Picture: Daily Mirror

India's National Security Advisor to the Indian government, Shiv Shankar Menon, will be arriving in Sri Lanka later this week, to discuss New Delhi's concerns regarding various issues in "the strongest terms", reports Sri Lanka's Sunday Times.

In addition to raising the UNHRC resolution, adopted earlier this year, Menon will reportedly express "strong reservations" over the Sri Lankan government's increasingly anti-India stance and the "inflammatory" statements made by some ministers that India believes are "rousing communal passions" and "obstructing" reconciliation.  

Menon is also said to discuss demilitarisation of the North, with Gotabhaya Rajapaksa.

Last week, meeting Mahinda Rajapaksa at the sidelines of Rio +20, the Indian Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh, stressed the importance of finding a political solution for the Tamils.

See also: Indo-SL ties will not shatter – Rajapakse to Manmohan Singh (22 Jun 2012) 

The Sri Lankan Government has turned down an offer by India to develop Palali airport, reported the Daily Mirror on Monday.

India has been involved in several infrastructure projects in the north of the island, including modernising the railway and developing Kankesanthurai harbour.

However its offer to develop Palali airport, was turned down by the government and will instead be run jointly by the Ministry of Civil Aviation and the Air Force.

Civil Aviation Minister Priyankara Jayaratne said the airport would be expanded for commercial activities and for the use of the Air Force.

He said a total of 10 domestic airports will be built on the island, in addition to one international airport, currently being built in President Rajapakse’s hometown of Hambantota.

Sri Lankan soldiers have attacked uprooted Tamil families sheltering in a school in Kilinochchi, TamilNet reported on Monday.

The families were temporarily accommodated inside Hindu Tamil Viththiyaalayam, after being released from Menik Farm IDP camp a few weeks ago.

They were demanding resettlement on their own land, which has been grabbed by the security forces.

The families had been resisting forced resettlement on land designated by the government and faced harassment by the army.

Busloads of soldiers were brought in to the area on Monday, who then went on to assault the civilians, including children, who were thrown into army vehicles, forcing the parents to join them.

Eyewitnesses told TamilNet that two civilians were seriously injured and even pregnant women were assaulted.

The families are reported to have been transported back to Menik Farm.

The Indian Prime Minister Manohan Singh stressed the importance for a political solution in Sri Lanka during talks held with President Mahinda Rajapkse in Rio de Janeiro at the climate conference.

The prime minister stressed “the great importance we attach in India to the ability of the Tamil people to lead a life of dignity and as equal citizens of that country”, according to a press statement, released by the Indian High Commission in Colombo on Saturday.

He is also reported to have pledged continued assistance for economic programmes and a housing project.

"In terms of the overall relationship, both felt that the scope for progress was very great and we must now concentrate on dealing with those areas where we can make good progress," the statement said, adding that talks on security related issues will continue on the 29th of June, when national security advisor Mr. Menon will visit Colombo.

Indo-SL ties will not shatter – Rajapakse to Manmohan Singh (22 Jun 2012)

The Deputy External Affairs Minister, Neomal Perara, has been accused of illegally aquiring land along Puttalam lagoon in order to create salterns, reports The Sunday Leader.

The Divisional Secretary of Kalpitiya, Ranga Fernando, said,

“The mangrove was completely bulldozed last year without taking any approval from the Forest Department. We got to know that Perera’s men were bulldozing the mangrove on a Sunday morning and immediately took an injunction order by the same evening. Hence we were able to stop further destruction to the mangrove."

"Later we found out that they have started illicit mangrove destruction from Friday evening – after all government departments closed for the weekend. We still cannot determine as to what the extent of this bulldozed area is since it is a large extent. I assume it could be several acres. We have to carry out a new survey now to demarcate the boundaries,”

During Chandrika Kumaratunge presidency, Perara reportedly aquired 150 acres around the Puttalam lagoon for a saltern on a lease agreement with the support of Gamini Jayawickrema Perara - who was the then chief minister of the North Western province.

However, a forest ranger in Puttalam, S.M.K.W. Kotuwegedara alleges that on two occasions Perera has ordered the illegal destruction of mangroves and has illegally aquired land to extend his salterns.

Kotuwegedara said,

“Perera, little by little he got the saltern extended illegally. As a result we have filed two cases against his company –St. Ann’s Salt (Pvt) Ltd in the Puttalam District Court,”

“People hardly go to this area and that was why all these illegal activities are taking place unnoticed. When we were told about bulldozing the mangrove we immediately took action to stop it if not the devastation would have been very much more”

A fisherman, speaking anonymously to The sunday Leader, said,

“This wetland was earlier a natural fish breeding site. However little by little Minister Perera’s people cleared the area illegally to which we are strictly against but not in a position to talk openly in fear of our lives. We have been deprived of entering the lagoon to catch fish. Recently when media personnel visited the area to obtain photographs, Perera’s people chased them away in motor bicycles,”

However, dismissing all allegations made against him, Perera said,

“When I got these 150 acres in 1994, there were scattered mangroves within my stipulated area. I do not think that there is any wrong to remove this mangrove to make the saltern.”

Government officials have denied allegations of land seizures by security forces, after protests by the TNA and other Tamil political groups in the North-East.

The Government Agent of Kilinochchi, Roopavathi Ketheeswaran said there was no truth in the allegations.

“There are no such things happening here. Most of such claimed lands were earlier occupied by the LTTE and the military has a safety assurance process. Those will be handed back to the rightful owners shortly,” she told The Nation.

The TNA is currently collecting details and statistics of lands that have been forcibly taken from Tamil residents by security forces.

“This is a very sensitive issue. There are thousands of people who are unable to return to their lands because they have been taken over by the security forces,” said Mavai Senathirajah of the TNA.

The TNA warned it will write to the UN Human Rights Council about the issue and it will hold a protest near Murugandi Temple in the Vanni on Monday.

Sri Lankan and Iranian presidents embrace at Rio+20 sidelines. Photograph DailyMirror.lk

Meeting at the Rio+20 UN conference on sustainable development on Friday, President Rajapaksa and Iranian president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad declared the need for a "new order" in the world.

“Cooperation among independent states is essential for their progress forward; the justice-seeking nations should cooperate to design a new global order; those who are behind today problems do not deserve designing the new order.”

“Independent states are under great pressures from hegemonic powers but they should understand the fact that the pressures including the sanctions and resolutions will not affect nations’ desire to resist; the biggest violators of human rights use the issue as an excuse to confront sovereign nations.”

“Arrogant powers use also environmental issues as an excuse to pressure developing nations but if they were real defenders of environment; they would change their polluting technologies.”

Iranian news agency reported that Rajapaksa welcomed bilateral relations with Iran, and urged NAM states to be 'stronger to confront the pressures posed by arrogant powers.'

"There is no chance of that happening. We maintain tight security along our maritime boundary so no boat can slip through."

Mahinda Rajapakse has emphasised his commitment to the historical relationship between India and Sri Lanka to Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

The leaders spoke on the sidelines of the Rio+20 summit in Brazil and discussed issues such as the power plant in Sampur and the project to build 50,000 houses.

Rajapakse stressed that he would never let the relationship disintegrate, while both leaders agreed that during crucial periods, the countries should arrive at solutions through negotiations.

No space to shatter Indo-Lanka relations - News.lk (22 May 2012)

A boat carrying about 200 refugees from the island of Sri Lanka has capsized off Australia’s Christmas Islands on Thursday.

The spokesperson for Indonesia's search and rescue service which is coordinating the searcha at present, Gagah Prakoso, said the boat "coming from Sri Lanka and going to Christmas Island".

The Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) has confirmed 110 people have been rescued from the sea. Western Australia police commissioner Karl O'Callaghan told reporters:

"Some of the very early reports suggest that up to 75 people may have drowned, but I do stress that they are unconfirmed at this stage,"

"We are very concerned for a large number of people who may have drowned,"

"We know from what we've been hearing from the aircraft that there's not 200 life jackets on board."

The ship is said to have capsized around noon local time in Indonesian waters, 120 nautical miles away from the Christmas Islands.

Several Aircraft and two Australian military ships have been deployed to carry out searches throughout the night. Another 2 merchant ships and two Indonesian navy ships are also said to be assisting the rescue operations.

There has been an increase in refugees fleeing Sri Lanka and attempting the perilous journey across the Indian Ocean to Australia.

Writing on the online sit for Journalists for Democracy in Sri Lanka (JDS), the Tamil journalist, J.S. Tissainayagam, criticised Rajapaksa's intentions on his recent trip to the UK.

See here for full article.

Extracts reproduced below:

Sri Lanka’s president hoped to enhance his image as an acceptable leader through his remarks at the Commonwealth Business Forum.

Rajapakse’s visit was therefore the use of diplomacy both as hard power and soft power.

As far as hard power went it would indicate to his enemies – especially the influential Tamil Diaspora in the UK – that he possessed the means to counter Diaspora activity because as Sri Lanka’s head of state he was essentially on par with the British monarch.

Therefore, Rajapakse went to the UK with an agenda and to use his power to influence certain outcomes. For the Tamil Diaspora this meant it had to not only to thwart Rajapakse’s agenda, but substitute it with its own.

While the objective of thwarting the Sri Lankan president’s agenda is understandable, why did the Tamil Diaspora choose the form of outraged street protests to do so? The display of outrage was partly because negotiations with British and Commonwealth authorities to prevent Rajapakse from attending the jubilee had failed. Further, outrage was the natural outpouring of sentiment from people whose brethren in Sri Lanka were killed and stifled from expressing their feelings or thoughts due to draconian control exercised by the Colombo government. Humiliating Rajapakse was to the Tamil Diaspora pay back to Sri Lanka’s president for the humiliation his government was heaping on the Tamils. Finally, outraged protests are good for the cameras.

The Tamil Diaspora’s campaign in the UK to thwart Rajapakse’s agenda has earned rich dividends. Autocratic leaders crave acceptance by association with symbols of legitimacy – the British monarchy, Oxford University – and strengthening themselves using hard and soft power potential of diplomacy. This, the Tamil Diaspora was able to overturn. Even a cursory glance of the British newspapers bear testimony to this.  

One of the arguments against Tamil Diaspora’s UK campaign is its consequences – that it would only enhance Sinhala nationalism within Sri Lanka and retard overall Tamil political aspirations. There is no space to engage the issue in this article, except to say this writer does not agree with the argument at all. Nor does this writer believe that the only way the Tamil Diaspora should engage politically is through public demonstrations as in the UK. Other tactics would suit other contexts – such as the quiet lobbying in the US, UK and Geneva, which the Diaspora adopted so successfully that helped passing the UN Human Rights Council resolution in March.   

Therefore, the argument that the Tamil Diaspora by preventing Rajapakse from speaking at the Commonwealth Business Forum and dogging him in London with protests and spoilt eggs is denial of his rights is not the question. It was a political move by the Tamil Diaspora to prevent Rajapakse from cleansing the public image of himself and his government.

And it was done.