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Security alert along Tamil Nadu coast Tuesday, 23 October 2007 - 12:32 PM SL Time NEW DELHI ? Security has been tightened along the Tamil Nadu coast after Tamil Tiger rebels staged a daring air and ground attack on a major Sri Lankan air base before dawn yesterday, leaving five airmen and 10 rebels dead, an official here said.
`We are constantly on the alert and have raised this a notch,` the official added. `It`s not that we fear an attack. They (the Tamil Tigers) would never dare to do so. It`s just that some of them might try to slip in (to Indian territory) to escape reprisals,` the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity. Indian Navy and Coast Guard vessels operating in the waters between India and Sri Lanka have also been asked to maintain extra vigil, the official said. 
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Prabhakaran`s latest fireworks aimed at hitting headlines Tuesday, 23 October 2007 - 8:32 AM SL Time The land-and-air Tiger attack on the Anuradhapura air base has had the desired effect: it has hit the headlines more than hitting the military capability of the Security Forces. It has also shown the weaknesses of the defences of key strategic bases.
After the heavy losses incurred by the Tigers in land, air and sea the latest attack is seen as a military stunt of Prabhakaran to boost the morale of the Tamil diaspora for fund raising. He was desperately in need of a spectacular show to counter the successes of the Security Forces and he got it in Anuradhapura. It is also meant to send a signal to the international community that he can hit selected targets though at the cost of losing more cadres in a dwindling force. Ministry of Defence (MoD) claimed that 22 cadres were killed in the operation.
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Air Force Base under terror attack Monday, 22 October 2007 - 7:06 AM SL Time SL Air Force base at Anuradhapura has come under terrorist attack since 3 a.m this morning (October 22). According to available information a small group LTTE terrorists has infiltrated the air base and launched the initial attack. Meanwhile an LTTE aircraft has also dropped 1-2 bombs at the air base around 4 a.m while the ground attack is still going on.
Air Force personnel are presently taking steps to bring the situation under control. More information will follow.... http://www.defence.lk/new.asp?fname=20071022_01
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More Headline News
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| Security
Security Forum
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UNP, JVP blame defence systems Tuesday, 23 October 2007 - 8:34 AM SL Time The main opposition UNP and the JVP said yesterday lapses in security arrangements made it possible for the surprise LTTE attack on the Anuradhapura airbase, one of the country`s biggest logistical bases. Anuradhapura District MP Chandrani Bandara said the attack could have been avoided if the authorities concerned had heeded the request she made earlier to strengthen air defence systems in Anuradhpura. Ms. Bandara said she wrote to the security establishments in Anuradhapura asking them to fortify the air defence installations after the LTTE air strike on the Katunayake air base earlier this year.
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Police Curfew In A`pura, Mihintale Tuesday, 23 October 2007 - 8:33 AM SL Time A Police curfew was imposed in Anuradhapura and Mihintale from 8.00 a.m. yesterday (22) and all shops, offices and places of work remained closed as the army and police patrolled the towns and suburbs following the LTTE attack on the Sri Lanka Air Force Base. Residents of Kuda Nelubewa, a village on the outskirts of Anuradhapura town had seen one of the LTTE aircraft dropping a bomb near the village school and it exploding. In the morning residents who had gone to the spot had seen the shell of the bomb which had fallen near the wall in front of the school but no damage had been caused, police said. About 300 persons who fled their homes after the LTTE attack are housed in the Dharmalankara Pilgrims rest and cooked meals are being provided for them by the District Secretariat Anuradhapura, official sources said.
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Choose military leaders on merit says Rohan Gunaratna Monday, 22 October 2007 - 7:11 AM SL Time While stressing the necessity for recruiting qualified intelligence officers to the country`s military intelligence service, a top intelligence expert noted that Sri Lanka should not change or remove intelligence officers engaged in counter terrorism when the government changes. `It is vital to recruit qualified intelligence officers to the service and ensure continuity of service of intelligence officers. Once the Government changes we shouldn`t change or remove the intelligence officers engaged in counter terrorism,` said Dr. Rohan Gunaratna, head of the International Centre for Political Violence and Terrorism Research. Addressing the three-day International Conference on Countering Terrorism, held at the BMICH, Dr. Gunaratna said that Sri Lanka should set up a highly qualified and technologically developed military intelligence unit to pose a threat to the LTTE and that civil intelligence should be developed and combined with military intelligence to carry out this function successfully.
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| Politics
Political News Forum
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War Beyond Dramatics in Sri Lanka. Tuesday, 23 October 2007 - 8:38 AM SL Time Two light aircraft of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE)`s air wing in a predawn raid on the Sri Lanka air base at Anuradhapura in north central district dropped two bombs to destroy two Mi-24 gun ships of the air force today. For the first time the LTTE air raid was combined with a ground attack. One airman was killed and 14 others were reported injured in the LTTE raid. The operation lasting from 3 am to 5 am has clearly indicated that the LTTE might be down but not out. A Bell 212 helicopter, that took off from the nearby airbase in Vavuniya to provide follow up action, crash-landed due to a technical failure killing two pilots and the two gunners. The LTTE air raid was not unexpected. The LTTE`s past experience has shown that air operations even on a limited scale draw disproportionately high publicity and cause panic in Colombo. With no great successes to boast of in recent times in both ground and sea operations, air operation was the LTTE`s ideal choice. However, the LTTE`s targeting of Anuradhapura, a religious centre and a `must visit` point in the international tourism itinerary, close on the heels of sporadic LTTE actions in the less popular tourist spot of Yala National Park in the Deep South is interesting.
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UN slams Govt. on human rights Monday, 22 October 2007 - 7:26 AM SL Time NEW YORK - The United Nations has issued a scathing political indictment of the government and warned that the humanitarian situation in Sri Lanka continues to deteriorate with possible devastating consequences.`Any offensive against the LTTE in northern Sri Lanka would have major humanitarian consequences, including displacement of up to 400,000 civilians,` says a confidential note prepared by senior UN officials to Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. `The space for UN and NGO humanitarian operations in Sri Lanka is also under continued pressure from the government which seeks to control relief activities through imposition of bureaucratic obstacles.` The government is also accused of `helping create a climate of fear among UN and humanitarian staff in Sri Lanka.`
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JVP support No-Confidence Monday, 22 October 2007 - 7:24 AM SL Time Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) says it will support the no-confidence motion against the Minister Milinda Moragoda. JVP MP, Anura Kumara Dissanayaka told Sandesaya that they have decided to support the no-confidence motion as there are serious allegations levelled against the Minister Moragoda. The Parliamentary COPE committee has revealed that a company belonging to the Minister Milinda Moragoda has defaulted to pay back a loan. Minister Moragoda is also accused of transactions that had taken place when the privatisation of the Insurance Corporation was done.
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| Business / Economy News
Business News Forum
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Suntel strengthens partnership with Multiform Chemicals Tuesday, 23 October 2007 - 8:38 AM SL Time Suntel and Mutiform Chemicals (Pvt) Ltd., who have maintained close business ties since 2000, renewed its contract with Suntel recently. The contract which was signed and renewed in August 2007 was to provide them with an E-1 card connecting 20 voice lines for their Head office in Colombo and Warehouse. With the renewal of the contract, Suntel has extended its support to provide them with several new phones and a PABX system that will be managed and maintained by Suntel. The solution which provides total voice and data connectivity will enable a speedy and efficient service that will assist the company in its day to day business operations. Multiform Chemicals is a leading chemical trading organization in Sri Lanka, which specializes in the import and distribution of industrial raw materials. As the sole agent representing many leading manufacturers and suppliers of industrial raw material, the company also maintains close relations with many trading organizations for buying and selling chemicals to Sri Lankan industries.
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UNP organiser`s brother owns Aston Martin Monday, 22 October 2007 - 7:09 AM SL Time The controversy over President Mahinda Rajapaksa`s eldest son, Namal buying an Aston Martin has come to an end with Namal Senasinghe, a UK-based gynaecologist claiming ownership. Minister Dr. Rajitha Senaratne said that Namal, the elder brother of Sujeewa Senasinghe, the incumbent chief organiser of the Kaduwela electorate earlier nursed by Dr. Karunasena Kodituwakku recently wrote to President Rajapaksa. Senaratne claimed that Namal regretted that an attempt had been made to sling mud on the President. The plot to character assassinate Namal had been made in London, Senaratne said, emphasising that Senasinghe, too, had been aware of this plot. The UNP challenged the government to reveal the identity of the owner. Namal Rajapaksa was accused of driving the car powered by a 5938 CC engine escorted by members of the Presidential Security Division. Senaratne criticised the government media gurus for failing to counter the propaganda campaign.
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Over 6,000 unregistered pharmacies Friday, 19 October 2007 - 12:00 PM SL Time Of 9,000 private pharmacies only 3,000 have been registered with the Health Ministry. Many of those that are unregistered have been found to be employing unqualified personnel, Health Ministry sources said. Healthcare and Nutrition Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva told The Island that the Drug and Cosmetic Control Authority (DCCA) in its island-wide survey had found that nearly 6,000 private pharmacies unregistered and had employed unsuitable personnel as pharmacists. He added that the government had initiated pharmacology training programmes to train personnel for the private sector free of charge. The government had already trained around 1,000 pharmacists for the private sector. The government had also advised pharmacies to stop employing unqualified pharmacists and had warned them that the government would be forced to institute legal proceedings against such pharmacies.
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| Editorial News
Editorial News Forum
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A precursor to the Wanni battle? Tuesday, 23 October 2007 - 8:35 AM SL Time Attack, the wounded Tigers seem to think, is the best form of defence. Within one year, ten of its arms smuggling ships or `floating warehouses` as the Navy calls them, have been destroyed together with the Wanni-bound lethal cargo. They are faced with a severe shortage of ammunition, especially artillery shells because they have no way of replenishing their stocks due to intensified naval patrol in the Northern and Eastern seas. The Air Force keeps pounding the targets in the Wanni day in day out. The Army is poised to march on the Wanni but is acting with restraint due to international pressure. Above all, the loss of the Eastern Province has dealt a devastating blow to the Tigers. With the fear of a massive military onslaught in the Wanni looming large, the cornered Tigers seem to have opted for, so to speak, preemptive strikes. Earlier they targeted the Katunayake airbase but in vain. Their aim was to destroy the fighter jets that wreak havoc on their bases in the North. Their desperation knows no bounds.
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Taming a president, survival of the biggest and other matters Monday, 22 October 2007 - 7:22 AM SL Time Opposition and UNP Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe has vehemently protested against an alleged move by President Mahinda Rajapaksa to appoint an elections commission on his own. Such action, the Opposition Leader has pointed out, amounts to a violation of the Constitution. The UNP`s consternation is understandable and its fears justifiable in that the appointment of any `independent` commission, elections or otherwise, is too serious a task to be left to a single politician. That`s why Parliament unanimously ratified the 17th Amendment to the Constitution to set up independent commissions through a Constitutional Council (CC). But, a political tug of war has put paid to the reappointment of the CC, without which no independent commissions could be appointed. The legal snag the CC has run into stems mainly from the JVP`s claim that it has a right to appoint a CC member , as it is no longer in the government. This position has been contested on the ground that the JVP is technically a part of the ruling UPFA coalition, though it has broke ranks with the government. The non-appointment of the CC has enabled President Rajapaksa to try to expand his political authority, which the 17th Amendment curtailed to some extent, by encroaching upon the CC territory.
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India at the crossroads Friday, 19 October 2007 - 12:02 PM SL Time Indian Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh has gone on record as saying that the Maoist movement is the biggest single internal security threat India has ever faced. Compounding the fears of the Indian defence establishment further is the emergence of the so-called Red Corridor, an area of Maoist activity from the Nepalese border south through India to the sea. Atop the Red Corridor, India now has to grapple with a new problem?the emergence of a `Tiger passage`, a vast swathe of LTTE activity in Tamil Nadu, especially its procurement related operations. The Times of India recently reported that India had `quietly stepped up arms aid to Sri Lanka` despite pronouncements by some allies of the Congress-led government to the contrary. India does what is good for her and if she has softened her stand on Sri Lanka and increased military aid, then it must be having compelling reasons for such action.
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| Sports News
Sports News Forum
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Jayawardene aims for Test win in Australia Tuesday, 23 October 2007 - 8:36 AM SL Time Mahela Jayawardene, the Sri Lanka captain, has expressed confidence in his bowling attack as his team aims for a maiden Test victory on Australian soil. `The last time we were there, we drew a Test match [the second Test in Cairns, 2004]. I think we are getting closer and closer. Mentally we are a very strong unit and the guys have developed themselves very well,` said Jayawardene. `The best chance we have got would be right now because we have a good bowling attack. We feel that with the attack we`ve got, we can take 20 wickets. That`s the most important thing in winning a Test match. `We`ve done that in England and in New Zealand. Our next goal would be to do that in Australia. With this bowling attack our chances are much better. If the batsmen get the runs required and we fight like hell and support the bowlers, we have got a very good chance.`
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Trinity strikes it rich at hockey Monday, 22 October 2007 - 7:23 AM SL Time Trinity celebrated 60 years of hockey in a fitting manner when they clinched the Trinity 6`s All Island Inter Schools Invitational Hockey Tournament with a 1-0 win over Joseph Vaz, Wennappuwa in the boy`s final at Asgiriya International Stadium. The girl`s title was bagged by Seetha Devi BMV, Matale who beat St. Anthony`s GC, Kandy 1-0 in the final. The boys `Plate` final was won by Vijaya College, Matale who beat St. Thomas` College, Matale 1-0. Vijaya College beat Gothami BMV, Kandy 1-0 to annexe the girls `Plate.` In the `Bowls` final, St. Thomas`, Matara beat Sri Rahula, Katugatota 6-0, while Sangamitta BMV, Matale beat President`s College, Maharagama 2-1 in the girls final.
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Sri Lankan Idol Friday, 19 October 2007 - 12:01 PM SL Time The grand finale of Qatar Gee Tharu Dahana, a talent search for singers conducted amongst the Sri Lankan community in Qatar by the Sri Lankan Coordinating Committee (SLCC) and Sri Lankan Embassy, was held last week at the Shantiniketan School grounds during Eid Al Fitr. Sri Lankan Ambassador S B Atugoda and wife Ramya were the chief guests. The panel of judges were led by Sangeeth Nipun Dr Sanath Nandasiri, Malkanthi Nandasiri, Jagath Wickremasinghe, Kolitha Lelwela and Tilan Seneviratna and picked W Nihal Perera as the Lankan Idol 2007` with the first runner up being Lional Gunawardena and the second runner-up Rohan Senarath. The finalists entertained the large gathering by singing famous songs of their favourite artistes. Jagath Wickremasinghe, the head of the panel of judges for Sri Lankan Idol competition in Lanka, lauded the finalists for their commitment and dedication shown in their talent and praised the organising committee for giving the opportunity to the singers to showcase their hidden talent in the field of music.
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