Sri Lanka raps police chief, invites Tamils back

Sri Lanka’s president Friday criticised his police chief for evicting hundreds of minority Tamils from the capital and ordered them to be brought back immediately, an official said.

President Mahinda Rajapakse demanded an explanation from police Inspector General Victor Perera for forcing Tamils out of their sleep and bussing them 260 kilometres (160 miles) north of Colombo to a detention centre.

‘The president has called for an explanation from the IGP,’ an official at the president’s office said. ‘He has also ordered measures to redress the injustices during yesterday’s police action.’

The presidential orders went out after the Supreme Court halted the evictions and the United States, akey ally of the government, led international condemnation of Thursday’s events.

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http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticleNew.asp?xfile=data/subcontinent/
2007/June/subcontinent_June318.xml§ion=subcontinent&col=

Dead Bodies Found

The Wennappuwa police recovered 09 decomposed dead bodies near the DUMMALADENIYA Bridge in a thicket near LUNUWILA Road, WENNAPPUWA today (08) around 4.30 p.m.

WENNAPPUWA Police are conducting injuries.

Extracted from,
http://www.rnhit.com/mcns/fullnews.php?id=6159

India 'very friendly country', says Sri Lanka

Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ratnasiri Wickremanayake has described India as a "very friendly country" and said his government will never do anything that harms longstanding bilateral ties.

"India is our very friendly country. India is a country that has given us everything what we asked," he told parliament on Wednesday after an opposition MP accused the government of damaging relations with New Delhi.

"The government strongly maintains the close relationship between the two countries. We can never forget the assistance given to us by India," the state-run Daily News quoted the prime minister as saying. He added that the government had not taken any measure to weaken the friendly relationships with India and other neighbouring countries.

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http://www.headlinesindia.com/archive_html/07June2007_44506.html

No halting military operations until LTTE is wiped out; PM declares

Prime Minister Ratnasiri Wickramanayake ruled out the possibility of halting military operations against the LTTE until it is completely wiped out from the country.

Mr. Wickramanayake made this point at the inauguration of the work at Hambantota port yesterday. “We will maintain our right to carry out offensive measures against the LTTE when ever they strike even if we go for talks,” he pointed out.

The Prime Minister explained that the military struggle is not directed towards the Tamil people but against the LTTE who are trampling them by suppressing their rights. He said the government had given complete freedom to the forces and military experts to carry out the military operations. “We politicians do not interfere with the military operations and strategies,” the prime minister added indicating that there is no politics involved.

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http://www.dailymirror.lk/2007/06/08/news/01.asp

China, India eyeing Sri Lanka's phosphate deposit: Minister

China and India has expressed interest in Sri Lanka's rock phosphate deposits from which the government itself cannot make high grade fertilizer, a government minister told an economic forum in Colombo.

Sri Lanka's phosphate deposit in the north central region of Eppawela, has been a political hot potato for years, and attempts to develop it with a Western mining firm ran into stiff opposition.

"I have visited several Indian plants which have technology to add value to the rock phosphate, and China is also interested," Industrial Development Minister Kumar Welgama told an economic forum organized by the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce.

Welgama said the government itself was planning an 800 million rupee fertilizer plant that would make Single Super Phosphate (SSP) which was a low grade fertilizer.

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http://www.lankabusinessonline.com/
fullstory.php?newsID=1851976907&no_view=1&SEARCH_TERM=17

Sri Lanka Cricket interviews possible coaches for the national team

John Wright was a possible candidate at first, but he ruled himself out as he was to take up coaching at the Australia’s Centre for Excellence in Brisbane. Now that he has pulled out of that appointment too, things might or might not change.

Other interested candidates included Jamie Siddons, Dave Houghton, Greg Shipperd, Terry Oliver, Trevor Bayliss and Graham Ford.

Siddons is assistant coach of the Australian team and a senior coach at the Center for Excellence in Brisbane. Houghton, the former Zimbabwe captain, is presently coaching Derbyshire. Shipperd is the coach of Victoria while Oliver had success coaching Queensland.

Baylisss made his mark as head coach of New South Wales and Ford who coaches Kent was a former coach of South Africa.

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http://lankacricket.wordpress.com/2007/06/07/
sri-lanka-cricket-interviews-possible-coaches-for-the-national-team/

Over 4,000 English Cricket Fans To Arrive In Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka Cricket CEO Dulip Mendis said to media that 4,000 English tourists have already confirmed their visit to Sri Lanka to watch the one day and test series between England team and the home squad.

Sri Lanka expects a boost for the island's tourist industry that is severely affected by the travel warnings issued by the Western European countries due to the civil unrest in the country.

England one day team will arrive in Sri Lanka on 25th September and play five ODI matches in Dambulla and Colombo in October.

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http://www.cricketworldcuplatest.com/
news/over-4-000-english-cricket-fans-to-arrive-in-sri-l-112949.html

Dialog becomes Sri Lanka’s biggest investor

Sri Lanka’s most profitable, largest capitalised company and industry leader Dialog Telekom yesterday added another enviable achievement under its belt by becoming the single largest investment project in the country.

This distinction came by when the Dialog Telekom announced the signing of a landmark investment agreement with the Board of Investment (BOI) to invest a further US$ 300 million or Rs. 33 billion in telecom and media sectors in the next two years.

The latest commitment brought the total investment by Dialog in Sri Lanka to a staggering US$ 800 million or over Rs. 90 billion.Tan Sri Dato’ Ir Muhammad Radzi bin Haji Mansor Chairman of Dialog Telekom Ltd said that Sri Lanka is one of “our most compelling success stories outside Malaysia.

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http://www.dailymirror.lk/2007/06/08/ft/21.asp

An Emeritus Professor of Computer Science, V.K. Samaranayake passes away

A well known Emeritus Professor of Computer Science, V.K. Samaranayake has passed away on the night of 6th June 2007 in Stockholm, Sweden.

Prof. V.K. Samaranayake, was the founder Director, University of Colombo School of Computing (UCSC) of the University of Colombo, and Chairman of Information and Communication Technology Agency (ICTA) of Sri Lanka,

Late Prof. V.K. Samaranayake was a Fellow of the Harvard Information Infrastructure Project and the National Center for Digital Government of the Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University. He is also a Post Graduate holder of the University of Kalaniya.

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http://www.news.lk/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2585&Itemid=44

Photo,
http://www.news.lk/images/stories/Multimedia_Gallery/Photo_Gallery/prof_sam.jpg

Govt. hopes Japan will ban LTTE

The Government hopes the latest visit by Japanese peace envoy Yasushi Akashi will result in the listing of the LTTE or the freezing of its funds in Japan, defence spokesman and Minister Keheliya Rambukwella said.

Minister Rambukwella said Japan had deferred listing the rebels in August last year after the LTTE had given an assurance it would cease violence and resume peace negotiations.

However as the rebels had failed to live up to that expectation the Government felt Japan should put pressure by listing the LTTE, he said. “We hope that after Mr. Akashi goes back he will know the ground situation better and this will result in Japan banning the LTTE,” Minister Rambukwella told the media yesterday. On Tuesday Mr. Akashi had discussions with Government peace secretariat head Palitha Kohona on the peace process.

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http://www.dailymirror.lk/2007/06/07/front/6.asp

LTTE terrorists explode an IED targeting Colombo bound train- Batticaloa

The LTTE terrorists have exploded an Improvised Explosive Device(IED) targeting the Colombo bound train at Punani in Batticaloa around 7.15 this morning.

According to the available reports the explosive device was placed on the rail track. The train has been derailed and few of the cabins have been damaged due to the incident. Four of the passengers have suffered injuries due to the derailing.

Media Center for national Security (MCNS) said that, three of the injured have been taken to the Polonnaruwa hospital and the other has been taken to Valachchenai hospital.

Extracted from,
http://defence.lk/new.asp?fname=20070606_01

India asked to desist from returning to bad neighbor policy

India told to desist from interfering in the internal affairs of Sri Lanka. It should not return to bad neighbor policy urged Somawansa Amarasinghe, Leader of Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna. “The only country to have intruded on our sovereignty in the postcolonial period is India,” he has alleged...

...On behalf of the political bureau of the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna its leader Somawansa Amarasinghe has conveyed to the High Commissioner for India in Sri Lanka that, “The foreign policy of the JVP is very simple.

It will side with any country, whatever their other ideological views, which support Sri Lanka to regain full sovereignty. The only country to have intruded on our sovereignty in the postcolonial period is India.”

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http://www.asiantribune.com/index.php?q=node/6035

Sri Lankan star helps Asia to victory

Sri Lanka's Tillakaratne Dilshan hit 47 not out from 36 balls to guide an Asia XI to a six-wicket win over an Africa XI in a Twenty20 game.

The Asia bowlers pegged an inexperienced Africa XI to 109 for eight despite 52 from South Africa opener Loots Bosman.

Asia XI reached 110 for four in the 16th over with Dilshan hitting six fours and a six. The first of a three-game one-day series between the two continental teams will be played in Bangalore on Wednesday with the last two fixtures to be held in Chennai at the weekend.

Extracted from,
http://www.rthk.org.hk/rthk/news/
englishnews/20070606/news_20070606_56_406014.htm

Army took over two bodies, other bodies were returned to the ICRC

The army took over the bodies of two soldiers from the ICRC around 12.45p.m. at the OMANTHAI entry/exit point today (05). The bodies were identified as of two soldiers out of the missing in action following clashes with the LTTE along the VAVUNIYA forward defence lines last Saturday (02).

The LTTE had handed over 13 bodies to the ICRC claiming them to be of Army soldiers. The Army took over two bodies after identification and confirmation that they were of two army soldiers missing since the attack. The other bodies were returned to the ICRC as they were not of Army personnel.

http://www.rnhit.com/mcns/fullnews.php?id=6101