Archive for the ‘News’ Category
International Women of Courage Award Winner: Jansila Majeed, Sri Lanka
2010 International Women of Courage Award Winner
Jansila Majeed is the Managing Trustee of Community Trust Fund in Puttalam province. The Trust oversees a number of programs on minority and women’s issues, including women’s rights, peace building, relief work, working with young people, and mine-risk education in the North and East. Jansila Majeed’s own particular focus is on uniting the Muslim and Tamil communities in her province.
Having lived as an internally displaced person (IDP) for almost 20 years, Jansila Majeed was forcibly evicted from north province with all Muslims by The LTTE in 1990 she is an IDP Muslim from northern Srilanka , She did her early education in Jaffna Kadicha Muslim Ladies college and her A/L in Jaffna Osmaniya Muslim boys College has become an energetic activist for services for displaced Muslim and Tamil civilians, focusing particularly on grassroots programs on life skills, health, and women’s empowerment. Her activism began in 1992 with a working group of five people. She overcame both the general neglect of the problem of IDPs in the Muslim minority as well as some short of community strictures against women activists to build a broad-based organization that works on minority and women’s issues in a highly sensitive and politicized environment. For Video
New National Identity card to be introduced in 2010
Commissioner of the Registration of Persons Deprtment, A.G. Dharmadasa said that a new National Identity card with enhanced features would be introduced before the end of year 2010. Noting that tenders will be called within the next six months, Mr. Dharmadasa said that several security aspects including the fingerprints of the ID card holder would be introduced.
He added that NIC that is currently in use will be issued to applicants for the timebeing, targeting the forthcoming General Elections.Meanwhile, reports say that temporary identity cards for the forthcoming General Elections will not be issued through the Registration of Persons Department.
R. M. Imam a Jaffna muslim in TNA national list
R.M. Imam, Mathlaparanam Abraham Sumanthiran, S. K. Sittampalam,Velupillai Sivayogam, David Naganathan ,Nachchiar Selvanayakam, Senathirajah Sriskandarajah Kandiah Sarveswaran, Kunam Angelo Ahilan, Periathamby ,Kanagasahapathy
Turkey asks Lankans not to bring Methadone
Turkey has issued a statement advising Sri Lankans travelling to Turkey not to carry a medicine called ‘Methadone’ due to the high potential of misuse and addiction.
Turkey’s position has been conveyed to the Lankan mission in Delhi requesting Sri Lankans to strictly adhere to this regulation.
3 muslim names in UPFA national list
Mohomad Musammil, A. H. M. Azwer, U. L. Shaul Hameed have been given slots in the National List of the UPFA, UPFA National List consists of 27 names
New electorial records in Amparai, Colombo
New records in Sri Lanka’s electoral history has been set with some 836 candidates contesting in Colombo and 66 political parties and independent groups contesting from the Digamadulla (Ampara) district,
election officials said. From the Colombo 22 political parties and 16 independent groups have fielded 22 candidates each in district to elect a total number of 19 mps However the Ampara list will be the longest ballot paper with 66 parties and independent groups contesting. They have fielded 660 candidates
University admissions to be increased up to 25000
Steps are taken to increase the student intake for Universities up to 25000 said the Chairman of the University Grants Commission (UGC) Professor Gamini Samaranayake. The Chairman of the UGC addressing a media briefing held at the Media Ministry yesterday (15) said that the student intake will be increased with the completion of the infrastructure facilities of the Northern and Eastern Universities. Out of all the applicants only about 46% of students are selected for the University education. He also said that around 21000 students will be enrolled for the Universities this year and that the student intake for the academic year 2009/2010 has been increased by 1000
President Rajapaksa conferred doctorate in Moscow
Sri Lankan president Mahinda Rajapaksa has been conferred an honorary doctorate by People’s Friendship University of Moscow.Mr. Rajapaksa, who is presently on a tour of Russia, received the Honoris Causa diploma from the university’s rector Prof. Vladimir M. Filippov yesterday (Feb. 06).
Formerly known as Patrice Lumumba University, the university is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. On his first state visit after being elected to a second term, the Sri Lankan president is due to meet with his Russian counterpart Dmitry Medvedev and prime minister Vladimir Putin.The three-day tour by Mr. Rajapaksa will also see Sri Lanka signing a 300 million dollar loan agreement for the purchase of military and dual-purpose equipment, according to RIA Novosti news agency.
Saudi Arabia provides US$ 50 mn. for humanitarian relief
The Saudi Arabian Embassy in Colombo, said that its government has contributed US$ 50 million for humanitarian relief work in Haiti.“The money was handed over to the United Nations Fund.It was announced by the UN Secretary General”,the embassy said.
Mannar Bridge, causeway nearing completion
The Construction work on new Mannar Bridge and the causeway connecting the Mannar Island with the mainland are now nearing completion, with funds by the Japanese Government. The new bridge spanning 157.1 meters in length and 10.4 meters in width has been constructed with two lanes of carriageway and sidewalks on the Medawachchiya–Mannar–Thalaimannar (A 14) Road. The causeway has been extended up to 3.14 km in length and 11.0 m width comprising 2 lanes of carriageway.
This bridge which was damaged due to a terrorist bomb blast in 1990 was restored with a temporary steel bailey bridge which was narrow in width and was restricted for heavy vehicles of over 10 tons, the report said. Approximately 41,000 people living in Mannar Island will directly benefit by this project which will vastly improve the market approachability and facilitating transportation at a low cost.
Sri Lanka’s Malays Want More Political Space On The Island
In Sri Lanka’s ethnic cocoon, the minority Malay population is searching for more political space to voice their socio-economic rights.
An estimated 50,000 Malays, mostly descending from the Indonesian archipelago and southern Malaysia, are the minorities among the minorities in the country’s 20 million population.
In post-war Sri Lanka, the Malays are worried if their social-political mobility would be stifled without proper political representation in the island’s multi-ethnic make-up, as a bulk are still in the economically-backward segment.
“About 30 per cent of the Malays are in the middles-class while 60 per cent are in difficult circumstances, living below the poverty line.
“They don’t have regular income or proper housing, access to universities and government jobs are difficult because these are allocated according to ethnic proportion, and Malays are less than one per cent (of the population),” Sri Lanka Malay Association president Iqram Cuttilan told Bernama in the capital.
In the island state, Singhalese make up 74 per cent of the population, 12 per cent are Tamils, while another 12 per cent are Moors, who are Muslims (Muslim community is made up of the Moors, Malays and Indian Muslims).
The Malays, who were brought into Sri Lanka as soldiers by the Dutch in the late 1600s, still profess Islam, speak the Malay language, and continue to preserve their own culture and heritage of their forefathers.
But now, the new generation of Malays wants to be equally represented in the mainstream Sri Lankan society which, to some degree, has been ethnically polarised.
“We are lobbying the government to nominate a Malay MP (member of parliament) to represent Malays in Parliament. We are not being heard in the parliament, the minority rights cannot be articulated now,” said Iqram.
The Malays have assimilated well into the Sri Lankan society and lived side by side with the other ethnic groups for decades.
Many are multi-lingual, with Singhalese, Tamil, Malay and English widely spoken among the Malay community. But their voice remains muzzled.
The pearl-shaped island had been torn apart by ethnic conflict for the past 30 years, when a Tamil separatist group took up arms against the Sri Lankan establishment, demanding a separate homeland for its two million people.
The war ended disastrously last May.
Even in last week’s sixth presidential election, votes of unhappy Tamils (in the north) and Muslims (in the east) clearly swung to the opposition, once again signalling their dissatisfaction of being marginalised.
BERNAMA
COLOMBO, Jan 31 (Bernama) — In Sri Lanka’s ethnic cocoon, the minority Malay population is searching for more political space to voice their socio-economic rights.
An estimated 50,000 Malays, mostly descending from the Indonesian archipelago and southern Malaysia, are the minorities among the minorities in the country’s 20 million population.
In post-war Sri Lanka, the Malays are worried if their social-political mobility would be stifled without proper political representation in the island’s multi-ethnic make-up, as a bulk are still in the economically-backward segment.
“About 30 per cent of the Malays are in the middles-class while 60 per cent are in difficult circumstances, living below the poverty line.
“They don’t have regular income or proper housing, access to universities and government jobs are difficult because these are allocated according to ethnic proportion, and Malays are less than one per cent (of the population),” Sri Lanka Malay Association president Iqram Cuttilan told Bernama in the capital.
In the island state, Singhalese make up 74 per cent of the population, 12 per cent are Tamils, while another 12 per cent are Moors, who are Muslims (Muslim community is made up of the Moors, Malays and Indian Muslims).
The Malays, who were brought into Sri Lanka as soldiers by the Dutch in the late 1600s, still profess Islam, speak the Malay language, and continue to preserve their own culture and heritage of their forefathers.
But now, the new generation of Malays wants to be equally represented in the mainstream Sri Lankan society which, to some degree, has been ethnically polarised.
“We are lobbying the government to nominate a Malay MP (member of parliament) to represent Malays in Parliament. We are not being heard in the parliament, the minority rights cannot be articulated now,” said Iqram.
The Malays have assimilated well into the Sri Lankan society and lived side by side with the other ethnic groups for decades.
Many are multi-lingual, with Singhalese, Tamil, Malay and English widely spoken among the Malay community. But their voice remains muzzled.
The pearl-shaped island had been torn apart by ethnic conflict for the past 30 years, when a Tamil separatist group took up arms against the Sri Lankan establishment, demanding a separate homeland for its two million people.
The war ended disastrously last May.
Even in last week’s sixth presidential election, votes of unhappy Tamils (in the north) and Muslims (in the east) clearly swung to the opposition, once again signalling their dissatisfaction of being marginalised.
– BERNAMA
Duped Muslims, Tamils voted against President: SB
By J.A.L. Jayasinghe
Muslim and Tamil voters duped by foreign extremist forces voted against President Mahinda Rajapaksa, said S.B. Dissanayake at a media briefing at Kandy.
He added that the Muslims and Tamils should not be blamed. They must be provided with more and more facilities. Parents would not be confronted with the calamity of abducting children for war in the North and East.
Several LTTE supporters and foreign forces supported General Sarath Fonseka, he asserted.
Continuing he said, “The war has ended. The beneficiaries are the Muslims and Tamils in the North and East, particularly the business community. Tamils in the Estate Sector voted against the President as a consequence of a dispute between Thondaman and Digambaram. That situation should be overcome. The President’s victory is ample evidence that the rumours have been rejected by the people. A majority has evidently voted for the President,” he stressed.
He said he would enter parliament after contesting a seat at the upcoming general election.
dailymirror
There was a plot to assassinate me — President
President Mahinda Rajapaksa has warned that the country could have faced a dangerous situation if the results of the Presidential Election was overturned illegally. He said this was the first time in the country’s history that there was such a high level of political mud-slinging. The President made this statement while addressing a meeting with heads of media institutions. He revealed that even letters threatening public officials had been sent for expressing views on the government’s development programme.He also revealed that there were plans to imprison him, murder Defence Secretary Gothabaya Rajapaksa at the Galle Face Green and also kill Parliamentarian Basil Rajapaksa.
The President divulged to the media chiefs details of a massive conspiracy which was to be carried out with the help of Army deserters who had taken lodging in luxury hotels in Colombo if by chance there was a change in the final election result.The President also emphasized that all media institutions need to play a responsible role so that communalism and terrorism will not resurface. Certain elements were attempting to revive communalism in various ways, he observed.The President requested the media to be responsible and leave no room for any such efforts. Touching on the North-East election result, the President said that their universal suffrage was more important to him than anything else. He said he appreciated the franchise these people exercised without fear and suspicion.
news.lk
Do not allow communalism to raise its head again
Do not use the media to promote chauvinism, provoke communal tensions and create an environment in which riots could occur again, said President Mahinda Rajapaksa addressing Editors and Heads of media institutions at Temple Trees yesterday evening. “Please use the media responsibly for the good of society,” he added. “Do not leave any room for terrorism to raise its head again in the country,” the President appealed to the media.
President Rajapaksa also observed that in the recent past certain media had given a bad example to the society by publishing rumours and false and defamatory stories. However, the election results show that the people have rejected not only these stories but also the entire methodology of these media outlets, he said. Even after the election certain media are trying to distort the election victory and create unrest in the country, the President alleged.
In spite of the clear verdict of the people they are trying to create a wrong impression abroad for political reasons, he added. Commenting on the election campaign, the President said it was only at this election he saw a candidate openly declaring his intention to imprison public servants and kill political opponents by shooting them at Galle Face Green.
Commenting on the elections results in the North, the President said he was satisfied that the people there had participated in a national election. “What is significant is that they have freely joined the democratic process,” the President said. “Terrorism was defeated only a few months ago and it will take some time for them to regain trust in the people in the South. The Government has released most of the LTTE cadres who were rehabilitated during the past six months and released them to their families. I would like to recall that the JVP cadres who took part in the 1971 insurrection were rehabilitated for three years before releasing them.”
Court restrains Fonseka meeting in Puttalam
The Puttalam Magistrate today issued a restraining order on a Presidential election rally organized by the opposition common candidate General Sarath Fonseka which was scheduled to be held in Puttalam tomorrow.
The restraining order was issued after a motion was brought forward by the Puttalam police stating that the funeral of the deceased supporter of the UPFA, Saman Kumara who was killed on the 16th was being held on the same day.
The motion further stated that there might be unrest if the funeral procession clashes with the supporters of General Fonseka at the rally. Although objections were raised by the respondents they were dismissed by the Magistrate. The organizers were advised to hold the meeting on any day before the 23rd of this month.
