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| Sunday, 13 February 2005 |
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More trade and tirades Weekend Politics by Suraj & Viraj Last week Sri Lanka's security and political scenario became highly volatile due to many hostile issues. Killing of LTTE Eastern Province Political leader E. Kaushalyan heightened the security situation in the country. President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga led a high powered delegation to sign another historic Free Trade Agreement with Pakistan. Free trade
The delegation led by President Kumaratunga signed the Free Trade Agreement with Pakistan on Wednesday to boost trade and economic cooperation between the two countries. This was the first Free Trade Agreement Pakistan has ever signed. The FTA has scrapped tariff on about 200 items. Accordingly Sri Lankan products such as plastics, rubber and rubber products, precious jewellery, precious stones, raw silk and silk yarn, tea, spices, wooden and cane furniture will be traded in Pakistan without any red tape. Pakistan products such as steel, rice, potato, fruits, etc will freely access the Sri Lankan market. Trade Chambers welcomed the Pakistan FTA describing it as another boom to the country's trade. Sri Lanka'a trade with India rapidly increased thanks to the Indo-Lanka Free Trade Agreement signed by President Kumaratunga in the past. When the revival efforts were taken to bring back normalcy in tsunami affected areas, tension in the political arena deepened after the killing of Kausalyan. The Government vehemently condemned the killing of Kausalyan and described it as an act to destabilise the present peace process. TNA MPs and LTTE blamed the Military for having a hand in the killing of Kausalyan but Law and Order Minister Ratnasiri Wickremenayake addressing Parliament vehemently denied such involvement and said that he would give a comprehensive answer once the police and judicial inquiries were over. Condemn killing The UNP also condemned the killing and urged an immediate inquiry. They feared that the killing of Kaushalyan could cause a serious set back to the peace process. Government institutions, shops, schools closed in the East to respect the slain LTTE leader Kausalyan. Black flags were hoisted in Trincomalee. Consequences After losing one of his trusted commanders in the East, LTTE supremo Prabhakaran called his military leaders to Vanni and had talks. The LTTE also warned severe consequences of the killing. After learning about the LTTE meeting, members of the Security Council decided to tighten security in Colombo, Batticaloa, Jaffna and Trincomalee districts deploying more military personnel.LTTE also cancelled all the scheduled meetings with World Bank, ADB officials and also Japanese peace envoy Yasushi Akashi. The LTTE had to suffer another severe blow when UN Secretary General Koffi Annan exposed a report "Children and Armed Conflict" which could cause an international embargo on the LTTE. This report had revealed that the LTTE had conscripted 4700 children since 2001 and 40 children after tsunami hit the country. The Security Council plans to debate this issue on February 23. The Security Council could impose travel restrictions on leaders and their exclusion from any governance structure and amnesty provisions, imposition of arms embargoes, ban military assistance and restriction on the flow of financial resources. JVP role When a debate on the tsunami was taken up in the House on Wednesday, the JVP decided to opt out of the debate. But JVP firebrand Wimal Weerawansa made a special statement giving reasons. Political sources said that the JVP was hurt as the Government had not given a prominent role for the JVP in the tsunami assistance programme. Weerawansa said in his statement "Silence may be the beginning of a long story. Opportunity to unite provided by nature should not be lost. He said even now it is not too late. He urged unity of political parties to work on a national plan. Peace envoy Meanwhile, Japanese peace envoy Yasushi Akashi arrived in Sri Lanka on Wednesday to finalise the setting up of a joint mechanism between the Government and the LTTE. He met JVP MP Wimal Weerawansa and Minister Lal Kantha at the JVP Head Office in Nugegoda the following day. When the meeting started Weerawansa thanked the Japanese Government for its contribution and assistance to help tsunami victims in Sri Lanka. Replying to him, Akashi said that Sri Lanka has a close friend of Japan and the Japanese are always there to help Sri Lanka when in trouble. Thereafter, the envoy proposed that a joint mechanism should be set up to assist victims in the North and East areas to ensure smooth distribution of relief assistance. Minor hiccups Replying to him, Propaganda Secretary Weerawansa gently rejected the proposal and stated that the present mechanism was working well through the Government Agents in the affected areas. At the inception, there were minor hiccups due to a few grass roots level Government officials but such shortcomings have now been rectified. Political opportunism is not yet over on tsunami. When traders of Galle staged a picketing before the Galle District Secretariat urging them to give permission for them to repair their shops as they don't have any other means of living, UNP MP Vajira Abeywardane came to the scene and further provoked them stating that he would take this issue to courts if the District Secretariat does not allow them to repair their shops. Norwegian Ambassador Hans Bratskar paid a courtesy call on SLMC leader Rauf Hakeem. Hakeem told the Ambassador that international community should directly deal with Muslims as Muslims in the North and East have not benefited from any assistance. lack of preparedness Members of political parties submitted a draft motion proposing to set up a Select Committee to investigate whether there was a lack of preparedness to face the tsunami tragedy. Meanwhile, JVP Minister Lal Kantha writing a letter to the IGP Chandra Fernando requested to arrest the person who spoke to the ITN "Thulawa" programme identifying himself as Minister Lal Kantha. However, Police has traced the cellular number of the person who made the call. |
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