Three Police personnel killed in LTTE attack- Thanamalwila

Three Police personnel a Sub- Inspector and two constables were shot dead by LTTE terrorists this evening (January 21) during a road picket at Aliwanguwa junction in Kithulkotte along the Thanamalwila- Monaragala road at 8.20.p.m, Thanamalwila Police said.

According to latest reports, the bodies of the slain Police personnel were brought to the general Hospital at Thanamalwila, while security forces tightened security in the area.

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http://www.defence.lk/new.asp?fname=20080121_08

Arrested LTTE Cadres in Chennai Reveals More

In a follow-up to the arrest of eight LTTE cadres including Nathan alias Suruli in Tamilnadu, the sleuths of State Intelligence wing have filed a petition at Alandur court today seeking one week police custody for interrogating the arrested.

And the petition is likely to be taken up for hearing on Tuesday.

It may be noted that Thambidurai Parameswaran who had been working with LTTE’s intelligence section infiltrated into India via Rameswaram last February and later moved to Chennai.

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http://lankaguardian.blogspot.com/2008/01/arrested-ltte-cadres-in-

Global concern over maritime security cripples LTTE

Heightened global and regional cooperation to increase maritime security is adversely affecting the fighting capabilities of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) on sea and land, military experts say.

"In naval terms, detection is more difficult than destruction and therefore, there is growing international cooperation for detection through arrangements like the Maritime Domain Awareness (MDA) programme in the Asia-Pacific region," a military official told IANS on condition of anonymity.

He pointed out that the Indian Navy was holding an MDA conference at Port Blair in the Andamans in which 12 navies, including the Sri Lankan Navy, were participating. The Sri Lankans had sent naval cutter Suranimala under a commodore for the meeting.

He added that the Andamans were ideal for holding such a conference because, at its eastern most end, it was only 63 nautical miles from western Indonesia, an area that had become notorious for arms smuggling and piracy.

And significantly, the floating warehouses of the LTTE, which the Sri Lankan Navy had destroyed in the past year, were generally anchored just west of Java in Indonesia.

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http://mangalorean.com/news.php?newstype=local&newsid=64647

Brutal Buttala Killings Provide Path to Ultimate Victory Against Violence Leading to Peace

The attacks on civilians in Buttala with LTTE’s inherent brutal dimensions to it got damning condemnation from all over the world. The United States aid that the incident bears "all the hallmarks of the LTTE." European Union’s Colombo office stated that "this attack has all the characteristics of the LTTE’s modus operandi."

It added that no support can ever be gained in the EU through such acts of "barbaric terrorist violence." The time is opportune for the Sri Lankan government to show the world that while taking the path towards a decisive victory against the LTTE in all its deadly forms of violence, the problems of the Tamils are also being taken seriously.

The country is behind the Rajapakse government in their unerring militaristic assault on the Tigers and it must deliver also on the issue of a fair settlement of the governance issue and that Tamils and their problems are being generously addressed.

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http://www.asiantribune.com/?q=node/9219

2 arrested for helping LTTE leader

Two days after the arrest of LTTE Intelligence Wing Member Nathan, the "Q" Branch Police today arrested two people for allegedly helping him procure bomb making materials for the banned outfit.

Police sources said Selvaraj (62) of Mannargudi and Reginald were nabbed on charges of procuring materials like iron balls and plastic granules for Nathan alias Surali alias Thambidurai Parameswaran, who was arrested along with seven other Sri Lankan Nationals on the outskirts of the city.

Today's arrests were made based on the statements given by Nathan during interrogation.

While Selvaraj, who arrived at Chennai Central Railway Station from Mumbai this morning, was arrested at Chennai Egmore Station when he was about to board a train to Madurai, Reginald was nabbed at southern Virudhunagar District. Two packets of sample Ironballs, Rs 7,000 and a couple of cell phones were seized from Selvaraj.

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http://www.chennaionline.com/colnews/newsitem.asp?NEWSID=%7BA80CD6BA-2

Sri Lanka Govt to Propose Transfer of Power

President of Sri Lanka Mahinda Rajapakse assured he is set on submitting a proposal for the transfer of power next January 23 to solve more than two decades of tamil ethnic conflict.

He affirmed the objective is to present the initiative before Parliament and apply it after obtaining the necessary approval.

Rajapakse, quoted by Indian news agency PTI, said the recommendation of the Committee of All Representative Parties (APRC) on this issue will be included in a provisional report.

The Sri Lanka president made the statement on occasion of a meeting in his residence to commemorate the Pongal Festival.

Since its creation two years ago, the APRC has carried out 57 meetings on the transfer of power package before the creation of provincial councils in the conflicting regions in the north and east of this country.

The combats between soldiers and militants of the Tigers for the Liberation of Tamil Eejam (TLTE) intensified over the last weeks, in spite of the government s and rebels intention to comply with the cease fire agreed on February, 2002.

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http://www.plenglish.com/Article.asp?ID=%7B1455E452-6F45-4DD2-A8F5-A0E6D2F4F7B2%7D&language=EN