Sri Lanka Latest News: 06/08/07

Friday, June 8, 2007

Sri Lanka raps police chief, invites Tamils back

Sri Lanka’s president Friday criticised his police chief for evicting hundreds of minority Tamils from the capital and ordered them to be brought back immediately, an official said.

President Mahinda Rajapakse demanded an explanation from police Inspector General Victor Perera for forcing Tamils out of their sleep and bussing them 260 kilometres (160 miles) north of Colombo to a detention centre.

‘The president has called for an explanation from the IGP,’ an official at the president’s office said. ‘He has also ordered measures to redress the injustices during yesterday’s police action.’

The presidential orders went out after the Supreme Court halted the evictions and the United States, akey ally of the government, led international condemnation of Thursday’s events.

Dead Bodies Found

The Wennappuwa police recovered 09 decomposed dead bodies near the DUMMALADENIYA Bridge in a thicket near LUNUWILA Road, WENNAPPUWA today (08) around 4.30 p.m.

WENNAPPUWA Police are conducting injuries.

Extracted from,
http://www.rnhit.com/mcns/fullnews.php?id=6159

India 'very friendly country', says Sri Lanka

Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ratnasiri Wickremanayake has described India as a "very friendly country" and said his government will never do anything that harms longstanding bilateral ties.

"India is our very friendly country. India is a country that has given us everything what we asked," he told parliament on Wednesday after an opposition MP accused the government of damaging relations with New Delhi.

"The government strongly maintains the close relationship between the two countries. We can never forget the assistance given to us by India," the state-run Daily News quoted the prime minister as saying. He added that the government had not taken any measure to weaken the friendly relationships with India and other neighbouring countries.

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No halting military operations until LTTE is wiped out; PM declares

Prime Minister Ratnasiri Wickramanayake ruled out the possibility of halting military operations against the LTTE until it is completely wiped out from the country.

Mr. Wickramanayake made this point at the inauguration of the work at Hambantota port yesterday. “We will maintain our right to carry out offensive measures against the LTTE when ever they strike even if we go for talks,” he pointed out.

The Prime Minister explained that the military struggle is not directed towards the Tamil people but against the LTTE who are trampling them by suppressing their rights. He said the government had given complete freedom to the forces and military experts to carry out the military operations. “We politicians do not interfere with the military operations and strategies,” the prime minister added indicating that there is no politics involved.

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http://www.dailymirror.lk/2007/06/08/news/01.asp

China, India eyeing Sri Lanka's phosphate deposit: Minister

China and India has expressed interest in Sri Lanka's rock phosphate deposits from which the government itself cannot make high grade fertilizer, a government minister told an economic forum in Colombo.

Sri Lanka's phosphate deposit in the north central region of Eppawela, has been a political hot potato for years, and attempts to develop it with a Western mining firm ran into stiff opposition.

"I have visited several Indian plants which have technology to add value to the rock phosphate, and China is also interested," Industrial Development Minister Kumar Welgama told an economic forum organized by the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce.

Welgama said the government itself was planning an 800 million rupee fertilizer plant that would make Single Super Phosphate (SSP) which was a low grade fertilizer.

Sri Lanka Cricket interviews possible coaches for the national team

John Wright was a possible candidate at first, but he ruled himself out as he was to take up coaching at the Australia’s Centre for Excellence in Brisbane. Now that he has pulled out of that appointment too, things might or might not change.

Other interested candidates included Jamie Siddons, Dave Houghton, Greg Shipperd, Terry Oliver, Trevor Bayliss and Graham Ford.

Siddons is assistant coach of the Australian team and a senior coach at the Center for Excellence in Brisbane. Houghton, the former Zimbabwe captain, is presently coaching Derbyshire. Shipperd is the coach of Victoria while Oliver had success coaching Queensland.

Baylisss made his mark as head coach of New South Wales and Ford who coaches Kent was a former coach of South Africa.

Over 4,000 English Cricket Fans To Arrive In Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka Cricket CEO Dulip Mendis said to media that 4,000 English tourists have already confirmed their visit to Sri Lanka to watch the one day and test series between England team and the home squad.

Sri Lanka expects a boost for the island's tourist industry that is severely affected by the travel warnings issued by the Western European countries due to the civil unrest in the country.

England one day team will arrive in Sri Lanka on 25th September and play five ODI matches in Dambulla and Colombo in October.

Dialog becomes Sri Lanka’s biggest investor

Sri Lanka’s most profitable, largest capitalised company and industry leader Dialog Telekom yesterday added another enviable achievement under its belt by becoming the single largest investment project in the country.

This distinction came by when the Dialog Telekom announced the signing of a landmark investment agreement with the Board of Investment (BOI) to invest a further US$ 300 million or Rs. 33 billion in telecom and media sectors in the next two years.

The latest commitment brought the total investment by Dialog in Sri Lanka to a staggering US$ 800 million or over Rs. 90 billion.Tan Sri Dato’ Ir Muhammad Radzi bin Haji Mansor Chairman of Dialog Telekom Ltd said that Sri Lanka is one of “our most compelling success stories outside Malaysia.

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http://www.dailymirror.lk/2007/06/08/ft/21.asp