... losses

Today President Rajapaksa has lost a Tamil coalition partner what has cut his majority in parliament down to 113 our of 225 seats.

Now only the extreme hard-liners such as the Buddhist monk party JHU and the JVP Marxist party are supporting the Sri Lanka Freedom Party of the Rajapaksa brothers who are also confronted with disastrous economic figures.

National debts at $ 12,6 billion and further daily losses of around $ 10 million strangle the nation, where the costs of living are exploding alongside the fall of the Rupee.

Sri Lanka requires oil imports worth an annual $ 2,5 billion using also diesel to produce electricity.

... vultures of war

Sri Lankan Minister Fernandopulle has called the United Nations Undersecretary John Holmes a terrorist and has accused him of being bribed by Tamil Tigers.

Currently Sri Lanka is ranked on No.2 on the list of unsafest countries for aid workers because of the still uninvestigated killing of 17 NGO workers in 2006.

At the same time questions have been raised about bribery in conjunction with the purchse of several old MIG figther planes whilst Human Rights organizations point at:

17 Aidworkers were killed in Muttur
10 Muslim workers were hacked to death in Ampara
28 detainees were slaughered in Bindunuweewa
17 TRO workers were abducted and disposed
2 UN Workers were abducted and rheir dead bodies were domped in Avisavalle.
2 MPs killed and
350,000 Tamils driven out of their homes

... Summer in Sri Lanka

Victory festivities in the East, ministers cutting their salaries down by 50% and a very tensed and painful situation will be remembered for summer 2007.

Much worse for all Sri Lankans compared to summer 2006, not to mention summer 2005 when global sympathies for Sri Lanka had triggered worldwide donations as high as $3 billion.

The overall summary for the first 2 years of the Rajapaksa administration does not look very promising for the near future.

The economy is suffering badly and in particular tourism is facing a severe decline however one has to say, that tourists are way more safe in Sri Lanka than in any big city of the world. ( perhaps Toronto or Zurich might beat SL :-)

... Inflation at 17% per month

Around 15.000 protesters from all over the Sri Lanka had assembled in Colombo demanding a new government free from the influence of the Rajapaksa brothers who have led the country into a costly warfare scenario.

After 4 years of peace and restructuring Sri Lanka had been on the way up even overcoming the aftermath of the Tsunami with aid worth $4 billion raised by mainly western citizens and their leaders.

Back in 2002 UNP head Ranil Wickeremansinghe had been able to establish a truce giving the country at least a chance for recovery. Also the previous Chandrika Kumaratunga administration had somehow managed to keep the Island in a fairly peaceful state despite some minor casualties and a limited exchange of aggression.

With the election in 2005 things had gone far worse after the Tamil population had not been permitted to vote so that Wickeremansinghe had to make way for the way more aggressive Rajapaksa brothers and their JVP, JHU Monk Party allies.

Meanwhile the national budget of Sri Lanka is a complete mess with over $300 deficit per month, no more earnings from tourism and more that 50% of the household build on loans and donations.

Furthermore Sri Lanka is aiming for isolation from the West, where several aid programs were terminated and where vast resentments against the Sri Lankan government have been defined.

Also the Rajapaksa administration has expressed it's preference for Asian countries from where now more aid will be expected.

Most likely the wealthier Asian countries such as India, Thailand, Malaysia are also competing for more tourism money so that they are more likely not to be too generous with Sri Lanka.

... Death in Sri Lanka

The Rajapaksa government seeks to improve security by having deported 400 Tamils including women and children from the capital Colombo into Northern war zones. The UNP opposition and human rights organizations have criticized this as a form of ethnic cleansing.

2 Red Cross workers were murdered whilst aid and human rights organizations report another several hundred abducted and missing since the still uninvestigated killing of 17 aid workers in 2006.

At the same time military fighting in the north has become more intense with casualties every day.

Recently the LTTE has reported significant wins whilst the overall living standard for regular Sri Lankans is getting worse day by day with heaviest inflation and no more foreign currency coming in.

Tourism seems to be completely dead and the monthly trade deficit is reaching exorbitant levels with the government spending most money on the acquisition of weapons and ammunition.

A few days ago thousands of Tamils were told to move out of Colombo and lorries from the north are no longer allowed to enter Colombo.

... dismal night for Sri Lanka

Emirates and Cathay Pacific had suspended flights to Sri Lanka for security reason after another air raid by the Tamil Tigers.

The night of from April 28 to the 29nth had been a dubious one for Sri Lanka. On Barbados the Cricket World Cup final was lost to Australia in a very unfortunate way with questionable weather and umpire decisions.

Of course, Australia had a very good team on the field, but Sri Lanka had chances and also shown some very good action with Tamils, Muslims and Singhalese in none team.

On the island itself all has gone for the worse and whilst the cricket had been all over the Tamil Tiger Air Force had dropped some explosives on fuel plants in Colombo forcing the largest city into a blackout.

Once again the government security forces had been taken by surprise during a Cricket match and for certain the Tigers had proven to be fully alive after months of air raids and all sorts of explosives over their heads.

... dismal time for Sri Lanka

At least the great Sri Lankan Cricket team has been bringing joy to the suffering Sri Lankan`s with a great performance during the Super 8 tournament.

Apart from that, a fierce and expensive warfare in the East and North is destroying the economy and tourism in particular.

Meanwhile the Tamil Tigers have proven their ability to launch minor airstrikes whilst a line of ugliest assaults on civilian busses is further branding the nation in terms of atrocities.

Any peace talks as well as truce seem to be very far away whilst leaders on both sides seem to do their very best to proceed with their warfare.

Fortunately there have been no tensions between the Singhalese and Tamil civilians who both do not seem to want the war at all. However, there have been no demonstrations for peace in Sri Lanka and civilians remain confident with their leaders.

Especially in the South many people are very pleased with the Government policy of President Mahinda Rajapaksa as they believe in victory and in the economical progress of his concepts.

Fact is also, that poverty is drastically on the rise caused by a monthly inflation rate of around 20% alongside a complete standstill of the tourism industry which is blamed on Western media and the Tamil Tigers.

Overall, the tourism season had been the worst since many years as a result of a very restrictive visa policy and extremely high airfares caused by massive airport tax and landing fees. Flights to for example Frankfurt with Sri Lankan Airlines are now priced at almost $1,000 ( Airport Tax $230 ).

Nevertheless tourists and volunteers can feel more safe and comfortable in the South and in places like Kandy, Negombo than in many other countries for which no Western Governments are spreading "don`t go warnings".

Currently Sri Lanka is producing a monthly trade deficit of more than $300 million and there is absolutely no indication for this war to be coming to an end. Each air raid by the Sri Lankan Government is fertilizing despair among the Tamil population whilst the Tiger`s terrorstrikes will help the Rajapaksa administration to justify their activities.

Sadly enough, it looks that this war without winners sees only the civilians on both sides as big time losers.

In addition many humanitarian organizations have been reporting severe problems when trying to help affected civilians and it is feared, that they might pull out like back in 1998, when the peacebrigades had to give up.

... dismal Christmas for Sri Lanka

Ten thousands of Tamil civilians have become the poorest victims of war and even help organizations are not able to look after them. Food, doctors, medicine are rare in between the frontlines of no winners because neither side is prepared to compromise in the name of peace.

The annual speech of Tamil Tiger chief Velupillai Prabhakaran had pointed at a dismal future for Sri Lanka where hopes for peace seem to have vanished completely.

Hard-liners on both sides seem to strive for an even more drastic exchange of atrocities whilst no initiatives for peace can be reported at this time.

Days later a suicide blast in Colombo had been targeted at the secretary of defense, President Mahinda Rajapaksa's brother, Gothabaya Rajapaksa, who has survived unharmed.

European governments are warning of visits to Sri Lanka although popular areas such as Kandy and Unawatuna still provide a calm and relaxing atmosphere. Nevertheless local communities are extremely nervous since the attack on the Galle Navy base and even the sound of a firework at a private party had caused feelings of panic.

Especially tourist regions like Unawatuna, Hikkaduwa and Negombo look almost deserted so that expectations for a busy Christmas season have gone low.

Planes from Europe are empty despite finest offers and services by Sri Lankan Airlines which connects to Paris, London and Frankfurt at an incredible return rate of around $250. Of course it feels more than sad to see that even such invincible offers fail to convince holidaymakers of goin`Sri Lanka at this time though tourists can truly feel much more at ease than in Egypt or other Middle East countries where radical Muslims forward direct threats and action.

The only risk that tourists have to fear in Sri Lanka could be a sudden outbreak of mass killings between Sinhala and Tamil civilians that might be triggered by any of the forthcoming assaults and attacks.

Already the Attack on Galle had led to ugly scenes so that lynchmob activities at some wider scale might be the next stage in this war without winners in which an obviously weak Sri Lankan army and navy seems to have no chance at all to enforce stability.

On the other end the Tamil Tigers might be better trained and organized, but still way to small to gain control over the Sinhala majority.

Like in every war the population has to carry all burdens and it seems to be an incredible tragedy, that there is no real peace movement in Sri Lanka which could express the true desires of the Sri Lankan people.

In fact Sinhala, Tamil and Muslim people have proven their ability to live together in harmony and that the ongoing war is nothing but a result of their leaders who have failed to come to future orientated agreements.

Making predictions it becomes obvious, that more violence and casualties will eventually force the UN to send peace corps to Sri Lanka in order to prevent worsening scenarios that unfortunately seem to be inevitable at this time.

... War in Sri Lanka - Galle under attack

The fear of a return to a civil war at full scale with even genocide activities has been increasing dramatically over the past few hours with bad news coming in from nearly all over the island.

Now the navy base in Galle has been attacked by the LTTE what had triggered for a first time some Singhalese lynchmob to have a go at Tamil citizens.

Fortunately Singhalese authorities had been willed to prevent further damages despite rising aggression between the two ethnical groups.

Here`s the story from Galle with pictures and analysis.

In Sri Lanka more than 250.000 civilians are affected by heavy clashes between the Tamil Tigers and the army, which had killed 61 children and injured over 150 in an air strike on an orphanage as confirmed by the UN children's fund (Unicef) and the Swedish-led peace monitors.

Thousands of civilians are trying to escape severe military clashes in the Northeast of Sri Lanka. Now the population fears a return to civil war after more than $3 billion tsunami aid has reached the island where not only Tamil areas show sad images. Pictures & Story

... war in Sri Lanka

The fear of a return to a war at full scale has been increasing dramatically over the past few hours with bad news coming in from nearly all over the island.

Colombo saw a second blast in recent days near the residence of President Mahinda Rajapaksa which had killed 7. In addition 17 were injured by the by a fragmentation mine that had been carried inside a three wheeler taxi.

At the same time 30.000 people are trapped in the East whilst 60.000 are reported to be on the run in the North.

Besides severe artillery battles and bombing in the north 61 Tamil schoolgirls aged 15-18 were killed by an airstrike in which also more than 155 were injured. The government had stated, that the target had been a training camp for rebels, what had been rejected by aid workers, who had said, that there were no indications for violent activities inside the attacked orphanage building.

And in Colombo right-wing Buddhist monks had a clash with anti-war protesters.

... war in Sri Lanka

Sri Lankan government spokesman Keheliya Rambukwella has announced a revision of the ceasefire agreement after an assault on a civilian bus which has killed 61 civilians. In addition the Sri Lankan army has launched air strikes on Tamil territories.

Tamil Tigers have attacked a government vessel with 20 boats as well as a fast-attack patrol craft was sunk. The Sri Lankan army is retaliating with air strikes, shells and rockets near Trincomalee.

Later government spokesman Keheliya Rambukwella introduced the air raids as activities to "ensure the safety of our personnel".

Insiders suspect that this incident could be the initial start of a new full scale as well as and peace monitors said, that they now feel like war monitors.

Still the vast majority of Sri Lankans is fully against another war and there are no tensions at all existing between the two ethnic groups what points again at political leaders in both camps not being able to cooperate and to enforce peace.

Now even in so far fully peaceful regions like Southern Galle the population is fearing incidents targeted at navy camps and other military facilities.

Remarkable is currently the rise of Keheliya Rambukwella, who had been a central figure during the election campaign within the team of UNP opposition leader Ranil Wickremesinghe.

After the election Keheliya had crossed over to President Mahinda Rajapaksa`s camp for a minister role. During the election he had described the main difference between the parties in a web62.com interview as "peace and unity".

... civil war in Sri Lanka

Bloodshed is further on the rise in Trincomalee where a mine blast has killed at least 5 including 4 Tamil civilians and a navy official. In addition 5 navy sailors were wounded during a shoot-out with Tigers troops.

Insiders report, that many Tigers prefer to go for an instant and drastic war instead of maintaining the status quo with it`s permanent exchange of assaults without any progress at all.

At this time the Tigers seem to be well prepared for a full-scale war as well as the Sri Lankan government troops claim to be ready.

However the vast majority of the Sri Lankan people do not want any war at all and fortunately Tamil and Singhalese citizens seem to get on well with each other in nearly all parts of the island.

... civil war in Sri Lanka

Air strikes on Trincomalee areas have killed many civilians whilst at least 90% of the Sri Lankan people do not want this selfish war among power driven gun slingers at both sides. 40.000 Tamils have escaped from the region into the jungle and ethnical massacres are feared to expand soon.

Since the Tigers had violently prohibited the Tamil population to vote for the acknowledged UNP peacemaker Ranil Wickremesinghe at the last election it as become obvious, that they want war as much as Mahinda Rajapaksa and his JVP allies, who had built their fame some time ago when conducting killings at genocide levels. Mow they are suspected to stand behind the organized killings of Tamil civilians whilst at the same time some Tamil extremists named "High Security Zone Residents Liberation Force" (HSZRLF) took over responsibility for the Colombo blast as well as they might stand behind assault on the Singhalese population.

Now Rajapaksa and the Tigers can expect to strengthen their dubious positions through a return to war and it feels sad, that the Sri Lankan people remain calm instead of launching massive peace & unity demonstrations in Colombo, Trincomalee and Jaffna.

"What to do" is still one of the most popular sentences in Sri Lanka and as long as the Sri Lankan people do not emancipate from obedience and their current leaders the decline of this beautiful country will continue.

Where are the peace rebels who will tell their leaders at both sides to step back to make way for a future driven peaceful society.

... war in Sri Lanka

With the attack of a female suicide bomber on the Sri Lankan army headquarters in Colombo the official return to civil war has now been triggered successfully by militant hard-liners at both sides after months of provocations and minor assaults.

Today the head of the Sri Lankan army, Lt Gen Sarath Fonseka has gotten severely injured whilst several of his guards were killed in a blast, that has been rated as the worst since 2004.

In addition 27 were injured and it seems, that Sarath Fonseka had been the prime target in order to demonstrate the strength and abilities of the Tamil Tiger forces who had pulled out of peace talks a few days ago after around 100 people have been killed at both sides over the past 3 weeks.

At the same time many Tamil civilians all over the island fear for their lives as they have become frequent subject of harassment by police authorities who justify these procedures with the permanent threat of terrorist activities.

The return to civil war might also be giving the U.S. chances for a new military base in the deep sea harbor of Trincomalee though India and China would have strong resentments against more U.S. military in the region.

But now President Mahinda Rajapaksa might feel tempted to call for American assistance in the forthcoming battle with the Tamil Tigers who seem to be much better organized and prepared than the Sri Lankan army who has now proven, that they can not even protect their commander.

Meanwhile air strikes on Tamil Tiger camps and attacks on government outposts in Northern Trincomalee are reported and civilians are trying to escape from the area however this ain`t easy with only one heavily guarded main road leading out of the unstable region.

With a one-sided approach US Undersecretary of State Nicholas Burns has branded the Tamil Tigers as terrorists whilst peace monitors see both sides responsible.

Up to now the Rajapaksa administration has failed to create an atmosphere of future orientated common sense in Sri Lanka whilst at the same time organized gangs have conducted violent assaults on civilians in the North and East of Sri Lanka provoking retaliation and attacks by the Tamil Tigers.

At this time it doesn`t seem to matter which side has done more damage since professional gunslingers at both sides have been working towards the current escalation in order to strengthen their position.

In fact one has be aware of the fact, that a few months ago the Tigers had violently enforced a boycott of the federal election in which peacemaker and opposition leader Ranil Wickremesinghe would have won with ease if the Tamil population would have been allowed to vote.

In the end the difference had been as tiny as 180.000 votes what has secured with Mahinda Rajapaksa a perfect enemy for the Tamil Tigers would are naturally depending on fund raising outside of Sri Lanka.

Now military clashes and blasts all over the island might be lined up next what will throw the already slow development of the island even much further back.

Tourism as a main income source even at a small level of 500.000 per annum might come to a complete stop. At the same time the rising oil prices and a fairly dubious fiscal and economic policy might create further risks so that the future of Sri Lanka seems to look extremely fragile in theses days.

... SL peace and local elections

The Sri Lankan New Year festivities have followed the local elections which had seen big wins for President Rajapaksa all over the island.

This had been considered as a reward for the peace talks in Switzerland despite hardly any progress has been achieved.

Besides that the overall violence had been again increasing in recent days primarily in northern and eastern Sri Lanka. Over 30 people were killed and bombings and rioting have occurred in Trincomalee.

In addition the Tamil Tiger rebels have now formally declared, that they will not attend further peace talks in Geneva because of navy ships shadowing their local movements.

... local life

Alongside the peace negotiations the amount of assaults has become significantly lower though not any promising results had been achieved. Recently kidnappings of Tamil aid workers had become popular in particular the area of Batticaloa which is controlled by the LTTE.

Meanwhile the influence of the radical nationalist JVP Party has been reduced as well as the previously hostile immigration and visa policy has been modified towards a more constructive direction with giving foreigners the option to stay for one year at a modest price of 35.000 Rupees.

At the same time local violence and criminals are disturbing the tourism industry in various Southern areas where heavily armed gangsters try to capitalize on corrupt police officers who protect their racketeering.

Bombs and machine guns have become popular among frequently drunk gun slingers who are threatening restaurants and guest house owners in order to force them to sell outs at minimal prices.

In particular female western tourists feel intimidated when being approached by by groups of paralyzed Sri Lankan Mafiosi on beaches and in Nightclubs where even regular local residents and business men are afraid of gangster groups.

Exploding is also the amount of young girls and women who get raped and abused by their fathers and brothers.

This has led to way over 10.000 reported cases per annum and an almost bursting rehabilitation camp in Digana. Extremely sad is also the vast amount of suicides whilst experts fear unreported abuse in a range of over 1 million cases.

... war in Sri Lanka

In Batticaloa International peace monitors were attacked by a grenade which had damaged several vehicles whilst violent anarchy rules in Trincomalee where foreigners and Scandinavian Peace mediators have left for security reasons.

So far Sinhalese troops have remained calm despite multiple attacks whilst instead mostly drunk JVP Nationalist forces and Tamil Tigers are now deeply committed to a permanent exchange of atrocities.

In fact the coalition partner of President Mahinda Rajapaksa, the extremely aggressive right wing nationalist JVP front seems to be conducting the dirt work for the current government which includes executions, rape and any other form of crimes against the Tamil population.

Meanwhile also Western reporters have become subject to violent attacks by the JVP mob and the Sinhalese army does no longer guarantee their security.

At this time the official outbreak of the new civil war can happen every minute and the leaders of both parties only seem to wait for a particular incident that could "justify" some drastic strikes.

Bombs on Tiger camps, Jaffna and Trincomalee areas are likely to be a part of the Sinhalese strategy whilst the Tigers are expected to blow up once again the airport and perhaps the train station with the World Trade Center in addition.

Another unpleasant news for Southern Asia is the intensified interest of American military in converting the Trincomalee harbor into a U.S. Base with now anti terror experts from the FBI doing some first research.

Rumors say, that Mahinda Rajapaksa has already made arrangements with the U.S. Government whose troops might get called for "help" against the Tamil Tigers in exchange for the Northern port.

Certainly India and China would feel extremely uneasy about an American base right on the main route for oil supplies so that the overall developments in the region will include a variety of additional conflicts and tensions at a much larger scale.

Almost everyone in Sri Lanka is now expecting war which will bring more tragedies and misery to the Sri Lankan people than the Tsunami and the previous war.

In particular the economy will get hit severely by the war and the anti foreigner policy of Rajapaksa and the JVP which would like to kick out all westerners.

... SL future

Tamil Tigers and government units continue with violent efforts and killings to force each other back into civil war.

One Sri Lankan army soldier and two suspected Tamil Tigers have been the latest casualties whilst now also foreign investors and tourists have become subject to Rajapaksa`s new policy, which is trying to cut down the presence of westerners drastically with modified laws and regulations.

Even members of the Red Cross feel utterly discouraged with bundles of additional paper work and regulations. Even well established aid organizations with sums as high as $100 ready to spent on projects had been discouraged from investing their donations.

Now the maximum stay for western investors and tourists is limited to as little as 3 months per year and large amounts of foreign visitors have already been deported. Some had not even been permitted to collect their belongings after having been arrested whilst applying for their visa extension at the Immigration office in Colombo.

Still Sri Lanka is fully depending on foreign aid and some instant reduction in donations will be the inevitable consequence whilst many foreign investors are now aiming to sell out as fast as possible fast.

In addition regulations on liqueur sales have become much more severe with a ban after midnight and on now more religious holidays just to make Sri Lanka less attractive for tourists.

With the provoked return to civil war, the combat against tourists and investors next to other various activities the Rajapaksa administration is obviously trying to drive Sri Lanka into total shambles fast.

... war

The first week of the new year brought 10.000 demonstrating in Trincomalee where five Tamil students were shot by unknown killers.

Most people blame the killings on Sinhalese government units and in response 13 Navy soldiers were blown up in the Port of Trincomalee by Tamil Tiger units.

Civilian and military preparations are meanwhile taking place in Tamil regions and nowhere on the Island any kind of peace efforts seem to be taking place whilst in addition most people seem to expect war starting soon.

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