tagged w/ Sri Lanka
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Overshadowed by civil war, conservationists invent innovative strategies to alleviate the pressure of human elephant conflict in Sri Lanka.
Animals that have been symbolically embedded into our cultures for centuries are now disappearing at alarming rates. The importance of these animals in our lives is often overlooked, but animals are truly symbols that not only inspire us, but are essential for a healthy future. Animals are religious deities and majestic icons. They have provided companionship, carried us on their shoulders, and plowed our fields. Few are as awe-inspiring as the elephant.
For thousands of years, across Asia, humans and elephants have lived side by side in a relatively peaceful coexistence. That relationship is now being threatened due to increasing human populations and loss of elephant habitats. Elephants and humans are being forced to compete for resources, a problem that has been defined as Human-Elephant-Conflict. This predicament poses a serious threat to the elephant's continued existence. While this is a widespread concern all across Asia and Africa, it is nowhere more apparent than in the small island of Sri Lanka. What lies beneath the often-destructive consequences of human elephant conflict is a common story that both man and animal shares.
There is an interesting cultural paradox here, of a people, who in one hand regard the elephant as a deity but in the other live in fear of this rogue creature who terrorizes villages when the sun goes down.
The solution to HEC is not easy, but there are some new innovative projects that aim to find a peaceful balance. We’ll learn about some of these conservation efforts and discover some of the difficulties and hazards of doing conservation work within a conflict zone, with restricted access, un-cleared mine fields, and the threat of terrorism.
You can learn about how you can help the filmmakers complete the film. The are currently asking for small donations (as little as $10) through Kickstarter.
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/greenermedia/asian-elephant-conservation-documentary
50% of any profits generated through distribution of the film will go directly to the SLWCS to aid in their mission of HEC resolution and to develop sustainable land uses and livelihoods for farmers impacted by HEC.Overshadowed by civil war, conservationists invent innovative strategies to alleviate... more
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Press Release No. 09/431
November 25, 2009
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) announced today the sale of 10 metric tons of gold to the Central Bank of Sri Lanka. The sale was conducted on the basis of market prices prevailing on November 23, 2009 with proceeds equivalent to US$375 million (SDR 234 million). This transaction is part of the total sales of 403.3 metric tons approved by the Executive Board in September 2009 (see Press Release No. 09/310), and it adds to the total of 202 metric tons already sold to the Reserve Bank of India and the Bank of Mauritius (see Press Release No. 09/381 and Press Release No. 09/413).
As previously announced (see Press Release No. 09/310), in accordance with the guiding principle of avoiding disruption of the gold market, the IMF’s Executive Board adopted modalities for the gold sales consistent with guidelines it had earlier established. In particular, the Fund is standing ready for an initial period to sell gold directly to central banks and other official holders that may be interested in such sales. Thereafter, on-market sales of any amounts remaining from the 403.3 tons would be conducted in a phased manner over time, following the approach adopted successfully by central banks participating in the Central Bank Gold Agreement.
As previously indicated, the Fund will inform markets before any on-market sales commence, and will report regularly to the public on progress with the gold sales.
Useful links:
Gold Sales—Frequently Asked Questions:
http://www.imf.org/external/np/exr/faq/goldfaqs.htm
Factsheet: Gold in the IMF:
http://www.imf.org/external/np/exr/facts/gold.htm
Press Release on Gold Sales:
http://www.imf.org/external/np/sec/pr/2009/pr09310.htm
IMF EXTERNAL RELATIONS DEPARTMENT
Public Affairs Media Relations
Phone: 202-623-7300 Phone: 202-623-7100
Fax: 202-623-6278 Fax: 202-623-6772Press Release No. 09/431
November 25, 2009
The International Monetary Fund (IMF)... more
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Sri Lanka will release 136,000 ethnic-minority Tamil war refugees Dec. 1, allowing the civilians to leave squalid and overcrowded government camps after a half-year detainment, a top official said Saturday.
Some 300,000 war-displaced were forced into camps after fleeing the final months of the government's decades-long war with the separatist Tamil Tiger rebels, which ended in May.
The ethnic minority Tamils are held against their will. More than half were released in recent months amid pressure from rights groups and foreign governments. Authorities say nearly 136,000 people remain detained in the camps, which are guarded by soldiers and strung with barbed wire.
Basil Rajapaksa, a senior adviser to his brother, President Mahinda Rajapaksa, said Saturday the detainees will be free to return to their villages after Dec. 1, and the camps will be completely closed by Jan. 31.
The announcement came two days after the U.N. humanitarian chief, John Holmes, pressed Sri Lanka to allow the war-displaced to leave.
http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory?id=9144001Sri Lanka will release 136,000 ethnic-minority Tamil war refugees Dec. 1, allowing the... more
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Vanguard correspondent Mariana van Zeller travels to Sri Lanka to see how the Tamil Tigers, one of the world's most lethal and influential terrorist organizations, were finally defeated.Vanguard correspondent Mariana van Zeller travels to Sri Lanka to see how the Tamil... more
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"Tamil, Sinhalese, and Muslim children in Sri Lanka have come together for an art camp in Colombo, promoted by the DS Senanayake College and the Future for the Youth charity.""Tamil, Sinhalese, and Muslim children in Sri Lanka have come together for an art... more
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In Sri Lanka, it's fewer suicide bombers, a real estate boom, and hundreds of thousands of Tamils still packed into overcrowded camps.
http://www.slate.com/id/2234459/In Sri Lanka, it's fewer suicide bombers, a real estate boom, and hundreds of... more
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There are many men and women in the world who every day risk their lives, their freedom or both, simply because they try to tell the truth. Most people probably cannot understand why they do it. The problem is that the word journalist is not a good definition of the profession, because it includes three different behaviors that have nothing to do with each other.There are many men and women in the world who every day risk their lives, their... more
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FROM THE NEWS BLOG:
Riding a huge wave of popularity after defeating the insurgent Tamil Tigers this year, Sri Lanka's government has called early elections. From the BBC:
"Mr Rajapaksa, who is hugely popular among the Sinhalese majority, is likely to score a clear victory. The opposition is weak and the president is hoping for a two-thirds majority which would enable him to change the constitution, possibly making provision for more than two successive presidential terms. He has said that he will wait until after the vote to introduce political reforms aimed, for instance, at addressing Tamil grievances."
The Tamil minority will probably not be happy waiting that long to have their greivances addressed, especially with over 200K Tamils still in refugee camps that are likely to flood with the coming monsoon season. If the government waits too long could they kick off another Tamil insurgency? It's a danger they might be running. And after a thirty year war, it's probably something they should be concerned about.
The new season of Vanguard features a report by Mariana van Zeller on Sri Lanka's fight against the Tigers: "Sri Lanka: Notes from a War on Terror". She looks at what it took for the Sinhalese majority to finally stamp out an incredibly resilient insurgency - and what counter-insurgency campaigns the world over can learn from their efforts (and what not to do).
Mariana's first report in the new season airs tomorrow night on Current at 10pm ET and again at 10pm PT. It's called The Oxycontin Express and deals with prescription drug abuse in the US. You can also catch her on Dr. Phil today talking about what she learned on that story.FROM THE NEWS BLOG:
Riding a huge wave of popularity after defeating the insurgent... more
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Amazing pictures from the BBC of Menik Farm, the refugee camp in Sri Lanka currently housing over 240,000 Tamils.
This is just one of the camps in the country housing Tamil refugees who fled the fighting in the country's north earlier this year.
(This photo is not from their set, but is from Menik Farm. Click through for their photos.)
The question for these refugees is how soon will the government let them return to their homes and villages?Amazing pictures from the BBC of Menik Farm, the refugee camp in Sri Lanka currently... more
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The Economist has a powerful personal story from a Tamil girl living in a refugee camp controlled by the military:
"KANCHANA asks to go by a false name, but seems self-assured for a teenager. And no wonder. Her experience of Sri Lanka’s civil war, which ended in May after a seaside slaughter of the leaders of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and at least 8,000 people taken hostage by them, would put years on anyone.
For five years she was marooned in the Tigers’ northern fief. Kanchana and her sister had left their village in Thampalagama, an area in the east more loosely controlled by the LTTE, for a holiday with a brother living there. But their travel passes were lost and without these the Tigers let no children of fighting age leave them. In 2007, as the army advanced, the Tigers recruited her brother and sister....."
Read more at the linkThe Economist has a powerful personal story from a Tamil girl living in a refugee camp... more
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As Sri Lanka's civil war came to an end earlier this year, camps in the north of the country overflowed with refugees fleeing the fighting. The camps, though they're only to be temporary, have drawn criticism from human rights groups for their conditions and for the fact that some of them will not let refugees leave. Now, after massive flooding in August, officials are rushing to get the camps ready for monsoon season:
"In August, sudden storms flooded many of the vast camps, submerging toilets and contaminating water. Thousands of makeshift homes were also damaged in the rainfall. Now the Sri Lankan government says it is rapidly installing drainage systems in the camps ahead of the monsoon. About 10% of refugees have been allowed to leave, and the government says it intends to resettle most of the others by the end of this year."
The camps are helped in great part by international funding - but some critics abroad are less than enthused with the Sri Lankan's government reluctance to allow refugees to return to their homes or villages. The UK has recently announced its intention to withdraw all but emergency funding for the camps, saying that about 70% of the inhabitants could leave.
"The announcement came after the UK Development Minister Mike Foster visited the biggest camp at Menik Farm. He said 70% of people should be able to leave and stay with host families. Refugees say conditions are poor, with inadequate drinking water and drains, and illness due to the hot conditions. Many are pleading to be allowed home."
The government's treatment of the Tamil refugees is a cause of concern for international observers, particularly after the devastating end to the civil war. Will Sri Lanka come through on its promises to treat the refugees humanely and restore civil government to the formerly rebel-controlled regions?
As a part of our upcoming Vanguard season, Mariana van Zeller reports from Sri Lanka on the civil war. Make sure to check it out.As Sri Lanka's civil war came to an end earlier this year, camps in the north of... more
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Sri Lanka has lodged a protest with U.S. ambassador to Colombo over U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's remarks that the country used rape as a war weaponSri Lanka has lodged a protest with U.S. ambassador to Colombo over U.S. Secretary of... more
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Tuesday, 21 July 2009
Minister of State Revenue and Finance Ranjith Siyambalapitiya told Parliament today that the IMF has agreed to grant USD 2.5 billion exceeding the requested amount of USD 1.9 billion by the Government.
Minister Siyambalapitiya further noted that the first advancement of the intended loan is due to flow on the 24th of this month for an annual interest rate of 2.5%.
In response to an opposition party query made in Parliament, Minister of Public Administration and Home Affairs Dr. Sarath Amunugama said that IMF has not made any stipulation to slash the social welfare activities or halt providing of subsidiaries to the needy as a pre-condition in order to be eligible to receive the loan.
Speaking further Minister Amunugama noted that although certain sections of local and international community mounted pressure to stop the IMF from granting the loan the organization has gone beyond their traditional frame in considering the factors to grant this loan to Sri Lanka. “They have adopted into a new vision”, Minister noted.
Minister Amunugama emphasized that President Rajapaksa was firmly rooted on continuing the social welfare subsidies which is a must to uplift the livelihood of especially the rural masses.Tuesday, 21 July 2009
Minister of State Revenue and Finance Ranjith... more
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Friday, 07 August 2009
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) which has faith and confidence in Sri Lanka's monetary and fiscal management policies approved the US $ 2.6 billion loan,claimed Deputy Finance Minister,Rangigh Siyambalapitiya.
Expressing his views in Parliament on Thursday, the Deputy Finance Minister said the government had increased its foreign reserves and also controlled fluctuations in foreign exchange rates."This has grown confidence of the IMF towards the fiscal management policies of the government', he proudly asserted.
Describing the quantum of the IMF loan of US $ 2.6 billion, he he said it was more than the 400 per cent share allocated to the country and added that the first installment of the loan was received in June.
He stressed that the government had not deviated from its Mahinda Chintana' policy to seek the IMF loan.
COMPLETE ARTICLE...... [its really short]Friday, 07 August 2009
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) which has faith and... more
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"[Video of the horrific situation in the camps in Sri Lanka from the UK's Channel 4]
Would you vacation in Sri Lanka? The beaches are gorgeous. Nice hotels. Plenty of arrack and Lion Lager.
Oh, and, ummmmm, hundreds of thousands of people huddled in camps, malnourished and neglected. That's a bit of a downer.
Earlier this year more than 300,000 Sri Lankans fled to the camps to escape the brutal fighting which marked the end of Sri Lanka's twenty-six year civil war. Conditions in the camps are horrific, as the video above shows."
Take action, boycott Tourism to Sri Lanka Until the Situation in the Camps Improves.
Sign the petition:
http://www.change.org/actions/view/boycott_tourism_to_sri_lanka_until_the_situation_in_the_camps_improves"[Video of the horrific situation in the camps in Sri Lanka from the UK's... more
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ARISE- THE MUSIC, THE LIFE, THE REASON is documentary film revolving around four underground Sri Lankan metal bands. Sri Lankan metal bands? Who knew!ARISE- THE MUSIC, THE LIFE, THE REASON is documentary film revolving around four... more
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