Sri Lanka already attained, or on track to attain MDGs - President tells MDGs Summit

Sri Lanka has incorporated Millennium Development Goals key performance indicators in our national budget policies, President Mahinda Rajapaksa said.

Speaking at the Summit of the Millennium Development Goals in New York, he pointed out that as a result Sri Lanka has already attained or is on track to attain the MDGs, despite formidable odds, including the almost thirty years of a violent terrorist movement and the December 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami.

"In terms of universal primary enrollment and completion, we had recorded a level of almost one hundred per cent (100%) by year 2007. Gender parity in primary education has reached ninety nine per cent (99%) and in secondary and tertiary enrollment, the ratio of girls to boys exceeds one hundred per cent (100%)," the President said.

Quoting from what Buddha preached in the Maha Parnibbana Sutra, President Rajapaksa expressed deep conviction that "the well-springs of our civilization, nurtured by the Buddhist tradition should guide our approach to economic and social policy making.

At the core of this, there must be a sound scale of values. Nowhere is this better expressed than in the Maha Parnibbana Sutra, the final sermon preached by Gauthama the Buddha. Here, he declares that the moral worth of any society can be assessed by a clear yard stick. This consists of the quality of treatment meted out to women and children. In building a caring and compassionate society over the centuries, we have never lost sight of this ideal.

Emphasizing the imperative need for protecting the environment, the President said, "while we strive to achieve reasonable standards in living, we must not forget the need to avoid treading heavily on the natural environment. The current spate of natural disasters around the world and frequent flood situations in countries, are a stark reminder of the effects of environmental degradation."

President Rajapaksa urged the world leaders to treat this as urgent and reach consensus on curtailing global warming based on the principle of common but differentiated responsibility and the Bali Action Plan.

Following is the full text of the speech:

Ten years ago at the dawn of a new millennium, we re-affirmed our commitment to consolidate efforts in the spirit of collective responsibility, to free our world from hunger, to uphold human dignity, and to ensure sustainable co-existence with Mother Nature.

We set for ourselves the goal of advancing progress in eight key areas by the year 2015. Today, with just five years left, we have mixed results. Amidst multiple, inter-related and worsening global crises that confronted our world in the past few years, some countries have suffered setbacks in achieving these goals while others have scored remarkable success.

Mr. President,

Yet, time is still on our side to renew the political will and look for a way forward to reach the set targets, by harnessing our synergies. It is in this context that this High-Level Forum under the auspices of the United Nations assumes special significance.

Although each individual country has the sacred responsibility to ensure the welfare of its people, in an increasingly inter-connected and globalized world we cannot survive in isolation. Hence, achieving the Millennium Development Goals becomes ever more important in the collective interest.

The recent global economic and financial crisis has severely reduced the access to external resources and private capital flows, for developing countries. In such circumstances, there should be genuine commitment to fulfill donor obligations.

Unfortunately, the trend for more restrictions and protectionist measures in trade, debt relief and access to technology is posing a challenge to development. Hence, we need to act with a sense of urgency and partnership. At the same time, it is important for development assistance from external sources to continue to encourage for the sake of sustainability.

Our national policy has been developed within the framework of global priorities which we consider appropriate at this time. In the South Asian context, some of our urgent pre-occupations include food security, energy security, and global warming. Building up buffer stocks of essential food items, ensuring price stabilization and continuity of supply calls for a more systematic approach to international cooperation.

We are convinced that economic development to be sustainable, must include emphasis on protection of the environment. Green technology in industrial production is, therefore, one of the central needs of our time. The improvement of infra-structure in our villages and opportunity for social advancement is necessary to discourage mass movement of populations from rural areas into our towns.

Gender equality and the breaking down of social barriers are features of a peaceful society. Equity with regard to the distribution of wealth and access to essential services, we believe, are hall-marks of long term stability.

Mr. President,

In Sri Lanka, social development goals, such as free healthcare, access to education were embedded from independence, in the country's overall policy framework. In addition, through my own vision spelt out in the "Mahinda Chinthana - A vision for future", we embarked upon a 10 year pro-poor, and pro-development oriented framework, to further consolidate and accelerate socio-economic progress, equally importantly.

It is our deep conviction that the well-springs of our civilization, nurtured by the Buddhist tradition should guide our approach to economic and social policy making. At the core of this, there must be a sound scale of values. Nowhere is this better expressed than in the Maha Parnibbana Sutra, the final sermon preached by Gauthama the Buddha.

Here, he declares that the moral worth of any society can be assessed by a clear yard stick. This consists of the quality of treatment meted out to women and children. In building a caring and compassionate society over the centuries, we have never lost sight of this ideal.

Sri Lanka has incorporated MDG key performance indicators in our national budget policies. As a result, Sri Lanka has already attained or is on track to attain the MDGs, despite formidable odds, including the almost thirty years of a violent terrorist movement and the December 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami that brought massive destruction to my country.

Mr. President,

In terms of universal primary enrollment and completion, we had recorded a level of almost one hundred per cent (100%) by year 2007. Gender parity in primary education has reached ninety nine per cent (99%) and in secondary and tertiary enrollment, the ratio of girls to boys exceeds one hundred per cent (100%).

Now the challenge is to further enhance the quality of our education to empower and prepare young people for productive employment. We have also undertaken vigorous measures to enhance computer literacy through a nation-wide project called "Nena sala" - centers of wisdom, covering mostly the rural areas.

In the health sector, our endeavour is to ensure every expectant mother a safe and attended child birth, and to increase the current rate of ninety eight per cent (98%) of such births, immediately to one hundred per cent (100%). The infant and under-five mortality rates, have decreased from a rate of 32 per thousand births in 1990 to 11.3 per thousand in 2009.

While our focus has been on countering tropical epidemics such as malaria and other vector borne diseases, we now need to pay adequate attention to forms of non-communicable diseases that pose a serious challenge to our health sectors. We would therefore urge access to medicines at reasonable costs and more predictable financial and technical assistance to develop local capacities, to improve conditions for patients.

Mr. President,

While we strive to achieve reasonable standards in living, we must not forget the need to avoid treading heavily on the natural environment. The current spate of natural disasters around the world and frequent flood situations in countries, are a stark reminder of the effects of environmental degradation. We must, with a sense of urgency, reach consensus on curtailing global warming based on the principle of common but differentiated responsibility and the Bali Action Plan.

Mr. President,

Every crisis while posing a threat brings an opportunity as well. Let us therefore resolve to use the opportunity afforded by our High-Level Meeting, to forge the strongest possible global platform to achieve the goals so necessary for our common good. I thank you.

Courtesy : PRIU

Army Para Games 2010 concluded

Army Para Games 2010 ceremoniously concluded with the participation of over 1000 disabled war heroes at Army Grounds today (24 Sep) evening.

Secretary Defence Mr. Gotabaya Rajapaksa graced the occasion as the chief guest.

War Heroes, who sacrificed their legs and limbs to bring the lasting peace to the country, showcased their multiple sport talents in the Sri Lanka Army Para Games 2010 tournament.

Speaking at the event the Secretary Defence said that war heroes had made tremendous sacrifices during the last 30 years to liberate the country from the most ruthless terror outfit in the world and many were disabled in action but, still their courage and morale are at the highest level. We should appreciate their participation in this Army Para Games 2010.

He further emphasized that "as a responsible government we always take care of them catering for each of their needs such as medical needs, housing problem, legal issues, education of their children and so on, the welfare of disabled war heroes is our paramount concern". In addition the Ministry of Defence has built a "Ranaviru Nikethanaya" at Atthidia for permanently disabled war heroes and it is nearing completion. Apart from that the Army too has initiated "Abimansala" project at Anuradhapura to cater for permanently disabled war heroes.

Finally, he said that he was happy to see the talents displayed by the disabled war heroes and wished them all a brighter future.

Sergeant Rajakaruna of SL Army Singha Regiment honoured as the best sportsman of the Army Para Games 2010.

The Chairperson of the MOD Seva Vanitha Unit Mrs. Ioma Rajapaksa, Commander of the Army Lieutenant General Jagath jayasooriya and Mrs. Jayasooriya and senior army officers were present at the occasion.

'Any country facing terrorism should follow Lankan model'

In an exclusive interview, with 'The Asian Age' Sri Lankan Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa says that Sri Lanka's military victory over the LTTE offers lessons for the international community.

Following are excerpts of the interview on 15th September, 2010.

Q. Recently you visited India for defence talks. There was defence cooperation for years before and during the conflict, so what are both sides talking today?

A. India could not do certain things, meet certain needs of the Sri Lankan armed forces, like supply of weapons, because of the sensitivities during the conflict period. Now that issue is no longer there, so we can think of going beyond that. The whole idea is to improve the defence relationship, to strengthen regional security, to improve maritime security in the Indian Ocean.

Q. There are concerns in India about China looking to beef up its presence in Sri Lanka, particularly its role in the Hambantota port project.

A. It is purely a business arrangement, nothing beyond that. I don't think there is any issue in that sense. Wherever possible, when India has faced any security concerns, we have always bent backwards to accommodate them. With India, we are not looking at government-to-government relations alone; we are interested in people-to-people ties and trade. I know that Indian investors are interested in infrastructure projects in Sri Lanka. We are studying India's successful PPP (public-private partnership) model.

Q. There has been criticism of the delay in the rehabilitation of the displaced Tamils.

A. I don't think any other place in the world has so quickly resettled these people in their original habitats in such a short period. In one year we have resettled a majority of the three lakh IDPs. Very few are remaining, and that is because of the delay in clearing landmines. We cannot solve problems overnight but the government has aggressively invested more money in the North and East than the other provinces.

Q. Sri Lanka has also been criticized for not minimizing the civilian casualties of the war.

A. India knows what is LTTE but most of the outside world does not. It was a most ruthless terrorist organisation. Some think the attack on the USS Cole was the first attack by a terrorist group but by that time the LTTE had done many attacks on ships. It had done more suicide attacks in one year in Sri Lanka than all the suicide attacks in Afghanistan and Iraq put together. The LTTE's weaponry was equivalent to that of the armed forces - heavy artillery guns, mortars, machine guns, missiles, Naval suicide boats and, ultimately, even small aircraft. That was the magnitude of its military strength. So it was not a small insurrection or a civil disturbance. By defeating the LTTE, we have stopped the killings of innocent civilians.

Q. How are you dealing with the former LTTE combatants?

A. We have rehabilitated about 500 child soldiers. We started a skill development programme for the 11,000 former combatants who surrendered; some of whom have completed this programme and joined the society. This is the truth but the other side does not know the true story.

Q. What can the world learn from Sri Lanka's experience with terrorism?

A. What we have done is to defeat the terrorists. I should say any country which faces terrorism should follow the Sri Lankan model. I think in fighting terrorism as well as humanitarian assistance in a conflict like this, there are lots of lessons for others to learn rather than criticise. But there were concerns about humanitarian assistance during the conflict. Our military operations and humanitarian assistance ran parallely. One can say the actions were not effective, maybe there were weaknesses, but it was a success. Of course, there were issues but in a situation there would be issues. We had no-fire-zones and restrictions on use of heavy weapons which are not normally done anywhere in the world in this type of situation, but we did that.

Q. Looking back at the last days of the conflict, would you have done anything differently? There were reports that some LTTE leaders wanted to surrender but they were shot, there was also talk of ceasefire.

A. Prabhakaran did not want to surrender. Even the night before they were defeated, they tried to launch a counter attack and escape. There would have been no problem if they had surrendered, but we came to that last minute after a hard battle and a lot of sacrifices, so we were not ready for ceasefire.

Q. And did they inform the UN?

A. Nobody informed us about any surrender. We took the time to defeat the LTTE because of the civilians. If we had no such concerns, we could have bombarded the place, used all our artillery and walked through within a day but we took over two months. So the international community must consider the risks that we took.

Q. Looking ahead, do you have a political solution of the ethnic problem, a devolution package?

A. Political jargons alone will not bring about a solution. We have created an environment for everybody to live peacefully, as Sri Lankans, as one nation. All other issues are for politicians. The ground reality is we must give people the opportunity to live peacefully, with jobs and education. That is what they want and the government will ensure that is there in Sri Lanka.

Q. What will be your message to the Lankan-Tamils living in India and abroad?

A. Some of them left long ago; others, more recently. The second and third generations have concerns about their children's education. I know it is difficult to give all that up and come. But if they come, they are most welcome. I think they must bring their know-how, knowledge, and invest their wealth here because development is the main requirement.

Courtesy: The Asian Age

No training for LeT in Sri Lanka - Secretary Defence

Secretary Defence Gotabaya Rajapaksa yesterday said that extremist groups operating in Pakistan have not received any type of training on Sri Lankan soil. He stressed that Sri Lanka is free from terrorists and there is no ground for terrorists to receive training in the country.

The Defence Secretary's denial came in the wake of Lakshar-e-Taiba (LeT) suspect involved in the German Bakery blast in Pune claimed that he was trained in Colombo. Two suspects involved in the attack were arrested by the Anti Terrorism Squad of India last Tuesday. Nine died and 45 people were injured by the incident.

One suspect has claimed that he was trained in Pakistan and the other suspect Miza Himayat Beig , 29 has confessed that he received training in Colombo. The Defence Secretary categorically denied the claims made by the suspect in Indian custody.

Secretary Defence further insisted that there is no ground in Sri Lanka for such an activity. He added that no terrorist group is operating in Sri Lanka after LTTE terrorism was swept out of the country.

Meanwhile, Sri Lanka has sought a comprehensive report from Indian defence authorities over the claims made by the Lakshar-e-Taiba suspect through the Defence Attache of the Sri Lankan High Commission in New Delhi.

TID arrests 'Rajan' senior LTTE leader

'Rajan' recently, said DIG Nimal Wakishta, head of TID in Colombo Division.

He made this comment at a press briefing held at MCNS yesterday 28 Jan.

He further said that Rajan was one of key supporters of LTTE and engaged in supplying of weaponry, military hardware, vehicles and other necessities to the LTTE, locally and internationally.

The coordinated and clandestine operations conducted by the Ministry of Defence and intelligent agencies were vital to arrest him, he added. He further said Rajan involved in taking a bomb lorry to "Sama Viharaya" Kotahena in 1996.

During the peace negotiations he had visited to Vanni and met Prabakaran and exchanged information with Tamil exiles who actively supported the LTTE. He went on to say that "though the LTTE had been wiped out from the country its activists like Rajan may still have the hope of restoring lost Elam in this country". Therefore he requested the public to be vigilant of such people.

Troops recover more weapons

Sri Lankan troops of 593 Brigade recovered 10 Rangan 99 anti personnel mines during their search operations in general area Andankulam yesterday (January 30 ).

 Meanwhile the troops of 591 Brigade engaging a search operations in general area mullaitivu recovered 1 x 60mm mortar bomb with fuses 23 x RPG bomb with out booster and 2 x Bangalore Torpedoes (60 feet each). And also a separate search operation Troops recovered following war like items in Mullaitive area.

Items	Quantity
Anti personnel mines with fuse	05
Claymore bombs  (12.5 kg each)	02
Claymore bombs ( 8.5kg each )	03
60mm mortar bombs	10
Trip flares	04
Explosives( in plastic pipes)

Separately the troops of Military Intelligence Corps conducting search operation in Arugampuliya area Vavuniya, uncovered 02 claymore mines each weighing 10 Kg and 1 x cleymore mine weighing 5 Kg Yesterday ( January 30 ).

56 ex-LTTE cadres handed over to parents after rehabilitation

Another batch of ex-LTTE members, totaling 56, who had undergone rehabilitation have been handed over to their parents.

Many of them had quit the terrorist organization at the height of the humanitarian operation to liberate the Wanni and surrendered to the security forces. The government launched a programme to rehabilitate them so they have better prospects for their future. They underwent rehabilitation at the Nawasenapura Rehabilitation Centre at Welikande.

They were handed over to their parents after a period of one year in a ceremony presided over by Major Gen. R.M.D. Ratnayake, the Commissioner General of Rehabilitation.

HRW undermining Human Rights in Sri Lanka - Prof. Wijesingha

Responding to criticism of Sri Lanka's HR record by an NHR activist published in the Guardian of January 21, 2010, Prof. Rajiva Wijesinha, Secretary to the Ministry of Human Rights said "With its false accusations and refusal to engage, Human Rights Watch is undermining the cause of human rights in Sri Lanka"

Prof. Wijesinha's further states: "This is not the first time we have found HRW seeking to further its own agenda by adopting a selective approach to evidence. Not only this, but it seems ready to overlook the real progress that is taking place in Sri Lanka. Before outlining the key plans we are undertaking to improve Sri Lanka for the benefit of all, let me provide some background on our own grievances against HRW."

Here is the text of Prof. Wijesinha's response published in the Guardian Online "Comment is Free" of January 28, 2010.

Sri Lanka's real human rights record

With its false accusations and refusal to engage, Human Rights Watch is undermining the cause of human rights in Sri Lanka

The recent Guardian article by a Human Rights Watch officer exemplifies what EM Forster described as the world of telegrams and anger. Today, he would have used the term "soundbite", and this is what HRW hasengaged in relentlessly against Sri Lanka, with no attention to accuracy, nor to engagement.

This is not the first time we have found HRW seeking to further its own agenda by adopting a selective approach to evidence. Not only this, but it seems ready to overlook the real progress that is taking place in Sri Lanka. Before outlining the key plans we are undertaking to improve Sri Lanka for the benefit of all, let me provide some background on our own grievances against HRW. In 2007, HRW issued a press release referring to "indiscriminate attacks on civilians", regarding a report about the liberation of Sri Lanka's eastern province from terrorists. The report only cited a single example of civilian casualties in these operations, and our forces, in granting this, explained that it had happened because of their use of mortar-locating radar. The HRW report conceded that the Tamil Tigers (LTTE) had used weaponry in a civilian encampment, but claimed that this was not heavy weaponry and therefore they could not be held responsible.

After one casuistic reply to our reasoned protest, they stopped answering letters.

After one meeting with a new representative in Geneva in September 2007, we were promised a response, but none was forthcoming. Since then, HRW has avoided discussion altogether, refusing to meet government representatives in Geneva, cancelling a meeting in the House of Commons when it heard the Sri Lankan government was sending someone who would refute its allegations. It claimed to our High Commission that it did not want to be "rubbished", but the way to avoid being rubbished is to refrain from lies, not dodge reasoned discussion.

Typically, while refusing to talk - quite unlike Amnesty International, which readily discusses problems at length - in 2008, HRW issued a glossy booklet that claimed abductions were on the increase in Sri Lanka. This report distorted the reality: it contained only three examples from 2007, with the rest of the 90-odd cases recorded dating from 2006. We accept there were problems in 2006, largely arising from diminishing LTTE domination following years in which it had freely killed members of Tamil groups opposed to them - their claim to represent Tamils clearly did not extend to those who challenged their supremacy. By 2007 however the situation was better and, in the last couple of years, instances of abduction have fallen still further - though even a single case is one too many and we are working to prevent this in its entirety.

Now, with regard to the pronouncements of Philip Alston, the UN independent expert who explained to me why he feels obliged to "behave like a bulldog" towards Sri Lanka, HRW pronounces on a controversial video on which he bases his report that the "government has consistently claimed the video is fake, without providing any evidence that the gruesome scene was staged or the footage tampered with."

This is simply untrue. Even Alston's three experts declare that a moving leg of a supposedly dead person is strange. The experts note, too, that there "are unexplained characteristics of this file, the most troubling of which appears in the final 17 frames of video", while they are equally unable to explain why the date on the footage is six months later than the incident was supposed to have taken place (and after the battle had been concluded).The claim that there may be a legitimate explanation remains simply a claim, with no effort to justify it. Thankfully, the UN secretary general, Ban Ki-Moon, has adopted a more measured approach. Earlier this month, Ban distanced himself from the report - something not as widely reported as Alston's claims - suggesting that Alston "acted alone" and that his report does not represent the view of the United Nations.

We are also accused of refusing to investigate allegations of human rights abuses. And yet this is precisely what we are doing. In response to the US State Department report, presented in a balanced manner last October, on alleged incidents during the military action last year, President appointed an independent commission to investigate. The report will be provided in April.

The problem with all this sound and fury is that it detracts from the real problems with human rights issues that Sri Lanka does face, and to which it can now devote attention. While it could be argued that the authoritarianism of the government of the 1980s contributed to the growth of terrorist movements, this cannot be said of more recent administrations. None the less, the first priority of government had been to ensure security and defeat terrorism once and for all.

Alongside this, we have moved apace on much-needed reforms, which are now being introduced to the north and east. In consultation with the police authorities, we have helped with reinforcing training programmes to enforce rights that suffered during a decade of increased recruitment. The new inspector-general of police has begun a policy of improving women and children's desks in areas of particular vulnerability and, through the ministry of child development and women's rights, we are strengthening community structures to enhance protection capacity.

During the relative quiet of election day, I was able to go through the draft action plan for human rights, a monumental effort by eight consultative committees, including some of the most vociferous critics of government. We were also able, last November, to present to the president, fulfilling an earlier campaign pledge, a proposed bill of rights, prepared by a group of independent experts who consisted of four Sinhalese, two Tamils and two Muslims. The ministry - before I became its secretary - had picked eight admirably qualified people, who represent the pluralistic society we were, and will be, without the corrosive divisiveness of terrorism.

This is the real picture of human rights in Sri Lanka. We are happy to receive and respond to criticism, but we do expect proper engagement and an attempt to understand the full picture. There is enormous promise for Sri Lanka over the decade ahead and we know that all Sri Lankans must benefit from sustained peace in our country after nearly three decades of terrorist threat. Organisations that seek to stoke division and not engage will not help us meet this goal.

sourse - DEFENCE.LK