Sri Lanka News Updates with Discussions

Government unable to continue with Mahapola scheme! ? Bandula Gunawardene
(02nd July 2007 - 00:05 S.L.T)



The government has no capacity to continue with Mahapola scheme says Minister Bandula Gunawardene, Minister of Trade, Marketing Development, Cooperatives and Consumer Affairs. He said this at a ceremony held to donate Mahapola Scholarships to 642 students who have qualified to enter universities from Galle District. |

Maldives jail LTTE arms smugglers

The four LTTE suspects captured by the Maldivian coast guard while smuggling arms to Sri Lanka in Maldivian territorial waters mid May were sentenced to 15 years in jail yesterday by the Maldivian courts, reports from Male said.

They were tried in court for crossing into Maldivian waters, disobeying orders by the coast guard, carrying arms aboard and attempting to shoot at fishermen.

However, there was no immediate comment by the Maldivian Government whether the four suspects would be extradited to Sri Lanka for further investigations in keeping to a request by the Sri Lankan Government.

On May 17, a Maldivian fishing trawler chased a boat of armed men in its territorial waters, under the belief they were illegal poachers. The fishermen were shot by the LTTE arms smugglers prompting the fishermen to alert the Maldivian defence officials on the matter.

Arriving at the scene the Maldivian coast guard opened fire and sank the boat ?Sri Krishna? carrying suspected Tigers after a 12-hour standoff at sea in Maldives? southern territorial waters. The sinking of the vessel in Maldivian waters took a multilateral dimension when it was later revealed that ?Sri Krishna? was a boat hijacked from Indian fishermen by the Sea Tigers in March.

Consequently, on May 22, two teams from Sri Lanka and India arrived in Maldives for their own investigations into the incident and left the country following investigations

Ghsosh...ghosh..same handles AnuD and Nale/National Leader are onto converstaion :):)

A year-long investigation by The Washington Post uncovered details of how in November 2001 - two months after the September 11 atrocities - Vice-President Cheney went behind the backs of the secretary of state, Colin Powell, and the national security adviser, Condoleezza Rice, to deny foreign terrorist suspects access to a court.

Government unable to continue with Mahapola scheme! ? Bandula Gunawardene
(02nd July 2007 - 00:05 S.L.T)


The government has no capacity to continue with Mahapola scheme says Minister Bandula Gunawardene, Minister of Trade, Marketing Development, Cooperatives and Consumer Affairs. He said this at a ceremony held to donate Mahapola Scholarships to 642 students who have qualified to enter universities from Galle District.

The Torch of Life. Its good!

Casabianca

The boy stood on the burning deck
Whence all but he had fled
The flame that lit the battle's wreck
Shone round him o'er the dead.

Yet beautiful and bright he stood,
As born to rule the storm
A creature of heroic blood,
A proud, though childlike form.

The flames roll'd on...he would not go
Without his father's word
That father, faint in death below,
His voice no longer heard.

He call'd aloud...'Say, father, say
If yet my task is done!'
He knew not that the chieftain lay
Unconscious of his son.

'Speak, father!' once again he cried
'If I may yet be gone!'
And but the booming shots replied,
And fast the flames roll'd on.

Upon his brow he felt their breath,
And in his waving hair,
And looked from that lone post of death,
In still yet brave despair

And shouted but one more aloud,
'My father, must I stay?'
While o'er him fast, through sail and shroud
The wreathing fires made way,

They wrapt the ship in splendour wild,
They caught the flag on high,
And stream'd above the gallant child,
Like banners in the sky.

There came a burst of thunder sound...
The boy-oh! where was he?
Ask of the winds that far around
With fragments strewed the sea.

With mast, and helm, and pennon fair,
That well had borne their part
But the noblest thing which perished there
Was that young faithful heart.