Sri Lanka Update; July 29, 2007.

The Indo-Lanka Peace Accord between India and Sri Lanka was signed by President J.R. Jayewardene (JRJ) and Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, 20-years to this date, on July 29, 1987. An analysis of the security situation in the past 20 years.
Keith Noyahr, Devolve or disintegrate, Nation on Sunday, July 29, 2007.

It was hailed as India's biggest diplomatic coup when it was signed amid violent street protests. 'Though the agreement is a dead letter, though neither government wants to give any life to it, there are some fundamental principles advocated in it that still remain a source of inspiration,' said S. Sahadevan, a South Asia expert at Jawaharlal Nehru University.
Two decades of India-Sri Lanka peace accord, Zee News, July 29, 2007.

Indian troops deployed in Sri Lanka's northeast under the terms of the accord ended up fighting the Tigers for well over two years, losing nearly 1,200 men, before they returned home in March 1990.
M.R. Narayan Swamy, 'Why no memorial for the IPKF in India?', M&C News, July 29, 2007.

"It was a golden opportunity missed by the Tamils in fulfilling their political aspirations due to the war waged by the LTTE against the Indians." says The Eelam People's Democratic Party leader and Minister of Social Services Douglas Devananda.

In an interview on July 12, 2007, the LTTE political wing leader, S.P. Tamilselvan, declared "our targets would be in the future major military and economic structures of the Government. They will be targets which help the Government sustain its military operations."
Ajit Kumar Singh, Vigilance the key as LTTE suffers serial defeats, Daily News, July 27, 2007.

Amidst war euphoria and celebrations, Colombo’s Anglican Bishop Rt Revd. Duleep de Chickera has strongly warned against the investment of the war agenda in the lives of our children.
Nikhil Mustaffa, Fighting the good fight, Daily Mirror, July 26, 2007.

Also See:

Neelan: Why did LTTE kill him? Sunday Times, July 29, 2007.

Neelan was one of the very few Tamils who dared to provide an alternative to Eelam says Sydney Knight in Tamil Week.

International Aid and Human Rights Violations in Sri Lanka, Human Rights Features, SAHRDC, June 15, 2007.

Southern States Update; July 27, 2007.

Skeletons have been tumbling out of the closets of both the rival political formations in Kerala - the ruling Left Democratic Front and the opposition United Democratic Front. No other political party or alliance has so far been able to put up a formidable challenge to unseat either from power.
Balbir K. Punj, CPM's tainted millions, The Pioneer, July 27, 2007.

The uneducated poor see all educated Hindus embracing Christianity and all those who convert progressing in life! Then the poor prefers to convert, even if there is no money handed over!
P R Ramesh, Minority rights should be abolished, Economic Times, July 26, 2007.

In a newly published book one of India’s retired spy bosses B.A. Raman has revealed that the negligence of vital information had led to the assassination of India’s former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi. Walter Jayawardhana for LankaWeb.

Tirupur taluk authorities recieved a letter, purportedly written by 'Al-Umma' which threatens to target the Chief Minister on August 15 while hoisting the Tricolour as part of Independence Day celebrations in Chennai.
Muslim outfit threatens to eliminate Karunanidhi, CNN IBN, July 27, 2007.

The Federal Health Ministry in India is putting together plans for a train that would create awareness about AIDS as its winds its way through the length and breadth of thousands of villages across the country.

Ramaswamy panel in its interim report II tabled in both the Houses of Legislature said that a court should be set up under the Karnataka Land Grabbing (Prohibition) Act, along the lines of Andhra Pradesh which has a special court to handle cases pertaining to land-grabbing in the entire state.
Prosecute encroachers with Goonda Act, Deccan Herald, July 26, 2007.

How little the government and the media understand the seriousness of the Maoist threat is reflected in their continuing use of the terms ‘Naxalites’ and Maoists as homonyms. This is not accidental.
Prem Shankar Jha, Substitute for the State, Hindustan Times, July 27, 2007.

Also See:
Q & A by Cho Ramaswamy, India Interacts, July 26, 2007.

Situation report - Deep depression/flood, 26 Jul 2007, RelifWeb, July 26, 2007.

Sri Lanka Update: July 22, 2007.

The Sri Lankan military is claiming a major victory in its fight against the rebels, who have mounted a quarter century-long campaign for an autonomous Tamil homeland.
Anjana Pasricha, Sri Lanka's Military Says Last Rebel Bastion in East Captured, VOA News, July 11, 2007.

Tamil Tiger guerrillas have admitted that they have lost territory in the east, but have vowed to retaliate the attack.
Anjana Pasricha, Tamil Tigers Vow Retaliation for Capture of Stronghold, VOA News, July 13, 2007.

The LTTE has claimed that the government was sending a clear message to the Norwegians that it was not interested in peace talks, by attacking civilian settlements in LTTE controlled Alampil hours after the Norwegian ambassador had talks with the LTTE in Kilinochchi.
Easwaran Rutnam, Govt. does not want peace: LTTE , Daily Mirror, July 13, 2007.

The LTTE has accused that the International aid sent to Sri Lanka is being used to boost the military. The statement came soon after the army captured the eastern region following 14 years of fighting the rebel group.
Paul Tighe, Sri Lanka Aid Used to Support Military, Rebels Say, Bloomberg, July 13, 2007.

The expectations are that the Government would not delay in making arrangements for local government elections to be held in the East, to bring back the essential participation of the people in the handling of their own affairs, which had been denied to those in the East for nearly 15 years.
Capping it at Baron’s Cap, Daily News, July 14, 2007.

Two months after resettlement programme started in eastern Sri Lanka's Batticaloa District, non-governmental organisations (NGOs) working in the area have yet to gain continuous access to some resettlement communities, particularly in Batticaloa West.
NGOs face difficulties accessing resettlement areas in east, Alert Net, July 13, 2007.

The Tiger outfit accepted their 10th defeat in a row in the East with the fall of Thoppigala, their last bastion in the East.
Eastern theatre marks LTTE's tenth debacle in a row, Sunday Observer, July 15, 2007.

The worst forms of Human Rights violations are perpetuated on the Tamil population with impunity by the armed forces / Police of the country, and the accusation have always been that he/she was aligned to the terrorists and therefore should be done to death.
Missed Golden opportunity, Tamil Canadian, July 2007.

Southern States Update: July 18, 2007.

The Tamil Nadu Police has made a violent intervention in an issue that arose out of the demand of Dalit agricultural workers for house sites at Apparasapuram Puthur, a small village in the coastal Nagapattinam district.
S. Viswanathan, Violent eviction, Frontline, July 14, 2007.

In the ongoing Cauvery water conflict, Karnataka has accused Tamil Nadu of trying to sully its image on the Cauvery water sharing issue despite the state releasing water. Meanwhile the information received through a petition filed under RTI Act states that, Tamil Nadu has paid Rs 22.69 Crore as fee to advocates who appeared before the Cauvery water disputes tribunal between 1990 and March 31, 2007.

The new figures on HIV AIDS show that India, which has a population of 1.1 billion, has fewer HIV cases than South Africa and Nigeria.
HIV cases falls down to 50% - India, One World South Asia, July 18, 2007.

The state government seems to be slowly waking up to the threat of Naxalism in Tamil Nadu.
Sandhya Ravishankar, Tamil Nadu wakes up to threat of Naxalism, CNN IBN, July 16, 2007.

Also See:

Hubby means HIV hazard - Renuka asks women to trust condoms more, The Telegraph, July 17, 2007.

Maldives Update: July 14, 2007.

United Nations expert on judicial independence has welcomed the appointment of the first-ever women judges in the Maldives, UN News Center, July 13, 2007.

A referendum between a presidential and parliamentary style of government is take place on 18 August as per the Election Commission announcement.
Paul Roberts, Referendum On 18 August, Minivan News, July 10, 2007.

While President Gayoom’s island visits have received significant coverage on state television and radio, the parliamentary campaign has not yet been covered at all.
Paul Roberts, Referendum Campaigns In Full Swing, Minivan News, July 9, 2007.

Editors and journalists are frustrated at the Information Ministry’s continued criticism of the standard of journalists in Maldives, particularly the younger journalists.
Paul Roberts, Information Ministry Hits Out At Journalists, Minivan News, July 11, 2007.

Amnesty International’s annual report for 2006 cites “numerous reports of torture in police custody,” and notes “the non-governmental Asian Centre for Human Rights says two people died in custody in 2006.”
Paul Roberts, Tigers Likely To Go To Sri Lanka, Minivan News, July 11, 2007.

The Maldives, has become one of the first signatories of the UN Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture (OPCAT). It will host a visit by the international Subcommittee for the Prevention of Torture later this year.
Maldives signs torture treaty, to host UN visit, India eNews, July 8, 2007.

China and Maldives have agreed to deepen traditional friendship and enhance cooperation of mutual benefits including in economy and technology.

Sri Lanka Update: July 10, 2007.

The Sri Lankan government is worried about the trenchant criticism it has been subjected to in recent times in regard to the political and economic management of the country, and the human rights situation in it.
PK Balachandran, 'Defamed' Rajapaksa asks Ranil to cough up Rs 2 billion, Hinustan Times, July 8, 2007.

Tamil Nadu's interest in Sri Lanka is as limited as the State's direct involvement in Sri Lankan affairs, but the sensitivity of the Tamils in India over the plight of their brethren across the Palk Strait remains. It is all about the cross that the fellow Tamils in Sri Lanka have been made to bear only because they are born Tamils for no fault of theirs.
N Sathiya Moorthy, Understanding Tamil Nadu, Daily Mirror, July 9, 2007.

The Leader of the Tamil United Liberation Front, V. Anandasangaree presents an open appeal to the leaders and the people of Tamil Nadu to solicit their sincere co-operation, irrespective of their political affiliations to help liberate the Tamil people of the North and East of Sri Lanka by finding a reasonable solution to the ethnic problem.

The entire country is focusing its undivided attention on the north-east war. Meanwhile, foreign powers, NGOs, missionaries and local agents with vested interests are causing untold damage to the rest of the country.
Sandun A. Jayasekera, Alleged secret deal with LTTE: Prelate demands the truth, Daily Mirror, July 9, 2007.

Tamil daily Sudar Oli quoted the LTTE as saying that 322 "Black Tigers" (suicide cadres) had sacrificed their lives since the first suicide attack by "Capt" Miller at Nelliyadi, in Jaffna district, on July 5, 1987.
PK Balachandran, LTTE staged 49 suicide attacks since July 2006, Hindustan Times, July 5, 2007.

The intensification of conflict in Sri Lanka is provoking growing concerns in New Delhi over the impact on India’s strategic interests.
Deepal Jayasekera, Sri Lankan war provokes deep unease in Indian political establishment, World Socialist Web, July 7, 2007.

Maldives Update: July 1, 2007.

Events following Muslih’s death have focused attention on the treatment of drug offenders in jail. His death triggered a hunger strike which lasted over a week involving over four hundred and fifty inmates.
Ajay Makan, Police Backtrack On Muslih Abbas Death, Minivan News, June 25, 2007.

Two crucial factors allowed the hunger strike in Maafushi prison to produce such an outcry; the inmates’ access to and use of the media meant the public heard their grievances; the independence of the hunger strikers from political pressures.
Ajay Makan, Maafushi: Why We Are Still Talking About It, Minivan News, June 24, 2007.

As the National Orientation on Community Radio in the Maldives, concluded recently in Male, the participants called for the appointment by the Ministry of Information and Arts, by September 2007, an independent and representative committee comprising all stakeholders, to formulate the draft of a community radio policy in Maldives, ensuring transparency in the process.
Call for preparation of action plan for community radio in Maldives, Media for Freedom, June 19, 2007.

Minivan Radio has failed to secure a frequency to broadcast in the Maldives, leading the local media, to question the viability of free media.
Ajay Makan, What Next For Minivan Radio? Minivan News, May 27, 2007.

Also See:
China's quest for facilities on the Indian Ocean is now also being pursued vigorously in Sri Lanka, Maldives and the Seychelles.
G. Parthasarathy, Belligerence renewed, The Pioneer, July 1, 2007.

Sri Lanka Update: June 30, 2007.

Mangala Samaraweera has accused that the Mahinda Rajapaksa government has "reversed" the "excellent" relations, which his predecessors had established with India.

PK Balachandran, Rajapaksa has "reversed" relations with India, says Mangala, Hindustan Times, June 28, 2007.

An assessment published in Jane’s Intelligence Review in 1998 found that 40-60% of LTTE soldiers killed in the 1990s were children under the age of eighteen.
Joseph Grosso, Paradise Lost: The Endless War In Sri Lanka, Countercurrents, June 30, 2007.

"Some people are trying to seek asylum and obtain visas to foreign countries using the abductions threat to their advantage." charges the Defence Spokesman, Minister Keheliya Rambukwella.

The new measures like installing underwater surveillance systems are being taken to protect the port against Tamil Tiger attacks.
Sri Lanka enhances harbour defences to counter Tiger threat, LBO, June 30, 2007.

Mangala Samaraweera has been quoted in a recent press interview as saying that a change of regime was the ‘only alternative’ and claimed that 'over 90 per cent ' in the government were ready to join hands with him to free the country of what he described as a ‘vindictive and petty minded’ political leadership.

Also See:
BBC blunder on Sri Lanka the day new UK govt. took office