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Chinese arms, radar for Sri Lanka military Tuesday, 5 June 2007 - 12:39 AM SL Time Sri Lanka`s military has inked several significant defence agreements with China, including those for the supply of modern radar and large quantities of ammunition, press reports said. The deals with Beijing come amid public statements from India expressing discontent with Colombo`s military ties to China and Pakistan. An order for Chinese radars is being routed through a company owned by Sri Lanka`s defence secretary, Gotabaya Rajapakse, reports also said. Meanwhile, India could provide training, spares and servicing support for Sri Lanka`s soon to be acquired Mig 29 jets. Britain`s Jane`s Defence Weekly reported recently that Sri Lanka had signed a classified $37.6 million deal with China`s Poly Technologies in April to supply its defence forces with ammunition and ordnance for the army and navy. 
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Heavy fighting in Sri Lanka leaves 82 dead, say combatants Monday, 4 June 2007 - 9:00 AM SL Time Tiger rebels destroyed army bases in northern Sri Lanka leaving 82 combatants dead according to both sides Sunday as the island`s main aid donor, Japan, was set to launch a fresh peace bid. The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) said they launched attacks along a broad front in Vavuniya and Mannar districts. They captured armoured vehicles and heavy weapons after destroying long-range guns belonging to the military. They also said they destroyed four or five gun positions. The Tigers said they killed at least 30 security personnel in a five-hour battle to capture several gun positions and military detachments. The Tigers also released pictures of an armoured carrier and bases they captured.
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Tigers destroy SLA artillery launchpad in Vavuniyaa, 20 SLA troopers killed, 40 wounded Sunday, 3 June 2007 - 8:56 PM SL Time Liberation Tigers launched a commando raid Saturday night into Vavuniyaa Mannaar border villages where the SLA had recently advanced its Forward Defence Line (FDL), LTTE Military Spokesman Irasiah Ilanthirayan said. The Tigers have destroyed a SLA artillery launchpad, seized military hardware including a Buffel Armoured Personnel Carrier and established their FDL positions in Mu`l`likku`lam and Vi`laththikku`lam, Mr. Ilanthiryan said. Meanwhile, informed military sources in Vavuniyaa said 20 SLA troopers were killed, 40 wounded, an ammunition dump was destroyed in Pampaimadu, and that the Tigers have seized a big haul of weapons in their raid Saturday night. Fighting is still continuing. The photos issued by the LTTE to media indicate that the Tigers have recovered at least one dead SLA soldiers body.
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| Security
Security Forum
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Don`t return to bad neighbour policy: JVP tells India Wednesday, 6 June 2007 - 11:00 AM SL Time On a recent comment made in Chennai by Indian National Security Advisor M.K.Narayanan that Sri Lanka should approach India for its arms requirements and should not go to Pakistan or China, leader of the JVP Somawansa Amarasinghe in a letter to the Indian High Commissioner in Colombo quoting Mr.Narayanan` comments said that India should not return to its bad neighbour policy The following letter was dispatched to the Indian High Commissioner yesterday by Mr.Amarasinghe: `Mr. M.K. Narayanan, the Indian National Security Advisor has said `We [India] are a big power in the region. We don`t want the Sri Lankan government to go to Pakistan or China for weapons. Whatever may be their requirements, they should come to us`.
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President`s paradoxes Wednesday, 6 June 2007 - 10:54 AM SL Time In an extensive interview to Al Jazeera television last week, Sri Lanka`s President Mahinda Rajapakse set out his government`s policy on the island`s protracted conflict. In doing so he put forward a number of contradictory assertions and policies, which boiled down to a single overriding theme: military defeat of the Tamil Tigers. Responding to the questions in his native Sinhala President Rajapakse slammed the LTTE as `terrorists` and `criminals` and vowed to wipe them out. But at the same time he said he was prepared to negotiate with the Tigers `to meet the aspirations of the Tamil people.` He later asserted: `we have to bring [a solution] before the people and we also have to eradicate terrorism. We cannot allow these criminals to dictate to us. We cannot have them join us.`
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Army not concerned about CFA - Fonseka Wednesday, 6 June 2007 - 10:54 AM SL Time Army Commander Lt. Gen. Sarath Fonseka said the army was not concerned anymore about or bound by a non-functioning Ceasefire Agreement, but only how to clear the North Province of the LTTE. `We have cleared the East and the same would be done to the North,` he told The Island yesterday. Ongoing military operations in the Vavuniya theatre were very successful and over 70 LTTE cadres were killed during the past four days, he said. Fierce battles were continuing and troops were consolidating in the area west of Omanthai and Vavuniya. Twenty soldiers were killed during the four days of battles which commenced on Saturday, he said.
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| Politics
Political News Forum
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LTTE exploits places of worship. Wednesday, 6 June 2007 - 11:05 AM SL Time In a disturbing trend, LTTE terrorists are increasingly resorting to the use of places of Hindu worship in the North to carry out its diabolical plans and in the process bring disaffection to the Security Forces among the Tamil community when search operations are conducted on these premises. Security Forces recovered large caches of weapons from at least five Hindu temples in the North in the recent past with shootouts occurring inside one such temple when troops entered the premises following a tip-off that weapons were hidden in its sanctum. In addition some arms including grenades were found in a bag hidden behind the altar at the St. Mary`s Cathedral in Jaffna. The latest trend of places of worship being used by the LTTE to conceal their armouries has caused concern among the Security Forces who are compelled to enter these premises. The Hindu priests are too terrified to resist the Tigers and are helpless to prevent the violation of the sanctity of the temples. Even Catholic shrines are not spared.
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LTTE exploits places of worship Wednesday, 6 June 2007 - 11:05 AM SL Time In a disturbing trend, LTTE terrorists are increasingly resorting to the use of places of Hindu worship in the North to carry out its diabolical plans and in the process bring disaffection to the Security Forces among the Tamil community when search operations are conducted on these premises. Security Forces recovered large caches of weapons from at least five Hindu temples in the North in the recent past with shootouts occurring inside one such temple when troops entered the premises following a tip-off that weapons were hidden in its sanctum. In addition some arms including grenades were found in a bag hidden behind the altar at the St. Mary`s Cathedral in Jaffna. The latest trend of places of worship being used by the LTTE to conceal their armouries has caused concern among the Security Forces who are compelled to enter these premises. The Hindu priests are too terrified to resist the Tigers and are helpless to prevent the violation of the sanctity of the temples. Even Catholic shrines are not spared.
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Will get foreign sleuths if police fail deadline, Mahinda tells ICRC Wednesday, 6 June 2007 - 11:04 AM SL Time While giving a seven-day deadline to the Police Chief to find vital clues leading to the killers of the two Red Cross workers, President Mahinda Rajapaksa yesterday informed the ICRC and the Sri Lanka Red Cross officials that he was even prepared to bring down foreign sleuths in the event of the police failing to meet the deadline. Red Cross sources told the Daily Mirror that President Rajapaksa had given this undertaking during a meeting with ICRC and Sri Lanka Red Cross representatives at Temple Trees yesterday. While giving an assurance to the Red Cross representatives that he would go to any extent to apprehend the killers, the President had emphasized that whoever they were, their motive was to discredit the government. `Whoever they are the purpose is to bring disrepute and embarrass the government,` the President had reportedly said.
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| Business / Economy News
Business News Forum
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Sri Lanka to face blackouts if monsoons do not come in two weeks Wednesday, 6 June 2007 - 11:09 AM SL Time Sri Lanka`s state electricity utility warned that power cuts would be imposed if monsoon rains do not come in the next two weeks to boost its hydro storage capacity. `Our hydro storage capacity is down to 482 GigaWatthours (GWh),` Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) General Manager Ranjith Pulleperuma told reporters. The CEB imposes power cuts or load shedding when hydro storage reaches a floor of 400 GWh or 400 million units of electricity. The islands main South West Monsoon season usually lasts from May to August, but the monsoonal winds had not commenced yet. In order to prevent power cuts next year the utility also has to end the year with at least 1,000 GWh of energy this year.
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Dialog Satellite TV powers CR & FC Tuesday, 5 June 2007 - 7:17 AM SL Time Dialog Satellite TV, announced that it will be the power behind CR&FC for this year`s rugby season. This marks the first time that Dialog Satellite TV is extending its sponsorship to a sports club. Speaking on DTV`s decision to be the official Satellite TV partner for CR&FC, Nushad Perera, General Manager, Sales and Marketing, Dialog Teleko said, `Dialog Satellite TV`s sponsorship of CR&FC, is a natural extension of Dialog Telekom`s commitment towards sports, and will no doubt be the first of many such sponsorships. We hope that our sponsorship will be a positive boost to these sportsmen, who are talented and have proved themselves to be some of the best rugby players in Sri Lanka.` `Firstly I`d like to thank Dialog Satellite TV for sponsoring CR&FC this season,` said Jehan Kanagaratnam, General Secretary, CR&FC. `We sincerely appreciate the generous support that Dialog Telekom has lent us over the years. Through their sponsorship they have provided that vital support we need to lift up our game, and have provided us that extra element we need to compete with the best.`
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Sri Lanka reaches May reserve money target: Central Bank Tuesday, 5 June 2007 - 7:15 AM SL Time Sri Lanka has reached its reserve money target for May with several billion rupees to spare, indicating that inflation will continue to move down in the future, the Central Bank said. `The achievement of reserve money targets will lead to the continuous deceleration of the growth in broad money and inflation,` the monetary authority said in a statement. The target for reserve money for May 31 was 250.4 billion rupees but the bank achieved an actual reserve money number of 246.2 billion. Central Bank said it was now clear that the target of 250.4 billion rupees set for June 2007 can be achieved comfortably. The bank previously published its quarterly reserve money targets in a road map released in January.
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| Editorial News
Editorial News Forum
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A dose of bitter medicine for docs Wednesday, 6 June 2007 - 11:07 AM SL Time There seems to be no cure for the ills of the Health Ministry. Not a single day passes without the news of a dispute there being reported. It looks as if health workers took turns to stage protests and harass the hapless public. Yesterday, we reported another protest in the offing. Doctors have threatened to stop private practice, unless the Health Minister cancels the order that all private medical institutions be registered with the newly set up Private Medical Institutions Regulatory Council (PMIRC). The contention of the doctors is that those institutions are already registered with the Sri Lanka Medical Council (SLMC) and, therefore, the new scheme is without any basis. The Health Ministry insists that the new requirement is to regulate the government doctors` private practice and, as such, it must be fully complied with.
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That ban in the offing down under Sunday, 3 June 2007 - 7:24 AM SL Time Moves are reportedly underway down under to ban the LTTE as a terrorist organization. Although the Australian government has not officially announced its position on the matter, The Australian has reported that the government is working towards the proscription. The LTTE fronts are vehemently campaigning against the reported move. If the ban comes through, the LTTE will be ranked alongside 19 other proscribed groups such as Al-Qa`ida and Jemmah Islamiah. What has the LTTE achieved after twenty years of fighting? It is, no doubt, a formidable guerrilla outfit. But, it has not got anywhere near its goal and is losing whatever support it may have enjoyed from the world community. Locally, it has turned the areas under its control into a hellhole, which the people want to flee but are forcibly kept in. On the military front, it is losing ground. It may resort to terror tactics such as blasting civilian targets but given the resilience of the state, they are bound to fail. They will only help the government present a stronger case for its military campaign against the outfit.
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Problems of being bully`s buddy - II Saturday, 2 June 2007 - 8:52 AM SL Time India always behaves like a sadist deriving, as she does, immense pleasure from the suffering of her neighbours, like those cheap Indian soap opera characters who are full hatred, envy, jealousy and hubris. She has a massive ego to nurse, and this she does at the expense of others. She treats her small neighbours like untouchables. Indian National Security Advisor M. K. Narayan has said Sri Lanka should not seek arms from Pakistan or China. `We are a big power in the region,` he has told the Indian media, as we reported yesterday, `whatever may be their requirements, they should come to us.` This exactly is the way India prevented Sri Lanka from acquiring radar equipment from China to counter the LTTE air threat.
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| Sports News
Sports News Forum
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Gavaskar wants Ranatunga to coach India Wednesday, 6 June 2007 - 11:03 AM SL Time Legendary Indian cricketer Sunil Gavaskar wants former Sri Lankan captain Arjuna Ranatunga to coach the Indian cricket team. According to our special correspondent in New Delhi Venkat Narayan, Gavaskar, a member of the panel that chooses India`s next coach, had backed Ranatunga to take up the role. Though Ranatunga has no coaching credentials to speak of, he is known for his exceptional player-management skills. The BCCI`s coach selection committee met in Bangalore on Monday night to pick a coach for the Indian cricket team. The meeting was chaired by BCCI President Sharad Pawar. The selection panel includes Gavaskar, interim coach Ravi Shastri and former skipper S. Venkataraghavan.
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Dharsha in new role as Grand Prix begins today Wednesday, 6 June 2007 - 11:02 AM SL Time Sri Lankan national sprinter and 200m Asian record holder Damayanthi Dharsha will feature in a new role when Sri Lanka`s first ever Grand Prix, for local athletes, with effort to unearth future champions and producing the talents for the 2012 Olympics, gets underway at Sugathasada Stadium today. Dharsha will actively involve in the organising of the ANTFA persuaded `Edge Grand Prix 2007` today, hinting the end of her sixteen-year successful carrier as an athlete. Dharsha who is nursing an injury hinted her interests in taking part in athletic administration recently but denied an early retirement from competitive athletics, when contacted. When asked whether she was intending to retire from athletics, she said that she had not decided yet but insisted that she would take part in the Grand Prix only as an organiser.
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SLRFU to take action against Vithanage Tuesday, 5 June 2007 - 7:12 AM SL Time The Disciplinary Committee of the Sri Lanka Rugby Football Union will meet tomorrow to take action against Sri Lanka sevens captain Chamara Vithanage who is alleged to have assaulted referee Pradeep Fernando soon after the Trinity-Kingswood rugby match played at Trinity rugby stadium, at Pallekelle on Saturday which Trinity won by 23-18. `The Disciplinary Committee of the SLRFU headed by SSP T.M. Hamid will take stern action against Vithanage after receiving the report of the Sri Lanka Society of Rugby Football Referees on the incident`. `Vithanage is bound by International Rugby Board (IRB) rules which states that a national player should behave in an exemplary manner on and off the field` said the President of the Sri Lanka Rugby Football Union DIG Nimal Lewke yesterday.
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