London permits pro-LTTE group rally at Trafalgar Square

The Greater London Authority (GLA) has granted permission to an alleged pro-LTTE organisation, the British Tamil Councillors and Associates, to hold a rally in Trafalgar Square to protest against human rights violations against Tamils in Sri Lanka.

The rally was scheduled to take place last afternoon, amidst much protest by mainly Sri Lankans living in the UK who have pointed out that the GLA’s decision to grant authorisation to a pro-LTTE organisation to hold a rally in London was against the law as the LTTE was a banned organistaion in UK.

“The GLA is granting permission to the rally and is making it a condition in its permissions to the organisers that there will be no promotion of the LTTE on stage (including banners) or through the rally programme and that the focus of the rally is a peaceful protest regarding human rights issues in Sri Lanka,” the authority’s Public Liaison Unit stated.

Read more,
http://www.nation.lk/2007/07/15/news10.htm

Laxman Kiriella loses his cool and insults a lady reporter

United National Party’s Laxman Kiriella who lost his cool at a party press conference insultingly told a lady reporter of the Colombo press that by holding a piece of paper and a pen one could not become a journalist.

He became seemingly upset when the young reporter of the fair sex asked him a question about his leader’s contentious statement on the Army victory at Thoppigala that has created a hornet’s nest even among his own party supporters.

Kiriella , a lawyer like his own leader quite average even in his own field , started patronizingly giving a lecture to the reporter on good journalism. He has had no formal training in journalism....

....The former UNP Minister Kiriella, who has not studied journalism or practiced it at any time in a recognizable way advised the reporter that she must know the acreage of Thoppigala jungle, the number of trees there (as if he knows), the number of square kilometers etc. before asking questions about his leader‘s unpatriotic and inborn hatred of his people. Needless to say people undoubtedly were amazed by these new Kiriella theories of journalism.

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http://www.asiantribune.com/index.php?q=node/6528

Murali reaches 700 Test wickets

SRI Lanka's Muttiah Muralitharan has become the second bowler after Australia's Shane Warne to capture 700 Test wickets.

The off spinner reached the landmark when he had Bangladesh's last man Syed Rasel caught in the deep by Farveez Maharoof on the fourth day of the third and final Test at the Asgiriya stadium in Kandy.

The dismissal signalled Sri Lanka's victory by an innings and 193 runs to give the host a 3-0 sweep of the series.

Muralitharan finished with six wickets in each innings to claim 10 wickets or more in a Test for the 20th time.

Muralitharan, 35, is now just nine wickets away from surpassing the retired Warne's world record tally of 708.

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http://www.foxsports.com.au/story/0,,22075530-23210,00.html

Sri Lanka complete sweep of Bangladesh series

Muttiah Muralitharan ended the match with his 700th wicket as Sri Lanka defeated Bangladesh by an innings and 193 runs in the final Test in Kandy on Saturday to win the series 3-0.

Bangladesh, trailing by 369 runs on the first innings, were dismissed for 176 in their second innings just before tea on the fourth day at the Asgiriya Stadium.

Muralitharan, who claimed six wickets in each innings, is now just nine scalps away from surpassing retired Australian Shane Warne's world record of 708 wickets.

The off-spinner had last man Syed Rasel caught by Farveez Maharoof in the deep to become only the second bowler after Warne to take 700 wickets.

Sri Lanka, who won all three Tests by innings margins, will now meet the tourists in a three-match one-day series starting in Colombo on July 20.

Extracted from,
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2007/07/14/1978713.htm

Four LTTE terrorists to be sent for trial in Colombo - Maldives

Four Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) cadres who are currently in a Maldivian jail, caught while smuggling weapons to Sri Lanka in a hijacked Indian trawler will be sent to Sri Lanka to stand trial as terrorists soon.

Maldivian Foreign Minister Dr. Shaheed has announced that he would not stand in the way of transferring the LTTE cadres jailed for smuggling guns through Maldivian waters, also to stand trial in Colombo on additional charges of terrorism under Sri Lanka law.

The Sri Lankan High Commissioner in Male Mohamed Farooq has confirmed to a Maldivian news agency that he has had successful talks with the Maldivian Foreign Minister about the transfer of the prisoners and the Maldivian Foreign Minister has indicated that he would not stand in the way of a transfer of the terrorists to face a trial in Colombo.

Both men have played down the concerns of some pro-Tiger NGO's that the LTTE prisoners would be at the risk of their lives in a Sri Lankan jail.

The international gun running fiasco occurred when the LTTE terrorists, hijacked an Indian trawler with 12 crew members, on March 29, while the DMK party was blaming that on Sri Lanka.

Read more,
http://www.defence.lk/new.asp?fname=20070714_02

Bogollagama to bring sacred hair relic to Lanka

Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama yesterday said he would bring the Lord Buddha’s scared hair relic offered by the Chittagong Buddhist Viharaya to Sri Lanka next Thursday, while Asgiriya Chapter Mahanayake Most Venerable Udugama Sri Buddharakkita Thera would also be part of the Sri Lankan delegation to visit Bangladesh to accept the historic relic.

The sacred hair relic has been offered to the Madampe Senanayake Aramaya by the Chittagong Buddhist Viharaya on a request made by its Chief Patron Keerthi Senanayake.

Addressing a news conference in Colombo, the Minister said the sacred relic would officially be handed over to him by his counterpart in Bangladesh. The sacred hair relic will be brought to the country on July 19 to coincide with the government’s plan to celebrate the Thoppigala victory in the East. The celebration was earlier scheduled for July 16 but later postponed by three days.

Read more,
http://www.dailymirror.lk/2007/07/14/front/03.asp

Initial Legal Fees Paid for Filing Sri Lankan Maid Appeal

As the July 16 deadline to file an appeal in the case of Rizana Nafeek, the 19- year-old Sri Lankan maid accused of strangling a four-month-old Saudi boy, draws near, the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has come forward and deposited an initial sum of SR50,000 to begin the appeals process.

The AHRC is a nongovernmental human rights organization that has been working on behalf of the young woman. The deposit was made yesterday to the firm of Kateb Fahad Al-Shammari, Attorneys at Law, in Riyadh.

“We hope that this can be the beginning of the process that allows the law firm to now proceed in filing papers before the deadline,” said Basil Fernandez, executive director of the AHRC. He added that the AHRC was doing this on behalf of various groups and individuals that have taken an active interest in the case.

Fernandez also told Arab News that this was only the first of three SR50,000 payments to be made.

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http://www.arabnews.com/?page=1&section=0&article
=98425&d=13&m=7&y=2007&pix=kingdom.jpg&category=Kingdom

Ranil's Thoppigala statement sweet music to Prabhakaran - UNP (D-Group)

UNP Democratic Group member R. A. D. Sirisena said Ranil Wickremesinghe's statement yesterday on the capture of the LTTE stronghold Thoppigala by the Security Forces was a statement that should have ideally emanated from Velupillai Prabhakaran.

He apologised on behalf of the UNP Democratic group for the statement of the UNP Leader underestimating the achievement by the Security Forces at a press briefing held at Seth Sevana, Kirulapone yesterday.

He said that some frustrated politicians are trying to make a living by making vociferous noises about abductions but after the Government intervened to probe the matter their shouting has stopped following the disclosure that these were fabricated stories. Similarly, the story about selling 60,000 acres of land to foreigners from Wellassa is also a fabrication, he said.

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http://www.dailynews.lk/2007/07/13/pol02.asp

Govt. to develop entire East

The government yesterday said its main focus after capturing Thoppigala was to develop the entire eastern region while stressing there was no immediate move to resume peace talks.Addressing the media in Colombo Cabinet Spokesman Anura Priyadharashana Yapa said the government was in a strong position now with the LTTE losing Thoppigala – considered to be its backbone.

He said the government would pump in a large amount of money to implement major development projects that had already started in the East.

“We want to develop the East in a big way. That is why we liberated the people from Tiger clutches,” the Minister said.

Read more,
http://www.dailymirror.lk/2007/07/13/front/07.asp

Etihad plane lands in Sri Lanka after bomb scare

An Etihad Airways plane en route from Indonesia to the United Arab Emirates made an emergency landing in Sri Lanka Wednesday following a bomb scare, an airport official said.

Flight EY-471 from Jakarta to Abu Dhabi was diverted to Colombo and checked by police commandos and bomb disposal units, the official said, adding that no bomb was found.

It was not immediately clear how the alarm had been raised.

An Etihad official at the airport said the plane had been given the all clear to resume its journey.

Extracted from,
http://www.lankabusinessonline.com
/fullstory.php?newsID=1898350148&no_view=1&SEARCH_TERM=7

President Pays Tribute to the Valiant Forces

His Excellency the President and Commander in Chief of the Armed forces Mahinda Rajapaksa today (11) paid tribute to the all members of the SL Security forces who liberated Thoppigala area from the terror clutches.

Statement by President Mahinda Rajapaksa on the capture of Thoppigala, the LTTE's last stronghold in the East:

"I join the people in offering tribute and all good wishes to the members of the Armed Forces, Police and Special Task Force who, through their participation in the humanitarian exercise to free the people of the East from the clutches of terrorism, captured the last stronghold of the terrorists located at Thoppigala.

I remember with honour all heroes of war and members of the families of those who sacrificed their lives or were wounded in this exercise carried out on behalf of the country and nation.

May you be Blessed by the Triple Gem!

Extracted from,
http://www.defence.lk/new.asp?fname=20070711_06

Ranil Belittles Security Force's victory in Thoppigala

In the midst of roaring laughter of his supporters the Leader of the Opposition and the United National Party Ranil Wickremesinghe belittled the government's claim of a great military victory at Thoppigala and said it was nothing big to crow about.

"What's all this fuss about Thoppigala. It's nothing to crow about," he told a public gathering in Galle. The meeting was broadcast by the Independent Television Network run by the state with other interviews condemning his statement.

But in a different interview Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam ( LTTE) military spokesman Rasiah Ilantheriyan admitted that the LTTE has received a defeat.

Ilantheriyan in an interview with Roland Burke of the BBC when asked whether the LTTE has received a defeat said that , "In a way yes. From a point of view it is a defeat." since the government forces have gained a greater control of the Eastern Province.

Ranil Wickremesinghe in contrast said Thoppigala is only a big jungle bigger than the Colombo District. He asked "how many times we captured that area."

Read more,
http://www.defence.lk/new.asp?fname=20070712_01

NGO life jackets found on LTTE boats

Social Services and Social Welfare Minister Lionel Premasiri has instructed relevant authorities to investigate the incident where eight life jackets belonging to an NGO were found on LTTE boats seized by the Navy recently, a Social Services and Social Welfare Ministry spokesman said.

He said that when questioned, the NGO informed the Minister that the life jackets were given during the tsunami disaster responding to a request made by the Fisheries and Water Resources Department and the NGO will shortly produce the name list of recipients.

The organisation has also informed the Deputy Minister that they regret that the humanitarian aid given to civilians did not reach them and is now being used for terrorist activities.

Deputy Minister Premasiri will follow the investigation closely, he added.

Extracted from,
http://www.dailynews.lk/2007/07/12/news26.asp

LTTE looses Baron's cap; Troops reach Thoppigala

Commandos and soldiers of the SL Army have reached the Baron's Cap (Thoppigala) few hours ago, said Defence sources in the East. With this victory, troops have captured the "nerve centre" of the LTTE terrorists' in their last stronghold in the Eastern province.

Meanwhile, the troops have also gained the full control over Narakamula, and Tharavikulama areas where, the LTTE leadership had its' Eastern headquarters and other fortifications.

The victorious soldiers are presently clearing enemy "pockets" scattered in the dense jungle and are pursuing the LTTE cadres who are on the run.

Extracted from,
http://www.defence.lk/new.asp?fname=20070711_03