Popular Front - to ENB

Popular Front - English to ENB
19 Oct 2009
Dear comrades,
Thank you very much for posting this and informing the Tamil community about Comrade Sa'adat's case.
In solidarity
Information Dept - PFLP - ( Popular Front for Liberation of Palestine)

Army to combat strikes

Army to combat strikes
By Padmini Matharage
Twenty seven Trade Unions including those in Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB), Petroleum Corp., harbour and Water Supply and Drainage Board will announce a major strike plan today in Colombo, which would take the place of the three day strike planned by the CEB unions to demand a Rs.5,000 allowance.
All the 27 major unions which form the Alliance of the United Unions of the CEB, and the workers of the CEB will arrive at a major trade union agreement at the unions summit meeting which will be held today at the Vihara Maha Devi Park, and their joint decision will be revealed to the country shortly.
Unions are agitating for Rs.5,000 interim allowance, as the government had granted such to state banks employees —- but declined to grant same to others citing financial difficulties.
Ranjith Jayalal, a member of the operations committee of the CEB Alliance of United Unions said that the CEB unions have decided to launch a joint strike with the support of Harbour, Petroleum and Water Supply unions —- instead of the three day strike they had initially decided upon.
The Petroleum workers worked to rule and refrained from working overtime on 23rd, 24th, 25th and 26th of October, demanding their delayed salary increments and the fulfillment of the promise of an allowance of Rs 5000, until the salary increment of 2009 is granted.
The convener of the Petroleum United Unions, D.J. Rajakaruna said that the president hasn’t called them for any discussion, although the workers stalled union action as the president promised to initiate discussions with workers.
Convener of the National Trade Unions Congress K.D. Lal Kantha said that the government ministers, terrified by this prospective strike, are boasting that the government will use Army soldiers to replace strikers.
Lal Kantha said that there’s nothing the Army can do in a joint strike situation and challenged the government to do whatever they are capable of.
சோர்ஸ்: http://www.lakbimanews.lk/news/laknew3.htm

நக்சல்பாரிகளோடு விடுதலைப்புலிகள் தொடர்பு?

நமது வாசகர்களுக்கு,

எஞ்சியுள்ள விடுதலைப்புலி உறுப்பினர்கள் சிலருக்கும் இந்திய நக்சல்பாரி தேசபக்த இயக்கத்தினருக்கும் இடையே தொடர்பு ஏற்பட்டுள்ளதாக ஊடகங்களில் செய்திகள் வெளியாகியுள்ளன.ஊடகங்களின் தொப்புள் கொடி உறவின் சார்பு நிலைக்கேற்ப இவை மிகைப்படுத்தியும், திரிபுபடுத்தியும் சொல்லப்பட்டுள்ளன.இதன் உண்மை நிலையும் அதன் சரியான
அளவும் தெளிவாகவில்லை.வெளிவந்த செய்திகள் வருமாறு.(மேலும்)

Fuel crisis continues

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
* “This payment was due from January, but we decided not to carry out any our trade union action due to the war situation in the country. Now that the war is over, we cannot accept excuses any more,” a CPC trade union leader said.
* Fuel shortages arose due to a “go slow” campaign by a JVP-backed joint front of trade unions in the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC) in support of a wage increase.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Fuel crisis continues

2009-10-25 14:57:17 The Sunday Times LK
The fuel crisis continued for the third consecutive day today with many of the fuel station remaining close or curtailing their supplies.
A large number of motorist and private buses kept away from the roads as the supply of fuel was unlikely to return to normal on Monday though CPC workers were due to return to work as usual tomorrow.
"In one of the sheds in Wattala two groups were fighting each other over fuel supplies while in some other stations they were selling fuel at extra prices", Anil Kumara a Trishaw driver said.
He said that he remained in the queue for for two hours to obtain fuel.
"Due to the fuel shortage we were forced to cancel our plan to go for an entertainment show in Colombo, thogh we had brought the tickets for the show", Vijitha Perera, a businessman from Maharagama said
Crucial talks between CPC unions and President Mahinda Rajapaksa are scheduled for Monday, but unions say if their demand for the salary increase is not received they were planning for a bigger strike with other sectors.(DW/AD)
(More)

European Parliament resolution of 22 October 2009 on Sri Lanka

European Parliament resolution of 22 October 2009 on Sri Lanka

The European Parliament ,
– having regard to its previous resolutions of 18 May 2000(1) , 14 March 2002(2) and 20 November 2003(3) on Sri Lanka, of 13 January 2005(4) on the tsunami disaster in the Indian Ocean, of 18 May 2006(5) on the situation in Sri Lanka and of 5 February 2009(6) on Sri Lanka, – having regard to the open letters of the European Commissioner for External Relations of 16 June 2009 and 21 September 2009 on the situation in Sri Lanka,
– having regard to the Council conclusions of 18 May 2009 on Sri Lanka,
– having regard to Rule 122 of its Rules of Procedure,
A. whereas all the territories in the north of Sri Lanka formerly held by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eeelam (LTTE) have been retaken,
B. whereas 25 years of conflict, which ended with the defeat of the LTTE in 2009, have resulted in more than 90 000 deaths,
C. whereas, following the end of the conflict, more than 250 000 Tamil civilians are being held in camps for screening and resettlement, where there are serious concerns about overcrowding and inadequate access to clean water, sanitation and medical facilities and where they have no freedom of movement,
D. whereas the Sri Lankan Government denies humanitarian and human rights organisations adequate access to the camps,
E. whereas the international community must continue to provide humanitarian aid, including trained staff,
F. whereas the Sri Lankan Government needs to be generous and proactive in addressing the concerns and interests of its Tamil citizens and to implement rapidly and fully the 13th Amendment to the Sri Lankan Constitution, as well as further and significant devolution measures so that the Tamil peoples, too, see the defeat of the LTTE as a liberation,
G. whereas the human rights situation is unlikely to improve without the involvement of permanent international observers, in particular from organisations such as the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC),
H. whereas numerous journalists covering the conflict and the post-conflict situation in Sri Lanka have experienced violence and intimidation,
I. whereas Sri Lanka's economic recovery will depend greatly on foreign direct investment and also on continued EU support,
J. whereas large areas of former conflict zones are contaminated by anti-personnel mines and other explosive debris of war,
1. Deeply deplores the fact that more than 250 000 people are still detained in camps and calls on the Sri Lankan Government to take all necessary steps to organise the quick return home of those detained, as well as the urgent delivery of humanitarian assistance to them, in line with its obligation to protect all people under its jurisdiction; emphasises the need to give the ICRC and the UN specialised agencies a key role in this process;
2. Calls on the Sri Lankan authorities to grant humanitarian organisations free access to the camps in order to provide those detained with the necessary humanitarian assistance, particularly with the imminent arrival of monsoon rains in the north of the country;
3. Urges society worldwide to continue providing humanitarian patronage, in order to contribute to a lasting peace, and calls on international donors to link funding for the camps to compliance with commitments on resettlement and to implement a time-limited programme of assistance to the camps;
4. Calls on all Tamil leaders to commit to a political settlement and to renounce terrorism and violence once and for all;
5. Insists that the Sri Lankan Government is under an obligation to apply international human right standards in judicial proceedings against members of the LTTE;
6. Recognises Sri Lanka's development of a National Action Plan for the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights;
7. Calls on the Sri Lankan Government to expedite plans for reconciliation and regional devolution as included in the country's constitution;
8. Urges the Sri Lankan Government to stop the repression of the media under anti-terrorist legislation and to allow freedom of the press; and calls on it, now that the conflict has ended, to review its anti-terrorist legislation and to ensure that all alleged violations of media freedom are the subject of full, open and transparent investigations;
9. Urges the Sri Lankan Government to give further and increased attention to the clearance of landmines, the presence of which presents a serious obstacle to rehabilitation and economic regeneration; calls on it, in this regard, to take the very positive step of acceding to the Ottawa Treaty (Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-Personnel Mines and on their Destruction), and urges the Commission, in particular, to sponsor additional support for urgent mine-clearance work in Sri Lanka;
10. Welcomes the introduction of the Victim and Witness Assistance and Protection Bill, which is currently at second reading in the Sri Lankan Parliament;
11. Takes note of holding of local elections in northern Sri Lanka;
12. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the governments of the Member States, the UN Secretary-General, the Secretary-General of the British Commonwealth, the International Committee of the Red Cross, Human Rights Watch, the International Campaign to Ban Landmines, the Government of Sri Lanka and all other member countries of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation.
(1) OJ C 59, 23.2.2001, p. 278. (2) OJ C 47 E, 27.2.2003, p. 613. (3) OJ C 87 E, 7.4.2004, p. 527. (4) OJ C 247 E, 6.10.2005, p. 147. (5) OJ C 297 E, 7.12.2006, p. 384. (6) Texts adopted, P6_TA(2009)0054.
Source: EP Sri Lanka

மீளமுடியாப் பொருளாதார நெருக்கடியில் பெரிய பிரித்தானியா!

(மேலும்)

U.S Department Of State: Report to Congress on Sri Lanka

Read The Report

அமெரிக்க ஏகாதிபத்தியம் ஒழிக

ஒபாமாவின் முள்வேலி முகாம்

Pakistan fighting sparks exodus

The country's Jalozai refugee camp, 35km southwest of Peshawar , houses nearly 4,000 people

Aslam Din, a Pakistani tribesman, right, stands beside his daughter Sameeda Gul, who was allegedly injured in a suspected U.S. missile strike in Spalaga village, at a local hospital in Miran Shah, the main town of the Pakistani tribal region of North Waziristan, Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2009.
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