Air defence system prevents LTTE to launch attack

Revamping of Sri Lanka's air defence system has prevented the LTTE's air wing to launch aerial attacks as in the past, the Air Force chief has said.

Questioning the outfit's so-called air wing, Roshan Gunathilake said the outfit hardly has an air force worth its name. "They (LTTE) have two or three aircrafts. I don't know whether you could call that an air force. They have not flown for a very longtime. We will wait and see," Air Force Commander Roshan Gunathilake said.

An effective air defence system that has been put in place by the Sri Lankan Defence authorities had forced the LTTE air wing to hesitate in getting air borne, Gunathilake told the Lakbima news.

Read more,
http://news.indiainfo.com/2008/01/27/0801271847_lanka-defence.html

UN high protein biscuits to tigers apprehended!

A large stock of ‘high protein’ biscuits being transported to Killinochchi by World Food Programme (WFP) has been apprehended by Medawachchiya Police.

The stock of ‘high protein’ biscuits was discovered when the police searched a vehicle belonging to WFP bearing Reg. No. WP-GK-5578, which was being driven to Killinochchi without any permission from the Ministry of Defense or from any other government authority.

According to defense sources consuming one of these biscuits would allow a person to remain without any other food for nearly ten hours and the biscuits are mainly used by troops engaged in guerilla warfare.

Read more,
http://www.lankatruth.com/full_story/2008/January/27/20080127_01.htm

Police in Catch-22 situation over LTTE

The Viduthalai Sirtuhaigal Katchi (VCK), an ally of the ruling DMK, recently sought to put up a giant cutout of LTTE chief Prabhakaran at the venue of its meeting in Chennai.

The meeting itself had been organised in support of the LTTE. It took a team of police officials more than two hours to dissuade VCK cadres from putting up the cutout pointing out that the LTTE was a banned organisation in India and putting up the cutout could lead to criminal proceedings.

After much pleading on part of the cops, the cadres finally gave up.

That the cops had to implore a bunch of lawbreakers rather than crack down on them explains the political dilemma of the Karunanidhi government in dealing with pro-LTTE elements in the state.

On the one hand the cops have been rounding up LTTE cadres and suppliers of materials to them from across the state but on the other they're constrained from acting against political parties that drum up support for the group.

Read more,
http://www.hindustantimes.com/storypage/

Sri Lanka Rupavahini Journalist Attacked

Lal Hemanth Mawalage, a senior journalist of Sri Lanka Rupavahini (TV) corporation (SLRC) was attacked by an armed gang yesterday (25) night.

He was slashed using knifes by unidentified gang and was admitted to Colombo National Hospital.

Lal Hemanth Mawalage has complaint the police earlier, that he receiving several death threat calls after speaking against Minister Mervin Silva, who created pandemonium inside the SLRC premises on 27th December 2007.

Several other SLRC journalists also receiving continuous threats following the incident.

Extracted from,
http://news.nidahasa.com/news.php?go=fullnews&newsid=467