Army & Air Force Destroy LTTE Strongholds North of Manthai

AFTER FIERCE GUN BATTLE with Tiger terrorists, Army troops destroyed LTTE bunker line north of MANTHAI in MANNAR Saturday (8) around mid noon.

Tigers’ resistance was successfully overpowered by the advancing troops with ample air support of the Sri Lanka Air Force which used MI 24 gunship during the mission.

Army troops who mobilized artillery guns and armour tanks destroyed the bunker line and captured four terrorist bunkers. Ten LTTE cadres were confirmed killed and a large number injured due to the attack launched by Army and Air Force.

During the confrontation two soldiers were killed while four others sustained injuries. The injured soldiers were rushed for medical treatments.

Clearing operations in the area commenced.

Extracted from,
http://army.lk/morenews.php?id=11448

Cairn in race for two Lankan oil blocks

Cairn India has entered the race for acquiring two oil exploration blocks in Sri Lanka, by bidding for blocks 001 and 002 under the ongoing Sri Lankan licensing round. Back home, it has decided to undertake exploratory drilling in new areas in Rajasthan.

According to sources, Sri Lanka's block 001 is spread over 3,338 sq km, and block 002, 3,572 sq km. Block 001 is, in fact, closer to the Cauvery basin, where oil and gas has already been discovered, hence it is attracting bids from other international oil exploration companies as well.

The chances of striking oil here are higher as geological features of the blocks are similar. In India, Cairn Energy India (CEIL) -- the operator, on behalf of joint venture partners Cairn India and ONGC in contract area RJ-ON-90/1 in Rajasthan -- has decided to commence production activities and development drilling at the Mangala Field.

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Prabhakaran 'hale and hearty', says Tamil MP

Tamil Tigers chief V Prabhakaran is "hale and hearty and ruling skillfully", a lawmaker of pro-LTTE party has said, rejecting claims that the elusive rebel leader was injured.

"Incorrect statements are being made saying Prabhakaran is injured in an air-attack," MP Selvarajah Gajendran of Tamil National Alliance (TNA), the LTTE proxies in parliament, said.

"He (Prabhakaran) is quite healthy and ruling skillfully," the lawmaker from strife-torn Jaffna told the House earlier this week while speaking on a motion to extend emergency in Sri Lanka by one month.

The Sri Lankan military had earlier claimed that Prabhakaran may have been injured in a November air raid. The military has intensified its offensive against the rebels after scrapping a tattered 2002 ceasefire in January.

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http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/001200803081656.htm

62 Indian fishermen detained by Sri Lankan Navy

As many as 62 fishermen were taken into custody by Sri Lankan Navy when they were fishing in the sea off Kanyakumari on Friday, police said.

The fishermen, all from Chinnathurai village near Thoothur in Kanyakumari district, were taken into custody by the Sri Lankan Navy personnel at 10 am, they said.

This was the first time that such a large number of fishermen from Kanyakumari had been taken into custody by the Sri Lankan Navy, though similar arrests had been made in small numbers earlier, a Fisheries Department official said.

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Sri Lanka, India Strengthen Military Links

India and Sri Lanka agreed to strengthen military ties in a joint effort to fight the separatist group Tamil Eelam Liberation Tigers (TLET), the LankaNews information agency reported.

The Indian Army chief, general Deepak Kapoor, and the commander of Sri Lanka armed forces, lieutenant general Sarta Fonseca, agreed to strengthen links in the current operations against the Tamil Tigers, noted the source, which echoed a Defense Ministry's note.

The Sri Lankan authority pointed out that over 30 countries considered terrorist the group that has been fighting since 25 years ago for a Tamil separate state in Sri Lanka north and east.

The government successfully managed to remove separatist rebels from the Eastern Province so far in 2007 and presently registers substantial advances of the military front in the northern region.

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Foreign Ministry slams AI report

The recent Amnesty International report fails to acknowledge the many positive steps taken by the Government to promote freedom of expression which is enshrined in the Constitution, the Foreign Ministry said yesterday.

It fails to acknowledge any positive steps taken by the Government of Sri Lanka to enhance protection in an environment of combating terrorism and shadowy killers, the Ministry said.

The Ministry said: “The attention of the Government of Sri Lanka has been drawn to a recent report issued by Amnesty International titled “Sri Lanka-Silencing Dissent” on alleged threats to media and media freedom.

The Report is totally misplaced - a contradiction between the title ‘silencing dissent’ and Government’s sustained policy of open and constructive engagement with the international community and international human rights mechanisms.

In 2007 the Government extended invitations to the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, UN Under Secretary General for Humanitarian Affairs, the Special Representative of the UN Secretary General on the human rights of internally displaced persons, the Special Rapporteur on Torture, and in early 2008, to a delegation from the Inter Parliamentary Union and Ms Angela Kane, the UN Assistant Secretary General for Political Affairs.

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http://www.dailynews.lk/2008/03/08/news03.asp

One soldier killed in claymore mine explosion at Galge

A claymore mine was triggered off targeting a troops carrying tractor at Galge along the Buttala old road this morning (March 8), defence sources report.

According to defence sources, the mine explosion was triggered in a jungle patch at Galge general area, around 9.45.a.m. Three soldiers have received injuries due to the explosion, sources said. Meanwhile, a soldier has succumbed to injuries while undergoing treatment, according to latest reports received.

SLA and Police are now conducting extensive search operations in the area, defence sources further reported.

Extracted from,
http://defence.lk/new.asp?fname=20080308_04

Holy Church Used as LTTE’s Fighting Base

One more form of highest acts of sacrilege was reported from the newly captured PARAPPAKANDAL area when the terrorists, as all evidence pointed to, has used a Catholic Church as their base of terrorist operations against the troops.

Persuading Army troops to launch counter attacks on the Church where the terrorist fire on the Security Forces is initiated has been one of their ulterior motives enabling the LTTE to project a massive worldwide propaganda against the Sri Lankan Forces.

It was a few months ago that the LTTE using the Holy MADHU Church as a cover attacked the troops.

Again on 12 February 2008, LTTE fired artillery at the soldiers cleaning the premises of ST. SEBESTIAN’S CHURCH, TALLADY causing damages to the church.

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http://www.army.lk/morenews.php?id=11430

Kidnapped and rescued in 4 hours

This is straight out of a Bollywood whodunit — not just the plot but also the rare swiftness with which the police acted.

The kidnap drama started at about 12 noon on Friday. A 'senior officer from the Central Crime Branch (CCB)' led the 'Sanjay Nagar police team' into a building to pick up two students from Sri Lanka.

About four hours later, the Sanjay Nagar police arrested this 'crime branch officer' and his team of 'policemen'.

The fake team, all residents of R T Nagar, were nabbed in a swift operation. They are: Abdul Mathin (32), Firoz Khan (31), Praveen (21), Raju (20) and Hari (22).

Extracted from,
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Bangalore/

Naval and Maritime Academy of SLN reaches Par Excellence

Naval and Maritime Academy (NMA) of the Sri Lanka Navy, located in the scenic harbour in Trincomalee, the panoramic port city in the eastern coast of the island, has now reached the standard of par excellence being awarded the prestigious ISO (International Standards Organization) 9001:2000 quality management system certification from the Sri Lanka Standard Institutions, today- the 07th March 2008. The event takes place in a charming but proud ceremony held at the Academy today.

Commander of the Navy, Vice Admiral Wasantha Karannagoda, sending a felicitation message to the Naval and Maritime Academy, states that “We are extremely proud that the NMA is the first defence institutions in the country to achieve this international recognition”.

The chairman of the Sri Lanka Standard Institution, Dr. ARL Wijesekara, in his felicitation message, while complimenting the esteemed standard it received, states “This prestigious certification award you have received, will undoubtedly, equip the academy to produce professionals of the highest calibre”.

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Sri Lanka to provide highest security for polls in east district

The Sri Lankan government is to undertake the largest ever manpower deployment in the history of local government polls for the eastern Batticaloa district which will hold local council elections on March 10, said the official Daily News on Tuesday.

This will be the first local elections in the former rebel-controlled area after a lapse of 14 years. The newspaper quoted police sources as saying that 6,425 police officers are to be deployed for duty on the election day, out of which 1,800 officers are from outstations, in accordance with a request by several political parties.

Five officers are to be deployed to provide security for every polling station, in addition to mobile patrols which operate 24 hours a day. Police will also set up roadblocks for all the 26 counting centers in addition to special security arrangements to transport ballot boxes on election day.

Election authorities have planned to set up 285 polling stations to cater to 270,471 registered voters in addition to special arrangements for displaced voters numbering 11,000. Batticaloa consists of 12 local councils, out of which nine will hold elections on March 10.

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http://www.lankaeverything.com/vinews/srilanka/20080304044726.php

Sri Lankan truckers to strike in protest against port delays

Container transporters in Sri Lanka Thursday announced plans for a protest action and work stoppage that could disrupt the flow of cargo to and from Colombo port.

The Joint Council of Transporters (JCT) said in a statement their members would commence a protest combined with work stoppage from March 10 to protest against lengthy delays in getting containers into the port.

"The long queues experienced during the last few months and other issues have compelled the trade to take such action," the statement said.

"Although we have communicated to the relevant authorities of our intention we have not received any response from them."

The JCT said they had told shippers, shipping agents, freight forwarders and business chambers of their planned industrial action.

Truck drivers have complained they have had to often wait for 12 hours to be given permission to enter the port.

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http://www.lankabusinessonline.com/fullstory.php?

Sri Lanka government to open a new savings bank

Sri Lanka government will open a new savings bank named Sri Lanka Savings Bank on next Monday, Finance Ministry revealed. President Mahinda Rajapaksa is to attend the opening ceremony of the new bank.

One of the primary purposes of the bank is to provide benefits to those depositors of the Pramuka Bank that was bankrupted in 2002. According to the Ministry sources, the bank is to pay back money of those depositors under a maximum amount of 100,000 rupees.

Pramuka Bank closed down its operations on Oct 25, 2002 incurring heavy losses to 14,324 depositors. Some of the depositors even committed suicide following the closure that said to be caused by bad corporate governance.

Extracted from,
http://www.colombopage.com/archive_08/March7120945CH.html

TNA MP Sivanesan was summoned to Kilinochchi by LTTE for secret meeting

Tamil analysts in Sri Lanka believe that K. Sivanesan, Member of Parliament (MP) of the LTTE-backed Tamil National Alliance (TNA) was killed by the Tamil Tigers. The LTTE has summoned Mr Sivanesan and another TNA MP for a briefing on Wednesday. According to political circles only Mr Sivenesan was free to go to Mankulam.

The LTTE summons TNA MPs from time to time and instruct them on the stands they should take in Parliament debates and media interviews.
Mr Sivanesan who received the LTTE summons on Wednesday, 24 hours before his death on Thursday afternoon in a claymore explosion inside the LTTE controlled area.

Analysts say that the LTTE while claiming that the group has the total control of areas beyond Vavuniya issues a statement immediately after the killing that an Army Special Forces unit blew up Mr Sivenesan’s vehicle.

The LTTE has used claymore mines in Vavuniya to kill armymen and policemen recently. Mr Sivanesan was driving near his home in Mankulam in the LTTE controlled area in the north when the blast occurred, killing him and his driver. The explosion took place at a place between Oamanthai and Puliyangkulam on A 9 road, which is completely under the LTTE and is guarded by Tamil Tigers.

Within hours of the explosion the LTTE announced that it was by the Army deep penetration unit. Pro-LTTE website Tamilnet, quoting LTTE military spokesman Rasiah Ilanthiraiyan said "his vehicle was precisely targeted, because there were several vehicles travelling along this road. It's another example of how the regime in Colombo acts."

Tamil analysts ask the question whether the army units could operate freely during day time in LTTE controlled areas. “This is definitely an inside job by the LTTE,” an analyst concluded.

The military denied any hand in the attack. "We don't know what exactly happened because it has occurred in an uncontrolled area," said military spokesman Brigadier Udaya Nanayakkara. "There are no deep penetration units operating in that area. We totally deny it."

Mr Sivanesan had attended a meeting in parliament on Wednesday and he left for Mallakam after the session was over.

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