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Police evict Tamils from Colombo Thursday, 7 June 2007 - 5:22 PM SL Time Police in Sri Lanka have forced hundreds of the minority Tamil community out of the capital Colombo for what they say are security reasons. They launched overnight raids in Tamil areas of the city and forced guests staying in budget hotels onto buses. Police said that Tamils who were in the capital `without valid reasons` were made to board buses bound for the north and east of the island. Police said that the move was necessary amid fears of renewed civil war. `Bad example` They say that the crackdown is part of continuing efforts to stop the Tamil Tigers infiltrating the city of 600,000 people. They also say the measure is also being taken for the safety of the Tamil community amid a rash of abductions across Colombo blamed on the rebels and the security forces. 
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Govt. hopes Japan will ban LTTE Thursday, 7 June 2007 - 10:26 AM SL Time The Government hopes the latest visit by Japanese peace envoy Yasushi Akashi will result in the listing of the LTTE or the freezing of its funds in Japan, defence spokesman and Minister Keheliya Rambukwella said. Minister Rambukwella said Japan had deferred listing the rebels in August last year after the LTTE had given an assurance it would cease violence and resume peace negotiations. However as the rebels had failed to live up to that expectation the Government felt Japan should put pressure by listing the LTTE, he said. `We hope that after Mr. Akashi goes back he will know the ground situation better and this will result in Japan banning the LTTE,` Minister Rambukwella told the media yesterday. On Tuesday Mr. Akashi had discussions with Government peace secretariat head Palitha Kohona on the peace process.
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Karuna to join hands with Govt. Wednesday, 6 June 2007 - 10:17 AM SL Time The TMVP led by Karuna Amman yesterday said it would contest future elections and tie up with the government to serve the people, the Tamils in particular in the East. TMVP Ampara district leader I. Bharathi told the media that the party had already laid the groundwork to serve the Tamils in the East and the party was confident of sweeping the polls in the province. `The problems faced by the Tamils, especially those in the East, should come to an end. We firmly believe the problems could not be solved through military action. They should be addressed in a democratic way,` he said. Mr. Bharathi also said his party believed that Eelam could never be achieved and the country should not be divided.
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| Security
Security Forum
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Maligawatte mine defused Saturday, 9 June 2007 - 4:52 AM SL Time A claymore mine weighing about 10 kilos was recovered from Maligawatte yesterday morning, police said. They said the claymore mine wrapped in polythene was found placed near a street lamp post at Jayantha Weerasekara Mawatha. Maligawatte police Inspector N.M.Karunaratne said they believed the LTTE might have left it there to carry out an attack. The Bomb Disposal Unit that defused the claymore mine said it contained high powered explosives. Police commended the public for their vigilance by providing information to the police.
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US condemns `forced removal of Tamils` Saturday, 9 June 2007 - 4:51 AM SL Time The United States yesterday condemned the evacuation of Tamils from Colombo. A statement issued by the United States Embassy in Colombo said: `The United States condemns the forced removal of Tamils from Colombo. Such measures violate the Sri Lankan Constitution`s guarantee that every citizen has the right to freedom of movement and choice of residence within Sri Lanka. The United States Understands and supports Sri Lanka`s obligation to defend itself against terrorism. But this action can only widen the ethnic divide at a time when important efforts are underway to reach a national consensus to end Sri Lanka`s nearly quarter-century old conflict. We call upon the Government of Sri Lanka to stop the forcible removal its citizens from Colombo, to make public the destinations of those already removed, and to ensure their safety and well-being.`
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Navy assist in birth on board ship Saturday, 9 June 2007 - 4:51 AM SL Time Doctors of the Sri Lanka Navy in the wee hours of Thursday (7) assisted in the delivery of a baby on board the MV Green Ocean, which was ferrying a group of 193 civilians to Jaffna. Pregnant Anantha Kumar Jasotha, a resident of Ananthai, Point Pedro, was among the passengers on board the Green Ocean. She boarded the vessel hoping that all would be well for her and the baby she was about to give birth to until she set foot on the shores of Jaffna. However, the unexpected happened but she was not alone in her predicament. Help was at hand, notwithstanding the security threat looming in the region, the SLN website reported yesterday. Ms Jasotha was all smiles after after her ordeal. It was a baby girl. She was assisted by the Captain of the ship W. H. Perera, a former Sri Lanka Navy man, with the assistance of a medical student who happened to be on board the ship. They were guided by expert medical instructions provided by the SLN doctors who were in constant radio contact with the ship as soon as they were alerted.
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| Politics
Political News Forum
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Officers` lives compromised by UNP statements - Chief Government Whip Saturday, 9 June 2007 - 4:54 AM SL Time Chief Government Whip Minister Jeyaraj Fernandopulle yesterday told Parliament that the UNP was attempting to divulge the identities of top security officials through Parliament thereby endangering their lives whilst dealing a blow to the morale of the soldiers fighting in the North-East. As the fist step of this UNP move, UNP Parliamentarian Lakshman Seneviratne during his speech on Wednesday`s Emergency debate made a serious allegation against Colombo DIG Rohan Abeygunawardane. The statement made by the UNP MP has become a serious threat to the life of Colombo DIG and his family. This statement has also had a serious impact in bringing down the morale of the Security Forces and Police who conduct their security operations in Colombo and the suburbs. By these statements they have been made prime LTTE targets, Fernandopulle said.
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British Minister here on Monday Saturday, 9 June 2007 - 4:53 AM SL Time British Foreign Office Minister Dr Kim Howells will visit Sri Lanka on Monday. He will meet President Mahinda Rajapaksa to discuss the recent developments in Sri Lanka, the British High Commission said yesterday. Dr Howells will also meet government representatives, opposition leaders and civil society representatives to discuss the effects of the continuing conflict in the country, it said. This trip follows Dr Howells`s visit to Sri Lanka in February when he met the President, and visited the Ampara district to see the impact of the conflict on local communities, the statement said.
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Expulsions `a disgrace to humanity` - NGOs Friday, 8 June 2007 - 8:56 AM SL Time As several hundred Tamils were forcibly expelled from Colombo Thursday, a group of civil society organizations appealed to President Mahinda Rajapakse `to call an immediate halt to this practice and to offer facilities of return to anyone who has been forcibly removed.` An open letter from several Colombo-based NGOs said: `while we are full cognizant of the current security situation and the need to maintain close surveillance of the city and its environs ? we are convinced [this] process is NOT capable of guaranteeing security and rather creates further polarization between the different ethnic communities.` `We reaffirm the principle enshrined in the Constitution of Sri Lanka guarantees all Sri Lankans the right to choose their own residence (temporary or permanent), and freedom of movement and maintain that what has taken place in Colombo today is a flagrant violation of this principle, and a disgrace to humanity,` the open letter said.
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| Business / Economy News
Business News Forum
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Alcatel - Lucent to strengthen presence in Lanka Saturday, 9 June 2007 - 4:58 AM SL Time Alcatel-Lucent will strengthen its presence and expand services in Sri Lanka, President, South Asia Region, Ravi Sharma said briefing the media after the inauguration of the new branch office in Colombo. ` The local presence of Alcatel-Lucent will be strengthened, merging with Lucent has made Alcatel the biggest supplier of telecommunication solutions. The market for telecommunication solutions has grown in Sri Lanka in the areas of fixed and mobile phones, data and broad band transmissions,` he explained. He said Alcatel-Lucent has a dominant market share in most of the countries in South Asia region. `We have more than 50 percent market share in most of the countries. `We provide the widest product range. We have focused on new technologies such as WiMAX and researches are being done in India. We will also do trials in Sri Lanka to introduce WiMAX.
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Sri Lanka apparel makers increase backward integration Saturday, 9 June 2007 - 4:56 AM SL Time Sri Lanka`s garments industry has increased sourcing of fabric from the region and making accessories at home under its backward integration plan to strengthen its base, an industry official said. More fabric mills are also being set up in the island and existing ones expanded to support the apparel exporters and shorten lead times, A. Sukumaran, chief executive of Star Garments Group said. The industry is trying to increase its backward integration as well as manufacture of non-textile accessories and trims to ensure it can sustain itself in the quota free era, he told the Sri Lanka Economic Summit organised by the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce. `Exports in the first quarter of this year are up 14 percent compared with same quarter the year before, which is a very good sign,` Sukumaran said.
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Land Rover means business Thursday, 7 June 2007 - 11:33 AM SL Time Land Rover has scooped two accolades for Best Small 4x4 and Best Large 4x4 in the annual BusinessCar awards, voted for by readers of BusinessCar magazine. The all-new Freelander 2 fought off competition in one of the most hotly contested sectors to win the `Small 4x4` award ? an impressive eighth consecutive win for Freelander in this category since 2000. The Discovery 3 was recognised as winner of the `Large 4x4` category, making this its 95th global award since launch in 2004. `In Sri Lanka too, the Land Rover is fast gaining ground as the choice of both the discerning motorist who wants an elegant and classy vehicle as well as the motor enthusiast who looks for unsurpassed offroad capabilities`, said CEO Frontier Automotive, Sheran Fernando. Land Rover corporate operations manager, Jon Wackett commented: `Receiving both these awards from BusinessCar magazine is a fantastic endorsement of the all-round capability that Land Rover vehicles offer to the business and fleet industry. We are delighted with the result.`
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| Editorial News
Editorial News Forum
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A painful blunder! Saturday, 9 June 2007 - 4:52 AM SL Time The war for dismembering this country is not confined to the North and the East. It is being fought in many other places, both here and abroad, especially in Colombo, where the political leadership and the national economy are targeted. Ridding Colombo of LTTE cadres is therefore a sine qua non for defeating terrorism. All over the world, capital cities are the prime targets of terrorists and countries battling terrorism are compelled to adopt extraordinary measures to protect them. In dealing with an elusive enemy, the police and the armed forces are at a distinct disadvantage. Terrorists are omnipresent and can pose as civilians as long as they are not caught in flagrante delicto. Even the democratic role models like the US and the UK have had to adopt draconian measures to keep terrorists at bay. The British police have orders to shoot terror suspects in the head slap-bang with no questions asked.
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Buddha Head candles: Waxen ignorance wrapped in commercialism Thursday, 7 June 2007 - 11:23 AM SL Time The Buddha was a source of boundless compassion, but there were evil humans bent on destroying him. Angulimala did his utmost to harm him and cut a finger but in vain. Devadatta, consumed with hatred and jealousy, went all out to destroy the Enlightened One, only to give up in the end. Chinchimanavika heaped abuse on the Compassionate One and left no stone unturned in her efforts to vilify him but only to have her evil intentions exposed. Some of the Brahmins, who perceived the Buddha as a threat to their teachings, though he never looked down upon them, kept on questioning whether he had really attained Enlightenment. One of them even had doubts about his potency. The Buddha cleared those doubts in his inimitable way and convinced the inquisitive Brahmin that he had left the worldly life not due to any such problem but in search of the truth. The Buddha`s life was full of challenges, which he overcame. And after his parinibbana, his successor, the dhamma is beset with far more serious challenges.
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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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| Sports News
Sports News Forum
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63rd Bradby in Kandy today Saturday, 9 June 2007 - 4:53 AM SL Time Today will resemble Derby Day in England, the fillies in the stands showing off better than the foals in the arena. This display will be the 148th match and the first leg of the 63rd Bradby Shield encounter between Trinity College and Royal College at Bogamabara stadium in Kandy. Bradby with its long history and the glamour that the event spawns has created great enthusiasm among all quarters of the public and today`s event is no exception. One cannot come out with pre declarations in respect to the result in a Bradby Shield game due to its uniqueness and the exceptional manner in which the two teams display their talents and particularly both Trinity and Royal gear up to this game with great enthusiasm in order to seize the honours.
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Newspaper`s audio file contradicts Vaughan`s account Friday, 8 June 2007 - 8:53 AM SL Time The newspaper England captain Michael Vaughan accused of misquoting him placed an audio excerpt of its interview with Vaughan on the Internet Thursday, contradicting the cricketer`s assertion that his remarks about a teammate were blown out of proportion. Although Vaughan insisted that he, rather than all-rounder Andrew Flintoff, had played a major role in the team`s failure to reach the World Cup semi-finals, The Guardian had quoted him as saying that an incident involving `Freddie` Flintoff`s drinking exploits had damaged team morale. He was quoted as saying, `You have to be honest: the `Fredalo` incident did affect the team. It did affect morale,` referring to Flintoff being found on a pedalo, or paddleboat, at 4 am in the morning after their opening group match defeat against New Zealand in St Lucia.
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Air Vice Marshal is Sri Lanka cricket manager Friday, 8 June 2007 - 8:49 AM SL Time A senior Sri Lankan air force officer has been appointed as the new manager of the national cricket team, replacing Michael Tissera, a Sri Lanka Cricket official said on Wednesday. Air Vice Marshal Sriyan Samararatne, a strict disciplinarian, was picked after facing an interview panel Wednesday by Sri Lanka Cricket, the governing body of the sport. Samararatne is on a two-year contract. He is a former first class cricketer who played with distinction for the air force and Moratuwa Sports Club as a wicket keeper in the premier club competition in the 1970s and 1980s. Tissera, a former Sri Lanka captain from the island`s pre-Test era ended his managerial contract after the recent World Cup, in the Caribbean.
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