The fastest and most accurate NEWS updates from the most standard sources. The topics that the blog will specifically address are: LLRC report, Post conflict affairs, LTTE terrorism, Reconstruction, Human Rights, Economic affairs and South Asia.
Following an intelligence alert that an explosive
material made by former Sri Lankan navy officials is afloat near Tamil Nadu’s
coast, fishermen have been warned not to touch anything in the sea and coastal
security has been beefed up accordingly.
According to sources, from Friday night, coastal
security police of Tamil Nadu intensified their patrolling following a red
alert issued by the IB on explosive substance called Improvised Explosive
Device (IED) floating in the Indian sea.
It is said to have been manufactured by former navy
officials of the island.From Nagai to Kanniyakumari, more than 12 coastal
police stations with two boats in each station are involved in the monitoring
process.
A total of 14 boats had been engaged in
vigilance activities from Friday night and they would be in the sea till
November 19.
The officials attached with the coastal police
instructed the fishermen that no one should touch or hit any unknown floating
substance.
When they see any suspicious floating material in the
sea, they should inform ‘1093’ (Toll free number of coastal security service).
Chezhiyan, inspector of Special branch of Pudukkottai
district told Express that they had indeed received such an alert, but added
that it was a routine issue.
He added that the police had strengthened the coastal
security based on the information received.
THE
federal government has sent more Sri Lankan asylum seekers home, bringing the
total number of Sri Lankans "involuntarily" returned to 282.
Immigration Minister
Chris Bowen said the 50 men were advised of their status and that they were to
be removed from Australia.
The men were returned to
Sri Lanka from Christmas Island on Sunday.
The group was made up of
recent arrivals from a number of different boats.
"They raised no
issues that engaged Australia's international obligations," Mr Bowen said
in a statement on Sunday, implying that they were not considered to be
refugees.
Without a valid visa,
the men had no legal right to remain in the country and had been removed at the
earliest opportunity, he said.
"The government
will continue to return people where they do not engage Australia's
international obligations," Mr Bowen said.
The latest group takes
to 282 the number of Sri Lankans returned involuntarily since the government
announced in August it would process asylum seekers in offshore centres on
Nauru and Papua New Guinea.
Since the announcement,
more than 380 Sri Lankans have returned home - both voluntarily and
involuntarily - "as people realise that these smugglers only sell lies and
false promises about what awaits people in Australia", Mr Bowen said.
COLOMBO, Nov. 18 (Xinhua) -- The Sri Lankan police on
Sunday said that five Russians had been arrested over a major credit card scam.
Police spokesman Priyashantha Jayakody said that
officers from the police Criminal Investigations Division (CID) arrested the
Russians in Colombo with 250 forged credit cards.
Investigation found the Russians had carried out the
scam with accomplices in Cambodia and Vietnam.
The police spokesman said that the Russians had over
25,000 U.S. dollars in their possession withdrawn from ATM machines in Sri
Lanka.
They also had various equipment including laptops in
their possession which were used in the credit card scam.
Just last month the police warned the public to be
aware of credit card fraud after an Indian national was arrested with blank
cards and equipment to forge credit cards.
The Indian national arrested at the airport had
arrived from Chennai and had in his possession 110 blank magnet cards.
The suspect also owned a decoder which can be used to
copy data from a credit card.
In March this year two Ukrainians were arrested in Sri
Lanka with at least 106 forged credit cards as well as a large sum of stolen
money.
Fifteen inmates of Boganallur refugee camp in
the district are reportedly missing since last Friday.
During the fortnightly inspection that was
conducted in the refugee camp at Boganallur near Kadayanallur in the district
on Saturday, the revenue officials found 15 of the 139 Sri Lankan refugee
families in the camp were missing.
Based on the complaint filed with the
Chokkampatti police in this connection, the police are investigating the case.
Since the Sri Lankan refugees, lured by the
touts, are illegally migrating to Australia by sea in search of better living
conditions and even citizenship in the island nation, police suspect that the
missing inmates of Boganallur refugee camp also might have left the camp to try
their luck.
However, other inmates of the camp claim that
the missing members of Boganallur camp had gone out to work in some other
places as labourers and would return to the camp within a day or two.
While a few refugees managed to reach Australia
after life-threatening voyage, most of them were either caught by the navy of a
nation en-route or buried under the water.
Displaying its full compliance with the national tree planting campaign, ‘Deyata Sevana’,
the Army on Friday (16) undertook another mega cultivation project at
Settikulam Manik Farm in Vavuniya after planting more than 1000 fruit
saplings of hybrid nature.
A 10- acre extent of less fertile land in the former ‘Relief Village’
area taken over by the Army is to be thus transformed to be an orchard,
filled with fruit species, like pomegranate, guava, mango, cashew, lime,
etc with the intention of providing fresh fruits to both the common
masses in Wanni and to the Army serving there.
Commander of the Army Lieutenant General Jagath Jayasuriya, who took the
initiative in this regard in the Wanni sector after receiving nearly
2430 hectares of state land for this purpose, entrusted the Army’s
Directorate of Agriculture to commence cultivation of vegetables and
fruits for consumption of both the Army and the public. Commander of the
Army took part in Friday’s (16) tree planting ceremony at Settikulam as
the Chief Guest.
The day’s programme began after the Commander raised the national flag
and inaugurated the campaign at Settikulam by planting several of those
above-mentioned tree saplings, together with senior officers, attending
the occasion.
Major General Boniface Perera, Commander, Security Forces
Headquarters-Wanni (SFHQ-W) and Major General Udaya Perera, Commander,
Security Forces Headquarters-Kilinochchi (SFHQ-KLN) raised the Army flag
and the SFHQ-W flag respectively before proceedings commenced. The
Army Chief on arrival at the venue was conducted in a welcome procession
attended by school children of Al Hamedia Vidyalaya.
The incumbent Army Chief soon after his assumption of duties, explored
possibilities of propagating cultivation sector among Army personnel,
showing a keen interest in this sector, As a result, a separate wing,
Directorate of Agriculture saw its birth a few months ago.
Army-managed Kandakadu, Nachchikuda, Panaluwa, Udyarkattukulam,
Kuttigala, Ekala, Kohilawagurawatta, Diyatalawa farms, now in full
swing, are currently producing curd, fruits, sugar cane, eggs, chicken,
vegetables, corn and paddy for their own and public consumption.
At Settikulam, the Army in addition to the 10-acre extent inaugurated
today (16) is in the process of growing vegetables on its own.
Similarly, in a combined project with Prima Ltd, the Army has launched a
corn cultivation project in a land extent of about 225 hectares in the
same area.
In the meantime, the Commander of the Army minutes after the end of the
tree planting programme, made a bee line to the Madu Shrine (Our Lady of
Madu) with the intention of receiving an update on various development
projects, carried out by the Army and inquiring into its needs, if any.
It was Lieutenant General Jagath Jayasuriya, then as the Wanni
Commander, who initiated the repair works of this holy shrine after it
was struck by a barrage of LTTE artillery and mortar attacks as the
troops were rolling on to capture terrorist hideouts. To protect the
holy statue from LTTE attacks, members of the clergy at one point of
time was compelled to remove it and place it elsewhere until the
situation turned normal.
The visiting Commander of the Army during his exchange of views with the
clergy on Friday (16) queried about any requirements pending or needing
the attention of Army troops who are continuing to assist the sacred
place in different ways. He also instructed the Commanding Officers in
the area to attend to all the needs of the shrine as well as the clergy,
giving priority.
Before the Commander’s exit from the premises, the clergy conducted a
special mass and blessed the visiting Army Chief and the organization.
Wanni and Kilinochchi Commanders, Brigadier A. Kariyakarawana, General
Officer Commanding, 61 Division and several senior officers were
associated with the Commander’s visit to the sacred shrine.
Musical During my visit to Sri Lanka, one thing that
struck me bold and bright, like the sun and sand in the place, was the
native love for music. It didn’t take me long to
realise that music plays a very important role in the lives of Sri
Lankans, so much so that no gathering or occasion is complete without
music. The traditional music of Sri Lanka is quite unique, mirroring the
diverse influences it has had over the centuries. It is a fine blend of
Buddhist, Portuguese and African influences. A drive down the rural parts of Sri Lanka introduced me to the folk music of the island nation.
It was an enjoyable experience to listen to farmers humming melodious
folk songs while on work. According to locals, the farming community in
Sri Lanka is close knit and gets together in the evenings for a session
of music and dance to the beats of drums. Talking of drums, no other
musical instrument in Sri Lanka enjoys the pride of place in any musical
session as the drums.
And, there is a variety of them. Though
they are broadly classified as one-faced, two-faced and flat-faced,
there are six basic types of drums, each made with different kinds of
wood, each covered with different kinds of skin, and each played on
different occasions.
While Geta Beraya, most popularly known as
the wedding drum, is an indispensable part of the typical Sinhala dance
known as the kandyan dance, Yak Bereya is known as the demon drum as it
is used during devil dancing, a highly developed form of dance performed
in the countryside.
This is not all. While Dawula, Thammattama
and Udekki were equally interesting, it was Rabana that caught my fancy.
This flat-faced circular drum comes in several sizes, I was told. The
one I got to see at a wedding was really huge, and placed on the floor,
on which several women sitting around kept beating with both hands.
That’s
the Bench Rabana, I was told. The beat was catchy. According to my
Sinhala friend, the beating of Rabana drums is a must on all joyous
occasions, including festivals and weddings. The smaller version of
Rabana, knows as the Hand Rabana, is a form of mobile drum singers carry
to produce background beats to accompany their songs.
According
to natives, drums in Sri Lanka have a 2,500-year-old history and
numbered over 30, as against the six basic types available today. While
the use of drums was always associated with music, the fact that certain
types of drums were used for communication too cannot be ignored,
especially the Dawula, Thammattama and Rabana types of drums.
The
other drums that served specific purposes were Ana Bera, that informed
the people about orders from the king; Vada Bera, played when a criminal
was taken for beheading, Mala Bera, beaten during funeral processions;
and Rana Bera, used by the army when going out to meet the enemy.
It indeed was a fascinating journey down Sri Lankan drum roll.
