Sri Lankan talks end in failure
bbc Sunday, 29 October 2006, 17:32 GMT

Talks between Sri Lanka's government and Tamil Tiger rebels aimed at averting a return to war have ended without agreement.

Norwegian mediator Erik Solheim said no deal had been reached on how to address the humanitarian crisis and no dates had been set for new negotiations.
The two-day talks in Geneva had been intended to shore up the 2002 ceasefire amid a major upsurge of fighting.
They were the first time the two sides had met in eight months.
Since July, 372 security force members, 128 civilians and many rebels have died, the government says.
Negotiator's frustration
Norwegian diplomats warned at the outset not to expect too much, says the BBC's Imogen Foulkes in Geneva.
There was always the suspicion that the Tamil Tigers and the Sri Lankan government turned up only because of international pressure and without any real desire to talk peace, she says, and the lack of progress seems to prove this.
The first day began with a strained handshake between the leaders of the two delegations.
Swiss diplomats also reminded the Tamil Tigers and Sri Lankan government of their obligations under the Geneva Convention.
Saturday was taken up with lengthy recriminations, with each side blaming the other for recent violence.
Sunday foundered on the issue of access to the Jaffna peninsular.
The Tamil Tigers demanded the re-opening of the highway to the region saying its closure was preventing humanitarian aid reaching civilians in need.
They have said they will not agree to any future meetings if the demand is not met.
The government countered that the road was closed because the Tamil Tigers were attacking it and extorting fees from vehicles using it.
Both sides say they are committed to the ceasefire but the acrimonious atmosphere at the close of the talks and the ongoing fighting in Sri Lanka must leave that in doubt, our correspondent adds.
Credibility fear
The last round of discussions was in Geneva in February. Two subsequent attempts at talks failed, most recently in June.
Since then the international landscape has changed significantly for both sides, our correspondent says.
The rebels have been blacklisted as a terrorist organisation by the European Union and Canada.
The government, meanwhile, is concerned about losing its international credibility.
Both parties have been criticised for human rights abuses, while, on the military front, both have suffered reversals of fortune.

Sri Lanka war taking tragic civilian toll
By Jody Sabral

Monday 23 October 2006, 7:46 Makka Time, 4:46 GMT /aljazeera


Sri Lanka's war has begun to take on a gruesome dimension with news of innocent civilians being slaughtered becoming commonplace, something that is creating an atmosphere of distrust and making ordinary Sri Lankans nervous.

Mafaz, a Sri Lankan aid organiser who would not give his surname, told Aljazeera: "We hear of people being killed all the time, and we don't know what to think. Of course we want peace, but to be honest we don't know where it will go from here."
Accusations abound on each side of the conflict, but who is responsible for the slaughter of ordinary people remains a grey area. The list of innocent civilians who have been killed in the conflict runs into hundreds, but numbers are hard to confirm.
The execution of 17 Sri Lankan aid workers, who were killed with one shot to the head while at work on August 4, exemplifies the confusion of Sri Lanka's 23-year war. The government has repeatedly blamed the Tamil Tiger separatists (LTTE) for the killing, while Nordic peacekeepers blame government forces.
A second autopsy is now being undertaken to unravel the execution of the 17 Tamil aid workers, who were employed by the French aid organisation Action Contre La Faim (ACF), but whether it will offer any conclusive proof remains to be seen.
Nine out of 15 bodies were exhumed in Trincomalee on October 18 and two bodies were exhumed earlier in the month. The autopsy is to be carried out by a Sri Lankan legal medical team with Australian experts present to observe. The arrival date of the Australians is still not known.The case
ACF had repeatedly called for an international inquiry to determine the deaths of the 17 Tamil workers, when the first autopsy proved to be inconclusive. But it took two months to get permission from the Sri Lankan government.
Lucile Grosjean, a spokesperson for ACF, told Aljzeera: "We have been demanding an independent inquiry ever since."
Finally on October 4, the court granted permission for the second autopsy but the conditions were that a Sri Lankan medical team would carry it out, and that Australian experts could be brought in to observe.
Grosjean said: "We have however been given the option of having Australian experts present at a second autopsy not unlike the first, they will be there in a supervisory role."
Serious decomposition
During the first examination the bullets were not found, and according to Sacha Kolar, a specialist registrar in forensic pathology based at the Medico-Legal Centre in Sheffield, UK, with Sri Lanka being a hot climate the bodies will have suffered from some serious decomposition.

This could reduce the clarity on drawing conclusions from forensics on how the killing was carried out, if no traces of ammunition can be found.
Kolar, told Aljazeera: "One of the most important factors to consider when looking at cases like this is the experience of the coroner carrying out the post-mortem.
"Also with Sri Lanka being a hot climate the bodies will have serious decomposition, which also brings to mind the question of identity. How confident are you of the identity of the bodies being exhumed."
Who is to blame?
The government has publicly been blamed by the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) for the killings. The peacekeeping mission issued a report on August 30, that concluded there were no other forces in Muttur, at that time, and blamed the army for trying to cover up the killing by restricting movement of the SLMM in the region.

Based on eye-witness accounts the SLMM report said: "The security forces of Sri Lanka are widely and consistently deemed to be responsible for the incident."
Finding concrete evidence in times of war is fraught with problems. But Sri Lankans are fed up with their government and do not understand how the country has come to this point after many years of relative calm.
A Sri Lankan taxi driver who lives in Qatar told Aljazeera on the condition of anonymity: "I don't understand what this government is doing. This government is very bad. The former prime minister was much better at handling this issue."
Refugee International, a US-based organisation that advocates assistance for refugees, said in a report on September 18 that although the Sri Lankan government held a good record on human rights, with many Sri Lankans believing that their basic needs had been met even during war and natural disaster, the humanitarian situation after the recent conflict was rapidly deteriorating.
Logistics of war
Only last month, 10 Muslim labourers were found hacked to pieces 9km south of Pottuvil in Ampara district. They were on their way to fix a sluice gate but never returned home.
Ampara is a government-controlled area and a Sri Lankan military [Special Task Force (STF)] camp is near the location of where the brutal killing took place.
Residents of the town reportedly said that they believed it was the STF who were acting in the area in co-operation with the Karuna faction – a spin off of the Tamil Tiger rebels, who have openly been supported by the STF.
Mafaz said: "It's no secret that there have been tensions between the local Muslims and the STF."
The government blamed the LTTE for the killing.
The Karuna faction has been operating freely in government controlled areas since the conflict erupted four months ago.
Thorfinnur Omarsson, a spokesperson for the SLMM told Aljazeera: "In the Batticoloa area, which is partly-government controlled, the Karuna faction have been operating quite freely."
Peace talks
Peace talks are now on the table with a date set for October 28 and 29, when the government and the LTTE will travel to Geneva to hopefully put an end to the conflict.
Analysts say, with the recent upsurge in violence it is difficult to see how anything positive will come out of it. On October 16, at least 103 people - many of them navy sailors - were killed when Tamil Tiger rebels bombed a Sri Lankan navy convoy.
It is likely that the SLMM will play a role in the peace talks because of the escalating violence, but what type of role has yet to be defined.
Omarsson told Aljazeera: "One might think there is no use for peace talks under the present situation, but quite the opposite is true. There is a need for peace talks to begin, there is no other alternative than to go ahead with the talks."

What ever the outcome of the talks and/or the autopsy, it is clear that Sri Lankans have been hurt by the conflict and it has set up a deep distrust for this government. The families of the dead will deserve to be compensated for the loss of their loved ones, how the government will deal with it is yet to be seen.
Sri Lanka's aid workers continue to work in an environment that is becoming more and more dangerous day by day. The tragedy of Sri Lanka is that not only is the safety of aid workers important to help the thousands of people displaced by the conflict, but also to continue the ongoing reconstruction work in the tsunami affected areas.
Message
While the execution of 17 innocent aid workers remains unsolved it has sent a message to others.
Omarsson said: "It seems the one who carried out this attack did it to send a warning to others. International NGOs across the country have been threatened by anonymous groups. Especially local NGO workers who are working for international bodies."
Mafaz told Aljazeera: "I don't feel so safe anymore. I am planning to leave Sri Lanka at the end of this month. What can I do?"
Aljazeera

Asia's unending war
Boston Globe - Editorial, October 22. 2006

SRI LANKA'S intermittent war between successive governments and the secessionist movement known as the Tamil Tigers has been going on for nearly a quarter century and has taken 65,000 lives. It is one of the most vicious and intractable conflicts in theworld, but receives less attention than other wars that involve American interests more directly.
Episodes of gruesome bloodletting on both sides this fall demonstrate that a 2002 ceasefire survives only on paper. At the same time, Pakistani arms deliveries to the government and a consequent expectation that India will provide military aid (albeit covert) to the Tamils threatens to transform Sri Lanka's civil war into a proxy war between South Asia's two principal antagonists. So the Bush administration did well last week to dispatch Richard Boucher, assistant secretary for South and Central Asian affairs, to Sri Lanka to press for a political solution to the island's civil war.
During a visit last June, Boucher staked out a sound principle for resolution of the conflict. The United States believes, he said, that the Tamil ethnic minority that predominates in the north and east of the island nation ought to have some form of self-rule in its own homeland. Vague as this formula may be, it does point the way to a political rather than a military solution in Sri Lanka, including a durable, peaceful coexistence between the mostly Hindu Tamils and the Buddhist Sinhalese majority.
But for Boucher's visit Thursday and Friday to have a practical effect, it will have to be followed up with concrete measures. Although American officials are prohibited from engaging in contacts with the Tamil Tigers because the group is on the US terrorism list, the Bush administration should give whole hearted backing to the Sri Lankan government's participation in peace talks with the Tigers later this month in Geneva.
To demonstrate Washington's seriousness about a permanent peace that provides for Tamil self-government and human rights in a confederal Sri Lanka, the administration ought to prevail on the central government to withdraw its armed forces from the Tamil areas in the north of the island. The Sri Lankan government should also be told that as a humanitarian gesture , it would be wise to open the road to Jaffna, the sole main artery connecting the Tamil areas to the rest of the country.
Peace in Sri Lanka must be accompanied by justice for the island's Tamil minority. That justice and that peace should be seen as building blocks for the security in Asia that is sure to become more and more important to the United States.

The Hidden Sea Tigers
The LTTE attack at Galle came a few days before the arrival of a fresh consignment of arms and ammunition from Pakistan and seems aimed to demonstrate the continuing naval capability and to scare foreign tourists

B.Raman /outlookindia 20.10.2006


The Sea Tigers of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) took the Sri Lankan Navy completely by surprise early on the morning of October 18, 2006, by successfully penetrating a naval base and a commercial harbour at Galle in southern Sri Lanka and destroying three naval boats in the base. One sailor and one civilian were killed and 26 other persons—naval personnel and civilians—were injured.
The Sea Tigers—15 of them—dressed as fishermen approached the naval base and harbour in seven boats looking like fishing vessels. Five of them managed to enter the base undetected. Three filled with explosives rammed against three naval vessels and exploded. The remaining two were sunk by the Navy before they could cause any damage.
The inmates of the two boats, which penetrated the harbour, opened fire with rocket-propelled grenades and other small arms and then escaped into the town after abandoning the weapons.While the attack on the naval base was a suicide mission, the incident in the harbour was apparently not.
After the LTTE's unsuccessful attempt to kill Col.(retd) Bashir Wali, Pakistan's former High Commissioner to Colombo, at Colombo on August 14,2006 —which came on the eve of the arrival of a fresh consignment of arms and ammunition for the Sri Lankan military from Pakistan—the Sri Lankan military authorities have stopped unloading military consignments from Pakistan at the Colombo harbour. Instead, since August 14, 2006, ships bringing in arms and ammunition from Pakistan, are being diverted to Galle for unloading. The Sri Lankan authorities were worried that the LTTE might attack ships bringing in arms and ammunition from Pakistan at the Colombo harbour, thereby endangering the harbour.
It is learnt that the LTTE attack at Galle came a few days before the arrival of a fresh consignment of arms and ammunition from Pakistan at Galle.
The LTTE attack had two other objectives—firstly, to demonstrate that the capability of the Sea Tigers for covert actions remains strong despite government claims of severely damaging the LTTE's naval capability in the North and the East; and, secondly, to create nervousness among foreign tourists about the advisability of their coming to Sri Lanka for spending their forthcoming Christmas vacation. Galle is a favourite tourist resort.
In 1997, the LTTE had unsuccessfully tried to kill the naval commander in Galle. Since then it has not operated there.
Galle is a stronghold of the Sinhala extremist Janata Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP). The LTTE attacks in Galle on October 18 led to some attacks on local Tamil shops by the Sinhalese. The Police was able to bring the situation under control after imposing a curfew.
Despite the serious incidents since October 11, the government as well as the LTTE have re-assured their international interlocutors of their willingness to resume the peace talks as scheduled at Geneva on October 28 and 29, 2006.
So long as the Sri Lankan government continues to use its Air Force indiscriminately in an attempt to decimate the LTTE and intimidate the civilian Tamil population, we can expect more retaliatory covert actions by the LTTE in other parts of Sri Lanka outside what it looks upon as the traditional Tamil homeland—that is, the Northern and Eastern Provinces.
After having demonstrated its continuing capability against the Army at Muhamalai in the North on October 11 and against the Navy at Galle on October 18, the LTTE is expected to demonstrate its capability for covert action against the Air Force and the Pakistani personnel posted in Sri Lanka,
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B.Raman is Additional Secretary (retd), Cabinet Secretariat, Govt. of India, New Delhi, and, presently, Director, Institute For Topical Studies, Chennai.

Lanka most militarised in South Asia: Study

PK BalachandranColombo, September 21, 2006 /HindustanTimes


The twenty-five year long military conflict between the Tamil insurgents and successive Sri Lankan governments has made Sri Lanka the most militarised country in South Asia.
In this respect, Sri Lanka has dwarfed the much larger India and military-ruled Pakistan, says a study conducted by the Mumbai-based Strategic Foresight Group (SFG).
Published in January 2006, the SFG monograph says that Sri Lanka will continue to hold this "dubious" position between now and 2010, given the absence of any clear signs that the military conflict is going to taper off.
Successive governments and the LTTE are both to be blamed for this sorry state of affairs, as both sides have continually raised the scale and technological sophistication of the war.
A major contributory factor in the high militarisation of Sri Lanka has been the nature of the LTTE.
In military terms, the LTTE is unmatched in the South Asian region. No other insurgent group here has, or has ever had, the equipment and military capabilities that the LTTE has.
No other country has faced the kind of challenges that the LTTE has posed to the Sri Lankan government.
Presenting comparative data for 2004, the SFG's report says that Sri Lanka was the most militarised among the South Asian countries with 8,000 military personnel per one million population.
The figures for other South Asian countries were: Pakistan, 4,000; Nepal 2,700; India, 1,300; and Bangladesh 1,000.
In terms of military expenditure as percentage of GDP also, Sri Lanka spent the most.
The figure was 4.1 per cent in the case of Sri Lanka; 3.5 per cent in the case of Pakistan; 2.5 per cent in the case of India and Nepal; and 1.5 per cent in the case Bangladesh.
According to the SFG, Sri Lanka's defence expenditure is also higher than other comparable conflict-ridden countries such as Colombia, Myanmar, Sierra Leone, Sudan, the Philippines and Uganda.
According to Indian army personnel, the Sri Lankan army is well-equipped. Against the LTTE, which is its only target, the 150, 000 man army uses Multi-Barrel Rocket Launchers, long-range artillery, mortars, battle tanks and armoured personnel carriers.
The Navy is much smaller with 20,000 personnel. It uses Fast Attack Craft with 23 mm guns, Inshore and Offshore patrol vessels, landing craft etc.
The Air Force uses Kfir supersonic fighter bombers, MIG-23, and choppers, including MI-24s.
The defence expenditure, which is now about $ 700 million per annum, could go to about $1 billion, if current plans to increase the size of the armed forces and to give them better equipment and more ammunition are implemented. Aerial bombs and artillery shells cost a lot.
"Sampur was captured by 2,000 soldiers, but to hold it, the army needs 20,000," a retired Air Marshal told Hindustan Times.
LTTE too spends a lot
"The military arsenal of the LTTE is highly sophisticated," the SFG says.
And being a military outfit essentially, expenditure on weapons and the maintenance of a war economy gets topmost priority in the LTTE.
It does precious little for the economic well being of the people under its control, despite running a few social and economic organisations.
The LTTE has no functioning Air Force and no anti-aircraft defences (at least now), but it is said have acquired two to five small aircraft, and built one or two airfields.
But its ground forces and navy are very well equipped for an insurgent group.
The ground forces have long-range artillery pieces, captured from the Sri Lankan forces, and a variety of mortars. But there are no tanks or armoured personnel carriers.
The LTTE's Sea Tiger navy has home-made but fast moving craft fitted with double barrel 23 mm guns and radar.
The boats have speeds from 10 to 45 knots. The outfit has several ocean going vessels, which indulge in commercial activity besides gun running.
But the LTTE is outnumbered. In comparison with the Sri Lankan's army's strength of 150, 000 men, the LTTE has only 10, 000.
The LTTE's navy has about 2,000 in contrast with the Sri Lankan Navy's 20,600.
The LTTE's annual expenditure on its cadres and military-oriented networks, both in the island and abroad, is estimated to be in the range of $8 million annually.
But given the fact that the outfit's annual income is anywhere between $175 million and $385 million, the expenditure on cadres and the informer networks is "insignificant," the SFG says.
"The LTTE spends a minimum on its cadres and the maximum on sustaining a war economy and its support base internationally."
It is believed that of the total income, $100 million to 250 million comes from drug trafficking, though there is yet no direct evidence of the LTTE's involvement in this trade.
Local taxation and extortion is said to contribute about $30 million; human smuggling and funds siphoned off from NGOs gives $3 to 5 million; contributions from the Tamil expatriate community fetches $40 to 50 million; and profits from businesses from $35 to 50 million.
The recent fighting showed that the LTTE has no answer to Sri Lanka's air power.
It had been trying to buy SA-18 shoulder held missiles but unsuccessfully. Like the Sri Lankan army, the LTTE has been spending its artillery shells liberally. Replenishment needs are urgent.
The LTTE's Sea Tigers had conducted impressive operations, but they have not been able to stop Sri Lankan shipping of late.
The LTTE would therefore be shopping for naval equipment.
Last week, a ship, allegedly with a heavy load of artillery shells and missiles, was sunk by the Sri Lankan navy and air force off the South Eastern coast of the island.
With both the government and the LTTE hell bent on increasing their military capability, the former to keep what it had captured, and the latter to recapture what it had lost, a lessening of military expenditure is not on the cards. On the contrary, hefty increases are.

Anschlag auf Militärbusse

Sri Lanka: Über 100 Tote nach Bombenexplosion auf Sammelpunkt für Soldaten
Von Gerd Schumann

Ein mit Sprengstoff beladener Lastwagen explodierte am Montag um 13.40 Uhr mitten auf einem Sammelplatz für Soldaten der srilankischen Marine. Bei dem Attentat, bei dem nahe der Stadt Dambulla in Sri Lankas nördlicher Zentralprovinz 15 von 24 Militärbusse beschädigt wurden, starben nach offiziellen Angaben mindestens 100 Menschen. Zudem war von mehr als 150 Verletzten die Rede. Zur Urheberschaft der Explosion lagen lediglich Vermutungen vor. Diese unterstellten durchweg, daß es sich bei den Tätern um »tamilische Rebellen« gehandelt habe. Für die »Befreiungstiger von Tamil Eelam« (LTTE), die weite Gebiete im Nordosten Sri Lankas kontrollieren, schloß deren Militärsprecher Irasiah Ilanthirayan ausdrücklich einen »Selbstmordanschlag« aus. Auf die Frage, ob die LTTE beteiligt sei, erklärte er, er lehne es ab, Angriffe zu dementieren, »solange die srilankische Luftwaffe weiter Ziele auf tamilischem Boden bombardiert.« Die Befreiungsbewegung sieht sich sowohl international wie in Sri Lanka zunehmendem Druck ausgesetzt. So wurde sie Ende Mai nach den USA auch von der EU auf die »Terrorliste« gesetzt und mit materiellen und politischen Sanktionen belegt. Wenig später war die srilankische Armee erstmals seit Abschluß des Waffenstillstandabkommens 2002 auf tamilisches Gebiet vorgedrungen und hatte ihre massiven Angriffe auch nicht beendet, nachdem es Anfang Oktober zu einer Einigung über die Wiederaufnahme von Friedensverhandlungen gekommen war. Zudem führte Colombo auch am Montag erneut separate Gespräche mit dem japanischen Sondergesandten Yasushi Akashi, der Japan in der »Tokio-Gruppe« zum »Wiederaufbau und Entwicklung in Sri Lanka« vertritt. Zu dieser gehören außerdem die USA, EU sowie Norwegen. Zuletzt hatten insbesondere die USA und EU einseitig zugunsten der srilankischen Regierung Partei ergriffen. In Kürze wird in Colombo auch der norwegische Vermittler Jon Hanssen-Bauer erwartet. Ob es zu den für den 28. Oktober geplanten Friedensgesprächen mit der LTTE kommen wird, wird täglich ungewisser. Der Anschlag zeige, daß die LTTE kein Interesse am Frieden habe, sagte Regierungssprecher Keheliya Rambukwella am Montag.

jungewelt /17.10.2006

Sri Lanka convoy blast 'kills 67'

At least 67 people have been killed in a suicide attack on a navy convoy in northern Sri Lanka, the military says.
Military officials told the BBC that they had counted the bodies near the town of Digampathana, near Trincomalee.
They say that at least 60 people - navy personnel and civilians - were injured in a "huge explosion" involving an "explosive-laden vehicle".
The blasts come amid renewed violence in Sri Lanka, with both the military and Tamil rebels taking heavy losses.
Correspondents say the violence could derail peace talks due to take place in Geneva, Switzerland, at the end of the month.
Wounded
Defence officials say the death toll maybe higher, with up to 90 sailors dead.
The government has blamed the Tamil Tigers for Monday's attack on a convoy of navy servicemen going on leave.
A number of civilians were reported to have been caught up in the blast.
"Suicide bombers drove a truck packed with explosives into the area where there were about 15 buses of sailors," a p"We have two helicopters to evacuate the wounded," the official said.
Another official told the Reuters news agency that 13 of the 15 buses had been damaged in the explosion, and that the dead and injured were being taken to a nearby hospital.
The blast comes shortly after Japan's peace envoy to Sri Lanka, Yasushi Akashi, met President Mahinda Rajapakse in the capital, Colombo.
It was the first of a number of new diplomatic efforts ahead of talks due between the government and the Tamil Tigers at the end of October.
At least 2,000 people have been killed in violence this year in Sri Lanka, the military and ceasefire monitors say.
Norway's peace envoy, Jon Hanssen-Bauer, is due in the island on Tuesday. Richard Boucher, the US assistant secretary of state, is due on Thursday.
The diplomats will be hoping to help the government and the Tamil Tigers rebels reconcile their differences.
No details of the meeting between Mr Akashi and Mr Rajapakse have been released. Mr Akashi is due to meet senior Tamil Tigers in the north of the island later in the week.
Japan is one of the key international donors to Sri Lanka.
Trawler
There were more reports of violence over the weekend.
The military said the navy destroyed a trawler carrying arms off the island's west coast on Sunday, leaving at least five rebels dead.
Four civilians were also killed in northern Jaffna peninsula in three separate incidents, the pro-rebel TamilNet website said. In each case it says the shootings were carried out by unidentified gunmen.
At least three Sinhala civilians were reported to have been kidnapped and killed near the town of Vavuniya, 260km (160 miles) north of Colombo. olice official in the nearby town of Sigiriya told the AFP news agency.

Ein Banker mit Kleingeld

VON MARIO MÜLLER

Friedensnobelpreis für einen Banker und ein Geldhaus? Klingt reichlich merkwürdig, wenn man dabei, sagen wir, Goldman Sachs oder die Deutsche Bank samt deren Management vor Augen hat. Aber im Schatten der internationalen Finanzgiganten finden sich gelegentlich Personen und Institutionen, die dem üblichen Klischee widersprechen und Soll und Haben völlig anders interpretieren.Mohammed Junus etwa und die von ihm gegründete Grameen Bank aus Bangladesch. Sie erhalten den diesjährigen Friedensnobelpreis zu gleichen Teilen für ihre "Anstrengungen, die ökonomische und soziale Entwicklung von unten" befördert zu haben, wie das Preiskomitee in seiner Begründung schreibt. Dauerhafter Frieden könne nur erreicht werden, wenn "große Teile der Bevölkerung Wege finden, aus der Armut auszubrechen". Dazu hätten Junus und die Grameen Bank mit der Vergabe von Kleinstkrediten entscheidend beigetragen.Die beiden Preisträger hatte zwar kaum einer der Auguren auf der Kandidatenliste. Völlig überraschend ist die Entscheidung aber nicht. Bill Clinton, der Ex-Präsident der USA, hatte den Namen Junus bereits vor Jahren ins Gespräch gebracht. In entwicklungspolitischen Kreisen gelten der gelernte Wirtschaftswissenschaftler und die Grameen Bank als Pioniere, die der Finanzierung für Menschen, denen der übliche Zugang zu Geldquellen versperrt ist, entscheidende Impulse gaben.In das allgemeine Loblied mischen sich allerdings auch kritische Stimmen, die die Preisvergabe zwar durchaus begrüßen, den Vorbildcharakter des Projekts allerdings bestreiten. "Heilsbringer oder Scharlatan? Der gute Mann von Bangladesch polarisiert, wo er auftritt", schrieb einst der Spiegel.Junus mochte die Nachricht zunächst "einfach nicht glauben". Das seien "fantastische Neuigkeiten" für "alle armen Menschen auf der Welt", meinte der 66-Jährige im norwegischen Fernsehen, der Friedensnobelpreis sei "der Himmel". Die Freude ist verständlich. Wann wird schon einmal ein "Revolutionär" ausgezeichnet. So bezeichnet ihn jedenfalls die Grameen Bank auf ihrer Homepage. Seine Ideen, heißt es dort weiter, "verbinden Kapitalismus mit sozialer Verantwortung". Sie hätten das "Gesicht der bäuerlichen Wirtschaft und der sozialen Entwicklung dauerhaft verändert".Die Idee zur Gründung einer Institution, die Mikro-Kredite an Arme vergibt, kam Junus Mitte der 1970er Jahre. Damals, nach der großen Hungersnot in Bangladesch, habe er begriffen, "dass alle schönen Wirtschaftstheorien keinem helfen, Arbeit zu finden, die ihn ernährt". Die schöne Theorie hatte er unter anderem in den USA studiert und anschließend an der Chittagong Universität in seiner Geburtstadt gelehrt. "Armut war überall um mich herum", berichtete er nach der Rückkehr in sein Heimatland über seine Erfahrungen. Vor allem habe ihn geschockt, dass die üblichen Geldverleiher von ihren Kunden so extrem hohen Zinsen verlangten, dass diesen kaum noch etwas zum Leben blieb. Das habe ihn an "Sklavenarbeit" erinnert. Bei dem Versuch, das Los der Schuldner zu lindern, sei ihm aufgefallen, mit welch geringen Geldbeträgen den Menschen geholfen werden könne. Zunächst habe er sich bemüht, erzählt Junus, traditionelle Banken einzuschalten. Doch der Versuch scheiterte, weil die Armen als nicht kreditwürdig galten. Deshalb habe er 1983 die Grameen Bank - auf deutsch: Dorf-Bank - gegründet. Sie sollte Darlehen vergeben, ohne die üblichen Sicherheiten zu verlangen. Ziel des neuen Geldhauses war es, den "uralten Teufelskreis" aus "niedrigem Einkommen, geringem Sparen, wenig Investitionen" zu durchbrechen, heißt es in einer Selbstdarstellung der Grameen-Bank. Sie sollte mit Hilfe von Kleinstdarlehen stattdessen eine Aufwärtsspirale in Gang setzen: "niedrige Einkommen, Kreditvergabe, Investition, mehr Einkommen, mehr Sparen, mehr Investitionen, mehr Einkommen".Junus setzte dabei vor allem auf die Frauen. Sie seien die "wirksamste Waffe gegen Armut". Denn sie "zahlen Kredite zuverlässiger zurück und investieren in Gesundheit und Ausbildung der Kinder".Das ehrgeizige Konzept scheint aufgegangen zu sein. Zuletzt zählte die Grameen Bank mehr als 1100 Zweigstellen und gut 2,3 Millionen Kunden, zu 95 Prozent Frauen, die als Kleinstunternehmerin arbeiten und etwa Gemüse anbauen oder Stoffe weben. Seit Bestehen soll die Bank Kredite im Volumen von umgerechnet mehr als drei Milliarden Dollar vergeben haben, wobei die Rückzahlungsquote mit 98 Prozent angegeben wird. Eigentümer sind zu 93 Prozent die Darlehensnehmer, den Rest hält der Staat.Für Junus lassen sich die Erfolge des Projekts klar belegen: Jedes Jahr würden fünf Prozent der Kreditnehmer der Armut entkommen, die Kindersterblichkeit sei um 37 Prozent gesunken, der Status von Frauen habe sich verbessert, berichtet der Initiator der Bank. Und verweist mit Stolz darauf, dass das Beispiel aus Bangladesch weltweit Schule machte. In fast 100 Ländern würden inzwischen Mikro-Kredite nach dem "Grameen-Typ" vergeben.Tatsächlich ist die Idee, mit relativ kleinen Geldbeträgen von 20, 50 oder 100 Dollar den Menschen zu mehr Selbstständigkeit zu verhelfen und damit die wirtschaftliche Entwicklung zu fördern, rund um den Globus auf fruchtbaren Boden gefallen. Ob in Asien oder Afrika. Osteuropa oder Südamerika - allerorten startete man entsprechende Projekte. Sie gelten längst als wesentliche Elemente der Entwicklungshilfe und werden von internationalen Organisationen unterstützt.Gleichwohl gilt Junus in der Branche nicht unbedingt als leuchtendes Vorbild. Er sei ohne Zweifel eine "charismatische Figur", aber auch ein "begnadeter Selbstdarsteller" und "Meister des Personenkults", der gern auf die "Tränendrüse drücke", um bei internationalen Institutionen oder reichen Privatleuten Mittel loszueisen, meint ein Kenner der Materie.Für den Frankfurter Ökonom Harry Schmidt, einen Experten der Mikrofinanzierung, taugt die Grameen Bank aber aus ein anderem Grund nicht als Modell: Sie hänge am Tropf der Entwicklungshilfe und sei nicht darauf angelegt, ganz aus eigenen Mittel Kredite zu vergeben. "So sollte die Mikrofinanzierung nicht sein", meint er. Die gute Idee könne auf die Dauer nur funktionieren, wenn die Projekte sich selbst tragen.

fr-online.de 14.10.2006

சமாதானத்திற்கான நோபல் பரிசு வங்காள தேசத்தை சேர்ந்த முகமுது யூனுஸுக்கு வழங்கப்படுகிறது

நோபல் பரிசினைப் பெற்றுள்ள முகமது யூனுஸ் உலகின் பல்வேறு வளர்முக நாடுகளில் நன்கு அறியப்பட்டவர். உலக ஏழைகளின் வங்கியாளர் என்றே அவர் அதிகம் அறியப்படுபவர்.
வங்காளதேசத்தின் சிட்டகாங் பல்கலைக்கழகத்தில் பொருளாதாரத் துறைப் பேராசிரியராக அவர் இருந்த காலத்தில் கிராமின் வங்கி முறை என்கின்ற திட்டம் அவருக்கு உருவானது. கிராமின் அதாவது இந்த கிராம வங்கி முறையின் மூலம் கிட்டத்தட்ட எழுபது இலட்சம் வறிய மக்களுக்கு சிறிய தொகையிலான கடன் வழங்கி அதன் மூலம் அந்த ஏழை எளிய மக்களின் வாழ்க்கைத் தரத்தை முன்னேற்ற முனைவதே இதன் குறிக்கோளாகும்.
இந்தத் திட்டத்தில் பெரும்பாலும் கடன் பெற்றவர்கள் வங்காளதேச மக்களே அதிலும் குறிப்பாக பெண்கள். இத் திட்டம் வங்காள தேசத்தில் எதிர்ப்பார்த்ததை விட நல்ல முன்னேற்றத்தைக் கண்டதற்குப் பின் பிற நாடுகளிலும், குறிப்பாக ஏழை நாடுகளில் இந்த முறை அறிமுகப்படுத்தப்பட்டது.
இந்த விருது கிடைத்த செய்திக்கு பின் கருத்து வெளியிட்ட முஹமது யூனுஸ், எனக்கு நோபல் பரிசு வழங்கப்பட்டுள்ளது என்ற செய்தியைக் கேட்ட போது என்னால் நம்பவே முடியவில்லை. எனக்கு நோபல் பரிசு கிடைக்கும் என பல காலமாக பலர் கூறி வந்தாலும், அப்படி நடக்கப் போகிறதா என்பது எனக்குத் தெரியாது. இந்த விருது வழங்கப்பட்டதை நான் மிக நன்றியுடன் ஏற்றுக் கொள்கிறேன்.
மேலும், இது எனக்கு மட்டும் கிடைத்த நல்ல செய்தி அல்ல, மக்களுக்காகவும், இந்த மைக்ரோ கிரடிட் முறையினால் பயனடைந்த அனைத்து மக்களுக்கும் கிடைத்த நல்ல செய்தியாகவே நான் கருதுகிறேன்என்றார் முகமது யூனுஸ்
இத் திட்டம் முதன்முதலில் அறிமுகப்படுத்தப்பட்ட போது, பேராசிரியர் யூனுஸ் தன்னுடைய சொந்தப் பணத்திலேயே பெண்கள் சிலருக்கு கடன் வழங்கினார். இவர் அறிமுகப்படுத்திய இந்த மைக்ரோ ஃபைனான்ஸ் அதாவது சமுதாயத்தின் அடிமட்டத்தில் இருப்பவர்களுக்கும் கடன் வழங்கும் பாரம்பர்ய வங்கிக் கடனுக்கு மாறாக இந்த முறையின் மூலம், எவ்விதமான சொத்து ஜாமீனோ அல்லது கடனுக்கு ஈடாக பொருள் எதுவும் காட்டாமலோ கூட ஏழை மக்கள் தங்களின் பொருளாதார நிலையை முன்னேற்றக் கடன் பெற முடியும். இதுதான் இந்த கிராமின் வங்கித் திட்டத்தின் சிறப்பு அம்சம். இதனால் எந்தவித சொத்துக்களும், நிதி ஆதாரமும் இல்லாத ஏழை எளிய மக்கள் கூட, ஏன் பிச்சைக்காரர்கள் கூட இந்தத் திட்டத்தால் கடன் வாங்க முடிந்தது.
bbbtamil 11.10.2006

Militärchef hißt nach Blair-Kritik weiße Flagge

Britischer General fordert zunächst baldigen Truppenabzug aus dem Irak und ergibt sich dann seiner Regierung
Von Rüdiger Göbel

In einer bisher nicht gekannten Schärfe hat ein britischer Militärbefehlshaber die Außenpolitik seiner Regierung öffentlich kritisiert– um kurz darauf wieder klein beizugeben. General Sir Richard Dannatt, seit August neuer Armeechef Ihrer Majestät, bezeichnete die Irak-Politik von Premierminister Anthony Blair laut Daily Mail (Freitagausgabe) als »naiv« und forderte einen baldigen Abzug der britischen Besatzungstruppen. In einem Interview mit der Boulevardzeitung sagte Dannatt, die britische Militärpräsenz verschlimmere nur die Lage im Irak. »Was immer wir auch an Zustimmung am Anfang hatten, ist nun zum größten Teil in Ablehnung umgeschlagen.« Die britischen Truppen seien nicht in den Irak eingeladen worden, sondern hätten 2003 praktisch die Haustür eingetreten, wurde der realitätsorientierte General zitiert. Die rebellischen Äußerungen des britischen Militärs sorgten weltweit für Schlagzeilen, richteten sie sich doch unmißverständlich gegen Blair. Der britische Regierungschef hatte zuletzt auf dem Labour-Parteitag im September einen Rückzug aus dem Irak abgelehnt und vor einer »feigen Kapitulation« gewarnt. Im Laufe des Freitags schließlich war General Dannatt um Relativierung bemüht. Seine Bemerkungen seien aufgebauscht und teilweise aus dem Zusammenhang gerissen worden, sagte er im Rundfunksender BBC. Es gebe keine grundsätzlichen Meinungsverschiedenheiten mit der Regierung. Schließlich verbreitete der Spitzenmilitär eine persönliche Erklärung: »Ich bin ein Soldat. Man gibt nicht auf, man hißt nicht die weiße Flagge. Wir werden es bis zum Ende durchziehen.« Daß seitens des Verteidigungsministeriums Druck auf ihn ausgeübt worden sei, bestritt General Dannatt energisch. Indes, Kritik am Irak-Einsatz kam auch aus Washington. Gerald Burke, als sogenannter US-Sicherheitsberater für das Innenministerium in Bagdad tätig, monierte die schlechte Ausbildung der irakischen Polizisten. Ein großer Teil des heutigen Ausmaßes der Gewalt im Irak liege darin begründet, daß unmittelbar nach der US-Invasion im März 2003 zu wenig für die Durchsetzung von Recht und Ordnung getan worden sei, sagte Burke vor einem Ausschuß demokratischer Senatoren. Wegen der zahlreichen Anschläge rechne das irakische Innenministerium derzeit den Verlust von 25 Polizisten – tot oder schwer verletzt – pro Tag in seine Planungen ein.

Jungewelt /14.10.2006

Sri Lanka clashes kill 129 troops
bbb.com 12.10.2006

At least 129 Sri Lankan army soldiers were killed in fierce fighting with Tamil Tiger rebels on Wednesday close to the northern city of Jaffna.

The army said it had collected 55 bodies, while Tamil Tiger rebels handed over 74 more to the Red Cross.
The toll is the worst the army has suffered in one day since a 2002 ceasefire called a temporary halt to the country's 23-year civil war.
Fighting between the two sides has increased markedly over the past year.
Army spokesman Brigadier Prasad Samarasinghe told BBC News that 283 soldiers had also been injured in fighting that lasted from dawn to dusk on Wednesday.
One soldier was captured by the rebels, Brig Samarasinghe said.
Later a spokesman for the Red Cross, Sukumar Rockwood, told the BBC Sinhala service that they had handed over 74 bodies received in Kilinochchi from the Tamil Tigers to the army.

Disputed figures

The army said that it had killed 200 rebels, although the Tamil Tigers only confirmed losing 22 fighters from their side.
Independent confirmation of rebel casualties is impossible to obtain and both sides in the conflict routinely magnify or minimise casualty figures to their benefit.
The fighting has been close to a strategic causeway linking Jaffna to the mainland.
The city is controlled by the government, but sits in the midst of rebel territory at the northern tip of the island.
Ethirajan Anbarasan of the BBC's Tamil Service says that the Sri Lankan army's apparent attempts to gain more territory seem to have backfired.
He adds that the intensity of the clashes and the high casualty figures indicate the difficulties, after more than 20 years of civil war, of achieving a military solution to the conflict.

Bloody nose

A senior Sri Lankan military source described the clash as a setback.
"There is no doubt that the army suffered a bloody nose," the anonymous source told AFP news agency.
"It was a big mistake. There should have been better planning."
The BBC's Dumeetha Luthra says that talks between the two sides planned for later this month are now hanging in the balance.
On Tuesday, Norway's ambassador to Sri Lanka, Hans Brattskar, told the BBC that the rebels had confirmed they were ready to meet the government on 28 and 29 October in Switzerland.
However, he said the Tigers had told him they could reconsider their decision if the situation on the ground deteriorated.
The US state department said it was "deeply concerned" that the violence was harming hopes of peace talks.
"We call on both sides to cease hostilities immediately and foster an environment that is conducive to holding productive discussions in Geneva," spokesman Sean McCormack said in a statement.
Sri Lankan government spokesman Anura Priya Yapa said that talks would be going ahead despite the latest bloodshed.
"There is no change of plans on the talks and the decision (to attend) remains," he told Reuters.
Continuing clashes
The clashes on Wednesday lasted up to 12 hours, with residents in the town of Jaffna saying they could hear the noise of heavy artillery in the distance.
An army statement said that air force jets pounded rebel positions on Thursday morning, while rebels continued to shell the army's front line.
Both sides maintain they are acting defensively, our correspondent says, and have retained the right to do so despite agreeing to resume discussions.
The conflict has claimed more than 2,000 lives since it flared again last December, and before the 2002 ceasefire more than 60,000 people were killed in two decades of civil war.
The Tamil Tigers are fighting for an independent homeland in the north and east of the country, and claim that ethnic Tamils have suffered decades of discrimination at the hands of Sri Lanka's Sinhalese majority.

Chavez denies being anti-US

Wednesday 04 October 2006, 21:45 Makka Time, 18:45 GMT

ugo Rafael Chavez Frías, the 53rd president of Venezuela, was born on July 28 1954. He came to power in 1998, promising to help Venezuela's poor majority, and was re-elected in 2000. He survived a coup in 2002 and faces a presidential election in December.
Since becoming president he has followed a policy of democratic socialism, Latin American integration and anti-imperialism.

His reforms have created much controversy in Venezuela and abroad. Most Venezuelans are split between those who say he has empowered the poor and stimulated economic growth, and those who say he is autocratic and has badly managed the economy.

Some foreign governments view Chavez as a threat to world oil prices and regional stability, while others welcome his bilateral trade and reciprocal aid agreements.

Chavez recently described George Bush, the US president, as "the devil" and says Bush has plans to assassinate him and invade Venezuela. He recently talked to Aljazeera about his relationship with the US, the Venezuelan army and why he gets only a few hours' sleep a night.

Aljazeera.net: You are strengthening ties with countries that are dissatisfied with Washington, countries such as Iran, Bolivia and Cuba. What is the end game of such an alliance?

Hugo Chavez: We are not against the US people, where there are children, women, intellectuals and students. We have investments in the US, we have eight refineries there, we have 14,000 gas stations. I have many friends there, I have played baseball there, I even have a nephew there.

What we are against is the imperial elite and that is very different. This is not a game. Do you think Iraq is a game, the aggression against Latin America for a century is a game, the toppling of Allende, the invasions of Grenada, Haiti, Panama, Jamaica, the Dominican Republic, Guatemala, is that a game?

If that's a game, then my goodness that would be awful. This is an aggression and every day more and more people are against this hegemony and trying to save the world. Look at Lebanon, the aggression against the Palestinian people, why do they do that? Because the Israelis are supported by the elite of the US. We are against that.

Some would say in order for such an alliance to stop these events and counter the power of Washington that you refer to, regional powers such as China and Russia would need to back it. You hold talks with the leaders of these countries, are they ready to come on board for such an alliance?

You insist on something that is out of my main focus. I have never said we want to build an alliance against the US, so your question is not really focused.

If you take Moscow, Iran, Vietnam, China, Malaysia, what we are doing is getting closer through integration, through energy, oil, gas, trade and respect for international law.

We are today on a campaign around the world asking for support for Venezuela to become part of the Security Council as a non–permanent member. The US is in a terrible campaign to prevent us being elected. We are defending our interests but we are not proposing an alliance against anyone, much less the people of the United States. So your question is out of focus.

In May 2005, you called for an alliance between Latin America and the Arab world. How far has that initiative gone?

Not only me, Lula [Brazil's president] has been outspoken in calling for the coming together of Latin America and the Arab countries.

In Brasilia in May we had the first ever Arab-South American summit. It was a very important meeting.

In the past, only Venezuela had strong relations with the Arab world through Opec and through links with other non-Opec countries such as Egypt.

But now Lula is convening these meetings, he is coming to the Arab world. Not long ago in Venezuela we held a meeting between senior ministers in charge of education and social matters in both Latin America and the Arab world. We have made serious progress. It is not just an individual proposal of Hugo Chavez, it is a proposal of leaders like Muammar al-Qadhafi and the amir of Qatar. As well as Lula and Eva Morales [Bolivia's president]. And we want to get our two regions together.

You have started an ambitious programme to rebuild your military, you are buying new weapons, you are trying to raise, I think, the largest standing army in the Americas. If everything goes to plan, you will have two million reserve troops. What has prompted this military build up?

Let me tell you something. I hardly have time to sleep a few hours a day, but I don't care because I've decided to devote my life to taking my people out of poverty and misery.

To make a great effort for all Venezuelans to have access to education, health, housing, to life. When we were elected, poverty in Venezuela was over 55 per cent based on UN figures, it is now between 30 per cent and 40 per cent.

We are building a system of Bolivarian schools where children can have breakfast, lunch and dinner, gain internet access and take part in sports activities.

I devote a tiny part of my time to being commander-in-chief of the Venezuelan army. The imperialists have threatened to invade Venezuela, they have already conducted a coup d'etat four years ago. Recently they conducted manoeuvres in the Caribbean. We have even captured US soldiers taking pictures of military installations and we have expelled them.

We have much evidence, proof and documents that show there is a plan to invade Venezuela. What do you want us to do? That I forget my task of minimum defence of the country?

We had old rifles, they were 60-years old. We depended almost totally on US supplies. The F16 fighters we bought 20 years ago, they refused to give us spare parts, and they were stranded on the ground. So I have bought better planes and Kalashnikovs from Moscow. We have a vast border with Colombia, we have a huge coastal line along the Caribbean. We have to defend this country. We are not going to be aggressors.

Do you feel you are still being targeted and threatened by the US? We know that some people in the US have spoken in the past about assassinating you. Do you still feel personally targeted by the US?

Yes indeed. People have publicly called for my assassination and that is a crime. However, this person is not in jail, he is a close friend of the US president.

Venezuelan terrorists who left for the US after the 2002 coup, who killed people in Venezuela, are today living in the US. The US will not extradite them. Some of them are organising actions against myself and Venezuela.

The US is protecting terrorism. They are applying state terror. President Bush has left a measure taken by a former president that authorises the CIA, like 007, with a permit to kill whoever, whenever and however. They have a green light. President Carter banned that practice and the current president has just reinstated it. I am one of the targets, no doubt about it.

If the opposition parties do take part in the forthcoming Venezuelan presidential elections will you make a move towards presidency for life?

There is no way I can adopt such a provision. We have a constitution and it is only the people who might change the constitution in this direction or any other direction. They have the power to hold a referendum to remove the power given to me. The people can collect and gather signatures to ask for a referendum to recall a government official and that is totally democratic.
Aljazeera

'Huge rise' in Iraqi death tolls
bbc.com /11.10.2006

An estimated 655,000 Iraqis have died since 2003 who might still be alive but for the US-led invasion, according to a survey by a US university.
The research compares mortality rates before and after the invasion from 47 randomly chosen areas in Iraq.
The figure is considerably higher than estimates by official sources or the number of deaths reported in the media.
It is vigorously disputed by supporters of the war in Iraq, including US President George W Bush.
Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health estimate that the mortality rates have more than doubled since the invasion to overthrow Saddam Hussein, causing an average of 500 deaths a day.
In the past, Mr Bush has put the civilian death toll in Iraq at 30,000, and hours after details of the latest research were published he dismissed the researchers' methodology as "pretty well discredited".
The Johns Hopkins researchers argue their statistical approach is more reliable than counting dead bodies, given the obstacles preventing more comprehensive fieldwork in the violent and insecure conditions of Iraq.
"I stand by the figure that a lot of innocent people have lost their life... and that troubles me, and it grieves me," Mr Bush told reporters at the White House.
"Six-hundred thousand or whatever they guessed at is just... it's not credible," Mr Bush said.
Sharp rise
The researchers spoke to nearly 1,850 families, comprising more than 12,800 people in dozens of 40-household clusters around the country.
Of the 629 deaths they recorded among these families since early 2002, 13% took place in the 14 months before the invasion and 87% in the 40 months afterwards.
Such a trend repeated nationwide would indicate a rise in annual death rates from 5.5 per 1,000 to 13.3 per 1,000 - meaning the deaths of some 2.5% of Iraq's 25 million citizens in the last three-and-a-half years.
The researchers say that in nearly 80% of the individual cases, family members produced death certificates to support their answers.
Reliable data is very hard to obtain in Iraq, where anti-US insurgents and sectarian death squads pose a grave danger to civilian researchers.
The survey updates earlier research using the same "cluster" technique which indicated that 100,000 Iraqis had died between the invasion and April 2004 - a figure that was also dismissed by many supporters of the US-led coalition.
'Survivor bias'
While critics point to the discrepancy between this and other independent surveys (such as Iraq Body Count's figure of 44-49,000 civilian deaths, based on media reports), the Bloomberg School team says its method may actually underestimate the true figure.
"Families, especially in households with combatants killed, could have hidden deaths. Under-reporting of infant deaths is a widespread concern in surveys of this type," the authors say.
"Entire households could have been killed, leading to survivor bias."
The survey suggests that most of the extra deaths - 601,000 - would have been the result of violence, mostly gunfire, and suggests that 31% could be attributable to action by US-led coalition forces.
The survey is to be published in a UK medical journal, the Lancet, on Thursday.
In an accompanying comment, the Lancet's Richard Horton acknowledges that the 2004 survey provoked controversy, but emphasises that the 2006 follow-up has been recommended by "four expert peers... with relatively minor revisions".

Der Westen bombt mit

Sri Lanka: Armeeoffensive gegen Tiger
Von Gerd Schumann

Und wieder verbreitet die srilankische Armee (SLA) Erfolgsmeldungen: 22 tamilische Guerilleros seien getötet worden, verlautete am Freitag. Noch tags zuvor hatte die Regierung in Colombo erklären lassen, daß sie bereit sei zur Wiederaufnahme von Friedensgesprächen mit den Befreiungstigern von Tamil Eelam (LTTE) – allerdings erst am 28. und 29. Oktober. Ob dieser Termin stattfinden wird, steht in den Sternen.

Derzeit wird von der Zentralmacht gnadenlos die militärische Karte zur gewaltsamen Lösung des Tamilenproblems gespielt. Am Freitag morgen schlugen die SLA mit schwerem Artilleriefeuer, die Luftwaffe mit Bombardierungen und die Marine mit Raketenbeschuß von See aus im von der LTTE kontrollierten Gebiet südlich der Region Vaharai zu. Erneut versuchten Tausende tamilische Zivilisten zu entkommen, Menschen, die vorher aus anderen attackierten Gebieten geflohen waren.

Die Tiger zeigen sich trotzdem verhandlungsbereit. Bereits am vergangenen Dienstag hatten sie ihren Willen zu vorbedingungslosen Gesprächen mit der Regierung bekundet, allerdings zugleich darauf hingewiesen, daß der Waffenstillstand von 2002 mit jedem neuen SLA-Angriff stärker gefährdet werde. Insgesamt befindet sich die LTTE in einer komplizierten Situation – doch das nicht unbedingt, weil sie nicht dazu in der Lage wären, sich zu verteidigen. Schließlich basierte die Waffenruhe auch auf einer militärischen Stärke der Guerilla, die die Regierung an den Verhandlungstisch zwang. Vielmehr sieht sich die LTTE nicht nur verheerenden Tsunami-Schäden gegenüber, sondern vor allem einer neuen politischen Kräftekonstellation: Einer anderen Regierung, die stärkere singhalesisch-nationalistische Töne anschlägt, und einer Supermacht, die im Zuge ihres »Kriegs gegen den Terror« die Tiger zu Terroristen erklärte.

Im Mai 2006 schloß sich die EU der Bush-Administration an, was den Eindruck der LTTE, bei Verhandlungen unter internationaler Vermittlung politisch nicht gleichbehandelt zu werden, nähren mußte – ebenso wie andererseits den Eindruck der Regierung, vom Westen bevorteilt zu werden. Daß der norwegische Gesprächsmoderator Jon Hanssen-Bauer angesichts dieser explosiven Lage mit Ende Oktober einem derart späten Verhandlungstermin zustimmte, paßt ins Bild. Vielleicht ist es dann für den Frieden nicht nur zu spät, vielleicht soll es zu spät sein.

Jungewelt 07.10.2006

India faulted for Sri Lanka mess by ex-spy chief

New Delhi, Oct 1 (IANS) India's failure to play a more active role in bringing peace to Sri Lanka may prove to be "a monumental foreign policy blunder", warns J.K. Sinha, a former chief of the country's external intelligence agency.Sinha, who headed the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) until last year, says India was content to remain on the margins of the peace process, in part due to its misgivings vis-à-vis the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), which New Delhi banned in 1992 over former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi's assassination."Mouthing platitudes and self-righteous expression of good intentions has become a substitute for a credible and effective policy," Sinha writes in the latest issue of "Indian Defence Review", in an article titled "India Loses its Way in South Asia Neighbourhood"."India allowed the gradual erosion of the peace process and remained a virtual bystander," charges Sinha, who headed RAW during the years when a Norway-backed 2002 ceasefire between Colombo and the LTTE began to crack up, eventually resulting in hostilities that have now assumed menacing proportions."It will have a heavy price to pay as Sri Lanka once again descends into a civil war," he said. "India's inability to fully comprehend the ground realities in Sri Lanka and, hamstrung by the past, its reluctance to do business with LTTE to help evolve an equitable settlement may prove to be a monumental foreign policy blunder."In an attack clearly targeted at the external affairs ministry, Sinha finds fault with New Delhi for failing to build on the 2002 Oslo agreement between the Sri Lankan government and the LTTE under which the latter agreed for the first time to explore a federal settlement to the ethnic conflict."Instead of building on the positive developments at Oslo, India allowed its misgivings and suspicions with regard to the LTTE to stifle any follow-up policy initiative. India was content to remain in the margins."The former RAW chief has come down heavily on former Sri Lankan president Chandrika Kumaratunga for destabilizing the government of Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe in late 2003 soon after the LTTE submitted a proposal to set up an interim administration in Sri Lanka's northeast."India and the international community should have done all that was possible to prevent (Chandrika) from resorting to the politically dishonest and unconstitutional measure which really scuttled the peace process," Sinha said."India's ambivalence about the LTTE and its inability to pull its weight in Sri Lanka in favour of the peace process shall cost India dear. India is now caught between the devil and the deep sea."It cannot help the Sri Lankan government militarily to defeat the LTTE because of the sentiments in Tamil Nadu and the compelling political constraints that it entails. Its ambivalence interspersed with gratuitous hostile statements towards the LTTE has closed its option to proactively bring about a settlement of the ethnic crisis in Sri Lanka through a process of negotiations."The resumption of civil war in Sri Lanka portends the worst for that country and for India's security concerns in the region."Sinha has not spared Colombo either."It is indeed ironical that Colombo, which conspired with LTTE to force the return of the Indian Army (in 1990), now looks up to New Delhi to rein in LTTE and play a decisive role as the regional superpower to bring about a durable peace."But the bulk of the criticism is directed at New Delhi."In fact, both the major political parties of Sri Lanka believe that India is the reluctant hegemon, unwilling to act, being overwhelmed by self-doubt about its role but yet extremely sensitive to the international community asserting their presence and playing a decisive role in tackling the ethnic crisis in Sri Lanka..."The gradual erosion of the peace process and the resumption of the conflict is a major setback for India and to its security concerns vis-à-vis Sri Lanka.
WWW.teluguportal.net

Sri Lanka military, rebels violate truce-monitors
Thu 28 Sep 2006 5:07 AM ET Reuters

COLOMBO, Sept 28 (Reuters) - Sri Lanka's military and the Tamil Tigers have grossly violated a 2002 ceasefire in the past two months, Nordic truce monitors said on Thursday, accusing both sides of hampering their work.The unarmed Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) said the military and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) had blocked access to areas to investigate rights abuses -- in itself a serious violation of the terms of the truce.The monitors said in a ruling that the military had violated the ceasefire since late July when it captured rebel territory on the southern lip of the strategic northeastern harbour of Trincomalee.The rebels had similarly violated the truce when they mounted offensive operations against the military in the northern Jaffna peninsula -- which is still besieged by Tiger artillery fire."Throughout the period (July 22-Sept 25), both parties have responded to the other party's actions in ways that are not conducive with the ceasefire agreement," Chief monitor Major General Lars Johan Solvberg said in the ruling."As a result of these actions, over 200 civilians have been killed and several thousand are internally displaced, creating a serious humanitarian crisis in the eastern and northern part of Sri Lanka."The ruling also accuses both sides of a string of other serious violations, such as restricting the movement of civilians.Solvberg told Reuters this week he was shocked and disappointed at the behaviour of both the rebels and the government.The monitors have previously accused the security forces of being responsible for extrajudicial killings and the execution-style killings of 17 local staff of international aid organisation Action Contre La Faim in the east in August.President Mahinda Rajapakse's administration has already accused Solvberg of overstepping his mandate less than a month into the job.Hundreds of civilians, troops and rebels have been killed since late July in the worst violence since the truce gave way to renewed civil war, and Solvberg sees no will by either side to end the fighting.Each side argues that they still honour the truce, and that their foe is trying to force a full-blown return to a war that has killed more than 65,000 people since 1983