Issue of recent attacks on Indian fishermen by the Sri Lankan Navy discussed

India on Tuesday said it was closely monitoring China’s intention as it was showing “more than the normal interest” in the Indian Ocean affairs.

“The Government of India has come to realise that China has been showing more than the normal interest in the Indian Ocean affairs. So we are closely monitoring the Chinese intentions,” External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna said in the Lok Sabha.

Responding to queries during [...]

The Sri Lankan Cabinet on Monday approved changes to the 1978 Constitution, including an amendment that clears the path for President Mahinda Rajapaksa to seek a third term in office.

Reforms to the Constitution introduced by the former President, J.R. Jayewardene, have long been on the agenda of both the major parties in Sri Lanka. However, till now neither could push through the changes due to lack of the required two-thirds majority in the 225-member Parliament.

Threshold reached

In [...]

Recognising the need for a political settlement of the Tamil question in Sri Lanka, Communist Party of India (Marxist) Central Committee member T.K. Rangarajan, MP, on Friday said the immediate priority should be to address the concerns of relief, resettlement and rehabilitation of the Tamil civilian population.

Addressing the 19th National Congress of the Sri Lankan Communist Party (SLCP) in Colombo, Mr. Rangarajan said the expeditious settlement of the Tamil question should involve the devolution of powers and autonomy [...]

Sri Lanka on Friday announced suspension of visa-on-arrival facility extended to citizens of 79 countries, including India, with effect from September 30.

A public notice posted on the Department of Immigration and Emigration website by said: “It has been decided that the On Arrival Visa Facility be suspended with immediate effect except as regards the countries that have been reciprocal for this facility.”

“Accordingly, the existing visa regime of granting landing endorsements on arrival for tourists will be withdrawn with effect from [...]

The government said on Wednesday it was continuously monitoring the assistance given by India to displaced Tamils in Sri Lanka.

Responding to a call attention in the Lok Sabha on rehabilitation of Sri Lankan Tamils, External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna said India was heavily dependent on the International Red Cross and the U.N. Commission on Refugees for monitoring aid. “We are continuously monitoring the situation on the basis of periodic assessments received from these two agencies and, based on the [...]

MDMK general secretary Vaiko has denied that he stood in the way of a ceasefire between the LTTE and the Sri Lankan forces, as claimed by former LTTE leader Kumaran Pathmanathan.

Accusing KP of betraying the cause of Tamil Eelam, Mr. Vaiko said KP had joined the long list of those who had acted against the cause.

Mr. Vaiko described KP’s charge that he stood in the way of a ceasefire as a “blatant lie” and added that no one would [...]

Referring to the remarks of former LTTE leader Kumaran Pathmanathan on the role some politicians from Tamil Nadu in the efforts to arrive at a ceasefire in Sri Lanka’s war against the LTTE, Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi said Mr. Pathmanathan has to explain the facts relating to the war.

Mr.Karunanidhi pointed out that KP had contended that MDMK leader Vaiko had stood in the way of a ceasefire.

Quoting KP, he also said that Mr.Vaiko influenced a change in the decision [...]

Sri Lanka and India on Friday exchanged notes to establish two Indian Consulate-General offices, in Jaffna town and in Hambantota in deep south.

Sri Lanka is to add a fourth Consulate-General office in an Indian city. It already has the High Commission in New Delhi, the Deputy High Commissioner’s office in Chennai and a Consulate in Mumbai.

The proposed Indian Consulate-General office in Jaffna will cover the five districts of the war-ravaged Northern Province — Jaffna, Killinochchi, Mullaithivu, Vavuniya and Mannar. Pending [...]

High Commissioner to Sri Lanka Ashok K. Kantha on Wednesday handed over the first lot of the third consignment of galvanised corrugated roofing sheets to Basil Rajapaksa, Minister of Economic Development.

The third consignment consists of 2600 MT of sheets valued at approximately $2.65 million and is meant to construct shelters for the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in the North.

Mr. Kantha reiterated India’s deep commitment to contributing to the reconstruction and rehabilitation of the North. He recalled that, during [...]

A senior official of the Union government will visit conflict-ridden areas of Sri Lanka early next month to assess development needs of the areas, Nirupama Rao, Foreign Secretary, said on Wednesday.

Emerging from a 45-minute-long meeting with Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi at his Gopalapuram residence, Ms. Rao told reporters that “beyond rehabilitation, we have to look at development, we have to look at livelihoods, we have to look at communications, all these aspects. So, we are looking at an integrated manner [...]

Rajapaksa appears more focussed on economic development, including that of the Tamil-dominated North

FROM WINNING THE WAR TO WINNING PEACE – Post-War Rebuilding of the Society in Sri Lanka: Edited by V.R. Raghvan; Centre for Security Analysis, 9-B, Chesney Nilgiri, 71, Ethiraj Salai, Chennai-600008. Price not mentioned.

A POWDERKEG IN PARADISE – Lost Opportunity for Peace in Sri Lanka: Jon Oskar Solnes; Konark Publishers Pvt. Ltd., A-149, Main Vikas Marg, Delhi-110092. Rs. 750.

Since the end of the military operations against [...]

Sri Lankan Minister Anandan alias Douglas Devananda has moved the Madras High Court seeking to set aside an order of 1994 declaring him as a ‘proclaimed offender’ in a Chennai murder case.

In his petition, Mr.Devananda (55) said the alleged offence took place on November 1, 1986 at Choolaimedu here.

The allegation was that he and the other accused, who were also Sri Lankan Tamils, had a quarrel with the local people on Deepavali day and one individual, Thirunavukkarasu was killed when [...]

China has pledged its support to Sri Lanka against any international pressure for a United Nations-led probe into alleged war crimes, Sri Lankan Foreign Minister G.L. Peiris said here on Thursday.

Mr. Peiris, who on Thursday held talks with Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi, said China had conveyed its support to Sri Lanka’s position that international interference in investigating alleged war crimes was unwarranted.

Sri Lanka has opposed U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s decision to set up a three-member expert panel to look [...]

“Enterprises can send workers who are eligible and have no criminal records”

The Chinese Ministry of Commerce on Tuesday denied reports that Chinese firms were employing prison labour on overseas projects, describing the reports as “nonsense with no facts or evidence.”

The government was responding to recent articles by New Delhi-based scholar Brahma Chellaney, a professor at the Centre for Policy Research, which described the use of forced convict labour on infrastructure projects in Sri Lanka and in building 4,000 houses in [...]

The CPI (M) on Thursday urged the Central government to send a delegation of Members of Parliament, representing all political parties, to Sri Lanka to study the situation and facilitate quick rehabilitation of Tamils who had suffered in the civil war.

Talking to reporters, State secretary of the party G. Ramakrishnan welcomed the Centre’s decision to send a senior official of the Ministry of External Affairs to Sri Lanka, but felt that the issue should be dealt with politically.

“Let [...]