Lankan govt. cancels licence of radio station

The Sri Lankan government on Friday cancelled the licence of a radio station here for airing "false" reports, a day after President Mahinda Rajapaksa asked the media to act responsibly.

The ABC radio station was ordered off the air following an investigation into a report about a Tamil Tiger attack which was broadcast by it on Wednesday.

"The temporary licence of ABC has been recalled because of gross violation of freedom of expression," Minister of Media and Information, Anura Priyadarshana Yapa, told reporters.

"Because of this false and irresponsible news broadcast we had to engage the policy and army to restore peace in the area," the minister said without elaborating.

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Sri Lanka rejects US call for international rights monitors

The Sri Lankan government Wednesday rejected a call by the United States for the United Nations to place a human rights monitoring team in the South Asian country to check on alleged abuses.

"The government has on several occasions, made its view clear that an international monitoring mission is unwarranted and unacceptable at present," Human Rights Minister Mahinda Samarasinghe in a letter addressed to Robert Blake, the U.S. ambassador in Sri Lanka.

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UNP pandering to LTTE - Hemakumara

The UNP's demand calling for the resignation of Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa and the Air Force Chief Roshan Gunatillake following the Anuradhapura Airbase attack by the LTTE terrorists to boost its sagging morale in the face of heavy pressure exerted by the Forces in the war front shows that the party is acting according to the whims and fancies of the LTTE, said UNP Democratic Front Parliamentarian Hemakumara Nanayakkara yesterday.

Nanayakkara at a press briefing at Sethsevana, Kirulapone said the Norwegian elements in the UNP wanted to remove the Defence Secretary, the Army, Navy and the Air Force commanders whose untiring efforts have led to many victories in the Government's endeavour of eradicating terrorism.

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8 aircraft lost, says Colombo

Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ratnasiri Wickramanayake conceded in Parliament on Wednesday that eight aircraft of the Air Force were destroyed in Monday’s pre-dawn ground and air attack by the LTTE on the Anuradhapura airbase.

The Prime Minister’s response, in the form of a statement, came amid wild speculation on the extent of the damage and the loss of lives and charges by the opposition that the Government was attempting a cover up.

Minutes after the main opposition party United National Party (UNP) raised the matter, the Prime Minister said three helicopters, four training planes and a Beech craft surveillance plane were destroyed.

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Lanka suspects LTTE of having satellite safe-houses

Sri Lanka suspects LTTE of having "satellite safe-houses" on the border of the rebel-held Mannar-Vavuniya districts, the lankan Defence Ministry said in a report today.

According to the report, the elite police Special Task Force personnel conducting search operations in Vavuniya, recovered a 500 feet long safety code yesterday.

"During the search operations conducted in general area Kurumankadu - along the Vavuniya - Mannar road, STF personnel recovered a 500ft length safety code. Defence sources estimate that LTTE maintains satellite safe houses and rendezvous locations in the borders of Vavuniya and Mannar Districts,"

Defence Ministry said in a statement.

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Sri Lanka airs concern at Myanmar situation

Sri Lanka expressed concern Monday about the situation in Myanmar, where peaceful demonstrations have been met with a brutal government crackdown, and said it expected the country to resolve 'all issues through a peaceful process of national reconciliation and political accommodation'.

Sri Lanka, which maintains close ties with Myanmar, was criticized for its silence until now on the deadly crackdown that began last week after more than a month of peaceful anti-government protests.

The foreign ministry said in a statement that Sri Lanka was 'concerned at the current situation in Myanmar and will continue to observe it closely'.

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Lankan expert says Sethu project can harm island's marine life

Amidst the raging controversy in India over Sethusamudram, an expert here has warned that the project can harm Sri Lanka's coastal and marine life.

"The Sethusamudram project can cause problems to Sri Lanka's coastal and marine life," Malith Mendis, a member of the Sri Lankan delegation to study the project has said.

Mendis, the CEO of Lanka Hydraulic Institute, said if the project goes ahead, there will be considerable changes in the currents and that can affect marine life.

Mendis told the Daily Mirror newspaper that Sri Lankan authorities have investigated more into the matter than their Indian counterparts and are concerned about the project.

"While it can be expected to create changes in the sea currents in the region, the effect on biodiversity is unpredictable," he said.

Meanwhile, the Asian Tribune newspaper claimed the project would pose a threat to the livelihood of fishermen.

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Anton Balasingham's death leaves a void, replacement difficult

The Tiger outfit is losing its self acclaimed international recognition as liberators of the Tamil community as Tamil people are fast distancing from the organisation with the realisation of the fact that the LTTE was the only reason behind their suffering.

With the bloody beating they are getting from ground, sea and air against their terror network spread across the globe, they are now in desperate need of an international image boost as they have deprived all the chances of appearing before international community either as liberators of the Tamil community or as a ruthless terror organisation.

The widely publicised internal rift within the organisation for the secondary level leadership apparently between Pottu Amman and Soosai and the low morale of the Tiger cadres due to their constant defeats in the face of Security Forces' retaliatory attacks have left no chances for them to have their much needed recognition.

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Army chief rings alarm bells in LTTE camps

Army Commander Lt. Gen. Sarath Fonseka, whose service was extended recently, in an interview told the 'Sunday Observer' that he wants to eradicate terrorism once and for all during his term of office.

The veteran battlefield Commander observed it is only a question of survival for the terrorist as many of their cadres have started abandoning the ship. Following are the excerpts of the interview:

Q: It was reported that the LTTE has strengthened its surveillance in the North by deploying more civilians. Are these civilians paid by the LTTE ?

A: No. They are not paid much but one member from each family have been asked to come forward and may be they are given food and accommodation, because the LTTE does not have money to pay them. The civilians, of course were well paid when the A9 road was opened, as the LTTE earned over Rs. 10 to 15 million a week.

Q: How many LTTE cadres are escaping or abandoning the LTTE now ?

A: Three or four cadres desert the LTTE but they do not come to our side due to difficulties to cross LTTE lines and mine fields. I think if they can cross safely more LTTE cadres would desert the organisation. But everyday more than four terrorists abandon the LTTE.

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120 Tamil youth surrender: Sri Lankan army

Around 120 Tamil youths, including several LTTE militants, have "surrendered" to the authorities, the Sri Lankan Army said here today amid raging fighting in the country's restive north.

"Some 42 LTTE cadres have surrendered to the Jaffna Human Rights Commission during the past few weeks," military spokesman, Udaya Nanayakkara, told PTI adding that reports suggested that in all about 120 tamil youth have "surrendered" during the period in northern Sri Lanka.

The spokesman claimed that some "surrenders" also took place due to fears of forced induction into the LTTE forces.

"Many who give themselves up or are handed over by their parents are those who fear the LTTE. We hand them over, who in turn produce them before the magistrate," the official said.

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Lanka minister slams Govt for silence on Myanmar

The Sri Lankan Minister for National Heritage, Anura Bandaranaike, has lambasted the government and the Buddhists in the island for their silence on the developments in Myanmar, where a military government is ruthlessly crushing a pro-democracy movement spearheaded by Buddhist monks and the Nobel Peace Prize winner, Aung San Suu Kyi.

"What do our self-appointed custodians of Buddhism in parliament have to say? Not a word about the attacks on fellow Buddhist priests in Yangon, who took to the streets in utter desperation. Silence is the finest form cowardice. The silence of our Buddhists is deafening, especially the self-appointed custodians of the Dhamma and of course our Foreign Ministry," Bandaranaike said in a statement in Colombo on Friday.

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Air Force destroys Sea Tiger training facility -Puthukkudiyiruppu

Sri Lanka air force fighter jets this morning (September 29) destroyed a key training facility of the Sea Tigers located at Thevipuram, Northwest of Puthukkudiyiruppu, air force sources said.

A combined air raid of MIG 27 and Kafir fighter jets launched at 8.10.a.m accurately hit the terrorists' training camp which is known as L2 (Lima two) , the sources added.

Information gathered through air surveillance and ground intelligence for a long time have confirmed that the target had been used to train LTTE cadres on seaborne and amphibian operations. Further, real time ground information has confirmed that the activities in the targeted camp have largely increased since last two- three weeks.

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LTTE dissident Karuna ‘leaves’ Lanka

The controversial LTTE dissident, Colonel Karuna, is believed to have left Sri Lanka recently, following trenchant international criticism of the activities of his group, the Tamileela Makkal Viduthalai Puligal (TMVP), in the eastern Tamil-speaking district of Batticaloa.

Media reports said on Wednesday that Karuna had left for Britain. But independent sources could only confirm that he had left the country temporarily.

The Scandinavian-staffed Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission and the New York-based Human Rights Watch had both criticised the TMVP for forcibly recruiting children and extorting money from the people in Batticaloa.

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I wish Tendulkar plays for 10 more years: Jayawardene

Critics may say that Sachin Tendulkar is past his prime and should contemplate retirement, but Sri Lankan skipper Mahela Jayawardane feels the Indian batting maestro has a lot of cricket left in him.

"I think Tendulkar is playing great cricket. I wish he plays for 10 more years," Jayawardene told PTI here.

Jayawardane's English counterpart Paul Collingwood echoed his views and said Tendulkar was in great touch despite playing almost non-stop cricket for the past 18 years.

"I think he is in great form and will continue for some more years," Collingwood said.

Tendulkar had opted out of the recently-concluded Twenty20 World Cup in South Africa. He returns to action in the seven-match ODI series against Australia starting tomorrow.

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