LTTE terrorists triggered off a road side claymore mine targeting the night mail train which carrying hundreds of civilians in Kantale around 8.45 p.m today (December 18).
According to the available information explosion hit the engine of the train which was plying from Trincomalee to Colombo defence sources said .
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http://defence.lk/new.asp?fname=20071218_11
Accusing Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi of directly supporting the LTTE, AIADMK chief Jayalalithaa on Tuesday asked the Centre to take stern action against him for having ''facilitated the release of an LTTE supporter'' on bail.
Her charge comes at a time when Karunanidhi is visiting New Delhi to take part in the Chief Ministers Conference on Internal Security on December 20.
''On a tip-off from central agencies, one Vanniyarasu, belonging to ruling DMK's ally Viduthalai Chiruthaigal (VC), was arrested by police for allegedly supplying boats to the banned outfit,'' she said in a statement.
Within few hours of the news got spread, VC Chief Thol Tirumavalavan called on Karunanidhi and Vanniyarasu was released on bail on the same day, she claimed.
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Nearly 30,000 people in eastern Sri Lanka have been displaced by floods caused by incessant rains over the weekend, disaster relief officials said here Monday.
Most affected were people from the Ampara district where 22,339 people from 5,824 families were displaced, officials said.
In the Batticoloa district, about 1,500 families have been relocated to schools due to flooding, officials said, adding that most of them are those living in camps after being displaced by the conflict between government troops and Tamil Tiger rebels.
Some of the main motorways in the east are impassable while some paddy fields have gone under water, said the police.
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http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2007-12/18/content_7269657.htm
Philippe Duamelle, the Country Representative of the United Nation's Children's Fund (UNICEF) was called in to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday to express concern over his recent visit to Kilinochchi and his meeting with LTTE leaders.
Foreign Secretary Dr. Palitha Kohona emphasised that the UNICEF had not followed the guidelines issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs when diplomats and high ranking officials sought to visit the uncleared areas in the Northern Province.
These guidelines which have been issued to ensure the safety and security of the visiting officials, require them to obtain prior clearance from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The Foreign Secretary conveyed to the UNICEF Country Representative that non-compliance with these guidelines was unacceptable given the propensity of the LTTE to exploit such visits for propaganda purposes.
Duamelle who assumed duties as the Country Representative of UNICEF in Sri Lanka in September this year, stated that, unfortunately, he was not familiar with the Foreign Ministry's guidelines. But he said he had consulted the Ministry of Defence.
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http://www.dailynews.lk/2007/12/18/news03.asp
Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse has said a political package for ending the 25-year-old ethnic conflict in the island nation will be put forward soon even as he warned the LTTE of a ban if it continues with attacks in the country.
''One or two more attacks, then we have no option,'' he said when asked by reporters if the government will ban the Tamil rebel outfit.
''(We will) have to ban. There is a limit to our patience,'' he told foreign journalists last night during a Christmas eve get-together at his residence here.
The President said he was awaiting the recommendations of the All Party Representative Committee (APRC), comprising members of various political parties, for making the proposals regarding a solution to the Tamil issue.
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Sri Lanka's largest bank the Bank of Ceylon (BoC) is planning to expand its India operations to attract more foreign investment to the country.
"The Bank of Ceylon is to diversify its operations in India and the UK to attract more foreign investment, especially for the capital markets in Sri Lanka," BoC Chairman Gamini Wickremasinghe has said.
Outlining new strategies of the bank Wickremasinghe said it will introduce new products and financial instruments for South Indian customers through its Chennai branch after fulfilling the conditions required by Indian authorities.
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