Subcontinent South

With regret

2007-10-31T18:59:00.000+05:30

October 31, 2007 marks two years since Subcontinent South was launched as a weekly news digest.

We regret to announce that we are suspending publication of updates as of this date, for an indefinite period. We hope that someday, soon, we will have the resources and ability to resume this service in this or some other format. In that hope, we are not deleting this blog.

Thank you for visiting our site.

Subcontinent South Team

October 31, 2007.

Maldives Update; October 9, 2007.

2007-10-09T18:49:00.000+05:30

Troops surrounded and then cleared an illegal mosque that had been accused of fomenting extremism.
Militants' arrested in Maldives, BBC News, October 8, 2007.

The move came a week after a British honeymoon couple were badly burned in the Maldives's first ever terrorist bomb attack

The Maldivian Government had four hundred radicals in detention in 2006.
Ajay Makan, Fundamentalism Biggest Threat To Maldives Security: Government Advisor, Minivan News, October 7, 2007.

Foreign Ministry has refused to comment officially on travel restrictions for Maldivians in Pakistan.
Ajay Makan, No Maldivians In Our Madrassas: Pakistan, Minivan News, October 7, 2007.

Sri Lanka Update: October 7, 2007.

2007-10-07T18:23:00.000+05:30

It has become a favourite pastime for government politicians to label as “Tigers” all those who oppose their views.
Iqbal Athas, If you tell the truth, you will be damned, Sunday Times, October 7, 2007.

“The LTTE is maintaining patience and still restricting itself to a defensive war.”
Senpathi, Military ups the ante in the Wanni, The Nation on Sunday, October 7, 2007.

The Australian Federal Police (AFP) commenced covert investigations two years ago into LTTE fund raising activities, as part of its anti-terrorism initiative.
Ayesha R. Rafiq,Tiger lawyers in move to prove LTTE a liberation force, Sunday Times, October 7, 2007.

During the 2001-2004 regime of the UNP, it was able to take the peace process started by President Chandrika Kumaratunga to new heights.
Ravana, Federalism and the UNP’s political expediences, The Nation on Sunday, October 7, 2007.

The Tigers still control a mini-state in parts of the north, where they are engaged in near-constant fighting with government forces.

The war had its ups and downs, and even an Indian intervention, with peacekeepers, in the late 1980s. Nothing worked.
Slow Victory in Sri Lanka, Strategy Page, October 5, 2007.

Southern states Update; October 7, 2007.

2007-10-07T10:53:00.000+05:30

A Sri Lankan fisheries trade union leader was shot dead at Madurai Central Prison.
Sri Lankan fisherman killed at Madurai prison , Colombo Page, October 6, 2007.

A magisterial enquiry has been ordered into the incident.
S. Vijay Kumar, Magisterial probe ordered into firing, The Hindu, October 07, 2007.

It is worth remembering that the ruling DMK in Tamil Nadu subscribes to an anti-brahminical and even atheistic philosophy.
Amulya Ganguli, Ram Sethu issue unlikely to boost BJP prospects, India Interacts, October 07, 2007.

Most Indian prime ministers have either died in office, or faded away once they stepped down.
Debashish Mukerji, The southern satrap: H D Deve Gowda, Hindustan Times, October 5, 2007.

Also See:
Sitaram Yechury, Keep them separated, Hindustan Times, October 3, 2007.

Sri Lanka Update: October 5, 2007.

2007-10-05T20:13:00.000+05:30

Even a northern victory, momentous as it would be, would not bring an end to Sri Lanka's conflict.
The northern front, The Economist, October 4, 2007.

There is no doubt that troops manning the Defences in the Wanni, contrary to the position they had taken earlier, have now turned their role into a more active one.
Ranil Wijayapala, LTTE in dire straits as Forces mull Northern advance, Daily News, October 5, 2007.

"In fact, Rajapakse is responsible for effectively tearing up the 2002 ceasefire."
Wije Dias, Sri Lankan president’s speech at the UN: lies in defence of war and human rights abuses, WSW, October 5, 2007.

Southern states Update; October 2, 2007.

2007-10-02T11:57:00.000+05:30

Despite frantic effort by the state administration in the wake of Supreme Court observations could not restore normal public transport service till night.
K N Arun, DMK, allies bring state to virtual standstill, New Indian Express, October 2, 2007.

Legal experts and the Congress’s spokesperson shrugged off the remarks made as mere “oral observations”
Bandh brings dismissal blast, Telegraph, October 02, 2007.

The biggest casualty. Roads in Chennai and other cities and major towns were for most part of the day virtually deserted.
M.R. Venkatesh, For CM, normal life was not hit, Telegraph, October 02, 2007.

Southern states Update; October 2, 2007.

2007-10-02T11:35:00.000+05:30

Karnataka State Police became the first state police department in India to formally unveil a comprehensive and detailed Workplace Policy on HIV/AIDS.
Deepanjali Bhas, Police workforce policy on HIV/AIDS, One World South Asia, October 1, 2007.

JD(S) refuses to relinquish the CM’s office in keeping with a deal it signed 20 months ago with BJP in Karnataka.

As per the coalition agreement reached between Kumaraswamy and Deputy Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa in February 2006, the JD(S) was to keep the Chief Minister's post for the first 20 months in power and the BJP for the remaining 20 months.
Maya Sharma, Flashpoint for Karnataka coalition, NDTV, October 2, 2007.

Maldives Update; October 1, 2007.

2007-10-01T19:39:00.000+05:30

The Maldives, was shaken by a bomb that exploded in the capital city of Male, injuring 12 people on 30th of September.

Relations between the FBI and the Maldives police have been close since the government allowed the FBI into the country
Ajay Makan, Updated: Five More Arrests In Explosion Investigation, Minivan News, September 31, 2007.

More Reaction To Male' Explosion, Minivan News, September 30, 2007.

The country's political class is proud of its "moderate" Islamic tradition.
Ajay Makan, Extremist Maldives? Minivan News, September 30, 2007.

The Government of the Maldives had received explicit warnings of the dangers of rising Islamic fundamentalism.

Sri Lanka Update: October 1, 2007.

2007-10-01T19:08:00.000+05:30

Relatives of the murdered and disappeared blame it on state security forces or paramilitaries seen allied to the government, while others on the Tigers.
Simon Gardner, Sri Lanka lacks credibility on rights abuse - critics, Reuters, September 21, 2007.

The United Nations Security Council that focused its attention on the LTTE, for using child soldiers in combat, has now pointed fingers at the ‘Karuna’ group as well.
Childhood Lost, Nation on Sunday, September 31, 2007.

Yohan Perera, Several political parties have expressed outrage over terming of civilians as 'Tigers', Daily Mirror, October 1, 2007.

As many as 600,000 Tamils have fled Sri Lanka to escape the violence, more than half of them going to the U.K. and Canada.
Jay Shankar, Sri Lanka Asks Nations to Prevent Fundraising by Tamil Rebels, Bloomberg, October 1, 2007.

Soosai’s dramatic appearance on September 26 will at least help disprove some of the rumours surrounding his accident.
D.B.S. Jeyaraj, Sea Tiger Chief Soosai ‘surfaces’ after accident at sea, Nation on Sunday, September 31, 2007.

Also See:
Oscar E V Fernando, JVP: An open letter, Asian Tribune, October 1, 2007.

Maldives Update; September 26, 2007.

2007-09-26T18:28:00.000+05:30

“We are still short of about seventy to eighty million dollars to complete tsunami reconstruction projects,” says Finance Minister.
Ajay Makan, Government Short Of Money For Tsunami Projects: Gasim, Minivan News, September 25, 2007.

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has predicted a massive slowdown in growth for the Maldives economy.
Maldives Expenditure Unsustainable: Asian Development Bank, Minivan News, September 20, 2007

IDP's Election Pledge is to Punish Drug Offenders with Death Sentence.

Deep distrust between the government and opposition means election results in the Maldives may always be disputed.
Ajay Makan, Referendum Lessons Must Be Learnt, Minivan News, September 22, 2007.

Kaushik Basu, Time to give Saarc a facelift, BBC News, September 24, 2007.

Sri Lanka Update: September 25, 2007.

2007-09-25T20:19:00.000+05:30

If the government is able to come up with a political solution that is acceptable to the moderate majorities in the ethnic communities, there will be immense pressure on the LTTE from both the Tamil people and the international community to decommission their weapons and end the ethnic war for all time.
Will a military solution yield a political solution? Daily Mirror, September 25, 2007.

"Prabhakaran's destruction through military action would only result in his becoming a more dangerous legend among the Tamil people than he was already", says Dr Rajan Hoole, a Tamil rights activist.
PK Balachandran, Military solution will only make Prabhakaran a legend, Hindustan Times, September 24, 2007.

"The expulsion of the LTTE from the east and the recent sinking of several LTTE ships carrying arms and other provisions mark important military successes," says Robert Blake.
Sri Lanka conflict end in sight but dangers ahead, says US, LBO, September 25, 2007.

It is a sad part of the Sri Lankan history that the Tamils found themselves fighting the State in an unequal war.
N Sathiya Moorthy, Begin at the Beginning, Daily Mirror, September 24, 2007.

Despite the attacks on the ground, at sea and by air, Tiger guerrillas retain a military capability.
Iqbal Athas, Great military victories but Tigers still a threat, Sunday Times, September 23, 2007.

New Chaitanya Guide on Sethusamudram

2007-09-23T14:48:00.000+05:30

Chaitanya's new resource guide on the Sethusamudram project and its politics is online.

Sethu Row, September 19, 2007.

2007-09-19T21:22:00.000+05:30

The BJP is now engaged in a strident campaign against the canal project, arguing that it would end up in damaging the Ram Sethu.
BJP ministers selected Sethusamudram route: Baalu, M&C, September 19, 2007.

The BJP is now trying to put the ruling alliance on the mat over DMK leader M Karunanidhi’s reported remarks on Ram.
Karunanidhi’s remarks more offensive than affidavit: BJP, Indian Express, September 19, 2007.

Karunanidhi was only articulating the current mood among the secularists for whom the Hindu opinion just does not count.
P R Ramesh, Troubled bridge, Economic Times, September 19, 2007.

Although two ASI officials were suspended for the affidavit, the internal wrangles in the Congress over the issue are surfacing.
Ram Sethu widens schisms in Congress, India Interacts, September 18, 2007.

The Sangh Parivaar says as Chief Minister Karunanidhi had written a foreword to the Gazetteer of the Ramanathapuram district in 1972 citing the Adam's Bridge as an authentic proof of the culture and tradition of Tamil Nadu.
Ram Setu debate: Karuna flip-flops for the past 35 yrs, IBN, September 17, 2007.

Sri Lanka Update: September 17, 2007.

2007-09-17T17:38:00.000+05:30

The call by the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu to give up the hunger strike was rejected by Nedumaran on Saturday insisting that he should be allowed to sail to Jaffna.
Ananth Palakidnar, Nedumaran making S. Indian fishermen 'a scapegoat', Sunday Observer, September 16, 2007.

Top local defence officials feel the LTTE had cultivated the Thai authorities over a long period of time, while the Sri Lankan Embassy there in the past had not been effective enough.
Senpathi, ‘Peter Ibrahim’ arrest triggers KP controversy, The Nation on Sunday, September 16, 2007.

It will be worthwhile for the government to consider a “quasi-federal system” for devolution of powers and meeting the aspirations of all sections: N. Ram

If a President were to declare that he was elected to office only by only one section of the voters, and not the rest, and as such would be their President, and not for all of Sri Lanka, it is potent prescription for adding to the troubles of a troubled nation.
N Sathiya Moorthy, Defender of the faith, Daily Mirror, September 17, 2007.

Government forces have achieved an intelligence advantage over the LTTE, and used it to foil LTTE attempts to go on the offensive.
The Great War At Sea, Strategy Page, September 17, 2007.

Indian spymaster speculates whether KP whisked away by FBI

Also See:
Alastair Reynard, Global terrorism funded by bogus organizations setup by terrorists, Global Politician.

Sri Lanka Update: September 12, 2007.

2007-09-12T19:46:00.000+05:30

The Sri Lankan government is awaiting official confirmation of the arrest of top LTTE arms procurer and smuggler, Kumaran Pathmanathan.

PK Balachandran, Colombo awaits confirmation of top LTTE arms procurer's arrest, Hindustan Times, September 11, 2007.

India asked Thailand to extradite a leader of Sri Lanka's Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, saying he may provide information on the 1991 assassination of former Indian prime minister Rajiv Gandhi.
Paul Tighe and Anusha Ondaatjie, Sri Lankan Rebel Arrested May Be Linked to Gandhi Assassination, Bloomberg, September 12, 2007.

Sri Lankan navy claims it has destroyed much of the Tamil Tiger's arms smuggling network after sinking three large ships.
Tamil Tiger 'smuggling lines hit', BBC, September 11, 2007.

Human rights defenders, community leaders, and humanitarian workers are under attack in Sri Lanka. In September, figures published by a respected human rights organization showed that 43 humanitarian workers had been killed in Sri Lanka since January 2006.

The Internet has become a very effective venue through which terrorist organizations can spead their messages.
Dipanjan Roy Chaudhury, The Internet as a Terrorist Propaganda Tool, Cyber terrorism, September 12, 2007.

Maldives Update; September 12, 2007.

2007-09-12T18:51:00.000+05:30

A report released by a Peoples' Majlis committee alleges that the have authorities mismanaged the notorious Hussein Salah case.
Authorities Damned in Hussein Salah Case, Minivan News, September 10, 2007.

Constitution Drafting Committee to meet twice a day amidst concerns of missing November 30th deadline, MDP, September 11, 2007.

Today, the international community needs no further proof if they are genuinely interested in helping the people of Maldives by replacing the current dictatorial regime with a democratic government.
Ahmed Moosa, Rigging the referendum is a blessing in disguise, Dhivehi Observer, August 29, 2007.

The International Press Freedom Mission to the Maldives has sent a letter to the Minister of Information urging immediate amendments to the draft Press Law currently before parliament.

To increase the efficiency of the Police service, an independent survey has been constituted, to find out public opinion about the local police force.
Independent survey planned to find out public’s opinion of Police, Haveeru Online, September 12, 2007.

People’s Special Majlis have submitted a petition to the Government to confront the spiraling drugs crisis among young people.
Government Urged To Confront Drugs Crisis, Minivan News, September 6, 2007.

Also See:
Praful Bidwai, Sanctifying mass destruction, Frontline, September 8, 2007.

Sri Lanka Update: September 9, 2007.

2007-09-09T16:40:00.000+05:30

The President has gone on to say in a manner indicative of his profound pragmatism and compassion towards all Lankans, almost contemptuous of his opponents that he recognises the legitimate historic grievances of the Tamil people on the basis that they too are Sri Lankans.

Our CFA was only between two warring parties and totally excluded other interests such as the Muslim community and other Tamil groups independent of the LTTE.So the CFA was flawed from the beginning. Moreover, there were other loopholes which allowed the LTTE to commit so many violations, far exceeding those by the armed forces, and there was no punitive action by a powerless SLMM which only made noises now and then.
Neville de Silva, The cogent case should drown the raucous din, Sunday Times, September 9, 2007.

The total war strategy is capital intensive; therefore it requires an astronomical hike in defence expenditure. At the same time it undermines the country’s capacity to obtain international assistance. A permissive attitude towards civilian casualties and human rights violations is an integral component of the total war strategy.
Tisaranee Gunasekara, The Emerging Sri Lanka, Asian Tribune, September 9, 2007.

How did Sri Lanka get their MiG-27s so cheap?
James Dunnigan, MiGs That Earn Their Keep, Strategy Page, September 8, 2007.

As far as the international community, including the Indian establishment, is concerned, it is clear that the Government is pursuing a military solution.
Senpathi, Govt. suing for peace while pursuing war, Nation on Sunday, September 9, 2007.

What the government would want to do is to share power with the Tamils to satisfy the international community with the concurrence of India, so that it could solicit the support of international and regional powers to exert pressure on the LTTE to accept the solution arrived at.
Ravana, Military push halted in favour of devolution package?, Nation on Sunday, September 9, 2007.

The LTTE is also trying to use food shortages up north, where LTTE gunmen block many roads, to elicit international sympathy. This hasn't worked very well, but the tactic of using human shields has had some success.

Also See:
Deportations to Sri Lanka are continuing, Indymedia, September 9, 2007.

Terrorism in India and the Statistics of the America, NDTV Blogs, September 7, 2007.

Southern states Update; September 9, 2007.

2007-09-09T10:02:00.000+05:30

With the countdown to the leadership change having clearly begun, the voices of discord are becoming increasingly apparent. The BJP is increasingly nervous and watching every action/statement of the JDS with caution.
Sandeep Shastri, Coalition Contradictions: Emerging Political Scenario in Karnataka, Mainstream, September 9, 2007.

The BJP’s allies are likely to help the NDA hang on to its current position in Orissa, Punjab and Bihar, but the alliance in Karnataka does not seem to be yielding much dividends for the Lok Sabha elections.
Yogendra Yadav, Rajeeva Karandikar, Sanjay Kumar, No one wants an election now but if there’s one, Left and BJP will lose the most, Indian Express, September 9, 2007.

Police have been blamed for the rising criminal activities of hoodlums in Belgaum. Police department too has been jolted out of its inertia when a wealth of evidences the alert media produced in the aftermath of the rape-and-murder of Sheetal Chougule last month.
Unholy nexus between cops and criminals, New Indian Express, September 9, 2007.

The BJP leadership is apprehensive about the JD (S) ditching its coalition partner in Karnataka. Unwillingly or deliberately, Venkaiah Naidu has expressed his fears that JD(S) might deny the BJP its rightful claim to Chief Ministership under an agreement.
Hari Shankar Vyas, No one ready to contest, The Pioneer, September 9, 2007.

Former Andhra Pradesh chief minister N Janardhana Reddy and his wife N Rajyalakshmi, the education minister of the state, escaped unhurt while three Congress workers were killed in a Maoist attack in Nellore district.
Maoists down, but certainly not out in Andhra, Sify News, September 7, 2007.

The intelligence wing had alerted the SPs of the districts in August itself to be extra cautious in ensuring security for VIPs. However, the intelligence wing could not identify the Maoists’ target.
Cops foxed again? Times of India, September 8, 2007.

In the global hunt launched to kill and destroy terrorist leaders, sympathisers and recruits, the US and its allies have not only deepened the religious divide but also created a rallying point for Muslims hurt and incensed by real and imaginary humiliations and fears.
Wilson John, Club Extreme, The Pioneer, September 9, 2007.

Also See:
Charul Shah, Petition for Naxal accused, Cybernoon, September 07, 2007.

Madhu Chandra, Salwa Judum - India's Unreported Hidden War, Desicritics, September 09, 2007.

Southern States Update; September 6, 2007.

2007-09-06T16:59:00.000+05:30

If private initiative within the state system, a very diluted form of public private partnership, is not working well for the poor and the better off are cornering the subsidies, what works?
Subir Roy, Elusive healthcare for the poor, Business Standard, September 5, 2007.

A lack of transparency and frequent smuggling of the food grains allotted under the Public Distribution System (PDS) are adversely affecting the scheme’s impact in Tamil Nadu.
Ananth Krishnan, Report finds problems in PDS in Tamil Nadu, The Hindu, September 5, 2007.

Objecting to the government's decision to clear a titanium project in Tuticorin district, a group of farmers has taken the Tamil Nadu government and the Tatas to court.

Historically in India, record keeping in employment generation schemes has been very poor and is not available for public scrutiny. Moreover, most projects would be implemented through contractors who would take a cut, ensuring that wages never reached the labourer.
Debaki Nandan Mandal, Social Audit Of Employment Guarantee Scheme, The Statesman, September 6, 2007.

Also See:
Major political parties, including the Congress, however, are clearly rethinking the anti-Iran issue in the nuclear pact, and it would be churlish to dismiss this as minority appeasement.
Sandhya Jain, India doesn't need 123 pact, Pioneer, September 6, 2007.

Sri Lanka Update: September 5, 2007.

2007-09-05T17:42:00.000+05:30

Sri Lankan forces have targeted bases of the LTTE's naval unit since the army captured the eastern region in July after 14 years of fighting.
Paul Tighe, Sri Lanka Says Captured Rebel Base Was Weapons Transit Center, Bloomberg, September 4, 2007.

Minister Rambukwelle has said that there was no land area that belonged to the LTTE, although demarcated in the CFA, adding that what existed now was only a “temporary measure” as all areas belonged to the government and the people of Sri Lanka.

Mr. Nedumaran has announced that he was determined to enter Jaffna unlawfully by crossing the Palk Strait on September 12 with boatloads of food, medicine and other essentials for the civilians in the Jaffna and Vavuniya districts.
Sunil Jayasiri, Diplomatic stir over Nedumaran’s Jaffna landing threat, Daily Mirror, September 5, 2007.

Reports reveal that Nedumaran is now joined forces by Dr. S. Ramadoss, Leader of the Pattali Makkal Kadchchi (PMK), Vaiko, Leader of the Marumarchchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, who have come forward to participate and inaugurate the propaganda rallies in connection with the proposed illegal boat journey to Sri Lanka.

The government is being urged to ratify the United Nations Convention for the Protection of All Persons from enforced disappearances to demonstrate its commitment to the protection of Human Rights in the country.
Ayesha Zuhair, Rights activists tell Govt. to ratify UN convention on enforced disappearances, Daily Mirror, September 5, 2007.

Also See:
Eastern Province elections will be held before the end of the year, President Mahinda Rajapaksa said.

Maldives Update, September 5, 2007.

2007-09-05T12:24:00.000+05:30

The increase in xenophobia could also be related to the rise in organized crime and the proliferation of gangs in Malé. A large percentage of youth in the Maldives are brown sugar addicts.
Nihan Zafar, Inhumane Treatment of Migrant Workers, Global Voices, September 3, 2007.

Around 20 percent of the island nation's residents under the age of 15 are using banned substances, according to the National Narcotics Control Bureau.

The HRCM has not always been in the government’s good books, however. Saleem has frequently angered the Gayoom administration by speaking out against human rights abuses.
Paul Roberts, Referendum “Generally Fair” – Human Rights Commission, Minivan News, August 27, 2007.

In a referendum in the Maldives, voters supported a proposal for a presidential system, seen by the government as an endorsement of the president, Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, who has been in power for 29 years. The opposition alleged rigging, and the foreign minister became the latest reformist to quit Mr Gayoom's cabinet.
Stephen Abbott, Voters choose presidential system in Maldives referendum, Guardian, August 22, 2007.

Simon Gardner, Maldives Foreign Min quits over reform pace, Reuters, August 22, 2007.

Asia's longest-serving leader will run for re-election at the island cluster's first multi-party presidential elections next year.
Simon Gardner, Maldives President sees reforms complete in 2-3 yrs, Reuters, August 20, 2007.

However, it was unclear how the opposition, which backed a British-style parliamentary government rather than the presidential system favoured by Gayoom, would react to the president's olive branch.
Maldives strongman wants to rule on into fourth decade, AFP, August 20, 2007.

Journalists, reporters and photographers working for dissident websites and magazines are continuously being harassed and even detained, but fortunately Gayyoom is no longer capable of shutting us down because the public is not afraid to stand up against this tyrant.
Ahmed S. I. Moosa, Maldives dictator versus the free media, Asia Media, August 20, 2007.

Sri Lanka Update: September 2, 2007.

2007-09-02T09:35:00.000+05:30

A United States Senate Foreign Relations Committee (USSFRC) report has revealed that Eritrea was providing direct military assistance to LTTE.
Sri Lanka should not ignore Eritrean aid for LTTE terrorism, African Path, September 1, 2007.

The bigwigs of the Foreign Ministry cannot be unaware of the fact that UN Human Rights Commission which was established 60 years ago shortly after the birth of the UN, worked out of Geneva as does its successor body, the Human Rights Council.
Neville de Silva, On the flight path to diplomatic lunacy, Sunday Times, September 2, 2007.

Holding elections without evolving a proper mechanism to resettle all the IDPs would be a crime and this would certainly boomerang on President Mahinda Rajapakse when the time comes for him to stretch his arms again, seeking for votes to extend his office for another term.
Wilson Gnanadass, Where do the IDP’s go from here? Nation on Sunday, September 2, 2007.

One key factor contributing towards increasing the national security, under the present administration was the shutting down of all the possibilities available with the LTTE to bargain on issues threatening to keep the national security at a risk.
Forces launch humanitarian mission to liberate 6,000 population in Silavatura, Nation on Sunday, September 2, 2007.

The subcontinent achieved independence due to a few thousand mutinies. We achieved it peacefully and went onto create a few thousand mutinies.
Nikhil Mustaffa, Long walk to freedom, Daily Mirror, September 1, 2007.

Also See:
Tamil people are in LTTE’s bondage, Hard news, September, 2007.

Separate state leads Tamils to extinction - Prof. Hoole, Sunday Observer, September 2, 2007.

Blasts in Hyderabad: News and Analysis Round-up, September 2, 2007.

2007-09-02T07:46:00.000+05:30

Since 1998, the terrorist activities are going on in South India but these continuous incidents show now terrorists are in search of striking at the pleasant atmosphere of communal harmony prevalent in South India.
Tanveer Jafri, Terrorists New Attack on Communal Harmony in India, American Chronicle, August 27, 2007.

Indian intelligence agencies say a new terror channel has emerged that begins in Pakistan, passes through Male in Maldives and then goes to the southern Indian cities that have direct flights to Male.
Siddharth Srivastava, Bomb attacks raise new Indian fears, Asia Times, August 28, 2007.

HUJI's violent past apart, several Bangladeshi officials express surprise at the Indian government's propensity to blame the group for terror acts even before these are investigated. It happened in Varanasi, it has again happened in Hyderabad.
Julfikar Ali Manik, Growth Of A Cancer, Outlook, September 10, 2007.

No one here is fooling themselves that some Bangladeshis spent days and nights plotting to kill Indian civilians in Hyderabad. Most people believe the origins of the ghastly act lie in the city itself.
Saikat Datta, Charminar's Curse, Outlook, September 10, 2007.

In many ways the sites targeted by terrorists in the second attack in the City in a little over three months were also symbols of co-existence—the Gokul Chat Bhandar, where 32 people were killed, situated in the Old City was popular with almost everyone and the Lumbini Park a proud Hyderabadi tourist attraction.
Johnson T A, Target Hyderabad, Indian Express, September 2, 2007.

Also See:
After every bomb blast or terrorist incident, security "experts," analysts and media channels repeat similar things that people accept as the gospel truth. However, I have many questions and doubts that need to be cleared before I can accept the explanations given by these "experts."
Nasiruddin Haider Khan, Some questions related to Muslims and India, India Muslims, August 31, 2007.

Major terror attacks in India - A Profile, IPCS.

Blasts in Hyderabad: News and Analysis Round-up, August 30, 2007.

2007-08-30T20:21:00.000+05:30

Two explosions within minutes killed at least 20 people in Hyderabad on Saturday. One blast was at the Lumbini amusement park and another explosion at a street-side eatery was caused by a exploding gas cylinder.

With pressure mounting to tackle terrorism with a firm hand, the Andhra Pradesh government has decided to constitute an elite anti-terror force.

Indian police released the sketch of a person suspected of being linked with one of the twin weekend bombings in the southern city of Hyderabad that killed 42 people.
Bibhudatta Pradhan, Indian Police Release Sketch of Suspect in Hyderabad Bombing, Bloomberg, August 29, 2007.

As terrorists strike at will across the country, good intelligence is appearing to be a major chink in India's anti-terror armour. Though some of our intelligence operatives have been rated on par with the best in the business and have even earned the admiration of their international peers, overall, the country's intelligence set-up is simply inadequate for the challenge.
Untrained force can't tackle motivated terrorists, Times of India, Augusst 30, 2007.

The anti-terror strategy that India has formulated so far lacks a nationwide actionable counterintelligence mechanism, as most of the Indian states do not have a proper counterintelligence wing in their police departments to get prior information of a possible attack and prevent the possible incident.
Kushal Jeena, India plans counterintelligence, United Press International, August 29, 2007.

Indian Railways has identified 185 railway stations all over the country that could be vulnerable to terrorist strikes and is taking measures to upgrade the security system, Union Minister of State for Railways R Velu has told Parliament.

Southern States Update; August 29, 2007.

2007-08-29T18:34:00.000+05:30

The People's War Group of Naxalites based in Andhra Pradesh is increasingly turning to the LTTE once again in what experts view as mutual interest.
M Rama Rao, Indian Naxalites and Tigers cozying up again, Asian Tribune, August 28, 2007.

In the 21st Century War is always possible and that too a Nuclear or Missile war, when Pakistan, India and China have nuclear weapons and missiles. Sri Lanka is guaranteed to be a recepient of the wayward missile in this century, as well as all the nuclear waste and radiation polluting the water, air and land. But who cares or does India care?
Jayantha Gnanakone, Singhala Fools and Tamil Nadu Nuclear facility, Siber News, August 26, 2007.

The operative word is ‘yet’. There is a clutch of ‘ifs’ before a Third Front government can stake claim to power. One, they need to have the numbers. Two, the Left has to be clear about what it wants to do with the numbers. Three, the Congress has to want to support them in realising their ambition.
Aditi Phadnis, Weekend Special: A Left Prime Minister? Business Standard, August 25, 2007.

Also See:
A Ganesh Nadar, 'We don't need Reliance', Rediff News, August 24, 2007.

Sri Lanka Update: August 28, 2007.

2007-08-28T19:10:00.000+05:30

There is no denying that much of the current problems facing the Sri Lankan nation owe to the 'exclusivist' agenda from the past, taken to ethnic extremes. At the height of the ethnic strife and subsequent war was the 'JVP militancy', first of the early Seventies and later of the late Eighties.
N Sathiya Moorthy, Inclusive, not Exclusivist, Daily Mirror, August 26, 2007.

Wars can be won militarily, but winning the war for people’s hearts and minds is the ultimate victory. The government of President Mahinda Rajapaksa strongly believes that its war on terror against the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) will end in a resounding victory.
Ameen Izzadeen, Born of political skullduggery, lived a rulers’ tool...another sham, Khaleej Times, August 28, 2007.

Commenting on SLMM’s notion that the CFA was being violated frequently, Minister Rambukwelle said the government would not allow the ceasefire monitors to dictate terms to the state when it came to national security.
Easwaran Rutnam, SLMM concerned over Gotabhaya’s comments, Daily Mirror, August 28, 2007.

The CFA certainly served a useful purpose at the initial stages, however flawed it may be. It helped minimise killings. But, the subservience of the UNF government enabled the LTTE to abuse the truce to the hilt, ably assisted by the Norwegians, to train its cadres abroad and smuggle in war related material besides gaining a great deal of legitimacy for its cause.
Dances with Tigers, Ministry of Defense, August 28, 2007.

Last week Jayantha Dhanapala, a former UN Under-Secretary-General for Disarmament Affairs who made an unsuccessful run for the job of Secretary-General, also weighed in with his comments. Dhanapala was quoted as saying that Sri Lanka's international reputation had been tarnished by the use of language not befitting our cultural traditions and international diplomacy.
Thalif Deen, The consequences of Lanka’s rude diplomacy, Sunday Times, August 26, 2007.

The Buddhist monks at a recent media conference said that some INGOs operated in rural areas still practise unethical conversions in the guise of pre-schools and other charity organisations. They said that with the restoration of the day-to-day life in the Eastern province these INGOs would attempt to convert Buddhists and Hindus into their religions using their displacement and poverty to their advantage.
Shanika Sriyananda, SLBC up in arms against unethical conversions, Sunday Observer, August 26, 2007.

Sri Lanka Update: August 25, 2007.

2007-08-25T08:43:00.000+05:30

Bureaucrats in our foreign ministry must be a sad lot. The blunders the government makes in its relations with the outside world make one believe that their advice is no longer sought.
Ameen Izzadeen, How Sri Lanka’s foreign policy mechanics have degenerated, Khaleej Times, August 21, 2007.

Where the rot starts at the top, it will take no less than a change of heart and strategy on the part of President Mahinda Rajapaksa to go back to his roots as a human rights champion in the opposition and to make the difference.
Jehan Perera, Government has potential to do what is right, Daily Mirror, August 21, 2007.

MIG 27 fighters were purchased to save the lives of the SL citizens by destroying a terror outfit that murders the people of this country. However, the procurement of MIG 27 fighters seems to have hurt certain segments other than the LTTE.
The MIG27 affair - Fighter Pilots reveal what the "defence analysts" forgot to tell, Permanent Mission of Sri Lanka - Geneva - Switzerland.

Sri Lanka's population of the internally displaced has shot up ever since violence and fighting involving government forces, the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and the breakaway LTTE group led by Karuna escalated sharply from December 2005.
M.R. Narayan Swamy, Refugees within Sri Lanka face pathetic situation: study, India Muslims, August 20, 2007.

There are now fresh hopes of a negotiated settlement to the vexatious and violence-ridden ethnic strife in Sri Lanka, after all. On the one hand, All-Party Representative Committee (APRC) Chairman, Minister Tissa Vitharana, has asserted that a consensus package on power-devolution would emerge this week, after all.
N Sathiya Moorthy, There are now fresh hopes of a negotiated settlement to the ethnic conflict, Daily Mirror, August 20, 2007.

Also See:
Tony Corn, The Revolution in Transatlantic Affairs, Real Clear Politics, August 21, 2007.

Maldives Referendum, August 20, 2007

2007-08-20T07:24:00.000+05:30

In the referendum on Maldives adopting the presidential or the parliamentary system, the known devil--the presidential system won an endorsement from two-thirds of voters.

President declares victory in referendum, calls for national reconciliation, Haveeru Daily, August 19, 2007.

The validity of the referendum was challenged by not just the opposition parties but also some Maldivian citizens as this report shows.

Some views on what makes an election free and fair:
ACE Electoral Knowledge Network, Guiding Principles of Electoral Integrity.
Common Cause, Election Reform Agenda.
Australian Election Commission, What makes an election free and fair?

Postscript: India is going to give the Maldives anti-terror training. On whom will those guns be trained?

Southern States Update; August 16, 2007.

2007-08-16T18:37:00.000+05:30

Police registered a case against the authorities of Calicut University for showing "disrespect" to the national flag, which was hoisted "upside down" on the Independence Day.

Kerala Chief Minister V S Achuthanandan claimed that Indo-US nuclear deal was the design of certain ''neo-imperialistic forces, holding sway in the country's decision-making process''.

If caste and language complicate the notion of Indian identity, ethnicity makes it worse. Most of the time, an Indian's name immediately reveals where he is from or what her mother-tongue is: when we introduce ourselves, we are advertising our origins.
Shashi Tharoor, Indian identity is forged in diversity. Every one of us is in a minority, The Guardian, August 15, 2007.

The Kerala Panchayat Raj Act envisages the need to prepare a citizen’s charter and it annual revision. Many panchayats do not attempt to frame a charter and even where it has been prepared, the services do not measure up to the standards mentioned in it.
N.J. Nair, Study finds flaws in Panchayati Raj, The Hindu, August 16, 2007.

Also See:
The CPM’s hardening stance was evident from a stern politburo release that asserted “the Prime Minister’s statement in Parliament does not shed any new light on the India-US Nuclear Agreement that calls for a reassessment on our part” and offered a point-by-point rebuttal of Singh’s claims.
Manini Chatterjee, Bush fuel in Left fire, The Telegraph, August 15, 2007.

Following the split in the Communist Party of India (CPI) in 1964, effective communist movements have been confined to West Bengal, Kerala and Tripura. And the CPM has been in the vanguard when it comes to carrying out the peoples’ movement in these red bastions.
Tamal Sengupta, Left is only growing in Right company, Economic Times, August 15, 2007.

One strand in the knot of corruption is the legacy of the License Raj, which ended in the early 1990s. The system created bureaucracies that were all but self-perpetuating.
Will Growth Slow Corruption In India? Forbes, August 15, 2007.

Sri Lanka Update; August 12, 2007.

2007-08-12T09:22:00.000+05:30

The UN’s aid chief John Holmes has said that Sri Lanka is among the most dangerous places on earth for humanitarian workers. He called on the government to probe civil war abuses and consider an international rights monitoring mission.
Mir Shakil-ur-Rahman, Lanka a top danger spot for aid workers, The News, August 12, 2007.

The Foreign ministry has hit back at his comments by questioning the credibility of the UN office in Colombo, saying that they “have made a practice of hiding from their own headquarters in New York.”
Foreign Ministry hits back at Holmes’ comments, Sunday Times, August 12, 2007.

An escalating conflict in Sri Lanka has hindered plans to rid the country of anti-personnel mines, with both the government and the LTTE reluctant to give up use of the weapon.
Vathsala Yatagamage, Losing Battle, LBO, August 11, 2007.

Unlike those days of propaganda uncertainty so openly expressed by Kittu and Raheem some 20 years ago, the Tigers have become experts at putting over their message. They are not alone, as terror groups around the world now use the internet and the power of television to put across their distorted agendas.
David Williams, From bullets to bulletins, Nation on Sunday, August 12, 2007.

The Tamil community, who blindly worshipped the LTTE as their saviour, have now realised the bitter truth that they can no longer keep faith on them as their liberator as it is not capable of attaining their own liberation.
Tamil community no longer tolerates LTTE demands blindly, Sunday Observer, August 12, 2007.

Also See:
Countries indulge in diplomacy to secure advantages. At a time when the country needs the best of efforts to counter the huge propaganda campaign mounted against the country, and a surreptitious campaign to intervene in this country on so-called ‘humanitarian grounds,’ we appear to be going out of our way to make enemies of friends, particularly the powerful countries whose friendship we do most badly need in this war against the terrorist LTTE.
K. Godage, Diplomacy is too important to be left to amateurs, The Nation, August 12, 2007.

Unlike the decentralised jihadist movement, the LTTE is a centralised, hierarchical organisation commanded and controlled by its founding leader, Velupillai Prabhakaran.
Omar Karmi, Feeding the Tiger - how Sri Lankan insurgents fund their war, Jane's, August 10, 2007.

Southern States Update; August 10, 2007.

2007-08-10T19:00:00.000+05:30

A shutdown call was given by Telugu Desam Party (TDP), the Left parties and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) over the issue of distribution of land to poor in Andhra Pradesh. The opposition parties have been demanding the government to set up an independent body to oversee the land distribution process.

Four persons were killed and eight injured, when the police opened fire as the state-wide bandh called by the Left parties, to protest against police lathicharge on their activists recently, turned violent at Mudigonda village in Khammam district.
Andhra government orders inquiry into police firing at Khammam, Hindustan Times, July 28, 2007.

TDP leader N. Chandrababu Naidu accused the police of using AK-47 and self-loading rifles to fire at protestors. “Never before in the history of the state have such sophisticated weapons been used against political activists,” he said.
Nirmala Carvalho, People continue to die in Andhra Pradesh and West Bengal over land, Asia Times, July 30, 2007.

How much compensation the victims’ families will get and when is anybody’s guess. But in the din over compensation and parties vying with each other to trash the government, the real issue has been missed. The state government declined the demand for booking a murder case under Section 302.
Ground to dust, Hindustan Times, July 30, 2007.

India, however, has been unable to handle the growing influence of Maoist rebels who have been striking at will in at least 10 Indian states, killing several thousands of people in last five years.
Kushal Jeena, India`s counter-terror strategy, M&C, August 9, 2007.

Also See:
As a teenager, Sunita herself had been gang raped. The incident made angry more than leaving her shattered. It was then that she started an anti-trafficking organisation, Prajwala.

Maldives Update; August 8, 2007.

2007-08-08T20:00:00.000+05:30

The justice minister and attorney general from the Maldives have resigned, saying they were frustrated with delays in introducing democratic reforms to the tiny nation.
Maldives' ministers quit over 'delay' in democratic reforms, IHT, August 6, 2007.

President Gayoom has responded to the resignations by blaming parliament for the slow pace of reforms.
Ajay Makan, President Blames Parliament For Slow Reforms, Minivan News, August 7, 2007.

Maldives has been rocked by the news of four rapists receiving a light sentence after a judge decided that because the raped girl did not shout or scream, it meant she gave consent.
Nihan Zafar, Maldives: Secret Haven for Pedophiles, Global Voices, August 6, 2007.

Two lawyers witnessed police officers beating a detainee on Saturday night, and have submitted formal complaints to Police HQ, the Attorney General’s Office and the Maldives Human Rights Commission.
Ajay Makan, Caught In The Act: Lawyers Witness Police Beating Detainee, Minivan News, August
1, 2007.

The August 18 constitutional referendum is likely to take place without international observers. “SAARC do not have a mandate” for election observation, and “it will be difficult” for the EU and Commonwealth to “send teams at such short notice,” the Foreign Minister has said.
Ajay Makan, Referendum Without International Observers? Minivan News, July 30, 2007.

A UN report into the Maldivian legal system has found “it does not fulfil its fundamental role of administering fair and independent justice and safeguarding and protecting human rights.”
Ajay Makan, Legal System Requires Urgent Reform: UN, Minivan News, July 16, 2007.

Also See:
Warnings from a Warming World: World Meteorological Organization Reports on Extreme Weather Events,

Sri Lanka Update; August 8, 2007.

2007-08-08T16:07:00.000+05:30

It is the irony of our times that 'R2P' should stand for the 'responsibility to protect', and not the 'right to protect', as should have been the case in the normal understanding of concepts such as 'State', its right and responsibilities.
N Sathiya Moorthy, Whose 'R2P' is it anyway? Daily Mirror, August 6, 2007.

Human Rights Watch Asia Director, Brad Adams, has said that "the Sri Lankan government has apparently given its security forces a green light to use 'dirty war' tactics," adding that "abuses by the LTTE are no excuse for the government's campaign of killings, 'disappearances' and forced returns of the displaced."
Michael Sung, Sri Lanka government rights abuses on the rise: HRW, Jurist, August 6, 2007.

Meanwhile Sri Lankan Government’s Peace Secretariat Head, Rajiva Wijesinha, has retorted stating that, the Human Rights Watch report on Sri Lanka is misleading, rife with contradictions and could be used by organizations like the LTTE to disrupt the democratically elected governments like Sri Lanka.
HRW report misleading says SL Peace Sec. Chief, Daily Mirror, August 8, 2007.

Human Rights Minister Mahinda Samarasinghe added that the international community should offer constructive help instead of making ‘sweeping and subjective’ statements.
Manjula Fernando, Global community should offer constructive help - Human Rights Minister, Daily News, August 8, 2007.

India has sent more radars to Sri Lanka to help it ward off the threat of airborne attacks by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).

Sri Lanka is looking to bolster its military capabilities and the Air Force's share of this planned build up is worth nearly USD 300 million.
Iqbal Athas, Situation Report, Sunday Times, August 5, 2007.

"Sampur has been taken, Vakarai captured and the feather in the government’s cap, Thoppigala is ‘ours’ again. But elsewhere in this country, 17 families grieve for loved ones lost, for crimes gone unpunished, for disclosures never afforded to them. On behalf of my ‘elected representatives’, I hang my head in shame."
Dharisha Bastians, Have we no shame? Nation on Sunday, August 8, 2007.

Before taking the drastic step of stepping up the war in the north, the Rajapaksa government has a duty to present a reasonable political package that could be the basis for a just solution to the ethnic conflict, and is acceptable to moderate Tamil opinion. Only if such a political package is rejected by the LTTE should an offensive military campaign on the lines of the eastern campaign be contemplated for the north.
Jehan Perera, Pre-Condition for taking war from east to north, Daily Mirror, August 7, 2007.

President Rajpaksa has two options now to get out of the tight situation he is in parliament:
(1) he can mend his fences with the estranged Marxist and radical Sinhala JVP
(2) he could try and get three or four more defectors from the opposition UNP.
PK Balachandran, Indian Party's quitting puts Rajpaksa in a spot, Hindustan Times, August 3, 2007.

Five days after the government announced that Thoppigala, the last stronghold of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, had fallen and two days before Rajapaksa’s celebrations, the Eastern Province’s chief secretary, the topmost government official in the province, was shot dead. The crime sent a chilling message to the government that the battle was not over yet in the east.
Ameen Izzadeen, What does freedom really mean? Khaleej Times, July 24, 2007.

Sri Lanka Update; July 29, 2007.

2007-07-29T16:02:00.000+05:30

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.

2007-07-27T18:46:00.000+05:30

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.

2007-07-22T10:35:00.000+05:30

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.

2007-07-18T14:31:00.000+05:30

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.

2007-07-14T11:33:00.000+05:30

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.

2007-07-10T19:11:00.000+05:30

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.

2007-07-01T11:34:00.000+05:30

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.

2007-07-01T09:11:00.000+05:30

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

Sri Lanka Update: June 29, 2007.

2007-06-29T14:13:00.000+05:30

In a major relief to Catholic devotees, the Sri Lankan government and the Tamil Tigers have agreed to declare a demilitarized zone around the much revered Madu Catholic church in the island's north.

Co-chairs have taken the decision to strongly urge the government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) to return to the negotiating table.
M.R. Narayan Swamy, Co-chairs to tell Sri Lanka, LTTE to talk peace, India interacts, June 29, 2007.

India plans to provide Sri Lanka another advanced off shore patrol vessel (AOPV) to fight the Sea Tigers. New Delhi provided Colombo a similar AOPV in 2000 following heightened LTTE threat perceptions.
India should sell arms to Sri Lanka, Lanka Everything, June 29, 2007.

Sri Lanka has said that it would be a tragic error to withhold pecuniary resources from Sri Lanka because that will create conditions in which extremism and terrorism would thrive.

Sri Lanka's government has said that it will hold elections in the eastern region near Batticaloa after the army took control of the area from the rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam for the first time in 14 years of fighting.
Paul Tighe and Anusha Ondaatjie, Sri Lanka to Hold Elections in Eastern Area Seized From Rebels, Bloomberg, June 28, 2007.

"Knowing fully well that Tamil Eelam is only a day-dream why are you unnecessarily causing the death of more and more people", says the President of the Tamil United Liberation Front in an open letter to LTTE Leader Velupillai Prabhakaran.

As a national institution vested with decision making power, including that of inflicting punishment, the judiciary can be a formidable force for reform in Sri Lanka.
Jehan Perera, Countervailing power can play crucial reformist role, Daily Mirror, June 26, 2007.

Peace analysts have said they see little prospect of a breakthrough in the crucial meeting held by Norway with Sri Lanka's top aid donors to halt a new wave of bloodshed.
Amal Jayasinghe, Sri Lanka donor meeting in Norway unlikely to break deadlock: analysts, LBO, June 24, 2007.

"I do not want to pursue a military solution. I want to talk with the LTTE without any pre-conditions. Velupillai Prabhakaran must convey his moves and not others.", says the President.
Iqbal Athas, Situation Report, Sunday Times, June 24, 2007.

Also See:
SLFP has become chauvinistic by Mangala Samaraweera, leader Sri Lanka Freedom Party [SLFP].

New Sri Lanka Reports

2007-06-16T11:44:00.000+05:30

The International Crisis Group has released a new report on Sri Lanka.

Sri Lanka’s Human Rights Crisis, June 14, 2007. Full text here.

The International Independent Group of Eminent Persons released a statement about human rights violations in Sri Lanka and a second follow-up statement. The Centre for Policy Alternatives has responded here.

Maldives Update: June 15, 2007.

2007-06-15T12:20:00.000+05:30

Police, prison guards and army personnel have mounted a joint “clean up operation” in the Maafushi island prison.
Ajay Makan, Police Move Into Maafushi, Minivan News, June 9, 2007.

Two hundred and fifty inmates have been hunger striking since Wednesday after one prisoner died and six more were hospitalised following a jailbreak by four hundred inmates. Now the inmates have said they will sign a government offer and call off their strike, if Ahmed Mujtabha and Shaheed Zaki are taken to the island to observe the agreement.
Ajay Makan, Inmates Offer To End Maafushi Hunger Strike, Minivan News, June 12, 2007.

"Maldives’ diplomatic Missions abroad have a vital role to play in presenting to the outside world a true picture of the Maldives and the social, economic and political developments taking place in the country, as well as fostering our ties with other countries", says President.

The Maldivian National Congress party’s platform statement offers up a heady mix of radical democracy and socialist economics, promising “democracy will permeate relationships between people” and “social ownership of the Maldivian natural resources for the benefit of Maldivians.”
Ajay Makan, Fifteen Minutes With Monaza Naeem And The MNC, Minivan News, June 13, 2007.

Also See:
In 1988, LTTE terrorists ran havoc in Maldives islands causing vandalism. Supported by the Indians forces, the Maldivian government violently put down the attempted capture. Until this date, the Maldivians enjoy their freedom from terrorism.
Dilrook Kannangara, Military Force as an Effective Means of Conflict Resolution, LankaWeb.

Sri Lanka: Implications of LTTE's Delft Attack [Analysis], India Defense, June 14, 2007.

Southern States Update: June 11, 2007.

2007-06-11T09:44:00.000+05:30

It is an established fact that Tamil Nadu plays a pivotal role as a key coalition partner in any political formation in Delhi. Consequently, the parochial interests of Tamil Nadu have become the determining factor in Delhi's policy towards Sri Lanka.
Neville Ladduwahetty, Dictates from India, Lanka Web, June 6, 2007.

Upon landing in India, refugees are questioned by police to establish their identities. They try to find out whether they have any links with the Tamil Tigers, which is a banned organisation in India. Some young men have accused the police of using a high-handed approach during their investigations.
Swaminathan Natarajan , War-weary Tamils face India hardship, BBC News, June 4, 2007.

"It is believed that the LTTE terrorist outfit has infiltrated the Tamil Nadu refugee camps in the guise of displaced and asylum seekers and has been recruiting fighters, including children, from among refugees.", says the Sri Lanka's Defense Ministry
Paul Tighe and Anusha Ondaatjie, Tamil Tiger Rebels Recruit Fighters in Indian Refugee Camps, Bloomberg, May 28, 2007.

Koodankulam concentrates all the problems associated with nuclear power in a magnified form. It will generate large amounts of highly radioactive spent fuel. The EIA doesn't mention this. Like all reactor types — and Koodankulam, like Chernobyl, is a Russian design — KNPS can undergo a core meltdown, with devastating consequences for Tamil Nadu, Kerala, even Sri Lanka.
Praful Bidwai, Koodankulam trap, Khaleej Times, June 10, 2007.

Sri Lanka Update: June 10, 2007.

2007-06-10T20:15:00.000+05:30

Institute of Defence Studies and Analyses (IDSA) has urged India to shed its "do-nothing" policy on Sri Lanka, and adopt a proactive one under which the LTTE is denied bases in Tamil Nadu and Sri Lanka is given economic support, in exchange for devolution of power to the Sri Lankan Tamil moderates.
Adopt pro-active stance on Lanka, says leading Indian think-tank, Daily News, June 11, 2007.

Japan's special peace envoy has voiced concern at human rights abuses blamed on both the Sri Lankan state and Tamil Tigers as police returned hundreds of deported Tamils to the capital in a U-turn.
Simon Gardner, Japan peace envoy concerned at Sri Lanka rights abuses, Reuters, June 09, 2007.
He has also said that human rights violations by the Sri Lankan government would not prevent Japan from continuing to give humanitarian and development aid to the people of Sri Lanka.
PK Balachandran, Japan to aid Lanka despite rights violations, Hindustan Times, June 9, 2007.

The Supreme Court of Sri Lanka stopped the forced eviction of ethnic Tamils from the capital city of Colombo Friday, calling the government "misguided" in its latest attempt to reduce attacks by "Tamil Tigers." Later in the day, Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse invited the evicted Tamils back to Colombo, promising a disciplinary probe against the police chief responsible.

Nearly 200 ethnic Tamils who had been expelled by police as part of a crackdown on Tiger rebels have returned to the Sri Lankan capital, Colombo after a three-man bench of the Sri Lankan Supreme Court on Friday stayed the expulsion of Tamils belonging to the Northern and Eastern provinces from Colombo, and the bar on their entry into the capital city.
PK Balachandran, Lankan Supreme Court stays Tamils’ expulsion, Hindustan Times , June 9, 2007.

Centre for Policy Alternatives Executive Director Dr. Paikiasothy Saravanamuttu, has voiced his opinion on the human rights situation in the country. He has said that "the government needed to act more responsibly, especially in the light of distinguishing itself from a terrorist organisation such as the LTTE, instead of becoming the mirror image of the terrorists".
Keith Noyahr, Govt. is becoming the mirror image of LTTE, The Nation, June 10, 2007.

Mr. Ban Ki - Moon has condemned the killings, voicing concern about the security of civilians and aid workers in Sri Lanka and reminding “all parties in the country that aid workers have a right to protection at all times,” according to a statement by his spokesperson.
UN human rights experts condemn murder of Sri Lankan aid workers, UN News, June 9, 2007.

In the media from Azerbaijan to the United States, Sri Lanka has now been portrayed as the latest ethnic cleanser, a charge which was previously levelled at the LTTE for cleansing the north of thousands of Muslims over 10 years ago.
Neville de Silva, Insensitive acts that blacken our already tarred image, Sunday Times, June 10, 2007.

Also See:
Faced with a conflict situation for over three and a half decades, players and stakeholders in the `war(s)/peace industry' have taken to the Internet with a vengeance. Since the Internet hit the Sri Lanka airwaves in 1995, it has been a story of non-stop e-proliferation.
B. Muralidhar Reddy, In the web of war, Frontline, June 2, 2007.

New Crisis in Sri Lanka, June 10, 2007

2007-06-10T11:29:00.000+05:30

The eviction of Tamils from Colombo has precipitated a new crisis. Civil society and the courts have been swift to respond.

Open Letter to President Mahinda Rajapakse to stop the expulsion of Tamils from Colombo, June 7, 2007.
National Peace Council Statement.

Maldives Update: June 7, 2007.

2007-06-07T11:47:00.000+05:30

Tension was high in Malé after police arrested at least eleven drivers on Tuesday in an attempt to break a three day long strike against rising fuel prices.
Action will be taken against taxi drivers who participated in strike: Minister, Haveeru Online, May 6, 2007.

The arrests were immediately followed by a mass jailbreak at Maafushi prison, one of the largest prisons in the island. One man has been confirmed dead during the incident and two are hospitalised "in a serious condition.
Ajay Makan, Custodial Death After Maafushi Jail Break, Minivan News, June 6, 2007.

According to Maldivian Detainee Network doctors in IGMH say the injuries are consistent with assault. The police have been accused of violence in the prison.
Ajay Makan, Police Accused Of Violence As Maafushi Inmate Buried, Minivan News, June 6, 2007.

European Union has demanded that Maldives, must urgently open the way to sweeping democratic reforms. The EU believes that there needs to be a proper investigation into recent events; including Mr. Salah’s death some weeks ago and that the use of force cannot solve political problems.
EU demands democratic reforms in Maldives, EU Business, June 4, 2007.

Also See:
"The Maldivian Coast Guard is a highly trained professional force. Several thousands of our hard-earned money is allocated to our defence budget. It is their duty to protect our waters and that's what the people of Maldives pay them for."
Coincidence or Stage-managed: possibly with a view to frame the opposition? Divehi Observer.

Sri Lanka Update: June 3 2007.

2007-06-03T12:37:00.000+05:30

India has demanded that Colombo should avoid procuring arms from Pakistan and China, and that it should come to India instead, even though India will not provide offensive equipment. Sri Lankans have received the move with mixed feelings.
PK Balachandran, Mixed feelings in Lanka over India's demand, Hindustan Times, June 1, 2007.

Senior vice president of the ruling Sri Lanka Freedom Party, D M Jayaratne has said that India is the first choice but Colombo was compelled to transact with China and Pakistan to fulfill its military requirements.
Sadiq Ali, India the first choice; New Delhi’s reluctance led to approach other countries: Lanka, Newstrack, June 2, 2007.

The Sri Lankan media has lambasted India's National Security Advisor MK Narayanan for his statement regarding this issue.
PK Balachandran, India can force Lanka to buy its garbage: media, Hindustan Times, June 2, 2007.

Where the media is concerned in Sri Lanka, the unprincipled attitude on the part of a number of major newspapers to the deterioration of the institution of the judiciary has been a main factor in the past few years.
Kishali Pinto Jayawardena, Hauling editors before parliament, Sunday Times, June 3, 2007.
From the war, to the cost of living, to the government’s dubious deals, the JVP has emerged stronger than the main opposition UNP in many ways.
Dharisha Bastians, Govt can’t hide behind a military campaign for forever, Nation on Sunday, June 3, 2007.

There have been stepped-up clashes between suspected rebel ships and the Sri Lankan navy in recent months amid heavy fighting in the island's northern and eastern regions.
Sea Pirates, Lanka Business Online, June 3, 2007.

The Tiger outfit within the last two weeks once again revert to their older tactic of exploding bombs in Colombo and suburbs.
Tigers through a testing process, Sunday Observer, June 3, 2007.

"Unless the international community cages Prabhakaran and his Tigers, there will be no liberation not only to Tamils but also to the Muslims and Sinhalese", says Sunday Observer.

Maldives Update: May 30, 2007.

2007-05-30T10:43:00.000+05:30

The Maldives government had proposed three women as judges or magistrates, as there are no women judges in the Maldives. The Justice Minister has nominated three women as judges last week. The Adhaalath Party has strongly opposed the proposal saying female judges are against the sharia and women cannot hold the position of judges.
Ajay Makan, Female Judges "Against Sharia" Warns Adhaalath, Minivan News, May 28, 2007.

The MDP has claimed that the government and police has been obstructing the party's upcoming Presidential election.

Meanwhile the Maldivian government has called for international help for people displaced in the worst flooding in the Maldives since the deadly 2004 tsunami. The Maldives government also made a formal appeal to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to help.
Maldives in need of help following severe flooding, Taipei Times, May 24, 2007.

The Maldivian President is to deliver regular monthly radio addresses to the people.

The Maldives is a Muslim country—exclusively so, since the practice of other religions is illegal—and has been so since 1153.
John Lancaster, Islamism Comes to Paradise, Slate, May 28, 2007.

Also See:

In Indian Ocean, only one fifth of the total trade is conducted amongst the countries of the Indian Ocean themselves, whereas 80 per cent of the trade is extra-regional. Isn’t it time for the ‘owners’ of the Indian Ocean to get together to protect their own interests?

Atul Dev, The Indian Ocean – Current Security Environment, Mauritius Times.

Sri Lanka Update: May 27, 2007.

2007-05-27T10:10:00.000+05:30

The incident in Delft, according to the government, clearly indicates that the LTTE has not given up their idea of capturing Jaffna, which is considered the nerve centre of their activities.
Delft plan goes awry as Security Forces enhance vigilance, Daily News, May 25, 2007.

The LTTE account of the Delft confrontation was completely different.
Roland Buerk , Who is winning Sri Lanka's war? BBC, May 25, 2007.

LTTE attack on an International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) hut in no-man’s has shattered the hope of re-opening of the Omanthai and Uyilankulam entry/exit points.
Eelam War IV’ steadily spreads North, Nation on Sunday, May 27, 2007.

The LTTE which claimed to be the sole representative of the Tamil population now turned their role to the suppressor of the Tamil community as they are fast losing control over the Tamil community.
Destiny of Wanni civilians bleak, Sunday Observer, May 27, 2007.

In an era where communications have advanced and the flow of information cannot be forever curtailed, news management by those spearheading the "war on terror" is only bringing the Government's credibility into further question.
Iqbal Athas, Ground battle and media battle, Sunday Times, May 27, 2007.

While it is true that the proposals of the SLFP will not result in a restoration of peace, it is equally true that no proposals for constitutional reform even in the form of proposals for a federal constitution will result in the restoration of peace. Accordingly, setting up the APRC and considering proposals for constitutional reform as a means of restoring peace is a futile exercise.

S L Gunasekara, The charade of constitutional reforms, Sunday Times, May 27, 2007.

British Parliamentarian and ruling Labour party member Keith Vaz has said that he would personally like to see more international attention on the current situation in Sri Lanka and added that the country should benefit from any assistance the international community can provide.
Easwaran Rutnam, British MPs defend action on Lanka, Daily Mirror, May 26, 2007.

Also See:

In the late Eighties, when Indian forces were battling the LTTE in Sri Lanka, Tamil politicians, ignored the activities of the terrorist outfit which was at the time obtaining fuel and funds, and even running grenade factories in the state.

Manoj Joshi, Secret service, Hindustan Times, May 27, 2007.

John Ruwitch, Caught in an air raid scare in Sri Lanka, Reuters, May 27, 2007.

"The innocent lives of the Tamils, Sinhalese and Muslims are killed because of this. We must find a political solution", says Major General Sarath Munasinghe.
Wilson Gnanadass, Karuna faction must be enlisted into the army, Nation on Sunday.

Southern States Update: May 26, 2007.

2007-05-26T09:35:00.000+05:30

The Blast at Mecca Masjid in Hyderabad has rocked the nation and been on the headlines this week. The recent terrorist incidents establish the intention of terror masterminds to establish Islamist terrorist network beyond Kashmir, a strategic move considering the international focus and the dialogue.
Wilson John, Hyderabad blasts: The ISI hand, Rediff, May 25, 2007.

Blast in Hyderabad has revealed that the terrorists have found yet another locally available explosive — picric acid — a shock-sensitive liquid explosive capable of creating a huge impact.
Vishwa Mohan, Liquid bomb is new terror device, Times of India, May 26, 2007.

The IAF is zeroing on three places in Tamil Nadu for its possible deployment of indigenously developed Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) named Tejas, highlighting the new strategic concerns in Indian establishment 's regarding country's security, particularly with the growing importance of Indian Ocean region and the maritime security.
Air Force To Deploy First LCA Tejas Squadron in Tamil Nadu By 2010, India Defense, May 23, 2007.

Meanwhile a permanent base of the Border Security Force (BSF) would become operational in Coimbatore by October this year to cater to the emergency security needs of Tamil Nadu and neighbouring states.
Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu: Permanent BSF Base To Be Operations By 2007 End, India Defense, May 20, 2007.

Sri Lankan parliament has been debating the issue of granting Sri Lankan citizenship to over 28,500 refugees living in Tamil Nadu.
Kelum Bandara and Yohan Perera, UNP, JVP voice concern for Lankan refugees in Tamil Nadu, Daily Mirror, May 26, 2007.

Kerala's proposal to construct a new dam to resolve the Mullaperiyar issue with Tamil Nadu has received national acceptance.
New dam has received acceptance, Times of India, May 26, 2007.

Sixty years after Independence, the monsoons still play a decisive role in determining how well the economy performs any year.

Also See:
Sankara Mahadevan, Ram Sethu campaign gains momentum, Organiser, May 27, 2007.

Lucien Rajakaraunanayake, The tolerance of terror, Daily News, May 26, 2007.

V. Sundaram, Suppressed marine, maritime, nautical aspects-II, News Today.

Maldives Update: May 22, 2007.

2007-05-22T14:11:00.000+05:30

The witnesses have refused to confirm the accuracy of witness statements given to police almost four years ago in the famous trial of Ziya Abbas.
Ajay Makan, Witnesses Silent At Ziya Trial, Minivan News, May 20, 2007.

Maldives Government claimed that a coastguard vessel has opened fire on a boat carrying suspected Tamil Tiger rebels from Sri Lanka. Maldives is investigating whether a trawler sunk by its coastguard was carrying weapons for LTTE.
Anusha Ondaatjie and Paul Tighe, Maldives Probes Sinking of Possible Tamil Rebel Boat, Bloomberg, May 18, 2007.

Finance Minister of Maldives, was elected to fill the post of the President of the Special Majlis, left empty by the resignation of Abbas Ibrahim.
Ali Rasheed, Gasim's Test, Minivan News, May 10, 2007.

The Government has postponed planned elections for the Island Development Committee.
Government postpones Island Development Committee Elections indefinitely , MDP, May 20, 2007.

Meanwhile "the drafting of Constitution is taking place at a faster pace", says Ibra.
Draft ready for decision on system–Ibra, Miadhu Online, May 22, 2007.

Sri Lanka Update: May 20, 2007.

2007-05-20T16:38:00.000+05:30

New Delhi is caught in a dilemma in trying to balance its interests in protecting minority rights on the one hand and providing military assistance to the Government to take on the Tigers on the other.
B. Muralidhar Reddy, Uneasy lies the island, The Hindu, May 20, 2007.

The Lankan Tamil militant group finds itself damned all over again for abducting Indian fishermen and their vessels, besides the horrific incident of March 29 when five fishermen of Kanyakumari were gunned down by the Tigers suspecting that they were spying on their sea sorties to transfer weapons from the 'mother' ship to the land base in north Lanka.
R. Bhagwan Singh, LTTE is getting damned, for the second time after Rajiv assassination, India Interacts, May 20, 2007.

The cost of the ongoing undeclared Eelam War IV, for which the public will be compelled to pay more, is rising equally faster. This is despite the new policy of fight now with foreign equipment and pay later - a burden that will fall on the next Government, whichever that may be.
Iqbal Athas, Fight now and pay later, Sunday Times, May 20, 2007.

Though some people were critical of the decision to acquire Russian made MiG 29 fighter jets to face the challenge posed by the LTTE saying that the Government is going for more expensive means to counter the threat, the decision has been taken considering all aspects, not just the LTTE air threat.
Ranil Wijayapala, Speedy acquisition of air threat negation systems builds people’s confidence, Daily News, May 18, 2007.

Sri Lanka is a developing country centrally and ideally situated with a highly developed and educated work force too struggling for more and more resources for development. Therefore obviously there are agitations within in various forms.
Sarath Wijesinghe, Concern about concerns of Human Right violations, Sunday Observer, May 20, 2007.

LTTE's focus is on developing an ambitious capability in space, using it to best effect in its communications offensive against Sri Lanka, and it aims of being a dominant force in the South Asia region.
Tigers take terror ops to space, Daily News, May 19, 2007.

"A large majority of the island's Tamil minority would like to have a solution based on federalism and a decentralization of power", says Kadirgamar.
Nora Boustany, Moves by Sri Lanka Military Worry Human Rights Group, Washington Post, May 18, 2007.

Most foreign governments that are playing an important role in Sri Lanka are subject to democratic pressures from their constituents. They have a problem when they are seen as giving public funds to governments that are violating human rights.
Dr. Jehan Perera, Confronting The International Community Is Not In Sri Lanka’s Interest, NPC, May 14, 2007.

While India has not been unduly concerned about Sri Lanka's arms acquisitions from China and Pakistan, it will have to keep a close watch on agreements Sri Lanka has reached with China for the development of the Hambantota Port, for which Beijing has extended Colombo a loan of $375 million.
G. Parthasarathy, Rising tensions in Sri Lanka, Business Line, May 17, 2007.

Also See:
There is a need to examine all the related issues with out emotionalising and politicising either the fishing or the security issues in Tamil Nadu coast line.

Major incidents involving the LTTE outside Sri Lanka, SATP.

Southern States Update: May 18, 2007.

2007-05-18T18:58:00.000+05:30

Five people were arrested after the vessel was fired on and sunk by the coastguards of Maldives. It is believed that the trawler was carrying weapons for LTTE.
Anusha Ondaatjie and Paul Tighe, Maldives Probes Sinking of Possible Tamil Rebel Boat, Bloomberg, May 18, 2007.

The DMK hss revamped its team in New Delhi with Radhika Selvi joining the central council of ministers. The party is also planning its moves to get two names into the Rajya Sabha.
DMK begins changing team in New Delhi, India eNews, May 18, 2007.

The residents of Gulbarga city have remained indifferent to the efforts being made to stamp out the dreaded polio virus from the Indian soil. This has been the major cause of concern for people involved in enmasse polio vaccination.
Urbanites remain indifferent to drive against polio, Deccan Herald, May 18, 2007.

French Journalist Francois Gautier, who has spent nearly two decades in India has pointed out how much ill-found are the facts about the ‘prosperity’ of Hindus, especially, the Brahmins in today’s India.
Francois Gautier, The myth of Mayawati's success, Rediff News, May 16, 2007.

Also See:
Jaya Menon, Stalin: Fourth in party, first in line for throne, Indian Express, May 15, 2007.

57 old Dalit brutally persecuted by the Police in Kerala, le Journal Chrétien.

Maldives Update: May 15, 2007.

2007-05-15T09:56:00.000+05:30

Adam Cooper, the political consultant of MDP faces a two-year ban from the Maldives following an alleged violation of immigration rules and regulations.
Will Jordan, MDP Consultant Faces Two-Year Maldives Ban, Maldives, May 10, 2007.

Reporters without Borders (RSF) has listed Star Force, an elite unit of Maldives Police Service, as a predator of press freedom.

The member of the Special Majlis, Ibrahim Ismail, has proposed amending the clause on the election of the president to enable the people to elect the president among candidates contesting in a public vote.
Presidential election by public vote proposed, Miadhu News, May 15, 2007.

The US has called on the Maldivian government to hold free and fair elections so that the people can decide on their government in 2008.
Ajay Makan, America Urges More Democratic Reform, Minivan News, May 8, 2007.

Also See:
Ali Rasheed, A legal conundrum, Bahabaru.

Human Rights Report, Friends of Maldives.

Sri Lanka Update: May 13, 2007.

2007-05-13T08:59:00.000+05:30

The United States government has shown interest in playing an active role in the Lankan Peace Process. The US has urged the Sri Lankan government and LTTE to restart peace talks as soon as possible.
Mendaka Abeysekera, US to actively take part in Sri Lankan peace process, Nation on Sunday, May 13, 2007.

The United States has halted some aid to Sri Lanka following a steep rise in human rights abuses in the country.
Simon Gardner, US concerned at Sri Lanka abuses, halts some aid, Reuters, May 10, 2007.
Meanwhile US Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs has confirmed that assistance to combat LTTE terrorism will be continued.
Deepal Warnakulasuriya, US pledges continued assistance to combat terrorism, Sunday Observer, May 13, 2007.

Terrorist and insurgency organisations thrive on myths and legends built around them and their larger-than-life leaders. The LTTE is no exception.
Col. R Hariharan, Sri Lanka: Winged terror – Hariharan, IPKF, Siber News, May 10, 2007.

President Mahinda Rajapaksa, has increased spending on the Army, Navy and Air Force by 44 percent this year to a record 139 billion rupees ($1.3 billion).
Ed Johnson and Anusha Ondaatjie, Sri Lankan Economy Threatened by Tamil Rebel Air Wing, Bloomberg, May 11, 2007.
US military sales to Sri Lanka up from $1.4m to $60.8m, Tamil Net, May 12, 2007.

Sympathy for the Tigers in Tamil Nadu, which had once prompted the fisher families to offer prayers for LTTE’s victory in the war for Eelam and ‘freedom’ for their brethren in Sri Lanka, is being changing into resentment.
Jaya Menon, A Sympathy wave turns to anger, Indian Express, May 13, 2007.

United Nations Security Council has warned the LTTE of an unspecified punitive action for continued recruiting of children for its fighting units.
PK Balachandran, UNSC warns LTTE of punishment, but is softer on Karuna, Hindustan Times, May 12, 2007.

Also See:
The idea that the state is prejudiced against a particular ethnic group, in Sri Lanka, is used by non-state actors to justify the continuation of conflict in which children are inevitably targeted.
Child recruitment in South Asian conflicts: A Comparative analysis of Sri Lanka, Nepal and Bangladesh, Peace Journalism.

Iqbal Athas, Four air raids worse than four wars, Sunday times, May 13, 2007.

Southern States Update: May 11, 2007.

2007-05-11T11:36:00.000+05:30

Three press workers were killed and a press office was set ablaze in Madurai. The act was an episode of the violent protests carried out by the supporters of MK Azhagiri who were angered by a survey in Dinakaran claiming that Karunandihi's second son M.K. Stalin was most suited to succeed his father as political heir.
GC Shekhar, Karunanidhi family feud claims 3 lives, Hindustan Times, May 09, 2007.

Police have arrested 12 people in connection with the attack.
12 arrested for attack on Indian paper, Business Week, May 10, 2007.

Tamil Nadu is not the only state in India where ugly sides of dynastic politics result in bloody street battles. Family wrangles and public fights marked the politics of Andhra Pradesh following the death of N.T. Rama Rao.
An Odd World, The Telegraph, May 11, 2007.

Also See:
The attacks on Sun TV-Dinakaran expose the vulnerability of the media in Tamil Nadu.

Sri Lanka Update: May 9, 2007.

2007-05-09T16:30:00.000+05:30

The following is a reports by human rights groups highlighting the human rights and humanitarian issues arising out of the upsurge in violence during 2006-7. The report highlights the humanitarian situation in parts of the Trincomalee district, with the absence of a systematic disaster response structure resulting in affected communities not having the most basic of services.
Trincomalee Fact-Finding Mission, Center for Policy Alternatives.

Child Abuse: May 9, 2007.

2007-05-09T16:19:00.000+05:30

More children are sexually abused in India than anywhere else in the world. Study on Child Abuse reveals that a shocking 53.22 per cent of all Indian children are sexually abused and 70 per cent keep silent about what happens to them.
Nishi Malhotra, Sex, lies and children, Hard News.

Ingrid Srinath, CEO of Child Rights and You (CRY), a child rights organisation, discusses the entire gamut of issues pertaining to child abuse and rights violation and suggests possible ways of fighting the scourge.
Supriya Mishra, Children are also sexual beings, Hindustan Times, May 08, 2007.

Apart from sexual abuse every second Indian child is a victim of some kind of abuse — physical or emotional.
Child, interrupted, Times of India, May 3, 2007.

Southern States Update: May 9, 2007.

2007-05-09T08:41:00.000+05:30

The death of 38 newborns in a state-run hospital has rocked the state of Kerala and its government. According to blood tests the deaths were due to infection the infants contracted in the labour room. The Kerala Police have registered a case against Health Minister.
Gilvester, Nandagopal, Kerala minister charged in homicide case, NDTV, May 4, 2007.

The central ministry expressed satisfaction over the steps taken by the state government and has discounted the possibility of sending a team to probe the issue.
The state health minister has clarified her stand stating that she viewed the incident of infant deaths due to infection as a very serious matter.
Kerala health minister clarifies, Times Now, May 5, 2007.

Besides providing the LTTE with finance, the small business ventures in Tamil Nadu played an important role in building the organization's logistics in the 1980s.
Sudha Ramachandran, The business end of terror, Asia Times, May 8, 2007.

In the last three months, 52 Indian hospitals have come under investigation in one of the country's broadest crackdowns yet on illegal organ sales. Of those facilities, two have had their licenses revoked, and 13 remain under investigation.
Scott Carney, Black-Market Scandal Shakes India's Ban on Organ Sales, Wired, May 8, 2007.

Sri Lanka Update: May 8, 2007.

2007-05-08T20:32:00.000+05:30

Five years after a cease-fire, a ferocious ethnic war is again raging between the government dominated by the Buddhist Sinhalese majority and the Tamil Tigers, separatists seeking a homeland for the largely Hindu Tamil minority.
Matthew Rosenberg, Sri Lanka Heads Into New War, Guardian, May 5, 2007.

Nordic truce monitoring mission has said that the Sri Lankan military had recently increased the number of airstrikes and assaults on the northern heartland of the Tamil Tiger rebels.
Bharatha Mallawarachi, Sri Lankan Jets Strike Rebel Targets, Guardian, May 5, 2007.
Easwaran Rutnam, SLMM notes increased Govt. spy plane activity over Wanni, Daily Mirror, May 07, 2007.

The suspension of night-time operations at the BIA and the closure of A9 together mark a virtual acknowledgment that the undeclared low-intensity war between the government and the Tigers has escalated into a full-fledged, undeclared war.
B. Muralidhar Reddy, Undeclared war, Frontline, May 5, 2007.

The recent spate of seizures of arms, weapons, ammunition, explosives and umpteen consignments of deadly raw materials for the manufacture of improvised explosive devices (IEDs) by the Tigers have added to the fears of the public.
V. Jayanth, Alarm bells, Frontline, May 5, 2007.

Meanwhile the Sri Lanka government has warned Indian on the capability of LTTE to strike India’s nuclear installations at any time.

There are indications that the Rajapaksa government will eventually bow to nationalist pressure and keep the British at bay in a diplomatic way.
PK Balachandran, British mediation bid runs into stormy weather, Hindustan Times, May 08, 2007.

Also See:
Dr. Jehan Perera, A TURNING POINT IS BEING REACHED FOR PRESIDENT RAJAPAKSA, NPC, May 5, 2007.

Maldives Update: May 7, 2007.

2007-05-07T21:27:00.000+05:30

The polarised media environment in Maldives, has denied the public a true account on the death of Hussein Salah. On one side, websites screamed blue murder, and on the other, state media withheld information and allowed the police exclusive access to TV Maldives.
Will Jordan, The Salah Saga: The Use And Abuse Of The Media, Minivan News, May 7, 2007.

International Federation for Journalist’s director for Asia-Pacific has described South Asia as being one of the most dangerous places for journalists to work in the world. The IFJ report, claims that the Maldives press freedom record was dismal with constant harassment of journalists.
Kalinga Seneviratne, Media experts criticise “one-sided” Media Freedom Report on South Asia, Daily News, May 7, 2007.

The information minister of Maldives countered the argument saying that he has 6 bills in parliament designed to liberalise the media environment in this far-stretched archipelago of 240,000 people.

“Over the past several years, a modest expansion of media diversity has been met by official crackdowns and harassment of journalists. Freedom of expression and of the press is not provided for in the constitution and are generally not respected by the government in practice,” said Freedom House in its Global Press Freedom Survey released on May 2.
Will Jordan, Press Freedom Day: Opposing Views, Minivan News, May 5, 2007.

On the press freedom day, Aishath Aniya, a journalist was arrested and lifted into the back of a police van in connection with an article she wrote in the paper published March 20, which was seen to be "against Islam.
Ajay Makan, World Press Freedom Day: Protest, Walkout, Arrest And A Possible Deportation, Minivan News, May 3, 2007.

Meanwhile Cartoonist and opposition activist Ahmed Abbas was released from Maafushi prison on 3 May on completing a six-month sentence for saying in Minivan Daily that opposition activists should resist police violence.

Also See:
Kalinga Seneviratne, Report on Media Freedom Under Flak, Inter Press Service, May 7, 2007.

Sri Lanka Update: May 6, 2007.

2007-05-06T18:00:00.000+05:30

Air attacks by the LTTE and retaliation from the security forces have dimmed hopes of the government and the terrorists returning to the negotiating table.
Ravana, World focus on Sri Lanka heightens as conflict intensifies, Nation on Sunday, May 6, 2007.

The Foreign Office estimates that, since that conflict began, nearly 70,000 people have been killed and perhaps more than a million people have been displaced. It is a major conflict in any terms. In recent times, the conflict and death rates have escalated.
Geoffrey Clifton-Brown, The conflict comes to the Commons, Sunday Times, May 6, 2007.

"The fighting in the north is going to be more intense and the (rebels) probably won't withdraw as they did in the east", says Jehan Perera of Sri Lanka's National Peace Council, a think tank.
Sri Lanka seen heading back to civil war — on an even larger scale, IHT, May 5, 2007.

The ground situation, cultural and religious realities practical difficulties and the honesty and genuineness of the Government are the factors to be considered in harnessing all efforts in the direction of an ever lasting solution for Proposals of the all party representatives committee.
Sarath Wijesinghe, Lasting solutions for North and East issue, Sunday Observer, May 6, 2007.

"Attitude of showing a blind eye to the activities of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Ealam (LTTE) on the part of the Australian Federal government has contributed to the build up of the Air Wing of the terrorist group in Sri Lanka", says Singapore based terrorism expert.
Walter Jayawardhana, Federal Govt.'s silence helped terrorist air wing, Sunday Observer, 6 May 2007.

Also See:
B. Raman, COUNTERING LTTE'S AIR CAPABILITY---AN INTERESTING FEED-BACK- INTERNATIONAL TERRORISM MONITOR, South Asia Analysis Group.

N Manoharan , Air Tigers' Maiden Attack: Motives and Implications, IPCS.

Maldives Update: Amin Faizal

2007-05-05T13:30:00.000+05:30

Amin Faizal was sent home. This press statement from his family:

PRESS RELEASE

Firstly, let me thank the Almighty Allah for saving me from Dhoonidhoo where I spent the past 18 days. Secondly, I would like to extend my sincere gratitude to all those people who have campaigned selflessly to secure my release.

Although this regime may continuously persecute me, detain me, may bring ridiculous charges against me and may even throw me into long-term imprisonment, my determination to work peacefully to establish proper democracy in the Maldives is not going to diminish. The more they persecute me, the harder is my resolve to ensure that one day there will be a Maldives where all our people would be able to express themselves freely, assemble together freely and to travel freely without harassment from the authorities. To this end, I am dedicating my life. I know the road ahead could be a rocky one. But with the blessings of the Almighty we will achieve our goals.

Thank you once again for all your kindness and support. I would particularly like to thank my lawyer Mariya Didi for all her dedicated efforts and to the MDP leadership for their hard work to secure my release. I would also like to thank Mr. Mohamed Falah, the Vice-President of Male’ Dhaaira and the rest of my fellow MDP members for their unwavering support. To all those people who campaigned for my release here in the Maldives and abroad, friends and strangers alike, I am truly indebted to each and every one of you.

THANK YOU

Amin Faisal & family

3 May 2007

Sri Lanka: New Proposals for a Peace Settlement, May 5, 2007

2007-05-05T13:09:00.000+05:30

SLFP presents proposals on devolution, Official Government News Portal of Sri Lanka, May 2, 2007.

Responses and critiques by key commentators:
Rohan Edrisinha, The Sri Lanka Freedom Party's Breathtaking Proposals on Constitutional Reform, May 5, 2007. (Also in the Daily Mirror.)
Sumanasiri Liyanage, From a Tragedy to a Farce: Comments on the SLFP Proposals, May 1, 2007 .

Others:
Kasun Ubayasiri, The SLFP proposal for peace and turning the clock back, South Asia Analysis Group, May 3, 2007.
M.S.M. Ayub, It’s all about leaders and their decisions, Daily Mirror, May 5, 2007.
N Sathiya Moorthy, Four -Tier Unit for Power Devolution? Daily Mirror, May 5, 2007.

See also the National Peace Council's Media Release:
04.05.07

Warning Signs that Democratic Space is Threatened

The deterioration in the security situation has had a catastrophic impact on substantial sections of the civilian population, especially those living in the north and east. In this context the government has recently decided to vest powers of the police with the military.President Mahinda Rajapaksa has issued a gazette notification that the armed forces are expected to perform the functions of the police. The National Peace Council is extremely concerned with this latest development. We are apprehensive that this government decision will send wrong signals and lead to an aggravation of the hardships faced by the civilian population.

The new regulations come at a time when there are reports of violations of human rights by both police and military personnel. According to preliminary findings announced by a civic group, PAFFREL, which is working together with the Human Rights Commission and the Police, about 30 police and military personnel are among 452 persons arrested in connection with human rights abuses, including abduction, disappearances and murders. The National Peace Council believes that these findings reiterate the importance of restoring the integrity of law and order processes in the country.

One positive initiative by the government that we welcome has been the order of the Defence Secretary to the security forces that they should strictly follow guidelines that respect human rights in making arrests and detentions. However, the vesting of police functions in the armed forces can negate this positive order. The police function is a civilian one, and the military is not trained in police methods of dealing with disturbances to law and order. This decision can also send wrong signals to the security forces, and to local and international society regarding the direction of the government.

There is an urgent need for the government to demonstrate clear political will in regard to law and order processes if it is to retain the confidence of the civilian population that it is not taking the country on a journey to anarchy and to the breakdown of democratic governance. This past week has seen the assassination of yet another journalist in Jaffna, belonging to the Uthayan newspaper and threats to stop work that are being levelled against NGOs in the name of the TMVP (Karuna group), which TMVP spokespersons deny making. It is incumbent on the government to take these complaints seriously and to take measures to apprehend the culprits so that faith in the democratic institutions of the country may be on the path to restoration.

Executive Director
On behalf of the Governing Council

Southern States Update: May 5, 2007.

2007-05-05T09:00:00.000+05:30

Tamil Nadu is in the midst of a threatening water crisis. Proposal of Andhra Pradesh government to build dam over Palar river has added a new angle to the water conflict.
TN to seek stay on Palar dam project, Chennai Online, May 3, 2007.

Meanwhile a team of technical experts constituted by the Tamil Nadu government inspected the Mullaperiyar dam in Kerala on Saturday to check its strength and unique features.
Experts inspects Mullaperiyar dam, NDTV, April 28, 2007.

Jayalalithaa has asked Karunanidhi to announce as to when the suggestions of the Tribunal would be implemented. History shows that no tribunal has ever come out with an award satisfying all parties to a dispute. The Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal, which gave its final verdict last month after 16 years of deliberations, is no exception.
Sam Rajappa, Cauvery cantata, The Statesman, May 4,2007.

River linking project would hamper drinking water and irrigation facilities required for the southern parts of Kerala says the Kerala government.
Kerala wants river-linking project dropped, Economic Times, May 1, 2007.

Tamil Nadu has been touted as a success story in the achievement of demographic goals.The state has shown, over the last two decades, faster reduction in population growth rate when compared to all other states, except Kerala.
Sukanya Srinivasan, Planning for the future, Sunday Express, April 27, 2007.

Arms Trail: May 5, 2007.

2007-05-05T08:31:00.000+05:30

CM of Tamil Nadu has made it clear that any harm or threat to India’s security will not be taken lightly by the government.
Jaya Menon, Karunanidhi warns LTTE to keep off Tamil coast, Indian Express, April 27, 2007.

The shooting and abducting of the Indian fishermen has become a serious issue and LTTE leadership summoned Manaalan and questioned him.

Meanwhile Chief Minister had written a letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh requesting him to secure the release of the fishermen and to direct the Indian High Commission in Colombo to do the needful.
'TN taking all steps to rescue fishermen', Times of India, May 4, 2007.

The state government also said that it was making all efforts to secure the release of 12 fishermen abducted by the LTTE.
Tamil Nadu taking all steps to release fishermen: CM, The HIndu, April 4, 2007.

AIADMK supremo has pointed out that the policy note for police tabled recently in the assembly stated that Sri Lankan Tamils were behind the smuggling of arms from Tamil Nadu to Sri Lanka. But not a word was there on the LTTE's involvement, she said.

Also See:
M.R. Narayan Swamy, LTTE suffers major blow in Tamil Nadu, Daily Mirror, April 30, 2007.

Sri Lanka Update: May 1, 2007.

2007-05-01T07:15:00.000+05:30

LTTE launched its third air strike on Sunday. The rebel planes bombed two oil facilities, causing minor damage and tripping air defenses that plunged the city into darkness.
Ranga Sirilal, Sri Lanka rebels launch air raid on oil targets, Reuters, April 29, 2007.

The Air strike should be a cause of concern in New Delhi and Washington also, since India and the US had taken the initiative in alerting the Sri Lankans about the potential threat from the skies.

PK Balachandran, Tigers exploit flaws in Lankan air defence, Hindustan Times, April 30, 2007.

Meanwhile the Sri Lankan forces raided the naval base of LTTE killing five cadres including a Tiger leader in the Kayts Islands. The Naval troops also for the first time recovered an Improvised Suicide Device of the LTTE.
Rafik Jalaldeen, Jaffna islands LTTE leader killed, Daily news, May 1, 2007.

Paul Tighe, Sri Lanka Raids Naval Base After Rebel Air Strike, Bloomberg, April 30, 2007.

UNICEF says Karuna faction is not taking seriously its public assurances that it is not recruiting child soldiers. UNICEF spokesman characterized the current level of cooperation with the faction as “stalemated.”
UNICEF says Karuna faction “not serious” about child releases, UNICEF, April 27, 2007.

Tamil Eelam Air Force’s entry into the undeclared war, quite literally “below the radar” is not just a new addition but, it is certainly a worrying development for the Sri Lankan state. For the Tamil Tigers, it has opened up a new dimension of strategy and tactic in terms of conventional warfare.
Chandi Sinnathurai, The Status Of Tamil Statehood, Countercurrents.org, April 30, 2007.

The most worrisome aspect is that the LTTE has been able to acquire even the limited capability of Air Force without being countered by the intelligence and security agencies of Sri Lanka, India and many other countries.
B. Raman, Countering LTTE’s air capability, Daily Mirror, April 28, 2007.

The two aerial raids by the Tigers — targeting the SLAF's main base at Katunayake and the Palali air base — can, in fact, be interpreted as symptoms of desperation.

The LTTE bombing raid on Colombo was unsuccessful in destroying their targets. However, they have once again been successful in demonstrating their ability to engage in unconventional warfare.
Dr. Jehan Perera, Escalating a War Without Conscience, NPC, April 30, 2007.

Also See:
Iqbal Athas, Situation Report, Sunday Times, April 29, 2007.

Maldives Update: May 1, 2007.

2007-05-01T06:59:00.000+05:30

What can be the excuse for detaining Ameen Faizal indefinitely? This is one of many questions that Maldivians are asking. Salah's death in mysterious circumstances, news of attempted suicide by an opposition activist, and the MDP call for civil disobedience contribute to the climate of dissatisfaction that appears to be brewing in the atoll-state.
Ajay Makan, Police Delaying Ameen Faisal Investigation: Lawyer, Minivan News, April 30, 2007.

Meanwhile Hussein Salah’s death has exposed many negative aspects of the Maldivian system; a lack of trust, political and media polarisation, the epidemic of drug addiction and more.
Will Jordan, As Salah Is Buried, A Dire Need For Independent Institutions, Minivan News, April 29, 2007.

The President of the Human Rights Commission (HRCM) has challenged President Gayoom to come up with “a clear policy statement” condemning torture.

Meanwhile Three journalists were arrested at Malé’s Asahara cemetery on 27 April while covering the funeral of Hussein Salah, a government opponent whose body was found on 15 April with his face and body swollen, although the official autopsy said he died of drowning. Police accused the three journalists - Zeena Zahir of the pro-government newspaper Miadhu, e-Sandhaanu website editor Adam Miqdad, and Minivan Daily photographer Mohamed Nasheed - of being demonstrators and not reporters. Zahir was freed a few hours later but the other two have been taken to Dhoonidhoo island prison, near the capital.

Arms Trail: April 27, 2007.

2007-04-27T15:09:00.000+05:30

Tamil Nadu CM has made it clear that the DMK Government would allow no room for the banned terrorist outfit, LTTE, in the State.
Jaya Menon, Karunanidhi warns LTTE to keep off Tamil coast, Indian Express, April 27, 2007.

No LTTE activities in Tamil Nadu: Karunanidhi, ZEE News, April 26, 2007.

Congress has raised the issue of extradition of LTTE leader Velupillai Prabhakaran in the state Assembly. Prabhakaran is the main accused in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case.

Meanwhile the LTTE carried out an attack three days ago on the Palalai military complex in the northern Jaffna peninsula, saying two light aircraft dropped bombs on the base.
Anusha Ondaatjie and Paul Tighe, Sri Lankan Alert Shuts Airport; Rebel Leaders Targeted in Raid, Bloomberg, April 27, 2007.
PK Balachandran, Tigers stage second air attack against Lankan forces, Hindustan Times, April 24, 2007.

Also See:
According to U.N. estimates, there are around 640 million small arms floating around in the world. India with a small arms arsenal estimated at 6.3 million is sixth in the global ranking.
R. Hariharan, Militancy and small arms proliferation, The Hindu, April 20, 2007.

PK Balachandran, LTTE says air force will help claim statehood, Hindustan Times, April 26, 2007.

Maldives Update: April 25, 2007.

2007-04-25T12:15:00.000+05:30

Two former female leaders of the opposition were involved in separate confrontations with law- enforcement authorities.
Aishath Aniya was asked to attend the Supreme Council of Islamic Affairs for questioning in relation to comments she made about the veil in media.
Shehenaz Abdullah was denied an opportunity to address the court and was convicted without a lawyer present.
Ajay Makan, Day Of Turmoil For Female Dissidents, Minivan News, April 24, 2007.

The Government has called on the opposition Party to participate in the proposed Commonwealth -sponsored constitutional conference.
MDP has rejected the invitation, saying that the party’s participation in a Commonwealth -sponsored constitutional conference is “out of the question" since the conference is “another façade” to mask the government’s lack of genuine commitment to reform.
Ajay Makan, MDP Rejects Commonwealth Constitutional Conference, Minivan News, April 24, 2007.

Southern States Update: April 25, 2007.

2007-04-25T11:54:00.000+05:30

Investigations by Campaign Against Child Trafficking (CACT) in Coimbatore reveals that a 42-day-old baby girl was sold by her parents for Rs. 2,000, near Tirupur.
Anasuya Menon, Child trafficking rampant in Coimbatore, The Hindu, April 25, 2007.

AIADMK has accused the DMK government of harassing a a major stakeholder in Jaya TV.
Jaya Menon, ‘DMK govt harassing Jaya TV shareholder’, indian Express, April 20, 2007.

Tamil Nadu police has stepped up the security for former CM Jayalalitha Jeyaram, following a death threat has been issued against her allegedly by the LTTE.
Walter Jayawardhana, Alleged letter issued by the Tamil Tigers threaten to kill former Chief Minister Jayalalitha Jeyaram, Lanka Web.

Meanwhile the LTTE has refuted the allegations saying it had no links with Tamil Nadu or other country’s local politics.

Also See:
The American government’s assessment of Prabhakaran, Lanka Web.

Maldives Update: April 23, 2007.

2007-04-23T16:02:00.000+05:30

Man allegedly killed in police custody has caused clashes among police and opposition activists holding demonstrations.
Roland Buerk, Maldives opposition plan protest, BBC News, April 20, 2007.

Post-mortem to help explain how Hussein Salah died was done in Sri Lanka. Autopsy results have found no sign of torture on the body of Hussain Salah.
Will Jordan, Post-Mortem Complete, Salah’s Body Prepared For Return, Minivan News, April 21, 2007.

Roland Buerk, Maldives man 'was not tortured', BBC News, April 22, 2007.

The interference of the Maldives police in the matter clearly shows that the post mortem examination was conducted on the request of and with extensive involvement by the government of Maldives.
Will Jordan, Post-Mortem “Contradictory And Inexplicable,” Says Family, MinivanNews, April 23, 2007.

Also See:
Letters On The Controversy Over Salah's Death, Minivan News, April 19, 2007.

Letters On Salah's Post Mortem, Minivan News, April 22, 2007.

Ali Rasheed, One Doc Too Many: A Case Study, Minivan News, March 17, 2007

Maldives Update (Ameen Faizal) April 23, 2007

2007-04-23T15:45:00.001+05:30

From Minivan News:

After Six Days In Jail, Ameen Faisal Sees Lawyer

Six days after he was arrested and taken to Dhoonidhoo prison, Shadow Defence Minister, Ameen Faisal, has been able to see his lawyer. Mariya Ahmed Didi visited the prison at 10:30am on Saturday. She reports that she also visited the prison on Friday, but when she arrived officials knew nothing of her visit and she was refused entry. Mr Faisal’s family had voiced concern that he had been denied access to legal advice, labeling it, “a blatant violation of all international human rights treaties.”

Sri Lanka Update: April 22, 2007.

2007-04-22T08:02:00.000+05:30

A multi-million-pound credit card scam at petrol stations across Britain is alleged to be funding the LTTE rebels in Sri Lanka.
Luke Baker, Police probe scam that may fund Sri Lanka rebels, Reuters, April 21, 2007.

Motorists hit by card clone scam, BBC News, April 21, 2007.

Norwegians Against Terrorism (NAT) claims that 90 percent of the LTTE’s funds are coming from sources outside Sri Lanka.
Ayesha Wijeratne, ‘90 percent of LTTE funding comes from outside’, The Nation, April 22, 2007.

Corrupt politicians and governments are bigger stumbling blocks for development of Sri Lanka than the war.
Gamini Warushamana, Conflict not the biggest stumbling block for economic growth - Wimal Weerawansa, Sunday Observer, April 22, 2007.

Meanwhile the Government has rejected the allegations that Defence Secretary threatened a news editor.

In the recent times, there has been a noticeable decline in the freedom of media and in the accuracy and responsibility of media expression in the country as a whole.

The security situation in the North-East hinders progress in particular provinces, Water and sanitation coverage is low in this region with only about one out of every 10 households having tap water.

Although the President has won accolades for protection of Buddhism, and has shown no qualms in confronting the LTTE’s violence with a greater show of strength, he has demonstrated a liberal disposition towards other religions.
Jehan Perera, PRESIDENT’S VATICAN VISIT MAY BRING UNEXPECTED RESULTS, NPC, April 17, 2007.

Also See:
Iqbal Athas, Situation Report, Sunday Times, April 22, 2007.

Wilson Gnanadass, Tamils live in fear and insecurity, The Nation, April 22, 2007.

Southern States Update: April 21, 2007.

2007-04-21T10:30:00.000+05:30

Sri Lankan fishermen have expressed concerns on the adverse effects a 152 kilometer long shipping lane called the Sethusamudram Canal will have on their livelihoods.
A Controversial Canal, Panoscope, April 09, 2007.

Meanwhile the Janata Party President claims to have sent fresh evidence on Ramar Sethu (Adams Bridge) to President A P J Abdul Kalam.

The Navy has proposed to the fisheries department to adopt a novel methodology to minimize incidents of fishermen straying into the Sri Lankan territorial waters.
Permanent Naval base in TN coast soon, New Indian Express, April 12 2007.

Hindu religious leaders warned of a “big uprising” if the dredging did not take an alternative route in the Sethusamudram Canal.
Jaya Menon, Sethu dredging: VHP warns of big uprising, Indian Express, April 18, 2007.

Back in Dhoonidhoo: Ameen Faisal, April 20, 2007

2007-04-20T23:17:00.000+05:30

Amin Faisal, Shadow Defence Minister and the elected President of Male' Dhaairaa of the Maldivian Democratic Party has been detained in the notorious Dhoonidhoo Island in solitary confinment. He was taken into custody while attending the funeral of Hussein Salah who was allegedly murdered by the Maldivian police. Mr.Mohamed Nasheed (Anni), the Chairperson of the MDP was detained at the same time. Mr.Nasheed who has since been released claimed that he was severely beaten up by the police and iscurrently receiving treatment in Sri Lanka.

Ill-treatment and torture of detainees by the Maldivian police are commonly reported in the international media and by the Amnesty International. Dhoonidhoo Prison is especially notorious, and Maldivians refer to it as the Dhoonidhoo Hilton.

Amin Faisal is being held without access to legal representation whichis in contravention of all international humanitarian conventions andthe Maldives is signitory to several of them. His lawyer, Ms.Mariya Didi (whose part in the Maldivian democratization movement was recently recognized by the US State Department), was informed April 20, 2007 at 0930 hours that she would be able to visit him. The police arranged for her to visit Dhoonidhoo, but when she arrived there the island police claimed that they knew nothing of the visit. Therefore she was forced to return without having seen Mr.Faisal.

Mr. Faisal is widely known (in the Maldives) to be diabetic and is also on medication for high blood pressure. His family is extremely concerned for his ill-health. His sister told Minivan News: "I am very concerned for his safety. If Anni was beaten up then there is no reason to believe that the police will treat Ameen any better! I am also very concerned for his health as he is a diabetic (Type II). The fact that he is being denied access to his lawyer is a blatant violation of all international human rights treaties," she added.His wife has also not been allowed to visit him.

Amin Faisal has been targeted by the police on several occasions. He was arrested and detained for several weeks in November 2006 following the Addu Boat Crisis reported extensively here on Subcontinent South.

Will Jordan, 21 In Jail Since Salah’s Death, Including Ameen Faisal, April 19, 2007.

Southern States Update: April 19, 2007.

2007-04-19T13:26:00.000+05:30

The construction of a barrage on the river Godawari by Andhra Pradesh government has run into further problems. Maharashtra Government has lodged a strong protest with the Prime Minister against Andhra Pradesh for creating a law and order situation in Maharashtra.
Dharmendra Jore, AP is creating law and order problem in Maharashtra: CM tells PM , Hindustan Times, April 19, 2007.

Judiciary has intervened only in those areas where the legislature has failed to enact laws for years, says the Supreme Court.

The legal aid cell opened by the Tamil Nadu State AIDS Control Society (TANSACS) has been of immense help to AIDS affected Widows.
Arun Ram, Widows inherit AIDS, wrath in Tamil Nadu, DNA, April 18, 2007.

Sex education not to be introduced at the school level in Karnataka due to widespread opposition.

"Steps should be taken to ensure that Dalits and other oppressed sections got protection within the globalising market", says Agriculture Minister of Karnataka.

Also See:
The drugs which cost 12 times more than the older medicines, will be handed out once India has treated 100,000 AIDS patients with the cheaper drugs.
Abhishek Garg, India to supply cheaper second line HIV drugs, Money Times, April 19, 2007.

Maldives Update: April 17, 2007.

2007-04-17T10:50:00.000+05:30

Custodial death of a heavy construction worker who was arrested on drugs charges has triggered protests and a high tension situation in Maldives.
Row over Maldives 'custody' death, BBC News, Monday, 16 April 2007.
Will Jordan, What Happened To Hussein Salah? Minivan, April 15, 2007.

Violence broke out when Hussein Salah's body was brought for burial. The family refused to grant permission, demanding a post mortem.
Will Jordan, Violent Death Leads To Trouble On The Streets, Minivan, April 15, 2007.

The family’s requests to preserve the body for post mortem was refused.
Ajay Makan, Political Tug Of War Over Corpse, Minivan, April 16, 2007.

Sri Lanka Update: April 15, 2007.

2007-04-15T08:03:00.000+05:30

"The government is using antiterrorism legislation to silence the press," says Sam Zarifi, Asia research director for Human Rights Watch.
President pushing the journalists to support the military in its fight against the LTTE.
Easwaran Rutnam, Lankan journalists under threat, claims HRW, Daily Mirror, April 13, 2007.

The defence ministry has announced the capture of control on the A-5 road linking the town of Chenkaladi and Badulla in the central part of the island. The highway in the eastern province was under Tamil Tiger control for past 15 years.
Sri Lanka troops take key highway from Tigers, Lanka Business Online, April 12, 2007.
Lanka wrests LTTE-held highway, Times of India, April 13, 2007.

Government to appoint an Ombudsman to receive and look into complaints of involuntary disappearances or abductions.
PK Balachandran, Sri Lanka to have ombudsman for disappearances, Hindustan Times, April 14, 2007.

"It is a small step for all parties in the conflict to agree to allow access to independent human
rights monitors but it would make a huge difference to the lives of ordinary Sri Lankans."

Most inhabitants desire an undivided peaceful Sri Lanka, where economic and social development can progress unimpeded.
Hemal Pieris, A call for an immediate cease-fire, for the New Year period, Daily Mirror, April 13, 2007.

India is providing the Sri Lankan military with valuable information that has led to the destruction of many shiploads of LTTE weapons being smuggled into the country.
Jehan Perera, RULING PARTY’S MAY 1 PROPOSALS MAY BRING LIGHT AT END OF TUNNEL, NPC, April 9, 2007.

Also See:
Terrorist & Humanitarian assistance, Reuters, April 13, 2007.

Chandi Sinnathurai,‘Sri Lankan Forces Won’t Attack Tiger Heartland’ - Why? Countercurrents,
April 13 , 2007.

Kishali Pinto Jayawardena, Criticism of the state and the failure of the rule of law, Sunday Times, April 15, 2007.

Southern States Update: April 14, 2007.

2007-04-14T09:59:00.000+05:30

The words of the judiciary have tasted bitter to governments regardless of their being regional or national because the courts base their orders on the Constitution while ruling political arrangements treaded a different measure due to political conveniences.
Cho Ramaswamy, Social injustice, India Interacts, April 14, 2007.

Karnataka tightens surveillance on road. The total cost of the increased vigilance is likely to be around Rs 3 crore, Maya Sharma, NDTV, April 14, 2007.

A jeep carrying 300 kg of explosives blew up near Chennai killing 16. Police said a short circuit caused the explosives to blow up.
The jeep was carrying the slurry explosives along with the detonators against statutory safety regulations. This has been confirmed by a team of explosives experts who examined the blast site.
Jaya Menon, Police blame negligence for blast, Indian Express, April 09, 2007.

Tamil Nadu Government has decided to consult the Centre regarding a greater role for the state in issuing licences to explosives dealers.
Jaya Menon, TN wants bigger say on licences to explosives dealers, Indian Express, April 10, 2007.

India gears up to implement the third phase of its National AIDS Control Programme (NACP) this month.

Tamil Nadu, and Andhra have filed petitions seeking review of the much talked about Supreme Court’s order on police reforms to make the police force across the country more effective
Satya Prakash, Four states files petition in SC over police reforms, Hindustan Times, April 09, 2007.

Arms Trail: April 13, 2007.

2007-04-13T15:57:00.000+05:30

Yet again a boat, carrying seven fishermen, was fired at in the sea off Kodiakarai. Fishermen alleged that they were attacked by the Lankan Navy.
Jaya Menon, Another TN fishing boat fired at, Indian Express, April 6, 2007.

The recent seizure of explosive materials by the various Central agencies shows the existence of a thriving smuggling network between LTTE the operatives and Tamil Nadu fishermen.
Jaya Menon, Indian fishermen may have invited firing from Lanka, Indian Express, April 12, 2007.

Tamil Nadu police have arrested 3 members of the LTTE intelligence wing.
Paul Tighe and Anusha Ondaatjie, India Arrests Suspects From Tamil Rebel Navy Unit, Bloomberg, April 11, 2007.

India to have a full-fledged naval air base near Rameswaram, to increase air surveillance and make presence more felt in the entire Indian Ocean.
Arup Chanda, India to have naval air base in Indian Ocean, Tribune News Service, , April 11

It is believed that many quarries Tamil Nadu have links with the supply chain of explosives to the LTTE.

Also See:

MR Narayanswamy, On to Tamil Eelam: from bicycle to aircraft, Hindustan Times, March 27, 2007.

Maldives Update: April 9, 2007.

2007-04-09T07:12:00.000+05:30

Maldivian government had hired an English expert to help modernize the country’s police force.
Foreign Experts To Reform Maldives Police, Minivan News, October 7, 2006.

But now the Maldives Police Service (MPS) paints a picture of an amateurish, overstaffed, inefficient and poorly organised force.
Will Jordan, Star Force Slated In Leaked Report, Minivan News, April 5, 2007.

John Robertson's letter to Minivan News On His Leaked Report.

Special Majlis Speaker has refused to allow a debate on lowering the voting age for the referendum on a Presidential or Parliamentary style of government to 18.
Ajay Makan, Constitutional Crisis As Government Defies Special Majlis, Minivan News, April 8, 2007.
The government’s sincerity towards the national reform process was thrown into doubt after a majority of ruling party members boycotted Sunday’s sitting of the Special Majlis or constitutional assembly to decide on lowering the voting age to 18 years.
A slap on Maldives youths’ face? Haveeru Online, March 27, 2007.

U.N. Security Council will discuss potential threats to international security from climate change. Maldives faces the threat of being wiped out from the world map due to climate change.
Dire straits, DNA, April 09, 2007.

Also See:
A.S.I. Moosa (Sappe'), The murderous dictator and the 'Bullet-Ballot' propaganda, Dhivehi Observer, 1 April 2007.

Sri Lanka Update: April 8, 2007.

2007-04-08T07:26:00.000+05:30

Sri Lankan peace keepers who are supposed to be monitoring peace have gone from reporting single shots as cease-fire violations to reporting whole battles.
Simon Robinson, Sri Lanka: Endless War, Time, April 05, 2007.

Arm trafficking racket trying to smuggle weapons from the United States to Tamil Tiger rebels were arrested by the US authorities.
US busts Asian network seeking arms for Tamil Tigers; Singapore man pleads guilty, LBO, April 5, 2007.

Former head of the Al Qaeda Unit of the CIA has said that the LTTE has been stealing European passports and supplying them to al Qaeda terrorists.
Walter Jayawardhana, ‘Another channel for al Qaeda to attack US, courtesy LTTE’, The Nation.

One of the biggest benefits for the LTTE, since its demonstration of air strike capability, has been the response of the Tamil diaspora abroad. Intelligence sources confirmed that funding, which slowed down, had resumed in a big way.
Iqbal Athas, LTTE air wing: How it began and what it means, Sunday Times, April 08, 2007.

According to intelligence sources, Sea Tiger leader Soosai wants to do something significant to boost the image of the Sea Tigers as the Tiger Air Wing did by launching an attack on the Katunayake Air Base.
Bogus assumptions, failed attempts leave Tigers in jitters, Sunday Observer, 8 April 2007.

Human Rights Situation Assessment Reports that there is a severe shortage of water and clothing items in the welfare centers. The non-collection of garbage; and the prevalence/spread of chicken pox, hepatitis and diarrhoea are other issues of concern.
Ayesha Zuhair, HRCSL report paints gloomy picture, Daily Mirror, April 07, 2007.

If the current human rights initiatives are to be truly effective and not merely cosmetic, they will need to be tied to a campaign that brings the government and LTTE back to the negotiating table.
Jehan Perera, THE WEAKNESS OF LAW IN A TIME OF WAR, NPC, March 12, 2007.

Reflecting on 'imperfect' democracies and the constitutional process by Kishali Pinto Jayawardena.

The ongoing problem of poverty in Sri Lanka has been attributed to the lagging rural sector growth, limited productivity growth and low or declining productivity.
Sri Lanka on course to reducing poverty by half, Sunday Observer, 8 April 2007.

Southern States Update: April 7, 2007.

2007-04-07T18:32:00.000+05:30

The inter-state row between Andhra and Maharashtra over an irrigation project across river Godavari has further deepened. Maharashtra denies permission for Andhra Pradesh's irrigation minister to visit the project site.
Andhra-Maharashtra water row deepens, India eNews, April 05, 2007.

Meanwhile an intra-state water dispute erupted in Andhra Pradesh when farmers of backward Mahabubnagar district in the Telangana region and Kurnool district in the Rayalaseema region clashed on Friday.
A war over water within Andhra Pradesh, Hindustan Times, April 07, 2007.

Wayanad in North Kerala has seen the country’s highest number of farmer suicides, along with Vidharbha. Water crisis and poor yield has been the prime reason for these suicides.
KA Shaji, How to Grow Water, Tehelka, April 14, 2007.

A 10 Crore scam has come to light in the Andhra Pradesh government's high profile primary education programme.
AP: Funds for primary education swindled, NDTV, April 6, 2007.

The Rival comrades in the ruling party have united to slam the ‘CIA’s bourgeois Kerala media’.

Also See:
A 30-year-old pregnant woman who was living with HIV died after the government healthcare staff denied to provide adequate medical care and hospital admission.
Bobby Ramakant, Another death of pregnant woman with HIV is alarming, Asian Tribune, April 07, 2007.

Southern States Update: April 4, 2007.

2007-04-04T18:00:00.000+05:30

Begging is a multi million dollar industry in India and is looked on as a social rather than criminal problem. Tamil Nadu has a notoriety for scandals involving illegal removal of kidneys as Indians are very reluctant voluntary donors.
Siddharth Srivastava, It can pay to be a beggar in India, Asia Times, April 3, 2007.

Opposition leader writes to Prime Minister regarding realignment of Sethusamudram Channel Project for national security.

Opposition party leader of Pondicherry has stressed the need for enforcement of Goondas Act to curb rowdyism in the Union Territory.
Enforcement of Goondas Act sought in Puducherry, New Indian Express, April 4, 2007.

Kerala government to abide by the suggestions of central water commission in constructing a new dam to avoid the potential safety threat.
Kerala firm on new dam at Mullaperiyar, New Indian Express, April 4, 2007.
Kerala Minister for Water Resources has produced the documents signed by Tamil Nadu Special Officer for Inter-State Waters in December 1979, indicating the need for a new dam.
Kerala questions Karunanidhi's stance, The Hindu, April 4, 2007.

Meanwhile the killing of Indian fishermen on the pretext of straying into Lankan territorial waters, not just to poach but to smuggle essentials to the LTTE continues. For the first time five fishermen from Kanyakumari have been killed, it is not certain that the attackers were the Lankan Navy.
Fishermen in Tamil Nadu observed a daylong shut down on Tuesday against the alleged killings of five fishermen by the Sri Lankan navy.
Jaya Menon, 6 days on, attack at sea a whodunnit, Indian Express, April 04, 2007.

The centre is now seriously looking at the option of coordinated patrolling with both navies patrolling their own waters instead of joint patrolling.
Indo-Sri Lanka coordinated patrol in Palk Straits likely, The Economic Times, April 5, 2007.

Maldives Update: April 3, 2007.

2007-04-03T20:15:00.000+05:30

Officially legalisation private broadcasting in the Maldives was announced on Wednesday by Minister of Information, Mohamed Nasheed.
Private Broadcasting? Yes But Not Much, Minivan News, March 28, 2007.

Mohamed Nasheed admits that Maldives is so far from seeing true press freedom. In Maldives, "the media is nothing but political activism.”
Abdulla Sharif, Why The Media Is More Than Political Activism, Minivan News, March 31, 2007.

Maldives today called for making the South Asian Free Trade Agreement (SAFTA) fully operational.

Maldives Representative to the U.N has dismissed the UN concerns over religious freedom. UN Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion had published a strong critical report in August 2006.
Will Jordan, Sobir Hits Back At UN Criticism, Minivan News, March 28, 2007.

People of Ihavandhoo have indulged in a protest over the delay of ADB funded electricity project.
Brutal crackdown imminent say protestors in Ihavandhoo, Dhivehi Observer, March 31, 2007.
Protest in Ihavandhoo still going strong, Dhivehi Observer, April 3, 2007.

The protests have triggered another bout of violence between the police and public. Opposition parties have been demanding the resignation of Commissioner Adam Zahir after recent spate of police violence.

Also See:
Will Jordan, One Year On But Little Reform: MDP, Minivan News, March 27, 2007.

Sri Lanka Update: April 1, 2007.

2007-04-01T15:09:00.000+05:30

Study conducted on Tsunami affected women in Sri Lanka, Maldives and India reveals that they face a heightened risks of violence, impoverishment and lack of privacy.
Onkar Pandey, Post-tsunami violence against women on rise: report, Reuters, March 31, 2007.

Ban Ki-moon has appealed to Lankan authorities and Tamil Tigers to break this vicious cycle of attack and retaliation, which only leads to more bloodshed and victims.
UN chief `disturbed` by escalating violence in Sri Lanka, Zee News, April 01, 2007.

The intrusion of the Tiger Air Wing light aircraft was made possible because the Indian built air defence radar was not operational.
Iqbal Athas, Air Tiger thunderbolt jolts nation, Sunday Times, April 01, 2007.
Air Chief Marshal has declared that the Air Defence system provided by India was an outdated equipment and no corrective action has been taken by Indian High Commission in Colombo in spite of complaints.
Defence chief drops bombshell on India, Sunday Times, April 01, 2007.

International diplomatic community has remained silent to LTTE claims of being the only terrorist group in the entire world with their own air strike capability.

The security situation was overblown by the international media. Prestigious global television channels, reported that the Colombo international airport was bombed causing further panic.
Elmo Leonard, Countering air strikes: improve trade, joint ventures and goodwill overseas, Sunday Observer, April 1, 2007.

Sri Lankan and Indian intelligence services believe that the LTTE is developing a mini submarine.
Walter Jayawardhana, LTTE develops mini submarine, The Nation, April 1, 2007.

UN and the International Red Cross claim that Sri Lanka is fast rivalling Darfur in Conflict Escalation.
Dan McDougall, Human cost of Sri Lanka's jungle battles, Guardian, April 1, 2007.

Lankan court has blocked access for an internationally supervised team probing grave human rights abuses in Sri Lanka as the island faces mounting criticism for extra-judicial killings.

Former Ontario prime minister Bob Rae insists that ethnic conflict will never end unless Colombo recognises 'the legitimate collective and individual rights of the Tamils'.
For peace, Sri Lanka has to change: Canadian leader, RxPG News, March 31, 2007.

Also See:
Taking the Tamil community for a ride, Sunday Observer, April 1, 2007.

Many deaths in Sri Lanka fighting, BBC, March 30, 2007.

Southern states update, March 27, 2007.

2007-03-27T16:36:00.000+05:30

LTTE becomes the first rebel outfit in the world that has carried out an aerial attack without external support. India views the attack with serious concern.
India concerned over LTTE air attack in Lanka, Hindustan Times, March 26, 2007.
Concern after LTTE air attack, NDTV, March 26, 2007.

Al Umma, fundamentalist outfit, has been rejuvenated and is trying to enforce edicts on the Muslim community in and around Tamil Nadu.
Jaya Menon, In Tamil Nadu town, fundamentalists play moral cops, even kill to have way, Indian Express, March 26, 2007.

Dharmapuri still remains a backward district and a hotbed of Naxalism.

HRD Ministry reconsiders the Central legislation route to operationalise the Fundamental Right to Education enacted in 2002.
Right to education: move to opt for Central legislation, The Hindu, March 26, 2007.

Computer training programme to counter child trafficking by enabling them access to information and create awareness.

Also See:
Menaka Raman, The elixir of life, New Indian Express, March 23 2007.

Maldives Update: March 26, 2007.

2007-03-26T18:53:00.000+05:30

UNDP constitutional expert to Maldives determined to develop the first democratic constitution in an Islamic state.
UNDP Expert Sets Out Vision For Maldives, Minivan News, March 22, 2007.

National Security Act is to be submitted to the parliament soon but the effectiveness and suitability of the Act remains to be seen.
Dhivehi Dhariyeh, Reform and Restructure of the National Security Service, Minivan News, March 1, 2007.

Submarine Cable link between the Maldives and India inaugurated. Maldivian government proclaims that telecommunications at an affordable rate is its prior policy.

In terms of politics in Maldives, Islam has been reduced to a language in which politicians compete to exhibit their faith. Deputy Secretary General criticized for her public comments about the veil.
Politics Behind The Veil, Minivan News, March 23, 2007.

Also See:
Andaman military base gears for energy security role, RPG News, March 23, 2007.

Sri Lanka Update: March 25, 2007.

2007-03-25T09:07:00.000+05:30

LTTE launches its first air strike in its entire combat history against the Lankan Army. A light aircraft bombed a Sri Lankan air force base next to Colombo international airport before dawn on Monday, killing three airmen and wounding 16.
Simon Gardner and Ranga Sirilal, Sri Lanka's Tamil Tigers bomb base in first air raid, Reuters, March 26, 2007.
PK Balachandran, LTTE attack on army camp kills 9 in SL, Hindustan Times, March 27, 2007.

Peace Secretariat of the LTTE has released images of Tamileelam Air Force. The rebel group has threatened further attacks.

Lankan Health Ministry gears up to minimise the social stigma and discrimination against those living with HIV/AIDS.
Shanika Sriyananda, Laws soon to minimise AIDS stigma, Sunday Observer,March 25, 2007.

Clashes between the Army and Tigers intensifies resulting in heavy causalities. Army advanced into an area held by the rebels, shifting the battle lines to the island's north.
Sri Lanka death toll rises as army battles rebels, Alert Net, March 24, 2007.
Amal Jayasinghe, Sri Lanka battle lines shift, toll hits 37, Lanka Business Online, March 23, 2007.

A situation report of the war in the Wanni region by Iqbal Athas.

There is a growing recognition for the human rights of women Migrants and the need for gender equality from the government and the UN system.
Rene Wadlow, Protecting Women Migrants, PeaceJournalism, March 19, 2007.

Rajapaksa has denied that there is any ethnic or religious discrimination in the country by PK Balachandran.

Other Reports on Sri Lankan Conflict:
Tigers retreat, lost in the jungles, Sunday Observer, March 25, 2007.

Senpathi, Battling the Tigers and displaced, The Nation, March 25, 2007.

H. L. D. Mahindapala, Save the Tamils their children from the Tigers, asiantribune, March 25, 2007.

Southern states update, March 24, 2007.

2007-03-24T16:40:00.000+05:30

Naxal-sponsored rally attended by several frontal organisations of extremists hailing from Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, West Bengal and Orissa.
Jaideep Deogharia, Naxal-sponsored rally in capital keeps cops on toes, The Times of India, March 24, 2007.
Meanwhile the Supreme court has declared the Special promotion policy for cops fighting Naxals valid.
Kuldip Nayar, Gandhians vs Naxalites, Cybernoon, March 22, 2007.

Debate on nudity vs civility by local newspaper enrages the Jain community in Karnataka. Clash between the freedom of the press and religious sentiments is currently underway in Karnataka.
Maya Sharma, Jain community enraged at nudity debate, NDTV, March 22, 2007.
The issue further heats up with the physical abuse by the Karnataka police on the editor. The Editors Guild of India has condemned the attack.
Editors Guild of India condemns Karnataka Police's highhandedness, Daily India, March 22, 2007.

Also See:
Sandeep, Compromising India's Naval Security, Desicritics, March 23, 2007.

Southern states update, March 22, 2007.

2007-03-22T21:14:00.001+05:30

On World Water Day, a look into water politics which is on the rise and would dominate both domestic and international spheres, in the days to come.
Ankush Khanna, World Water Day: Coping with Water Scarcity, Zee, March 22, 2007.
Meanwhile studies were being conducted by the Kerala Government to submit a detailed statement in the case filed by Tamil Nadu challenging the Kerala Irrigation and Water Conservation (Amendment) Act.
Roy Mathew, Nothing wrong in Kerala conducting studies on Mullaperiyar Dam: Minister, The Hindu, March 21, 2007.

Kerala Government claims to have taken note of a media syndicate in the state, where a few journalist were in a payroll of the CIA.
Don Sebastian, Is media in Kerala on CIA payroll? DNA, March 20, 2007.

2007-03-22T21:14:00.000+05:30

Kerala ranks seventh among Indian states in gender-based violence and the state's women are most prone to suicides on account of harassment.
Akhel Mathew, Violence against women rampant,Gulf Times, March 20, 2007.

On World Water Day a look into water politics which is on the rise and would dominate the sphere, both domestic and international, in the days to come.
Ankush Khanna, World Water Day: Coping with Water Scarcity, Zee, March 22, 2007.
Meanwhile studies were being conducted by the Kerala Government to submit a detailed statement in the case filed by Tamil Nadu challenging the Kerala Irrigation and Water Conservation (Amendment) Act.
Roy Mathew, Nothing wrong in Kerala conducting studies on Mullaperiyar Dam: Minister, The Hindu, March 21, 2007.

Kerala government claims to have taken note of a media syndicate at work in the state, where a few journalists were on the payroll of the CIA.
Don Sebastian, Is media in Kerala on CIA payroll? DNA, March 20, 2007.

Southern states update, March 21, 2007.

2007-03-21T21:37:00.000+05:30

In Tamil Nadu, cradles were introduced 15 years ago to prevent female infanticide. But the move just prompted the women to opt for female foeticide in place of female infanticide.
Sreelatha Menon, Cradling a solution? Business Standard, March 18, 2007.

Tamil Nadu a shining example as to how AIDS prevalence could be controlled and stands first among the States for testing the maximum number of people for HIV at voluntary counselling.
Tamil Nadu an example in AIDS control: Minister, The Hindu, March 21, 2007.
Tamil Nadu becomes the first state in the country to launch a free nutritional supplement programme for people living with HIV/AIDS.

Meanwhile the LTTE threat has resurfaced yet again in Tamil Nadu in the past ten days indicating that the LTTE-Indian broker nexus is getting stronger in the country.
LTTE threat resurfaces, Times Now, March 21, 2007.
Tamil Nadu chief minister backtracks from his idea of the joint operation against LTTE.
Karuna spoils Sri Lankan ploy, DNA, March 20, 2007.

Also See:
V. Sundaram, NGOs, subversive activists and foreign funds - I, News Today.

Maldives Update: March 20, 2007.

2007-03-20T22:01:00.000+05:30

Maldivian society are conscious of the need for reform”, but will that professed acknowledgment translate into judicial reform actually taking place?
Adam Cooper, Will Judicial Reform Happen? MinivanNews, March 14, 2007.
Maldivian NGO Slams Rice Pudding Trial, Minivan News, March 18, 2007.

Maldivians becoming more conscious of Human Rights Violations.
Celebrating human rights in the Maldives, Aliran Monthly, March 16, 2007.

Sri Lanka Update: March 18, 2007.

2007-03-18T08:18:00.000+05:30

On the state of the conflict and the ceasefire:
Ahilan Kadirgamar, Island in crisis, Hindustan Times, March 8, 2007.
Human Rights Watch Press Release, Act to End Serious Abuses in Sri Lanka, March 13, 2007.
Sri Lanka seeks U.S. pressure on Tamil Tiger funds, Reuters, March 16, 2007.
Norwegian truce dead- All sides agree, OneWorld South Asia, March 17, 2007.
Iqbal Athas, Situation Report, Sunday Times, March 18, 2007.

On another note: Yet again placing the onus of social harmony on women, the Sri Lankan government has imposed a ban on young mothers in taking up jobs as housemaids in foreign countries ostensibly to minimise social disruption.Women pay the penalty through loss of livelihood.
Sri Lanka Ban on Young Mothers Working Abroad Hasty, OneWorld South Asia, March 17, 2007.

Southern states update, March 16, 2007.

2007-03-16T20:48:00.000+05:30

Maoist rebels have attacked a remote police station in Chattisgarh, killing 49 police officers. This incident has spread waves of fear in Andhra Pradesh, a naxal hit state.
Centre gropes for solution to Naxal terror, Hindustan Times, March 16, 2007.
Meanwhile in Andhra Pradesh the police have unearthed a major Naxalite arms dump.
Major Naxalite arms dump found in Andhra Pradesh, Zee TV, March 16, 2007.

Amidst the scenario of unresolved Cauvery Dispute, the Andhra Pradesh Government has set into motion plans to bring Godavari water to the State capital.
Godavari water for city by 2009, Andra Cafe, March 15, 2007.

The two allies of the UPA were at each other’s throats over the issue of the introduction of a Bill in Parliament that proposes to establish a maritime institution in Chennai instead of Kolkata.
One ugly tango, Hindustan Times, March 15, 2007.

The rise in number of missing children have created alarm in Kerala. The government has decided to set up a Missing Children Bureau (MCB) under the Social Welfare Department.
Kerala to set up bureau for missing children, New Indian Express, March 16, 2007.

Over 27,000 child labours rescued countrywide and put in schools.

Southern States Update: March 14, 2007.

2007-03-14T21:27:00.000+05:30

The politics of language continues to be a theme in Indian politics.
Jaya Menon, Tamil & only Tamil? Only for masses, Indian Express, March 14, 2007.

Lack of coordination among the state and central level security agencies have provided the much needed platform for the LTTE to have a free run in spreading its network in Tamil Nadu. The ruling party of Tamil Nadu making a clear distinction between support to Tamils struggle for their rights and the LTTE's war.
Intelligence agencies blamed for LTTE's free run in TN, New Indian Express, March 14, 2007.
Col R Hariharan, LTTE Ripples in Tamil Nadu, Asiantribune, March 14, 2007.

Meanwhile in Kerala Capital punishment was awarded to a serial rapist for raping and killing a two-year-old girl in August 2005.
Don Sebastian, Serial rapist gets death in Kerala, DNA News, March 13, 2007.