Sri Lanka Latest News

Sunday, May 13, 2007

Unknown Gunmen Assassinate Chief Monk

THE CHIEF MONK OF THABBATHARAMA Vihare, MORAWEWA, MAHADIULWEWA, the Venerable HADUNGAMUWE NANDARATHNA THERO was assassinated this morning by two unknown gunmen today (13) at 9.15 a.m.

MORAWEWA Police are conducting investigations.

Extracted from,
http://www.rnhit.com/mcns/fullnews.php?id=5733

Read more,
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L13395509.htm
and
http://www.lankaenews.com/English/news.php?id=4124
and
http://www.tamilnet.com/art.html?catid=13&artid=22150

'Deepam TV' in London has become voice of LTTE

The Tamil television service Deepam operating from London has become a mouthpiece of the LTTE following closure of the LTTE's official Tamil Television Network (TTN) by the French authorities.

Extensive coverage of pro-LTTE news and views involving the LTTE apologists confirm Deepam television station has come under LTTE dictates.

The television is selective in its news broadcasts and LTTE and LTTE supporting news are only given weight. The terminologies used to call the Tamil democratic voices and the anti-LTTE Tamil groups operating in Sri Lanka confirm Deepam is towing the LTTE dictates.

Unlike before Deepam's programme co-ordinator and news broadcaster Anas is taking a pro-LTTE stance and has become a mouth piece of the LTTE.

Sri Lanka in 60 mln dlr train deal with China

Sri Lanka plans to buy 60 million US dollars worth of locomotives and passenger coaches from China to modernise its Victorian-era network.

The state-owned railway says it'll buy 100 carriages and 15 diesel-powered locomotives.

China's Exxim Bank will fund the purchases with a lending agreement due to be signed between Colombo and Beijing.

A railway official says the nation's rolling stock is in desperate need of modernisation.
Delivery of the locomotives and coaches is expected to start in August.

Extracted from,
http://www.mulpituwa.com/?viewnews=5468

“I know nothing about politics” – Maj. Gen. Janaka Perera

My fellow officers in the army, navy, air force and the police, who fought valiantly in the battle field, deserve the honour of my popularity. I was able to command recognition among the armed forces by fighting with a sense of responsibility for the lives of the soldiers who were our assets and achieving many victories in the battlefield. We were victorious at Weli Oya, without the support of the Special Forces.

On July 22, I received a letter from the Headquarters removing me from operational duties and appointing me as Chief of Staff. I lost only a post but the country lost many things with that. However, I command respect among the police and security personnel, who were in the operational areas with me and the people of the country. I consider it the position bestowed on me.

In 2001, a friend of UNP Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe telephoned me and invited me to contest the elections. A friend of Mangala Samaraweera also made the same request. However, I refused their proposals. I was offered the post of Deputy Minister of Defence, but I preferred to serve as Ambassador in Australia.

The LTTE says Janaka Perera is a dangerous man. They published it in their websites as well. I am not a politician. I was in the army for 34 years and in the Diplomatic missions for six years. However, I never forget the soldiers who were with me and their families.

Read more,
http://www.nation.lk/2007/05/13/inter1.htm
Photo,
http://www.nation.lk/2007/05/13/inter1.htm

Saturday, May 12, 2007

Sri Lanka govt to show free local movies once a month

Sri Lanka's Minister of Information and Media Anura Priyadharshana Yapa says the government will show local movies in cinemas free of charge once a month to promote Sinhala cinema and attract moviegoers.

The Minister said he would discuss the matter with cinema owners and distributors. The Minister, who was participating in the ceremonial start of a cinema production, lamented about empty halls when local movies are shown.

Meanwhile, industry sources welcomed the Minister’s attempt to solve the problems of the local cinema industry.

Extracted from,
http://www.colombopage.com/archive_07/May12133217SL.html

Polls after LTTE flushed out: Eastern Army Commander

Eastern Army Commander Major General Parakrama Pannipitiya was optimistic that people in the east would get a chance to elect their public representatives shortly after flushing out the LTTE within the next few days.

The Major General told journalists on Thursday they would clear the east of Tiger terrorists now confined only to the Thoppigala area.

He made these comments amidst widespread speculation about some political parties laying ground work for a provincial council election in the east soon.

The government had completed the resettlement of internally displaced persons in the recently captured Vakarai area situated north of Batticaloa.

fuel prices have been raised

Sri Lanka has raised fuel prices from midnight Friday to keep up with diesel going up by two rupees, petrol by one rupee and furnace oil by three rupee a litre, a Ceylon Petroleum Corporation official said.

This would push 90-Octane petrol to 106 rupees and 95-Octane petrol to109 rupees with standard auto-diesel going up to 67 rupees and super diesel 71.30 rupees.

Friday, May 11, 2007

Ranil falls from raja yoga to paraja yoga

More than before Ranil Wickremesinghe’s actions tend to border on antics and histrionics. Increasingly he is veering away from pursuing any credible or pragmatic moves to stage a comeback. Last week, for instance, he resigned from a post which he never held. He thought he was a member of the Gangaramaya Dayaka Sabha only to find, after he resigned, that he had never been a member of it.

His successive defeats have not taught him that he has lost every card he played because he is way out of the central forces on which he has to depend for his political survival. April has proved that even his horoscope is not going to save him. He can be saved only if he joins the rest of the nation. And right now the nation, according to the polls, is with Mahinda Rajapakse.

Read more,
http://www.asiantribune.com/index.php?q=node/5673

LTTE Hand Grenade Attack at IDP Centre Injures Two Children & Six Others

A GROUP OF SUSPECTED LTTE TERRORISTS threw a hand grenade towards the Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) centre at SARATHA school in KATTANKUDY, BATTICALAOA Thursday at about 10.35 p.m.. Eight IDPs including two children of 12 and 15 years of age sustained injuries in the explosion.

Read more,
http://www.army.lk/fulsit.php?idx=564

LTTE attempts to raise funds in Greece fail

The LTTE activists have made several unsuccessful attempts to collect funds from Sri Lankan expatriates in Greece.

Though Greece comes under the European Union, which has already declared the LTTE as a terrorist organisation, there have been several attempts by Tiger agents to collect funds from the Tamil community living here.

But a member of the Sri-Lanka Greek Friendship Association here said it is hard for the LTTE to collect funds in Greece.

“Unlike in other European countries such as Britain, France, Norway and Switzerland, the LTTE can not do their fundraising here,” he said.

Sri Lanka drop Atapattu for Pakistan one-day series

Sri Lanka have dropped former captain Marvan Atapattu from their one-day squad for a three-match series against Pakistan in Abu Dhabi.

Atapattu, 36, was part of the squad at this year's World Cup in which Sri Lanka lost to defending champions Australia in the final but he did not feature in any of their matches.

Chief selector Ashantha de Mel told reporters Atapattu had been left out to give opportunities to younger players.

Thursday, May 10, 2007

TNA member S. Gajendran sent out of the parliament

Parliament in chaos owing to treacherous statement of TNA member delivered yesterday

Today when the parliament started business JVP parliament group leader Wimal Weerawanse making a special statement explain the members that S. Gajendran member of TNA has violated the principles of constitution when he made a controversial statement yesterday.

Then the other members of government and opposition also condemn Mr. Gajendran’s statement as the result the speaker had to inform him to apologize the members and call off yesterday’s statement. However Mr. Gajendran is not agreed to that and the TNA members started to shout as a result the speaker ordered Mr. Gajendran either to call of the statement for go leave the house.

Following that order the members of TNA together with UNP members stated shouting Government members also joint heated argument. The speaker and to postpone the meeting for 10 minute.

Extracted from,
http://www.lankatruth.com/full_story/2007/may/10/200700510_3.htm
Read more,
http://www.lankaenews.com/Sinhala/news.php?id=2293 (Sinhala version)

Sri Lanka to felicitate cricketers with commemorative coins

Sri Lanka plans to issue commemorative coins to felicitate cricketers, who emerged runners-up in the recently concluded World Cup held in the Caribbean, officials said.

"Things are still at a planning stage. We have not worked out the designs yet. Obviously it will have a cricket element," the head of Central Bank's currency department A Jeewandara said.

Rajapakse's office said the president had also expressed interest in giving duty free vehicle permit to the cricketers, who lost the final to Australia in Barbados.

In March, Sri Lanka issued two commemorative World Cup stamps in a bid to boost its cricketers before the tournament began.

Tigers use pressure to raise funds, Royal Canadian Mounted Police say

The Tamil Tigers terrorist group has been aggressively fund raising in Montreal using a sophisticated pre-authorized payment scheme and other methods to collect money from the city's 25,000-strong Tamil community, according to the RCMP...

Documents recently unsealed and filed in a Quebec court provide the first look inside an ongoing RCMP investigation called Project CRIBLE that is probing complaints that a Montreal nonprofit group has been working with the Tamil Tigers to raise money for civil war in Sri Lanka..

Read more,
http://www.canada.com/nationalpost/news/story.html?id=
d0baa5b1-bfa3-4bbe-87a8-a406fefadbd3&k=50987