Sri Lanka seeks expulsion of UNICEF staff: officials

The Sri Lankan government on Friday called for the expulsion of staff of the United Nations children's fund, accusing them of overstepping their legitimate functions, the foreign ministry said.

UNICEF country chief Phillipe Duamelle was called to the foreign ministry on Thursday, where officials "expressed serious concern" over the agency's participation at a public protest in June, the ministry said in a statement.

"The Country Representative was requested to take appropriate action against the staff members who participated in the demonstration including the withdrawal of the concerned international staff," the foreign ministry said.

The government also asked UNICEF to dismiss its local UNICEF staff who joined the demonstration outside the main railway station in Colombo, the ministry said.

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Sri Lanka Navy kills Seventeen LTTE Cadres and foils their Attack on Pesalai Police

In a bid of abortive attempt to attack the police, a cluster of few LTTE boats mingling with fishing boats, approached by sea towards the Pesalai Police in Mannar in the morning today (November 23rd) around 8.30.

On detection of the approaching LTTE craft, naval craft rushed to the location and chased away those boats with the augmented fire support extended by the ground troops.

One LTTE craft sustained damages in the brief confrontation that took place and it was towed by the fleeing LTTE boats towards the un-liberated area in Vedithaltievu.

Monitoring of LTTE radio communication transmissions later revealed that the seventeen (17) LTTE cadres have been killed in the confrontation.

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