400 LTTE militants killed since Oct: Lanka govt

As many as 400 LTTE militants have been killed in encounters with government forces since last month, largely due to information provided by civilian inhabitants in embattled northern Sri Lanka, an official said here today.

While 349 tiger rebels were gunned down during October, as many as 51 LTTE militants have been killed this month, Defence Spokesman Udaya Nanayakkara told PTI.

"Besides the success of the security forces during confrontations with the tiger rebels, the common people in northern region are also informing about the presence of the LTTE rebels who are forcing people to join the outfit to carry out attacks," he said.

"During the month of October itself, we received 29 pieces of information from the common people in the northern region on the whereabouts of the LTTE rebels that also helped us in dealing with the militants," Nanayakkara said.

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http://news.indiainfo.com/2007/11/05/0711051900_lanka-ltte.html

Congress slams Karunanidhi for praising slain LTTE leader

The Congress Monday slammed Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi for 'mourning' slain LTTE leader S.P. Thamilchelvan and reminded him that LTTE was an organisation banned in the country.

'The Congress disapproves Chief Minister Karunanidhi's mourning the death of the LTTE leader Thamilchelvan,' party spokesperson Jayanti Natarajan told reporters Monday.

Karunanidhi has also invited criticism from arch rival AIADMK leader J. Jayalalitha for penning a poem on the slain Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) leader, praising his courage and mental strength.

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http://www.indiaenews.com/politics/20071105/79141.htm

LTTE breakaway chief may be deported to Sri Lanka

LTTE's breakaway faction leader Vinayagamurthi Muralitharan, better known as Karuna, is likely to be deported to Sri Lanka following his arrest in London for allegedly travelling on a forged passport.

"Karuna, who was booked by the London police for travelling under a forged passport could be deported to Sri Lanka," Sri Lankan Foreign Ministry sources said on Saturday.

Ahead of Karuna's arrest on Friday, uncertainty about his whereabouts persisted for long, though it was widely believed that he was in the UK.

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http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/World/LTTE_breaka

Indian IT co to invest $ 1 million in Lanka

India-based data services provider ValueFirst will invest $ 1 million in the next 18 months to expand its presence in Sri Lanka, which it sees as a potential destination.

"We propose to invest one million dollars in the next 18 months in the Island country as we see major potential to expand in this growing market, ValueFirst CEO Srinand Sridharan told reporters on Tuesday at the launch of its services in Emerald Nation.

ValueFirst, a mobile virtual network operator (MVNO), would tap the 7 million mobile phone users in Sri Lanka to expand its services in areas like stock market and banking after tying up with cell phone companies, he said.

The company's co-founder Vijay Shukla ValueFirst said the mobile revolution in Sri Lanka has raced ahead of the internet revolution.

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http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/006200711061622.htm

Sri Lanka major opposition national organizer to join the ruling party

Speculations are spreading in media circles that the United National Party (UNP) National Organizer S.B. Dissanayake would join the ruling Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) soon.

Sources say that discussions are underway to redress the UNP leader’s civil and political rights under a special pardon by the President Mahinda Rajapaksa.

S.B. Dissanayake was a former right hand of the ex-President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga. He later defected, joined the UNP and held a senior portfolio under Ranil Wickremasinghe’s premiership.

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http://www.colombopage.com/archive_07/November640300SL.html

Sri Lanka government may consider banning LTTE

Sri Lanka media speculate that the government will proscribe the rebel outfit, Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) soon.

The idea of proscribing the LTTE was in the consideration of the government for a long time. However, the ceasefire agreement signed with the LTTE in 2003 hindered the move although the agreement has been defunct now for some time. The reluctance to abandon the agreement left the door open for peace talks to resume.

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http://www.colombopage.com/archive_07/November4142715SL.html

Sri Lanka to recruit Tamils to police

Sri Lankan police said Monday that they have embarked on a rapid recruitment program to enlist Tamil speaking officers in the multi-ethnic Eastern Province.

Jayantha Wickramaratna, the police spokesman, told reporters that "we will recruit youth from Ampara and Batticaloa districts", adding that 1,000 of them would be targeted between Nov. 10 and 14.

He said that the police department needed Tamil speaking officers to serve in the Eastern Province's newly opened police stations.

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http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2007-11/05/content_7016425.htm

Sri Lanka to release 97 Indian fishermen

Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa has ordered the release of 97 Indian fishermen who were detained by the Lankan Navy for allegedly straying into the waters of the island nation, Tamil Nadu Government said today.

"It is learnt from the Deputy High Commissioner of Sri Lanka in Chennai that the President has ordered the release of detained fishermen from Nagapattinam district. This has been made possible due to the timely intervention of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi," an official release said. The fishermen were expected to be released immediately, the release added.

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http://news.indiainfo.com/2007/11/04/071104165

Expel SLMM tiger agents! – Weerawansa tells Govt.

The government should take immediate measures to expel Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission that is playing the role of international agent of separatist tiger terrorists says Information Secretary of the JVP Wimal Weerawansa.

He said this when ‘Lankatruth’ asked his opinion regarding the message issued by SLMM on the death of tiger deputy terrorist leader Thamilselvan.

Speaking further Mr. Weerawansa said SLMM which hesitated to issue a message when former Foreign Minister Luxman Kadirgamar was assassinated by tiger terrorists or when a tiger suicide terrorist group attacked SLAF base at Anuradhapura on the 22nd irrefutably displays their partiality to separatist tiger terrorists organization by issuing a message when a senior tiger terrorist leader dies in an attack.

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http://www.lankatruth.com/full_story/2007/Nov/04/20071104_05.htm

Jayalalithaa flays Karunanidhi for condoling LTTE leader's death

Condemning Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi for "eulogising" LTTE political wing secretary Thamilselvan, AIADMK supremo Jayalalithaa on Saturday night demanded the dismissal of his government for violating the Constitution by supporting the banned Sri Lankan outfit.

In a statement here, she said Karunanidhi's "action of praising Thamilselvan", killed in an airstrike by the Sri Lankan airforce on Friday, was unconstitutional as the LTTE was banned in India and its leader V Prabhakaran was a proclaimed offender in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case.

She alleged it was clear from Karunananidhi's action he had "secret ties" with the LTTE and had been "helping" them.

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http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/000200711040346.htm

LTTE is back to zero - TULF leader

With the death of the LTTE's Political Wing Leader S. P. Thamilselvan, the Leader of the Tamil United Liberation Front (TULF) Veerasingam Anandasangaree, the politician who had written the highest number of letters and pleas to the terrorists, has again requested the LTTE leadership to comeback to the negotiating table to save young lives.

In an interview with the Sunday Observer he said that the Tamil political parties are willing to help the LTTE if the terrorists end the armed struggle and entre the democratic stream. These youth have the courage to achieve whatever the deadly desires of the leadership risking their lives. So it is high time to use these valuable lives to develop the country. It is sad that they are sacrificing their lives for an unrealisable cause," he said.

Q: Despite severe defeats, yet there are no clues that the LTTE will enter the democratic path. In this climate do you think the only option to liberate Tamils is militarily weakening the LTTE?

A: I do not agree with you. One thing that I agree is that the LTTE would never come to the negotiating table because they have their own problems. They will not come for a settlement. The government's intention to beat them first and then come for talks would not help to end the problems of Tamils. Terrorism can be defeated by this way but what I hope is that the peace package must come out along with these military operations.

There are people in this country who say that once the problem is solved militarily and since the terrorists are defeated, that there is not problem for the Tamils. They will try to forget our grievances. The problems of Tamils were there for the last 50 years.

Read the full article,
http://www.sundayobserver.lk/2007/11/04/pol01.asp

Karu J. will be UNP leader after budget - Rajitha

The UNP (D) Group yesterday predicted a power change within the UNP after the forthcoming budget, with another batch of six to eight prominent MPs already in line to join either UNP(D) or the Government directly.

Holding that a victory the UNP (D) was a victory for the UNP, Minister Rajitha Senaratne said there would be an exodus from the UNP and added they (D-group) would grab power within the party after the budget, with heir apparent to the UNP Minister Karu Jayasuriya installed as leader.

Asserting that the UNP(D) would never divert from the policy of being within the UNP Dr. Senarathe said that their fight was to rid the party from a one man dictatorship.

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http://www.dailynews.lk/2007/11/02/pol01.asp

Lanka on high alert after Thamilselvan killing

Sri Lanka went on a high alert on Saturday to guard against any reprisal attack by Tamil Tigers following the killing of their political wing chief S P Thamilselvan in an air raid by government forces.

"We are not willing to take any chances. It could be a dangerous scenario if we don't gear up fully. We are on an alert," defence spokesman Udaya Nanayakkara said.

Security personnel were seen reinforcing the snap checkpoints in Colombo and checking for any suspicious person or vehicle.

The funeral of Thamilselvan and five other leaders of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), who were killed in a raid by Sri Lankan air force in the rebel-dominated northern Kilinochchi on Friday, is scheduled to be held on Monday, according to sources.

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http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/000200711031861.htm

Sri Lankan police officer killed in capital

A police inspector heading a crime division has been shot dead in the Sri Lankan capital of Colombo, police said Saturday.

Inspector M. Pathirana was shot in north Colombo at 9:30 p.m. (1600 GMT) on Friday and succumbed to his gun shot injuries in the early hours of Saturday, according to the police.

The police officer was shot at by unknown gunmen in a bus stand and was admitted to the Colombo National Hospital.

He was heading the crime division of the Colombo Harbor police station and police are inquiring if his death related to any crime investigations being handled by him.

Extracted from,
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2007-11/03/content_7004330.htm