2.4 million in the last three months as the CTB is known to be running  a free service.

 Though officialy petrol in Jaffna is sold at Rs.100 a litre, diesel at Rs. 68 a litre and a litre of kerosene at Rs.48 according to residents in the area, fuel could never be purchased at these prices.

Transport a problem

The Batticaloa NGO Consortium said transport to LTTE-controlled areas in the east was difficult and only a few organisations were travelling to the areas.

The consortium said building materials such as cement and iron bars were taken in with special permission.

"The worst affected area is Pattiruppu. It is very difficult to transport goods to those areas due to the bad condition of the roads," the consortium said.

It also added that civilians in Vaharai were affected due to these problems. "However, the situation is better since there are some organisations going into those areas to provide essential items to the people," the consortium added.

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) last week said it continued to provide essential items such as food, medicine, drinking water and non-food relief items to Vaharai.

The NGO Consortium said the ICRC was one of the few organisations to provide relief to the people in the LTTE-controlled areas.