LTTE gearing up for battle - Demands one kid from each family

Reports from LTTE controlled areas reveal that the LTTE is on a fervent campaign to forcibly draft Tamil youth to fight the Sri Lankan government forces.

The campaign called on every family in the LTTE controlled areas to give one child – regardless of age - to ensure security for the family. According to the reports, the children of parents who fail to comply will be abducted while the parents risk being murdered.

LTTE is said to be preparing for an all-out offensive to win land that was they have lost in the recent months to Sri Lankan forces.

Read more,
http://www.lankawatch.com/2007/05/ltte-gearing-up-for-battle-demands-one.html

Sri Lanka state banks, CEB to get new chairmen

Sri Lanka's Bank of Ceylon, Peoples' Bank and Ceylon Electricity Board is to get new chairmen, a senior presidential aide told LBO.

Gamini Wickremesinghe, the current Chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission would head the Bank of Ceylon, replacing Udayasri Kariyawasam who would be appointed as chairman of the Ceylon Electricity Board.

The current CEB chairman, W S Perera would be the new director general of the Public Enterprises Reform Commission.

Read more,
http://www.lankabusinessonline.com/fullstory.php?newsID=
662075576&no_view=1&SEARCH_TERM=2

President leaves for Jordan to attend G-11 summit

Sri Lanka President Mahinda Rajapaksa left for Jordan today on an official tour to attend the second G-11 Summit as well as the World Economic Forum (WEF) on the Middle East.

A delegation of 125 businessmen and Ministers including Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama also joined the President today in a special Mihin Air flight to Jordan.

The President will participate in the World Economic Forum on the Middle East World Economic Forum to be held in the King Hussein Conference Centre tomorrow. King Abdullah of Jordan will host the event from May 18-20 at the Dead Sea.

The President will also address the conference of the G-11 countries.

Read more,
http://www.colombopage.com/archive_07/May17142721SL.html

Heavy Tiger shelling in northern Sri Lanka forces ICRC to withdraw

Heavy mortar fire by the Tamil Tiger rebels in the Omanthai area in Vavuniya this morning forced the ICRC representatives at the Omanthai entry/exit point to withdraw, defense officials said.

Military sources said the Tigers have launched intermittent mortar attacks from early morning today forcing the authorities to temporarily close the Omanthai entry/exit point to civilian traffic.

With the LTTE attacks, the military had to close the checkpoint at about 11.45 a.m today, a military official said.

“Departure of the ICRC point officials forced the Security Forces to immediately close down the vital link-way as a security measure without risking the lives of Kilinochchi bound civilians and the traffic,” he added.

Read more,
http://www.colombopage.com/archive_07/May17150351JV.html

Maldives navy sinks LTTE boat and arrests 5

The Maldivian Navy fired at a LTTE boat carrying arms and ammunition off the Maldivian waters and sunk it. Five LTTE cadres were arrested by the Maldivian authorities. The LTTE cadres have acknowledged that the boat was carrying guns and mortars.

The Maldivian naval boats have noticed the LTTE boat last night and signaled it to stop for inspection. When the 75-foot boat refused to stop, the naval craft has fired warning shots.

When the LTTE boat turned around and attempted to run away, the Maldivian naval craft fired at it. It was sunk early hours of this morning. Five persons jumped out of the sinking boat and the Maldivian naval craft arrested them. They admitted that they were LTTE cadres and they were ferrying arms.

Extracted from,
http://www.news.lk/index.php?option=
com_content&task=view&id=2391&Itemid=44

Read more,
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/SP79133.htm

Another militant Tamil group to carry arms against LTTE in Sri Lanka

EROS, an anti-Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) group has announced that section of its members will carry arms for their own protection and prevent human rights violations like “the intimidation and forceful recruitment of children and adults”.

“Our armed wing will remain in operation until the day the LTTE decides to disarm and hand-over all their weapons to the authorities,” the Eelam Revolutionary Organization of Students said in a press statement published in a website called Tamil affairs .com

According to the press statement it will be the second group of militants who will be carrying arms against the LTTE. The TMVP or Karuna faction is already carrying arms against the LTTE.

Read more,

http://lankapage.wordpress.com/2007/05/17/

another-militant-tamil-group-to-carry-arms-against-ltte-in-sri-lanka/

and

http://tamilaffairs.com/node/231

Read about EROS in wikipedia,

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eelam_Revolutionary_Organisation_of_Students