Sri Lanka police use tear gas to quell student demonstration

Sri Lankan police in the capital Colombo on Monday used water cannon and tear gas to quell a demonstration by university students highlighting student grievances.

Danushka Kumarasinghe, the spokesman for the students said that they were planning to hand over a communique outlining six grievances to the authorities. One of the demands was to restore drinking water supply to the university building. Protesting students claimed that four of them were injured while one of them was arrested by the police.

The students of the Rajarata University in the north central town of Anuradhapura arrived in the capital Colombo to walk to the offices of the University Grants Commission in Ward Place in Central Colombo.

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http://english.people.com.cn/90001/90777/6227444.html
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LTTE Calls for Blood Donations in the Wanni

The defence ministry said yesterday (29) that the LTTE had ordered each family in the Wanni to donate two pints of blood to the outfit, following a recent air raid on their ‘Senkadeer’ Sea Tiger base in Alampil, Mullativu.

The ministry in a statement said that the LTTE’s intercepted radio communications revealed that the Sea Tiger base had been almost destroyed due to the air raids and that it rarely ordered every family to give blood on a single occasion and that this indicated a large number of casualties due to the air raid.

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Postal service paralyzed in Sri Lanka as postal workers report sick

A section of the Sri Lanka postal department workers stayed away from work from early morning today reporting sick leave. The operations of many post offices were paralyzed as a result of the trade union action.

A spokesperson of the Postal Service Union said that the postal workers around the country have joined this strike against privatization and alleged corruption in the postal department and the the aim of the trade union action is to urge the authorities to pay attention to the malpractices in the department.

The spokesman said the government had granted permission to private companies to deliver mail, in what amounted to a de facto privatization campaign. The government however has said it has no plans to privatize any state institution.

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http://www.colombopage.com/archive_07/July30134559SL.html

Missing homeguard returns but police doubt his tale

One of the homeguards from Tantirimale who went missing after they went to pick herbs from the Wilapattu reserve forest on Thursday, returned home yesterday and had related a tale of how the two homeguards were captured by the LTTE from whom he escaped later.

However Tantirimale police OIC Chief Inspector Dhammika Bandara Hapugoda said that the police had doubts about his statement and is further questioning him.

The two homeguards - 50 year old Chulapadma and 46 year old Jayaweera were residents of the Kosbewa hamlet in Tantirimale. Jayaweera returned home yesterday afternoon

According to police the two homeguards had gone to the forest to pick herbs while they were off duty and therefore did not carry any firearms. The two who went to the forest at round 5 p.m. on Thursday had not returned to their homes even by next morning and the family members had alerted the police.

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http://www.dailymirror.lk/2007/07/30/front/06.asp

Malwatte Mahanayake Thero snubs –storm is gathering for Ranil in his political horizon

Sri Lanka’s foremost Buddhist monk, the Head of the Malwatte Chapter of the Siamese Sect, regretted the recent statement made by Ranil Wickremesinghe, leader of the United National Party, calling Buddhist monks ‘a corrupt company or “Dussila Samagama” and said no service could be expected out of such leaders to the country, the religion and the Buddhist monks in the future.’

“Some leaders who do not know the value of Buddhist monks over a simple matter, publicly call Buddhist monks a “Dussila Samagama” and I regret such words being used against the Buddhist monks,” said the most Venerable Thibbotuwawe Sri Sumangala, head of the Malwatte Chapter of the Siyam Nikaya in an obvious reference to Ranil Wickremesinghe.

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Live telecast of Kandy perahera to 17 countries

Sri Lanka’s biggest Cultural pageant, the World renowned Kandy Esela Perahera is to be telecast live in 17 countries through Satellite, Intel sat-60.

The Ministry of Tourism has taken this initiative in a bid to boost tourism and to portray the rich cultural heritage of Sri Lanka to the world.

The live telecast would be shown in Japan, Italy, Australia, Taiwan, Tailand, South Korea, India etc. In addition Ministry sources said that there was a possibility of live coverage being carried out in the UK and USA too.

Deputy Minister of Tourism Faizer Musthapa undertook a tour of Kandy recently to discuss many developments and ideas to promote foreign and domestic tourism in the hill capital where he met all relevant sectors and vowed to make Kandy a happening place during the festive season.

The Deputy Minister said that he intended to promote Kandy as a viable destination for both local and foreign tourists.

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http://www.dailynews.lk/2007/07/30/news21.asp

Ranil's last gamble: jumping from the frying pan into the fire

At the end of the day, there is no way in which anyone take away from Ranil Wickremesinghe his three major attributes:
1) his insensitive capacity to sell the nation to its enemies in the name of peace which he can't win with appeasement

2) his proven ability to run down his party until only he is left holding the fort and

3) his knack of picking the wrong political partners and issues in the mistaken belief of saving himself, irrespective of what happens to the UNP or the nation.

If you add up all three it amounts to committing political suicide. And he has done it so many times that he now stands out as the nearest thing to a dead man walking.

His failures are legion and in any other democracy he would have resigned and faded out of public life.

But he clings on to the wobbly presidential chair of the UNP promising to take over power tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow which never comes. These promises are essentially to prevent his backbenchers from crossing over. But his frontbenchers and backbenchers have seen through him and they have deserted him. The last remaining talent is K. N. Choksy and he too has decided to leave him sooner or later.

On top of all this comes the news that Tilak Karunaratne, the UNP Treasurer, has resigned citing Wickremesinghe's latest gaffes of belittling Thoppigala and attacking Buddhist monks. The outstanding quality of any leader is to solve problems.

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http://www.sundayobserver.lk/2007/07/29/fea03.asp

ECB officials satisfied with security arrangements

An England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) delegation comprising England cricket director John Carr and security manager Reg Dickson are presently in Sri Lanka making a security assessment ahead of England's tour of Sri Lanka, which starts in the final week of September.

Sri Lanka Cricket tour organizing committee chairman Shibley Vilcassim said the delegation had expressed great satisfaction over the security arrangements made for the tour. "We had a meeting at the SLC headquarters on Friday where they met representatives of the bomb squad, Sri Lanka Army, Ministry Security Division (MSD) and SSPs of all regional police stations where the matches are to be played."

The delegation also visited the match venues and hotels where the England team will be staying. The matches are scheduled to be played in Colombo (SSC and R. Premadasa Stadium), Dambulla, Kandy and Galle.

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http://content-usa.cricinfo.com/australia/content/current/story/304166.html

No Clemency From Family in Rizana Case

A top level Sri Lankan delegation led by Deputy Foreign Minister Hussein Bhaila leaves the Kingdom today after meeting with several Saudi officials to seek clemency for a young Sri Lankan woman who was found guilty of murdering an infant child, opening the way for her to be publicly beheaded.

The woman, who was 17 at the time she came to the Kingdom to work in 2005 as a housemaid for a Saudi family near Riyadh, claims the four-month-old baby she was told to care for accidentally choked to death. The death occurred on the maid’s second week on the job.

Rizana Nafeek was found guilty of murder rather than accidental death on June 16 by a panel of three judges. Earlier this month the Sri Lankan mission in Saudi Arabia succeeded in filing a last-minute appeal, which has temporarily put execution off the table pending the outcome of the Cassation Court trial.

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=99059&d=29&m=7&y=2007&pix=kingdom.jpg&category=Kingdom

Navy destroys two LTTE boats and kills 6 sea tigers - Wedithalathive

Two LTTE boats have been destroyed and six sea tigers were killed by the Naval patrol craft in 10Nm west of Wedithalathive at 4:30 p.m. today, July 28.

According to the available information these two LTTE boats were disguised among the cluster of Indian fishing boats and have moved away from the cluster and headed towards west of Wedithalathive as the naval patrol craft reaching towards the cluster of fishing boats.

LTTE cadres onboard have fired Rocket Propeller Grenades (RPG) and using small arms at the naval patrol craft and both LTTE boats were completely destroyed and sunk due to the retaliation, naval sources said.

Naval sources further said that four LTTE cadres were onboard in one boat while two were in the other and all six LTTE cadres were killed due to the retaliation.

Extracted from,
http://www.defence.lk/new.asp?fname=20070728_06

Tilak K. steps down

UNP Treasurer Tilak Karunaratne yesterday resigned from all posts he held in the party protesting against alleged remarks made by the party leadership regarding the JHU monks and the Thoppigala military victory.

Mr. Karunaratne, a one time JHU strongman, sent his resignation to party leader Ranil Wickremesinghe announcing his resignation from the post of treasurer and from the Working Committee, Administrative Committee, Management Committee and the Religious Affairs Committee.It was also reported that he had problems with the party leadership regarding the appointment of organizers to Bandaragama and Panadura electorates, and the recent tie-up with the SLFP (Mahajana) wing.

Mr. Wickremesinghe’s last minute bid to prevent Mr. Karunaratne from resigning from the party failed despite a meeting between the two last evening.

Sources also said Mr.Karunaratne was to leave the country last night on a short holiday. Unconfirmed reports said Mr. Wickremesinghe had not yet accepted his resignation.

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http://www.dailymirror.lk/2007/07/28/front/1.asp

Anti-ceasefire application: Leave granted

The Supreme Court yesterday granted special leave for the applications filed by JHU, JVP and the Sinhala Maha Sabawa against the Court of Appeal order that rejected issuing notices on former Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, then Cabinet Ministers and LTTE leader Prabhakaran in connection with writ application filed challenging the signing of the Ceasefire Agreement between Ranil Wickremesinghe and LTTE.

The Supreme Court Bench comprised Chief Justice Sarath N. Silva (PC), Supreme Court Justice Andrew M. Somawansa and Supreme Court Justice Jagath Balapatabendi.

JHU, JVP and the Sinhala Maha Sabawa filed a writ application before the Court of Appeal on March 4, 2002 challenging the signing of the Ceasefire Agreement between Wickremesinghe and the LTTE.

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http://www.dailynews.lk/2007/07/28/news23.asp

Time bomb diffused which has been timed to set off within 10 minutes at Delkanda

Police found a claymore type bomb which has been timed to set off within 10 minutes at Delkanda "Pola" (market) at 1.30 this afternoon. The police made this discovery when a vigilant civilian gave information to the Mirihana Police on the presence of a suspected parcel at the Market. The Army bomb disposal team has rushed to the location and diffused the bomb averting a major bloodbath.

According to the available information the bomb is weighing 8Kgs and has been made using C4 high explosives. Police said that the LTTE terrorists have planted the bomb targeting the innocent civilians.

Meanwhile, President Mahinda Rajapaksa is also scheduled arrive the area to participate for the public meeting of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party.

Extracted from,
http://www.defence.lk/new.asp?fname=20070722_03

Terrorist fantasy of Eelam shattered into smithereens with the liberation of the entire East by the forces – President Rajapaksa

President Mahinda Rajapaksa the liberation of the entire east from the clutches of the terrorists and announced that east would be developed under a the ‘Nagenahira Navodaya’ programme.

"It is the debunking of the myth of such an area of control, and the shattering into smithereens of the crowning terrorist fantasy of Eelam that our brave soldiers who captured Thoppigala have announced loud and clear to the entire world," he said.

President vowed to defend the independence gained by the people in the East after the province was liberated by the valiant soldiers from the cruel grip of terrorists.

Addressing the ‘Nagenahira Navodaya’ ceremony at the Independence Square this morning, he said that his government would never betray the victory achieved with much sacrifices not only by the armed forces but also the ordinary people who had face hardships in order to safeguard the rights of the people in the east.

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