Monthly archive

By Farzana Shah-Asian Tribune Correspondent in Pakistan

Kifayatullah, the son of chief of Tehrik-e-Shariat-e-Muhammadi (TNSM), Sufi Muhammad was killed on Thursday when hit by a mortar shell in Darro village of Maidan as the security force gear up operation against the militants in Lower Dir. The TNSM sources confirm the death of Kifayatullah saying he has died while his brother in-law Fasihullah along with two other people has been injured. ‘I have been informed by the family of Maulana Sufi Mohammad that his son, Kifayatullah, has died and his brother-in-law is seriously injured,’ said the TNSM spokesman, Amir Izzat Khan. Kifayatullah was TNSM Thereek’s Arabic School teacher. He was said to be a well mannered man and was not involved in TNSM activities or any militancy.

By Thalif Deen - Inter Press Service

The U.N. Security Council, which has remained virtually paralyzed on Palestine because of strong Western support for Israel, is considered equally ineffective on Burma (Myanmar) because of Chinese and Russian backing for the military junta in that politically troubled Southeast Asian nation. A 60-page study by the New York-based Watchlist on Children and Armed Conflict released here says it is time for the Security Council to "move swiftly" to protect the tens of thousands of Burmese children who are "raped, abducted and recruited as soldiers by the country's military and non-state armed groups (NSAGs)." Asked why the Security Council continues to remain silent on Burma, Julia Freedson, director of Watchlist, told IPS there are several possible reasons.

Faiszer MusthaphaSri Lanka Tourism, on Wednesday, introduced the proposed new brand strategy to the Middle East market, highlighting the effective eradication of terrorism which has been a key drawback in developing the country as a tourist destination during the last 25 years. "We have caged the tiger and restricted the terrorists to less than 4 sq. km. Due to the human shield; the Government of Sri Lanka is unable to clear this area in an overnight operation. But soon, LTTE terrorism will have no standing in Sri Lanka which will open-up the entire country for tourism, followed by the much awaited new brand strategy, introduced this month, to the international market," said Deputy Minister of Tourism, Faiszer Musthapha.

Hilary Rajakarunanayake- Sri Lanka Editor, Asian Tribune

President Mahinda Rajapaksa summoned a meeting this evening of all International NGOs and other NGOs in the country to discuss ways and means of settling the various pressing problems faced by the Internal Displaced Persons (IDPs) in the North. Several suggestions were exhaustively discussed with a view to ameliorating the condition of the IDPs. Among those present at this meeting were Senior Advisor to the President Basil Rajapaksa, Disaster Management and Human Rights Minister Mahinda Samarasinghe, Defence Secretary Ghotabhaya Rajapaksa, and Minister of Resettlement and Disaster Relief Services Abdul Risath Bathiyutheen.

Education Minister Susil Premajayantha, who is the General Secretary of United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA) praised the activities of the Paris Branch of Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) and urged the SLFP members to work in close coordination with like-minded political groups to assist the development work in the country, especially the development plans in the northern province and the eastern province. "As you work in harmony with all groups of expatriate Sri Lankans, you will be able to coordinate activities in order to ensure maximum support for the motherland from the expatriate community," Mr Premajayantha advised members of SLFP Paris Branch held in Paris on March 5, 2009.

The anger of Jeremy Page, the South Asian correspondent of "The Times" is understandable: his application for the journalistic visa was rejected; when he tried to make the entry as a bogus tourist incognito, was caught at the Katunayake airport and then deported from Sri Lanka. Since then Jeremy Page has been doing the obvious; he spread venom in his writing against Sri Lanka in "The Times". One of his fans found his obsession with the war against Tamil Tigers funny, by expressing, "Jeremy goes nuts after his visa denial."

Hilary Rajakarunanayake, Editor – Sri Lanka, Asian Tribune

Douglas DevanandaPolice have traced a plan to assassinate Social Services and Welfare Minister Douglas Devananda. A Police source said that several CID sleuths had been recently employed to catch the culprits. According to Police, Rs. 20 million received from the LTTE has been promised to the suspected contract killer to assassinate Minister Devananda. A married couple residing in the first floor of the Pettah Fish Market was used by the LTTE to carry out the plan.

M.A. Qader-Asian Tribune Correspondent in Bangladesh

The ambassadors of European Union member states on Thursday said they will "observe" how the Awami League government delivers on its election promises. At a press conference in Dhaka marking the Europe Day , European Commission mission head Stefan Frowein said the ruling Awami League government could not perform faster than the caretaker government. He said the EU countries would inject more development aid into Bangladesh despite economic recession in Europe.