The editors of this blog fetch latest news from various websites in internet with respect to Sri Lanka and then publish in here.The news are chosen by the editors on their point of view, Hence this blog is not a unbiased news reporting service.
A bomb had been exploded in the Olcot Mawatha, Pettah in Colombo around 12.15 p.m today, 30 August.
The Director of the the National hospital Colombo, Dr Hector Weerasinha said that 43 people suffered injuries were admitted to the hospital. Few of the victims who suffered severe injuries were already taken for immediate surgeries.
ONE HUNDRED and twenty-two soldiers attached to HENANIGALA Army camp in DEHIATTAKANDIYA were admitted to DEHIATTAKANDIYA hospital this morning (28) following a history of food Poisoning.
Reports said soldiers after consumption of their breakfast with fish have developed vomiting and fainting due to reasons still to be investigated.
All 122 soldiers in hospital are reportedly out of danger but the medical experts maintain it would take some time for full recovery. A sample of the food is to be referred to the government analyst and the Medical Research Institute in Colombo 8 for further investigations.
LTTE terrorist have carried out an abortive air raid attempt at the naval base Trincomalee short while ago. According to the available information, the terror aircraft have dropped two improvised bombs.
Prime Minister Ratnasiri Wickremanayake yesterday said that as far as the Government is concerned there are no chemical weapons or any other weapons of mass destruction in the country.
Expressing his doubts on whether the LTTE has chemical weapons, he said he was certain of one thing, and that was, that the LTTE is on its last legs. "Our security forces have cornered them in their holes in a stretch of wilderness in the North of the country. We expect to be soon rid of this menace, weapons and all, but life must go on and people must always be alert," the Prime Minister said inaugurating Regional meeting of Asian Parliamentarians to discuss the National Implementation of the Chemical Weapons Convention in Colombo where he was the Chief Guest.
"There is no harm in talking about such things, to be aware, and to guard against possible evil intentions harboured by others now, or in the future," he said.
As described by the CIA, LTTE is the most ruthless terrorist organisation in the world. "We have to be prepared and alert."
He stressed the need for all countries in the region to cooperate in combating the menace of terrorism as it is a scourge that afflicts and threatens all of us.
A new form of terror-created “humanitarian catastrophe,” unfolding in the Wanni, as valiant members of the Armed Forces are making rapid strides on west of A-9 road and elsewhere in Mullaittivu and Kilinochchi districts, appears to have gone unnoticed to terror sympathisers, both here and abroad.
Many harrowing tales, emanating from hundreds of Wanni based “captives” speak louder and clearer, as those forcefully ejected innocent civilians are virtually held incommunicado facing Hobson’s Choice.
Tiger terrorist concentrations, now in a state of utter disorganisation and panic with more and more hurriedly picked terrorist reinforcements being sent to Thunukkai and Nachchikuda areas, pulling out most from Puthukkudiyiruppu and Kilinochchi uncleared areas, including those used by Tigers as “Tiger police traffic” men and women, have begun to mobilise Wanni civilians to be used as “human shields” since their manpower resources are fast thinning out.
On the diktats of Tiger area leaders, hundreds of civilians resident in areas such as Nedunkerny, Chemmalai, Alampil, Nayaru between Puliyankulam and Mankulam and also the public in Vallaipadu, Jayapuram and Kiranchi areas were reportedly fleeing towards Oddusudan and Puthukkudiyiruppu areas and Akkarayan areas respectively, though many of those trapped civilians insisted on entering cleared areas under the Government control.
Tigers are reportedly busy simultaneously enlisting civilians as well as LTTE prisoners, convicted for minor offences for fresh deployments, as other LTTE deserters who were kept detained after arrests, are also being moved to Welioya area after issuing “do or die” threats on them.
TROOPS OF THE 59 Division in WELIOYA, making further milestones in their forward march brought another eight hundred meter (800m) long stretch of land under their control from the TANNIMURIPPUKULAM tank bund, about 9.5 km to the north East of NADUNKERNI Monday (25) afternoon.
In their valiant march, troops attacked Tiger positions and smashed them on their way before the land strip was captured. At least eight terrorists were confirmed killed and eleven more badly wounded, ground sources said.
Troops following the overrunning, recovered two terrorist dead bodies and one T-56 weapon from the captured area.
Troops are now in the process of removing booby traps while dominating the area.
Sri Lanka has assured India that there will be no firing by the Sri Lankan Navy on Indian fishermen hereafter, M.K. Narayanan, National Security Adviser, said on Monday.
In the event of arrest of the fishermen, they would be released in the “shortest possible time.” They would be given “humanitarian treatment as far as possible,” and there would be no “maltreatment” of the Indian fishermen, Mr. Narayanan told journalists, emerging from a 40-minute-long meeting with Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi and senior officials of the State government at the Secretariat.
Describing as “positive understanding” the outcome of discussions at bilateral meetings between India and Sri Lanka early this month prior to the summit of the South Asian Association of Regional Cooperation, Mr. Narayanan said that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in his meeting with Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa went into great detail on each of the points raised by the Chief Minister in his letter to Dr. Singh and personal discussions with him.
On the basis of the discussions, a “tentative understanding” was reached, he said.
Army Commander Lt. General Sarath Fonseka yesterday said that Kilinochchi will certainly be the next target of the Security Forces as all the gates were opened for Wanni and Kilinochchi liberation with the regaining of Thunukkai and Uyilankulam, two of the most tactically important towns west of Mullaitivu district.
“Mallavi located just two kilometres east of Thunukkai will also fall very soon with the capture of Thunukkai,” Army Commander Lt. General Fonseka told the Daily News last night.
Currently troops are operating just two Kilometres southwest of Mallavi. Thunukkai and Mallavi are among the most favoured hideouts of the Tiger leader Prabhakaran as these two towns provide much needed luxurious facilities for his clandestine life.
“The Security Forces will be in a much advantageous position in the Wanni liberation once we capture both Thunukkai and Mallavi towns. Troops can either move towards Mullaitivu, Kilinochchi or towards Omanthai,” the Commander added.
The Army Commander said the Security Forces have so far have performed exceptionally well in the liberation of Wanni and the North and added that they will be able to achieve the next steps of liberation of the North very soon fulfilling the hopes and aspirations of the Government and also of patriotic citizens.
The LTTE yesterday abandoned Tunukkai on the Vanni front as the army brought the strategically important area west of the A9 road under its control.
The withdrawal came after three weeks of fierce fighting between the 57 Division and LTTE units spearheaded by the elite Charles Anthony ‘Brigade.’ The SLAF over the past few weeks engaged a range of LTTE targets in the area to facilitate the ground assault. The elite Special Forces troops assigned to the 57 Command had played a pivotal role in the fightng, the military said. The military acknowledged that the battle for Tunukkai had the toughest confrontation faced by the 57 Division commanded by Major General Jagath Dias in the recent past.
After failing to breakthrough LTTE positions south of Tunukkai, the army on Thursday had pushed towards the town from their positions west and north of the town situated halfway along the Mankulam-Vellankulam road.
The 57 Division had secured Madhu, Palampiddi, Mundumurippu, Periyamadhu, Naddakandal, Chiradikkulam and Kalvilan areas before its latest success..
Army headquarters said that ground operations on the western front had reached a critical stage with troops taking a commanding position against LTTE fortifications along the A9 road between Omanthai and Mankulam.
Senior military officials said the Task Force I on the Kilinochchi front, 57 Division on the Mullaitivu front and Task Force II advancing northwards on the right flank of the 57 Division and west of the A9, had taken the upper hand in the overall campaign in the Vanni west.
THE MUCH-TALKED TERRORIST stronghold, TUNUKKAI, about 20 km west of MANKULAM, one more central connecting village, UYILANKULAM, and also the southern edge of the AKKARAYANKULAM tank, about 12 km to the southwest of KILINOCHCHI town centre were finally brought under government troops as dawn fell on Friday (22) bringing a humiliating defeat for the terror outfit that has been ranked as the most ruthless, the Army Headquarters announced.
This is the first time in the history of the so-called “Eelam War” Sri Lankan troops dominated these areas striking a major blow to the LTTE terrorist outfit which has murdered thousands of innocent civilians, politicians, democrats, intellectuals, statesmen, members of the Armed Forces and the Police.
Agriculturally-rich TUNUKKAI, one of the nerve centres of Tiger outfit was serving as a major administrative hub responsible for coordination of all Sea Tiger attacks, deployment of LTTE terrorists, distribution of armaments, planning of clandestine operations, abduction and evacuation of civilians from different venues, etc for the past few years. This terrorist stronghold became busily operational after the recent fall of notoriously famous Sea Tiger base, VIDATTALTTIVU which was earlier regarded as a “no-entry zone” by Tigers.
UYILANKULAM, another farming village that lies between the southern edge of the AKKARAYANKULAM tank was also dominated by Tigers. It functioned as a secret transit location for their operations, since it is situated quite close to their administrative financial hub, KILINOCHCHI and other important locations.
Sri Lanka Air Force fighter jets pounded LTTE logistic base located at Vishwamadu in Mullaittiuvu District this morning, 22 August.
Air Force spokesperson, Wing Commander Janaka Nanayakkara speaking to defence.lk said that the targeted LTTE base was identified as one of the main LTTE's logistic facilities containing vehicle spare parts and other combat items adding that it is located in general area Dharmapuram, 5Km north of Vishwamadu tank in Mullaittiuvu district.
The air sorties were carried out around 9.30 AM and the Air Force confirmed that targeted LTTE base was destroyed completely.
Meanwhile, SLAF MI-24 helicopters launched an air raid targeting the LTTE defence line located 17 Km north-west of Thunukkai in general area south of Wannerikulam tank, Kilinochchi District around 6.30 AM today. The air bombardment carried out in support of ground troops of Task Force 1 advancing northwards in Wanni liberating offensive, Air Force spokesperson added.
Accessories used to assemble suicide jackets were found hidden in the premises of a Catholic church in Olcott Mawatha in Pettah, by the security forces this morning, (22), Ministry of Defence said.
The recovery was made on information provided by a civilian around 8.50 am. The materials included detonators, switches and a few other items that had been concealed inside the St. Phillip Nerish Church in Pettah, in Colombo.
These items also included five remote antennas.
Meanwhile Kandy Police conducting a search operation on a tip off have uncovered a bomb weighing around 1 kg from the Balagolla area, a suburb in Kandy.
The bomb, containing gelignite sticks and C-4 high explosive, had been hidden in a sand mound near a privately owned residence in the Balagolla area, sources said.
The Army bomb disposal team later defused the bomb, sources added.
Sri Lanka government today accused the LTTE of conscripting civilians to fight the troops advancing into the Tiger controlled areas as their numbers dwindle due to the fighting.
The government said the LTTE leadership has directed their cadres to forcibly conscript civilians who had no battle training and use them as a buffer between the LTTE and the troops marching into the terrorist stronghold in the Wanni.
The government further said “the LTTE seeks to use civilians as a human shield so that in the event of casualties the organization can plead to what has been a largely unsympathetic world that there is a 'humanitarian catastrophe'.”
The human rights group, Amnesty International, recently slammed the LTTE for breaking international law by using civilians as a buffer against government forces.
Human right groups and the United Nations have repeatedly accused the Tigers of recruiting child soldiers and sending them to the frontlines.
