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First killings after signing P-TOMS : Tigers gun down three army intelligence men
Friday, 1 July 2005 - 2:40 AM SL Time
Three Army Intelligence officers were shot dead by an LTTE gunman at Paraminmadu, Urani, in the Batticaloa District around 10.30 yesterday (30) morning, Army sources in the East said.
The deceased, were identified as Sergeant Kularatne, Lance Corporal Saman Kumara and private Chaminda Kumara. They had been travelling in a three wheeler when a motor cyclist, armed with a T56 assault rifle, had shot them at close range, sources said.
Though the Army mounted a cordon and search operation, immediately after the incident no arrests had been made.
The shooting took place in a government administered area sources said.
The LTTE has been killing State Intelligence personnel even after the ceasefire agreement, between the former Government and LTTE was signed, two and a half years ago.
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Minister wants Norway to disarm Tigers
Thursday, 30 June 2005 - 10:32 PM SL Time
Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar has broadly hinted that Sri Lanka`s peace facilitator Norway should hand over its role to some other country if it cannot ensure the rebel LTTE surrender its weapons and enter the political mainstream.
The not-so-veiled criticism of Norway by Kadirgamar, considered a hardliner in the peace process between his government and the minority Tamil rebels came in a tribute he paid President Chandrika Kumaratunga on her 60th birthday yesterday.
Writing in the state-run Daily News, Kadirgamar says the movement for democracy in certain districts of the North and East must begin to roll. `If the Government of Norway is unable to plead this cause with the conviction and determination that it deserves, it should stand aside and yield to other parties who could carry the flag of democracy into areas where darkness presently prevails`.
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Eelam flag brought down
Thursday, 30 June 2005 - 3:54 AM SL Time
An Eelam flag hoisted at a book launch by the LTTE on Tuesday was hauled down after the Vavuniya police and the SLMM intervened.
The launch of two new books by Udaviya Ratnathurai was held under the patronage of the LTTE women's leader of the area, Allai, at the Muttiah Hall in Vayampuliyamkulam, which belongs to the MPCS. HQI Vavuniya police Abeysinghe Bandara said the two books titled 'Varayan Velayan' and 'Pulani Punchi Hellum' detailed LTTE activities.
There had been about 2000 people at the function and when the flag was taken down a heated argument had ensued.
This was said to be the 38th time the Eelam flag had been hoisted in Government'held areas in the North-East.
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Politics
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UNP to use people power
Saturday, 2 July 2005 - 1:49 AM SL Time
The main peoples` protest, organised by the United National Party, demanding an immediate presidential election was due to leave Dondra at 8.00 a.m. today, July 2.
The first night`s stop will be at Mirissa, after a 17 km walk. Commencing at Mirissa, at 10.00 a.m. tomorrow, July 3, the participants will walk a further 17 km and rest at Koggala.
On Monday July 4, the protesters will proceed up to Galle having walked 14 kms, while the next day (July 5) they will rest at Hikkaduwa. The march will reach Balapitya on July 6 and Induruwa on July 7. On July 8, the participants will spend the night at Beruwala, while the night stops on July 9 and 10 will be Kalutara and Panadura respectively.
The participants will reach Moratuwa on July 11 and Dehiwala on July 12 from where they will proceed to the Lipton Circus for the final mass protest rally, Assistant Secretary of the UNP Tissa Attanayake said.
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Election of Diyawadana Nilame today: Tight security in Kandy
Friday, 1 July 2005 - 2:50 AM SL Time
The area around the 'Eksath Bauddha Mandalaya' in Kandy where the election for the 19th Diyawadana Nilame is being conducted today has been declared a security zone.
This election will have 333 voters on the Electoral College but 51 of them are not eligible to vote. The contenders for the 2005 elections are the historic Devale's Basnayake Nilame Sudantha Rasika Senanayake, former Diyawadana Nilame Neranjan Wijeyaratne, Maha Vishnu Devale Basnayake Nilame Mohan Pannabokke, Ratnapura Saman Devale Basnanyake Nilame Nilanga Dela Bandara, Senior Banker and a Dharmaraja Cricketer Ananda Jayasundera and Engineer T.K.Bandara .The election for the 19th Diyawadana Nilame is one of the most highly fought elections, though there are no nominations for this post, prior to the elections.
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JHU plans to deprive Jayasinghe of civic rights
Friday, 1 July 2005 - 2:42 AM SL Time
The Jathika Hela Urumaya is seeking to deprive Ministry of Relief, Rehabilitation and Reconciliation Secretary M.S. Jayasinghe of his civic rights on the grounds that he had violated the Constitution by signing the P-TOMS agreement with the LTTE.
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Editorial News
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Tigers, beasts of burden and sacrificial lamb
Saturday, 2 July 2005 - 1:53 AM SL Time
The Tigers have been using successive governments as bullocks to carry its burden. They have perhaps found no better beast of burden than the present one. The more it is kicked, the harder it pulls. The poor animal is lame and limping, but the Tigers keep kicking it in the ribs. It is a pathetic sight.
It was only two weeks ago that the government gave the people a choice between the JM and war. In other words, they were told that unless the Tigers were made a partner in administering tsunami relief, they would revert to war. The people had no say in the matter, any way and the JM was granted. The JM notwithstanding, today the Tigers are, true to form, giving the government a choice between war and the provision of tighter security to their cadres moving through the government controlled areas. Unless the government complies, the LTTE wants to make its own security arrangements in violation of the CFA.
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Wishful thinking
Friday, 1 July 2005 - 2:46 AM SL Time
The European Union has requested the LTTE to grab the opportunity provided by the JM to enter the democratic mainstream. Senior Official of the EU delegation to Sri Lanka, Wouter Wilton, making that request on behalf of the EU, has praised President Chandrika Kumaratunga and her government for signing the JM agreement, according to a report in this newspaper yesterday.
Hope springs, they say, eternal in the human breast. Many more people before Mr. Wilton, both foreign and local, had mistakenly been optimistic about the LTTE entering the democratic process. Within less than twenty four hours of Mr. Wilton making that request, the LTTE killed three army intelligence operatives yesterday. The LTTE has verily grabbed the opportunity! Those who think the LTTE will eschew violence because it has been given the JM, simply don't know the outfit for what it really is. The EU is just a Johnny-come-lately in Sri Lanka's peace process and Mr. Wilton doesn't appear to have done his homework properly on the situation here.
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The `heartsick` and the heartless
Thursday, 30 June 2005 - 2:44 AM SL Time
Doctors at the Karapitiya Teaching hospital have, according to a news report in our sister publication, the Divaina yesterday, warned that unless the government replenishes their surgical and drug stocks forthwith, they will be compelled to suspend all heart operations. Vital drugs and about forty surgical items are in short supply and repeated requests to the health authorities for replenishment have fallen on deaf ears, doctors have said. Some operations have already been stopped.
This is a grave situation!
It is strange that the Ministry of Health has not heeded the doctors' call and chosen to leave the poor patients on the waiting list for surgery to their fate. Children are the worst affected as the GMOA pointed out recently. There is a plethora of organisations campaigning for children's rights. But none of them have thought it fit to take up cudgels for these unfortunate children's right to life.
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| Security |
Youth loitering near Devananda`s home arrested
Saturday, 2 July 2005 - 1:48 AM SL Time
Five Tamil youth found loitering in the vicinity of Minister Douglas Devananda`s residence at Amarasekara Mawatha, Bambalapitiya yesterday night, were arrested by the Minister`s security and handed over to the Bambalapitiya police, as they had no plausible explanation to offer for their presence there at such a late hour.
The LTTE had on numerous occasions attempted to assassinate Devananda.
Police sources said the LTTE was still in pursuit of Devananda and may be gathering information on his movements and habits to target him.
The Bambalapitiya police said the five youths, when questioned, did not have any explanation to offer for their presence opposite the Devananda residence.
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Security alert in the east after killings
Saturday, 2 July 2005 - 1:48 AM SL Time
The Government stepped up security in the east Friday, a day after suspected Tigers killed three soldiers and issued a two-week deadline for the government to increase their levels of protection.
The defence ministry said security forces had stepped up their alert in the troubled eastern province while police began investigating Thursday`s slaying of two military intelligence officers and their driver.
`We have increased the level of security in the east,` a ministry spokesman said without giving details on the measures taken after the killing and the Tiger ultimatum.
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Tigers not tamed by P-TOMS: JHU
Friday, 1 July 2005 - 2:53 AM SL Time
The Jathike Hela Urumaya (JHU) yesterday condemned the killing of three military intelligence personnel in Batticoloa by the LTTE and said the Government should take the responsibility as the Tigers had not been tamed through the P-TOMS as claimed by it.
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Business / Economy News
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US funds clean up Batticaloa lagoon known for singing fish
Saturday, 2 July 2005 - 1:53 AM SL Time
The United States said Tuesday it is funding the clean up of tsunami debris from a lagoon in eastern Sri Lanka, which is known among locals for its singing fish.
The clean up of the Batticaloa lagoon, expected to be completed by September, will help some 3,500 people of the local fishing community, the embassy said in a statement.
The US Agency for International Development (USAID), through its Office of Transition Initiatives (OTI), hired equipment and assembled teams of engineers and technicians, including divers from Sri Lanka`s navy, to carry out the work.
`We hope this project can not only restart the livelihoods of fishermen in Batticaloa but also serve as a symbol to the recovery of the community after the tsunami,` said the country representative of OTI, Mike DeSisti.
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Transport costs impact on rising inflation in June
Saturday, 2 July 2005 - 1:51 AM SL Time
The annual average inflation, which has been on the rise since April 2004, continued to rise June, Central Bank said yesterday. The Colombo Consumer Price Index (CCPI)`s Annual Average Inflation, which continues its rise from April last year from a figure of 3.9%, has risen to 12.6% in June this year, Central Bank said.
The Central Bank statement said, CCPI, the official measure of price changes within the Colombo Municipality for the lowest 40 per cent of income groups published by the Government Department of Census and Statistics, registered 4019.1 in June 2005, indicating a decrease of 0.1 per cent over the previous month. The increase in the index in June 2005 over June 2004 (the point to point change) was 9.4 per cent compared to 11.8 per cent in May 2005 and 6.8 per cent in June 2004. Accordingly, the annual average increase of the index rose to 12.6 per cent from 12.4 percent in May 2005.
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Coal power very soon
Friday, 1 July 2005 - 2:52 AM SL Time
The highly debated Norochcholai coal power plant will kick off before the end this year said the Power and Energy Minister while addressing a meeting at the BMICH yesterday.
Citing reasons for his claim, Minister Susil Premajayantha disclosed that the Government had persuaded the Chinese Government to grant a soft loan for the initial stage of the Coal power plant.
'The Chinese technical team will arrive in the country by next month to submit a final report and work on the project will start before end of this year,' Mr. Premajayantha said. He also expressed his hope that both the Upper Kotmale Project and the first phase of the Coal Power Plant would be ready for commissioning within the next four to six years. The Minister said tenders would be called within the next few weeks with regard to the Upper Kotmale Hydro Power Project.
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| Sports News
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Senior National`s best player Pabasara relegated to standby
Saturday, 2 July 2005 - 1:50 AM SL Time
Promising centre player Pabasara Gunasekara who won the Best Player`s award at the last Senior National Netball Championship is a notable absentee among the first 12 in a list of 15 players approved by the Sports Minister to represent Sri Lanka at the forthcoming Asian Championship to be held in Singapore from September 2-12. A seven-member selection committee headed by Surangani Wijendra has relegated Gunasekara to be the first standby player.
The netball prodigy, representing HNB carried away the Best Player`s award at the last Senior Nationals after helping her team to win the coveted trophy.
The all important centre position, earlier filled by the former captain Damayanthi Jayathillake fell vacant with the dissolution of the earlier pool as she opted to boycott all selection trials. The absence of Jayatillake has created an opportunity for a new player. Gunasekera will be an ideal choice for that position.
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Annual Madras -Colombo Regatta
Friday, 1 July 2005 - 2:45 AM SL Time
The Madras - Colombo Regatta is an annual boat race that dates back to 1898, when the Colombo Rowing Club, Sri Lanka`s oldest private members club, commenced the inter-club event with its counterpart across the Palk Straits. The boat race is only second in vintage to the prestigious Oxford-Cambridge University boat race as the world`s oldest continuing inter-institutional event. It will be held on July 9 on the Beira Lake beginning from the club premises.
The annual Madras-Colombo regatta has throughout its history, been a keenly contested event, steeped in tradition, camaraderie and excellent standards of rowing. The event has, in the more recent past, served as an exemplary pillar of friendship and goodwill between the two nations, and has stood the test of time.
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Rohan Pradeep denies taking banned substances
Thursday, 30 June 2005 - 2:42 AM SL Time
Controversial sprinter Rohan Pradeep Kumara has denied taking banned substances following the finding of two syringes in the hotel room he stayed in, during the Asian Grand Prix meet in Bangkok recently, Secretary of the Athletic Association of Sri Lanka (AASL), Prema Pinnawela told 'The Island' on Wednesday.
Pinnawela said that the Asian Athletics Federation had directed the AA of Sri Lanka to conduct a doping test on the champion athlete and added that Kumara had consented to face a test to prove his innocence.
Rohan Pradeep ran for Sri Lanka at the Bangkok leg of the Asian Grand Prix along with another 400 metres runner Prasanna Ameresekera of Army SC.
Pinnawela also said a detailed report on Rohan Pradeep Kumara's stay in Bangkok will be forwarded shortly to AASL President, Minister Janaka Bandara Tennekoon who returned to the country on Tuesday.
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