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Lankan firm-State Engineering Corporation wins $80m Qatar deal Tuesday, 4 December 2007 - 9:14 PM SL Time The Qatar government has awarded a contract worth $80 million to Sri Lanka`s State Engineering Corporation to build villas in Qatar, Construction and Engineering Services Minister Dr Rajitha Senaratne said.
`This is the first time a state organisation is doing business with a foreign country,` he said. Senaratne was speaking at the launch of a trade fair of the Chamber of Construction Industry (CCI). `The CCI has already entered into a Memorandum of Understanding with the Qatar Chamber of Commerce and Industry on the Sri Lankan involvement of the development taking place in Qatar, Dakshitha Thalgodapitiya,` CII CEO said.( 
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LTTE extortions in Jaffna on the rise Tuesday, 4 December 2007 - 9:42 AM SL Time The LTTE is said to be extorting huge sums of money from civilians in the government controlled Jaffna peninsula even as some foreign governments continue to choke the funding channels for the rebels on their soil, well informed sources said.
Despite the heavy military presence in the peninsula, LTTE agents were believed to be carrying out the extortion from shop owners and civilians with family members residing overseas, warning at times of dire consequences if the demands for money was not met. The Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) said it had also received information of continued trends of extortion in Jaffna over the past few weeks, adding that the amount demanded from victims was reportedly increasing frequently.
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Package bomb believed aimed at air force chief Monday, 3 December 2007 - 8:04 PM SL Time Sri Lankan forces defused a package bomb hidden in the garden of a heavily guarded Colombo apartment building filled with lawmakers` homes Monday, preventing another attack just days after two bombings killed 20 people, the military said.
The 1.2 kilogram (2.7 pound) explosive ? discovered by a resident ? was presumed to be an assassination attempt by Tamil Tiger rebels on the air force chief, Air Marshall Roshan Goonetilleke, whose house is located nearby, military spokesman Brig. Udaya Nanayakkara said. `There are so many senior officers living there ? including parliamentarians, military officers ? it is not possible to say who (the target) is. But we suspect they targeted the air force commander,` he said.
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| Security
Security Forum
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No immediate ban on LTTE - Govt Wednesday, 5 December 2007 - 2:15 PM SL Time The government yesterday asserted there were no immediate plans to slap a ban on the LTTE in Sri Lanka, as such a move would hurt any chances of future peace talks. Chief Government Whip Jeyaraj Fernandopulle also said that most Tamils who were detained in a recent security operation were released after their bona fides were established. Meanwhile Amnesty International (AI) has urged the government to repeal or amend the Emergency Regulations so as to bring them into line with international human rights laws and standards.
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SLA forces Vanni patients to switch ambulances in Oamanthai Wednesday, 5 December 2007 - 2:11 PM SL Time A recent Claymore attack carried out by Sri Lanka Army (SLA) Deep Penetration Unit (DPU) at Mudkompan, Pooneryn, that seriously injured the driver of the Mu`langkaavil hospital ambulance has resulted in the SLA introducing new regulations limiting the transport of patients by ambulance from Vanni only up to Omanthai. Meanwhile, the injured driver has been admitted to Kilinochchi hospital for further treatment According to SLA regulations implemented 25 November, the ambulances carrying patients from Vanni to Vavuniya hospital are stopped at Omanthai check point, patients forced to get down, subjected to rigorous checking, and then transported in SLA- operated ambulances to Vavuniyaa. Nearly 45 patients from the General hospitals in Ki`linochchii, Mullaitheevu and from Puthukkudiyiruppu regional hospital in Vanni are transported to Vavuniyaa hospital for further treatment on a daily basis.
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Only 100 still in custody - Police Wednesday, 5 December 2007 - 2:09 PM SL Time Of nearly two thousand Tamil youth arrested during the last few days, most except for around a hundred, have been released. The others still in detention are and questioned, DIG Colombo Nimal Mediwaka said `They may have their national identity cards or some other form of identification. But, the arrests were made to ascertain further information about them,` Mediwaka said. He said the woman suicide cadre, who last Wednesday went to Minister Douglas Devananda`s office, too had a national identity card. Tamil National Alliance MPs made a big hue and cry in parliament over the arrests on Monday and said the arrested people were highly inconvenienced and some had been kept hungry. UNP Parliamentarian Lakshman Kiriella also condemned the arrests. The JVP said that such a move would pave the way for innocents to sympathise with the LTTE.
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| Politics
Political News Forum
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Parliament harasses women, says Sumedha Wednesday, 5 December 2007 - 2:09 PM SL Time Minister of Child Development and Women Empowerment, Sumeda Jayasena got an opportunity to present her petition to the Public Petitions Committee of Parliament yesterday after her last week`s complaint that Parliament, too, harassed women members. She said that when she wanted to present her petition, the Parliament office had sent a letter to an address at which she had not resided for over one year. Speaker W. J. M. Lokubandara: Steps would be taken to see that Parliament sends letters to the correct addresses hereafter. Chief Government Whip Jeyaraj Fernandopulle: Last Thursday Minister Sumeda Jayasena came to the House just a minute after the petitions were presented. She explained to us there were two different types of harassment to women. One was physical and the other mental. In this case there was no physical violence.
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Maheswaran accuses Govt of harassing Tamils Wednesday, 5 December 2007 - 2:08 PM SL Time UNP Colombo District Parliamentarian T. Maheswaran created a furore in Parliament yesterday (4) accusing the Government of harassing Tamil people who had been arrested in and around Colombo during the weekend. These persons should be released into his care so that they could be sent back to their villages, he screamed. Maheswaran said some Sinhala and Muslim youth had also been arrested and wanted to know what the Government intended to do with them. Chief Government Whip Jeyaraj Fernandopulle got up at this stage but Maheswaran kept on screaming that he did not want a reply from Jeyaraj. Fernadopulle: We are not trying to please the President, but it was Maheswaran who spoke to the President often to ask for favours. He has come here to scream before MP Mano Ganeshan could speak. The police have taken in 2,184 persons, including some Sinhala and Muslim people, but nearly 1,800 have been released and only about 300 are still being held in custody to investigate forged passports, national identity cards and other forged documents that they had with them.
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Fishermen are free to engage in their vocation Monday, 3 December 2007 - 8:46 AM SL Time The Fisheries Minister opined that a third of the two thirds of the sea has been added to the fisheries sector and fishermen are now able to engage in their profession sans any differences. The Minister was speaking at opening of the reconstructed Galle Fisheries Harbour. The Ceylon Fisheries Harbour Corporation carried out the reconstruction work, which was severely impacted by the tsunami. The Japan International Cooperation Agency assisted in the work. The total cost expended was 620 million rupees. Japan`s Ambassador Kiyoshi Araki, Southern Province Minister U.G.C. Ariyatilleke and Chairman of the Fisheries Harbour Corporation Asanka Abeygunasekera expressed their views on this occasion.
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| Business / Economy News
Business News Forum
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Dialog initiates reduction of m-waste Wednesday, 5 December 2007 - 2:14 PM SL Time Dialog Telekom launched Sri Lanka`s first mobile phone battery and handset take back initiative aimed at reducing electronic (mobile) waste (m waste) that would cause health hazards in the near future. `Environmental protection is something that we have always believed in and have upheld in our corporate social responsibility initiatives. As espoused in our company`s values we are committed to doing `business the responsible way` and this programme is a proactive step that will help mitigate the adverse effects that m- waste has on the environment,` Dialog Group Chief Executive Dr. Hans Wijayasuriya said. With the rapid expansion that we are witnessing in the industry, addressing the issue of m- waste has become a topical necessity, he said. The m-waste take back initiative will have significantly positive impact on the environment going forward, and we are confident that the lead we have taken will be supported by other industry players. Our CSR initiatives have consistently championed social and environment issues with a view to seeding and consolidating solutions which are sustainable in the long run, he said.
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Tata sells 5000 mini trucks in Sri Lanka Tuesday, 4 December 2007 - 9:52 AM SL Time Tata Motors on Monday said it has sold 5000 vehicles of its Tata Ace mini-truck in Sri Lanka. `The demand for the sub-one tonne mini truck developed by the Tata`s had picked up ever since the vehicle was launched last year with sales touching 5,000 vehicles in November,` Diesel & Motor Engineering PLC (DIMO) which is the sole distributor for Tata vehicles in Sri Lanka said in a statement. Sri Lanka was the first country outside India where the Tata Ace was launched after successfully competing domestically with the prevalent three-wheeler goods carriers in India from other automakers. This Tata Ace mini-truck was launched in India in May, 2005.
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Sri Lanka eyes more jobs for professionals Monday, 3 December 2007 - 8:49 AM SL Time Sri Lankan Ambassador to Qatar S. B. Atugoda said on Friday that Sri Lanka was seeking more opportunities for its professionals in various fields in Qatar. Speaking to Gulf Times on the eve of the arrival of a Sri Lankan trade delegation, the envoy said in view of Qatar`s rapidly growing economy, he expected opportunities for professionals in various sectors like construction, health, engineering and the hospitality industry. The ambassador said there are more than 76,000 Sri Lankans in Qatar. Atugoda said though Sri Lankans had expertise in a number of fields, they had not been able to capitalise on their strengths. Asked about the lack of interest among Sri Lankans in entering the country`s growing retail sector, the ambassador said he had spoken about this to representatives of business houses in his country and `some of them are already exploring ways to enter the retail sector in Qatar.`
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| Editorial News
Editorial News Forum
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Terrorists until proved innocent? Wednesday, 5 December 2007 - 2:19 PM SL Time A democratic government burdened with a protracted war against terrorism always has its work cut out. In this country, the government in power operates in a multi-ethnic environment unlike its enemy, the LTTE, which has, through a process of systematic ethnic cleansing, created a mono ethnic enclave where democracy is a thing of the past and infiltration could be kept at a bare minimum. Dissent is violently suppressed in that terrain and execution awaits anyone who assists in infiltration. Nobody talks about human rights of the people trapped in those areas and mum`s the word on the part of even those vociferous defenders of human rights about the plight of those hapless people. The biggest problem besetting the security forces is heavy infiltration, which has helped the LTTE launch many devastating attacks on both military and civilian targets. It is, therefore, natural that they are all out to nab infiltrators and pre-empt terror strikes. In trying to keep their elusive enemy at bay, they may think of remedies in terms of mass evictions and mass arrests. But, such measures militate against the democratic principles upon which civilised society rests. Therefore, it is the duty of the political authority to rein them in. War, it is said, is too serious a matter to be left entirely to generals.
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If President Rajapaksa is not a hawk ? Saturday, 1 December 2007 - 4:30 AM SL Time President Mahinda Rajapaksa is not the darling of some members of the international community. In their eyes, he is a hawk believing in a military solution to the conflict. They seem to consider him a bigger impediment to the peace process than Prabhakaran. Hence, their efforts to give him a bad name and oust his government! One foreign envoy is alleged to have gone to the extent of helping President Rajapaksa`s rivals to engineer defections from the government ranks. Since the conflict manifested itself in the present form, the country has had five presidents whereas the LTTE has had only a single leader who sticks to his goal of militarily carving out a separate state. So, whether the changing of any more heads of state is going to help evolve a solution is the question. Why is it that the international community doesn`t consider Prabhakaran as an obstacle on the path to peace?
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The Big Tiger lets the cat out of the bag Thursday, 29 November 2007 - 6:23 AM SL Time The Tiger chief has spoken. Unlike his previous speeches full of sabre-rattling, threats, warnings and vivisection, Tuesday`s one was not a roar but a whine punctuated by feeble growls here and there. Overall, it was a passionate entreaty to the international community begging for its help vis-à-vis the increasing alienation of the LTTE internationally. The not-so-eagerly-awaited speech begins with a lament. Prabhakaran is sad that the `Sinhala nation` is lagging behind other nations in Asia in this `Asian century`. Many countries in the region, he says, have made vast strides in various fields and are researching into the space, the moon and the atom. The reason why the Sinhala nation cannot keep pace with the others, according to him, is that it is trying to destroy the Tamil nation. Then he sheds a few tears for the island which, he says, `continues to soak in blood`. Not a bad start but he is being a bit too maudlin!
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| Sports News
Sports News Forum
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World Cup win better than the record - Murali Wednesday, 5 December 2007 - 2:12 PM SL Time Off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan, who became the highest wicket taker in Test cricket passing Australian Shane Warne on Monday, told the media that he rated Sri Lanka`s World Cup win 11 years ago higher than his individual performance and credited his former skipper Arjuna Ranatunga for enabling the team to win the title. He also spoke on a host of other matters at the media conference. Here are the excerpts. Comparing the World Record and World Cup win
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Murali equals Shane Warne`s record Monday, 3 December 2007 - 8:48 AM SL Time Murali succeeded in equalling the record during the first test between Sri Lanka and England at the Asgiriya grounds in Kandy. It was Shane Warne who claims the record of taking the highest number of test wickets that is 708. Warne played in 145 test matches. However, Muralitharan equalled his record only in 116 matches. He had been Sri Lanka`s permanent spin bowler for several years after entering cricket from St. Anthony`s College, Kandy. A notable feature is the registering of this achievement from Senkadagala, from where he hails. Another spotlight is the record being established when Sri Lanka celebrates 25 years after achieving test status.
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Old enemies meet at famous fortress Saturday, 1 December 2007 - 4:31 AM SL Time Whenever England and Sri Lanka played cricket here at the Asgiriya International Cricket Stadium, it has looked more of a boxing bout than a cricket match. In previous instances there have been heated exchanges between players, the most famous one being a rookie Kumar Sangakkara taking former captain Michael Atherton head on. In the same match in 2001 an angry Sri Lankan captain - Sanath Jayasuriya - threw his helmet and gloves on his way to the pavilion after being given out off a bump ball. During that Test some players spent more time at the Match Referees` room than they did in the middle and things didn`t change three years later when England toured again. This time Nasser Hussain angered the whole nation after branding Sri Lanka`s most famous cricketing son Muttiah Muralitharan, `a f__ing cheat and a f_king chucker`
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