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Ranil accused of tarnishing Sri Lanka`s image Monday, 7 May 2007 - 7:57 AM SL Time The government yesterday accused Opposition Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe of tarnising the image of Sri Lanka internationally, by making irresponsible statements during foreign tours. `Opposition Leader Wickremesinghe is acting irresponsibly, making statements during foreign tours that tend to tarnish the image, goodwill and dignity of Sri Lanka internationally,` said Media and Information Minister Anura Priyadharsana Yapa. In a statement the minister obsserved that while President Mahinda Rajapaksa and his government were trying to bring peace to the country, the leader of the country`s main opposition party was `fishing in troubled waters`. The minister also accused the UNP of not presenting a proposal to solve the country`s main crisis ? the ethnic problem -- though several political parties, including the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP), had already submitted their proposals to the All Party Representatives Committee. 
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Cracks within Karuna faction Sunday, 6 May 2007 - 9:50 PM SL Time An internal strife within the Karuna faction has come to a head on with deputy leader of the group Pillayan falling out and one of his loyalists Sindujan being killed in internecine warfare, military sources said. Pillayan who was the number two in the group and the military leader of the outfit had also escaped an attempt on his life and slipped to Trincomalee with over 150 cadres loyal to him. In an incident that took place on Thursday the intelligence leader of the Karuna group Seelan and its Ampara district leader Sindujan had been summoned for a meeting where Sindujan was shot and killed by Karuna loyalist Iniyaparithy. Seelan had narrowly escaped after sustaining wounds. The clash within the group had erupted over an argument between Karuna and Pillayan over disbursement of the group`s funds and the new appointments made within the faction. Afterwards Karuna had ordered his cadres that Pillayan and his loyalists be hunted.
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Thamilselvan to address British MPs Sunday, 6 May 2007 - 5:04 AM SL Time In an unprecedented gesture, British ruling Labour Party MP Keith Vaz last week said that the All Party Parliamentary Group for Tamils (APPG) had agreed to invite Leader of LTTE`s Political Wing S.P. Thamilselvan to visit Britain and address parliamentarians. At a debate on the conflict in Sri Lanka, in the British House of Commons, last week, Vaz said that Thamilselvan had been invited to attend parliament to obtain his views on the ethnic conflict. Thamilselvan is also the chief negotiator of the LTTE. `We were determined to take the issue [of peace] forward, and on that basis we agreed on three things,` Vaz said. `First, at the end of September a delegation of all party members should visit Sri Lanka, particularly the areas under the control of the Tamil Tigers, to engage in a dialogue in a positive and constructive way.
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| Security
Security Forum
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AFP oppose bail for alleged Tamil pair Monday, 7 May 2007 - 8:16 PM SL Time Two Melbourne men accused of supporting a Sri Lanka based terrorist organisation pose too great a flight risk to receive bail, a court has heard. Aruran Vinayagamoorthy, 32, of Mt Waverley, and Sivarajah Yathavan, 36, of Vermont South, are seeking bail in Melbourne Magistrates Court after being charged last week with terrorism offences over their support of the Tamil Tigers. The defence will dispute the Tamil Tigers is a terrorist organisation and Yathavan denies being a member, the court was told. The men allegedly used the Melbourne-based Tamil Coordination Committee to raise funds for the Tamil Tigers under the guise of fundraising for tsunami relief. It was alleged the men bought equipment of the type used in terrorist attacks in Sri Lanka.
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Sri Lanka Army captain disappears in Indonesia Sunday, 6 May 2007 - 5:02 AM SL Time A Sri Lankan Sunday newspaper has reported that a Sri Lankan military intelligence official who was attached to the Sri Lankan embassy in Indonesia has mysteriously disappeared. The Sinhala newspaper Lakbima said the official, Captain S.H. Nilam, has been missing since April 23. The whereabouts of his wife and three children are also not known. Captain Nilam became famous after the Millennium City incident. He was attached to the Sri Lankan embassy in Indonesia as the intelligence officer due to threats to his and his family`s lives.
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Sri Lanka seen heading back to civil war ? on an even larger scale Saturday, 5 May 2007 - 9:40 PM SL Time Day and night, warplanes roar over this rebel-held town as the steady thump of artillery echoes from afar ? a preview, many fear, of a military showdown in Sri Lanka that could leave thousands dead. `All we hear is war,` says Tavakumar, a 43-year-old rebel who only uses one name, patrolling a road a few miles (several kilometers) from the front. `I`m ready to fight.` Five years after a cease-fire brought a measure of relief to Sri Lanka, a ferocious ethnic war is again raging between the government dominated by the country`s predominantly Buddhist Sinhalese majority and the Tamil Tigers, separatists seeking a homeland for the largely Hindu Tamil minority. The signs of a deepening conflict are everywhere: soldiers in full battle gear patrolling Colombo, the increasingly fortified capital; sandbagged bunkers and trenches going up all over the rebel-held north.
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| Politics
Political News Forum
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No need to worry about British House debate - FM Tuesday, 8 May 2007 - 5:10 AM SL Time Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama yesterday told local mediamen there was no need to react to what was said and heard in the British Parliament. `What is debated in British House of Commons is not the opinion or the standpoint of the British Government,` Bogollagama said. Asked whether there was any truth in rumours that LTTE`s S. P. Thamilselvan would be given an opportunity to address the British House of Commons, Bogollagama said that he did not believe that the British High Commission in Colombo would give a visa to a terrorist to enter the UK. The Foreign Minister said that the requirement for obtaining Foreign Ministry approval for diplomats and foreign organisations to visit the Eastern Province had been revoked from 3.00 pm yesterday.
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United States Assistant Secretary of State returns to Sri Lanka Monday, 7 May 2007 - 8:18 PM SL Time United States Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs Richard Boucher will arrive in Colombo on Tuesday. He is reportedly bringing a special message from the US government. He will hold discussions with President Mahinda Rajapaksa and senior government ministers and officials. The diplomat will visit Jaffna on Wednesday. He will hold a press briefing on Thursday before his departure.
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JHU wants time to study SLFP proposals Sunday, 6 May 2007 - 5:01 AM SL Time The Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU), a strong ally of the government said yesterday that it would not take any hasty decisions to withdraw from the government but will take time to study the proposals submitted by the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) to the All Party Representative Committee. The clash between the government and the JHU erupted over the SLFP proposals, which the JHU claims that the SLFP fails to give due recognition to Buddhism and its failure to maintain the unitary status of the country. The JHU Leader Ven. Ellawala Medhananda Thera told the `Sunday Observer` yesterday that the two demands - maintaining the unitary status of the country and giving the foremost place to Buddhism- were not new but were in the agreement signed between the JHU and the then Presidential candidate and the Leader of the SLFP President Mahinda Rajapaksa.
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| Business / Economy News
Business News Forum
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Sri Lanka takes steps to assure air passenger safety Saturday, 5 May 2007 - 5:21 AM SL Time Sri Lanka has always acted responsibly in placing the highest priority on the safety aspects of the tourists, said Sri Lanka Tourist Board Chairman Renton de Alwis. `Although the recent restrictions over airline operations may cause some degree of inconvenience to some passengers and airlines in making connections, the positive impact of having addressed the safety issue far outweighs all other concerns. Lankan Tourism commends this proactive move,` he said in a press release, yesterday. Sri Lanka`s Civil Aviation authorities will impose a night time restriction of landing and takeoff of commercial aircraft from 10.30 pm to 4.30 am beginning May 10, 2007 at the Katunayake International Airport. This is a measure to ensure the safety of airline passengers from any threat of terrorist activity using the night skies.
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Pakistan textiles fare better than India Thursday, 3 May 2007 - 10:01 AM SL Time Pakistan`s textile sector has performed better than India in the US and Canadian markets and remained almost at the same level in the European Union, showed a preliminary data of the first 11 months of 2006 released by the WTO. Commenting on last year`s main trends in global trade, the Geneva-based World Trade Organisation said that `structural changes in world`s trade of textiles and clothing continued unabated.` The data for January to November 2006 show in South Asia, Bangladesh led the region in textile growth. Its exports to the US increased by 22 per cent in dollar terms. During the same period, its exports to the European Union surged by 34 per cent, to Japan by four per cent and to Canada by 19 per cent.
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Lanka to allay airline fears over rebel air attacks Thursday, 3 May 2007 - 9:59 AM SL Time The Sri Lankan government said Tuesday that it will have talks with at least three international airlines who have either suspended their services to the island or changed their schedules for fears of further attacks by Tamil Tiger rebels. Renton de Alwis, the chairman of the Ceylon Tourist Board, said that talks would be held with Emirates, Cathay Pacific and Singapore Airlines. `We will have talks so that services could be continued during daylight hours,` Alwis said. Airlines began to entertain security fears after the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) carried out their second air raid last Sunday on the city of Colombo and suburbs.
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Editorial News Forum
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People can`t even say paan Tuesday, 8 May 2007 - 5:09 AM SL Time Either bakery owners or the Consumer Affairs Authority worthies or we the public must go back to school! We seem to have a serious numeracy problem. Wheat flour price has been jacked up by Rs. 3.50 per kilo again and the bakery owners have increased the price of a 450-gram loaf of bread by two rupees. That is two loaves weighing 900 grams fetch four rupees?fifty cents more than the price increase per kilo! So, in real terms, the paan eating public will see flour price has gone up by over four rupees per kilo! Wayside eateries, upon which the ordinary people are dependent?they are not entitled to heavily subsidised food at the Parliament canteen?have beaten bakers at fleecing the consumer. They have increased the price of half a loaf of bread by five rupees! A paan bage and parippu or era rathal pan um sambarum, which earlier cost thirty rupees, has gone up to thirty-five rupees overnight! The public has to grin and bear it.
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Let that pratfall be a warning to others! Saturday, 5 May 2007 - 5:20 AM SL Time Why do some people take to politics? Is it out of their love for the masses? Politicians will answer that query in the affirmative. And only nitwits will believe them! We may have had such altruists in days of yore but they are now extinct. The real motive of anyone seeking political office at present is nothing but self-aggrandisement. That is the surefire way to success in life in a land of suckers who hero-worship politicians of all hues, whether they are cattle thieves or murderers or rapists. While in office, they live in clover at public expense. Plunder is the name of the game. They help themselves to public funds, disport themselves in junkets all over the globe, build palaces, save part of the loot for their progeny and unleash violence to ensure their stay in power. Atop all that, they draw salaries, enjoy perks and a plethora of other benefits. When the party is over, they also get a pension! The public gets no respite even after those leeches cross the great divide. Their spouses and families have to be maintained by the state.
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Approach to proposals should be cautious Thursday, 3 May 2007 - 10:01 AM SL Time Aluth Avurudu, World Cup Cricket, Vesak and May Day; all these events that came in quick succession and kept our politicians and our people enthralled and absorbed for the last few weeks are now over. Renewed in spirit and strengthened morally by these events, the country`s collective political leadership has to return to the national issue quickly and vigorously. The May Day saw the presentation of the SLFP proposals for the resolution of the national problem. And political parties, commentators and analysts have now begun commenting on these proposals. Reports say that the Tamil parties have expressed dissatisfaction over these proposals while SLMC Leader Rauff Hakeem has said that the SLFP proposals to resolve the national issue fell short of their expectations, but he has added that his party was prepared to discuss them further. The UNP, quite understandably, has scoffed at these proposals since they are for more extensive methods of devolution. JVP Propaganda Secretary Wimal Weerawansa addressing their May Day rally has said the present government is engaged in gratifying imperialists and that is why they have presented devolution proposals. He has further said these actions would only help imperialism and separatism but they provide no assistance for solving the national question.
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| Sports News
Sports News Forum
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Australia officials laugh off Sri Lanka complaint Tuesday, 8 May 2007 - 8:25 PM SL Time Australian cricket officials have dismissed suggestions from a top Sri Lankan official that Adam Gilchrist breached the sport`s ethics by batting with a squash ball in his glove during last month`s World Cup final. Gilchrist destroyed Sri Lanka`s bowlers with a masterful 149 off 104 balls in the Barbados final to put Australia on course for a fourth World Cup title. The wicketkeeper-batsman partly credited his performance to having the squash ball in his glove, saying it helped remind him to keep his bottom hand from moving too far around the grip. But Sri Lankan cricket board secretary Kangadaran Mathivanan claims Gilchrist`s actions, while not illegal, were unethical and he would wanted the International Cricket Council (ICC) to act. `We don`t think he did anything illegal but we question whether it was unethical or within the spirit of the game,` Mathivanan said.
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Mahinda invites cricket team for tea Sunday, 6 May 2007 - 5:00 AM SL Time Mahela Jayawardene`s 2007 World Cup runner- up team has been invited by Sri Lanka President Mahinda Rajapakse for tea on Wednesday (9), according to Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) President Jayantha Dharmadasa. He further said: `The President was keen to host a dinner for the heroes but since a few team members are preparing to leave for their county assignments in England, they have been invited at the President House on 9th May for tea.` This will be the players` first interaction with the President after their arrival from a long World Cup campaign. The players respected towards the SLC request to return to their motherland last Thursday (3) for a felicitatin ceremony. Instead, some of the players could have easily remain in England, after they stopped there on a transit visit, to begin their respective county stints.
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India coaching role rejected by Buchanan Saturday, 5 May 2007 - 5:22 AM SL Time John Buchanan will pursue a career as a `mentor coach` after turning down an indirect offer to replace Greg Chappell in India. After almost eight years in charge Buchanan has left the Australian set-up and will be succeeded by Tim Nielsen, whose first duty is taking the team to the Twenty20 World Cup in South Africa in September. `There was some indirect contact from India,` Buchanan said in the Sydney Morning Herald. `But at the moment I am looking for new challenges as a mentor coach, and speaking to Cricket Australia and the Australian Sports Commission about that, as well as a move into corporate coaching.` Buchanan said he still had some interest in working with international teams, but was looking forward to spending time with his family. `I really want to be around for that period of [my children`s] schooling,` he said. `But that probably takes me to my late-50s, and if I would like to specifically be involved in the game, maybe I`ll have passed my used-by date by then. We`ll see.`
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