Ambassador Brattskar to visit Kilinochchi tomorrow

Norwegian Ambassador Hans Brattskar is to visit Kilinochchi tomorrow (11), to which the Sri Lankan Government has given its consent.

Peace Secretariat chief Professor Rajiva Wijesinghe speaking to the Government official website said that the Peace Secretariat received the request from Ambassador Brattskar yesterday afternoon (09).

“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Defence Ministry approved the request and the Operations Unit of the Peace Secretariat will be arranging the logistics,” Professor Wijesinghe added.

To ensure the security of the Diplomats it was brought in to an understanding that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs need to be informed and approval taken for such visits, aftermath the LTTE mortar attack targeting a group of Diplomats on an assessment visit of the rebuilding eastern sector, during late February this year at Batticaloa.

Ambassador Brattskar is expected to be holding discussions with the LTTE political section during his visit.

extracted from,
http://www.news.lk/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2866&Itemid=44

After Two Years, Lankan Officials Move in Rizana Case

A high-level Sri Lankan delegation led by Deputy Foreign Minister Hussein Bhaila will arrive here soon to make a personal appeal for clemency to the parents of an infant that died under the care of a Sri Lankan woman who came to Saudi Arabia after turning 17, allegedly with documents forged by the employment recruiter that gave a false date of birth.

“As a democratic country, we respect the laws of the host country,” Bhaila told Arab News. “However, we want to make a personal appeal to the parents to consider a pardon for this girl who had committed the murder when she was a minor.”

In May 2005, Rizana Nafeek was assigned to take care of a Saudi family’s infant child. After two weeks on the job, the child died under her care. The parents said that Rizana strangled the child to death.

Sri Lankan officials said that Rizana initially confessed to the crime while in custody, but that during the trial she explained that the confession — which was allegedly made shortly after her arrest at a police station with no translators (Rizana doesn’t speak Arabic) — was made under pressure of the moment.

Read more,
http://www.arabnews.com/?page=1&section=
0&article=98340&d=10&m=7&y=2007&pix=kingdom.jpg&category=Kingdom

Sydney man arrested in Tamil terror probe

A Sydney man is facing extradition to Melbourne after being charged with terrorism offences relating to alleged funding of the Tamil Tigers in Sri Lanka.

The 41-year-old man, arrested this morning, is the third Australian of Tamil origins to be charged with both being a member of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and giving the groups funds.

Extracted from,
http://news.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=277667&rss=yes

Sri Lanka Telecom call charges reduced

Sri Lanka Supreme Court today approved a proposal submitted by the Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (TRC) to reduce the fixed charge of the Sri Lanka Telecom (SLT) telephones.

The TRC proposal was allowed when a petition filed by the Lanka Consumers Association was taken for consideration today.

As a result, the fixed charge of the domestic telephone will be decreased from current Rs. 495 to Rs. 350 and the business telephone fixed charge will trim down to Rs. 950 from current Rs. 1250. SLT said that the reduction is 8.7%. The relevant billing is valid from January 01st this year.

Telephone call charges are also to be reduced accordingly.

Extracted from,
http://www.colombopage.com/archive_07/July9165820SL.html

Sea battle kills LTTE Intelligence leader and 9 others

The navy intercepted fleeing LTTE cadres killing a senior Sea Tiger Intelligence leader and nine others in a fierce fight which erupted in the seas off Pulmodai, defence sources said.

According to defence sources, LTTE communications intercepts revealed that senior sea Tiger Intelligence leader Neelan bearing LTTE ID card no: 0018 and nine other Sea Tigers were killed on Saturday in the sea battle between the Navy and the LTTE in Trincomalee.

Navy personnel operating north of Trincomalee on Saturday confronted a group of LTTE cadres suspected to be fleeing Thoppigala.

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http://www.news.lk/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2856&Itemid=44

Troops capture Tora Bora camp

Advancing government troops yesterday captured LTTE’s strategically important ‘Tora Bora’ camp of the Four-six base in Narakamulla west, a few miles away from Thoppigala, while the LTTE’s Eastern Mortar Leader was killed during the latest clashes in the area, a military official said.

He said the Tigers were now confined to about 50 to 60 square kilometers.

Meanwhile, the Air Force bombed three LTTE targets in the Thoppigala area yesterday afternoon.

A senior military official in the area said the ‘Tora Bora’ camp was one of the main Tiger training bases in the region.

“Commandos seized the strategically important training base, which had been in existence for several years training a large number of cadres,” the official said. The camp was captured after nearly 15 years.

Read more,
http://www.dailymirror.lk/2007/07/10/front/01.asp

Minor Sri Lankan Muslim Girl was sentenced to death by three Saudi judges on a confession under duress

Miss Rizana Nafeek , a 17 year old Muslim house maid from Sri Lanka has been sentenced to death by a Saudi Arabian court of three judges on a confession obtained under duress by the Saudi Arabian police, the girl has complained.

The poor Muslim girl had been sent to Saudi Arabia misstating her age by a crooked job agency that added six years to her age to make her a house maid to do household chores and her master wanted her to baby sit their four months old infant in addition to the other endless work, for which task she had been never trained, it has been also revealed.

The infant died while the teenager was bottle feeding the baby and the police coerced Nafeek to give a confession that she killed the baby, under which the three Saudi judges sentenced her to death, she has revealed, to Sri Lankan embassy officials.

Read more,
http://www.asiantribune.com/index.php?q=node/6463