President’s meeting with the media

Even Ban-Ki Moon snubbed?

 by Jaffna Mann

(March 27, Jaffna, Sri Lanka Guardian) Read what the independent media and the President’s web portal said about President’s meeting with the media on 25 November 2011 below. Independent media has not given the full account of what was discussed but many of them have published news based on what is reported in the President’s website PRIU. However, news published in the Tamil website neruppu.com gave further information about the proceedings that included President’s insinuations and sarcasms to demean the issues taken up with him by the media.

Translations of the independent media reports published in the neruppu.com dated 26 March 2011.

News No1

This is what the President Mahinda Rajapakse said: There is a need for a permanent resolution acceptable all the parties to the sixty years old conflict in the country. It is difficult to find a permanent resolution to the deep rooted conflict acceptable to all the parties immediately.

When asked by an editor of a newspaper: ‘In the recent local government election, the people have given you an unprecedented victory. Then why are you delaying to find an urgent resolution to the conflict?’ the President responded by saying ‘To make it a permanent resolution, we need to find agreement with all the parties. I am proactively involved in gathering opinions and views at present’.

‘I am meeting all the sections individually and discussing with them. I will be meeting the delegates of the Tamil National Alliance soon. They have not submitted their proposal to the conflict yet. Based on this, we will then engage in friendly discussions’ he said.

When asked about government not releasing the names of the missing persons in the war, he said: ‘the government is in the process of collecting those information’ and went on to say with the grin ‘why no one is asking the details of those dead and missing in the atrocities of the LTTE?’.

When responding to a further question on the political resolution to the conflict, the President said with the smirk: ‘the (former) President Premadasa has given lots of help and facilities like proving Bens cars to the LTTE. As a result they (LTTE) participated in talks proudly, whilst Minister Vasudeva Nanayakara and he were unable to go even in hired vehicles and had to walk to the place.

News No 2

The President said: ‘the government is not interested in the report of the UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon’s committee. The issue is an internal matter for Sri Lanka’.

He further said: ‘There is no need for us to worry, as the experts report is not going to be made public’.

‘For example, if I had appointed an advisory committee, he had said that it would not affect the country. There was a time when it was difficult to fight against the campaign of the expatriate Tamils. They got together as a team and campaigned. Our foreign missions had limitations. Unfortunately, some Sri Lankan journalists resident overseas and opposition activists are engaged in the propaganda against the government’ said the President.

‘At the same time, the government has a responsibility and rights to know how Non Government Organisations are funded and they are expending their funds……. No country will permit organisations bringing large sums of funds. They will not allow funds to be expended for their own plans. There are carried out under the supervision of the government. Therefore, the government wishes to put in place a plan to supervise the NGO’s’, asserted the President.

The President further said: ‘There is a special need for guidance on how voluntary organisation raises funds. Are they brining the funds through proper channels and are they spending properly must be scrutinised. These actions are not against the NGO’s. It is a valuable process. There is a need to bring in policies to ensure people benefit from such funds’.

‘At the same time, independent Election Commission will be appointed after elections for the remaining local councils. Once these elections are held, there will be amendments brought to the election law’ he said.

‘Further, by establishing the Colombo Metropolitan City Corporation, there will not be any adverse effect on the five local authority bodies. The Corporation will be formed with the amalgamation of five local bodies’ he further said.

This what President Mahinda Rajapakse’s own website PRIU reported and coped in the government’s Ceylon Daily News and other media on the meeting with the media:

President Mahinda Rajapaksa stated that initial talks have taken place with Tamil political parties on aspects of post-conflict reconciliation in Sri Lanka although no formal proposals have been made so far by them.

The President was addressing Editors of the print and electronic media at Temple Trees yesterday.

The President said that after considering proposals from all parties a mutual agreement will be made.

He added that the focus is on alleged or perceived grievances of minority communities.

However, little is said or reported in the media about the amity that exists among them, he pointed out.

He said that earlier a very high percentage of Sinhalese lived in Colombo, but today it is less than 30 percent.

“But, this has not led to misunderstandings and there are no complaints of discrimination on the basis of ethnicity,” he stressed.

With regard to measures taken outside of Colombo, the government has ensured the appointment of at least one Tamil speaking police officer in each police station in the North who can take down a complaint in Tamil, he pointed out.

“In addition, in an increasing number of cases, the first reports to courts in the Northern areas are now filed in Tamil,” he said.

‘Such measures are taken to ensure that the government responds to people’s needs, further promoting post-conflict reconciliation’.

“There is increasing appreciation from abroad of the country’s post-conflict reconciliation process,” stated the President. External Affairs Minister Prof G L Peiris joining the discussion agreed saying the European Union Parliamentary group that visited Sri Lanka recently expressed their satisfaction of the post-conflict reconciliation and reconstruction.

He added that Western diplomats acknowledge there is no condition in Sri Lanka to seek refuge for political purposes elsewhere but refuge is sought for economic purposes. The President said that it is difficult for a handful of Sri Lankan diplomatic staff abroad to counter various charges raised against Sri Lanka by vast organizations, individuals and other powerful entities.

He said that there is a planned attack on this country by such groups with the help of international media who do not give publicity to the positive news in Sri Lanka. (PRIU)