LTTE Van with Explosives Nabbed

AN LTTE VAN laden with explosives, believed to have been either left behind or parked in the jungles intending a huge blast against the Security Forces was spotted in KANCHKUDICHCHIARU, AMPARA by Special Task Force (STF) troops last evening (23).

The explosives were found hidden in the Dolphin van carrying two different number plates; (NP JZ 4782) on the front and (NC GC 4273) on the rear, and the explosives were connected to a detonating device for easy detonation when the troops recovered it.

STF, troops after defusing the explosive device, handed over the vehicle to the THIRUKKOVIL Police for further investigations.

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Saudi Arabia to help Lanka in oil exploration, refining

The Kingdom has agreed to train Sri Lankans in the field of exploration and refining oil in the island. This was the outcome of yesterday's talks between Ali Al-Naimi, minister of petroleum and mineral resources and Abdul Hameed Mohamed Fowzie, minister of petroleum and petroleum resources development at a meeting held at the ministry headquarters yesterday.

"We had fruitful discussions with my counterpart here and we are happy that the Kingdom has agreed to cooperate with Sri Lanka in areas of mutual interests in the field of oil supply, exploration and investments," Fowzie said. The charge d' affairs of the Sri Lankan Embassy, W.S.M.S.Wijesundera, consul general in Jeddah, Abdul Latiff Mohammed Lafeer, commercial counselor, Yasantha De Silva, and Mohammed Jabir represented the ministerial team during the discussions.

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Sri Lankan PM arrives for historic visit

Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ratnasiri Wickremanayake arrived in Israel on Sunday, in the first visit by a Sri Lankan premier to the country.

Sri Lanka restored diplomatic ties with Israel in 2000, despite objections from the island's Muslim minority.

During his four-day working visit, Wickremanayake is to meet with Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni and President Shimon Peres, and travel to the West Bank for talks with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.

On Monday he will first visit the Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial in Jerusalem, and then Sderot.

Last year, Israel exported about $60 million in goods to the South Asian nation, while imports were around $40m., according to the Foreign Ministry.

Cooperation between the two countries is strongest in agriculture and medicine, and Israel sent a rescue team to Sri Lanka following 2004's Asian Tsunami that killed more than 225,000 people in 11 countries.

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Government in a hurry over polls: TULF

he Sri Lankan military on Sunday said the number of LTTE cadres and the soldiers killed in Saturday’s battles in the north had gone up to 52 and eight respectively. Meanwhile, Tamil United Liberation Front (TULF) chief V. Anandasangree charged the Mahinda Rajapaksa government with going ahead with elections to the eastern province in a “great hurry”.

In a letter addressed to Mr. Rajapaksa, the TULF leader argued that free and fair elections were not feasible until all “armed groups are disarmed.”

The immediate provocation for the missive is the reported decision to re-deploy sections of the Special Task Force (STF) from the Amparai district.

However, the government has termed reports on the re-deployment in a section of the local media as “misleading” saying only a few units of the STF were being pulled out for deployment in the northern battle front. Mr. Anandasangree said there was no doubt that the East had been liberated but not cleared fully of the LTTE problem.

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