“A statement I made recently in Sainthamaruthu, Kalmunai, has created a very grave concern among Buddhists leaders and Buddhist prelates including the Jathika Hela Urumaya.

With no further attempts at procrastination, I wish to tender an unreserved apology to all Buddhists of Sri Lanka. I specifically request the Maha Sangha of Sri Lanka to accept this apology for which I, as the Leader of the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress take personal responsibility.

My reference to any grievance of the Muslims was entirely confined to a local issue in a very specific locality. Unfortunately, my choice of words, when removed from the specific context, has resulted in creating a perception that it was a derogatory remark on the Sangha who are the guardians of Buddhism, the predominant faith of our people.

As the Leader of the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress, I have always acknowledged that the Muslims are an integral part of the Sri Lankan nation. We have enjoyed the patronage and the benevolence of the Sinhala people from the time of Sinhala Kings."

“Rauf Hakeem’s statement clearly reflects the duplicity and double standards of the SLMC and his own. When he speaks in Sinhala and English in the South he praises the Sinhala monks and Buddhism. However, when he speaks in Tamil in the East, he insults the same monks labelling them yellow-robed terrorists.

He has forgotten that the majority of the country praises Buddhist monks and consider them sacred. In this backdrop he has done irreparable damage to Sinhalese and Muslims by aiming for short-term electoral gains.”

Kalyananda Godage, Sri Lanka’s High Commissioner to Malaysia has been recalled abruptly by Colombo after he was accused of sympathetic involvement with Tamil organisations in Malaysia.

Mr. Godage came out of retirement at the age of 76 to take up this position.

His service will come to an end at the end of August after serving only eight months.

Sri Lanka’s External Affairs Minister G.L. Peiris, took an exception to Godage’s request for answers, that were posed by Tamil groups during a meeting in Colombo.

Following excerpts are from a Sunday Times article that depicts the conversation between Godage and G.L. Peiris.

“Kalyananda Godage, Sri Lanka’s High Commissioner in Malaysia was bold enough to point out what most envoys say was an inherent weakness in the External Affairs Ministry (EAM). He noted that there were some questions from the Tamil Diaspora over Northern Provincial Council elections, lack of progress at all party meetings and similar matters. He found it difficult to provide answers sometimes since the EAM had not provided clear guidelines. Godage’s dilemma is understandable. He did not wish to say anything that would run counter to the thinking of the Government. An embarrassed External Affairs Minister G.L. Peiris was quick to parry the issue.

“This is not what I expect an envoy to say” he interjected and added “you should be able to defend the Government. You should know what to say.”

It’s apparent that this conversation was the igniting factor that motivated the government to recall Mr. Godage.

Godage sent a letter to G.L.Peiris to reconsider his decision, citing his disbelief and saying it was “unjust and unfair, and certainly not what I ever expected.”

An Australian report, ordered by the government, concluded that it was necessary to introduce disincentives for those seeking asylum in Australia, Canberra should introduce off-shore processing, but increase the overall intake of refugees to 20,000.

See here for report by The Times.

It recommended that that government pass urgent legislation allowing asylum seekers to be processed on Nauru or Manbus island, belonging to Papua New Guinea.

Extract from the report:

“Over time, a comprehensive regional framework will reduce the lure of irregular maritime migration, but until then the panel believes Australia needs to include the prospect of processing options outside of Australia.”

“To support this, it is the panel’s view that the Australian Parliament should agree, as a matter of urgency, to legislation that will allow for the processing of irregular maritime arrivals in locations outside Australia.”

The report was ordered by the Australian government and headed by the former defence chief and air chief marshall, Angus Houston.

The panel said that the previously negated 'Malaysian solution' showed promise. However, required further safeguards and accountability measures. The panel also recommended that the government increase the annual intake of asylum seekers to 20,000 from the current figure of 13,750, and upto 27,000 within the next five years.

“If you are proceeding towards a vision of a regional system, the Malaysian arrangement provides perhaps the best platform to move into the future," said Houston.

Commenting on the reports conclusions, Houston said,

“Like all Australians, we are deeply concerned about this tragic loss of life at sea. To do nothing is unacceptable.”

“Onshore processing encourages people to jump on a boat."

Tamils risk death to seek asylum by boat - Australian NGO (16 Jul 2012)

“The flags were meant with the very best intentions and the bank unreservedly apologises to any members of the Tamil community who were offended.”

The Minister for Power Champika Ranawaka is seeking approval from the Sri Lankan cabinet to raise the borrowing limit of the state owned Ceylon Electricity Board to Rs 74.2 billion, reported LBO.

He said the funds will be used to meet increasing fuel needs, settle debts and pay independent power producers.

Ranawake told cabinet members that CEB currently owed Rs 16 billion to independent power suppliers and another Rs 15 billion to the state owned Ceylon Petroleum Corporation, the Sunday Times reported.

Ranawaka said the CEB was in “severe financial crisis”, even though fuel surcharge between 15 and 40 percent was imposed in February to cut losses.

The minister said the reason for the financial crunch was the increase of cost of independent power producers and CEB fuel due to increase of fuel prices by the CPC and increase of thermal generation due to prevailing drought situation in the country.

He also blamed the crisis on the cutting of government subsidies and other funds.

Over 14,500 CEB employees are currently on strike demanding fair and unbiased treatment.

“Workers will be on strike until the Electricity Board increases their salary and promises to stop privatizing Electricity Board depots,” CEB trade union convenor Ranjan Jayalal told the Sunday Times.

Sri Lanka’s nationalist organisations demonstrated against the Tamil Eelam Supporter’s Organisation (TESO) conference which was due to take place today in Chennai.

Participating in the demonstration march in Colombo, chairman of the Sinhala nationalist ‘Patriotic National Movement’ Gunadasa Amarasekara told Colombo Page that he thought the conference was an attempt to divide ‘Sri Lanka’ by Tamil Nadu politicians.

Demonstrators are reported to have burnt effigies of DMK leader Karunanidhi and TNA leader R Sampanthan.

Amarasekara added his objection to the Indian government allowing the use of the word ‘Eelam’, implying complicity with the Tamil’s struggle for a “separate homeland”.

Marking the final day of the London 2012 Olympics, Tamils stood in solidarity with the hunger striker, Gobi Sivanthan, and protested against Sri Lanka's inclusion.

Crowds gathered to the spot in Stratford, by the Olympic stadium where Sivanthan had been on hunger strike since 22nd July, as he broke his protest fast at 4pm of the final day, as planned.

Sivanthan launched the hunger strike in protest against Sri Lanka’s participation in the 2012 Olympics, land-grabbing in the North and the deportation of Tamil asylum seekers.

After marking the end of his fast, Tamils moved to Aspen Way - along the route of those travelling to the closing ceremony of the Olympics by car. Calling for Sri Lanka's expulsion from the Olympics, protesters lined the route with banners and placards demanding an end to the genocide of Tamils.

Earlier in the day, activists raised awareness about the genocide of Tamils amongst visitors and tourists who were by Hyde Park for the live screening of the Olympics.

Related articles:

British Tamil hunger striker completes day 17 (07 Aug 2012)

British Tamils protest against Sri Lanka at Olympics (28 Jul 2012)

Tamils protest against Sri Lanka's participation in the Olympics (22 Jul 2012)

“There is a huge responsibility on the Sri Lankan government to ensure impartial investigation, followed by justice for these crimes. There have been lots of promises and some efforts with the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission [LLRC]. But we know that the latest report released in July on the progress in LLRC was cosmetic,”

“There should be punishment based on the findings of the investigation. Officially, Amnesty is not welcome to Sri Lanka at this time … but we have our own ways to find out what is going on there.”

“There is no doubt that it [the conference] is a political meet. Yes, it is a platform that is political and politicised, but also a platform to raise the issue. The truth is also that there is a genuine empathy and feeling among the ordinary public in [Tamil Nadu] for the plight of Tamils in Sri Lanka.”

“What we want to remind the Government of India and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is that the relationship with Sri Lanka is just not a relationship between the governments but between the people of both countries”.

The UN has announced it will allocate $55 million to strengthen basic services in eight countries with ‘neglected humanitarian emergencies’.

Afghanistan, Cameroon, Colombia, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Ethiopia, Madagascar, Sri Lanka and Sudan will be in receipt of the funds from the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) to help provide food, water, health and other basic services.

“These CERF grants provide critical funding. The money will save lives by helping aid agencies reach people in desperate need,” said the Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Valerie Amos, said in a news release.

“I hope this funding will also serve to draw attention to their situation, as millions more people are still in need.”

Sri Lanka’s External Affairs Minister, G.L. Peiris, said the island was facing an 'economic war' from foreign groups, during a defence seminar on Wednesday, reported Xinhua.

Peiris said that the vast majority of the groups were Tamil diaspora organisations and that Sri Lanka’s economy is being targeted by the Tamil diaspora participating in campaigns that compel tourists to boycott travelling to Sri Lanka.

Peiris went on to say that he regretted attempts to internationalise the 'Sri Lankan situation' and seek a external solution to the conflict.

In an interview with the Times of India, Mahinda Rajapaksa shared his thoughts on India and its decision to support the UNHRC resolution earlier this year.

"Any good intentions and actions are always appreciated. But I must add that if India stood by us and supported Sri Lanka's request for more time and space, who knows, there may not have been a resolution at all."

"The region looks up to India but India must examine itself whether or not it is doing the right thing in dealing with its neighbours... what they are doing is the best thing or not."

Asked about the anti-India sentiment on the island as a result of India's vote in favour of the resolution, Rajapaksa said,

"All I can say is that we are not a nation and people without feelings. India and Sri Lanka share common cultural and historic values and so we can feel deeply about such moves."

Dismissing Sri Lanka's trade relations with China, Rajapaksa said,

"The way India is doing business with China, Sri Lanka is not."

"Whether it is Sri Lanka's exports or imports, wholesale business or investment in land and hotels, it is India which is the main power involved. It is only India which is involved in the telecom sector too,"

"India could have participated in the tender but it did not. These are commercial interests and not a sign of any Sri Lankan strategic drift."

"At present no personnel of the Sri Lankan Air Force is undergoing training in Tamil Nadu."

"The views expressed by various (political) parties have been considered by the government keeping in view all aspects of national interest."

The South African government has offered support and advice to Sri Lanka in its attempts to bring a political solution to the island.

The External Affairs Ministry said a delegation visiting Colombo offered assistance to External Affairs Minister GL Peiris on Friday.

Deputy Minister of International Relations Ebrahim Ebrahim and former Minister of Constitutional Affairs Roelf Meyer were part of the delegation.

Peiris provided the South African delegation with an update on the developments in Sri Lanka, including resettlement of IDPs and rehabilitation of former combatants.

He also gave the delegation information about the planned implementation of some recommendations of the LLRC.

Peiris is said to have stressed the importance of finding a home-grown solution if implementation is to be achieved, said the External Affairs Ministry.

The ministry added that the visiting delegation offered all assistance to Sri Lanka.

See below for more about Sri Lanka’s ‘peace efforts’:

Occupy and evangelise (09 Aug 2012)

‘Resettlement and development’ and 'appalling conditions' (06 Aug 2012)

TNA MP arrested for Black July remembrance (28 Jul 2012)