Program Description

USAID’s Office of Transition Initiatives (OTI) program in Sri Lanka aims to generate greater support for a negotiated peace settlement to end the island nation’s longstanding internal conflict by:

- Mobilizing and linking peace constituencies through support for inclusive, collaborative decision-making and resource allocation at the local level.

- Creating awareness and increasing understanding on key transition issues, and changing attitudes sustaining the conflict through information dissemination, advocacy, dialogue and debate.

Introduction
This is an initial report from the Tsunami Evaluation Coalition (TEC). The TEC is a collaborative effort by aid agencies (donor governments’ aid departments, United Nations agencies, non-governmental organisations, and the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement) to improve humanitarian systems by learning from the response to the earthquake and tsunamis of 26 December 2004. Another aim of the TEC is to provide some accountability for the humanitarian system to both the giving and receiving publics.

International Human Rights Day on December 10 should be a moment in Asia to reflect soberly as to why on this continent, where more than half of the world's population live, basic human rights are denied to most people. Although there are complex factors that contribute to this denial of people's rights, one factor stands clearly above all others: the rule of law does not exist in most parts of this vast continent.

The final quarter of the Human Security Report (HSR) comes as an overall analysis of the events that took place in 2005 that are concern human security conditions in Sri Lanka. In this analysis, a number of benchmarks will be considered that are both vertically and horizontally, directly or indirectly related to the human security condition of Sri Lanka. Amongst these markers are the tsunami and its ensuing devastation, relief and recovery, the donor forum in Kandy and the escalating

Troops scoured roadside vegetation in military-held areas in the north and east for claymore fragmentation mines that have killed 39 armed forces personnel in ambushes this month.

Analysts said the intensity of the attacks, which escalated after hardline President Mahinda Rajapakse came to power

Over =A3235,000 was provided for the building of 130 homes, community centres, medical clinic and rehabilitation centres for tsunami victims. Muslim Aid later contributed a further =A330,000 from

"This spiral of violence is not conducive to a badly needed high-level meeting between the parties," SLMM chief Hagrup Haukland said in a statement. "If the trend of violence is allowed to continue, war may not be far away."

"I am deeply concerned about the recent increase in violence in Sri Lanka," said Mr Solheim. "In order to keep the violence from escalating further, it is urgent to get the two parties

COLOMBO, SRI LANKA -- Escalating violence in Sri Lanka involving government forces and separatist rebels has raised fears that the island could return to civil war. International pressure is intensifying for immediate peace talks.

At least 40 Sri Lankan Army and Navy personnel have been killed so far this month - including 10 Tuesday - in