OTHER NEWS LTTE aircraft sighted A series of protest campaigns against recent EP polls Pillayan- first chief minister for Eastern Province Pillayan - new CM EP    Advertisement Print Version | Email to friend Dicey Human Rights record throttles Lanka 02-05-2008 Sri Lanka’s dicey human rights situation is likely to cost the country dearly, with the island being thrown out from an international debt cancellation programme. The United States Congress is expected to endorse a legislative proposal shortly urging for the cancellation of debts owed by some of the world’s poorest countries but nations including Bhutan, Sri Lanka and Laos have been singled out due to their human rights situation and other financial management standard issues. Sri Lanka’s debt to the United States alone amounts to a whopping Rs. 53 billion while the total foreign debt is a massive Rs. 1.3 trillion according to the Central Bank 2007 Annual Report released last week. Jubilee USA Network, a group representing more than 80 religious denominations, development agencies, and human rights organisations from across the United States are spearheading the campaign calling for the cancellations of the debts. The network is of the view that the lending practices of international financial institutions are responsible for the suffering of the poor in developing nations. “Twenty-two countries have already received close to 100 percent cancellation of their debts to the IMF, World Bank and regional development banks,” the network disclosed. Sri Lanka falls under the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) Heavily Indebted Poor Country (HIPC) programme but according to reports, the island does not meet the Jubilee Act standards in human rights and financial management standards. “The proposed legislation calls for ‘greater responsibility’ in lending and borrowing in the future. Supporters of the bill say current lending practices are hampering development initiatives in many countries in Africa, Asia, and Latin America,” a report filed in OneWorld stated. The legislation calls on the US Treasury Department to negotiate with the IMF and World Bank for an agreement for debt cancellation for several poor nations that need financial help to meet the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) set by world leaders in 2000, the report added. Lanka Tribune - Award Winning UK SriLankan Newspaper Print Version | Email to friend

LTTE aircraft sighted Fri, 16-05-2008 04:00:00 An LTTE air craft was detected by the air defence system yesterday evening over the LTTE built Iranamadu runway, military sources said. A senior Air Force official told media that the air defence system had detected the LTTE aircraft soon after, it was airborne. �However it immediately disappeared from the radar system, as it went down,� the official said. ... |FULL STORY|

A series of protest campaigns against recent EP polls Fri, 16-05-2008 19:00:00 UNP General Secretary Tissa Attanayake , said , this Govt. has no capacity to do anything legal and honest ,whether it is administration, development or in the conduct of elections. It thrives only on murder, mayhem, corruption and malpractices. The Eastern Provincial Council elections bore all those hallmarks, he added. At the last Presidential elections it entered into a pact with the LTTE paying them billions of rupees betraying the country, and won. This time it entered into an allianc... |FULL STORY|

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Pillayan- first chief minister for Eastern Province Fri, 16-05-2008 18:00:00 Sivanesathurai Chandrakanthan alias Pillayan was sworn-in as the Chief Minister for the Eastern Province before President Mahinda Rajapaksa this evening. Three other provincial councilors also took their oaths, as cabinet of ministers despite M.L.A.M Hisbullah was absent. They are T.Navaratnarajah, Wimalaweera Dissanayake and M.Uduma . After swearing in ceremony Minister Athaullah welcomed the newly appointed Chief Minister. Chandrakantha obtained the highest number of preferential vo... |FULL STORY|

Pillayan - new CM EP Fri, 16-05-2008 14:00:00 Mr.Pillayan took oaths as the Chief Minister of the Eastern Provincial Council in a short while ago.... |FULL STORY|

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