Sri Lanka Navy rescues a Burmese Vessel in Distress off Eastern Coast

Sri Lanka Navy today (3rd March 2008) rescued a vessel load of illegal foreign job seekers who had been marooned for 13 days at sea at a distance of 150 nautical miles off the Eastern coast of Sri Lanka.

The wooden hull vessel with 91 persons on board had left from Cox’s Bazaar located on the Burmese and Bangladeshi boarder on the 9th February. The passengers comprised of 67 Burmese nationals and 24 Bangladeshi persons. They were heading for Thailand and Malaysia for lucrative employment.

The vessel had developed an engine defect on the 20th and begun to drift for 13 days until it was rescued by the Sri Lanka Navy. According to the passengers on the vessel, 20 of their colleagues had died of starvation and dehydration due to the lack of food and water.

The Navy launched the search operation for the vessel after they had been alerted of a sighting of a suspicious vessel by the fishermen off Mulaithievu on the Eastern Coast of Sri Lanka.

The ill-fated vessel is now being towed to the Trincomalee Harbour by the Navy after providing food and medical treatment to the 71 passengers who were lucky enough to be alive after the 13-day ordeal at sea.

Sri Lanka Navy has appraised the respective embassies and diplomatic missions of the incident.

Extracted from,
http://www.navy.lk/index.php?id=715

LTTE suicide bomber kills himself to avoid arrest

An LTTE suicide bomber has exploded himself when a group of police officers tried to check a room of a three story lodge down Aluth Mawatha at Ibbanwala Watta, in Modara this morning (February 29).

According to the available information 4 police personnel, including 3 women police personnel and 3 civilians have suffered injuries in the explosion. defence.lk special reporter in the area said one women police officer has suffered serious injuries.

According to the sources, the explosion has taken place around 6.15.a.m. when police acting on information has tried to check the room. The body of the bomber has destroyed into an unidentifiable condition and the walls of the room show lot of damages caused by iron balls, the sources added.

A senior defence official speaking to defence.lk noted that unless for the vigilant civilians in the area and for the police personnel who acted swiftly to the civilian information, the suicide bomber could have committed another civilian massacre in the South.

Therefore, he said due to commitment and the bravery of the police officers who involved in this incident, a large number of civilian lives have been spared from a possible disaster.

LTTE is a ruthless terrorists outfit that pioneered the techniques of suicide bombing using brainwashed individuals. The outfit has made a unique contribution development of terrorist tactics by introducing innovative brainwashing techniques and also techniques such as the use of suicide belts, jackets, breast bombs and placing bombs under female under garments, etc that are now being widely copied by all other terror organization in the world.

Extracted from,
http://www.defence.lk/new.asp?fname=20080229_02

Army Captures Sluice Gates of Sinnaodaippu

SINNAODAIPPU sluice gates and its adjacent areas north of GIANT TANK in MANNAR were captured by troops from Tiger terrorists this morning (28) after a fierce fire fight that lasted till about 6.00 a.m.

At least fourteen Tiger terrorists were feared killed and six T-56 weapons were recovered along with a number of other LTTE belongings during the incident.

Two soldiers received gunshot injuries and were rushed for medical treatment.

Extracted from,
http://www.army.lk/morenews.php?id=11139

Former Local Councilor Murdered

Two motorbike-riding gunmen, believed to be Tiger terrorists, Tuesday (26) around 5.30 p.m. have shot and killed a former Local Council (Pradeshiya Sabha) member in the general area of UPPUVELI, TRINCOMALEE. The victim, GOPAL KONESWARARAJA (32) of Farm road, SELVANAYAGAMPURA, was with one of his relatives when he was gunned down.

The victim according to the Police has been making his living on a day today basis visiting various places in the area.

The reason behind the killing is yet to be revealed.

The UPPUVELI Police are conducting investigations.

Read more,
http://army.lk/fulsit.php?idx=861

Relations with CPI(M) good, says JVP

The Sri Lankan Marxist JVP party today underlined its close relations with the Communist Party of India-Marxist despite not being invited for the CPI(M) conclave in Tamil Nadu next month. The Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), which is usually amongst the invitees for the CPI-M's Congress, has been overlooked for the left party's conclave this year in Coimbatore from March 29 to April 3.

"We have not been invited," said R. Chandrasekaran, a senior JVP member and the Tamil face of the party.

It is being felt that the JVP supremo Somawansa Amar Singhe's recent utterances against India could be the reason for the Indian communist party not extending an invitation to the Island country's left party to attend the meeting. "Our relations with the CPI(M) will in no way be affected due to our not being invited for the conclave and it will remain good," Chandrasekaran told PTI.

Read more,
http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/000200802271654.htm

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.

Read more,
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/

UNP's fullest support for 13th Amendment

Opposition Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe yesterday extended the UNP's fullest cooperation to implement the 13th Amendment to the Constitution which has been proposed by the APRC proposals. The Opposition Leader gave this assurance following an extensive discussion with President Mahinda Rajapaksa held at Temple Trees yesterday.

During the discussion, President Rajapaksa briefed the Opposition Leader on the implementation of the 13th Amendment proposed by the APRC proposals.

In addition, the discussions also centred on the 17th Amendment, a media release issued by the President's Media Unit said yesterday. The UNP's representation for the next rounds of the APRC discussions was also discussed.

The discussions were conducted in a very cordial manner. SLFP General Secretary Minister Maithripala Sirisena, Ministers Jeyaraj Fernandopulle, Prof. Tissa Vitharana, Prof. Vishwa Warnapala represented the SLFP while the UNP Chairman MP Rukman Senanayake and MP K.N. Choksy represented the UNP, the release added.

Extracted from,
http://www.dailynews.lk/2008/02/27/pol01.asp

Sri Lanka Telecom sets up internet TV unit

Sri Lanka Telecom, the island's dominant fixed line operator, Wednesday announced it had set up a subsidiary to provide internet television programmes with a planned investment of 100 million rupees.

The fully-owned subsidiary called SLT Visioncom would provide internet-based television services to its broadband customers, the company said in a statement to the Colombo bourse.

"By the deployment of IPTV, SLT expects to optimize the use of its existing broadband access networks," it said.

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

Forty-Four LTTE Men/Aides Seek Rehabilitation in Jaffna

Forty four detainees, having confessed that they were either connected to LTTE or have directly or indirectly aided and abetted the terrorist cause in the JAFFNA peninsula consented to receive rehabilitation after they reached Security Forces Headquarters, JAFFNA prisons on Tuesday (26).

Those surrendees after formal registration at the Police are to be absorbed into a rehabilitation programme in the peninsula beginning tomorrow (27). They have sought the rehabilitation in writing, according to the military sources.

During January 2007- February 2008, a total of three hundred and seventeen men and women, some of who claimed themselves to be LTTE cadres have turned up at the Sri Lanka Human Rights Commission in JAFFNA and wanted to seek protection saying that they were very much harassed, disgusted with the LTTE or exposed to LTTE conscription attempts.

Extracted from,
http://army.lk/morenews.php?id=11056

The arrests that upset terror-supporting media

A local TV station in its evening news telecast yesterday (February 25), reported that an unidentified gang that had come in a white van abducted a person named Muththusami Ilankoowan alias Sami at Pettah, Colombo on the same day evening.

According to this TV station the person who was a holder of a Singaporean passport had been accommodated at a hotel on Kadireshan road before getting "disappeared".

Media personnel of this TV station who seemed to have got the first hand information on this "disappearance", quickly inquired from the police media spokesman who was only able inform them what he knew at the time.

Later, the police spokesperson informed relevant media station that the person that it was referring as disappeared was actually a suspect arrested by the police. However, the media station carried out the same story spinning it as an abduction that carried out by the government giving less prominence to the police spokesman's clarification.

A senior intelligence official speaking exclusively to defence.lk said that Muththusami Ilankoowan is a number one LTTE terrorist who is suspected to have a hand in many civilian massacres carried out by LTTE in the south. Muttusami, is a Sri Lankan born Tamil, who has strong connection with terror chief V.Prbhakaran, and also with LTTE's international wing leaders such as Castro , Kumaran Padmanadan, David and Iyyanna.

Security Forces about to reach Madhu Church!

Security Forces engaged in operations in Mannar Yodawewa area is only 1.5 km away from Madhu Church say security sources.

According to information from security sections, the 57th Brigade of S.L. Army engaged in operations from Mannar towards Wanni have seized a large territory in the jungle in Uilankulama area adjacent to Madhu Church after a fierce battle that continued from last evening to this morning.

6 terrorists were killed in the battle.

Madhu Church is only 1.5 km away from this jungle state troops engaged in the operation.

Read more,
http://www.lankatruth.com/full_story/

President-Ranil meeting backed by India?

A meeting between President Mahinda Rajapakse and Leader of the Opposition Ranil Wickremesinghe will take place today, Tuesday, at 7.30 p.m.

Sources said the meeting was due to persuasion by the international community, especially India, to use the opportunity to work out a minimum consensus on a political solution to the ethnic conflict in the country.

Earlier, the president and leader of the opposition met at the unveiling ceremony of a bust of former president, Ranasinghe Premadasa, where President Rajapakse had extended an invitation to the latter to discuss a solution to the ethnic problem in the country.

Read more,
http://outreachsl.com/en/?p=125

India continues to influence events in Sri Lanka

Since the government proposed and accepted the 13th amendment to Sri Lanka’s constitution as a means to devolve power within a unitary state, India’s interference in the affairs of its southern neighbour is becoming increasingly clear — and even coming under fire.

None would dispute the claim that India has a role to play in Sri Lanka’s ethnic crisis. After all, it was India which in the early 1980s trained, armed and financed several Tamil militant groups to fight the Sri Lankan government.

It was India which came to the rescue of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and other militant groups when the Sri Lankan security forces were about to capture the Tamil Tiger stronghold of Vadamarachchi in 1987.

It was India which imposed on Sri Lanka the 13th amendment to the constitution following a 1987 treaty.

Even after Rajiv Gandhi, the former Indian Prime Minister, who browbeat Sri Lanka into accepting the 13th amendment, was killed in a Tamil Tiger suicide attack, India continued to play its role of running with the hare and hunting with the hounds.

Though India banned the LTTE as a terrorist organisation, for strategic purposes, it maintains some secret links with the LTTE. A case in point was when the LTTE laid siege on Jaffna in 2000, India, responding to a plea from the then Sri Lankan government, asked the rebels not to capture Jaffna.

Read more,
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticleNew.asp?

Sri Lankan gov't hands over bodies of rebels

At least 14 dead bodies of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) have been handed over to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in Sri Lanka's north central town of Anuradhapura, officials said Tuesday.

Sarath Weerabandara, the director of the General Hospital in Anuradhapura told the media that the bodies were handed over to the ICRC officials who called over at the hospital in the morning.

"We handed over the bodies after the post-mortems were conducted by Dr. Ajith Mendis (the Judicial Medical Officer for Anuradhapura)," Weerabandara said.

The bodies were of the LTTE members killed in fierce battles in the north and east border of Welioya over the last weekend, according to military sources.

Read more,
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-02/26/content_7673938.htm