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Sri Lankan Tamil apprehended transporting 3 tons of Cocaine in a homemade submarine Friday, 24 November 2006 - 9:01 PM SL Time Reports from Costa Rica in Central America said that a strange locally fabricated submarine transporting three tons of Cocaine was caught by authorities with a Sri Lankan national Tamil, two Colombians and a Guatemalan. The unique 50 foot long underwater transporting vessel is made of wood and fiber glass and the men traveling inside were breathing through pipes jutting out of water, the authorities said. Fernando Berrocal, the Security Minister of Costa Rica said seizing of the strange craft became possible since the submarine could be identified by the three breathing pipes which were mysteriously skimming the ocean top surface. Since the men were arrested in the international waters, they were taken to the United States for prosecution. The strange craft sailed seven miles per hour just six feet beneath the sea-water, the Costa Rican Security minister told the country�s newspapers. 
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Alleged LTTE operatives enforce shop closures for Hero`s day in Canada. Friday, 24 November 2006 - 4:48 AM SL Time Despite the ban by the Canadian government and the raid on their front organizations by the RCMP, LTTE continues to threaten and intimidate Tamil residents and businessmen in Canada. Currently LTTE operatives are actively engaged in organizing the Heroes Day events in Toronto and Montreal. The event, held annually to coincide with the birthday of LTTE leader, Pirabakaran, is to be held in Canada on Monday the November 27 th.It is reported that LTTE operatives were visiting Tamil-owned businesses in Toronto and demanding the proprietors to close the business establishments on November 27th. Posters printed by a LTTE front which states that `This establishment will be closed on Monday, November 27 th, in observance of Tamil remembrance day- Management? have been pasted in store-fronts of Tamil business establishments.
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MDMK workers to take part in day-long fast Friday, 24 November 2006 - 12:00 AM SL Time MDMK workers and party MPs and MLAs will take part in a day-long fast in New Delhi on November 27 to protest Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse`s visit to India. The protestors would express their concern at the `planned killings of Tamils by the Sri Lankan Army`, MDMK general secretary Vaiko told reporters here today. He said the possibility of war breaking out in the island nation could not be ruled out as hundreds of Tamils there and in Tamil Nadu were seriouly concerned at the killings, including those in orphanages and refugee camps, Vaiko said. `The killings have exposed the real face of Sri Lanka before the international community,` Vaiko said. He appealed to the Centre and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to stop providing defence assistance to Sri Lanka, including training for armed forces, and said the radars given to that country should be taken back.
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Security Forum
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President seeks Indian support to prevent cross-border terrorism Saturday, 25 November 2006 - 3:58 AM SL Time Sri Lanka will seek India`s help to step up patrols of its common maritime border to prevent drug and arms smuggling and cross-border terrorism, President Mahinda Rajapaksa told a select group of reporters yesterday. President Rajapaksa, who begins a five-day `working visit` to India today, said he was keen to have greater cooperation to tackle illegal traffic across the Palk Straits, the narrow strip of sea dividing the two nations. ?Increased patrolling will also help ensure the safety of fishermen of both countries,? the president said, adding that Tamil Tiger rebels were targeting Indian fishermen to hijack their trawlers for smuggling in supplies. Fishermen from both countries have repeatedly charged that they are attacked by security forces or Tamil Tiger rebels in the rich fishing grounds between the two countries. Security forces have denied attacking fishermen, but have accused the Tigers of taking cover behind fishermen to launch attacks against the navy.
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Army Chief`s service extended? Saturday, 25 November 2006 - 3:51 AM SL Time President Mahinda Rajapaksa has reportedly decided to extend the service of Army Commander Sarath Fonseka whose term is due to expire on December 18. However attempts by the Daily Mirror to confirm the move did not prove fruitful at the time of going to press. Informed sources said President Rajapaksa had placed his signature on the document after going through the details of the Commander. Earlier Defence Secretary Gothabaya Rajapaksa had recommended one year`s extension to Commander Fonseka. According to sources the President had come under heavy pressure from various sections including diplomats and confidants not to extend the service of General Fonseka whose term had already been extended previously as well.
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LTTE Plans to Starve Civilians to Death in Vakarai Saturday, 25 November 2006 - 3:48 AM SL Time Information has revealed that the LTTE is planning to starve civilians to death in Vakarai with the aim of discrediting the government and the security forces in the eyes of the International Community. Military analysts point out that the detained civilians are the only defence for tigers trapped in Vakarai, following their humiliating defeat in Sampur. Tigers fled towards Vakarai, unable to resist the security forces in Sampur. According to security forces, around 300 tiger cadres are operating in small pockets in the Vakarai area, behind the cover of civilians. Civilian sources have confirmed that Tiger terrorists have forcibly detained some 30,000 civilians in Vakarai.
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Political News Forum
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Veteran Sri Lankan Diplomat Jayantha Dhanapala Appointed as Chair of UNU Council Saturday, 25 November 2006 - 12:31 PM SL Time The Council of United Nations University, which met for its annual session earlier this month at UNU Centre in Tokyo, has elected Ambassador Jayantha Dhanapala of Sri Lanka as UNU Council Chair.Jayantha Dhanapala: `I am deeply honoured to be elected to lead the UNU Council at this time of momentous change for UNU, the entire UN system and the world` Ambassador Dhanapala, who currently serves as Senior Adviser to the President of Sri Lanka, has had a distinguished four-decade career as a diplomat, peace-builder and disarmament expert. In his role as UNU Council Chair, he succeeds Peter Katjavivi, the Republic of Namibia`s Ambassador to the Federal Republic of Germany. The Council of United Nations University, which acts as the governing board of UNU, comprises 24 appointed members (who serve as individuals and not as representatives of their home countries), the Rector of UNU and 3 ex-officio members (the Secretary-General of the United Nations, the Director-General of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, and the Executive Director of the United Nations Institute for Training and Research).
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Huge hike for all MPs Saturday, 25 November 2006 - 3:54 AM SL Time The resolution to increase allowances to all the parliamentarians including the Prime Minister, the Speaker, the Opposition leader, Deputy Speaker, Deputy Chairman of Committees and others was approved unanimously yesterday. Accordingly, they will be paid a one year arrears from January this year. After the committee debate on the budget of the Media and Information Ministry, Chief Government Whip Jeyaraj Fernadopulle proposed the resolution on Thursday and it was approved unanimously. The monthly allowance of the Prime Minister will be increased from Rs.34,000 to Rs.71,500 while the Speaker`s allowance will be increased from Rs.31,000 to Rs.68,500. The monthly allowances of cabinet and non-cabinet ministers and the opposition leader will be increased from Rs.29,815 to Rs.65,000
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Indian Foreign Secretary here Friday, 24 November 2006 - 5:03 AM SL Time Indian Foreign Secretary Mr. Shri Shivashankar Menon arrived in Sri Lanka on Wednesday and held talks with President Mahinda Rajapakse, Prime Minister Ratnasiri Wickremanayake, Minister of Foreign Affairs Mangala Samaraweera and other Government officials. The talks were based on bilateral relations and the current situation of the peace process in Sri Lanka. Proposed coal power plant to be built by India and Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) too were topics of discussion Indian foreign secretary had with Sri Lankan leaders and officials.
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Coca-Cola partners with Lanka cricket icons Saturday, 25 November 2006 - 4:04 AM SL Time The flagship brand Coca-Cola announced a unique initiative by signing Sri Lanka`s most outstanding cricketers - Mahela Jayawardena, Kumar Sangakkara and Upul Tharanga as its brand ambassadors. This strategic partnership goes beyond the conventional brand ambassadorship as the initiative by Coke will see the cricketers play an active role in taking cricket development to rural areas and uplift it. The trio, Mahela, Kumar and Upul, are more than icons among cricket fans in Sri Lanka. They are internationally recognized cricketers whose persona of youthful vibrancy and charisma transcend across all sections and demographics of the society and perfectly match the world`s no 1 brand, Coca-Cola. This perfect fit and endorsement will go a long way towards reinforcing the attributes of the Brand and reiterate the positioning of the campaign `Coke Side of Cricket` in Sri Lanka.
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Telecom crisis: President urged to intervene Saturday, 25 November 2006 - 3:55 AM SL Time The All Ceylon Trade Union Federation yesterday urged President Mahinda Rajapaksa to intervene to resolve the ongoing crisis between the management and employees of the Sri Lanka Telecom before the whole telecommunication system grinds to a standstill. The Federation alleged that the Telecom management was resorting to oppressive actions instead of negotiating with the employees. The go-slow campaign launched by the Sri Lanka Telecom employees took another twist yesterday as they opted to launch a countrywide strike with some high officials allegedly assaulting some striking employees. Meanwhile, Joint Telecom Trade Union Federation spokesman P. Lansakkara charged that instead of negotiating with the employees to rectify their grievances, high officials assaulted some members engaged in trade union activities.
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Madiwela land sold at less than 15% of market value Saturday, 25 November 2006 - 3:53 AM SL Time A JVP parliamentarian told Parliament yesterday that state land in Madiwela where the Presidential Palace was to be erected had been sold to a businessman at a price less than 15% of the market value. JVP MP Lakshman Nipunaarachchi said a perch had been sold at Rs 71,000 while the market value was around Rs 500,000. Urban Development Minister Dinesh Gunawadene said the land was sold at a price recommended by the Chief Valuer of Valuation Department and that no state land could be sold over and above those prices.
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Editorial News Forum
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Mahinda can put Choura Rajina to good use Saturday, 25 November 2006 - 3:59 AM SL Time The Free Media Movement (FMM) has taken umbrage over ex-President Chandrika Kumaratunga`s request to President Mahinda Rajapakse to ban Ravaya Editor Victor Ivan`s latest book, Choura Rajina (Rogue/bandit Queen), which levels serious allegations of corruption, political assassinations and gross abuse of power against her regime. The book also alleges that she orchestrated the bomb attack on her in 1999 only to be hoist with her own petard. FMM has complained to UNESCO, where she works as a senior advisor, that her move to ban the book contravenes the principle of freedom of expression which the UN upholds. Earlier the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) urged UNESCO to strip her of the new post on the grounds of the allegations in Ivan`s book.
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Co-chairs as preachers Friday, 24 November 2006 - 5:05 AM SL Time The Co-chairs of the Tokyo Donors` Conference on Sri Lanka have issued yet another statement blaming both parties to the conflict for the escalation of violence and called for keeping the supply routes open. It has welcomed the government`s readiness to send convoys of essential goods via the now closed A-9 road?an offer that the LTTE has flatly refused demanding that the road be fully opened. The government is wary of meeting the LTTE demand on the grounds that the objective of the outfit is to resume illegal taxes, arms smuggling etc. by taking advantage of the road opening. However noble their intentions may be, the Co-chairs are, we are afraid, not making a worthwhile contribution to peace making. They are only behaving like a group of preachers trying as they do very hard to impress the virtues of non violence, compassion and respect for human rights on the warring factions, knowing very well that they are pouring water on a duck`s back. Nobody seems to pay heed to their preaching but they go on pontificating. Thus, the Co-chairs have wasted their time and money on meetings. The suffering of civilians remains far from ameliorated, violence escalates and the death toll rises.
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LTTE told my teenage daughter I will be chopped to death - Prof. Hoole Tuesday, 21 November 2006 - 5:17 AM SL Time Ratnajeevan Hoole , still officially the Vice Chancellor of the Jaffna University told Triangle, the newspaper of the Drexel University at Philaelphia Pennsylvania in the United States how he and his family received death threats from the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam under which he had to to flee his native country, Sri Lanka. He said his fourteen year old daughter received threats that his father would be chopped to death and how she started hanging around him without going to school thinking that would give him some kind of protection. LTTE wanted Hoole to resign from the post of Vice Chancellor of the Jaffna University, the lead story of the Triangle, written by Aditi Dubey said. According to Hoole, Tamil Web sites carried stories with headlines such as `Army Spy Appointed VC` when his appointment was announced to the public, the newspaper further reported.
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| Sports News
Sports News Forum
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Cricket unlikely in Olympics in `foreseeable future` Saturday, 25 November 2006 - 4:03 AM SL Time Cricket is unlikely to be inducted in the Olympic Games in the `foreseeable future`, said Jacques Rogge, president of International Olympic Committee (IOC). `ICC itself has not applied for Olympic membership and the game is unlikely to get entry into the IOC community though I myself am fond of cricket,` Rogge was quoted as saying by Dawn newspaper Friday. `I have to persuade other heads of state and government to work for promotion of sports but here both the president and prime minister of Pakistan are lovers of sports and as such are keen for sports promotion,` said the Belgium-born Rogge. On the inclusion of squash, a sport Pakistan has traditionally dominated, the IOC chief said a decision to include it in Olympics would be decided in 2009. He pointed out that he was keen to include the sport in the 2016 Olympics.
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Balasuriya and Jayasinghe compile centuries Friday, 24 November 2006 - 5:04 AM SL Time In the rain affected Under-13 Inter-School Cricket tournament bowlers have been stealing the limelight right throughout. It was very recently that a youngster from Asoka Vidyalaya picked up all 10 wickets in a Division III match to establish a new record. While five-wicket hauls were in abundance this season very few batsmen have shown patience and consistency to amass big scores. Among very rare hundreds scored during the past two weeks an unbeaten 156 runs scored by Udeeptha Balasuriya of Ibbagamuwa Central in a Division III encounter and a 105 ball 128 scored by Asoka Vidyalaya`s Randika Jayasinghe were note worthy. Balasuriya whacks 156 Ibbagamuwa Central skipper Udeeptha Balasuriya cracked an unbeaten 156 runs laced with 11 fours and 11 sixes to guide his side to an impressive first innings victory over Mayurapada Central in their encounter last Sunday.
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Warnapura revels in new batting position Wednesday, 22 November 2006 - 5:03 AM SL Time It`s said that Sri Lanka has got the best cricket structure at grass root levels. The school cricket tournament in Sri Lanka is so competitive that not even Australia, England or South Africa can come closer. The players who excel for their schools are plenty, but it`s a precious few who go onto make the mark. Some give up, some change tracks and some even lack BMT (big match temperament). Malinda Warnapura when he played for St. Peter`s College, Bambalapitiya was so promising, but yet, at club level and with Sri Lanka`s development squads he failed to come up with consistent efforts. The possibilities of Warnapura making it big looked grim last year as there were so many other promising players; but then came a sudden transformation. The recent Duleep Trophy competition in India was a highly successful one for the top order batsman as he made runs consistently. But Warnapura reckons that the actual change came when he got a chance to bat higher in the order.
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