Sri Lanka defends China's presence in Indian Ocean

Despite defending China’s presence in the Indian Ocean, Sri Lanka Thursday distanced itself from being identified as an ally, insisting that multi- million dollar funding for ports and other projects was purely a “commercial interest”.

Addressing a gathering of naval delegations from 28 countries at the annual maritime conference in the southern city of Galle, Sri Lanka’s Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa supported China’s increasing presence in the region, Xinhua reported.

Admitting that there was “wariness” by India and the US on China’s increasing presence, he justified it on the trade and economic interests China has in the Indian Ocean.

“China has an industry intensive economy that requires oil imports amounting to more than 200 million tonnes every year. Most of these oil imports are sourced from the Middle East, and then transported through the Indian Ocean to China.”

“It is obvious that the safety and stability of the Indian Ocean is critical for China’s energy security, and its increasing interest and increasing naval presence in this region is quite understandable,” Rajapaksa said.

Rajapaksa went on to commend China for its economic assistance to the south Asian region.

However, he insisted that lumping the $360 million China funded Hambantota port in the southern part of the country and the $500 million Colombo harbour expansion project was a fallacy.

“From Sri Lanka”s perspective, I wish to clarify that the Chinese investment in the Hambantota port is a purely economic one. Sri Lanka has always pursued a non-aligned foreign policy, and our only interest is in our economic development,” he said.

Recalling the lost potential of the island during the three-decade war, Rajapaksa said that after it ended in 2009, Sri Lanka reached out to many countries including China for development assistance.

“We welcome assistance from anybody who is willing to give it without harsh conditions being attached. This should not be misunderstood as a form of alignment with any one country or another. In fact, there are many development projects going on in Sri Lanka that are funded by India, China, Japan, and many other countries.”

The Chinese delegation also said their policy remained dedicated to peaceful engagement with countries in the Indian Ocean. (IANS)

Can't stop Shavendra inspecting Peacekeepers - UN Chief

 

On the same day the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said its review of its actions and inactions in Sri Lanka will be finished in the second quarter of 2013, it also claimed that it had no power over, and could not stop, General Shavendra Silva of the Sri Lanka Army, depicted in Ban's report on Sri Lanka as engaged in war crimes, from "inspecting" UN peacekeepers in Lebanon.

By the logic of the UN's answer, even indicted war criminals could play such an inspecting role in UN Peacekeeping missions.

In fact, while in the UN Security Council Thursday morning delegations denounced Ahmed Harum of Sudan, UN Peacekeeping has at least twice given him free flights in UN helicopters, including into the killing zone of Abyei, to throw gas on the fire.

The head of UN Peacekeeping Herve Ladsous has refused to answer Press questions about the UN's role in Abyei, about lessons learned from the UN's introduction of cholera to Haiti and Ban's supposed Human Rights Due Diligence Policy.

With regard to Shavendra Silva, even when several South Asian Permanent Representatives came out against his service on Ban's Senior Advisory Group on Peacekeeping Operations, Ban told Inner City Press he could do nothing, it was up to member states.

Silva even was allowed to appear in the UN's Dag Hammarskjold Library Auditorium to screen a government film denying war crimes. Press criticism of how and why that screening happened led to anti-Press moves that continue to this way -- but which are now being fought. (Inner City Press)

Woman who tried to kill Keheliya gets 20 years jail term

A woman identified as Rasalingam Thamara who plotted to assassinate Minister Keheliya Rambukwella was today found guilty and sentenced to 20 rigorous imprisonment by the Kegalle High Court. The convicted woman is a resident in Thinnaveli,Jaffna. She had plotted to assassinate Minister Rambukwella who was Defence Spokesman at a lodge in Kegalle where the minister had been in occupation during the period November 21,2007 to February 6,2008. She had been arrested by the Police and later quizzed by the CID.