Water Scheme for IDPs Inaugurated
SENIOR Advisor to the President Basil Rajapaksa (MP) recently visited the Zone – V, in Shettikulam, Manik Farm ‘Relief Village’ and inaugurated the new Malwathuoya water supply scheme for Internally Displayed Persons (IDPs). Several Ministers including Douglus Devananda (MP), Rishad Badurdeen (MP) and Vinayagamurthi Muralidaran (MP) accompanied Mr. Rajapaksa during the tour. Competent Authority for IDPs for northern province Major General G.A Chandrasiri received them on arrival and conducted them to the Zone - V where they inspected newly-put up temporary huts and other essential requirements, connected to the place.
JAPANESE special envoy Yasushi Akashi visited Settikulam Manik Farm Relief Village recently in order to see for himself how the work in IDP centers was proceeding. Major General G.A Chandrasiri Competent Authority for IDPs for Northern Province briefed the envoy on various welfare measures, being adopted in all welfare centers. Later, Mrs. P.S.M Charles, District Secretary for Vavuniya explained how the welfare mechanism in place works in coordination with all state agencies for provision of dry rations, medical facilities, cooked food, etc with special focus on children and elderly persons. She also underlined the implementation of the resettlement programme, in place as more and more renovated houses were expected to come up within the government’s 180 day resettlements programme. .jpg)
THE warning about the risk of triumphalism came days before the 65th anniversary celebration of D Day, by the leaders of the US, UK and France. In the USA there are annual re-enactments of the battles of the American Revolution – the War of Independence against Britain—and of the Civil War against the Secessionist Confederacy. While the risk of triumphalism does indeed exist and must be cautioned against, I think there is yet another risk, an opposite one, which we must avoid. The USSR which triumphed over the bulk of the Nazi fascist army, collapsed without a shot being fired, and that collapse was preceded by an ideological surrender in which everything positive in its history was turned upside down and held up for derision. In the recovery of its self-respect under President Putin, one of the first steps was to restore pride in the wartime achievements of the Red Army.......
CRIMINAL INVESTIGATIONS DEPARTMENT (CID) detectives produced former Medical Superintendent (MS) for Kilinochchi Hospital and two other personnel, attached to the LTTE’s medical wing before Chief Magistrate for Colombo Mr. Nishantha Hapuarachchi for inspection. Dr. Thangamutthu Sathyamoorthi, former MS for Kilinochchi Hospital, Kandaswamy Thurai Kethish, claimed to be the LTTE’s medical wing Head and Ms Arumugam Jayalakshmi, an LTTE female nurse, now in CID detention were thus produced by investigators for Court’s observation.
DEPUTY Chief of Australian Navy Rear Admiral D.R. Thomas called on the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) Air Chief Marshal Donald Perera at the Joint Operations Headquarters (JOH) in Colombo Monday (15) afternoon. During the goodwill mission, both military chiefs exchanged views on matters of bilateral concern and general issues in the region. The visiting Naval Chief presented a memento as a token of memory of his visit to the JOH and Air Chief Marshal Donald Perera reciprocated. Deputy Chief of Australian Navy Rear Admiral D.R. Thomas left his signature on VIP book maintained at the JOH.
WE do not know where some NGOs come from, where they get their funds and what their particular predilections are.It is therefore sad that they should be allowed to denigrate countries and the work of this council without the accountability and transparency that can alone justify such interventions, said Disaster Management and Human Rights, Ministry Secretary Prof Rajiva Wijesinha. Prof. Wijesinha said so responding to an intervention by the United Nations Watch in the general debate on the Universal Periodic Review process in Geneva recently.
THE government has undertaken a comprehensive and speedy survey of lands in the North to resettle people and sort out problems relating to ownership, Government sources said yesterday. Minister of Lands and Land Development Jeevan Kumaratunga told The Island that on the advice of President Mahinda Rajapaksa priority will be given to the distribution of agricultural land, among farmers and the promotion of organic farming.
THE Tamil National Alliance (TNA) seems to have lost its bearings since the decimation of the LTTE. Rudderless and adrift in the choppy seas of politics, it is now trying to align itself with New Delhi. Aware that nothing pleases India more than supplication, it is begging for India's involvement in Sri Lanka's rehabilitation and reconstruction programmes in a bigger way.
I AM no historian. Only an ordinary reader with a penchant for history. Like millions of other Sri Lankans I was avidly following the humanitarian mission launched by the armed forces to rescue the innocent Tamil people from the clutches of the bestial L.T.T.E and clear the north from this evil. Military experts attribute this magnificent victory to many factors like, astute leadership both political and military, singleness of purpose, excellent morale and dedication of the soldiers, perfect coordination of the tasks between the three forces, technical superiority over the enemy etc. But among all these factors military strategists single out one strategy that the armed forces adopted which has contributed substantially to this victory. That is the encirclement of the enemy by many divisions (53, 55, 58, 59 divisions....