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in +94 ... on September 04, 2007
... 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.
in +94 ... on August 16, 2007
... 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
in +94 ... on August 3, 2007
... 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 :-)
in +94 ... on July 28, 2007
... Inflation at 17%
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.
in +94 ... on June 7, 2007
... 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.
in +94 ... on April 30, 2007
... bad news 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.
in +94 ... on April 25, 2007
... sad 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.
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