Elections Commissioner totally blind to election law violations

Media spokesman, Keerthi Tennekoon of CaFFE stated that, because the Elections Commissioner is taking no action against election law violations at this forthcoming Southern provincial Council elections, some of the candidates are openly and brazenly committing breach of election laws. As such this election will go down in election history as one where election malpractices were openly allowed to be committed.At other elections, the elections Commissioner who holds discussions with the party secretaries weekly has had no discussions this time. The Commissioner has not even replied to the letter addressed to him by CaFFE in this regard. The Elections Commissioner has descended to such a level, CaFFE pinpointed. These facts were disclosed at a media briefing today (1) when he spoke about the present situation regarding the elections. The Elections Commissioner gave orders to remove the elections advertisements on either sides of his Office only after the media exposed these illegal acts. If the Elections Commissioner had any interest in halting these election malpractices, he has all the power to take action, he asserted.

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http://www.caffe.lk/

Bomb Blast inside a school van in Kurunegala injured school children

Bomb Blast inside a school van in Kurunegala injured school children

A blast has occurred inside a school van in Uduwalpola, Kurunegala this morning. Police say 13 of the passengers which included several school children and the driver sustained injuries following the explosion. The cause of the explosion is not yet known

SL citizens cannot be hauled up before Int. war Courts because I refused to sign the agreement in 2002 –Ranil

SL citizens cannot be hauled up before Int. war Courts because I refused to sign the agreement in 2002 –Ranil

- Rajapakse‘s objective is only to insidiously appropriate others’ credits

(Lanka-e-News)

Opposition Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe stated, its is because he as Prime Minister at that time declined to sign the agreement in 2002 when the International war Court was established, that no SL citizen can be hauled up before the Int. Court.The President brags that he will not allow any Forces personnel to be taken before the International war Court for action. But, the actual fact of the matter is his (Ranil’s) refusal to sign the agreement which has precluded the Forces personnel from being charged in the Int. war Court. President and his Govt. have become well noted for this cheap shameless attitude of appropriating the credit which is truly due to others. This is an overriding trait in him in his ignominious politics, Ranil observed.Ranil Wickremesinghe addressing the election rally at Tissamaharama gave this as an answer to President’s empty but loud crowing about on platforms that he will protect the Forces from legal action in the Int. Court.
Even though America has prepared a report on the war crimes relating to SL, according to media revelations; because the agreement was not signed by him (Ranil), there is nothing that America can do by taking it to the Int. Court. However, this issue can be discussed and argued in the Congress sessions. But, on the other hand, in regard to American citizens who are involved in war crimes, action can be taken in the Courts. Hence, it is only American citizens who should fear over war crimes, he observed.
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http://www.lankaenews.com/English/news.php?id=8412

Indonesia quake deaths pass 1,000

Indonesia quake deaths pass 1,000

At least 1,100 people have died in the earthquake that struck the Indonesian island of Sumatra on Wednesday, the UN humanitarian chief has said.
John Holmes said many hundreds more had been injured, and both figures were set to rise further.
Rescuers are working into the night to find survivors in the rubble of hundreds of collapsed buildings.
The 7.6-magnitude quake struck close to the city of Padang, the capital of West Sumatra province.
The earthquake brought down hospitals, schools and shopping malls, cut power lines and triggered landslides.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/8286166.stm

SL Govt. welcome UN recommendations

SL Govt. welcome UN recommendations

UN is very concerned about the very slow pace of releases
Sri Lanka says it accepts much of the United Nations' recommendations on its handling of quarter of a million Tamils held in refugee camps.
Authorities in Sri Lanka detained Tamil Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) since the end of the decade’s long civil war, six months ago.
Walter Kaelin, the representative of the United Nations secretary-general on the Human Rights of Internally Displaced Persons, who toured the detention facilities urged the government to restore the freedom of movement to internally displaced persons.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sinhala/news/story/2009/10/091001_unmahinda.shtml