ITN journalist critically injured in LTTE mortar attack

ITN’s News Editor Anura Dorakumbura and the Cameraman of the Newsroom Suranga Basnayake came under a mortar attack. Suranga Basnayake was critically injured. The gallant soldiers risking their lives on this occasion carried the two ITN journalists swiftly to a secure place.

ITN salutes the war heroes and senior officers providing them leadership for this noble task. Driver G.G.Gunasena’s dedication to promptly transport Suranga Basnayake to the Anuradhapura General Hospital is noteworthy. He drove the vehicle at a high speed on rugged roads in the Mullaitivu thick jungles with the intention of immediately transporting them to the Anuradhapura Hospital. The services discharged by the gallant soldiers on behalf of the ITN personnel deserve accolades.

Read more,
http://www.itn.lk/news_02_20080726.html

60kgs GELIGNITE RECOVERED

60kgs of Gelignite which were hidden under the load of coconut and salts were recovered, at the PANDULAGAMA Police/ Army combined road block while they were transporting in a lorry on the PUTTLEM- ANURADHAPURA route around 12.45pm today (19).. The driver and the cleaner of the lorry were arrested and handed over to the NOCHCHIYAGAMA Police for further investigations.

Extracted from,
http://www.nationalsecurity.lk/fullnews.php?id=13280

Civil Defence Force soldier and two civilians shot dead by Tiger terrorists

A Civil and his fifty (50) year old wife and a Civil Defence Force soldier was shot dead by Tiger terrorists on Friday(30) in the night around 8.45 in RAJANGANE area, Block 18, ANURADHAPURA.

Extracted from,
http://www.nationalsecurity.lk/

Sacred Tears in Anuradhapura Sri Maha Bodhi Remembered

EXACTLY 23 YEARS AGO on a sunny day (14th May 1985) like this Wednesday (14), Sri Lankans as well as the Buddhist world were traumatized to hear one of their most venerated Buddhist places of worship, Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi at Anuradhapura has been desecrated by a bunch of barbaric Tiger terrorists who went on a killing spree firing on meditating devotees.

Brainwashed blood thirsty fanatics on a snatched state bus on that ill-fated day first stormed the central bus stand in the old town and splashed those present there with a rain of gunfire indiscriminately. As unarmed affected civilians in the town began running in all directions hysterically, many lay dead or bleeding with no knowledge of what was going around, as the terrorists made their way towards the sacred Bo Tree for another heinous crime.

Those armed terrorists then sprayed both the upper layer (Uda Maluwa) and the lower layer (Pahala Maluwa) with bullets, causing the entire sacred place splattered with blood, as scores of meditating and worshiping Buddhist nuns, white-clad observers of eight precepts and other devotees lay dead or unconscious after struck by terrorist bullets.

Read more,
http://www.army.lk/morenews.php?id=13220
Photo,
http://www.army.lk/editor/images/2008-01/3_4.jpg

India-Sri Lanka power transfer project feasibility report soon

The feasibility study for the proposed $450-million mega undersea power transmission link between India and Sri Lanka is slated to be ready shortly.

The 200-km submarine cable would enable India to export electricity to the island nation and is likely to be set up with a capacity to wheel around 1,000 MW of electricity, government officials involved in the exercise said.

The report on the HVDC (high voltage direct current) link between the two countries is being prepared by State-owned transmission major Power Grid Corporation of India Ltd (PGCIL), which had earlier estimated that it can set up the link in around 40 months once all clearances are in place, officials said.

The link is likely to connect Madurai in Tamil Nadu and Anuradhapura in Sri Lanka’s North Central Province.

Read more,
http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/2008/03/16/stories/

Public Vigilance Prevent LTTE Massacre Attempt

One more LTTE attempt to execute carnage targeting innocent civilians gathered at the public fair near the ANURADHAPURA new bus stand was averted today (10) morning due to prompt actions taken by civilians now vigilant on terrorist activities.

Having seen a suspicious unattended plastic container, which later proved to be an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) with a timer, people brought it to the notice of a sailor proceeding on his leave who safely defused the IED containing about 1 kg of explosives.

The ANURADHAPURA Police are conducting further investigations.

Extracted from,
http://www.army.lk/morenews.php?id=10622

Sripathi Sooriayaarachchi – the tragic end of a fighter

Latest reports reveals that Sripathi Sooriayaarachchi has been killed in a fatal road accident that took place at Madagama, in the Galgamuwa area this afternoon, February 09.

According to the police sources, the vehicle carrying Sripathi Sooriayaarachchi crashed into a tree around 1.15.p.m. when it slipped off the road due to high speed. The vehicle was travelling from Anuradhapura to Colombo enroute via Thambuththegama, sources said.

Sooriyarachchi was rushed to the Thambuttegama Hospital, where he was pronounced dead on admission.

The driver of the vehicle, Priyantha Samarasinghe and a close friend of Sripathi Sooriayaarachchi, S.K.R. Silva (Chief Executive Officer of Isura FM), too died on the spot.

Two others injured in the accident – Ministerial Security Division personnel identified as Somaratne and Nihal – were admitted to the Thambutegama Hospital. Somaratne, who is in a critical condition, was later transferred to the Anuradhapura General Hospital.

Read more,
http://www.asiantribune.com/?q=node/9555

LTTE carnage continues ; 13 civilians killed 16 injured in a claymore blast - Ethawatunwewa

LTTE terrorists have carried out a cowardly claymore blast targeting a civilian bus at Ethawatunuwewa around 3.50, this evening. According to the defence sources in the area, the terrorists have targeted a state owned public transport bus that was playing from Anudradhapura to Janakapura at a location close to "Kobbakaduwa Junction".

13 civilians have been killed and 16 others including children injured in the explosion. According to the hospital sources the victims have been initially taken to Padaviya hospital. Six out of them, including two children have been transferred to the Anuradhapura Hospital. Two among the dead are women, the sources added.

LTTE is a ruthless terrorist outfit fighting for a mono ethnic separate homeland for the Tamils living in Sri Lanka since 1983. Led by its psychopathic leader, V.Prabhakaran, the outfit routinely carryout civilian massacres in pursuit of its utopian state of Tamil Eelam.

LTTE is infamous for attacking soft target such as infants, schoolchildren, pregnant women, elderly persons etc in its regular genocides. Yesterday, it massacred six students of a school base ball team when one of its brainwashed suicide bomber exploded herself at the Colombo railway station.

Extracted from,
http://www.defence.lk/new.asp?fname=20080204_07

LTTE trying to spark 'backlash', says Rajapaksa

Terming Saturday's bomb attack on a bus that killed 18 people as an act of "desperation" by the LTTE, Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa accused the Tamil rebels of trying to trigger a "backlash" from the majority Sinhalese to obtain sympathy of the international community.

"I vehemently and unequivocally condemn this latest act of savagery by the LTTE in carrying out the blast in a civilian bus at Dambulla today," Rajapaksa said in a statement.

A parcel bomb planted by suspected LTTE rebels ripped through a bus packed with Buddhist pilgrims in the central town, killing 18 passengers, mostly women, and injuring 51 others, just two days before the strife-torn country celebrates its Independence Day.

Many of those killed and injured were pilgrims going to the North-Central city of Anuradhapura to participate in a Buddhist ceremony, Rajapaksa said.

He described the attack as a "repeated brutality by the LTTE which in its desperation in the face of defeats inflicted on them by the security forces, is eager to create a backlash to their terror, to obtain the sympathy of the international community".

Read more,
http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/001200802022073.htm

Innocent Passengers, Latest LTTE Target

Twenty passengers, fourteen female and six male on a KANDY– ANURADHAPURA bus at DAMBULLA bus stand were killed and fifty badly injured when suspected Tiger terrorists detonated explosive device.

Initial reports said the bus was about to start of when the blast occurred.

Extracted from,
http://www.army.lk/morenews.php?id=10313

Terrorism on last legs: Colombo

A day after the bus explosion in Anuradhapura district in the North Central Province in which 16 civilians were killed and 23 others injured, Sri Lanka Prime Minister Ratnasiri Wickramanayake told Parliament that the country is at a critical juncture now that “terrorism is on its last legs and, therefore, the LTTE is showing increasing signs of desperation”.

Introducing a motion to extend the Emergency, Mr. Wickramanayake urged everyone to join hands with the government “at this important moment to wipe out terrorism” from the island.

The island nation has been in a state of Emergency since the assassination of the then Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar in August 2005 and under the Constitution of Sri Lanka, it comes up for review every month.

Read more,
http://www.hindu.com/2007/12/07/stories/2007120754191700.htm

LTTE terrorists attack civilian bus killing civilians - Kebethigollawa

LTTE terrorists carried out another cowardly attack at the civilians by targeting a civilian bus plying from Anuradhapura to Jankapura this evening. According to the available information the terrorists have detonated a roadside bomb around 8.15p.m at Abhimanpura, on the Kebithigollawa - Padaviya road. At 15 civilians have been killed and 23 others injured as the fully packed bus was deliberately targeted by the terrorists. Correct deaths and casualty figures are yet be known.

LTTE is a terrorist outfit fighting for a mono ethnic separate homeland for the Tamils in Sri Lanka since 1983. Engulfed with ideologies based on extreme tribalism, LTTE has carried out many civilian massacres against Sinhala and Muslim people living in the North and Eastern provinces. Since, beginning of its bloody terrorist campaign against Sri Lankan citizens LTTE has been able to turn the entire Northern Province into a mono ethnic province by killing tens and thousands of people in its ethnic cleansing raids at Sinhala and Muslim villages.

Extracted from,
http://defence.lk/new.asp?fname=20071205_11

LTTE terrorists kill 04 villagers including a woman - Anuradhapura

Four civilians including a woman were shot dead by LTTE terrorists today (26 November) at Mahawilachchiya village bordering Wilpaththu Sanctuary, Mahawilachchiya Police said.

According to Police sources, terrorists have opened small arms fire at the villagers and fled into the jungles area at the bordering Wilpaththu Sanctuary.

Police and security forces are now engaged extensive search and clearing operations in the area, Mahawilchchiya Police said.

Defence sources viewed this as an LTTE genocide attempt to cause fear among the villagers forcing them to flee their traditional lands, at the boarders of the ancient Anuradahapura Kingdom.

Read more,
http://www.defence.lk/new.asp?fname=20071126_04