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No international probe will be allowed: Rajapaksa

May 29, 2010 By vani Leave a Comment

Colombo, May 28 — Sri Lanka will not allow outsiders to hold an enquiry into allegations of war crime during the final stages of the battle between government troops and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), President Mahinda Rajapaksa has said. “I don’t want my internal matters to be inquired by any other country or any other NGOs.

We will look after that,” Rajapaksa told in an interview to Al-Jazeera television channel. When asked if any civilians were killed during the final phase of the war, Rajapaksa said no non-combatant was killed, adding the civilians trusted the Sri Lankan Army and came to the government controlled areas.

“It’s a war, you’re right. By the way the people came to this side, to the government-controlled areas, you can see.

If Sri Lankan army acted in a different way, against the civilians, they would never have trusted us. They wouldn’t have walked into our camps.

300000 people. So that shows our army, they trusted our army,” he said.

When questioned by the journalist if he would take action against those who have committed war crimes even if they connected to him the President said: “If it is a crime, whether it is my relation, or my army commander or anybody. It is immaterial.

It’s a crime, crime is a crime, so we have to punish them.” But he added: “we can’t punish a person for defeating terrorism.

So if the international community wants to punish Sri Lanka for defeating terrorism, I’m not for that.” “Be fair with us .

be fair with us .

don’t treat Sri Lanka like this because we defeated terrorism,” Rajapakse said.

Filed Under: International News Tagged With: al-jazeera, Army Commander, civilians, Colombo, Crime Crime, final phase, government troops, Internal Matters, jazeera television, liberation tigers of tamil eelam, Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE)., Mahinda Rajapaksa, ngos, Outsiders, president mahinda rajapaksa, rajapakse, sri lankan army, television channel, war crime, war crimes

Protests begin against Indo-SL trade pact

May 27, 2010 By vani Leave a Comment

Colombo, May 26 — Renewed protests have begun against a comprehensive bilateral trade agreement between India and Sri Lanka days before President Mahinda Rajapaksa is slated to fly to New Delhi. The Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) – which would take forward the current Free Trade Agreement between the two countries – would benefit India at the cost of domestic industries, protesters said. A large number of entrepreneurs including doctors, lawyers and engineers gathered at busy junction in Colombo and urged Rajapaksa not to ink the deal during his visit beginning June 8. The Island newspaper reported that they were carrying placards sayings “Not to Sign CEPA – Harmful for Sri Lanka” and “Stop Indian Trade Invasion of Sri Lanka”. The main opposition, United National Party, has also asked for amendments to CEPA. The party said that CEPA would affect Sri Lankan service sector as the agreement would open avenues for Indian professionals to come to Sri Lanka. UNP MP Ravi Karunanayake told reporters that the government should look at the Sri Lankan perspective and focus on ways and means to protect Sri Lankan exports and on the Sri Lankan service sector. He said CEPA should not allow the Indian doctors and other professionals to come into the Sri Lankan market.

The CEPA was effectively pushed to the background after the 2008 SAARC summit in Colombo when it was expected to be signed but was deferred after political opposition mounted. That opposition, quite clearly, is yet to be convinced otherwise.

Filed Under: International News Tagged With: Bilateral Trade Agreement, CEPA, Colombo, economic partnership agreement, free trade agreement, Indian Doctors, indian professionals, Mahinda Rajapaksa, Political Opposition, president mahinda rajapaksa, protesters, Ravi Karunanayake, saarc summit, sayings, service sector, sri lankan market, trade pact, United National Party, Unp Mp, ways and means

LTTE poses threat to Indian VVIPs

May 27, 2010 By vani Leave a Comment

Colombo, May 26 — The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) might be militarily decimated in Sri Lanka but big neighbour India is not taking any chance. It recently extended the ban against LTTE as an “unlawful association” capable even now of jeopardising “VVIP security” and compromising India’s “territorial integrity.” The notification’s mention of LTTE’s goal of creating a “Tamil homeland” is interesting. “And, Whereas, the LTTE’s objective for a separate homeland (Tamil Eelam) for all Tamils threatens the sovereignty and territorial integrity of India, and amounts to cession and secession of a part of the territory of India from the Union,” the gazette notification said. So, it means that the LTTE’s larger goal – at least according to the Indian government which once trained and nurtured the LTTE – was to carve out a separate country for Tamils comprising members of the community from across the shallow waters of the Palk Strait. Intriguingly, it added that while the LTTE remnants look upon the Sri Lankan government as “enemies” they look upon the Indian government as “traitors” – or those who were once trusted but have betrayed that trust.

A political scientist in Colombo said India’s “very specific” fears were not surprising and the extension of the ban was expected.

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Sri Lanka trying to deflect probe into war crimes: rights group

May 8, 2010 By vani Leave a Comment

New York, May 8 (IANS) Sri Lanka’s suggestion that a newly announced commission will provide accountability for laws-of-war violations during the armed conflict with the Tamil Tigers is another attempt to deflect an independent international probe, Human Rights Watch said Saturday.

Human Rights Watch urged UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to take steps to ensure accountability through an independent international investigation into the alleged laws-of-war violations.

The announcement of a commission on ‘lessons learnt and reconciliation’ came after a months-long campaign by Colombo to prevent Ban from setting up a panel of experts to advise him on accountability in Sri Lanka.

In May 2009, after the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) was crushed, President Mahinda Rajapaksa signed a joint communique with Ban promising that ‘the government will take measures to address allegations related to violations of international humanitarian and human-rights law’. But no substantive steps have been taken.

‘Every time the international community raises the issue of accountability, Sri Lanka establishes a commission that takes a long time to achieve nothing,’ said Brad Adams, the Asia director at Human Rights Watch.

‘Ban should put an end to this game of smoke and mirrors and begin a process that would ensure justice for all the victims of Sri Lanka’s war,’ Adams said.

The government has yet to publish the findings from a committee established in November 2009 to examine allegations of laws-of-war violations despite an April 2010 deadline.

When the committee was announced, Human Rights Watch warned that it was just a smokescreen to avoid accountability.

According to conservative UN estimates, 7,000 civilians were killed and more than 13,000 injured from January to May 2009. Other estimates suggest that as many as 20,000 were killed.

Government officials, including the president, have repeatedly insisted that no violations by government forces took place.

On Thursday, the Sri Lankan government announced it will establish a commission to report on the lessons learned from the conflict and reconciliation efforts.

According to the government statement, the committee will consist of seven Sri Lankans, located in Sri Lanka and abroad, but will have no international involvement.

Filed Under: International News Tagged With: allegations, armed conflict, Asia Director, Ban Ki Moon, civilians, Colombo, government officials, human rights watch, International Investigation, Issue Of Accountability, lessons learnt, liberation tigers of tamil eelam, Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE)., Mahinda Rajapaksa, president mahinda rajapaksa, reconciliation, smokescreen, tamil tigers, UN Secretary General, war crimes

India asks SAARC members to rally against terrorism

April 27, 2010 By vani Leave a Comment

Thimphu (Bhutan), Apr.27 (ANI): India has asked other SAARC members to rally against forces of terrorism.

Addressing the SAARC Council of Ministers meeting here, Indian External Affairs Minister S M Krishna said: “Terrorism poses a serious danger to the economic stability of any civilized society. The South Asian region is particularly afflicted by this menace. The time has come for us to rally against the forces of terrorism that seek to divide and weaken our societies.”

India also asked fellow SAARC members to support the early ratification of regional instruments such as the Convention on Mutual Assistance in Criminal Matters signed at the Colombo in 2008, and the proposed UN Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism (CCIT).

Krishna expressed the hope that crucial agreements on motor vehicles, railways, rapid response
to natural disasters, multilateral arrangement of conformity assessment activities of goods and services and regional MRA on product certification will also be finalized at the earliest.

Pakistan has reportedly vetoed the agreement on rapid response to natural disasters, citing security concerns. (ANI)

Filed Under: International News Tagged With: civilized society, Colombo, Conformity Assessment Activities, council of ministers, Criminal Matters, economic stability, External Affairs Minister, international terrorism, krishna, motor vehicles, Mra, Mutual Assistance, natural disasters, railways, Rapid Response, ratification, saarc members, security concerns, Serious Danger, South-Asian region

Sri Lankans rally for Fonseka’s freedom

April 8, 2010 By vani Leave a Comment

A day before Sri Lanka’s general election, protesters are rallying to demand the release of opposition candidate General Sarath Fonseka.

General Fonseka has been in detention since shortly after he lost the presidential election to the incumbent, president Mahinda Rajapaksa.

While the government says the General is being detained for unlawfully engaging in politics while in uniform, his supporters say the government has shut down free speech in the lead-up to the poll.

Opposition activists gathered outside Colombo’s main train station.

Only a day earlier police allegedly assaulted and arrested 12 Buddhist monks who were staging a hunger strike at the same site to demand General Fonseka’s release.

Senior monks have described the actions of the police as an unforgivable sin. But this time hundreds of police officers did not intervene.

The crowd cheered as General Fonseka’s wife, Anoma, joined the sit-in. Ms Fonseka says people are afraid to speak out against the government.

“Everybody can understand, we can’t open our mouth, we can’t express our feelings also, so we don’t have democracy,” she said.

General Fonseka has been detained since February 8 and is facing a court martial for allegedly becoming involved in politics before he retired from the military.

The former army commander will still be running as a candidate in tomorrow’s election, even though he is in detention.

One Fonseka supporter, politician and former Sri Lankan cricket captain Arjuna Ranatunga, says the people of Sri Lanka are trying to send a message to the government.

“We have been sending a lot of messages; it is so unfortunate they can’t hear or see, or they don’t want to see,” he said.

“They know that the people are very angry.

“No-one is going to talk about it. If you talk about it either you will be in prison or you will be under the soil. So it is very, very dangerous. It is getting out of hand now.”

But the government says the election will be free and fair.

Thousands of police and soldiers have been deployed to keep the peace.

After a big victory in the presidential election, Mr Rajapakse is confident his ruling alliance will be returned.

Mr Rajapakse called the poll two months ahead of schedule, hoping to capitalise on the momentum of his win.

Analysts are now waiting to see whether the government can secure a two-thirds majority, which would allow it to implement constitutional reforms.

The executive director of the Centre for Policy Alternatives in Colombo, Dr Paikiasothy Saravanamuttu, is worried a large majority could suffocate dissent.

“Two-thirds majorities I think are inherently dangerous because they lead to authoritarianism of one kind or another. I think it will be very dangerous,” he said.

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Maldives to host Akon concert after Sri Lanka ban

March 31, 2010 By vani Leave a Comment

Washington, March 31 (ANI): The Maldives will now host an Akon concert after a ban imposed by Sri Lanka.

The protest by local Buddhists forced Akon to abandon his show, which was to happen in Sri Lanka, is finally in Maldives.

The singer was slated to perform in Colombo on 24th April (10) but was cancelled when Buddhist activists showed their anger against a profane video the promoters played outside their headquarters.

The activists were upset as Akon”s new video ‘Sexy Chick’ featuring women wearing bikini were played in front of a Buddha statue.

Even Akon’s apologies didn’t help him get the dates again.

But thanks to Maldives government officials, who saved his planned dates.

Any of the Akon’s representative is yet to answer officially but President Mohamed Nasheed”s press secretary Mohamed Zuhair claims the singer has happily accepted their offer to host his concert.

“We are very happy he is planning to come and perform.” Contactmusic quoted Zuhair as saying. (ANI)

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Sri Lankan author arrested ‘for offending ethnic Sinhalese Buddhists’

March 29, 2010 By vani Leave a Comment

Colombo, Mar 29(ANI): Sarah Malini Perera, a Sri Lankan author who has written two books about her conversion from Buddhism to Islam, has been arrested for apparently offending ethnic Sinhalese Buddhists.

According to the police, Sarah, who was born in Sri Lanka, but has lived in Bahrain since 1985 and converted to Islam in 1999, was arrested last week under the country’s strict emergency laws.

They declined to provide details about Sarah’s offence, but suggested that her books were deemed to have caused offence to ethnic Sinhalese Buddhists.

The 38-year-old writer’s family members claim that she was detained for trying to mail copies of her books overseas.

Sarah’s sister has reportedly said that the police had acted on a tip-off by a member of a Buddhist nationalist party, who worked at the cargo company handling the books.

She added that Sarah had recently completed two books on her conversion, called ‘From Darkness to Light’ and ‘Questions and Answers’, and was having them printed in Sri Lanka.

The arrest comes a week after protests by Buddhist nationalists prompted the Sri Lankan Government to refuse a visa to Senegalese-American singer Akon, who was due to perform in Colombo next month.

The Buddhist activists protested over a recent video of Akon, which showed bikini-clad women dancing by a pool with a Buddha statue in the background.

Meanwhile, the Bahrain Human Rights Society (BHRS) secretary-general Dr. Abdulla Al Deerazi has urged Sri Lankan authorities to free Sarah.

“There is something called freedom of opinion, if it’s not offending any religion. I believe the books written by Sarah are not against Buddhism,” The Times quoted Deerazi, as saying on the BHRS web site. (ANI)

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Indian cricket team leaves for South Africa

September 19, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Mumbai, Sept 18 (ANI): The Indian cricket team left for South Africa from here on Friday to participate in the Champions Trophy.

South Africa has been a happing hunting ground for India who was runners-up in the one-day World Cup in 2003 and Twenty20 World Cup champions four years later.

India has received a boost before their Champions Trophy campaign when in-form opener Gautam Gambhir was passed fit to return after injury.

The left-hander has recovered from a groin strain and will travel with the team to South Africa, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) said in a statement on Thursday.

India, already without the explosive Virender Sehwag, were sweating on Gambhir’s fitness after the Delhi batsman missed this month’s tri-series in Sri Lanka.

India won the Colombo tournament, also involving New Zealand and the hosts, and went into the prestigious eight-team event as one of the favourites after not having lost a one-day series in the past year.

India has been grouped with defending and world champions Australia, Twenty20 champions Pakistan and former champions West Indies in the preliminary phase.

A young Indian batting unit struggled against short-pitched bowling in this year’s Twenty20 World Cup in England.

Ishant Sharma will spearhead the five-man pace attack in the absence of experienced left-arm pacer Zaheer Khan, who has been ruled out until the end of the year after undergoing surgery on an injured shoulder. (ANI)

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Tendulkar scores 44th ODI ton in Sri Lanka

September 15, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Colombo, Sep.14 (ANI): India’s Sachin Tendulkar scored his 44th ton in one-day internationals on Monday.

The new landmark came off 91 balls against Sri Lanka in the finals of the Compaq trilateral series being held at the Premadasa Stadium in Colombo.

The ton came in the 33rd over of the Indian innings. At the time of the filing of this report, India had scored 195 for the loss of Rahul Dravid’s wicket. Dravid was caught of the bowling of left-arm spinner Sanath Jayasuriya for his individual score of 39. Tendulkar and Dhoni have completed a century partnership of 104 balls. (ANI)

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Indian cricket team leaves for Sri Lanka, Kirsten rues Sehwag’s absence for tri-series

September 10, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Chennai, Sep. 9 (ANI): Before boarding a special Air Indian flight for Colombo on Wednesday,Indian cricket team coach Gary Kirsten said the team would draw inspiration from its past success in Sri Lanka and also cope with the “huge” loss of explosive opener Virender Sehwag during the the tri-series involving Sri Lanka and New Zealand in the island nation.

The Indians will play their first match against Sri Lanka on Thursday.

Asked who would be opening the innings with Gautam Gambhir, Kirsten said, “We are not sure about the combination. We would decide it on the day of the game. But obviously, missing Sehwag is huge. He is a high quality player and any team would love to have him in the mix. But we have got a lot of depth in the team.”

Kirsten also said that he was quite excited about Rahul Dravid’s return to the team after being out for close to two years.

“It’s great to have him. With the sort of experience he brings, it’s going to help the team. It’s great,” he said.

A clean-sweep in the short series would catapult India to the top of the ICC ODI rankings and Kirsten said being the best in the world is high on the team’s list of targets for the next eight months.

“We have set our goals. One of them is to be the best cricket team in the world. We are headed that way and we are very excited. We know we have to perform well as we continue the quest to be the best,” Kirsten said.

He said that the six week long break for the team was great.

Asked about the team’s chances in the tri-series, Kirsten said, “We won the last two series in Sri Lanka and we are confident. But we think ahead and don’t harp on the results ofthe past. We have got a good batting line-up which is quite flexible in the middle. We would like to mix it up during the series.” (ANI)

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Jet Airways deadlock continues, flights cancelled

September 10, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

New Delhi, Sep 9 (ANI): Jet Airways flights were cancelled for a second consecutive day on Wednesday following a row between the airline management and its pilots over the sacking of two of their senior colleagues.

The management has sacked five more pilots, bringing the total number of those fired to ten. owever, the striking pilots are seeking a compromise formula, as a meeting will be held between them and Jet Airways chairman Naresh Goyal.

Earlier, Goyal said inconvenienced passengers were being accommodated on other foreign and domestic airlines in the country.

“We are trying our best, we are transferring passengers to a lot of domestic carriers in India, and lot of foreign airlines in India so that we minimise the inconvenience to customers… We are willing to sit with them (pilots) and to follow certain guidelines and rules and not create inconvenience to customers and passengers,” Goyal told TIMES NOW.

Jet Airways had also sought the Directorate General of Civil Aviation’s (DGCA) intervention to resolve the crisis. Last month, Jet Airways had terminated the services of two of its senior most pilots, saying their services were not required after both formed a trade union body within the company.

A conciliatory meeting was called on August 31 between the Jet Airways management and the union, which claims to have representation of over 650 pilots. Jet Airways has 1000 pilots on its rolls.

Meanwhile, Air India has come to the rescue of the Indian cricket team scheduled to go to Colombo today by a Jet Airways flight for the tri-nation one-day series.

Air India will fly a special plane to carry the Indian cricket team to Colombo. The plane will take off from Chennai and go to Bangalore to take Indian captain M S Dhoni and leg spinner Harbhajan Singh before finally leaving for Colombo. (ANI)

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Kiwis relieved about Sehwag’s absence during tri-series

September 8, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Colombo, Sep.8 (ANI): New Zealand cricketers have expressed relief that swashbuckling Indian opening bat Virender Sehwag will not feature in the tri-series in Sri Lanka and in the upcoming Champions Trophy in South Africa because of a shoulder injury.

A shoulder injury means New Zealand avoid one of the most devastating strikers of a cricket ball.

It maybe recalled that during the recent one-day series in New Zealand, Sehwag had tonked 299 runs at an average of 74.25 to help India win by a margin of three games to one.

“It is a relief,” said vice-captain Brendon McCullum when asked about the significance of Sehwag not leading off the Indian order in against New Zealand on Friday.

“The way he played against us in the home summer, he was pretty terrifying at the top of the order,” stuff.co.nz quoted McCullum, as saying.

“He really tore us apart so to not have him in their team is a bit of a blow for them,” he added. (ANI)

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Cricket world’s first digital trophy up for grabs during Lanka tri-series

September 8, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Colombo, Sep.8 (ANI): The trophy to be given to the winner of the tri-Series between Sri Lanka, India and New Zealand in Colombo is no longer just an inanimate object that will gather dust in a cricket boardroom cabinet. Rather, it will be the world’s first digital silverware.

Tournament sponsors Hewlett Packard’s Compaq Cup has broken new ground by incorporating an LCD screen into the 4.8kg award. Match-winning moments for the triumphant squad, key statistics, photographs and fan messages will be uploaded once the winner has been determined so the holder will be able to revisit memories of their success, stuff.co.nz reports.

Fans can log on to www.compaqcup.com and leave messages of support for their favourite players and team; the top 10 entries decided by the television commentary team will also be uploaded.

The tournament starts today when Sri Lanka play New Zealand. New Zealand and India clash on Friday before Sri Lanka host their neighbours 24 hours later.

The top two teams contest Monday’s final before all three head to South Africa for the Champions Trophy, which starts on September 22. (ANI)

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India has a chance to be number one ODI team: ICC

September 7, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Dubai, Sep.7 (ANI): India has a chance to claim the number one spot in the Reliance Mobile ICC ODI Championship when it turns out for the tri-nation series involving host Sri Lanka and New Zealand.

The series begins at the R Premadasa Stadium, Colombo from Tuesday.

India trails number-one ranked South Africa by just one rating point, but if it wins all the three matches (including the final), it will gain two ratings points which will put it in number one position for the first time since the rankings were introduced in October 2002.

However, if India loses one match in the tournament, it will stay on 126 ratings points while defeat in two matches will drop it to 123 ratings points.

There is plenty at stake for Sri Lanka and New Zealand as well in the forthcoming series.

Daniel Vettori’s side can narrow the gap with the third-placed side if it finishes unbeaten in the series as in this case it will rise to 119 ratings points. Kumar Sangakkara’s side will also gain six ratings points if it makes a clean sweep in front of its own supporters.

Sri Lanka has been a hard team to beat on its home turf. While India leads Sri Lanka 59-42 in head-to-head records, Sri Lanka has won 22 matches and lost 16 to India in the previous 42 encounters between the two sides in Sri Lanka.

Sri Lanka has also dominated New Zealand when playing in its territory, having won 10 out of 16 matches with one no-result. Overall, New Zealand narrowly leads Sri Lanka 34-30.

Meanwhile, England has dropped two places to sixth after slumping to defeat in the opening two ODIs against Australia in London. Australia won the opener at The Oval by four runs and then doubled the lead at Lord’s where it won by 39 runs.

As such, Australia has climbed to 123 ratings points after gaining four ratings points while England has slipped from fourth to sixth place.

However, England can still move ahead of Australia if it wins the remaining five matches in the series. On the other side of the coin, if Australia maintains its winning spree and claims the series 7-0 it will jump to128 ratings points while England will slide to 101 ratings points.

In the Reliance Mobile ICC ODI Player Rankings for ODI batsmen, India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni and vice-captain Yuvraj Singh renew their battle for the number-one spot. At present, Dhoni leads Yuvraj but the rankings can be reversed if Dhoni struggles and Yuvraj shines with the bat.

Besides Dhoni and Yuvraj, India boasts two more batsmen inside the top 20. Little master Sachin Tendulkar occupies 12th position with a place in the top 10 well within his sights while opener Gautam Gambhir shares 17th spot with New Zealand’s Ross Taylor.

Sangakkara is the only Sri Lanka batsman inside the top 20, sitting just outside the top 10 in 11th position. Mahela Jayawardena is in 30th position while Tillekeratne Dilshan is 32nd.

In the Reliance Mobile ICC Player Rankings for ODI bowlers, Sri Lanka’s Nuwan Kulasekara is feeling the pressure from New Zealand duo of Kyle Mills and Daniel Vettori. With only 36 points separating Kulasekara from Vettori, a change at the top of the order looks inevitable.

Sri Lanka also has Muttiah Muralidaran inside the top 20 in fifth position while Ajantha Mendis is in 12th spot while 23rd placed Harbhajan Singh is the highest-ranked India bowler in the absence of 16th placed Zaheer Khan. Jacob Oram is the other bowler from the three sides to figure inside the top 20 in 17th spot.

Shakib Al Hasan of Bangladesh leads the Reliance Mobile ICC Player Rankings for ODI all-rounders. Oram is in third position while Yuvraj Singh is in fifth position, just five points behind. Sri Lanka’s highest-ranked all-rounder is Sanath Jayasuriya in 12th spot. (ANI)

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Sri Lanka’s expulsion of UNICEF official is a clear warning to all UN agencies: ACHR

September 7, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

New Delhi/Colombo, Sep.7 (ANI): A New Delhi-based human rights watchdog has said that the expulsion of a senior UNICEF official by the Government of Sri Lanka “is a clear warning to the UN agencies and all relief workers not to speak out about the situation of 300,000 Tamils who are being interned.”

Suhas Chakma, Director of the Asian Centre for Human Rights, said: “It is worse than the way UN agencies are treated by authoritarian regimes and sets a new low. Burma treats aid workers better.”

Chakma was referring to Colombo’s move to give James Elder, UNICEF’s head of communications in Colombo, two weeks to leave the country after he expressed concerns about the plight of Tamils in the government-run “welfare camps”.

Elder is the first UN official to be expelled from the country. He was told that his diplomatic status will be revoked, even though his visa does not expire until next July.

There was no response from the government yesterday, although it has been reported that immigration authorities in Colombo had been instructed by the government to cancel the visa.

According to local newspapers, the government had been angered by remarks made by Elder to the media about the conditions in government camps that are home to almost 300,000 Tamils displaced after the Sri Lankan army routed the separatist Tamil Tiger rebels in May.

Elder warned recently that the island’s impending monsoon would flood the refugee camps, and called on the government to act.

UNICEF and the government had been involved in a war of words over who was responsible for supplying the camps with basic facilities such as toilets and tents. The government said criticisms over lack of facilities should be levelled at the aid agencies.

UNICEF pointed out ultimate responsibility for the camps rested with the government, and that the UN’s support had been greatly hindered by the government’s restrictions on access to the camps.

Elder, an Australian national, was a familiar figure to those who covered the bloody end game of the Sri Lankan civil war. He had been working in Sri Lanka for UNICEF since July last year and had been featured on foreign television news channels as well as quoted in international media. (ANI)

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Vettori cleverest finger spinners in the world, says Boock

August 30, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Colombo, Aug 30(ANI): Former New Zealand cricketer Stephen Boock reckons that captain Daniel Vettori is one of the cleverest finger spinners to grace the cricketing world.

“Everyone knows what Dan bowls: little spinners that turn away [from the right-hander] or ones that skid through, that’s the guts of it. There’s no secrets in his armoury but the way he uses what he’s got is the best I’ve seen,” Boock told the Sunday Star-Times.

“What you’ve got to do is be able to read the wicket and work out what is about this wicket that will give me the best result. How fast should I bowl, how much effort should I put into turning he ball. Dan either does that naturally or by learning,” he added.

Speaking after Vettori double feat of 3000 runs and 300 wickets, Boock said Vettori’s intelligence as a bowler was without peer, as he possessed the ability to figure up the pitch in order to adjust his bowling pace and spin to get the best results, Stuff.co.nz reports.

“Dan’s not a flamboyant player, but he’s a clear thinker who has a good understanding of cricket and he will have no expectation that he will be treated as a movie star because that’s not what he is: he’s a spin bowler who works very hard,” Boock said.

He further said that if Vettori keeps on playing for another four-five years, he could go beyond Sir Richard Hadlee as New Zealand’s wicket-taker and could join Kapil Dev. (ANI)

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“Baseless” match-fixing ‘rumours’ badly affecting morale of players: Alam

August 26, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Karachi, Aug.26 (ANI): Pakistan cricket coach Intikhab Alam has once again denied match -fixing allegations during the Sri Lanka series, asking cricket fans not to believe and pay attention to such rumours.

Terming the reports about Pakistani players being approached by Indian bookies during the Sri Lanka series as ‘baseless’ and ‘far from truth’, Alam said such allegations affect the morale of the players.

“More than match-fixing, its false reports of bookies meeting our players and things like that which sort of ruin everything,” The News quoted Alam, as saying.

“It is very important for us to stop suspecting our players each time we lose because it is affecting them a lot,” he added.

Media reports claimed that Pakistani players were approached by some Indian bookies in their team hotel in Colombo.

Pakistan’s dismal show both in the Test and one-day series during the tour fuelled match fixing allegations.

However, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) had immediately rejected such allegations.

Later, the International Cricket Council (ICC) also gave a clean chit to the cricketers. (ANI)

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Vettori included in New Zealand selection panel

August 25, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Colombo (Sri Lanka), Aug 24(ANI): New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori has been included in the cricket selection panel, which has underwent few alterations in the past week.

From the previous panel, convener Glenn Turner is the only person to remain, while, Dion Nash has stepped down citing business and family commitments and John Wright has stepped aside to concentrate on the development area.

Vettori has been included in the selection panel along with Mark Greatbatch, who was previously a selection adviser and coach Andy Moles.

“We’ve thought through them all and we’ve made it very clear to Dan if he is sidelined with a long- term injury, he would no longer be on the selection panel. Taking on the role of captain has increased his performance on the field, so, I don’t think added responsibility is something we need to worry about,” stuff.co.nz quoted Justin Vaughan, New Zealand Cricket chief executive, as saying.

Vaughan further said that the decision was influenced by the norm of senior captains around the world having a major say in selection.

“If you look at the likes of Ricky Ponting and Graeme Smith, they have a lot of say even if they are not part of the formal decision,” Vaughan said.

He also said that Vettori’s relationship with other players is extremely strong and having him as a selector would not make any difference.

“We felt there was no point beating around the bush. We wanted Dan to have a say in the selection of his team,” Vaughan said.

Meanwhile, the old panel did name a 15-member one-day squad for the Champions Trophy in South Africa, starting from September 22.

The players are Daniel Vettori (captain), Shane Bond, Neil Broom, Ian Butler, Brendon Diamanti, Grant Elliott, Martin Guptill, Gareth Hopkins, Brendon McCullum, Kyle Mills, Jacob Oram, Jeetan Patel, Jesse Ryder, Ross Taylor and Daryl Tuffey. (ANI)

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Pakistan asks Sri Lankan Army to train its armed forces in counterinsurgency operations

August 21, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Colombo, Aug.21 (ANI): Pakistan has asked the Sri Lankan Army to provide training to its armed forces.

Following the Sri Lankan Army’s tremendous success against the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), the Pakistan Government wants it to train their security personnel in counter-insurgency operations, Commander of the Sri Lankan Army, Lieutenant General Jagath Jayasuriya said.

Jayasuriya said several other countries have also sought information regarding the strategy adopted by the armed forces which helped them to weed out the LTTE, the Dawn reports.

Former Sri Lanka Naval Chief Admiral Wasantha Karannagoda, who is currently the National Security Adviser, had recently said that the strategies and tactics adopted by the Sri Lankan navy to tackle the LTTE’s naval arm could be very useful for other countries as well.

“Future conflicts would not be like facing battleships and destroyers but small and fast boats of non-state rogue navies which could be indulging in insurgencies, piracies and trafficking of various kinds,” Admiral Karannagoda had said.

It may be noted that Islamabad had provided help to Colombo during the war against LTTE by providing arms and ammunitions when other countries had refused. (ANI)

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