Two suspected LTTE men arrested

Two suspected LTTE operatives from Sri Lanka were taken into custody from a coastal village near here today. Police said they arrested Mahendran alias Thilo (44) and Irudhayaraj alias Kokilan (42), hailing from Kilinochi and Mandaitirappu respectively, when they were moving around in a "suspicious" manner in Irumeni village.

Initial interrogation revealed that the duo had visited several places in Tamil Nadu, including Madurai, Salem and Coimbatore, allegedly shopping for some "sensitive material", police said.

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http://news.indiainfo.com/2007/12/22/0712220017_ltte.html

Sri Lanka aim to promote cricket in northern areas

Former Sri Lankan legspinner Somachandra de Silva has been appointed cricket advisor to the president of Sri Lanka, Mahinda Rajapakse, to develop and spread the game in the country's war-hit north and north-eastern regions.

The move was part of the president's initiative to try and increase the representation of players of Tamil-speaking origin in the national team.

de Silva, who played 12 Tests for Sri Lanka and captained in two of them, was appointed on the basis of his experience in coaching school teams in Sri Lanka and England.

Rajapakse was keen on tapping into the talent at the school level in these parts, where no first-class cricket is played.

The Sri Lankan side currently has one player of Tamil origin in offspinner Muttiah Muralitharan, who recently broke the world record for most wickets in Tests.

A vast majority of the players hail from the southern and central parts of the country and the same regions regularly host international games.

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http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/22122007/28/sri-lanka-aim-promote-

Sri Lanka: Hybrid coconut variety introduced in N'Eliya district

The Government plans to increase coconut export earnings from Rs. 18 billion to Rs. 50 billion within five years, said Plantations Minister D.M. Jayaratne. Jayaratne was speaking at the launch of the coconut planting campaign in the Nuwara Eliya district which is being undertaken for the first time.

A hybrid coconut variety developed by the Coconut Research Institute to suit the climatic conditions of Nuwara Eliya was planted in Haggala and Victoria Gardens on an experimental basis by Plantations Minister D.M. Jayaratne and Sports and Recreation Minister Gamini Lokuge. China provided necessary coconut genes for this purpose.

CRI officials sought Chinese assistance to develop a coconut variety after inspecting the coconut cultivation in Haina island in China where the temperature is below 5 Celsius. He said the people should actively be involved in the Government's campaign to transfer Sri Lanka into a verdant country.

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http://www.freshplaza.com/news_detail.asp?id=13404

India to be major player in Sri Lankan oil exploration

India will be a key player in the Sri Lankan oil and gas exploration in the Cauvery Bay of the Gulf of Mannar which is set to begin in March next year.

As many as 18 oil and 11 gas reserves have been identified on the Indian side of Cauvery Bay and exploration will begin in March next year, Media Minister Anura Priyadharshana Yapa told reporters yesterday.

Experts estimate the sites may contain millions of barrels of crude oil for which both India and China are competing for overseas oil and gas reserves to meet soaring energy demand.

The international arm of the Oil and Natural Gas Corporation, OVL Ltd, paid one million dollars to Norwegian seismic survey group - TGS NOPE - a few weeks ago for acquiring data in the Mannar Offshore Basin in Sri Lanka, according to Sri Lankan petroleum ministry officials.

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http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/Oil__Gas/India_to_be_major_player_in_S

Sri Lanka vs. Hillary Clinton

Hillary hasn’t managed to wait until taking her part-time husbands old job before creating a major foreign policy incident.

The Ministry of Defence of Sri Lanka is incensed with the Clinton campaign because they are working with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). The LTTE are more popularly known as the “Tamil Tigers.”

The LTTE are #24 on the official U.S. State Department list of Foreign Terrorist Organizations.

The Sri Lankan Ministry of Defence has published a statement on their web site outlining their charges against Mrs. Clinton’s campaign: LTTE Heavily Involved In Fund Raising For Hilary Clinton In New Jersey.

The Tamil Tigers no doubt hope to influence U.S. foreign policy in the event that Mrs. Clinton is elected President.

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http://www.fortliberty.org/blog/sri-lanka-vs-hillary-clinton.html

Political package for solving Tamil problem soon: Rajapaksa

Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa 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.

"As soon as the APRC recommendations are submitted, I will immediately go ahead with the proposals," Rajapaksa said while refusing to give the exact time period before which the suggestions would be placed by the committee.

"It will be done soon. They are working on it," he said.

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http://www.zeenews.com/znnew/articles.asp?rep=2&aid=414072&sid

Rajapaksa agrees to make 'province' unit of devolution in Sri Lanka

In a significant move that could help bridge the ethnic divide in Sri Lanka and lead to a lasting political settlement of the Tamil question, President Mahinda Rajapaksa has agreed to make the 'province' the unit of devolution instead of the 'district', as proposed by his own Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) earlier.

'The President has agreed to make the province the unit of devolution,' moderate Tamil leader and government minister K.N.Douglas Devananda told foreign correspondents in an interaction here Thursday night.

The ruling SLFP's proposal to make the 'district' the unit of devolution instead of the 'province' had dismayed the Tamils, including the most moderate, because the community had been struggling for the past 60 years for a federal constitution in which a Tamil speaking northeastern province would enjoy a reasonable degree of autonomy.

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http://www.indiaenews.com/srilanka/20071221/87390.htm

Lankans in Paris protest over UNESCO DG’s statement

A large number of Sri Lankans in France held a demonstration opposite the UNESCO headquarters in Paris last afternoon to protest against the statement made by UNESCO Director General Koichiro Matsuura condemning the air strike on the LTTE radio station, Voice of Tigers (VoT).

Coordinator of the protest, Manel Gunawardane of the French Committee of the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) handed over a letter addressed to Matsuura demanding immediate retraction of his statement.

The letter was accepted by the Deputy Security Chief of UNESCO.

Braving the bitter winter cold winds, many Sri Lankans in Paris - Sinhalese and Tamils -continued the two hour long protest until the employees left the UNESCO headquarters late afternoon.

The “UNESCO DG has no business in interfering in our legitimate right to fight terrorism, Gunawardane said.

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http://www.dailynews.lk/2007/12/21/news02.asp

LTTE chief Prabhakaran should be killed: Devananda

Sri Lankan Minister and Tamil politician Douglas Devananda has advocated the killing of LTTE chief V Prabhakaran saying a political solution to the 25- year-old ethnic conflict was not possible till he is alive.

"Till Prabahakaran is alive, the LTTE will not agree to a political solution. He should be killed. Devananda, leader of the Eelam People's Democratic Front, told foreign journalists here.

"He wants piece (of Sri Lankan territory) and not peace. Ninety per cent of the people in Wanni (rebel-held) area hate him," he said.

The Social Services and Social Welfare minister said another option to bring around the LTTE was to initiate the peace process and compel them to join in for the fear of being left out.

"President Mahinda Rajapaksa has agreed to initiate the political process for resolving the conflict soon and talks will be initiated in this regard," he said, adding moves are afoot to revive the provincial council by fully implementing the 13th amendment.

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http://www.ptinews.com/pti%5Cptisite.nsf/0/FE184BE3E8781B55652573B

LTTE trying to smuggle out injured Prabhakaran: Report

The LTTE is trying to sneak its leader Velupillai Prabhakaran out of Sri Lanka for treatment abroad following severe injuries he is said to have sustained in an air raid last month, a government-owned newspaper claimed on Friday.

The Daily News also claimed that 116 of the 200 guards protecting the LTTE Supremo had died in the recent attack by the Sri Lankan Air Force, in which Prabhakaran was said to have been injured.

The LTTE, which has denied reports of injury to Prabhakaran, could not be contacted for its comments on the latest Daily News claim.

A senior Defence Ministry official said that since intelligence reports have "confirmed" that Prabhakaran sustained injuries on November 26, there could be an attempt by the Tiger leader to go to India for treatment if the medical facilities in Killinocchi or Mullaithivu were not sufficient to treat him.

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http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/World/Rest_of_World/LTTE_trying_to_smuggle_out_

Lanka confirms LTTE chief hurt

The Sri Lankan government has confirmed a media report that Tamil Tiger chief Velupillai Prabhakaran was injured in an air raid late last month.

The Media Centre for National Security (MCNS) website said that Prabhakaran was injured when the Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) hit the bunker complex at Jayanthinagar in Kilinochchi at 5.25 pm in the last week of November.

The government said the SLAF had specifically targeted Prabhakaran on the basis of intelligence that he would be at the Jayanthinagar complex, which he visited frequently.

On why the event was not publicised, the government said that although the air force believed the Tiger chief had been hit it could not be confirmed by ground intelligence.

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http://www.mumbaimirror.com/net/mmpaper.aspx?

India, Lanka to co-produce Sinhala film

In a bid to boost ties further between the two countries, National Film Corporation of Sri Lanka has entered into an agreement with India's Gemini Film Corporation to co-produce a Sinhala film, Sanda Diya Salu .

"This is a historic occasion and Sri Lanka would immensely benefit from the move as it creates a platform to gain from India's expertise in the film industry," Minister of Cultural Affairs Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena said at the inauguration ceremony on Thursday.

The film to be directed by Channa Perera will be dubbed in Tamil and Telugu.

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http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/News/News_By_Industry/Media__Entertainment_/

British press hammers 'spineless' England

After a dismal performance at the crease in Galle overnight, Sri Lanka, England's cricketers will not want to eye the British newspapers.

England was bowled out for just 81 in the final match in the three-Test series.

Described as "pathetic" and "spineless", England were blasted in Friday morning's editions with one commentator writing that "as someone once famously put it, England had only three problems: they could not bat, bowl or field".

Sri Lanka captain Mahela Jayawardene hit an unbeaten 213 and Chaminda Vaas ripped through the top order to leave England, trailing 0-1 in the series, in tatters after the rain-hit third day.

Left-armer Vaas followed his 90 in Sri Lanka's 8 for 499 (declared) with four wickets as England collapsed in just 30.5 overs and were forced to follow-on 418 runs behind.

England's total fell well below their previous innings low against Sri Lanka of 148 in Colombo on the previous tour in 2003.

Read more,
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2007/12/21/