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Annan eager to push peace talks with
Tigers
Lanka radio retracts report on Prabhakaran’s death
Mahmud Abbas leads in
Palestinian poll
Dow told to appear in Bhopal court for gas leak tragedy
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Alliance for discussion on Pak border situation
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Annan eager to push peace talks with
Tigers
Colombo, January 9 Annan, who visited several affected areas along the coast, was reportedly dissuaded by the government from touring the rebel-held tracts in the north and east which took a severe bashing from the giant tsunamis on December 26. “I’m hoping to come back ... and see all parts of the country and be of help to accelerate the peace process,” Annan told reporters at the tail-end of his two-day visit to the island nation after attending the Jakarta conference on the tsunami calamity. Annan said he had met leaders of all political parties at a meeting chaired by President Chandrika Kumaratunga today, including members of the Tamil National Alliance who are the LTTE proxies in the legislature. “I raised the question of the peace process and the need to intensify the efforts. I was also able to discuss that with the president,” Annan said. UN officials said Annan was keen to see the destruction wrought by the tsunamis in the northeast where the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) have reportedly lost several key military bases and thousands of people are languishing in camps for the displaced. “The UN is not a one-man show. We have many people in all parts of the country and we’re here for the long haul,” Annan said in a reply to questions about whether he had been barred from travelling to the LTTE areas. According to a report in the ‘Sunday Leader’ newspaper, President Kumaratunga had been against Annan visiting the LTTE’s territory on the grounds that the rebels would gain political mileage out of it. The government vehemently denied that it had put the brakes on the UN chief visiting the areas under the LTTE control. “The government... offered access and air transport facilities to any member of the Secretary General’s delegation to visit any tsunami-affected areas in the country,” the government said in a statement, adding the itinerary was drawn up with the UN officials taking security and time available into consideration. Over 30,000 persons died in the tsunami devastation, which affected almost three quarters of the islands seaboard, making some 800,000 homeless. Both the government and the LTTE have traded charges and counter charges over the distribution of emergency supplies to refugees, with the LTTE. Although the government and the LTTE are observing a Norwegian-monitored truce, peace talks between the two sides have been stalled since April 2003.
— PTI |
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Lanka radio retracts report on Prabhakaran’s death
Colombo, January 9 The state broadcaster had yesterday run reports on its English and Tamil language services that the two men had not been seen since the tsunami struck the island on December 26, killing more than 30,000 persons. The rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) slammed the broadcaster for carrying the reports, saying now was “not the time for gossip mongering and malicious propaganda”. “The LTTE and the Tamil people wish to strongly protest against this mischievous act of the Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation, stooping down to such low level of broadcasting news that (is) fabricated by interested parties,“ a LTTE, statement said. “At a time of a national catastrophe of this magnitude, it is very ... regrettable that a responsible media of the government takes upon itself the job of spreading rumours and speculation that tend to create confusion in the minds of the people,” it added. The SLBC offered no reason for its retraction of the report. — AFP |
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Man rescued 13 days after tsunami
Colombo, January 9 The man, identified only as Sirisena, was found semi-conscious yesterday under the remains of a shop in the historic seaside town of Galle, said the Sunday Times, which splashed the man’s picture on its front page. It said the man was suffering from malnutrition, dehydration and had early symptoms of pneumonia. He was too bewildered to explain how he had survived, the newspaper said. Rescue workers have for days found only bloated and rotting corpses as they excavate mounds of rubble from what were once Sri Lanka’s coastal towns and resorts.
— Reuters |
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Cyclone may hit Sri Lanka
Colombo, January 9 “It is not a cyclone at the moment but there is a possibility of a cyclone within the next 24 hours,” the department’s Deputy Director said. Alert was being sounded on radio telling people still trying to come to terms with the tsunami devastation to be “cautious and vigilant,” he said. A low pressure system had developed in the Bay of Bengal around 300 km southeast of the town of Hambantota, he said. “There is no immediate threat to Sri Lanka but if it develops into a cyclone then we will issue a cyclone alert.” The department had cautioned all government offices and the police on the southeast and eastern coast, especially in districts of Ampara and towns like Galle, Matara and Hambantota. “We are telling people to listen to radio bulletins so that they can be alert and if it strikes it is easier to evacuate people,” he said, adding that however, “We are not expecting any need for that.” A statement by the department said rain or thunderstorms with isolated heavy falls and windy conditions would prevail in the eastern Ulva and southern provinces and in parts of central province overnight and tomorrow. “Strong winds, frequent showers and rough seas are expected in the sea areas off the coast extending from Trincomalee to Matara via Hambantota,” the statement added.
— AFP |
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Mahmud Abbas leads in
Palestinian poll
Ramallah, January 9 “This process is taking place in a marvellous fashion and is an illustration of how the Palestinian people aspire to democracy,” Abbas said after casting his ballot in the Muqataa leadership compound where Arafat is buried. “The turnout has so far been encouraging and strong, especially among women. I am happy to have exercised my democratic right by voting,” he added. Israel said Prime Minister Ariel Sharon was ready to meet with the winner of the election, a move which could breathe new life into a peace process left in tatters by four years of deadly conflict. With polls giving him at least a 30-point lead over his nearest rival, the independent Mustafa
Barghuti, Abbas’ main fear is that vast swathes of the electorate will heed a boycott call by the radical Islamist movement
Hamas. However, turnout appeared to be strong at all 1,073 polling booths in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, with the central elections commission reporting no major problems. Residents of occupied east Jerusalem were also voting at post offices. —
AFP, AP |
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Dow told to appear in Bhopal court for gas leak tragedy
An Indian criminal court is seeking to bring to justice those responsible for the deadly 1984 Bhopal gas leak.
The US chemicals giant has been ordered to appear before the court in Bhopal and explain why Union Carbide, the company that ran the plant, has never turned up to answer charges of culpable homicide. Dow bought Union Carbide in 2001. Campaigners for the victims of the world's worst industrial accident hailed the Indian court's decision as a "break-through" and a significant move towards piercing the "corporate veil" which has been used by Union Carbide to avoid criminal proceedings. A "notice" has been issued by Anil Kumar Gupta, the Chief Judicial Magistrate at Bhopal, for Dow to appear before his court. Raj Sharma, a lawyer for the victims, said: "This is a significant step towards finally compelling Union Carbide to address its unresolved criminal liability for the Bhopal disaster. Now, it is time for Dow Chemical and Union Carbide to defend their repeated public protestations of innocence before a court of law." However a Dow spokesman, Scot Wheeler, insisted that, despite the court notice, "as of this time, The Dow Chemical Company has not been served in relation to this legal proceeding". In the early hours of December 3,1984, 40 tonnes of highly poisonous methyl isocyanate gas escaped from the Union Carbide plant. According to official figures, nearly 3,000 persons died on that night and there have since been nearly 15,000 deaths related to the accident. Attempts to bring criminal charges have been hampered by the refusal of Union Carbide, and its former chairman Warren Anderson, to appear in the court. The US Union Carbide business claimed after the accident that its majority-owned Indian venture was independent. Since Dow acquired 100 per cent of Union Carbide three years ago, Dow, in turn, has claimed that Union Carbide is a separate legal entity. — By arrangement with
The Independent |
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Alliance for discussion on Pak border situation
Islamabad, January 9 According to Parliamentary Secretary of the ARD Izhar Amrohvi, the motion has been signed by 10 members of the People's Party Parliamentarians (PPP) and the Pakistan Muslim League-N (PML-N). He said the ARD parties had decided to submit the motion after reports appeared in media that troops of the two countries exchanged heavy gunfire that caused casualties on both sides. The motion, moved under Rule 92 of the Rules and Procedure for Conduct of Business in the National Assembly 1992, states: "It has been reported in almost every newspaper that Pakistan's mountainous border with Afghanistan at Saidgai in the North Waziristan tribal agency was tense after exchange of fire over the past two days in which a Pakistani paramilitary soldier and a number of Afghan army troops were killed. It is a serious matter which has caused grave concern among the general public and needs discussion on the floor of the house after adjourning the normal proceedings." The motion was signed by Chaudhry Aitzaz Ahsan, Raja Pervez Ashraf, Naheed Khan, Syed Naveed Qamar, Sherry Rahman, Syed Khurshid Shah, Syed Nayyar Hussain Bokhari and Zamarrud Khan from the PPP and Khawaja Asif and Khawaja Saad Rafiq from the PML-N. Meanwhile, 15 members of the ARD have submitted another adjournment motion with the National Assembly Secretariat seeking a discussion on the "government's move to invite proposals for reforms for Azad Jammu and Kashmir on constitutional, administrative and political matters". The motion states: "It has been reported that the Azad Kashmir Council has issued advertisements to some English language newspapers that some consultants are required to give proposals to suggest reforms for Azad Jammu and Kashmir on matters pertaining to constitutional, political and administrative affairs. AJK Prime Minister Sardar Sikandar Hayat Khan and a senior politician, Sardar Abdul Qayyum Khan, have also taken serious notice of it. The matter is very serious and caused concern among the general public."
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Colombo, January 9
Colombo, January 9
