CRIMINALS INVENT BETTER FRAUD METHODS TO CLONE CREDIT CARDS AFTER LTTE AGENT IS SENT TO JAIL

After a week, a British criminal court has convicted a Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) agent, who is non-Tamil, for cloning 500 credit cards at a gasoline filling station. A special unit of the police raided a factory that produces chips that will be inserted into card reading machines as a mole, better suited for the crime than the pin hole cameras used earlier.

A week ago, Abdul Samad Mohamed Raik was convicted by the criminal court of Leicestershire for helping the LTTE to steal 175,000 British pounds from ATM machines all over the world. Barely a single household on Houghton on the Hill, Leicestershire escaped the Tamil Tiger scam.

Two other Muslim men, Ibrar Hussain and Mohamed Mahmood were arrested when Dedicated Cheque and Plastic Crime unit of the Metropolitan Police of London raided at Burmingham a “sophisticated counterfeit card factory” as described by the police. Police said so far they do not know whether the two men arrested are connected to a terrorist organization.

In this method, unlike in the earlier method of recording the credit card and pin numbers with a pin hole camera-like device while a customer buys merchandise at a filling station or a shop, the criminals would remove the card reading device, insert a mole inside and replace it at original places.

The police said the devices they install inside the card reading machines are so high-tech that they could transmit the card numbers and the related pin numbers to a mobile phone.

Cards are then cloned and used abroad in countries including USA, Italy, Australia. In most countries, like in Britain, they do not even need numbers to withdraw money using credit or debit cards.

A raid on houses found stolen chip and pin terminals, card account numbers, card readers and counterfeit magnetic strip cards.

The criminals either by getting employment at filling stations, shops, etc. stole card reading machines, installed the “moles” inside and put them back at their original places. The police said they removed the machines by intimidation or bribes to the staff. In other cases, they have posed as engineers and removed the machine for an “upgrade.”

Read more,
http://www.tothecenter.com/news.php?readmore=6789

LTTE links claimed as Sri Lankan scams entire English village

An English court has jailed a Sri Lankan man who defrauded an entire village apparently in order to pay back debts to a loan-shark with Tamil Tigers links.

Abdul Samad Mohamed Raik, a petrol station attendant in the village of Houghton on the Hill in southeast England, was jailed for two years and nine months Wednesday after he helped to clone more than 500 debit or credit cards to steal 175,000 pounds.

Barely a household in the village with a population of 1,500 escaped the scam, which was carried out over October-December last year.

Residents of the small village, which has a population of around 1,500, had no idea that they had been targeted until learning from their banks that their accounts had been plundered all around the globe.

Leicester Crown Court was told Wednesday that Raik, 33, used a fake card reader to copy the card details of not only villagers but also motorists passing through the area.

Read more,
http://in.news.yahoo.com/43/20080807/890/twl-ltte-links-claimed-as-sri-lankan-sca.html

Lanka keen to clinch series at Galle: Bayliss

Trevor Bayliss, Sri Lanka’s coach, said his side, although expecting stiffer resistance from India during the second Test, was looking to clinch the series at Galle.

Sri Lanka, which won the first Test in Colombo, leads the three-match series 1-0.

“We played some very good cricket in the first Test, and we expect to play a similar match here,” said Bayliss, after Sri Lanka’s practice session on Tuesday.

What did he make of the strip?

“It is a pretty good pitch to bat, does not matter whether we bat first or second,” he said. “Last time when we played here Chaminda Vaas took four wickets against England and I expect him to be a threat here again. Spin will certainly be our strength.”

Bayliss called Ajantha Mendis a revelation “not just for Sri Lankan cricket but for world cricket as well.” He added that the young spinner’s temperament and ability to learn quickly was remarkable.

Read more,
http://www.hindu.com/2008/07/30/stories/2008073056431900.htm

Sri Lanka agree to tour England

Sri Lanka will take Zimbabwe's place on a tour of England in 2009.

Zimbabwe's visit was cancelled after the England and Wales Cricket Board cut cricketing ties with them because of the political unrest in the country.

The ECB has moved quickly to fill the void for two Test matches and three one-day internationals during April and May 2009.

"We are delighted that Sri Lanka will tour in the early part of next summer," said ECB chief executive David Collier.

"The strong and close relationship that we built up during our recent winter tours to Sri Lanka allowed the ECB, at short notice, to be able to approach Sri Lanka and confirm their availability for the international matches in the early part of next summer."

Read more,
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/cricket/england/7495407.stm

Britain moves to deport Karuna

Britain has made its first concrete steps to deport the breakaway LTTE ‘eastern commander’ Vinayagamoorthy Muralitharan, better known as ‘Colonel Karuna’ who arrived in London last September on a Sri Lankan diplomatic passport.

The British authorities have sent deportation papers to the Sri Lanka High Commission in London asking for a travel document to expedite his deportation, highly placed sources told The Sunday Times.

The Sri Lanka High Commission, however, denied any knowledge of the move by British authorities urging a travel document for Karuna who was serving a nine month prison sentence which was prematurely ended early last month when he was moved to an immigration detention centre.

“I don’t know. I have not heard anything,” a High Commission diplomatic officer said. But The Sunday Times is aware that the British authorities, wanting to wash their hands off Karuna who has proved to be a serious embarrassment to Britain because it had issued the visa for Karuna to come to London on the basis of a Third Party Note (TNP) purportedly issued by the Foreign Ministry in Colombo that accompanied the Sri Lankan diplomatic passport.

Read more,
http://www.sundaytimes.lk/080601/News/news0024.html

Three arrested LTTE suspects released on bail by British Courts

Three LTTE suspects, who were arrested by the Britain police for conspiring to procure equipment to LTTE, have been granted bail by the British Courts.

Media reports said that fourth man was not released as he has not applied for bail.

Jegatheswaran Muraleetharan, alias Muralee Tharan, 46, Jeyatheswaran Vythyatharan alias Vithy Tharan, 39, Murugesu Jegatheeswaran alias M Jegan, 33 and Shanthan are charged with conspiring to receive equipment for terrorist purposes between January 2003 and December 2006, reports said.

Shanthan was granted bail with a large financial security and on condition that he contacts the police by phone daily through voice recognition equipment.

Extracted from,
http://www.colombopage.com/archive_08/May24140118JV.html

Four charged in Britain with helping Tamil Tigers: police

British police have charged four men with conspiring to support Sri Lanka's Tamil Tiger rebels, Scotland Yard said Thursday.

The four were arrested under anti-terror laws and are accused of owning computers, radio equipment and high-power magnets for terrorist purposes. They were to appear in court in London later in the day, said a spokesman.

The men were arrested under the Terrorism Act 2000 in the last two weeks as part of a long-term police investigation into activities linked to the Tamil Tigers, an organization banned in Britain.

Three were detained at the end of April in dawn raids at homes and business addresses in Wales and London. A fourth was arrested this week in the Swindon area of southwest England.

All four have been charged with conspiring to receive equipment for terrorist purposes between January 2003 and December 2006.

Other items which they are accused of procuring include laptops, head torches, circuit boards, lithium coin cell batteries, GPS (global positioning systems) and antenna equipment, transceivers, radios and navigation systems.

Read more,
http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5iSxfU5QzCjzQ5yrQGVUePygB-nZA

Was scam linked to Tigers? 'They're obviously supporters'

Fraud investigators suspect a group of four who swiped account information from British bank cards of swindling victims out of about $250,000.

But Toronto Police are also trying to determine if there's a link between the international scam and the Tamil Tigers. Police found posters supporting the rebel group, which has been locked in a decades-old battle with Sri Lanka for independence.

"They're obviously supporters of the group," said Det. Scott Wittemore of 42 Division.

Read more,
http://torontosun.com/News/TorontoAndGTA/2008/01/31/4803672-sun.html

Sri Lanka aim to promote cricket in northern areas

Former Sri Lankan legspinner Somachandra de Silva has been appointed cricket advisor to the president of Sri Lanka, Mahinda Rajapakse, to develop and spread the game in the country's war-hit north and north-eastern regions.

The move was part of the president's initiative to try and increase the representation of players of Tamil-speaking origin in the national team.

de Silva, who played 12 Tests for Sri Lanka and captained in two of them, was appointed on the basis of his experience in coaching school teams in Sri Lanka and England.

Rajapakse was keen on tapping into the talent at the school level in these parts, where no first-class cricket is played.

The Sri Lankan side currently has one player of Tamil origin in offspinner Muttiah Muralitharan, who recently broke the world record for most wickets in Tests.

A vast majority of the players hail from the southern and central parts of the country and the same regions regularly host international games.

Read more,
http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/22122007/28/sri-lanka-aim-promote-

British press hammers 'spineless' England

After a dismal performance at the crease in Galle overnight, Sri Lanka, England's cricketers will not want to eye the British newspapers.

England was bowled out for just 81 in the final match in the three-Test series.

Described as "pathetic" and "spineless", England were blasted in Friday morning's editions with one commentator writing that "as someone once famously put it, England had only three problems: they could not bat, bowl or field".

Sri Lanka captain Mahela Jayawardene hit an unbeaten 213 and Chaminda Vaas ripped through the top order to leave England, trailing 0-1 in the series, in tatters after the rain-hit third day.

Left-armer Vaas followed his 90 in Sri Lanka's 8 for 499 (declared) with four wickets as England collapsed in just 30.5 overs and were forced to follow-on 418 runs behind.

England's total fell well below their previous innings low against Sri Lanka of 148 in Colombo on the previous tour in 2003.

Read more,
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2007/12/21/

Expressed the Govt’s Deep Concern on H.C. Chilcott‘s Comment.

“The British High Commissioner, Mr. Dominic Chilcott, was summoned this morning (12/13) to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to express the deep displeasure of the Government of Sri Lanka at some of the comments made by him at a recent public gathering”, according to latest press statement released by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Sri Lanka.

According to the statement “,at this morning’s meeting, Foreign Secretary Dr. Palitha Kohona drew attention to the High Commissioner’s comment, “I am not saying that the political aspiration for Eelam is illegitimate” and expressed the Government’s deep concern. He stated that this statement was unacceptable to the Government of Sri Lanka given the British government’s categorical rejection of the creation of a separate State in Sri Lanka.

Additionally, at a time when the painstaking process of evolving a negotiated political settlement was underway, such sentiments would have a negative impact and send confusing signals. He also expressed disappointment that such statement was made at a particularly politically sensitive time in the country.”

Read more,
http://lankaguardian.blogspot.com/2007/12/expressed-governments-

MPs in row over pro-LTTE rally

The Sri Lankan High Commission here has strongly protested over the presence of three Labour MPs, including Keith Vaz , the high-profile Asian MP from Leicester, and Virendra Sharma from Ealing Southall, at a rally in support of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) although the organisation is banned under Britain’s terror laws.

Joan Ryan, the third Labour MP present at the event, is ironically an outspoken supporter of the government’s controversial anti-terrorism policy. Mr Vaz, on the other hand, has often criticised the government for overlooking human rights considerations in the name of fighting terror.

The rally, organised by the Tamil National Remembrance Foundation, to pay homage to LTTE activists killed in clashes with Sri Lankan security forces, also received messages of “support” from London Mayor Ken Livingstone and the Liberal Democrat MP Simon Hughes, according to TamilNet, the worldwide pro-LTTE website.

The rally’s highpoint was a “live” televised “Heroes’ Day” address by the LTTE chief, Velupillai Prabakaran, who urged “the entire Tamil-speaking world” to rise up.

Read more,
http://www.hindu.com/2007/12/09/stories/2007120953881200.htm

Hindraf faces ban: has 'links with India's RSS, Lanka's LTTE'

The Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf), a Malaysian rights group, has "links" with India's "militant organisation" Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS) and Sri Lanka's Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), a Malaysian minister has alleged.

Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Mohamed Nazri Aziz said "the groups are Sri Lanka's LTTE and the RSS, a militant organisation in India", The Star newspaper said Saturday.

Nazri said this was from statements of Hindraf leaders "who went overseas to garner support that they would meet LTTE leaders".

The supposed links with the LTTE, declared a terrorist group in the US, Britain,India and other countries, could lead to a ban on Hindraf, which spearheaded a massive protest by ethnic Indians last Sunday, a media report said Saturday quoting Attorney General (AG) Abdul Gani Patail.

However, Hindraf leader P. Uthayakumar has denied that his organization has established any contact with the LTTE and has termed the government charge "baseless" and part of a campaign.

Read more,
http://www.indianmuslims.info/news/2007/dec/08/

Sri Lanka stars top ICC rankings

Sri Lanka's prolific Kumar Sangakkara took over as the No.1 Test batsman after his record-breaking feats in the first Test against England, according to official new rankings.

Sangakkara's teammate Muttiah Muralidaran, who this week overtook retired Shane Warne as the leading wicket-taker, already tops the Test rankings for bowlers on International Cricket Council rankings.

Left-handed Sangakkara, 30, continued his brilliant recent form by making 92 and a match-winning 152 to help Sri Lanka defeat England by 88 runs in the Kandy Test.

Read more,
http://foxsports.com.au/story/0,8659,22884286-23212,00.html

Sri Lanka beat the light to secure victory

It took more sweat and toil than Sri Lanka might have envisaged, but they eventually wrapped up an 88-run victory in the first Test at Kandy about 20 minutes before bad light would have come to England's rescue.

A defiant stand of 109 in 44 overs between Ian Bell and Matt Prior gave England hope of survival after a poor morning session, however in fitting style Muttiah Muralitharan removed both with wicked deliveries to ensure a match that started with him as centre of attention ended with him the hero.

But it took Muralitharan more than two sessions to make his decisive mark. Firstly Chaminda Vaas and Dilhara Fernando did the damage then Sri Lanka came up against the Bell-Prior alliance.

As England ticked down the minutes during the final session Mahela Jayawardene began to fret, perhaps having flashbacks to the 2003-04 series when England hung on in the first two Tests.

Read full article here,
http://content-sl.cricinfo.com/slveng/content/current/story/323836.html

Sangakkara makes England toil

Kumar Sangakkara became the first batsman to hit 150-plus scores in four consecutive Tests as Sri Lanka pressed for victory in the first Test against England.

The left-hander made 152 as Sri Lanka piled up 8-442 in their second innings when they declared 30 minutes before stumps on the fourth day to leave England an imposing victory target of 350.

England closed the day on 1-9, losing Alastair Cook to the fourth ball of the innings from Chaminda Vaas, who forced an edge to Chamara Silva at first slip.

Skipper Michael Vaughan was unbeaten on 1 and nightwatchman James Anderson was on 4 as England return on the final day to attempt a history-defying win.

Read more,
http://foxsports.com.au/story/0,8659,22870225-23212,00.html

Sanath Jayasuriya announces retirement from Tests

Sanath Jayasuriya, the ‘Master Blaster’ who almost single-handedly changed the character of the one-day format of cricket and who has been one of the most consistent performers with bat and ball for Sri Lanka over the past 15 years, announced that the Kandy Test against England will be his land.

"I will be retiring from Tests after this match," Jayasuriya confirmed to a television channel covering the series. "I wanted to end my Test career in Sri Lanka, particularly in Kandy. I will continue playing one-day internationals."

Jayasuriya said that it was the right time to retire: “There are some young guys coming up, and I wanted to go while on top. Life without cricket will be tough, but I will still be playing one-day cricket and contributing to the team."

Read more,
http://news.lk/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=4133&Itemid=44

Murali smashes Test wicket record

Muttiah Muralitharan smashed Test cricket's wicket-taking record Monday with his 709th victim as Sri Lanka dismissed England for 281 on the third day of the first Test match.

Muralitharan, playing in his 116th test, reached the milestone when he bowled Paul Collingwood for 45 during the third day of play at Asgiriya Stadium.

The offspinner later had Matthew Hoggard stumped for his 710th wicket and finished the innings with six for 55 runs.

Muralitharan had a frustrating first spell, bowling nine overs without success and conceding 19 runs. His breakthrough came in the first over of his second spell, the 26th of the day, when he clipped Collingwood's middle stump.

Read more,
http://www.cnn.com/2007/SPORT/12/03/cricket.srilanka.ap/

Extra Security Deployed In Kandy

An additional police force of 400 has been deployed in the vicinity of Asgiriya international cricket grounds and the Kandy town for the first Test between Sri Lanka and England, starting on Saturday.

Extra security has also been given to the hotels where the players are staying, according to police sources.

On Wednesday twin bomb blasts, attributed by police to Tamil Tiger rebels, killed 19 people and left 45 injured in Colombo.

Read more,
http://www.cricket365.com/story/0,,6575_2931491,00.html