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National Lotteries Board (NLB) and Development Lotteries Board (DLB) sweep tickets will not be sold by the dealers' islandwide from Thursday, August 28, until the Finance Ministry increases their sale commission, the All Island Lottery Dealers' Society (AILDS) said. Finance Ministry's failure to mediateontheproblems in the lotteries industry is to bring the country's lottery sale to a complete standstillcosting the state more than Rs.35 million daily to the NLB and DLB in sales according to the AILDS sources.

Not alone

But the Prime Minister wasn't alone in his proclamations his was simply the most outlandish. The Defence Secretary, Gotabhaya Rajapakse, was not far behind with his pledge that Kilinochchi will be captured by the army within the next few months.

His was a follow up to a statement by the military that the army had already entered the Kilinochchi District from an undisclosed location. Yet the Army Commander himself admitted, the military' strategy is one that might allow the LTTE insurgency to 'last forever.'

As many analysts have been saying since the military campaign in the Wanni started, it is one that lacks clarity or direction. At various times officials have made statements so self-contradictory that they lead to fears that - despite the ruthless professionalism emanating from the soldiers on the ground - the top brass do not know whether they are coming or going.

It also begs the question whether overall military strategy is being compromised at the altar of political expediency as was evident with Prime Minister Wickramanayake's desperate claim that Kilinochchi will be captured by election day, August 23.

Main aim

The Defence Secretary, for example, told the New York Times in a May interview that the government's main aim was 'to destroy the leadership' of the LTTE. This has in the past been the work of the army's deep penetration units and air force bombers, coupling their strikes with accurate intelligence information on target positions.

But by last week the Secretary Defence had changed his mind. He told the UK's Times Online that he had to 'go after (the Tigers) and completely eradicate them.' His brother, President Mahinda Rajapakse has often insisted that the ongoing war was part of a humanitarian campaign to free civilians, or systematic retaliation to LTTE aggression.

Yet in the heat of the elections with opinion polls not favouring the government, the Commander in Chief too came out with his real thinking on the war while he was addressing a rally in Ruwanwella, Sabaragamuwa. 'There is no turning back under any circumstances or influence now, until every inch of land is recaptured and each and every terrorist is killed or captured!' he thundered to the crowd.

Given all its contradictions, the government will find it difficult to maintain its facade of impending victory, unless it finds some form of tangible 'victory' to show to the public. Over 14,000 soldiers have deserted the forces in 2008, Military Spokesman, Brigadier General Udaya Nanayakkara told The Sunday Leader. This figure is around 5.4% of the army's total strength over a period of just over half a year.

National Lotteries Board (NLB) and Development Lotteries Board (DLB) sweep tickets will not be sold by the dealers' islandwide from Thursday, August 28, until the Finance Ministry increases their sale commission, the All Island Lottery Dealers' Society (,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

I was joking man,

I'm Sinhalese, and I know you are a Tamil ,

Peace

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