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LTTE has not said what they seek as solution - Govt
Thursday, 22 June 2006 - 4:22 AM SL Time
The government was being asked what its solution was going to be when peace talks resumed but the LTTE itself had not so far informed the government what they seek as a solution to the conflict, Leader of the House and Minister for Healthcare and Nutrition Nimal Siripala de Silva told Parliament yesterday (21)
He was making the government`s reply at the conclusion of a debate on the killing of 66 civilians including children, pregnant mothers, at Kebetigollewa in a claymore mine attack on June 15.
He said it was established beyond doubt the attack was by the LTTE after the police and the Government Analyst had investigated the scene of crime.
It was found that the explosion was caused by a remote control device and the type of explosive C4 used by the LTTE in such attacks had been used in the Kebetigollewa attack.
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LTTE responds positively, talks with Oslo peace envoys today
Wednesday, 21 June 2006 - 4:57 AM SL Time
LTTE yesterday reaffirmed its commitment to a truce despite a surge in violence, but said the future of ceasefire monitors from Denmark, Finland and Sweden was still in the balance.
The LTTE said it would discuss the issue of monitors from European Union member states at a meeting today with Norwegian peace envoys.
The EU outlawed the Tigers last month in a move that cut off funding and was apparently aimed at forcing the rebels to the negotiating table.
`This is a matter that will be discussed today with the (Norwegian) facilitator,` LTTE`s peace secretariat chief S. Puleedevan told AFP from the rebels` political headquarters of Kilinochchi.
`We don`t want to say anything right now.`
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Annual suicide toll over 5,000
Wednesday, 21 June 2006 - 4:38 AM SL Time
In Sri Lanka, over 5,000 people commit suicide annually due to various reasons. Over 50 per cent of such cases could be attributed to different mental disorders, Consultant Psychiatrist Dr. Neil Fernando said.
Most of the people attempting suicide are in their youth and it contributes to the loss of productive and economic contribution, he noted.
However, with the implementation of an action plan to prevent and reduce the number of suicide cases, the country experienced a reduced number of such cases in the recent past, he said. The steps that have been taken include to educating the Samurdhi Niyamakas on how to face life`s challenges positively. They will in turn share their knowledge with the youth to create a better impact on people in preventing suicides, he added.
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Politics
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Mangala meets Indian PM today
Thursday, 22 June 2006 - 4:24 AM SL Time
Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera will meet Indian Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh here on Thursday to brief him about the developments in his country since their last meeting here six weeks ago.
The minister arrives from London late on Wednesday night, will call on the Indian leader on Thursday afternoon and fly home to Colombo the same evening.
His visit is in keeping with the tradition of the Sri Lankan political system keeping Indian leadership informed about the crucial happenings in the island nation, particularly on the ethnic issue. Samaraweera last met Dr Singh here on May 8. India has been concerned about the deteriorating situation in Sri Lanka.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Muthuvel Karunanidhi spoke to the prime minister on Tuesday and requested him to take appropriate steps to help restore peace in the island. Dr Singh assured him that he is looking into the matter. Dr Singh will get a first hand understanding of the latest Sri Lankan situation Minister Samaraweera.
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Dossier on fraudulent deals handed over to President`s Secy
Thursday, 22 June 2006 - 4:20 AM SL Time
A dossier on a series of fraudulent transactions and deals involving ruling party politicians, officials and their henchmen was handed over to Presidential Secretary Lalith Weeratunga at Dharmayathanaya by Ven. Elle Gunawansa. Several members of the committee which prepared the dossier urged Weeratunga to act immediately with one of them warning of a severe threat on national security due to unbridled corruption.
After accepting the report, Weeratunga Wednesday emphasized the urgent need to curb corruption in the defence services. The outspoken public servant admitted that President Mahinda Rajapakse`s government was seriously concerned about waste, corruption and irregularities and one of their main areas of concerns was the defence services.
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Rajiv Gandhi case accused give up fast
Wednesday, 21 June 2006 - 2:12 PM SL Time
Nalini and Murugan, convicted in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case and lodged in the Vellore Central Prison, gave up their six-day-old fast last night.
The couple began their fast on June 14 demanding their 15-year-old daughter Arithra, living in Sri Lanka, be given a student visa for studying in Tamil Nadu.
After receiving a message that the Indian High Commission in Colombo promised to `positively` consider their daughter`s visa application, Nalini and Murugan called off their fast, their advocate V Elangovan said here today.
Arithra, a Sri Lankan National, was born in the high-security Poonamallee Jail in Chennai when Nalini and Murugan were facing trial in the sensational case. She had been living with her grandparents in the Island Nation.
Arithra, who passed her tenth standard examination, had applied to the Indian High Commission in Colombo for a student visa.
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Editorial News
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How a strong HRC could help Lanka
Friday, 23 June 2006 - 5:40 AM SL Time
A more activist and vibrant Human Rights Commission is very good news for Sri Lanka. Curbing human rights abuses and ensuring that rights flourish everywhere in the country is integral to the task of keeping democracy ticking in Sri Lanka and it goes without saying that an active Human Rights Commission could be a prime catalyst in this process.
Therefore, we welcome the news that from now on the HRC would be seeking to be a dynamic contributor towards the protection and fostering of human rights in this country, with special attention being given to the curbing of illegal detention and torture.
The HRC decision to be a more vibrant presence in the Lankan polity coincides with Sri Lanka`s election to the recently established and reputed UN Human Rights Council, a prospective leading global actor in the protection of human rights everywhere.
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`Sound of silence`
Thursday, 22 June 2006 - 4:26 AM SL Time
The aforesaid title of Paul Simon`s song, which captures the emotional trauma of the Americans in the aftermath of Kennedy`s assassination, with which a dream died for them, occurred to us on reading reports about the brawl in Parliament on Tuesday over one minute`s silence observed for the victims of the Kebilithigollwe massacre. Simon and Garfunkel sing in their own inimitable way:
Hello darkness, my old friend
I`ve come to talk with you again
Those powerful lyrics, through the symbols of light and darkness, inter alia, demonstrate how ignorance and apathy deprive the people of their ability to communicate even at a simple level. This exactly is what we ourselves are witnessing in this country.
After a minute`s silence was observed with all but two TNA parliamentarians standing in Parliament, MP N. Raviraj, according to reports, made a statement that he or his party had nothing against paying respect to the Kebilitigollewa victims but wanted silence observed for the Tamil civilians who had been killed, as well. So saying, he and three other members of his party rushed to the Well of the House and started shouting anti-government slogans and triggered pandemonium.
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Elephantine peek-a-boo with Tigers?
Wednesday, 21 June 2006 - 4:45 AM SL Time
The UNP is reported to be distributing sirens among the people in the villages affected by terrorism. This project has been going on for some years to help villagers sound warnings against terror attacks. Alerting the people in case of an emergency is believed to be a prerequisite for averting disaster. But there is little that poor villagers can do, even if they are warned of a terror attack in a village surrounded by a large number of blood thirsty savages in darkness. The choice they have is to either get butchered inside their humble homes or run out to the accompaniment of the wail of sirens and face the same fate under the stars. For, the Tigers who descend on far flung villages are not in a hurry: they have hours to search for missing villagers and drag them out of their hiding places.
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Bodies of two soldiers hande over to Vavuniya police
Thursday, 22 June 2006 - 4:51 AM SL Time
The bodies of the two soldiers who went missing in action in Janakapura, Welioya last Sunday had been handed over to the Vavuniya police via ICRC by the LTTE.
The decomposed bodies which were in a drastic condition with severe head injuries have been handed over to the Red Cross on Monday in Kilinochchi and had later been handed over to Vavuniya police.
The two victims have been identified as Senaratnage Ranjith Priyantha Herath (26) from Galenbindunuwewa and Wijeratnage Ajith Asokaratne (25) from Nochchiyagama.
According to Vavuniya police the soldiers had gone missing in action while being deployed in a route clearing operation in Janakapura area, Welioya on Sunday.
The LTTE launched a small arms attack targeting the troops and the troops have also retaliated. However the two soldiers had reportedly been shot and injured during the attack and the rebels have abducted them and taken to Kilinochchi.
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NGO imports could be a security threat, Govt. admits
Thursday, 22 June 2006 - 4:48 AM SL Time
The Government yesterday admitted in parliament that helicopter parts and some other items imported by the NGOs in the aftermath of the tsunami could be a threat to national security.
This was disclosed by Minister Jagath Pushpakumara in response to a question raised by JVP MP Piyasiri Wijenayake.
The Minister said parts of a four-seater helicopter were imported as tsunami aid from Germany via South Africa to Humedia Lanka International, an INGO the general branch of which is based in Germany.Mr. Pushpakumara said these parts were confiscated by the airport Customs and later returned to the company in Johannesburg on instructions given by the Defence Secretary.
Parts of another four-seater helicopter were imported as tsunami aid from Los Angeles, USA via Dubai in the name of an Australian identified as Collin Frank Twist and these parts too were returned to the company concerned.
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Lankan, Maldivian Cadets get appointments to US military academies
Thursday, 22 June 2006 - 4:24 AM SL Time
Three military cadets received certificates of appointment from US Ambassador Jeffrey J. Lunstead to begin undergraduate studies at the US Air Force Academy and the US Military Academy in September of 2006.
Radhika Ranaweera of Sri Lanka will enroll in the US Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and Ali Ihusaan and Ahmed Mooman, both of the Maldives, will enroll in the US Military Academy in West Point, New York. The three students will pursue Bachelor of Science degrees and receive military training alongside students from the United States and around the world. `I am excited about going to study aeronautical engineering, hopefully learning to fly,` said Cadet Ranaweera. Cadet Ihusaan will study computer sciences and Cadet Mooman will study civil engineering before returning to serve as lieutenants in the Maldivian National Defence Force.
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Business / Economy News
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Pramuka to open as Sri Lanka Savings Bank
Friday, 23 June 2006 - 5:45 AM SL Time
The Government has decided to incorporate the Pramuka Savings and Development Bank to the proposed Sri Lanka Savings Bank (SLSB). Laws would be presented in Parliament on July 7 to transfer all assets of the Pramuka Bank to the proposed SLSB.
Former Chairman of the Insurance Corporation Dr. Jagath Wickramasinghe has been appointed as the Chairman of the SLSB while the new board of directors too has been appointed.
The Pramuka depositors and members of the Central Bank met the Deputy Minister of Finance Ranjith Siyambalapitiya, Secretary to the Treasury, Dr. P. B. Jayasundera and Member of Parliament Ven. Athuruliye Rathana Thera at the Finance Ministry yesterday and expressed satisfaction for this proposal.
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Massive response from UK businessmen for Lankan trade exhibition
Friday, 23 June 2006 - 5:38 AM SL Time
The largest-ever Sri Lankan trade exhibition held in the United Kingdom kicked off with a massive response from the UK business community here on Wednesday.
`We started 10 minutes ago and buyers have already expressed interest in our products,` said R.S. Balanathan, whose Kandy-based silk manufacturing company, Ko Lanka Pure Silk (Pvt) Ltd is the chief manufacturing plant for silks in Sri Lanka.
Coastland Coconut Exports, one of Sri Lanka`s largest manufacturers and exporters of coconut, secured an export order even before the fair opened officially.
`I got an export order for four containers of fresh coconut a month. I am happy with the outcome. I hope more and more orders will come my way,` coconut manufacturer M.S.T. Aman said.
Fifty eight Sri Lankan businesses ranging from multinationals such as the country`s largest apparel exporter Brandix and diamond exporter Blue Diamonds Jewellery Worldwide Ltd to small and medium-scale manufacturers like paper and cloth lamp shade exporter Badu, handicraft exporter Ecoeye, coconut wood-based product manufacturer Jana Crafts, decorative candle-maker Mihikatha Promotions, timber furniture manufacturer Moriah and a whole host of tea, gem and jewellery exporters were present.
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Court orders SatNet closure
Thursday, 22 June 2006 - 4:21 AM SL Time
Colombo Additional Magistrate Gehan Pilapitiya yesterday ordered the CID to close down the SatNet TV Broadcasting station owned by Lakshman Hullugalle and take appropriate action against the station for violating the laws of the land by not obtaining the permission to run the station from the relevant authority.
Lakshman Hullugalle, who was summoned to appear in Court, was enlarged on security bail in Rs. 100,000.
Anuja Premaratne, appearing for Hullugalle state that they had obtained the licence to import TV equipment and sell it to customers whilst broadcasting was done from India and therefore the station had not violated any regulations under the Rupavahini Act or the TRC.
But Senior State Counsel Gehan Kulatunga, appearing for the CID said Hullugalle had violated Section 45 B of the TRC Act and came under the purview of the investigation.
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England`s Pietersen feeling the pressure of injuries
Friday, 23 June 2006 - 5:43 AM SL Time
Trailing 0-2 in the best of five international matches and only one defeat away from conceding the one-day series to Sri Lanka, England are desperately looking to recall Michael Vaughan in the latter stages at least.
The England captain who had been sidelined by a knee injury is making slow progress with Yorkshire and has insisted all the way that he will be patient in his desire to make his international comeback.
England are also equally keen he does not rush, knowing another setback could affect his chances of leading the team to this winter`s Ashes tour and the World Cup in the West Indies.
From the first two matches against Sri Lanka it was clearly evident that England are a batsman light in the squad following the ankle injury to opening bat Ed Joyce in the Twenty20 match a week ago.
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Lanka on brink of series win
Thursday, 22 June 2006 - 4:25 AM SL Time
Veteran Sanath Jayasuriya has been involved in quite a few heroic acts for Sri Lanka with both bat and ball over the last 16 years, but there was never a moment where he was so desperate to come up with a big effort.
The Oval was the venue where he made a memorable double hundred in a Test match eight years ago and he chose England`s oldest Test venue again to come up with yet another outstanding match winning hundred, as Sri Lanka beat England by 46 runs in the second ODI on Tuesday here in London. The tourists now lead the series 2-0, with three matches to go.
Jayasuriya`s 20th ODI hundred helped Sri Lanka to set England a mammoth 319 target, the country`s highest score against the English in an ODI, improving on the previous best of 307 for nine made at the Adelaide Oval.
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Jayasuriya guides Lanka to second ODI victory
Wednesday, 21 June 2006 - 5:06 AM SL Time
Sri Lanka beat England by 46 runs in the second one-day international at The Oval here Tuesday to go 2-0 up in the five-match series.
Sri Lanka veteran opener Sanath Jayasuriya scored 122 in the tourists` imposing 319 for eight.
In reply England were bowled out for 273, man-of-the-match Jayasuriya taking three wickets with his left-arm spin.
Sri Lanka won the series opener at Lord`s by 20 runs last Saturday.
The series continues this Saturday at the Riverside.
Sanath Jayasuriya`s 122 saw Sri Lanka to a total of 319 for eight, their best against England.
The Sri Lankans total was built around a second-wicket stand of 160 between Jayasuriya and skipper Mahela Jayawardene (66).
Left-handed opener Jayasuriya`s hundred was his 20th at this level - more than the combined total of the England team - while Sri Lanka`s score was their best against England in a one-day international, surpassing the 303 for nine they made at Adelaide in 1999.
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