The final draft: US resolution on Promoting reconciliation and accountability in Sri Lanka, March 2013

The final draft: US resolution on Promoting reconciliation and accountability in Sri Lanka, March 2013

The final draft of the US resolution on Promoting reconciliation and accountability in Sri Lanka tabled at the Council at 6 p.m. Geneva time yesterday (18-03-2013 Monday), has 32 co-sponsors, including the United States.

The resolution;

The Human Rights Council,

Reaffirming the purposes and principles contained in the Charter of the United Nations,

Guided by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International Covenants on Human Rights and other relevant instruments,

Bearing in mind General Assembly resolution 60/251 of 15 March 2006,

Recalling Council resolutions 5/1 and 5/2 of 18 June 2007, on institution-building of the Human Rights Council,

Recalling Human Rights Council resolution 19/2 of 22 March 2012 on promoting reconciliation and accountability in Sri Lanka,

Reaffirming that it is the responsibility of each State to ensure the full enjoyment of all human rights and fundamental freedoms of its entire population,

Reaffirming also that States must ensure that any measure taken to combat terrorism complies with their obligations under international law, in particular international human rights law, international refugee law and international humanitarian law, as applicable,

Welcoming the announcement by the Government of Sri Lanka to hold elections to the Provincial Council in the Northern Province in September 2013,

Welcoming and acknowledging the progress made by the Government of Sri Lanka in rebuilding infrastructure, demining, resettling the majority of internally displaced persons, and noting nonetheless that considerable work lies ahead in the areas of justice, reconciliation and resumption of livelihoods, and stressing the importance of the full participation of local populations, including representatives of civil society and minorities, in these efforts,

Taking note of the report of the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission of Sri Lanka and its findings and recommendations, and acknowledging its possible contribution to the process of national reconciliation in Sri Lanka,

Taking note of the National Plan of Action to implement the recommendations of the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission of the Government of Sri Lanka and its commitments as set forth in response to the findings and recommendations of the Commission,

Noting that the national plan of action does not adequately address all of the findings and constructive recommendations of the Commission,

 Recalling the constructive recommendations contained in the Commission’s report, including the need to credibly investigate widespread allegations of extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances, demilitarize the north of Sri Lanka, implement impartial land dispute resolution mechanisms, re-evaluate detention policies, strengthen formerly independent civil institutions, reach a political settlement on the devolution of power to the provinces, promote and protect the right of freedom of expression for all and enact rule of law reforms,

 Noting with concern that the National Plan of Action and the Commission’s report do not adequately address serious allegations of violations of international human rights law and international humanitarian law,

Expressing concern at the continuing reports of violations of human rights in Sri Lanka, including enforced disappearances, extrajudicial killings, torture, and violations of the rights to freedom of expression, association and peaceful assembly, as well as intimidation of and reprisals against human rights defenders, members of civil society and journalists, threats to judicial independence and the rule of law, and discrimination on the basis of religion or belief,

Calling upon the Government of Sri Lanka to fulfil its public commitments, including on the devolution of political authority, which is integral to reconciliation and the full enjoyment of human rights by all members of its population,

Expressing appreciation for the efforts of the Government of Sri Lanka in facilitating the visit of a technical mission from the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, and encouraging the Government to increase its dialogue and cooperation with the Office of the High Commissioner,

Noting the High Commissioner’s call for an independent and credible international investigation into alleged violations of international human rights law and international humanitarian law,

 1.       Welcomes the report of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights on advice and technical assistance for the Government of Sri Lanka on promoting reconciliation and accountability in Sri Lanka[1] and the recommendations and conclusions contained therein, in particular on the establishment of a truth-seeking mechanism as an integral part of a more comprehensive and inclusive approach to transitional justice;

 2.       Encourages the Government of Sri Lanka to implement the recommendations made in the report of the Office of the High Commissioner, and also calls upon the Government of Sri Lanka to conduct an independent and credible investigation into allegations of violations of international human rights law and international humanitarian law, as applicable;

3.       Reiterates its call upon the Government of Sri Lanka to implement effectively the constructive recommendations made in the report of the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission, and to take all necessary additional steps to fulfil its relevant legal obligations and commitment to initiate credible and independent actions to ensure justice, equity and accountability, and reconciliation for all Sri Lankans;

 4.       Encourages the Government of Sri Lanka to cooperate with special procedures mandate holders and to respond formally to their outstanding requests, including by extending invitations and providing access;

5.       Encourages the Office of the High Commissioner and relevant special procedures mandate holders to provide, in consultation with and with the concurrence of the Government of Sri Lanka, advice and technical assistance on implementing the above-mentioned steps;

 6.       Requests the Office of the High Commissioner, with input from relevant special procedures mandate holders, as appropriate, to present an oral updateto the Human Rights Council at its twenty-fourth session, and a comprehensive report  followed by a discussion at the twenty-fifth session, on the implementation of the present resolution

Co-sponsors of the resolution;
 Austria, Canada, Croatia, Belgium, Denmark, Estonia, France, Finland, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Malta, Monaco, Montenegro, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, St Kitts and Nevis, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and United States of America.
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மூலவரைபில் இந்தியா செய்த மாற்றங்களை பின்வரும் இணைப்பிலுள்ள ஆவணத்தில் வாசகர்கள் காணலாம்

http://www.colombopage.com/CGImgs_obj/UNHRC_US_Resolution_V1.pdf

தமிழக மாணவர் எழுச்சி: அவசியக் குறிப்புரைகள்

 

தமிழக மாணவர் எழுச்சி: அவசியக் குறிப்புரை பகுதி (1)

இந்திய அரசுhttp://senthanal.blogspot.co.uk/2013/03/1.html

 

தமிழக மாணவர் எழுச்சி: அவசியக் குறிப்புரை பகுதி (2)

தமிழக நாடாளமன்றவாத கட்சிகள்http://senthanal.blogspot.co.uk/2013/03/2.html

 

தமிழக மாணவர் எழுச்சி: அவசியக் குறிப்புரை பகுதி (3)

எழுச்சியின் வீச்சும் எல்லையும் http://senthanal.blogspot.co.uk/2013/03/3.html

 

தமிழக மாணவர் எழுச்சி: அவசியக் குறிப்புரை பகுதி (4)

(தொடரும்)

 

புதிய ஈழப்புரட்சியாளர்கள் ENB

தமிழக மாணவர் இயக்கம் ஒடுக்கப்படும் தமிழீழத் தேசிய இனத்துக்கு விடுதலை கோரும் ஜனநாயக இயக்கம்

தோழர்களுக்கு ஒரு அவசர வேண்டுகோள்

தோழர்களுக்கு ஒரு அவசர வேண்டுகோள்,தமிழ்நாட்டில் நடந்து வரும் மாணவர் எழுச்சி தாங்கள் அறிந்ததே,நாற்பது ஆண்டுகள் கழித்து மாணவர்கள்

தமிழின பிரச்சனைக்காக வெளியே வந்துள்ளார்கள் அவர்களை ஊக்குவித்து உதவ வேண்டியது நமது கடமை,மாணவர்களின் போராட்டங்களுக்கு

உங்கள் பங்களிப்பை நீங்களும் தரலாம்,மாணவர் எழுச்சி பெரும் அளவில் இருப்பதால் ஒருங்கிணைப்பதில் களத்தில் இருக்கும் தோழர்கள் பெரும்

சவால்களை சந்தித்து வருகிறார்கள்,அவர்களுடன் நீங்களும் கைகோருங்கள்.

௧.வெறும் நானூறு முதல் ஐநூறு ருபாய் மட்டு இருந்தால் போதும் உங்கள் அருகாமையில் நடக்கும் மாணவர் போராட்டங்களுக்கு உங்கள்
வீட்டிலேயே தேநீர் தயாரித்து கொடுக்கலாம், பிஸ்கட் போன்றவற்றை வாங்கி மாணவர்களுக்கு விநயோகிக்கலாம்.

௨.வெறும் நூறு ருபாய் இருந்தால் போதும் அவர்களுக்கு மோர்,அல்லது எலுமிச்சை ஜூஸ் போன்றவற்றை உங்கள் வீட்டிலிருந்து தயார் செய்து கொண்டு போய் கொடுக்கலாம்.

௩.நகல் எடுக்க வெறும் இருபத்தி ஐந்து பைசா போதும் இருநூற்று ஐம்பது ருபாய் மட்டும் இருந்தால் ஆயிரம் துண்டறிக்கைகள் அடித்து கொடுத்து அவர்களுக்கு உதவலாம்.

௪.அதுவும் முடியவில்லை என்பவர்கள் அவர்களுக்கு குறைந்தது பானையில் குளிர்ந்த நீரை தர ஏற்பாடு செய்து தரலாம்,அவர்களுடன் ஒன்றிணைந்து துண்டறிக்கைகள் விநயோகிக்கலாம்,

௫.குறைந்தது நீங்கள் உங்கள் அருகில் நடக்கும்,போராட்டங்களுக்கு உங்கள் குடும்பத்துடனோ அல்லது நண்பர்களுடனோ சென்று மாணவர்களை வாழ்த்தி உற்சாக படுத்தலாம்,உங்கள் நண்பர்களுக்கும் இதை தெரிய படுத்தலாம்.

வெளிநாடுகளில் வாழும் நம் தோழர்கள் தங்கள் நண்பர்கள் மூலமாக இதை செய்ய முயற்சிக்கலாம்,மாணவர்கள் அவர்களின் இனப்பற்றை காண்பித்து விட்டார்கள்,அவர்களை காலம் முழுவதும் குறை சொல்லும் நாம் நம் கடமையை இப்போதாவது சரியாக செய்வோமே,

இந்த எளிய போராட்டங்களுக்கு நம்முடைய எளிய பங்களிப்பை தரலாமே?

இதை இனப்பற்றுள்ள ஒவ்வொருவரும் அவசியம் பகிர வேண்டும் தோழர்களே,உலக தமிழர்கள் மாணவர்கள் பின் நிற்பதை உறுதி செய்யுங்கள்.

நூல்முகத்தில் இருந்து

நூல் முகத்தில் தமிழீழ விடுதலைக்கான மாணவர் கூட்டமைப்பு

நூல் முகத்தில் தமிழீழ விடுதலைக்கான மாணவர் கூட்டமைப்பு

தமிழீழ விடுதலைக்கான மாணவர் கூட்டமைப்பு, தமிழகத்தில் நடந்துவரும் மாணவர்கள் போராட்டத்தை ஒருங்கிணைக்கும் வண்ணம் நூல் முகத்தில்
https://www.facebook.com/tamilnaduhungerstrike முகம் காட்டியிருக்கிறது.

 நாளுக்கு நாள் தீவிரம் அடைந்து வரும் மாணவர்கள் போராட்டத்தை ஒருங்கிணைத்திட மாணவர்களுக்கு இந்த நூல் முக இணைப்பு  தொடர்புக்களமாக அமைந்துள்ளது.

ஏறத்தாழ பத்தாயிரம்  (உறுப்பினர்கள், ஊழியர்கள்,ஆதரவாளர்கள், அனுதாபிகள், வெகுஜனங்கள் உள்ளிட்ட) பெரும்பாலும் மாணவர் அடங்கிய பேரணி இந்த இணைப்பில் இணைந்து களமுறுகிறது.

செய்தி: enb

ஒரு கோடி மாணவர்களின் தொடர் முழக்கப் போராட்டம்!

"ஒரு கோடி மாணவர்கள் பங்கேற்கும் தொடர்முழக்கப் போராட்டம்" 

20/03/2013

 தமிழீழ விடுதலைக்கான மாணவர் கூட்டமைப்பு
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மார் 16, 2013

வரும் 20/03/2013 புதன்கிழமை தமிழகம் தழுவிய மாவட்ட, நகர, கிராம அளவில் தமிழீழ விடுதலைக்கான மாணவர் கூட்டமைப்பினால் "ஒரு கோடி
மாணவர்கள் பங்கேற்கும் தொடர்முழக்கப் போராட்டம்" முன்னெடுக்கப் படவுள்ளது.

இப் போராட்டத்தினை தமிழகம் தழுவி தமிழீழ விடுதலை வேண்டி போராடும் அனைத்து மாணவர் ஒருங்கிணைப்பு குழுக்களும், தாங்களே தமது  பகுதியிலுள்ள  சாத்தியமான மூலை முடுக்குகளில்  ஒன்றுகூடலுக்கான ஒரு பகுதியினை தேர்வு செய்து நடத்த உத்தேசித்துள்ளதாக ஊடகச் செய்திகள் தெரிவிக்கின்றன.

இப்போராட்டம் பற்றிய தகவலுக்கு : 00 91 9791162911

மதிபிரபா.பாலச்சந்திரன்: முத்துக்கு ஒரு முகாரி!

குறிப்பு : கவிஞர் தமிழச்சி தங்கபாண்டியனின் வார்த்தைகளை வரிகளாய் மாற்றாமல் வலிகளாய் மாற்றி விட்ட, இசையமைப்பாளர் தாஜ் நூரின் உயிர் இசையில், மகிழினி மணிமாறனின் குரலில் ஒரு வேதனை நெருடல் என்னால் தாங்க முடியவில்லை ... உயிர் துடிக்கிறது ... ஒன்றை உணர்கிறேன் ... எல்லாவற்றையும் செவி கேட்கும், விழி பார்க்கும் , மனம் உணரும் ஆனால் இதை உயிர் கேட்கும், கேட்போரின் உணர்வு வெடிக்கும்...

ஈசன் இளங்கோ .சேலம் Esanelango D 4 days ago Face Book முகம்

“Washington’s Pope”? Who is Pope Francis I? Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio and Argentina’s “Dirty War”

“Washington’s Pope”? Who is Pope Francis I?
Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio and Argentina’s “Dirty War”

By Prof Michel Chossudovsky
============================================
Global Research, March 14, 2013                       Region: Latin America & Caribbean

The Vatican conclave has elected Cardinal Jorge Mario  Bergoglio as Pope Francis I

Who is Jorge Mario Bergoglio?
In 1973, he had been appointed “Provincial” of Argentina for the Society of Jesus.

In this capacity, Bergoglio was the highest ranking Jesuit in Argentina during the military dictatorship led by General Jorge Videla (1976-1983).



Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio
Pope Francis I

He later became bishop and archbishop of Buenos Aires. Pope John Paul II elevated him to the title of cardinal in 2001
When the military junta relinquished power in 1983, the duly elected president Raúl Alfonsín set up a Truth Commission pertaining to the crimes underlying the “Dirty War” (La Guerra Sucia).

The military junta had been supported covertly by Washington.

US. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger played a behind the scenes role in the 1976 military coup.

Kissinger’s top deputy on Latin America, William Rogers, told him two days after the coup that “we’ve got to expect a fair amount of repression, probably a good deal of blood, in Argentina before too long.” … (National Security Archive, March 23, 2006)

“Operation Condor”

Ironically, a major trial opened up in Buenos Aires on March 5, 2013 a week prior to Cardinal Bergoglio’s investiture as Pope. The ongoing trial in Buenos Aires is:

“to consider the totality of crimes carried out under Operation Condor, a coordinated campaign by various US-backed Latin American dictatorships in the 1970s and 1980s to hunt down, torture and murder tens of thousands of opponents of those regimes.”

For further details, see Operation Condor: Trial On Latin American Rendition And Assassination Program By Carlos Osorio and Peter Kornbluh, March 10, 2013

Henry Kissinger and
General Jorge Videla (1970s)

The military junta led by General Jorge Videla was responsible for countless assassinations, including priests and nuns who opposed military rule following the CIA sponsored March 1976 coup:

 ”Videla was among the generals convicted of human rights crimes, including “disappearances”, torture, murders and kidnappings. In 1985, Videla was sentenced to life imprisonment at the military prison of Magdalena.”

Wall Street and the Neoliberal Economic Agenda

One of the key appointments of the military junta was the Minister of Economy, Jose Alfredo Martinez de Hoz, a member of Argentina’s business establishment and a close friend of David Rockefeller.

Jose Alfredo Martinez de Hoz

The neoliberal economic policy package adopted under Martinez de Hoz was a “carbon copy” of that imposed in October 1973 in Chile by the Pinochet dictatorship under advice from the  “Chicago Boys”.

Wages were immediately frozen by decree. Real purchasing power collapsed by more than 30 percent in the 3 months following the March 1976 military coup. (Author’s estimates, Cordoba, Argentina, July 1976). The Argentinean population was impoverished.

Under the helm of Minister of Economy Jose Alfredo Martinez de Hoz, central bank monetary policy was largely determined by Wall Street and the IMF. The currency market was manipulated. The Peso was deliberately overvalued leading to an insurmountable external debt. The entire national economy was precipitated into bankruptcy.


Wall Street and the Catholic Church Hierarchy

Wall Street was firmly behind the military Junta which waged “The Dirty War” on its behalf. In turn, the Catholic Church hierarchy played a central role in sustaining the legitimacy of the military Junta.

The Order of Jesus –which represented the Conservative yet most influential faction within the Catholic Church, closely associated with Argentina’s economic elites– was firmly behind the military Junta, against so-called “Leftists” in the Peronista movement.

“The Dirty War”: Allegations directed Against Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio

In 2005, human rights lawyer Myriam Bregman filed a criminal suit against Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio, accusing him of conspiring with the military junta in the 1976 kidnapping of two Jesuit priests.

Bergoglio, who at the time was “Provincial” for the Society of Jesus, had ordered two “Leftist” Jesuit priests “to leave their pastoral work” (i.e. they were fired) following divisions within the Society of Jesus regarding the role of the Catholic Church and its relations to the military Junta.

Condemning the military dictatorship (including human rights violations) was a taboo within the Catholic Church.  While the upper echelons of the Church were supportive of the military Junta, the grassroots of the Church was firmly opposed to the imposition of military rule.

In 2010, the survivors of the “Dirty War” accused Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio of complicity in the kidnapping of  two members of the Society of Jesus Francisco Jalics y Orlando Yorio,  (El Mundo, 8 November 2010)

Revelations concerning Bergoglio’ Role
During the Military Dictatorship

In the course of the trial initiated in 2005, “Bergoglio twice invoked his right under Argentine law to refuse to appear in open court, and when he eventually did testify in 2010, his answers were evasive”:

“At least two cases directly involved Bergoglio. One examined the torture of two of his Jesuit priests — Orlando Yorio and Francisco Jalics — who were kidnapped in 1976 from the slums where they advocated liberation theology. Yorio accused Bergoglio of effectively handing them over to the
death squads… by declining to tell the regime that he endorsed their work. Jalics refused to discuss it after moving into seclusion in a German monastery.” (Los Angeles Times, April 1, 2005)

The accusations directed against Bergoglio regarding the two kidnapped Jesuit priests are but the tip of the iceberg. According to lawyer Myriam Bregman:

“Bergoglio’s own statements proved church officials knew from early on that the junta was torturing and killing its citizens, and yet publicly endorsed the dictators. “The dictatorship could not have operated this way without this key support,” (Los Angeles Times, April 1, 2005 emphasis added)

The Catholic hierarchy was tacitly complicit in torture and mass killings, an estimated “22,000 dead and disappeared, from 1976 to the [1978]   Thousands of additional victims were killed between 1978 and 1983 when the military was forced from power.” (National Security Archive, March 23, 2006)

Jorge Mario Bergoglio grants communion to General Jorge Videla (1970s)

 The Catholic Church: Chile versus Argentina

It is worth noting that  in the wake of the military coup in Chile on September 11,1973, the Cardinal of Santiago de Chile, Raul Silva Henriquez openly condemned the military junta led by General Augusto Pinochet. In marked contrast to Argentina, this stance of the Catholic hierarchy in Chile
was instrumental in curbing the tide of political assassinations and human rights violations directed against supporters of Salvador Allende  and opponents of the military regime.

Had Jorge Mario Bergoglio taken a similar stance to that of Cardinal Raul Silva Henriquez, thousands of lives would have been saved.

Operation Condor and the Catholic Church

The election of Cardinal Bergoglio by the Vatican conclave to serve as Pope Francis I will have immediate repercussions regarding the ongoing “Operation Condor” Trial in Buenos Aires.

The Church was involved in supporting the military Junta.  This is something which will emerge in course of the trial proceedings.  No doubt, there will be attempts to obfuscate the role of the Catholic hierarchy and the newly appointed pope Francis I,  who served as head of Argentina’s Jesuit order
during the military dictatorship.

Jorge Mario Bergoglio:  “Washington’s Pope in the Vatican”? 
The election of Pope Francis I has broad geopolitical implications for the entire Latin American  region.

In the 1970s, Jorge Mario Bergoglio was supportive of a US sponsored military dictatorship.

The Catholic hierarchy in Argentina supported the military government.

Wall Street’s interests were sustained through Jose Alfredo Martinez de Hoz’ office at the Ministry of Economy.

The Catholic Church in Latin America is politically influential. It also has a grip on public opinion. This is known and understood by the architects of  US foreign policy.

In Latin America, where a number of governments are now challenging US hegemony, one would expect –given Bergoglio’s track record–  that the new Pontiff Francis I as leader of the Catholic Church, will play de facto, a discrete “undercover” political role on behalf of Washington.

With Jorge Bergoglio, Pope Francis I  in the Vatican (who faithfully served US interests in the heyday of General Jorge Videla)  the hierarchy of the Catholic Church in Latin America can once again be effectively manipulated to undermine “progressive” (Leftist) governments, not only in Argentina but throughout the region, including Venezuela, Ecuador and Bolivia.

This instatement of  “a pro-US pope” occurs a week following the death of  president Hugo Chavez.

Washington’s Pope in the Vatican?

The US State Department routinely pressures members of the United Security Council with a view to influencing the vote pertaining to Security Council resolutions. US covert operations and propaganda campaigns are routinely applied with a view to influencing national elections in different
countries around the World.

Did the US government attempt to influence the election of the new pontiff? Were undercover pressures discretely exerted by Washington, within the Catholic Church, directly or indirectly, on the 115 cardinals who are members of the Vatican conclave, leading to the election of a pontiff who will
faithfully serve US foreign policy interests in Latin America?
========================================================
Author’s Note

At the outset of the military regime in 1976, I was Visiting Professor at the Social Policy Institute of the Universidad Nacional de Cordoba, Argentina.
My major research focus at the time was to investigate the impacts of the deadly macroeconomic reforms adopted by the military Junta. 
I was teaching at the University of Cordoba during the initial wave of assassinations which also targeted “progressive” members of the Catholic clergy.
The industrial city of Cordoba was the center of the resistance movement. I witnessed how the Catholic hierarchy actively and routinely supported the military junta, creating an atmosphere of  intimidation and fear throughout the country. 
Three years earlier, at the time of Chile’s September 11, 1973 military coup, leading to the overthrow of the Popular Unity government of Salvador Allende,  I was Visiting Professor at the Institute of Economics, Catholic University of Chile, Santiago de Chile.

In the immediate wake of the coup in Chile,  I witnessed how the Cardinal of Santiago, Raul Silva Henriquez –acting on behalf of the Catholic Church– confronted the military dictatorship.
=========
About the author:
Michel Chossudovsky is an award-winning author, Professor of Economics (emeritus) at the University of Ottawa, Founder and Director of the Centre for Research on Globalization (CRG), Montreal and Editor of the globalresearch.ca website. He is the author of The Globalization of Poverty and The New World Order (2003) and America’s “War on Terrorism”(2005). His most recent book is entitled Towards a World War III Scenario: The Dangers of Nuclear War (2011). He is also a contributor to the Encyclopaedia Britannica. His writings have been published in more than twenty languages.
===========
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Source Link:
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9-pint demand of All Colleges Students Federation of Tamil Nadu for the Liberation of Tamil Eelam

9-pint demand of All Colleges Students Federation of Tamil Nadu for the Liberation of Tamil Eelam
====================

The demands put forward by the students

1. We strongly condemn the US-draft resolution. Do not pass it at UNHRC

2. What took place in Ilangkai [Sri Lanka] is not merely war crimes or violations of human rights, but planned genocide

 3. International investigation and referendum are the only solutions for the Tamils. Government of India should propose a resolution to bring in international investigation and to conduct a referendum on independent Tamil Eelam.

 4. A proposal should be made to remove the Deputy High Commission of the Sinhala chauvinistic State from the Tamil soil [Tamil Nadu]. India should severe all diplomatic relations with Ilangkai [Sri Lanka].

 5. Government of India, accepting the request of the Tamil Nadu State Government, should implement economic sanctions on Ilangkai [Sri Lanka].

 6. On behalf of the Tamil Nadu State Government, a foreign relations department should be created to assure the security of global Tamils.

 7. No Asian country should be a member in the [international] investigation committee.

 8. Killing Tamil Nadu fishermen should be stopped immediately.

9. If the Government of India is not finding solution to the question of Eezham Tamils, we will not pay any taxes from Tamil Nadu. We, students, will actively engage in this campaign.

Source: Tamil Net

Tamil Nadu students burn US draft resolution [TamilNet, Wednesday, 13 March 2013, 00:28 GMT] Protest started by the Loyola College students in Chennai against an empty US resolution on Sri Lanka at Geneva and the Tamil Nadu State Government action against the protest, have triggered spontaneous statewide student uprising that is not depending on any political party, news sources in Tamil Nadu said. Students of instituions such as the Annamalai University in Chithamparam and St. Xavier’s College, an autonomous university institution at Paa’laiyang-koaddai in Thirunelveali, have burnt the copies of the US draft resolution tabled at Geneva for discussion on Friday, saying that the draft only bails out the genocide-accused Sri Lankan State. Meanwhile, student protests took place in every part of Tamil Nadu and All Colleges Students Federation for the Liberation of Tamil Eelam has come out with a 9-point demand. Students burning US resolution at Annamalai University The students of Annamalai University and St. Xaviers College, who are also on a hunger strike, have urged the World Tamils not to be hoodwinked by any “constructive aspects” in any resolution that does not recognize a political solution on the basis of the nationhood of the Eezham Tamils, protestors told TamilNet. Student protests and hunger strikes have begun in several towns and cities that are historically and geographically significant in setting trends in Tamil Nadu. Political parties and certain sections that either tried to make benefits by association or tried to infiltrate and hijack were consciously kept out by the protesting students, who this time clearly drew the line between politics and peoples’ struggle. Students protest the draft US resolution at Annamalai University, Chidambaram

யார் தேசம் தமிழ் ஈழம்? போர் தொடுத்த சிங்களமே, ஈழத்தமிழரிடையே பொது வாக்கெடுப்பு நடத்து!

யார் தேசம் தமிழ் ஈழம்? போர் தொடுத்த சிங்களமே, ஈழத்தமிழரிடையே பொது வாக்கெடுப்பு நடத்து!

 

Sri Lanka Debrief news - 12.03.2013

Sri Lanka Debrief news - 12.03.2013

 

 

Falkland தீவார் 1513 பேரில் 1510 ( 99.8% )பேர் பெரிய பிரித்தானியராக இருக்க பொதுவாக்கெடுப்பில் தீர்மானம்!

Falkland தீவார் 1513 பேரில் 1510 ( 99.8% )பேர் பெரிய பிரித்தானியராக இருக்க பொதுவாக்கெடுப்பில் தீர்மானம்!

Falkland Islanders Vote To Remain British
By Ian Woods, Senior Correspondent, in Stanley | Sky News – 1 hour 4 minutes ago.

David Cameron has demanded that Argentina respect the result of a referendum in the Falklands which saw an overwhelming majority back staying under British rule.

Just three voted 'No' in the ballot about remaining a British Overseas Territory, with 99.8% supporting the status quo.

International observers ratified the poll, in which 92% of eligible voters - or 1,513 people - took part, as "free and fair"

The Prime Minister warned that Argentina should take "careful note" of the result, which he said was the clearest possible message.

"The Falkland Islands may be thousands of miles away but they are British through and through. That is how they want to stay," he said.

"They want to remain British and that view should be respected by everybody, including by Argentina."

Nigel Haywood, governor of the Falkland Islands, added: "You don't get a much clearer expression of the people's self-determination than such a large turn out and such a large yes vote."

Argentina has yet to officially react to the referendum but had already dismissed the vote as illegal and "pointless".

It claims the people have no voice in deciding what is a dispute about sovereignty that should be resolved directly with Britain.

But delighted residents, who sang Land Of Hope And Glory and Rule Britannia after the result, insisted they must be heard.

One woman celebrating in Stanley told Sky News: "It sends such a strong message to the world that we've been here for a long time.

"We have the right to determine our own future. How long do you have to live in a country before you're allowed to call it your own?"

The referendum was organised after a deterioration in relations between Britain and Argentina, which claims the Falklands and in 1982 invaded the islands it calls Las Malvinas.

During the war to take back the islands, 255 British serviceman died as well as 655 Argentinians and three locals.

Relations appeared to warm for a period until Argentine President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner restated her country's claims of sovereignty and tried to raise the issue with David Cameron and the UN.

Although Buenos Aires dismissed the referendum as illegitimate and refused to talk to Falkland politicians, the islanders hope other countries in South and Central America will be more sympathetic.

As the counting took place in Stanley Town Hall, it quickly became clear the piles of "Yes" votes were growing steadily, while "No" votes were nowhere to be seen.

There was a delay in announcing the result because one vote went missing during the count but officials eventually decided it was not worth a recount for a single missing ballot.

The result means the Falklands will continue to run its own affairs, but shelter under the wing of the motherland when it comes to defence and foreign policy.

Falklands' legislators know the referendum will be dismissed by the Argentine government, but one of them, Dick Sawle had this message for President Kirchner.

"Listen, this is what we've said and it's time you respected our human rights," he said. "It's time you stopped harassing us; it's time you stopped your very aggressive stance towards us.

"We'll be taking that message to various governments and saying

''look, self determination is a fundamental human right, you can't ignore it'. This is what the people of the Falklands have said. Do you have a problem with that?"
 

 Why Do you have problem with this?"

US tables Sri Lankan resolution with India line

US tables Sri Lankan resolution with India line

By P K Balachandran | ENS - COLOMBO
09th March 2013 07:55 AM

Activists burn an effigy and portraits of Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse during a protest in New Delhi | AP/File

The US resolution on Sri Lanka, which was presented to the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) in Geneva on Friday, has incorporated India’s suggestion that the Office of the High Commissioner of Human Rights (OHCHR) take the island government into confidence while probing cases of atrocities.

The resolution seeks to ensure that “special procedure mandate holders” tasked to look into human rights violations, work only in consultation with and with the concurrence of Colombo.

The provision for taking the Lankan government into confidence was part of the US resolution of March 2012 as well. It had been included at India’s insistence as New Delhi refused an intrusive resolution which could put Sri Lanka’s sovereignty into question.

The US resolution of 2013 said that neither the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission nor the National Action Plan, had “adequately” addressed allegations of rights violations.

It expressed “concern” at “reports” of human rights violations, including enforced disappearances; extra-judicial killings; torture; and the violation of the right to freedom of expression; association and peaceful assembly. The resolution points out intimidation of civil society and journalists and threats to judicial independence and rule of law.

The resolution has categorically stated that the US  expected “unfettered access” to the UN Special Rapporteurs looking into areas such as judicial independence; human rights defenders; freedom of expression; freedom of association and assembly; extra-judicial, summary and arbitrary executions; minority issues; enforced and involuntary disappearances and discrimination against women.

The US resolution made a strong pitch for the devolution of power to Tamils. It has also called for an independent international probe into violations of international human rights and humanitarian laws during Eelam War IV. This is, however, unlikely to be accepted by the Mahinda Rajapaksa government as it believes that any such investigation will violate the nation’s sovereignty.

Source: The New Indian Express

தமிழீழத்துக்கு பொதுவாக்கெடுப்புக் கோரி தமிழகத்தில் மாணவர் போராட்டம்!

Chennai college students on indefinite hunger-strike condemn US resolution
[TamilNet, Friday, 08 March 2013, 18:24 GMT]
Eight students of Loyola College, Chennai, who have begun an indefinite hunger-strike on Friday calling for a UN referendum among the Eezham Tamils, have also condemned the pro-LLRC US resolution to be tabled at Geneva, accusing it of bailing out genocidal Sri Lanka. Speaking to TamilNet, Mr. Britto, one of the protesting students, outlining the demands of the hunger-strike, said that the current US resolution was a farce that would completely cover-up the genocide of the Eezham Tamils and strengthen the hands of the perpetrators. The protestors also told TamilNet if their hunger-strike was not paid heed to by the Central Government, they would undertake a Civil Disobedience campaign throughout Tamil Nadu to boycott paying taxes to the Indian state that is endorsing the genocide of their brethren.
http://www.tamilnet.com/art.html?catid=13&artid=36109

பெண்களுக்கு முழு சுதந்திரம் வாங்கிக் கொடுக்காத வரையிலும் பாட்டாளி வர்க்கம் முழு விடுதலை அடைய முடியாது.

 

 

சிறப்புக் கட்டுரை

 

உழைக்கும் பெண்களுக்கு

தோழர் - லெனின்

தோழர்களே, மாஸ்கோ சோவியத்துக்கு நடைபெற்ற தேர்தல்கள்  தொழிலாளி
வர்க்கத்தினரிடம் கம்யூனிஸ்ட் கட்சி பலமடைந்து கொண்டிருப்பதை எடுத்துக் காட்டுகின்றன.

உழைக்கும் பெண்கள் தேர்தல்களில் இன்னும் அதிகமாக பங்கு வகிக்க வேண்டும். ஆண்களோடு ஒப்பிடுகின்ற பொழுது பெண்களைத் தாழ்வான நிலையில் வைத்த பழைய, வெறுக்கத்தக்க, முதலாளித்துவ சட்டங்கள் அனைத்தையும் முழுமையாக ஒழித்திருக்கும் அரசாங்கம், உலகத்திலேயே முதல் ஆட்சி, ஒரே ஒரு ஆட்சி சோவியத் அரசே.

இந்த சட்டங்கள் ஆண்களுக்கு விக்ஷேடமான உரிமைகளைக் கொடுத்தன; அதற்கு உதாரணமாகத் திருமண உரிமைகளையும் குழந்தைகளைப் பற்றிய உரிமைகளையும் கூறலாம். குடும்பச் சட்டங்களில் சொத்துக்களைப் பற்றிய பிரச்சனைகளில் ஆண்களுக்கிருந்த விக்ஷேடமான சலுகைகள் எல்லாவற்றையும் உலகத்தில் ஒழித்திருக்கும் முதல் அரசு, ஒரே அரசு உழைக்கும் மக்களின் அரசாகிய சோவியத் அரசுதான். இந்த சலுகைகளை எல்லா முதலாளித்துவ குடியரசுகளும்---அவற்றில் மிக அதிகமான ஜனநாயகத்தன்மை கொண்டவை கூட---- இன்னும் பாதுகாத்து வருகின்றன.

 எங்கே நிலவுடைமையாளர்களும் முதலாளிகளும் வணிகர்களும் இருக்கிறார்களோ அங்கே சட்டத்தின்படி பெண்கள் ஆண்களுக்குச் சமமானவர்களாக இருக்க முடியாது.

 எங்கே நிலவுடைமையாளர்களும் முதலாளிகளும் வணிகர்களும் இல்லையோ, எங்கே உழைக்கும் மக்களின் அரசாங்கம் இந்த சுரண்டல்காரர்கள் இல்லாத புதிய வாழ்க்கையை நிர்மாணித்துக் கொண்டிருக்கிறதோ அங்கே சட்டப்படி ஆண்களும் பெண்களும் சமமாக இருக்கிறார்கள்.

ஆனால் அது மட்டும் போதுமானதல்ல.

சட்டப்படி சமம் என்று சொல்லிவிட்டால் அது நடைமுறையிலும் சமத்துவம் என்றிருப்பது அவசியமல்ல.

ஒரு உழைக்கும் பெண் ஒரு உழைக்கும் ஆணுக்குச் சமமாக---- சட்டத்தில் மட்டுமல்லாமல் நடைமுறையிலும்----- இருக்க வேண்டும் என்று நாம் விரும்புகிறோம். அதற்கு உழைக்கும் பெண் சமூகமயமாக்கப்பட்ட நிறுவனங்களிலும் அரசாங்க நிர்வாகத்திலும் மென்மேலும் அதிகரிக்கும் பாத்திரத்தை வகிக்க வேண்டும்.

நிர்வாகத்தில் பங்கு கொள்வதன் மூலம் பெண்கள் வேகமாக அறிவைப் பெறுவார்கள்;  ஆண்களுக்குச் சமமாக முன்னேற்றமடைவார்கள்.

கம்யூனிஸ்ட் பெண்கள், கட்சியில் இல்லாத பெண்கள் ஆகிய இரு தரப்பிலிருந்தும் அதிகமான உழைக்கும் பெண்களை சோவியத்துக்குத்  தேர்ந்தெடுங்கள். தங்களுடைய வேலைகளை அறிவோடும் பொறுப்புணர்ச்சியோடும் செய்யக் கூடிய நேர்மையான உழைக்கும் பெண்களாக இருந்தால்---- அவர்கள் கட்சியின் உறுப்பினராக இல்லா விட்டாலும்--- அவர்களை மாஸ்கோ சோவியத்துக்குத் தேர்ந்தெடுங்கள்!

 மாஸ்கோ சோவியத்துக்கு இன்னும் அதிகமான உழைக்கும் பெண்களை அனுப்புங்கள் ! பெண்களை அவமானப்படுத்திய பழைய முதலாளித்துவ முறையை, பழைய சமத்துவமற்ற நிலையை எதிர்த்து வெற்றிக்காகப் போராடுவதற்கு மாஸ்கோ பாட்டாளி வர்க்கம் எல்லாவற்றையும்  செய்யத்
தயார், எல்லாவற்றையும் செய்து கொண்டிருக்கிறோம் என்று காட்டட்டும் !

பெண்களுக்கு முழு சுதந்திரம் வாங்கிக் கொடுக்காத வரையிலும் பாட்டாளி வர்க்கம் முழு விடுதலை அடைய முடியாது.

1920,பிப்ரவரி 21     நூல் திரட்டு தொகுதி 40,  பக்கங்கள் 157-158
சோவியத் ஆட்சியும் சமுதாயத்தில் பெண்கள் நிலையும்  21-22

தமிழர்க்கு வேண்டும் தமிழீழம்! ஜெனீவாவில் ``நீதி கேட்டு`` தமிழர் முழக்கம்!

* எமக்கு - (தமிழர்க்கு) வேண்டும் தமிழீழம்!
 ** எமது - (தமிழர்) தலைவர் பிரபாகரன்!!
 *** ராஜபக்சே போர்க்குற்றவாளி!!!

ஜெனிவா முத்துக்குமாரன் முன்றலில் தமிழர்

முழக்கம்.

Portuguese march against austerity, want government out

உலக மறுபங்கீடே,  சமகால  சர்வதேச அரசியலை  இயக்கும் விதி. ENB

Portuguese march against austerity, want government out

By Andrei Khalip
LISBON | Sat Mar 2, 2013 2:37pm EST

LISBON (Reuters) - Hundreds of thousands of Portuguese poured into the streets of Lisbon and other cities on Saturday to demand an end to austerity dictated by an international bailout and the resignation of the center-right government.

The rallies, which follow the introduction of the biggest tax hikes in living memory, mark the greatest public show of discontent since demonstrations last September forced the government to adjust some of its austerity measures.

More than 200,000 protesters in Lisbon packed the vast imperial Praca do Comercio square, home to the Finance Ministry, and surrounding streets, chanting: "It's time for the government to go".
Organizers said as many as 500,000 people took part in the rallies around Lisbon, which would make the protest bigger than in September, but the numbers could not be independently confirmed. Police, as is customary, would not provide estimates.

Many carried banners with slogans such as "Austerity kills" and "Screw the troika, power to the people!", aimed at the so-called troika of lenders from the European Commission, European Central Bank and International Monetary Fund.

"Grandola", the signature tune of the 1974 "Carnation revolution" that overthrew the fascist dictatorship of Antonio Salazar after the army rebelled, reverberated through the crowds in Lisbon, which has a population of about 3 million, and elsewhere where protesters gathered. Many cried as they sang.

Protesters have used the song increasingly in the past month to interrupt government ministers speaking at public events.

"We are in a new dictatorship. Everything that the revolution achieved is being destroyed," said one elderly protester in Lisbon who did not give his name.

The rallies, which coincide with a quarterly review by the EU/IMF bailout inspectors, are the first large protests since the government acknowledged last month the economic downturn this year will be nearly double its earlier predictions.

The forecast 1.9 percent decline will further deepen the worst recession since the 1970s, already in its third year.

Tax hikes and spending cuts ordered by the terms of the 78 billion euro ($101.3 billion) bailout agreed in mid-2011 have slashed consumer demand and pushed unemployment to record levels of 17 percent, causing thousands of small businesses to go bust.

"This government has left the people on bread and water, selling off state assets for peanuts to pay back debts that were contracted by corrupt politicians to benefit bankers," said Fabio Carvalho, a movie-maker, protesting on Lisbon's main Liberdade thoroughfare.

"If not today, things have to change tomorrow and we need to remain in the streets for the government to fall."

The rallies were organized in Lisbon, Porto and several dozen other cities via the Internet by a group of activists known as Que Se Lixe a Troika, or Screw the Troika.

Veronica Pereira, an unemployed mother who says she has no means to send her daughter to college said: "Our people have the habit of letting things happen, but I think this is changing radically now. We need to protest to change things," she said.

Echoing her words, Bob Dylan's 1964 anthem "The Times They are a-Changin'" blared from a car with loudspeakers.

A woman gestures during a march against government austerity policies in Lisbon March 2, 2013.
Credit: REUTERS/Jose Manuel Ribeiro

PATIENCE RUNNING OUT

Portugal had shown a tolerance for austerity compared with countries like Greece with its frequent protests and strikes, but opposition has begun to rise in recent weeks as the economic outlook has worsened. Protests have largely been peaceful, but one Lisbon rally in November ended in clashes with police.

On Friday, the main opposition Socialists hardened their stance on the bailout, demanding an end to the austerity which they said pushed the country into a recessive spiral - the position they outlined to visiting EU/IMF bailout inspectors.

Socialist leader Antonio Jose Seguro said he felt the lenders were more open to his proposals of a growth-oriented strategy but doubted they would act soon enough.

The government's strategy, that has been praised by Brussels, is to cut the budget deficit as quickly as possible in order to exit the bailout as scheduled in the middle of 2014 after regaining full access to debt markets.

The government says it is likely to request an extra year to meet budget goals under the bailout, but political opponents and some business leaders say much more time is needed.

(Additional reporting by Miguel Pereira; Editing by Stephen Powell)
குறிப்பு : செய்தி மூலம் REUTERS விபரண இணைப்பு ENB
Contact: eelamnewsbulletin@googlemail.com

Obama formally orders "deeply destructive" cuts

A poster replicating a notice of job termination for 750,000 Americans due to the impending
sequestration, is pictured during a news conference by House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (not
pictured) Credit: REUTERS/Jason Reed

*U.S Government agencies will now begin to hack a total of $85 billion from their budgets between Saturday and

October 1.

 

*At the heart of Washington's persistent fiscal crises is disagreement over how to slash the budget deficit and the $16 trillion national debt, bloated over the years by wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and government stimulus for the ailing economy.



* The non-partisan Congressional Budget Office predicts 750,000 jobs could be lost in 2013, and federal employees throughout the country are looking to trim their own costs.

Obama formally orders "deeply destructive" cuts, blames Congress

By Richard Cowan and Alistair Bell
WASHINGTON | Sat Mar 2, 2013 1:04am EST

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama formally ordered broad cuts in government spending on Friday night after he and congressional Republicans failed to reach a deal to avert automatic reductions that could dampen economic growth and curb military readiness.

As the United States staggered into another fiscal crisis, the White House predicted that the spending cuts triggered by the inability of Obama and lawmakers to forge a broader deficit-reduction agreement would be "deeply destructive" to the nation's economic and national security.

"Not everyone will feel the pain of these cuts right away. The pain though will be real. Beginning this week, many middle-class families will have their lives disrupted in significant ways," Obama told journalists after his meeting with Republican and Democratic congressional leaders.

Late on Friday, Obama signed an order that put in effect the across-the-board government spending cuts known as "sequestration." Government agencies will now begin to hack a total of $85 billion from their budgets between Saturday and October 1.

Half of the cuts will fall on the Pentagon. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said the reductions put at risk "all of our missions.

Congress and Obama could still halt the cuts in the weeks to come, but neither side has expressed any confidence they will do so. Both Democrats and Republicans set the automatic cuts in motion during feverish deficit-reduction efforts in August 2011.

MARKETS SHRUG OFF CRISIS

Friday's events marked the first budget showdown in Washington of many in the past decade that was not somehow resolved at the last minute - often under pressure from rattled financial markets. Markets in New York shrugged off the stalemate in Washington on Friday as they have for months.
Democrats predicted the cuts could soon cause air-traffic delays, meat shortages as food safety inspections slow down, losses to thousands of federal contractors and damage to local economies across the country, particularly in the hardest-hit regions around military installations.

At the heart of Washington's persistent fiscal crises is disagreement over how to slash the budget deficit and the $16 trillion national debt, bloated over the years by wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and government stimulus for the ailing economy.

Obama wants to close the fiscal gap with spending cuts and tax hikes. Republicans do not want to concede again on taxes after doing so in negotiations over the "fiscal cliff" at the New Year.
Public outrage, if it materializes, would be the most likely prod for a resolution as the impact of the spending cuts starts to be felt in the coming weeks and months.

As a percentage of total government spending every year, $3.7 trillion, the actual spending reductions are small. But because safety-net programs such as Social Security and Medicare will be untouched, the brunt falls mostly on federal government employees rather than direct recipients of aid.

The U.S. government is the nation's largest employer, with a workforce of roughly 2.7 million civilians spread across the country. If the cuts stay in place, more than 800,000 of those workers could see reduced work days and smaller paychecks between now and September.

Furlough notices warning employees and their unions started to go out earlier this week and the pace picked up on Friday after it became clear that talks at the White House between Obama and congressional leaders would be fruitless.

While the International Monetary Fund warned that the belt-tightening could slow U.S. economic growth by at least 0.5 of a percentage point this year, that is not a huge drag on an economy that is picking up steam.

'THE SPENDING PROBLEM'

Many Republicans accuse the Obama administration of overstating the effects of the cuts in order to pressure them into agreeing to a solution to the White House's liking.

A deal proved elusive as Obama met at the White House with House of Representatives Speaker John Boehner, the top Republican in Congress, and Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell, as well as the top two Democrats in Congress, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi.

"The discussion about revenue, in my view, is over. It's about taking on the spending problem," Boehner said after the meeting.

Asked why he did not just refuse to let congressional leaders leave the room until they had a deal, Obama told reporters: "I am not a dictator. I'm the president. So, ultimately, if Mitch McConnell or John Boehner say, 'We need to go to catch a plane,' I can't have Secret Service block the doorway, right?"

The across-the-board cutbacks were mandated by a deficit reduction law, structured to be so disruptive that Congress would ultimately replace them with more targeted savings. But partisan gridlock has prevented agreement on where to save.

The White House budget office sent a report to Congress detailing the spending cuts. Some 115,000 employees of the Department of Justice - including prosecutors and the FBI - were among the first to get the official word of furloughs.

The government also sent letters to several state governors advising them of cuts to services like the Head Start education program in California and military facilities in Virginia.

Canadian Finance Minister Jim Flaherty expressed rare public frustration with the United States for lurching from crisis to crisis.

One reason for the inaction in Washington is that both parties still hope the other will either be blamed by voters for the cuts or cave in before the worst effects predicted by Democrats come into effect.

A Reuters/Ipsos poll released on Friday showed 28 percent of Americans blamed congressional Republicans for the sequestration mess, 18 percent thought Obama was responsible and 4 percent blamed congressional Democrats. Thirty-seven percent blamed them all, according the online poll.

The non-partisan Congressional Budget Office predicts 750,000 jobs could be lost in 2013, and federal employees throughout the country are looking to trim their own costs.

"The kids won't go to the dentist, the kids might not go to the doctor, we won't be spending money in local restaurants, local movie theaters," said Paul O'Connor, president of the Metal Trades Council, which represents 2,500 workers at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Kittery, Maine.

After weeks of White House warnings about the cuts causing disruption, Obama acknowledged it might be a while before effects fully kicked in. "We will get through this. This is not going to be an apocalypse," Obama said.

In the absence of any deal at all, the Pentagon will be forced to slice 13 percent of its budget between now and September 30.

In his first Pentagon news conference since he was sworn in on Wednesday, Hagel struck a more moderate tone than many other defense officials who have said the spending reductions would be devastating or could turn the U.S. military into a second-rate power.

"America ... has the best fighting force, the most capable fighting force, the most powerful fighting force in the world," he said. "The management of this institution, starting with the Joint Chiefs, are not going to allow this capacity to erode."

Most non-defense programs, from NASA space exploration to federally backed education and law enforcement, face a 9 percent reduction.

Moving to head off a new budget crisis later this month, Boehner said the Republican-led House would move a "continuing resolution" to fund government through the rest of the fiscal year, thus hopefully averting a government shutdown.

(Additional reporting by Steve Holland, Roberta Rampton, Deborah Zabarenko and Jeff Mason in Washington and David Ljunggren in Ottawa; Editing by Peter Cooney and Will Dunham) 

Balachandren Portrait: பாலச்சந்திரனின் பிரதிவிம்ப ஓவியம்

மதிவதனி பிரபாகரன் பாலச்சந்திரன் - அகவை 12 -  ஓவியம்:பாரதிராஜா

GEELANI RELEASED

GEELANI RELEASED

To Announce Future Strategy Soon
PRESS TRUST OF INDIA

New Delhi, Feb 27: After being put under house arrest here for nearly three weeks, Kashmiri separatist leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani was released as Delhi Police withdrew its personnel from his South Delhi home this evening.

Describing his detention as “illegal” and an act of “high-handedness” on the part of the Centre and Jammu and Kashmir government, 83-year-old Geelani said he will be chalking his future strategy in a couple of days including a decision on his return to Kashmir Valley.

Geelani, who has a two-room flat near Malviya Nagar, was placed under house arrest on the morning of February nine, the day when Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru was hanged in Tihar jail.

“The police withdrew at 7 PM this evening,” Geelani said. Along with Geelani, another separatist leader Mirwaiz Umar Farooq was also kept under house arrest in Delhi but he was released last week.
Geelani claimed that police personnel, both men and women, had at one stage camped inside his flat for nearly two days.

Both the Hurriyat factions led by Geelani and Farooq had given a strike call in protest against the execution of Afzal.

Geelani had termed the execution of Afzal as "unfortunate" and claimed that Afzal was not involved in the 2001 Parliament attack.

Kuddish leader 'outlines' Turkey peace plan

Kurdish leader 'outlines' Turkey peace plan

Turkish official says Abdullah Ocalan set to ask PKK fighters to declare truce by March 21 and lay down arms by August.

Last Modified: 27 Feb 2013 19:28
The leader of a Kurdish armed group imprisoned by Turkey is set to call for a long-sought ceasefire next month as part of a renewed push for peace with the Turkish government, according to officials.

Abdullah Ocalan, head of the PKK, is currently serving a life sentence on an island prison off Istanbul where visitors are seldom allowed and only under the surveillance of Turkish agents.

"[The PKK] will declare at the very least a ceasefire by Newroz [March 21, the Kurdish New Year] and lay down arms by July-August, after which departure from the country will be discussed," Bulent Arinc, Turkey's deputy prime minister, said in an interview on Turkish TV on Monday.

Arinc was quoting a 20-page letter written by Ocalan, which outlined his views on a possible solution for the nearly three-decade-long conflict between the PKK and Turkish security forces that has cost 45,000 lives, mostly Kurdish.

Turkey's secret services resumed negotiations with Ocalan in December with the ultimate aim of ending the PKK's fight for autonomy.

Ocalan's letter was addressed to PKK members and the pro-Kurdish Peace and Democracy Party (BDP), according to Nazmi Gur, a BDP legislator.

'Draft solution'

Gur told AFP news agency that Ocalan was proposing a "draft solution" in the letter and there would be more discussion and feedback before reaching a final decision.

"We, all components of the Kurdish movement, will be standing behind that final decision Ocalan will give on that day," Gur said referring to March 21.

Both sides in the conflict have set out conditions they say would signal good faith and commitment to long-lasting peace.

PKK is asking for the release of hundreds, possibly thousands, of Kurdish activists and politicians kept in detention on charges of links to the group.

Turkey in return insists "terrorists" need to withdraw from Turkish territory before the peace process can effectively begin, and has promised not to attack rebels wishing to leave the country.
Source: Al Jazeera And Agencies

The Turkish government and jailed Kurdish rebel leader Abdullah Ocalan have agreed on a roadmap

January 9, 2013
ANKARA,— The Turkish government and jailed Kurdish rebel leader Abdullah Ocalan have agreed on a roadmap to end a three-decade-old insurgency that has claimed tens of thousands of lives, Turkish media reported Wednesday.

The deal was reached during a new round of talks between Ankara and Ocalan and aims to have the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) lay down arms in March, private news network NTV and Radikal newspaper reported.

An initial cessation of hostilities was to evolve into a fully-fledged ceasefire agreement over the following months, they said, without revealing their sources for the reported breakthrough.

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's government recently revealed that the intelligence services had for weeks been talking to Ocalan, who has been held on the island prison of Imrali south of Istanbul since his capture in 1999.

The government is expected to reciprocate the ceasefire by granting wider rights to Turkey's Kurdish minority, whose population is estimated at up to 15 million in the 75-million nation, according to unofficial figures.
 
  The rebels also want the release of hundreds of Kurdish activists held in prisons over links to the PKK as well as the recognition of Kurdish identity in Turkey's new constitution, according to media sources.

But Turkey's pro-Kurdish Peace and Democracy Party (BDP) warned the talks were not at the stage of fully-fledged ceasefire negotiations,www.ekurd.net arguing Ocalan would have to be freed first and given a chance to consult the grassroots.

"The conditions between the parties are just not equal," BDP co-chair Selahattin Demirtas told fellow lawmakers on Tuesday. "And by that, no, I do not mean Erdogan going into Imrali," he said.
Officials have not confirmed the details of the roadmap published in the media.

Hopes of a breakthrough on the Kurdish issue were heightened when two Kurdish lawmakers were allowed to visit Ocalan last week for the first time.

Previous talks floundered after the PKK leadership demanded the release of Ocalan.

Since it was established in 1984, the PKK has been fighting the Turkish state, which still denies the constitutional existence of Kurds, to establish a Kurdish state in the south east of the country. By 2012, more than 45,000 people have since been killed.

But now its aim is the creation an autonomous region and more cultural rights for ethnic Kurds who constitute the greatest minority in Turkey.  A large Turkey's Kurdish community, numbering to 25 million, openly sympathise with PKK rebels.

Abdullah Öcalan, who founded the PKK in 1974, has a high symbolic value for most Kurds in Turkey and worldwide.

The PKK wants constitutional recognition for the Kurds, regional self-governance and Kurdish-language education in schools.

The PKK has nearly 50 thousand trained fighters on fronts and streets war, as they are deployed within the Kurdish areas near the common border of Turkey with both Iraq and Syria.

PKK's demands included releasing PKK detainees, lifting the ban on education in Kurdish, paving the way for an autonomous democrat Kurdish system within Turkey, reducing pressure on the detained PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan, stopping military action against the Kurdish party and recomposing the Turkish constitution.

The rebels have scaled back their demands for more political autonomy for Turkey's ethnic Kurds.
Turkey refuses to recognize its Kurdish population as a distinct minority. It has allowed some cultural rights such as limited broadcasts in the Kurdish language and private Kurdish language courses with the prodding of the European Union, but Kurdish politicians say the measures fall short of their expectations.

The PKK is considered as 'terrorist' organization by Ankara, U.S., the PKK continues to be on the blacklist list in EU despite court ruling which overturned a decision to place the Kurdish rebel group PKK and its political wing on the European Union's terror list.
Source: Ekurd.net

Exxon, Total Study SL Oil Reserves

Exxon, Total Study Sri Lanka Oil Reserves Ahead of Biggest Sale

 By Rakteem Katakey & Anusha Ondaatjie - Feb 26, 2013 6:00 AM GMT.

The nation has identified 13 blocks off the northern and western coasts of Sri Lanka for the auction, including five in the Cauvery basin and eight in the Mannar.

Exxon Mobil Corp. (XOM) and Total SA (FP) are among explorers reviewing Sri Lanka’s oil and natural gas reserves ahead of the biggest auction of blocks planned by a nation that imports all its crude.

Exxon Mobil, the world’s largest oil company by value, and Total, Europe’s third-largest, bought data related to the sale of 13 offshore fields, Saliya Wickramasuriya, director general at the Petroleum Resources Development Secretariat, said in an interview. Eni SpA (ENI), BP Plc (BP/) and India’s Oil & Natural Gas Corp. (ONGC) have enquired about the bids, which are scheduled to open at a meeting with potential investors in Houston on March 7 and end about five months later, he said.
“We’ve had quite a few people from Big Oil come by,” Colombo-based Wickramasuriya said in a Feb. 25 telephone interview. “We’ve had 20 companies that took our data, made repeat visits, or expressed interest in taking discussions further in the framework of the bid round.”
Global oil majors are being lured by prospects beyond the island’s famed white-sand beaches as the nation seeks to rebuild an economy ravaged by three decades of civil war. Sri Lanka, where conflict ended in 2009, is looking for technology to unlock the potential of the area neighboring India, where companies including Reliance Industries Ltd. (RIL) and BP are present.

“It’d be good for Sri Lanka to get the big conglomerates in the energy sector interested at the onset,” said Dushni Weerakoon, director at the Institute of Policy Studies in Colombo. “It’ll be a signal of confidence and an enormous economic relief as we are a heavy energy importer.”
Crude Importer Sri Lanka, which doesn’t produce any oil or gas, imports all its crude oil requirements from nations including Saudi Arabia and Iran. The nation has identified 13 blocks off the northern and western coasts of Sri Lanka for the auction, including five in the Cauvery basin and eight in the Mannar. Two of the 13 may be withdrawn because of a lack of data, Wickramasuriya said.

Alan Jeffers, a spokesman for Irving, Texas-based Exxon didn’t reply to an e-mail seeking comment on the bidding. Total spokeswoman Anastasia Zhivulina and ONGC Chairman Sudhir Vasudeva declined to comment, as did an Eni spokesman, who couldn’t be named because of company policy.
“BP continuously evaluates and ranks new exploration access opportunities around the world,” spokesman Mark Salt said in an e-mail on Feb. 25.

Cairn India Ltd. (CAIR), which is producing oil at India’s largest onshore block, discovered gas in an offshore area in Sri Lanka’s Mannar basin last year, estimated by the government to hold 1 billion barrels of oil. That’s equal to about 18 percent of India’s proved oil reserves, according to BP data.
Gauge Potential Cairn India started drilling a new well in the area this month, Chief Executive Office P. Elango said in a Feb. 20 interview. It needs to drill two or three more wells before it can gauge the potential of the reserves, Wickramasuriya said.

The Sri Lankan Cauvery basin is a geological extension of an area in India off the coast of Tamil Nadu state, Wickramasuriya said. Reliance announced a gas discovery in a deepwater well in the Indian waters of the basin in July 2007. Four years later, it announced another discovery in the area.
Loans from China’s Export-Import Bank and companies including China Merchants Holding International and China Machinery Engineering Corp. are helping Sri Lanka expand its ports, power generation, and transportation networks. Chinese oil explorers have yet to contact Wickramasuriya or his office for the latest auction, he said.

“Now that we’re launching the bid, some companies that have been interested internally may now start contacting us,” he said.

To contact the reporters on this story: Rakteem Katakey in New Delhi at rkatakey@bloomberg.net; Anusha Ondaatjie in Colombo at anushao@bloomberg.net
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Jason Rogers at jrogers73@bloomberg.net http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-02-26/exxon-total-study-sri-lanka-oil-reserves-ahead-of-biggest-sale.htmlBiggest Sale

 

மகிந்த அரசே மன்னார் விவசாயிகளின் கோரிக்கைகளை உடனே நிறைவேற்று!

மண்ணின் மைந்தன் வேடந்தாங்கும் மகிந்தவே, மன்னார் விவசாயிகளின் குறைந்த பட்ச வாழ்வாதாரக் கோரிக்கைகளை உடனே நிறைவேற்று!

 

புதிய ஈழப்புரட்சியாளர்கள் ENB