LTTE terrorists triggered off a road side claymore mine targeting the night mail train which carrying hundreds of civilians in Kantale around 8.45 p.m today (December 18).
According to the available information explosion hit the engine of the train which was plying from Trincomalee to Colombo defence sources said .
Extracted from,
http://defence.lk/new.asp?fname=20071218_11
Accusing Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi of directly supporting the LTTE, AIADMK chief Jayalalithaa on Tuesday asked the Centre to take stern action against him for having ''facilitated the release of an LTTE supporter'' on bail.
Her charge comes at a time when Karunanidhi is visiting New Delhi to take part in the Chief Ministers Conference on Internal Security on December 20.
''On a tip-off from central agencies, one Vanniyarasu, belonging to ruling DMK's ally Viduthalai Chiruthaigal (VC), was arrested by police for allegedly supplying boats to the banned outfit,'' she said in a statement.
Within few hours of the news got spread, VC Chief Thol Tirumavalavan called on Karunanidhi and Vanniyarasu was released on bail on the same day, she claimed.
Read more,
http://www.ndtv.com/convergence/ndtv/story.aspx?id=
Nearly 30,000 people in eastern Sri Lanka have been displaced by floods caused by incessant rains over the weekend, disaster relief officials said here Monday.
Most affected were people from the Ampara district where 22,339 people from 5,824 families were displaced, officials said.
In the Batticoloa district, about 1,500 families have been relocated to schools due to flooding, officials said, adding that most of them are those living in camps after being displaced by the conflict between government troops and Tamil Tiger rebels.
Some of the main motorways in the east are impassable while some paddy fields have gone under water, said the police.
Extracted from,
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2007-12/18/content_7269657.htm
Philippe Duamelle, the Country Representative of the United Nation's Children's Fund (UNICEF) was called in to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday to express concern over his recent visit to Kilinochchi and his meeting with LTTE leaders.
Foreign Secretary Dr. Palitha Kohona emphasised that the UNICEF had not followed the guidelines issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs when diplomats and high ranking officials sought to visit the uncleared areas in the Northern Province.
These guidelines which have been issued to ensure the safety and security of the visiting officials, require them to obtain prior clearance from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The Foreign Secretary conveyed to the UNICEF Country Representative that non-compliance with these guidelines was unacceptable given the propensity of the LTTE to exploit such visits for propaganda purposes.
Duamelle who assumed duties as the Country Representative of UNICEF in Sri Lanka in September this year, stated that, unfortunately, he was not familiar with the Foreign Ministry's guidelines. But he said he had consulted the Ministry of Defence.
Read more,
http://www.dailynews.lk/2007/12/18/news03.asp
Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse has said a political package for ending the 25-year-old ethnic conflict in the island nation will be put forward soon even as he warned the LTTE of a ban if it continues with attacks in the country.
''One or two more attacks, then we have no option,'' he said when asked by reporters if the government will ban the Tamil rebel outfit.
''(We will) have to ban. There is a limit to our patience,'' he told foreign journalists last night during a Christmas eve get-together at his residence here.
The President said he was awaiting the recommendations of the All Party Representative Committee (APRC), comprising members of various political parties, for making the proposals regarding a solution to the Tamil issue.
Read more,
http://www.ndtv.com/convergence/ndtv/story.aspx?id
Sri Lanka's largest bank the Bank of Ceylon (BoC) is planning to expand its India operations to attract more foreign investment to the country.
"The Bank of Ceylon is to diversify its operations in India and the UK to attract more foreign investment, especially for the capital markets in Sri Lanka," BoC Chairman Gamini Wickremasinghe has said.
Outlining new strategies of the bank Wickremasinghe said it will introduce new products and financial instruments for South Indian customers through its Chennai branch after fulfilling the conditions required by Indian authorities.
Read more,
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/News_by_Industry/
All-rounder Tillakaratne Dilshan has been recalled to the Sri Lanka squad as they prepare for the third and final Test against England in Galle.
The 31-year-old was dropped in favour of Jehan Mubarak for the tour of Australia but he now returns with Mubarak missing out after disappointing in the first two Tests.
Dilshan is a veteran of 42 Tests and will boost a squad looking to consolidate a 1-0 series lead as Galle readies itself for its return to international cricket after being devastated by the tsunami of 2004.
Read more,
http://www.cricketworld.com/england_in_sri_lanka_2007/article/?aid=14159
The budget vote which generated much tension finally turned out to be an anti-climax with the Government securing a comfortable majority of 47.
The voting commenced today around 5.00p.m by name for and against the budget. There were 114 votes for the Budget and 67 against it. The JVP abstained from voting.
The UNP (Democratic Group), Jathika Hela Urumaya, Upcountry People's Front, Mahajana Eksath Peramuna and the Ceylon Workers' Congress voted for the budget while the UNP (Ranil Group), Tamil National Alliance and the Western Province People's Front voted against it.
Earlier in the day, veteran politician Anura Bandaranaike crossed over to the opposition benches.
Subsequent to the vote, Minister D.M. Jayaratne said that the Government will defeat terrorism and develop the country:
"Today we have emerged victorious on the 2008 budget and we will not hesitate to defeat terrorism and to carry forward our development programme," Mr.Jayarathne told www.news.lk.
Although SLMC’s Rauff Hakeem stirred up controversy with his crossover on Wednesday, with the UNP claiming that others in the Government will break ranks at today's vote, the Government mustered a comfortable 114 votes, sufficient to secure a majority even if the JVP had voted against the budget.
Wijedasa Rajapaksa, who crossed over to the opposition but abstained from voting at the second reading, opted to do the same today as well.
Wimal Weerawansa, Propaganda Secretary of the JVP, addressing parliament said that his party was not ready to be anyone's catspaw and makes decisions in the best interest of the country and the people.
Meanwhile Chief Government Whip, Jeyaraj Fernandopulle told www.news.lk that it was the LTTE and no one else that was behind moves to defeat the budget. "It was obviously an attempt to reverse the victories achieved by the security forces in the Eastern Province,
Extracted from,
http://news.lk/index.php?option=com
A bevy of South Indian film personalities might be heading for controversy after their names were included in a fund-raiser in London that Sri Lankan reports allege is in aid of Tamil Tigers. An article carried by the Sri Lankan Defence Ministry website has alleged that the organiser of the event, White Pigeon, is an LTTE front organization.
In an interview earlier this year to the Washington Post Radio, the Sri Lankan Ambassador in Washington had alleged that White Pigeon was another avatar of a psuedo Tamil charity called Tamil Rehabilitation Organization (TRO), which has since been closed.
The article also points out that White Pigeon's founder and present chairman is Dr N Sathiyamoorthy, who was chairman of TRO at the time Charity Commission's regulatory arm ordered its closure. White Pigeon, however, describes itself as a charity focusing on landmine victims in Tamil-dominated north and east Sri Lanka.
The event is scheduled to take place at Alexandra Palace in London in January. The star line-up, going by the advance publicity to the event, includes Sathyaraj, Sibi Sathyaraj, Bhavana, national-award winning singer Chitra, Jeeva, Madhumita and singer Karthick.
Read more,
http://www.newindpress.com/NewsItems.asp?ID=IE920071213215702&Page=9&Headline=%91
The second budget vote will be taken on the 14th December. Some predicts it will be the doomsday for the Government. And Mr. Lal Kantha of the JVP had been reported by the media to have given assurance to his audience that the Government will be stopped for good.
Lal Kantha and the likes in the JVP could not have chosen a better time to act the goat and be vociferous in uniting with the opportunistic, anti-national forces to defeat the Government, citing bogus economic negatives of the budget and “Shylock type” worker union demands on which their sole survival is totally dependant.
The battle against the brutal LTTE terrorism has reached new heights. The SL armed forces are being deftly lead by veteran leaders in the battlefront and, like never before in the 25-year-old LTTE menace, the present Government has given the thorough political backing to the army to plan and destroy Velupillai Pirapaharan’s psychopathic Eelam dream.
Pirapaharan is left with no option than to shut all his masquerades on surface and go subterranean in the Wanni jungles pleading with the international community. He is looking towards the heaven for some solace to save his pathetic head.
Read more,
http://www.lankaweb.com/news/items07/131207-6.html
“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-
British Representative in Sri Lanka Mr. Dominic Chilcott ironically blames everything that is wrong with the world on the 1648 treaty of Westphalia which created the idea that no country has the right to interfere in another country’s problems. Poppy cock!
You are fully aware Mr. Chilcott that since 1648 the British behaved as if everything in the world were up for grabs. It was theirs for the asking.
Now you complain that “the conflict in Sri Lanka makes waves in the UK and as the conflict worsens, we get more asylum seekers from Sri Lanka. It becomes more difficult to manage the movement of people between our countries. More Sri Lankans try to get into the UK illegally. The numbers of those overstaying their visa also increases.”
Mr.Chilcott have you ever considered how many innocent Indians were massacred by the British troops during Gandhi’s struggle for independence from England. Were any British politicians ever tried for war crimes? How many innocent people were displaced and subject to degradation as hapless estate labor during the time when your forefathers invaded Sri Lanka? Did you pay any compensation to the poor unsuspecting victims?
Read more,
http://www.asiantribune.com/index.php?q=node/8696
North Korea may have given arms to Lebanon's Hezbollah and Sri Lanka's Tamil Tigers, according to a report compiled for Congress that could complicate U.S. plans to drop Pyongyang from its terrorism blacklist.
The report obtained on Wednesday by Reuters was written by the Congressional Research Service (CRS), which provides independent analysis to Congress, and cited "reputable sources" as saying Pyongyang had given arms and possibly training to the militant groups, which Washington regards as "terrorist" organizations.
As part of a deal to get Pyongyang to give up its pursuit of nuclear weapons, Washington has dangled the possibility of removing North Korea from its list of state sponsors of terrorism if it fully discloses its nuclear programs.
Read more,
http://in.reuters.com/article/topNews/idINIndia-30964520071213
AIADMK general secretary J Jayalalithaa on Wednesday said Chief Minister M Karunanidhi was lending 'open support to the banned LTTE'.
In a statement in Chennai, the AIADMK leader urged the Centre to take note and initiate stern action. ‘The whole country was shocked by the recently held LTTE operatives in Chennai. When I said that LTTE had close links with local politicians here, I was only blamed.’
Stating that law and order situation was in control and extremist elements were crushed when she was in power, Jayalalithaa said the prevailing situation could have happened only with the counsel or blessings of Karunanidhi.
Extracted from,
http://www.chennaivision.com/enews/2007/Dec/13/MK-supporting-LTTE-Jaya.asp
