Sri Lanka formally accepts Fonseka’s resignation
November 16, 2009 by Trend PK
Filed under World News
Sri Lanka’s top general, Sarath Fonseka, who engineered the defeat of the Tamil Tigers after a 25-year war, signed his last document as chief of defence staff in Colombo on Monday.
He said he would make a major announcement on his future within two to three days, amid speculation he may run for president. “I will reveal my future plans in two or three days. I will serve the country. I will continue to serve the country to the best of my ability in any position,” General S. Fonseka told journalists soon after signing his last document as the CDS. Fonseka submitted his resignation on Thursday amid speculation he will challenge his commander in chief, President Mahinda Rajapaksa for the presidency.
If Fonseka enters the race, he is expected to weaken Rajapaksa’s core voter base and erode the incumbent’s present monopoly on claiming political capital from the war victory. President Mahinda Rajapaksa on Sunday postponed the expected announcement of dates for early presidential and parliamentary elections due by April without giving a reason. The main opposition United National Party and the Marxist Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna have united in fanning rampant speculation saying they would back Fonseka as a common candidate to run against President Rajapaksa.
In a letter to the president, Fonseka described how he had felt sidelined with his appointment to the newly created post of Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), which many analysts saw as a hollow promotion to diminish the general’s power. The 39-year army veteran was given nearly unbridled power as he prosecuted the war with his former comrade-in-arms, Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa, the president’s brother in defeating separatist Tamil Tiger rebels in 34-months.
Sri Lanka formally accepts Fonseka’s resignation was first posted on November 16, 2009 at 8:32 pm.
US President Barack Obama presses China over rights
November 16, 2009 by Trend PK
Filed under World News
BEIJING: US President Barack Obama has told China that individual rights and freedoms should be available to all.
He told an audience of Chinese students that certain freedoms were universal – and not just limited to Americans. Speaking at a question-and-answer session in Shanghai, Mr Obama added that China and the US were not destined to be adversaries.
Later, he met Chinese President Hu Jintao for dinner in Beijing ahead of a summit on Tuesday. Mr Obama’s visit has received minimal coverage in the Chinese media, with his arrival in Beijing mentioned in a report 25 minutes into state TV’s evening news programme.
The Shanghai meeting was not mentioned in the bulletin, although it was carried live on local Shanghai TV and streamed on two national internet portals. In his speech at the Shanghai Science and Technology Museum, the US president praised China’s efforts in lifting millions of people out of poverty, saying it was “unparalleled” in human history.
US President Barack Obama presses China over rights was first posted on November 16, 2009 at 9:14 pm.
