Sri Lanka News Updates with Discussions

we will bring the price down once we start extracting crude Oil in Mannar!!Lolz

But, we will bring the price down once we start extracting crude Oil in Mannar!!Lolz

The UPFA s chief ministerial candidate for the North Central Provincial Council Election, Berty Premalal Dissanayake has threatened to punish those who do not vote for him, UNP s General Secretary Tissa Attanayake MP, alleged yesterday.

Are you sure... I don't think so. Since a company is involved in exploration, they will sell oil in the singapore market (which is the asi-pasific oil market) at the market price and SL government will get its share. It will be a revenue to the SL government, but will not decrease the petrol price. May be I am incorrect.. but that is what generraly happening arround the world..

Jet Airways has become the first Indian private carrier to launch its services to China. Mr. Naresh Goyal spearheaded Jet Airways on Saturday, June 14, 2008 launched its Mumbai-Shanghai-San Francisco flight. Jet Airways, which currently operates to 60 destinations across India and overseas, with the Saturday launch started the fourth long-haul route to North America in less than a year.

The daily flight from Mumbai to China to North America was launched by Mr. Saroj Datta, Executive Director Jet Airways from the Mumbai International Airport. At the launch Mr. Datta remarked that with the introduction of the maiden service to San Francisco via Shanghai, Jet has continued the airline s unprecedented expansion throughout North America. Some of the important foreign destinations, where Jet Airways operates are New York, London, Brussels, Toronto, Hong Kong, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, Abu Dhabi, Bahrain, Muscat, Kuwait and Doha.

No wonder India is also digging in the Srilankan coast for Sethu Canal project since unlimited reserves of oil are found !

Q: Isn't this pattern changing because that they are facing a severe shortage of manpower?
A: Yes, that has resulted to a greater extent. They have lost over 9,000 in the last two years. The number of cadres were killed in the East was over 2,000, then over 1,000 in Jaffna, 3,000 in Wanni, over 2,000 in Mannar, and over 1,000 in Weli Oya. The Air Force has killed about a 1,000 and the Navy has killed 329. These official figures were officially released at the last Security Council meeting.
The total number of casualties is very high. According to intelligence there are over 5,000 cadres in the North including their political cadres, home guards in bunkers and Nadeshan's cadres. The LTTE has recruited over 3,000 people forcibly. The quality of their fighting has deteriorated.
In addition to the shortage of manpower, the LTTE lacks leaders, after the death of their so called leaders, Anton Balasingham, Tamilselvam and Balaraj. Prabakaran is as good as dead and is too old to lead a terrorist outfit. Normally terrorist leaders are aggressive and young people. So the LTTE is fighting a losing battle while the Sri Lankan military is becoming stronger day by day.

Q: According to a certain media, the number of LTTE cadres killed is different from the figures that you give. So some claim that it is a numbers game to continue with the war. What do you have to say ?
A: The Army gets these numbers from our intelligence by listening to the LTTE transmissions. After every confrontation, the LTTE updates these numbers and they are not decided by the Army.
In Vidathalathivu, the LTTE has lost over 30 terrorists and these numbers are confirmed by their transmissions. People who claim that this is a numbers game are the ones who believe that the terrorists, and also have more faith in the LTTE than the Sri Lankan Army.

Q: You have said that the LTTE's days are numbered. How confident are you that you can eliminate the LTTE before the end of your tenure?
A: Yes, why I say that their days are numbered is by comparing what had happened during the last two years. In the last two years they have lost territories, the East and now Mannar. Over 1,200 square km area in the North have now been captured. This same trend was there for two years when we liberated the East and the same will followed until we capture the North.
LTTE has lost two thirds of its manpower and a large stock of weapons including 2,500 rifles and other heavy weapons. They are running out of arms now. As the fighting is going round the clock the LTTE could not remain without ammunition and weapons to face us. So, I don't think that the LTTE can keep pace with this schedule. It is an impossible task for them.

Q: How do you assess the input of the intelligence services? Are they more efficient than it was some years ago?
A: Yes, at the moment they are doing a tremendous job. In the past when we were in the field we did not have confidence in their services. They were actually doing basically, 'post mortems' on the movements of terrorists and how their planned attack.
Now the situation has changed and we can rely on them who give us accurate intelligence information on terrorist activities, their strength and possible actions that they may resort to. We revamped the intelligence services with some important changes.

Q: Innocent people in Yala still come under LTTE attacks. Why has the military failed to capture the LTTE terrorists who have a free run in Yala?
A: It is a long 90 km stretch of jungle terrain, with a width of 40 km from Yala to Kanchikuddichchiaru in the Eastern Province towards Ampara. The group which had shot at the bus was the same group that had fired at the Army patrol in Panama about a month ago.
They have used the same weapons this time as well. When they are defeated they use very cheap tactics under the instructions of Prabhakaran, who has never being humane. After the Army clears the Kanchikuddichchi area, the STF will set up new camps in this area to deter them. We have already taken steps with the STF to hunt them.