Monthly archive

By Wajid Ali Syed – Washington Correspondent for Asian Tribune

Dick CheneyFormer Vice President Dick Cheney has said that harsh questioning techniques authorized during the Bush administration helped to stop terrorist attacks that were in the planning stages. Dick Cheney told the CBS program "Face the Nation" that he has no regrets and those techniques were the right thing to do. "I'm convinced, absolutely convinced, that we saved thousands, perhaps hundreds of thousands of lives. I think if you look at this intelligence program when things are quieter 20 or 30 years from now, you will be able to look back on this and say this is one of the great success stories of American intelligence."

By Janaka Perera

Champika RanawakaEnvironment and Natural Resources Minister Patali Champika Ranawaka told the Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation's Sinhala Service this week that the politicians and NGO ‘peaceniks’ who deliberately prolonged Sri Lanka’s armed conflict for 30 years under the pretext of searching for ‘peace’ and ‘negotiated settlements’ with the LTTE should be put on trial at the Galle Face Green, Colombo. The parents and families of thousands of security forces members and police personnel - who perished in vain as a result - should determine the punishment to be given to the guilty.

M.A. Qader-Asian Tribune Correspondent in Bangladesh

Two separate courts on Tuesday sent BNP’s two former lawmakers M Rashiduzzaman Millat and Nadim Mostafa to jail. Both of them were convicted in graft cases filed during the regime of the immediate past army-backed emergency government. Judge Firoz Alam of Special Court-1 sent Millat to jail as he appeared before the court and sought bail in a corruption case against him. On the other hand, Judge Lutfa Begum of Additional Sessions Judge's Court in Rajshahi sent Nadim to jail after he appeared before the court yesterday afternoon.

United States of America said that it was deeply concerned about the situation in Sri Lanka. Ian Kelly, the US State Department Spokesman said that Secretary Clinton is talking to her colleagues about it. He added that the Secretary had a meeting, with the French Foreign Minister Kouchner yesterday, has another one today (12 May). "And I think the Secretary is very concerned about this and very engaged in it."

Hilary Rajakarunanayake, Editor – Sri Lanka, Asian Tribune

Sri Lankan Army sources describe it as yet another canard and fabrication the news item prominently carried on some international media on Tuesday that a hospital has been shelled inside the conflict zone by the Sri Lanka Army, killing at least 45 persons, according to LTTE and alleged hospital sources. Military sources said they had penetrated LTTE defence lines and were advancing along a coastal strip to the south of the area still held by the LTTE, and where a large number of civilians are still held hostage by the outfit. The military had observed the LTTE cadres laying booby traps to destroy buildings and also carrying out suicide bomb attacks causing considerable injury and damage in the area where they were fast losing control of.

By Janaka Alahapperuma from London

"Our Capital city has been brought to a standstill by a bunch of demonstrators who have, in effect, occupied Parliament Square" MP for Aldershot, Mr Gerald Howarth angrily told at the House of Commons debate in British Parliament on 11th May 2009. Mr Howarth was supported by many other British Parliamentarians including the Speaker of the House of Commons, Michael Martin. House Speaker Martin said "demonstrating is part of a democracy, but no one has ever expected a demonstration to hijack Parliament square and the roads, and thereby stop others performing their democratic duties". He also promised the House to provide more information regarding this matter, later in the week.

Kosh Raj Koirala – Asian Tribune Correspondent in Nepal

Madhav Kumar NepalIt is now almost certain that senior leader of CPN-UML Madhav Kumar Nepal will be new prime minister of Nepal as all three regional parties that are key to form a new coalition, agreed in principle to support a new government led by the UML. At a meeting of 18 of the 24 political parties representing in Constituent Assembly held on Tuesday, the Madhesi People’s Rights Forum (MPRF), Sadbhawana Party (SP) and Tarai-Madesh Democratic Party (TMDP) extended support to the UML-led government. However, they have not decided yet whether they would join the coalition government to hold ministerial portfolios. They are expected to make their stance clear on the issue by Wednesday.

Hilary Rajakarunanayake, Editor – Sri Lanka, Asian Tribune

A conference of South Asian countries to improve TV and Radio in South Asia was inaugurated Monday 11 in Beijing. Sri Lankan Minister of Mass Media and Information and Minister of Enterprise Development and Investment Promotion, Anura Priyadharshana Yapa, SLBC Chairman Hudson Samarasinghe, and Rupavahini Technical Advisor Saman Ediriweera are the participants representing Sri Lanka.

By Wajid Ali Syed – Washington Correspondent for Asian Tribune

The US special representative to Pakistan and Afghanistan says a proposal to triple nonmilitary aid to Pakistan "corrects" previous policies that focused too heavily on aid to Pakistan's military. Richard Holbrooke told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee that the Bush administration focused on the "wrong issues" and provided Pakistan with what he described as a "pathetic" amount of aid, considering the threat that extremists in the region pose to the United States. A bill proposed by the top two senators on the panel, chairman John Kerry and Richard Lugar, seeks to triple nonmilitary aid to Pakistan to $1.5 billion annually for the next five years.