Iranian president arrives in Colombo

The President of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Monday evening arrived in Colombo on a two-day official visit.

He was welcomed at the Bandaranaike International Airport in Colombo by President Mahinda Rajapaksa, Prime Minister Ratnasiri Wickramanayaka and Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama. The Navy accorded a Guard of Honour by offering 21 gun salute to the visiting President.

Behnam Behrooz, ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Iran to Sri Lanka was also present at the airport to receive the visiting president.

Heading a high-ranking delegation, the president would hold talks with his counterpart, Mahinda Rajapaksa, Prime Minister Ratnasiri and Foreign Minister Bogollagama.

Read more,
http://www2.irna.ir/en/news/view/menu-234/0804287728174308.htm
photo,
http://www2.irna.ir/en/news/view/menu-234/0804287728174308.htm

Soldiers guarding Madhu church fear LTTE mines

Soldiers guarding the historic church of Madhu, which was liberated by Sri Lankan army recently, still fear attacks from LTTE militants, who have reportedly planted mines around the vandalised complex.

The Sri Lankan army, which took a media team from Colombo, did not allow the journalists to stay for long in the Church as they feared attack from the Tamil Tiger rebels.

The media team was asked by a brigade commander to cut short the queries and leave the place to avoid any problems.

"They (the LTTE) must have got aware of the presence of this meeting. We should not take any chances. Let us leave the place," the official said.

Though the LTTE fighters have abandoned the place and have moved way ahead, the military says it is taking no chance due to the guerrilla instinct of the tiger rebels.

Read more,
http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/001200804281655.htm

Save innocent civilians from LTTE - Anandasangaree

I strongly condemn the explosion in a C.T.B bus at Piliyandala that took the lives of 26 innocent civilians and left over 60 seriously injured. This is undoubtedly another savage act of the blood thirsty LTTE, TULF leader V. Anandasangaree stated yesterday.

Is it with these barbarians that the International Community wants the Government to start talks with? In all seriousness I wish to pose a question to the International Community as to what it intends to do with the people who had fled their traditional places of residence for fear of the LTTE and are living with the Sinhalese and the Muslims peacefully in the South, he said a news release.

Also I wish to know what the fate is going be of those in the Eastern Province, just liberated and of those who fled the country out of fear for the LTTE and wanting to return when peace is restored.

Read more,
http://www.mulpituwa.com/?viewnews=12921

Sri Lanka ready to welcome Iranian president

The Sri Lankan government said Monday that it is ready to welcome Iranian President Mahmoud Ahamadinejad who will arrive at Colombo for a two-day official visit Monday afternoon and unveil several Iran-funded projects.

Sri Lanka's Department of Government Information said in a statement that Ahamadinejad will be welcomed at the airport by SriLankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa, followed by meetings with President Rajapaksa, Prime Minister Ratnasiri Wickramanayaka and Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama.

On Tuesday, the Iranian president will inaugurate the Iranian funded 450-million-U.S. dollar Uma Oya irrigation project in Wellawaya in central Sri Lanka which will add 100 megawatts of power to the national grid.

The other major project due to be inaugurated on Tuesday by the Iranian president is the expansion of the Sapugaskanda refinery near Colombo which will make Sri Lanka self-sufficient in aviation fuel and bitumen.

The project envisages increasing the daily output capacity of 50,000 barrels to 150,000 barrels of refined oil.

Read more,
http://rss.xinhuanet.com/newsc/english/2008-04/28/content_8066465.htm

Air Force fighter jets target building close to Iranamadu LTTE runway

Air Force fighter jet aircraft targeted a building close to the IRANAMADU LTTE runway in the morning today (28) at 9.45.

Air Force Pilots confirm that the target was engaged successfully.

Extracted from,
http://www.nationalsecurity.lk/fullnews.php?id=12083

Vigilant civilians avert terrorists attack - Galgamuwa

A cowardly bloodbath planned by LTTE terrorists was foiled as vigilant civilians in the Galgamuwa town, found a bomb inside a crowded bus stand this morning. According to the police sources in the area two T-81mm mortar bombs were found trapped with a timer around 6 am. The timer had been fixed to explode the bombs around 7.30 am when some 7000 schoolchildren throng into the area, said the sources.

According to the police, "the bombs were wrapped in a brown paper sheets and placed inside a cardboard box as to show it as a gift pack. Unless for the vigilant civilians and for the efficient police officers in the area, hundreds of civilians including schoolchildren would have been killed, the sources added.

LTTE is a ruthless terrorist organization fighting for a mono ethnic separate homeland for Tamils in Sri Lanka since 1983. The outfit's most favoured target in it s cowardly attacks has been civilians, particularly the women and children. The outfit has murdered tens and thousands of innocent civilians in village massacres, bus bombings, train bombings, and suicide bomb attacks.

Extracted from,
http://defence.lk/new.asp?fname=20080428_01

WFP to cut down food to Sri Lanka, say reports

The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has announced that it is forced to cut down its rations to about one million Sri Lankans who are currently being fed in the North and East, as prices of essential grain are hitting record levels around the world.

WFP Country Director Mohamed Saleheen told local media that it would “suspend their food-for-work programme to about 175,000 people in the war-affected regions from May 1 and reduce rations of others from 1,900 kilocalories to 1,665 kilocalories per day per person.”

However he said that they would continue to assist the priority targets such as internally displaced persons (IDPs), returnees, the economically displaced, pregnant women, nursing mothers, children under five, and school feeding, which he termed as “absolutely imperative”.

Extracted from,
http://www.colombopage.com/archive_08/April27125242JV.html