National Security Advisor (NSA) M K Narayanan is of the view that the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam's international financial network is intact. He said that the epicentre of the separatist Tamil movement can turn out to be Tamil Nadu.
Sri Lanka
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LTTE has the potential to revive activities
National Security Advisor (NSA) M K Narayanan is of the view that the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam’s international financial network is intact. He said that the epicentre of the separatist Tamil movement can turn out to be Tamil Nadu. Sri Lanka’s Minister of Export and International Trade Prof. G L Peiris expressed similar views on LTTE’s international network, which is still active despite the arrest of its de facto chief ‘KP’ or Kumaran Pathmanathan. Amidst all these fears, President of Sri Lanka, Mahinda Rajapaksa, has announced a US $23 million programme titled “Reintegrating ex-LTTE cadres into civilian life” in collaboration with the International Organisation for Migration to resettle more than 10,000 cadres. Countries like United States, United Kingdom and Japan are known to be providing assistance for the programme.
Bangladesh
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Fresh gas reserve discovered
Bangladesh discovered fresh reserves of gas at Bibiyana gas field in north-eastern district of Sylhet. This new discovery, biggest of the decade, has doubled the country’s gas reserve. Previously Bibiyana gas field had a reserve of 3.4 trillion cubic feet (tcf), which has now increased to 6.6 tcf, out which 4.4 tcf is recoverable. Analysts feel this discovery will help ease up the acute power shortage, which has led to closure of many industries. Petrobangla officials claimed that with the new findings they will be able to scale up gas production within a year. Natural gas is the only indigenous energy resource available. It is believed that the country will run out of natural energy resource by 2014-15.
Maldives
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President Nasheed impresses everyone with UN address
Despite its bankruptcy and small size, the tiny nation of the Maldives emerged successful in making the developed countries aware of the horrors of climate change and global warming. Delivering his address in a UN Climate Summit, which is also the first high-level conference on climate change ever, Maldivian President Mohamed Nasheed called upon all world leaders to discard their complacency about the climate change and to adopt an action-oriented agenda. Dispelling notions about clean technologies being responsible for negative growth rates, he asked world leaders to lay more emphasis on the ‘Green New Deal’ as in a few years, the world will run out of oil and only cleaner and greener technologies will be available for use.
Pakistan
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US Senate passes Kerry-Lugar Bill
The United States Senate on Thursday (September 24) passed the ambitious Kerry Lugar Bill which authorises an annual $1.5 billion aid to Pakistan for the next five years. The bill, by stressing on socio-economic development, envisages a more vibrant civil society that will sustain democratic governments and counter extremism in the long run. US President Barack Obama announced this during the meeting of Friends of Democratic Pakistan (FoDP) which he co-chaired with President Asif Ali Zardari and British Prime Minister Gordon Brown. Britain also pledged aid worth 50 million pounds for development projects in the tribal areas. Separately, the World Bank and Pakistan set up the Multi Donor Trust Fund designed to built infrastructure in the insurgency hit areas of North West Frontier Province, the tribal areas and Balochistan. The bill has generated apprehensions among several quarters in India and the United States. Critics of the bill fear that much of the aid, instead of strengthening civil institutions, might be diverted towards acquiring weapons against arch rival India. It is also felt that, given the high levels of corruption endemic in South Asia, the large influx of aid may be misappropriated by the weak administration. In spite of such grave reservations, the long term commitment cemented by the bill will help, is no small measure, to reduce the deep rooted mistrust in US-Pakistan relations, and subsequently produce greater cooperation in addressing the trans-border insurgency.
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Contributors
Anjali Sharma - Sri Lanka, Maldives
Joyeeta Bhattacharjee - Bangladesh
Kaustav Dhar Chakraborti - Pakistan
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