மலையக தோட்டத் தொழிலாளர் ஒத்துழையாமை போராட்டம்

வீரகேசரி இணையம் 9/7/2009 12:08:01 PM -

மலையக தோட்டத் தொழிலாளர்களின் ஒத்துழையாமை போராட்டம் தொடர்கின்றது. இதன் காரணமாக மலையகத் தேயிலைத் தோட்டங்களில் உள்ள தொழிற்சாலைகளில் அரைக்கப்படாத நிலையில், ஆயிரக்கணக்கான கிலோ தேயிலை கொழுந்துகள் குவிந்துள்ளதாகத் தெரிவிக்கப்படுகிறது.
தொழிலாளர்களுக்கு நாளாந்தம் 500 ரூபா ஊதியம் வழங்கப்பட வேண்டும் எனக் கோரியே இந்த ஒத்துழையாமை போராட்டம் நடைபெற்று வருகிறது. தோட்டத் தொழிலாளர்களுக்கு தற்போது 290 ரூபா நாளாந்த ஊதியமாக வழங்கப்படுகிறது.
ஊதிய அதிகரிப்பு தொடர்பாக தொழிற்சங்கங்களுக்கும் முதலாளிமார் சம்மேளனத்திற்கும் இடையில் நடைபெற்ற பேச்சுவார்த்தைகள் தோல்வியடைந்ததைத் தொடர்ந்தே இந்த தொழிற்சங்க நடவடிக்கை ஆரம்பிக்கப்பட்டது.
இந்நிலையில் தொழிலாளர்களின் ஊதிய அதிகரிப்பு குறித்த கூட்டு ஒப்பந்தத்தில் கைச்சாத்திடும் தொழிற்சங்கங்களும், முதலாளிமார் சம்மேளனத்திற்கும் இடையில் இன்று மீண்டும் பேச்சுவார்த்தைகள் நடைபெறவுள்ளன.
இன்றையப் பேச்சுவார்த்தைகள் தோல்வியடைந்தால், தொடர் பணிப்புறக்கணிப்பு போராட்டத்தில் ஈடுபடப் போவதாக தொழிற்சங்கங்கள் எச்சரித்துள்ளன. எனினும் பேச்சுவார்த்தைகளில் சுமுக முடிவு ஏற்படும் என இலங்கைத் தொழிலாளர் காங்கிரஸ் நம்பிக்கை தெரிவித்துள்ளது.

சம்பூர் திட்டத்தில் கைச்சாத்திடுவதற்கு இந்திய உயர்மட்ட குழு வருகிறது

சம்பூர் திட்டத்தில் கைச்சாத்திடுவதற்கு இந்திய உயர்மட்ட குழு வருகிறது.வீரகேசரி நாளேடு 9/5/2009 9:02:07 AM -
இந்திய உயர்மட்ட அதிகாரிகள் அடங்கிய குழுவொன்று அடுத்தவாரம் இலங்கை வரவுள்ளதாகத் தெரியவருகின்றது
திருகோணமலை சம்பூரில் அனல்மின் நிலையம் அமைப்பது உட்பட பல்வேறு உடன்படிக்கைகளில் கைச்சாத்திடும் வகையிலேயே இந்த இந்திய உயர்மட்டக் குழு இலங்கை வரவுள்ளதாகவும் தெரிவிக்கப்படுகிறது. இந்திய தேசிய அனல்சக்தி நிறுவனம் இந்த திட்டத்தின் பொருட்டு 500 மில்லியன் அமெரிக்க டொலர்களை முதலிடவுள்ளதாகவும் தெரிவிக்கப்படுகின்றது. ==================
செய்தியின் பின்னணியில்:
Tamil Tigers fail: Sampoor falls
Tue, 2006-09-05 02:49 — admin
Colombo, 05 September, (Asiantribune.com): President Mahinda Rajapakse broke the news of the recapture of Sampoor to the thunderous applause of the jubilant SLFP delegates attending the 55th anniversary of the party this afternoon. He also praised Lt. Gen. Sarath Fonseka, the Army Commander who survived a Tiger suicide attack, for his courageous leadership.
President Rajapakse resisted the pressures of the international community to halt the advance of his forces into Sampoor. Refusing to give in he asked the Norwegian Ambassador, Hans Brattskar who was putting pressure on him at a meeting: "Are you asking me to hand over the Sampoor to the enemy?"
With the fall of Sampoor the Tamil Tigers lost one of their key bases targeting Trincomalee - the port vital for the security of northern military bases.
Sampoor, a south-eastern suburb in the port of Trincomalee, was occupied by the Tamil Tigers under the Ranil Wickremesinghe and Chandrika Kumaratunga regimes. The Wickremesinghe regime turned a blind eye to the Tamil Tigers encroaching into Sampoor territory. His regime refused to intervene saying that it would disrupt the Ceasefire Agreement. Bradman Weerakoon, the Secretary to the Prime Minister Wickremesinghe, described it as a "confidence-building measure." President Chandrika Kumaratunga, who first grabbed power from Wickremesinghe saying that he was not defending the nation, refused to believe that the Tigers had occupied this strategic point that could easily paralyse Trincomalee harbor.
Lt.-Gen. Sarath Fonseka was determined to wrest Sampoor from the grip of the Tamil Tigers. The Tamil Tiger local leader, S. Eilalan , Head of LTTE’s Political Division, Trincomalee was also making promises not to let it fall. The battle for Sampoor raged for nearly three weeks with Army advancing slowly but steadily. The advance was slowed by heavy minefields, booby traps and other explosive devices laid by the retreating Tamil Tigers.
Tracing the events leading to fall of Sampoor the Army website said: "It all began back in July 2006 when terrorists shut down the Mavil Aru sluice gates depriving water to over 15,000 families and 30,000 acres of paddy cultivation. The Army troops backed by air support got the sluice gates reopened on 08th August 2006 driving away terrorists further into the south of Verugal area.
"While ground troops were marching forward terrorists tried their best to stop their advance simultaneously attacking Muttur, Kattaparichchan, Selvanagar and Mahindapura Army installations but troops thwarted those hostilities with repulse attacks.
"In the meantime, terrorists on 01st August launched mortar attacks towards Trincomalee harbor area while simultaneously directing artillery fire from Sampoor areas but miserably failed to inflict damages on the passenger vessel that was bringing 854 unarmed soldiers from Kankasanthurai to Trincomalee.
"Columns of Army Special Forces and Infantry columns with the active support of artillery and armour fire power, clearing heavy minefields, booby traps and other explosive devices of their way that had been laid by terrorists, marched forward amidst LTTE's stiff resistance in the past few days. The Air Force and the Navy supported the ground tactical maneuver, effectively in the accomplishment of the mission.
"At least over 175 Tamil Tiger terrorists perished during the hostilities and over 350 received injuries, as per reports received by the ground troops.
"The fall of Sampoor comes in the wake of a string of defeats suffered by the terrorists in the north and east in the most recent past in Muhamalai, Nagarkovil, Kilaly, Vavunathivu, Muttur, Mavil Aru, Kallar areas, etc after terrorists unsuccessfully tried either to infiltrate the areas or overrun the camps of the Security Forces," said the website.
- Asian Tribune

G.O.P. Support May Be Vital to Obama on Afghan War

G.O.P. Support May Be Vital to Obama on Afghan War
Eros Hoagland
The president is weighing whether to send more troops to Afghanistan, like these Americans patrolling the Korengal Valley.
Published: September 2, 2009 WASHINGTON -NYTimes — As President Obama prepares to decide whether to send additional troops to Afghanistan, the political climate appears increasingly challenging for him, leaving him in the awkward position of relying on the Republican Party, and not his own, for support.
The simple political narrative of the Afghanistan war — that this was the good war, in which the United States would hunt down the perpetrators of the Sept. 11 attacks — has faded over time, with popular support ebbing, American casualties rising and confidence in the Afghan government declining. In addition, Afghanistan’s disputed election, and the attendant fraud charges that have been lodged against President Hamid Karzai, are contributing further to the erosion of public support.
A CBS News poll released on Tuesday reports that 41 percent of those polled wanted troop levels in Afghanistan decreased, compared with 33 percent in April. Far fewer people — 25 percent — wanted troop levels increased, compared with 39 percent in April. And Mr. Obama’s approval rating for his handling of Afghanistan has dropped eight points since April, to 48 percent.
Congressional Democrats, particularly those on the left, report increasing disenchantment among constituents with the idea of a long and possibly escalating conflict in Afghanistan, especially as the American strategy comes to resemble a long-term nation-building approach rather than a counterterrorism operation.
“I and the American people cannot tolerate more troops without some commitment about when this perceived occupation will end,” Senator Russ Feingold, Democrat of Wisconsin, said Wednesday in an interview. He said he had been to 60 town hall meetings in his state so far this year. During the first half of the year, he said, there were no comments about Afghanistan or Iraq. But in the past two months, that has changed, with more people focused on troop losses in Afghanistan.
Andrew J. Bacevich, a professor of international relations and history at Boston University, said, “There was a time, back in 2003 and 2004, when it was possible to drum up popular support for the war by attaching to the argument claims that the United States of America was eliminating evil and advancing democracy and women’s rights.
“But this is many years later, with the economy in shambles, 5,000 American soldiers dead in Iraq and Afghanistan, and those notions are no longer as compelling as they might have been. War exhaustion sets in,” said Professor Bacevich, author of “The Limits of Power: The End of American Exceptionalism.”
Even one strain of conservative thinking has turned negative on the war. The syndicated columnist George F. Will wrote in a column published Tuesday that the United States should substantially reduce its presence in Afghanistan.
But despite Mr. Will’s argument, national security hawks in the Republican Party — not Mr. Obama’s most natural support base — still back the president on Afghanistan.
“So far, to their credit, they’ve either remained silent or they’ve been supportive, guys like McCain and Graham,” said Matt Bennett, vice president of Third Way, a moderately left-wing think tank, referring to Senator John McCain of Arizona and Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, both Republicans.
At the moment, Mr. Obama appears to still have the support of Democratic leaders in the Senate and the House, including Senator Harry Reid of Nevada and the House speaker, Nancy Pelosi of California. Representative Howard L. Berman, a California Democrat who is chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, indicated on Wednesday that he was not ready to jump ship. But he was not sounding a ringing endorsement, either.
“I was O.K. with the president’s efforts and goals in Afghanistan,” he said in a phone interview. “At the same time, I’m open to hearing whether those are achievable, and as we debate that, we also need to think about what are the costs of reversing course.”
But it was the Republican National Committee, and not the Democrats, that was sounding more solidly behind the president on Afghanistan. After Mr. Will’s abdication on Tuesday, the Republican National Committee quickly sent out an e-mail message and posted a statement, “Stand Strong, Mr. President,” on its Web site to take issue with the conservative columnist.
“We agree with President Obama that ‘we have to win’ in Afghanistan and make sure that our commanders on the ground have the troops and resources they need,” the committee chairman, Michael Steele, said in the statement. He urged Mr. Obama to “stand strong and speak out for why we are fighting there,” adding that Mr. Obama has said too little so far “about why the voices of defeat are wrong.”
Similarly, Senator Saxby Chambliss, Republican of Georgia, said he would continue to back Mr. Obama “as long as we’re making progress.”
Senator Graham, for his part, was in Afghanistan last week, putting in a stint as Colonel Graham as he served out his Air Force Reserves duty rotation. He met with military officials and soldiers, and talked to Obama administration officials in Kabul, the capital, as well, and is supporting Mr. Obama’s Afghanistan strategy.
Afghanistan, Mr. Graham said Tuesday in an interview, “is where 9/11 was planned and executed.
“This is not Vietnam.”
He said he would support a push for more troops in Afghanistan, but added that Mr. Obama would have to make a public case for it to convince wavering people on both the right and the left.
“The president needs to be more aggressive about taking ownership of this strategy, and reinforcing to this country the consequences of Afghanistan being lost and becoming a safe haven for Al Qaeda,” Mr. Graham said.
The debate over Afghanistan will play out in the coming weeks, as the military decides whether to ask for more troops; commanders in Afghanistan have already said their forces are insufficient to get the job done. Mr. Obama himself must decide whether to make a more public push for a deeper United States commitment. Administration officials say privately that they believe that they have 12 months to show significant progress in Afghanistan before they totally lose public support.
One danger for Mr. Obama is that he may be forced to abandon his own party on Afghanistan for the right, which could put him in a perilous position if Republicans at any point decide they do not want to support a Democratic president on the issue.
“Some people on the right think Afghanistan is hopeless, some people think this is Obama’s war and want to do to Obama the same thing the left did to Bush with Iraq,” Mr. Graham said.

தமிழ்ச்செல்வனின் உதவியாளர் கைது!

யாழ் உதயன் 2009-09-02 06:11:50

தமிழீழ விடுதலைப் புலிகளின் முன்னாள் அரசியல் துறைப்பொறுப்பாளர் சு.ப. தமிழ்ச்செல்வனின் உதவியாளராகச் செயற்பட்ட பெண் உறுப்பினர் ஒருவர் வெள்ளவத்தையில் கைது செய்யப்பட்டுள்ளார் எனப் பொலிஸார் தெரிவித்தனர். தமிழீழ விடுதலைப் புலிகளின் முன்னாள் அரசியல் துறைப்பொறுப்பாளர் சு.ப. தமிழ்ச்செல்வனின் உதவியாளராகச் செயற்பட்ட பெண் உறுப்பினர் ஒருவர் வெள்ளவத்தையில் கைது செய்யப்பட்டுள்ளார் எனப் பொலிஸார் தெரிவித்தனர். வெளிநாடு செல்வதற்காக தற்காலிகமாக கொழும்பில் தங்கியிருந்த போதே அவர் கைது செய்யப்பட்டார். தனது கணவன் விடுதலைப் புலிகளால் சுட்டுக் கொல்லப்பட்டார் என்றும் அந்தப் பெண் தெரிவித்ததாக பொலிஸார் மேலும் கூறினர். சம்பந்தப்பட்ட பெண்ணை தொடர்ந்தும் விசாரணை செய்து வருவதாகவும் பொலிஸார் தெரிவித்தனர்.

Execution video fake The HINDU

Execution video fake, says Colombo

B. Muralidhar Reddy
Sri Lanka on Thursday characterised the video footage aired by Channel 4 U.K. Television on August 25, showing alleged execution of civilians by persons in military uniform, as 'fake'.
Sri Lanka on Thursday characterised the video footage aired by Channel 4 U.K. Television on August 25, showing alleged execution in January of civilians by persons in military uniform, as “fake” and expressed concern over an “increasing number of comments” from some sections of the international community on the video.
In a statement here, Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama said his government reiterated its strong and unequivocal rejection of the contents of the video footage telecast on Channel 4 on the grounds that there was absolutely no truth in its concocted story.
“It is also a deliberate and sinister attempt to cause embarrassment and bring disrepute to the government of Sri Lanka. It is indeed deeply regretted that despite the government of Sri Lanka refuting these allegations, some sections of the international community are repeating these allegations which appear to be an orchestrated campaign against Sri Lanka,” he said.
The Minister said the video footage was reported to have been filmed in January at an unidentified location, at a time when there was a substantial presence of the international community, especially in the areas of conflict.
“At that time, the LTTE was also an active, fighting force. If such atrocities had taken place as claimed, then it is highly unlikely that the international community would have remained silent and continued to remain so, for over eight months. Considering the fact that the LTTE was finally eliminated only during the latter part of May, it is surprising that no attempt was made by the LTTE or its front organisations to bring these alleged atrocities or this video to light at the time they remained active,” he said.
Mr. Bogollagama said doctoring of videos in this day and age of modern technology was a common occurrence and the credentials of the group, ‘Journalists for Democracy in Sri Lanka’ which supplied the video footage were also in question.

Iran's Parliament Approves 18 Cabinet Nominees

Iran's Parliament Approves 18 Cabinet Nominees
By VOA News 03 September 2009
General view of Iranian parliament during open session held for voting, 3 Sep 2009 Iran's parliament has approved 18 nominees put forward by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad for his 21-member Cabinet, including the first woman to serve as a minister since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
Lawmakers voted Thursday after five consecutive days of debate.
The single approved female nominee, Marzieh Vahid Dastjerdi, will head the health ministry.
The nominees for the energy, education, and welfare ministries were rejected. Two of them were women.
Among the 18 approved ministers is Mr. Ahmadinejad's choice for defense minister, Ahmad Vahidi. Argentina says Vahidi was involved in the bombing of a Buenos Aires Jewish center in 1994.
Vahidi is wanted by the international police agency (Interpol) for alleged ties to the deadly bombing that killed 85 people.
Some information for this report was provided by AFP, AP and Reuters.

ஆந்திர முதல்வர் ரெட்டி நக்சலைட் பிரதேசத்தில் அகப்பட்டிருக்கலாம் என அச்சம்
ஆந்திர முதல்வர் ரெட்டி பயணம் செய்த ஹெலி மாயம்! தேடும் பணியில் 5,000 பொலிஸார், விமானப் படையினர்!! நக்சலைட் பிரதேசத்தில் அகப்பட்டிருக்கலாம் என அச்சம்
2009-09-03 05:05:23 Yaal Uthayan
ஆந்திர மாநிலத்தின் முதலமைச்சர் ராஜசேகர ரெட்டியை ஏற்றிச்சென்ற ஹெலி கொப்டர் காணாமற்போயுள்ளது. அது இந் திய வட்டாரங்களில் பெரும் பரபரப்பை ஏற்படுத்தியுள்ளது. இச் சம்பவம் குறித்து கூறப்படுவதாவது:ஆந்திர மாநிலத்தின் முதலமைச்சர் ராஜசேகர ரெட்டியை ஏற்றிச்சென்ற ஹெலி கொப்டர் காணாமற்போயுள்ளது. அது இந் திய வட்டாரங்களில் பெரும் பரபரப்பை ஏற்படுத்தியுள்ளது.இச் சம்பவம் குறித்து கூறப்படுவதாவது:ஆந்திரப் பிரதேசத்தில் மழை பெய்து வருவதால் வானம் தொடர்ந்தும் மேகமூட்டத்துடனேயே காணப்படுவதாகத் தெரிவிக்கப்பட்டது.பொதுமக்களுடன் நேரடியாக உரையாடும் நிகழ்ச்சி ஒன்றில் பங்கேற்பதற்கு சித்தூர் மாவட்டத்திற்கு ஹெலிகொப்டர் மூலம் மலைப்பாங்கான பிரதேசத்தின் மீது பயணித்துக் கொண்டிருந்த போதே முதலமைச்சர் காணாமற் போயுள்ளார். நேற்றுக் காலை 8.25 மணிக்கு சென்ற அவரது ஹெலிகொப்டர் 9.35 மணிவரை ராடர் கட்டுப்பாட்டு அறை யுடன் தொடர்பில் இருந்ததாகவும் அதன்பின்னரே தொடர்பை இழந்ததாகவும் சொல்லப்பட்டது.அங்கு தொடர்ச்சியாக மழை பெய்துவருவதால் சீரற்ற காலநிலை நிலவி வருகின்றது. இதனால் ஹெலிகொப்டர் மூலமான தேடும் பணி களும் தாமதமடைந்தன. முதலமைச்சர் ராஜசேகர ரெட்டி பயணித்த ஹெலிகொப் டர் நக்சலைட்களின் கட்டுப்பாட்டில் உள்ள காட்டினுள் தரையிறங்கியிருக்க லாம் என சந்தேகிக்கப்படுகின்றது.முதலமைச்சர் ராஜசேகர ரெட்டி காணா மற்போனதை அடுத்து அவரைத் தேடும் பணியில் இந்திய இராணுவத்தினரின் ஹெலி கொப்டர்களும் விசேட பொலிஸாரும் "இஸ்ரோ" வின் சிறப்பு விமானம் மற்றும் பொதுமக்களும் ஈடுபட்டுள்ளதாக அங்கிருந்து வெளியா கும் செய்திகள் கூறுகின்றன. இதேவேளை போதிய வெளிச்சம் இன் மையால் ஹெலிகொப்டர்கள் மூலம் அவ ரைத் தேடும் பணிகள் நிறுத்தப்பட்டுள் ளது என்றும் அவர் காணாமற்போன இடம் எனக்கருதப்படும் இடத்தினைச் சுற்றி வனத்துறை அதிகாரிகளுடன் சத்திஸ்கர், ஒரிசா மாநிலங்களில் இருந்து இணைந்த 5,000 விசேட பொலிஸாரும் தேடுதல் நடவடிக்கையில் ஈடுபட்டுள்ளதாகவும் இந்திய உள்துறை அமைச்சர் ப.சிதம்பரம் தெரிவித்துள்ளார்.ஆந்திர முதலமைச்சர் ராஜசேகரரெட்டி தொடர்பான தகவல்கள் கிடைக்காமையினால் இந்தியப் பிரதமர் மன்மோகன்சிங், காங்கிரஸ்கட்சித் தலைவர் சேனியாகாந்தி ஆகியோர் கவலை தெரிவித்துள்ளனர் என்று அறிவிக்கப்பட்டது.

Jaffna’s Business community pleads for equal partnership with govt.

Business community pleads for equal partnership with govt.
By Feizal Samath in Jaffna Jaffna’s business community is making an earnest appeal to the government to allow it to take a leading role in the post-war development of business and industry in the region.
“We are prepared to re-organise and rejuvenate the industry. Give us a chance to be a major part of it – instead of the government going it alone or doing the bulk of it,” pleaded Vice President of the Chamber of Commerce, Jaffna Ratnalingam Jeyasegaran in an interview with the Sunday Times FT at the chamber office in the town.
“We have the money to invest and we can run the businesses – even those handled by state agencies earlier,” he said referring to the cement, chemicals and salt factories that flourished in the Jaffna peninsula in the pre-war era.
During a visit to the peninsula to cover the August 8 Municipal Council elections, there was a buzz in the air about major development taking place but the concern is that the people of Jaffna would be left out in the decision-making that would be guided, facilitated and controlled by the powers that be in Colombo.Mr Jeyasegaran’s views were echoed by many other businessmen, traders and senior citizens. “We need to be part of the development and take a big role in deciding what is right for us,” said one trader, who owns a shoe store but declined to be named.
Chamber President Rasiah Janakumar, present at the same interview, said the government should provide an industrial zone to locate all the new industries that would come up. This proposal was also made during a recent meeting with Industrial Development Minister Kumara Welgama who was in Jaffna some weeks back.
The Minister had spoken of the need to revive the cement, salt and (Paranthan) chemicals factories among other industries as state entities. The business community however says they would like to be equal partners in this development or are even ready to go alone as privatised entities and find their own partners.
Despite the war and deprivation, Jaffna’s economy has been dominated by huge inflows of money from expatriate Tamils which in many ways helped to keep it afloat. Businessmen say this money, used to generally sustain families, would increase with the new-found peace and be a major source of investment.
According to Jaffna bankers, at least two private banks in the town have been over many years receiving a daily average of Rs 2 to 3 million (each) as remittances making it at least Rs 5 million per day from these branches in the town, working out to about Rs 2 billion a year in foreign remittances from two branches alone. Economists and money market experts in Colombo say this is a huge sum that could be used to drive investment and private-led infrastructure development.
Colombo’s business community is well aware of this sizable cash infusion and moving swiftly to re-establish trade links. Officials from the David Peiris Motor Car Co, dealers of Bajaj trishaws and motorcycles, said that in their first consignment expected to move this week to the region, intended buyers of motor cycles offered upfront cash whereas in Colombo and other areas its on easy payment terms or credit.
Jaffna’s economy was build on a sound foundation of seafood -- fish, prawns, lobster, cuttle fish; vegetables and fruits - onions, tobacco leaf, beetroot, banana, grapes, mango and jackfruit; and industry -- cement, asbestos, salt, chemicals, steel buckets, aluminium goods. All this has been destroyed and needs to be revived.