Sri Lanka News Updates with Discussions

Reports of brutal rapes of foreign tourists in India and Brazil in recent months have rocked the international travel industry.

According to data cited by The Atlantic, visitors to India have dropped 25 percent since December`s fatal gang-rape of a young woman on a bus in the capital of New Delhi, and 35 percent among female travelers. And that data was compiled before March 16, when a Swiss woman who was touring the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh by bicycle with her husband was gang-raped by a group of eight men.

The IPL governing council`s decision to exclude Sri Lankan players from matches in Chennai has been met with some disappointment and concern by the other franchises. They are disappointed at being excluded from the decision-making process, and that the decision taken did not follow precedent. In addition, they are concerned over the possible consequence - that Chennai Super Kings may have an added advantage in their home games.

While Super Kings` Sri Lankan players are not crucial to their plans, several of their compatriots are vital members of their respective teams. Those teams will not be fielding their first XI when playing in Chennai - both in the league stage and in the knockout stage, in which two matches are scheduled to be staged in Chennai.

This is what global Cricket community says...

Public Safety Minister Vic Toews says the freighter that carried 500 Tamil migrants to Canada had been renovated to accommodate a large number of people and `maximize profit`.

Toews says the owners of the MV Sun Sea always had their sights set on Canada and were part of a criminal enterprise, possibly the Tamil Tigers.

Toews says the small ship had sanitation facilities that had undergone major renovations to accomodate hundreds of people.

The MV Sun Sea arrived near Victoria on Friday carrying about 490 people from war-ravaged Sri Lanka who are expected to make refugee claims.

Thirty Seven Ministers of the UPFA Government took oaths as the Cabinet Ministers in their respective portfolios today (23) before President Mahinda Rajapaksa at the President`s Secretariat. Accordingly the Cabinet Ministers are as follows:

President Mahinda Rajapaksa - Defence, Finance & Planning, Ports & Aviation and Highways
Prime Minister D M Jayarathne Buddasasana and Religious Affairs
Rathnasiri Wickramanayake State Management and Reforms

The Sri Lankan Independence Day celibration held in Toronto at Ontario Science Centre Auditorium.

FEB 4th 2010.......

The computer expert who was involved in presenting the final results in the recently concluded presidential polls has categorically rejected the accusations that the count was rigged using the latest technology.
Dr. Ruwan Weerasinghe, Director of the School of Computing, University of Colombo, told BBC Sandeshaya that the results were entered to the computer system after several verifications and cross checking.

`There were about 25,000 polling stations in Sri Lanka. The results from these centres are brought to about 880 counting centres,` Dr. Weerasinghe said.

Rata saha Bada

A Portrait.

Following is an email I got from my friend....

Hi Friends,

I write this with a lot of sadness, relief and hope, form what has happened in the past few months. As a Tamil, (and proud to be one) I deeply feel that together, we can build the burnt bridges and pave a path to peace, happiness, equality and prosperity for us and for the future generations to come.

We cannot forget what happened for the past three decades, however we need to put aside our emotions, despair and remember those lives, which were lost in bloody war in the name of equality . We (Tamils) have to now reconcile and win the trust of the nation. For decades, we have been secretive, unpredictable and uncompromising. Sure enough, we were discriminated in the past, deprived of our equal rights and treated unfairly. Now we have to give the nation a chance to prove that, it is not the case.

`Lanka Gardens` a Sri Lankan restaurants in Toronto, Canada, has been set on fire, by LTTE supporters. A Canadian Sri Lankan said that the Canadian government has failed to crack down on incidents like this.

MORE TO FOLLOW

I am wondering why LTTE terrorists supporters did not send him some underwears. The pig was wearing Amude.

LTTE sea leader`s family and his brother`s family was caught today trying to escape through the sea. More details later....

Protect Canada from Tamil Tigers.