Advancing troops capture Karukkakulama town area- Mannar

Troops gained total control over Karukkakulama town area, located North West of Parappakandal in Mannar yesterday (May 1), following concentrated amour and artillery shell attacks at LTTE, security sources said.

Army infantrymen made swift incursions into the LTTE strong point and have reportedly captured 1.6km of land stretch in the area at around 6a.m. According to military sources, a soldier has laid his life, while another was wounded during the advances made on Thursday.

Meanwhile, ground sources citing intercepted LTTE communication said that, LTTE has suffered at least 15 fatalities during confrontations erupted with troops.

Extracted from,
http://defence.lk/new.asp?fname=20080502_05

Extortion filling Tiger coffers - US State Department

The LTTE continued to finance itself with contributions from the Tamil Diaspora in North America, Europe, and Australia, by imposing local "taxes" on businesses operating in the areas it dominates and reportedly by extortion operations in Government-controlled areas, the US State Department said yesterday.

The Department's just-released Country Report on Terrorism said the LTTE also used Tamil charitable organizations as fronts for its fundraising.

"In November, the US Government designated under Executive Order 13224 and froze the US-held assets of the Tamil Rehabilitation Organization, a charity associated with the LTTE. The LTTE previously used such funds for weapons purchases on the international black market and also captured arms from Sri Lankan security forces. The Sri Lankan Navy sunk three LTTE supply ships in September and another in October," the report said.

After a period of targeting Sri Lankan military and official personnel throughout 2007, the LTTE appears to have recently resumed its targeting of civilians, the Report noted.

It said the Government took effective control of the Eastern Province in midyear, but the LTTE continued to control much of the north and carried out attacks throughout the country.

Read more,
http://www.dailynews.lk/2008/05/02/sec01.asp

Iran-Sri Lanka strategic relations

Common borders, faith and culture are enabling factors that facilitate inter-state ties. These are, however, neither necessary nor sufficient elements. Relations between a Muslim Pakistan and a communist China, a multi-ethnic Sri Lanka and a Muslim Iran, a Hindu India and a Christian Russia underscore this point. Two factors that determine the potential and progress of inter-state relations are ‘compulsions’ and ‘conditions’. Palpability of situation, emanating from mutual distrust and induction of weapons of mass destruction has possibly made this region the most tension-ridden and insecure. These causes continue to haunt professors of peace the world over.

In recent days, exchange of high level delegation between Iran and Sri Lanka has opened a new door of scepticism for India. In response to the Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s tour to Iran in November last year, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of Iran was scheduled to visit Sri Lanka. It is not a customary development insofar as India is concerned. Indian think tanks have started throwing full venom against the emerging relations between these two states.

Sri Lanka is a centuries-old Indian Ocean state, which has retained its entity and enjoyed sovereignty in various forms through the years of its existence as a multi-ethnic and multi-lingual plural society. Of late, it caught up in a quagmire of internal ethnic strife that has hitherto claimed innumerable precious lives, weakened its ideological composition and built quite a bad image across the globe.

Read more,
http://thepost.com.pk/OpinionNews.aspx?dtlid=158772&catid=11

Six major attacks attributed to Piliyandala bomber

Police investigating the recent Piliyandala bomb blast, which claimed the lives of 26 civilians and wounded over 60, believe that Wasanthan, arrested in connection with the blast, had been involved in six major attacks, including the assassination of Deputy Army Chief of Staff Major General Parami Kulatunga.

According to investigators, the suspect had also been involved in the Mount Lavinia bus attack, a claymore mine blast directed at an army truck at Belekkade junction, Ratmalana, The blast at a clothing store at Nugegoda and the attempt to assassinate EPDP leader Douglas Devananda.

Police believe the suspect had been responsible for the devastating claymore mine attack on an SLTB bus at Kebitigollewa. Under interrogation, the suspect and two others, including a Sinhalese in custody for his involvement with the LTTE, had said they had plans to trigger explosions on eight more buses in the Western Province.

Extracted from,
http://www.island.lk/2008/05/02/news18.html

Army razed to ground the LTTE's 19 (one nine) Base

The Sri Lanka Army razed to ground the LTTE's 19 (one nine) Base, a strong point northeast of Giant's Tank successfully today. Troops from the 59 Division operating in Weli Oya were again targeted by a heavy barrage of artillery fire.

Shells fell close to civilian settlements at Janakapura and Kiriibbanwewa again today. A civilian injured in an artillery fire at Yaya 11 Padavi Sripura yesterday was admitted to Padaviya Hospital last afternoon.

Troops operating along the Janakapura-Adankulam road in Weli Oya today which is appropriately titled by soldiers as "Jayamawatha", managed to kill 5 Tigers in isolated incidents. Over 100 anti-personnel mines were also recovered today. The fighting continues in dense jungles.

Two STF personnel were killed in general area Dutuwewa in Kebitigollewa, Anuradhapura. The STF road picket returned fire killing two LTTE infiltrators.

Read more,
http://defencewire.blogspot.com/2008/05/army-beating-on-lttes-backdoor.html

Apollo to re-enter Sri Lanka

Medical care services provider Apollo Hospital's group on Wednesday said it will be investing about Rs 1,000 crore in the next 18 months to set up about 15 hospitals in tier II and III cities in India.

The hospital chain, which is looking for an overseas expansions, is also planning to re-enter Sri Lanka besides expanding its operations in African continents.

"The idea is to set up tertiary hospitals in tier II and III cities, we plan to set up about 15 hospitals in next 18 months with an investment of about Rs 1,000 crore," Apollo Hospitals Group Chairman Prathap C Reddy said in New Delhi on the sidelines of CII annual session.

Read more,
http://www.financialexpress.com/news/

Sri Lanka gets Dutch aid to build big fisheries harbour

Sri Lanka has signed a deal with the Netherlands government to get eight billion rupees (44.9 million euro) in aid to build a fisheries harbour to accommodate deep sea trawlers and develop the island's fishing industry.

The port will be built in Dikowita on the western coast, fisheries minister Felix Perera said.

The new port will be Sri Lanka's largest fisheries harbour with the capacity to dock 340 multi-day 65-foot trawlers and 150 smaller fishing boats.

Spread over 6.5 hectares, the harbour will be equipped with cold storage units, ice manufacturing machines and equipment to process the deep sea catch.

The Netherlands will provide 17.1 million euros as a grant, with the rest as a soft loan, Perera told reporters Wednesday.

Read more,
http://www.lankabusinessonline.com/fullstory.php?nid=1284361612

SLC media manager given the sack

Samantha Algama, Sri Lanka's popular and proficient media manager, has been given the sack by Sri Lanka Cricket's interim committee which is headed by former Sri Lanka captain Arjuna Ranatunga. Duleep Mendis, the board's chief executive, confirmed that Algama had been asked to quit his honorary role with effect from April 30.

Algama, it seems, has paid the price for being too media-friendly. The accusation leveled against Algama was that he had not defended the interim committee when their activities had been criticised in the media. His departure comes two days before the start of the 4th Women's Asia Cup which is being hosted by Sri Lanka, and that is followed by an important tour by India to Sri Lanka in July-August.

Algama who has held the position for the past three years is the second longest serving media manager in international cricket after England's Andrew Walpole. This latest move by the interim committee follows a series of wholesale changes that have been implemented by the Ranatunga administration. They have replaced Dharmadasa loyalists from all other subcommittees since taking over at the beginning of the year.

Mendis said a new media manager would be appointed shortly.

Extracted from,
http://content-www.cricinfo.com/ci/content/story/348193.html?CMP=OTC-RSS

UN worker arrested with small pistol in Sri Lanka

A Sri Lankan national working with the World Food Programme (WFP) of the UN was arrested Wednesday with a micro pistol in his possession at a security roadblock in the north of the island nation.

'The suspect was travelling from Kilinochchi to Batticaloa when he was arrested by the security forces at the Irattaperiyakulam road block in Vavuniya around 12.45 p.m. on Wednesday,' the defence ministry here said.

It said that the suspect, identified as Thiagaraja Prabhakaran, 'is a resident of Batticaloa and is currently working with the UNDP office in Kilinochchi', an area held by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in the north.

According to the ministry, the suspect while questioning confessed that an LTTE agent had given him the micro pistol to be handed over to a person in the eastern Batticaloa district, where the provincial council election is set to be held May 10.

Read more,
http://story.malaysiasun.com/index.php/ct/9/cid/

LTTE’s 18 Base falls and troops advancing in MANNAR

today(30) morning advancing troops commenced in the North West of GIANT TANK, MANNAR captured the LTTE’s 18 – Base in VEPPANKULAM area and brought the entire area under control.

Due to the confrontations LTTE has recorded many casualties and reported at least forty LTTE carders have perished including a LTTE leader.

Six valiant soldiers were reported injured in the battle field and they were rushed to the hospitals.

Also the Air force MI- 24 fighter jets carried out air strikes on two LTTE gun positions in KARUKKAKULAM and CHALAMPAIKULAM areas.

Extracted from,
http://www.nationalsecurity.lk/fullnews.php?id=12136

Troops Advance Further into Tiger Strongholds

FIERCE OFFENSIVES still continuing in areas northwest of GIANT TANK in MANNAR sector at the time this report was pasted Wednesday (30) at about 2.30 p.m. (local time), have been pushing Tiger terrorists further into the northern jungles after intensifying pressure on them.

Resisting troops advancing into PARAYAKULAM, KARUKKAKULAM and KATTANKULAM areas in the area which were regarded as LTTE strongholds led to heavy fighting between the enemy and the troops. So far eleven terrorists have fallen dead in the fire directed by the troops who were effectively assisted by artillery and heavy guns.

Terrorists with their twenty over injured fellow-soldiers were heard retreating further into the interior in un-cleared areas vacating their bunkers and trenches.
Army offensives commenced around 5.15 a.m. Wednesday (30) after the first light.

Up to now four Army soldiers were evacuated for medical treatment with their injuries sustained in the confrontations.

The operation was still in progress.

Extracted from,
http://army.lk/morenews.php?id=12817

Artillery attack by LTTE, Army retaliate

LTTE terrorists have been launched sporadic artillery attack at TISSAPURA, PADAVIYA area since 9.30 a.m. in the morning today (30) from un-cleared areas. A 66 year old civilian was injured in the attack. He was admitted to SRIPURA hospital.

The Army troops are engaged in successful retaliation.

Extracted from,
http://www.nationalsecurity.lk/fullnews.php?id=12134

Wimal and Nandana join hands against Somawansa

JVP dissident group leader Wimal Weerawansa said he plans to form a new political movement if the party leadership fails to approach them for talks before 1st of May.

"We are waiting for a green light from the JVP to patch up the problem. But the behavior of the party never shows a green light. Even yesterday some of the JVP supporters have threaten the dissidents. If it will fail he will form a new political party with the support of the National patriotic Movement," he said.

Already the dissidents have started discussions with Ex-JVP front liner and former Presidential candidate Nandana Gunathilaka to get his support.

Read more,
http://www.asiantribune.com/?q=node/10836

Sri Lanka supports Iran's peaceful use of nuclear energy

Sri Lanka said Tuesday that it supports the peaceful use of nuclear energy by Iran within the framework of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) and under the supervision of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

In a joint statement issued at the conclusion of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's two-day state visit to Sri Lanka, "the two sides confirmed the full and non-discriminatory implementation of Article IV of the NPT on peaceful nuclear co-operation."

They also stressed the importance of global nuclear disarmament, particularly the need for the nuclear powers to destroy their nuclear weapons, based on the decisions of the relevant international meetings.

The two countries "recognized the inalienable rights and the legitimate aspirations of the Palestinian people at the highest level, and will continue to express their solidarity with the Palestinian people."

The two countries also expressed the hope that the differences among the different groups in Palestine will be resolved amicably.

Read more,
http://rss.xinhuanet.com/newsc/english/2008-04/30/content_8076902.htm