Sri Lanka Latest News

Wednesday, May 30, 2007

Sri Lanka seeks urgent military equipment from India

Sri Lanka urged India to provide more military equipment and intelligence assistance to fight against escalating attacks by the Tamil Tigers, Indian media reported yesterday.

Reports said that visiting Sri Lankan Defense Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa submitted a list of urgent military requirements during meetings with national security advisor M K Narayanan, Navy Chief Admiral Sureesh Mehta and Army Chief General J. J. Singh.

According to the reports Defense Secretary wanted low level transportable radars and quick reaction ground to air missiles to contain the threat posed by Tigers air attacks.

School children from Vakarai visit Colombo

Government, along with the support of the Security Forces personnel and the 'Seva Lanka' Foundation, has organized an educational trip for the students of Vakarai area to visit the Southern part of the island.

Yesterday was the last day of this four day tour which included sixty two students of that area. Twenty two students from Vigneshwaran School of Vakarai and forty students from Palachchenai participated in the educational tour.

The Army and the 'Seva Lanka' Foundation provided food and accommodation to the students.

First three days were spent at Colombo and the students had the opportunity of visiting several important places. They visited the famous shrine of St. Anthony's in Kochchikade on Saturday (26) while on Sunday they visited the National Zoological Gardens.

They visited the Ramanadan Hindu College yesterday and went on a sightseeing tour in Colombo. A musical show was conducted for the students in the evening.

Expose LTTE genocide worldwide: TULF

The Tamil United Liberation Front Leader V. Anandasangaree suggests a team of British administrators and a few pro - LTTE Tamil Nadu politicians be brought down to see some of the LTTE's atrocious activities.

In a statement issued yesterday the TULF leader "strongly condemns the LTTE for its ruthless manner in which they took the lives of 8 innocent civilians and caused injuries to 36 others of whom how many would have lost their limbs and eyesight are not known".

I wish a team of British Parliamentarians and a few pro LTTE Tamil Naadu Politicians be brought down to see some of the LTTE's atrocious activities and to go back and tell the world that more than 50% of Tamils are living amongst the Sinhalese peacefully and that it is the LTTE that is engaged in genocide and not the Sinhala people.

Sri Lanka opposition leader tries to force an agenda

The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) has criticised comments from Sri Lanka opposition leader Ranil Wickramasinghe which argued that Sri Lankan editors should be summoned before Parliament and questioned under the Parliamentary Privileges Act...

“These sorts of comments are indicative of the deeper underlying media issues in Sri Lanka,” said the president of the IFJ, the organisation representing more than 500,000 journalists in over 115 countries.

“People in positions of power in Sri Lanka seem to think they are able to control the news agenda, and, regardless of the reality, these comments are having a detrimental affect on press freedom nationwide,” Warren said.

Tuesday, May 29, 2007

TMVP calls for solution within a united Lanka

The Karuna faction, also known as the Thamil Makkal Viduthalai Pulikal (TMVP), has recommended, in a set of proposals submitted to the APRC, a permanent resolution within a united Sri Lanka.

The proposals were submitted to APRC chairman Minister Tissa Vitharana yesterday.

A significant part of the proposals is that it recognizes a de-merged North and East.

The TMVP believes that the solutions to the so-called 'Tamil problem' could be found by extensively devolving political, administrative and financial powers from the centre to the peripheral units of governance.

“Our recommendations are restricted to certain fundamental issues that need to be considered by the APRC,” the TMVP said.

Read more,
http://www.dailymirror.lk/2007/05/29/front/06.asp

Sethusamudram project issue rocks Indian Parliament

Both Houses of Parliament were rocked after the BJP members raised the issue of Sethusamudram project. The agitated MPs accused the government of trying to destroy the "remains" of the mythological Ram setu (bridge) which linked India with Sri Lanka during the Ramayana period.

A strong reaction by Minister for Shipping and Transport TR Baalu in Lok Sabha led to the saffron party members rushing to the well of the House.

Rising in support of Baalu, his DMK colleagues raised counter-slogans and objected to the issue being raised on the plea that it was sub judice and was pending in the Allahabad high court.

Speaker Somnath Chatterjee adjounred the House for 25 minutes after the Question Hour.

Lankan Army's game plan: Seize East and weaken LTTE in North

The Sri Lankan Army's game plan is to drive the LTTE out of the Eastern districts completely, and weaken it in the Northern districts, to pave the way for talks to find a permanent political solution to the Tamil question, says its Commander, Lt. Gen. Sarath Fonseka.

"In five to six months we will completely mop up the LTTE in the East," the General told select foreign journalists here on Monday.

But to one's surprise, he added: "We have no plan to take the North."

"Our plan in the North is to weaken the LTTE militarily so that we are able to maintain our positions there," he explained.

Desperate attempt to instigate communal clashes - President

President Mahinda Rajapaksa condemned yesterday's brutal terrorist attack at Ratmalana which killed seven innocent civilians and injured another 37 including six STF personnel.

In a release issued yesterday, the President said "At a time when the Government Forces are engaged in a humanitarian mission to liberate the Sinhalese, Tamils and Muslims from the grip of LTTE terrorism, attacks like these can be termed as desperate attempts to instigate communal clashes."

The President expressed his deep condolences to the families of the victims.

Extracted from,
http://www.dailynews.lk/2007/05/29/news11.asp

Monday, May 28, 2007

Bomb blast at Ratmalana belekkade junction

A bomb explosion has been occurred at the Belek Kade junction at Rathmalana short while ago.

According to the available information the target of the bomb has been an Army vehicle.

Commuters are advised to use alternative routes to avoid Rathmalana on the Colombo- Gall main road.

More information will follow.

Extracted from,
http://defence.lk/new.asp?fname=20070528_04

Sunday, May 27, 2007

LTTE Trincomalee intelligence leader 'Bharathi' killed

The media centre for national security says that LTTE intelligence unit head in Trincomalee Bharathi and three others have been killed in an attack launched by the Navy and the Special Task Force this morning.

The attack has been carried out in Iluppukulam, in Nilaweli at around 8:30 this morning. The MCNS said that the death of Bharathi was confirmed by listening to LTTE radio transmitters.

In a subsequent search operation security forces have discovered a Micro Pistol, a Magazine, a mobile phone and a Binoculars.

Extracted from,
http://www.lankaenews.com/English/news.php?id=4181

Army chief says Tamil rebels limited to pockets

Sri Lanka's Army Commander Sarath Fonseka said Saturday that his troops have been successful in limiting the Tamil Tiger rebels to pockets in the troubled Northern and Eastern provinces.

Fonseka told reporters in the central town of Kandy that his troops need to be commended.

"The LTTE (Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam) is now limited to a few areas specially in the east. The priority for the Army now is to help government in its resettlement program of civilians," Fonseka said.

The Army since August last year launched several offensives against the rebels in the east driving them out of some of their key strongholds such as Sampur in the district of Trincomalee and Vakarai in the Batticaloa district.

The rebels have called both losses as tactical withdrawals.

Angry Delft Islanders burn five LTTE bodies

The Delft islanders burnt the five bodies of the LTTE Sea Tigers in anger when they were washed ashore on Friday. Several Sea Tiger cadres were killed by the Navy on Thursday when they launched an attack at the Queenta Beach in Delft, sources said.

The Sea Tigers had launched the attack in the wee hours on Thursday at the Naval post at the Queenta Beach in Delft where four sailors were killed. However, the Navy with the reinforcements and the aerial support of the Air Force had repulsed the attack successfully by destroying several LTTE vessels and killing more than twenty cadres on board, the sources said.

The Sea Tigers arrived at the Queenta Beach in fifteen boats and four of them carried the suicide cadres. Most of the vessels were destroyed by the Air Force planes and the Naval gunships, the sources said.

Sri Lanka government to reopen the Hingurana sugar factory

Sri Lanka Ministry of Investment Promotion and Enterprises Development has taken steps to reopen the Hingurana sugar factory which remains closed for around ten years.

The agreement to reopen the factory renamed as Galoya Plantation Company will be signed in the first week of June, Ministry sources said.

Fifty one percent of the stakes of the Galoya Plantation Company will be owned by the government and Browns and Lanka Orix Leasing Company will own 24.5 % each.

With the commencement of production in the factory 820 persons will obtain direct employment and 4,400 families that will grow sugarcane to supply to the factory will also be benefited.

Sri Lanka currently produces only 10% of the country’s annual need of 625,000 metric tons of sugar.

Extracted from,
http://www.colombopage.com/archive_07/May27134807SL.html

IOC to produce lubricants in Sri Lanka

India's oil major Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) on Friday secured a license to produce lubricants in Sri Lanka so as to boost its presence in the local market.

The license will enable the Lankan unit of IOC to produce, blend, market and export its 'Servo' brand of products in the island, officials said.

Lankan IOC, which commands nearly 13 per cent of the country's lubricant market, has hopes to increase its presence in the local market when its new plant goes upstream in August, they said.

Read more,
http://www.headlinesindia.com/archive_html/26May2007_42205.html