LTTE fires artillery at Catholic school in northwest Sri Lanka, four students and two teachers wounded

Hours after the killing of four civilians in the border village of Mahawilachchiya, the Tigers fired heavy artilleries at a Roman Catholic school in Pulleadi Irrakkam in the Mannar district, injuring four students and two teachers.

Military said that two boys, two girls and two teachers were among the seriously injured and admitted to the general hospital in Murunkan. Another two, a girl and a teacher have been admitted to Mannar Hospital. They said that more than 10 artillery shells exploded inside the school premises around 1.20 pm.

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http://www.colombopage.com/archive_07/November26123941JV.html

LTTE terrorists kill 04 villagers including a woman - Anuradhapura

Four civilians including a woman were shot dead by LTTE terrorists today (26 November) at Mahawilachchiya village bordering Wilpaththu Sanctuary, Mahawilachchiya Police said.

According to Police sources, terrorists have opened small arms fire at the villagers and fled into the jungles area at the bordering Wilpaththu Sanctuary.

Police and security forces are now engaged extensive search and clearing operations in the area, Mahawilchchiya Police said.

Defence sources viewed this as an LTTE genocide attempt to cause fear among the villagers forcing them to flee their traditional lands, at the boarders of the ancient Anuradahapura Kingdom.

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http://www.defence.lk/new.asp?fname=20071126_04

Sri Lankan president in Tehran

The Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa has arrived in Tehran heading a political and economic delegation for a three-day visit.

Iran's Commerce Minister Massoud Mir-Kazemi welcomed Rajapaksa at Tehran Mehrabad International Airport Monday morning.

The Sri Lankan president was later welcomed by his Iranian counterpart Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

During the ceremony, the national anthems of the two countries were played and the two presidents reviewed a guard of honor.

Ahmadinejad and Rajapaksa then started private talks.

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http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=32637§ionid=351020101

Sanath to quit Test cricket

Sri Lanka’s aging batting superstar Sanath Jayasuriya will announce his retirement from Test cricket during the first Test against England which will get underway at the Asgiriya Stadium next Saturday, according to a very senior member of Sri Lanka Cricket. He said “Sanath is due to make this announcement during the Test match in Kandy”.

One of the explosive batsmen that the cricketing World has ever produced made his Test debut against New Zealand at Hamilton, on February 22 1991. However he made his mark on the field of cricket during the 1996 World Cup pairing off with wicket-keeper batsman Romesh Kaluwitharana taking pinch hitting at the top of the order into a new height. He was chosen as the most valuable player even prior to the end of the series.

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http://www.sundaytimes.lk/071125/Sports/sp218.html

Amnesty for Lankan army deserters, over 1,500 report for duty

Over 1,500 Sri Lankan army deserters have rejoined duty after being offered a general amnesty, boosting the military's fight against Tamil rebels.

"The deserters who do not have any criminal record were offered amnesty and given time between November 12-25 to re-join," Defence spokesman, Udaya Nanayakkara, said.

He said over 1,500 army deserters have already joined duty and the number of such personnel could cross 1,600 before the deadline ending on Sunday.

"They will be given training to bring them back into high fitness level before resuming duty in their respective regiments," Nanayakkara said.

The amnesty applied not only to army deserters, but also to those who remained absent from duty without getting official leave.

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http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/001200711251820.htm

Air strikes pound LTTE satellite, communication center and meeting place

Sri Lankan Air Force jet fighters pounded a LTTE satellite communications and coordinating center in Dharmapuram area, North East of Kilinochchi today (26) at 7.20 a.m.

The air strike was carried out after confirmation of information and intelligence gathered that the center was also as a clandestine meeting place for LTTE leaders.

Air Force pilots affirm that the air strike was a success.

Extracted from,
http://www.nationalsecurity.lk/fullnews.php?id=8836

LTTE loses 19,887 cadres in 25 years

The LTTE has lost 19,887 cadres including S.P. Thamilselvan in the past twenty-five years according to the list of dead cadres released last week. The list is released by the organisation annually in November, according to reports from Killinochchi.

The list of dead cadres released during the outfit's so-called 'Martyrs' week' in November coincides with the birthday of LTTE leader V. Prabakaran on November 26.

This year's list of dead cadres of the LTTE indicates that from November 27, 1982 to November 20, 2007, 19,887 LTTE cadres were killed in clashes with the Security Forces, reports said.

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http://www.sundayobserver.lk/2007/11/25/sec01.asp

LTTE suffering heavy losses, says Colombo

At least 57 cadres of the LTTE and three soldiers of the Sri Lanka Army were killed in fierce fighting along the Forward Defence Lines (FDLs) in the north in the last three days, the military claimed on Saturday.

A report by the Defence Ministry maintained that the LTTE continues to suffer “heavy losses”’ as the security forces’ hold in the northern region is getting stronger.

“Despite the absence of a major counter terror offensive in the part of the security forces, the terrorists have been getting soaring death and casualty figures in scattered and intermittent clashes occurred along the Wanni and Northern Forward Defence Lines”, it said.

The Ministry said that over 57 LTTE cadres were killed and at least another 16 were injured in sporadic clashes in Jaffna, Vavuniya and Mannar from Thursday morning to Saturday afternoon.

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http://www.hindu.com/2007/11/25/stories/2007112556391400.htm

President leaves for Iran tonight

President Mahinda Rajapaksa will take wing to Tehran late tonight, for a high-level four-day state visit during which he will hold talks with his Iranian counterpart, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, defying what diplomatic sources say were heavy ‘representations’ from the US to defer the visit.

The relatively miniature Presidential delegation, which will include Deputy Foreign Minister Hussein Bhaila and Foreign Secretary Palitha Kohona, leaves the Ugandan Capital of Kampala at midnight tonight, where Rajapaksa was attending the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting. Four media personnel are also scheduled to leave for Tehran with President Rajapaksa’s delegation.

The US Government recently imposed unilateral sanctions on Tehran after it refused to suspend its controversial nuclear programme and is reported to have brought heavy pressure on Colombo about cancelling the visit. However, the US denies the claim, while authoritative diplomatic sources told The Nation that the Sri Lankan Foreign Affairs Ministry had managed to allay US fears ahead of the President’s visit.

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http://www.nation.lk/2007/11/25/news17.htm

Wimal Weerawansa's special statement in parliment regarding UNICEF - 12/11/2007

Pakistan lauds Sri Lanka's opposition to Commonwealth suspension

Pakistan Friday welcomed Sri Lanka's stand which opposed Islamabad's suspension from the Commonwealth.

Sri Lanka and Malaysia objected to the Commonwealth's decision to suspend emergency-ruled Pakistan, according to reports.

"The government of Pakistan appreciates the decision of the government of Sri Lanka to disassociate itself from the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group (CMAG)'s decision to suspend Pakistan from the councils of the Commonwealth," the Pakistani foreign ministry said in a statement.

"Sri Lanka is a member of CMAG and its foreign minister, who represented his country at the CMAG meeting, urged the Commonwealth to send a delegation to Pakistan to assess the ground situation rather than taking the hasty decision of suspending Pakistan's membership. Pakistan itself had proposed such a visit to CMAG member countries," it said.

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http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2007-11/24/content_7135501.htm

Sri Lanka seeks expulsion of UNICEF staff: officials

The Sri Lankan government on Friday called for the expulsion of staff of the United Nations children's fund, accusing them of overstepping their legitimate functions, the foreign ministry said.

UNICEF country chief Phillipe Duamelle was called to the foreign ministry on Thursday, where officials "expressed serious concern" over the agency's participation at a public protest in June, the ministry said in a statement.

"The Country Representative was requested to take appropriate action against the staff members who participated in the demonstration including the withdrawal of the concerned international staff," the foreign ministry said.

The government also asked UNICEF to dismiss its local UNICEF staff who joined the demonstration outside the main railway station in Colombo, the ministry said.

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http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5hLRHj_zJp1DeZ8_4AHK9UZIPosmg
Image,
http://www.unicef.org/infobycountry/images/unicef_logo.gif

Sri Lanka Navy kills Seventeen LTTE Cadres and foils their Attack on Pesalai Police

In a bid of abortive attempt to attack the police, a cluster of few LTTE boats mingling with fishing boats, approached by sea towards the Pesalai Police in Mannar in the morning today (November 23rd) around 8.30.

On detection of the approaching LTTE craft, naval craft rushed to the location and chased away those boats with the augmented fire support extended by the ground troops.

One LTTE craft sustained damages in the brief confrontation that took place and it was towed by the fleeing LTTE boats towards the un-liberated area in Vedithaltievu.

Monitoring of LTTE radio communication transmissions later revealed that the seventeen (17) LTTE cadres have been killed in the confrontation.

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http://www.navy.lk/index.php?id=552

Sri Lanka bans TRO

The Government has decided to proscribe the Tamil Rehabilitation Organisation (TRO) whose bank accounts were frozen by the Central Bank of Sri Lanka last year (2006).

This decision was taken by the Cabinet of Ministers following the findings of TRO links with the LTTE terrorist group.

The United States last week froze TRO assets accusing the organization which has raised funds on behalf of the LTTE through a network of individual representatives. "According to sources within the organization, the TRO is the preferred conduit of funds from the United States to the LTTE in Sri Lanka." U.S. Department of the Treasury announced.

The TRO under guise of a charity organization collected and directed funds to the LTTE for procurement operations. Those operations included the purchase of ammunitions, equipment, communication devices, and other technology for the LTTE.

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http://www.defence.lk/new.asp?fname=20071122_05