|
|
|||
 |
 |
TELO Leader Srisabaratnam 21st Remembrance Day Meeting |
|
               |
30 April 2007 British House of Commons debate on Sri Lanka is scheduled to take place on Wednesday 2nd May Please phone 020 7219 4272 and ask your MP to take part in the debate and register their strongest protest to the Sri Lankan government to bring an end to the war. A number of TNA parliamentarians have gone underground due to severe security threats, their lives are in danger. Any moment they can be killed by Srilanka paramilitary parties. British Government debate on Sri Lanka is scheduled to take place in the House of Commons between 4pm and 7.30pm on Wednesday 2nd May. This is the first ever Government debate on Sri Lanka. This debate means Tamils living in United Kingdom have an important task to fulfil. When you contact your local MP you can also him or her to ask you get you a pass so that you can watch the debate from the House of Commons gallery. SLFP proposals won’t solve crisis: SLMC The Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) said yesterday that the aspirations of the minorities will not be fulfilled if the SLFP clung on to the District Council and Grama Rajya systems, as a solution to the national issue. The SLFP proposes to introduce a district development council system and a senate and create a post of Executive Premier, as part of its proposals to solve the national issue.SLMC general secretary, Hasan Ali, told Daily Mirror that the high command of his party would discuss the SLFP proposals once they were officially handed over to the APRC. “We will decide on our stand once this is done,” he said. He said that it was important that the SLFP did not hang on to the unitary status and district councils. He said these proposals could not be described as government proposals since they had been prepared by the SLFP. “Once the government’s proposals are submitted to the APRC we can look into the matter and announce our stand,” he added. India to aid war-hit civilians in Sri Lanka Convinced that Sri Lanka's peace process has been spiked for now, India wants to help civilians hit by the escalating conflict. As for Norway, it is staying put as peace broker despite a snub from Colombo. India's thinking is expected to take concrete shape soon as New Delhi takes a fresh look at the various cards it can play in a seemingly bleak situation where both protagonists seem determined to fight it out.Indian strategic planners remain convinced that there can be no military solution to the Sri Lankan conflagration, which has taken a menacing shape since late 2005 leaving thousands dead and many thousands homeless.The suffering of the civilians, overwhelmingly Tamil, is a major concern here. This is one of the areas on which India remains in regular touch with Sri Lankan authorities.'We have our points of view, our concerns, and we keep conveying them to Sri Lanka,' an informed source told IANS. India, the source added, was in touch with all parties in the island except the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). There is a feeling that India should play a more pro-active role in assisting those displaced by the conflict. Their numbers run into tens of thousands, more so in the island's eastern province.India may also like to launch development projects in areas inhabited by 'Indian Tamils' in the island's tea growing central hills.It was the then foreign secretary Shyam Saran who in August 2005 declared during a trip to Sri Lanka: 'The welfare and well-being of the people in the northeast is very close to India's heart.'With the Norwegian-brokered February 2002 ceasefire agreement (CFA) between Colombo and the LTTE barely breathing, the one question that nags Indian policy planners is: what next?The issue is important because New Delhi did play a key but behind-the-scene role in the framing of CFA five years ago when the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ruled India.India also contributed to the setting up of the Nordic Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM), whose members were to oversee truce violations. Along with CFA, the SLMM too is in a shambles now. While New Delhi remains committed to Sri Lanka's territorial unity, it is equally firm that only a political solution acceptable to broad sections among the Tamils can bring about an ultimate negotiated settlement.And so it remains supportive of the role Norway has played, knowing well that the situation has reached a point where the international actors have ceased to play a determining role in Sri Lanka's limping peace process.Only this week, Sri Lanka made that point clear by telling Norway not to go to the LTTE-held north to meet Tiger leaders.While accepting Sri Lanka's diktat, Norway remains committed to playing its role as the peace facilitator.'The Sri Lankan decision will have no impact on Norway,' a diplomatic source in the know of things told IANS. 'Norway will continue doing what it is doing.'Norwegian diplomats feel the Colombo decision is linked to the heavy aerial bombings of the northeastern region. Sri Lanka says it is only hitting at LTTE. But rights activists claims the worst sufferers are Tamil civilians.Both India and Norway have their fingers crossed since a negotiated settlement in Sri Lanka now looks no more than a dream. 6 youths die in firefight with SLN in Velanai Six youths were killed in a firefight with the Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) Sunday morning at 10:00 a.m. during a cordon and search operation in Velani in the islets of Jaffna, sources in Jaffna said. The incident occured close to the Mudippillaiyar Temple in Velanai west.The cordon and search operation was conducted Sunday morning following the attack by armed youth Saturday in which a commander of the SLN was killed.Sri Lanka armed forces barred public from entering or leaving Jaffna Islets from Sunday morning until late evening, residents there said. People were returned at Allaipiddy and Pannai Bridge, according to sources in Jaffna.Sri Lanka Military spokesperson said the attackers used the temples sculptured towers as cover to mount the attack when they were killed.Although the SLN did not reveal details of casualties and injuries suffered by its troopers, sources said helicopters were used in transporting the SLN dead and the wounded to the Palaali military hospital.Kayts police brought the bodies of the youth to the Jaffna Teaching Hospital. The bodies have not been identified yet. One of the bodies may also belong to the temple priest, sources speculated.Jaffna Assistant Judge M. Thirunavukkarasu conducted preliminary inquiries and will continue the inquest Monday. Tamil journalist killed in northern Sri Lanka Unidentified men fatally shot a reporter for a Tamil-language newspaper in Sri Lanka 's troubled northern Jaffna peninsula on Sunday. The identity of the attackers and their motive were not immediately known. There have been a growing number of unsolved killings and abductions in Jaffna, regarded as the heartland of Sri Lanka - 's 3.1 million ethnic-minority Tamils. The Defense Ministry's information center said it was unaware of the killing. Free Media Movement, a local media rights group, condemned the killing and said it was ``yet another instance that clearly demonstrates the culture of violence, intolerance and intimidation that exists in Sri Lanka - at present.'' Over the past year, six employees of media organizations have been killed in Jaffna but authorities have failed to arrest the culprits, the group said in a statement. ``A culture of impunity vitiates free media across Sri Lanka - and this murder is evidence that human security for journalists continues to deteriorate,'' it said. The rebels have fought the government since 1983 to create an independent homeland for Tamils, who have faced discrimination by the Sinhalese-dominated state. More than 69,000 people have been killed Several houses hit, civilians injured Eight civilians in Wellawatta were injured in the mayhem that broke out following the LTTE aerial attack early last morning. One of the injured persons, Tambaiah Aiyar Dharmapalan (50) of Fernando Rd, Wellawatta, explaining his harrowing experience to ‘Daily Mirror’ from his hospital bed at the Accident Ward of the Colombo South Hospital said, “I was watching the Cricket World Cup final when lights went off around 1.30 a.m. with the sound of an explosion. It was pitch dark. I felt something hit on my chest and I even heard the sound of the object coming from the roof. I panicked when I felt I was bleeding and fainted. I came around only this morning at the hospital” Kamala Devi, (45) of Havelock Rd, Colombo 6, from her bed at the accident ward of the Kalubowila Hospital said “I was sleeping on the verandah last night when the electric bulb exploded and electricity went off. I felt a searing pain on my thigh. When I touched it I felt I was bleeding heavily. Then my husband opened the door and we herd gun fire every where.” Pathima Nislin Ameen (27) of Nelson Rd, Wellawatte was injured when an object came through the ceiling of her bed room and hit her.Colombo South Hospital Accident Ward Director K.D. Atapatthu said injuries had been inflicted by metal objects and pieces of glass and the injuries were not of serious nature. Wellawatte Police OIC Mangala Dehideniya said he collected a nozzle of a cartridge of a five zero gun from the scene at Mrs. Pthima’s residence. Cathay Pacific and Emirates suspend flights to Sri Lanka Hong Kong's flag air carrier Cathay Pacific announced suspension of flights to Sri Lanka's international airport indefinitely and Dubai-based carrier Emirates Airlines has followed suit. “For Emirates, the safety of its passengers is of paramount importance,” the latter said. The two airlines' decision was an immediate response to the air raid by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) near Colombo last Sunday. Emirates operate scheduled flights from Dubai to the Maldives, Singapore and Indonesia through Colombo. Cathay Pacific started flights to Colombo only one week ago after a month-long suspension following an earlier aerial LTTE attack that targeted the Air Force base providing security to the country’s only international airport. Emirates also suspended night flights for some time after that first attack. Lankan air force lacks night operations capability The Sri Lankan Air Force (SLAF) has a fair sized fleet of Kfir and MIG 27 jet fighter bombers and MI-24 choppers. The LTTE has only a single digit force of propeller driven Czech designed and locally assembled Zlin Z-142s. Yet, the fledgling Flying Tigers have been able to infiltrate hundreds of kilometres of government-administered territory, attack key military and strategic targets, and get back to base unscathed. Reason? "The SLAF lacks night operational capability,"" say defence experts.The LTTE is aware of this and has staged its three attacks so far, only at night. "SLAF aircraft did take off to intercept the intruders, but they could not spot them because it was too dark," said an expert who wished to remain anonymous. The SLAF needs to get Night Vision Goggles (NVG) and aircraft capable of defending the skies at night. The SLAF had been told to NVGs, among other suitable equipment, way back in 2002 by a team of the US Pacific Command. But no action had been taken till date, The Sunday Times said. According to the paper, the US team's report could not be traced and it was left to a former minister in the 2002 government, Milinda Moragoda, to come to the Rajapaksa government's rescue and give the Ministry of Defence a copy of the report. The US Pacific Command had said that the SLAF should stop purchasing expensive new aircraft like MIG 27s, and spend its limited resources on keeping the existing fleet in working order by investing in spare parts and upgrading. The Kfirs could be upgraded and the MI-17s and 24s could be better armed, the American team said. Sri Lanka parliament to sue the MPs who did not pay vehicle loan Sri Lanka’s Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs has decided to begin legal action against fifteen MPs who are accused of misuse of public property. The Attorney General has instructed the Ministry to take legal action against these MPs who have not paid the installments of vehicles purchased under loans. The MPs include UNP former MP S.B. Dissanayaka, Ravindra Randeniya and People’s Liberation Organization of Tamil Ealam (PLOTE) leader D. Siddharthan. Legal experts say that the chances of release on bail for the accused are also limited under the misuse of public property laws. CID raid shocks TNA A search operation conducted by the CID last Monday on the residence of TELO Parliamentarian, Sri Kantha has sent shock waves among the Tamil MPs as the allegations were of a very serious nature, a TNA member said.The CID armed with a search warrant raided Sri Kantha’s Parliamentary Quarters for his alleged links with the LTTE. The CID had informed the residents that the police had reliable information to the effect that the house was being used as an LTTE coordinating office for alleged terrorist activities carried out in and around Colombo.Mr. Sri Kantha was in India at the time of the raid.Batticaloa District TNA parliamentarian, Thangeswari Kadiraman, who is a neighbour of Mr. Sri Kantha said the quarters were used as a centre for TNA Parliamentarians to discuss party matters.“Mr. Sri Kantha does not use this quarters and had come here only once or twice. The TNA members have held several rounds of discussions related to party matters and IDPs at these quarters,” she said.Speaking to Daily Mirror last afternoon on his return from South India, Mr. Sri Kantha said the information given to the CID was misleading and false, but being a lawyer himself, he said that he understood the gravity of the allegations and the plight of the CID.“My quarters were used to hold TNA Parliamentary Group meetings as we did not have an office in Colombo,” he said.A journalist, Dunston Samuel, a regular contributor to Veerakesai who was the occupant of the quarters at the time of the raid was also interrogated and released later. SRI LANKA SITUATION: By Col R Hariharan (Retd.) Many people in Sri Lanka and friends of Sri Lanka everywhere are dismayed at the Eelam War -4 now being waged under a façade of ceasefire. It is taking the country and the people away from finding a workable solution to the ethnic problem in the near future. The ostensible objective of this war of the government side is to "bring peace and freedom for the people" in areas not under the control of government. On the other hand the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) have reverted back to their avowed military aim of "freeing Tamils from Sinhala racists" promised earlier by their leader Prabhakaran. It is clear that both sides have reduced 'peace and ceasefire' as nothing more than propaganda cliché for the consumption of the international community. It also saves the face of the Tokyo donors conference members, who appear to be helpless in controlling the events anymore. The reality is that the security forces are fighting to gain physical control of territories in the north and the LTTE is resisting it. The series of military victories in the east have boosted the military constituency within the government, just as they have alarmed the LTTE which can relate to military operations more easily than political negotiations. So body count has become the order of the day of measuring success. Every dead body, regardless of its ethnicity, religion or language, leaves behind a family who would be scarred for ever. That means on an average five people affected by each death adding five more notches to the depth of ethnic divide. If lasting peace with honour is the objective of the nation,then it is time to examine military operations not in simple terms of who is winning or losing. Everyone concerned should do well to introspect why the war is being fought now, than merely applaud every victory or mourn mounting losses. Many readers of my articles share their views on Sri Lanka situation with me. They include Sinhalas, Muslims, Tamils of all kinds and others. Majority are really concerned about what the future holds for the people. A small minority are hate mail specialists whose views are bound in ironclad dogmas, myths and half truths. Many beliefs expressed in the mails reflect historical prejudices, 'hate' reactions, and narrow loyalties, rather than objective analysis. (Unfortunately, many of these appear to be those perpetuated in the popular media coverage, which sensationalise issues without informed criticism.) Most of them seem to miss out to understand what everyone ultimately desires ? to create a society where all citizens live and lead a normal and secure life based on mutual trust and equality .A federal form of government adapted to Sri Lankan conditions offers the best chance of creating such a society without damaging the unity of Sri Lanka. in due course it will also help the nation outgrow narrow ethnic identities. There are three stark truths emerging from the conflict in Sri Lanka: (1) In spite of losing over 64,000 lives the conflict appears unending. Past experience indicates it could drag on forever unless there is a paradigm shift in mindset. (2) Any lasting solution has to be equitable and fair to all parties. (3) Except for a small number of chauvinists, all sections of society would like sincere implementation of an accepted solution to usher in lasting peace. As a corollary, the priority now is to find a solution based on commonsense, rather than gut reactions, with the single objective of how to achieve a win-win situation - that is to bring the ethnic conflict to an end so that peace can be restored permanently in a democratic society. (Many doomsday men on all sides may consider this naïve because it states the obvious. But from the feedbacks I receive I find increasingly the heart rather than the head is taking over the minds of people. As the war continues it is recharging the embers of hate.) Based on Indian experience in handling insurgency and ethnic problems, I have tried to objectively analyse and answer some of the popular 'notions' expressed to me in the feedback. (Statements 9 to 11 given below are usually from Tamil readers, while others are mostly from non-Tamil readers): As the security forces are winning the war, why can't we eliminate LTTE to solve the Tamil problem? If Prabhakaran is removed from the scene, can the problem be solved easily? Sinhalas are the majority and Sinhala nationalism is the same as Sri Lanka nationalism; why do the media brand it as chauvinism? Sri Lanka has to remain a unitary state because it is too small a state. So why talk of any other solution? 6. India used the Tamil problem in Sri Lanka for selfish reasons and created Tamil militancy; so India should solve it. This is a mixture of fantasy and half truth to oversimplify a complex issue. (a) There was the Tamil problem festering politically in Sri Lanka for three decades when India did not intervene. The militancy grew when the political instruments available to Tamils failed because the rulers of Sri Lanka did not have the courage of conviction or vision to resolve it politically. On the other hand, it was used for political gains that culminated in the 1983 pogrom. After 1983 Tamil politicians lost their credibility and militants grew in strength as a visible alternative for the people. Due to the spontaneous surge of public opinion after the 1983 violence, the Tamil militants found refuge and succour in India and grew in strength in the 90s. At the same time, India made repeated efforts to help Sri Lanka resolve the issue peacefully. The Indo-Sri Lanka Accord 1987 was the culmination of such efforts. While it did not wholly satisfy the Tamils or Sinhalas, it met most of their aspirations and provided room for development of goodwill between the populations. However, it failed to resolve the issue because LTTE did not accept it and the Sri Lanka did not implement it in letter and spirit. LTTE had its own agenda for the creation of an independent Tamil Eelam and the ambition to emerge as the sole leader of Tamils. Indian troops were involved in armed conflict with LTTE in a bid to disarm them as per the Accord, and managed to restrict LTTE activity to a small area. However, President Premadasa for his own political gain colluded with LTTE to get the Indian troops evicted. Thus after sacrificing 1255 lives of its own soldiers in the aborted endeavour in Sri Lanka, India has perhaps realised that ultimately Sri Lankans only have to resolve the issue in their own wisdom. At the same time, those who hold India responsible for Sri Lanka's maladies, should not be forgot that in India there is a large Tamil population with strong political and economic clout in the national scene. As they have living links with Sri Lanka Tamils, the political and military shocks of Sri Lanka situation will echo in Tamil Nadu. And to certain extent it will condition Indian attitudes towards Sri Lanka. This is inevitable in democratic polity, and has to be factored in building relations between the two countries. It is in the national interest of both the countries not to allow parochial considerations to overtake rational judgement. (b) It would be futile for any country to expect another country to resolve a national problem. Each nation has its own self interest and national priorities; so it is in the national interest of Sri Lanka to try and resolve its problem, consciously with the help of other nations, if need be. For any solution to succeed all the people of the country should have a say. Then only national ownership of the solution and its faithful implementation are possible. If another country works out a solution and leads in implementing it, the effort could fail due to suspicion among the population as Indian experience of 1987-90 had shown. 7. Why are foreign countries (including the Four Co-chairs and India) ganging up against Sri Lanka? Are they trying to thrust their solution or perpetuate the crisis situation in Sri Lanka to serve their own self-interest or global agenda? All countries in the world have their own interests and agendas. Often these dictate their foreign policy perceptions. Sri Lanka also has its own national agenda and interest and successive governments have tried to prosecute it in their own wisdom. So it is unrealistic to interpret international relations in black and white as Us Vs Them. They are usually in the realms of grey. Nations handle international issues with a mix of national interest and international accommodation to build a win-win situation. However, after 9/11 there is a genuine desire among global community to join hands to crush terrorism on an international basis. In conflict zones, international effort to usher in peace through mediation is part of this desire. It would be trivialising this effort on perceived secret agenda of global powers. Such accusations also do not give credit to the goodwill Sri Lanka enjoys among nations. This was the reason for so many nations to underwrite the development package for Sri Lanka as a part of the international mediation effort. Sri Lanka will dissipate this fund of international goodwill if xenophobia is allowed to take over and international opinion is totally disregarded. 8. Tamil Nadu supports LTTE. Sri Lanka Tamils enjoy a great deal of sympathy and evoke fraternal feelings in Tamil Nadu. It is true the Tamil struggle for autonomy also finds wide support in Tamil Nadu. However, this does not translate automatically into support for the creation of independent Tamil Eelam. Tamil militant groups including the LTTE enjoyed widespread support in Tamil Nadu till the Indo-Sri Lanka Accord 1987 came into force. There were a number of reasons why the Tamil militants particularly the LTTE do not enjoy such support now. The Indo-Sri Lanka Accord was welcomed in the State. However, the decision of the Government of India to employ Indian troops to disarm LTTE and get involved in a long drawn war in Sri Lanka was not popular. LTTE failed to cash on this advantage by carrying out its turf war in Tamil Nadu even after the pull out of Indian troops. LTTE killed leaders of other Tamil militant groups in Indian soil. Tamil Nadu politicians' reputation got sullied in these heinous acts for various political and non-political reasons. LTTE's assassination of Rajiv Gandhi, a popular national leader in Tamil Nadu in 1991 was the final straw that dashed the public support for Tamil militants and LTTE . Since then LTTE never regained the clout it enjoyed in the 90s. The pro-LTTE political parties of Tamil Nadu are small and have only pockets of strength. Even they only pay lip service to the LTTE because it does not help vote bank politics. If Tamil civilians suffer at the hands of Security Forces in Sri Lanka, as it is happening frequently now, it will provide the opening for pro-LTTE parties to enlarge their constituency using the plight of Tamils rather than LTTE's war as the rallying call. 9. The Tamil issue can only be solved militarily, because Sinhala chauvinists will never allow Tamils to live peacefully. Why object to it? There are three reasons why this problem can never be solved even if theoretically Eelam is created with force of arms. (a) Majority of the Tamils live outside the geographical region of Tamil Eelam made up of north and east. If Tamils 'solve' the problem militarily, what will be the fate of those Tamils? If Tamils cannot tolerate Sinhalas and Muslims in their territory (as done by LTTE, which evicted them), how can they expect others to tolerate Tamils in their midst? Outside the north and east (even in the east to some extent) the Tamil community is dispersed and live as minorities. So to partition the country only on linguistic basis is not realistic. So military 'solution' will only perpetuate the Sinhala-Tamil hostility rather than solve the problem. (b) Militarily it does not make sense. Being a minority of less than a fifth of Sinhalas, it will be perpetual drain on Tamils to retain their military 'conquests'. Israel surrounded by a large Arab population that has made a common cause with Palestine is a good example of a militarised nation. Israel despite its global money power, strong support and muscle power of the U.S, and the West does not enjoy the privileges of a peaceful nation. (c) Both Sinhala snf Tamil population are tired of the prolonged armed conflict. Most of them would like to lead a normal life with social security, employment opportunities and peaceful family life. Over the last decade there had been a better understanding of the Tamil grievances among Sinhalas. However, political expediency of Sri Lanka politics has resulted in the use of the Tamil issue as a ploy to capture power. As a functional democracy support of majority of the population is needed to support any peace formula. Fortunately, Sinhala and Tamil chauvinists form only a small minority of the population. So Tamils and Sinhalas have to shelve their historical suspicions and try and work out a win-win situation. There is no other alternative. 10. LTTE is invincible; it was able to take on Indian army as well as the Sri Lanka forces. So why bother with peace talks? No force is invincible. And LTTE is no exception. It is true the LTTE has grown in power and strength over the years. It had learnt its lessons after suffering heavy losses during 1987-90, when it had to collude with President Premadasa to get out of a desperate fight for survival with Indian army. Its operational performance on a number of occasions against Indian army and the Sri Lanka forces had shown that it was not invincible. Its performance in 2006 in operations has not been good. In any case, their victories and bloodlettings have not enhanced the chances of achieving an independent Tamil Eelam. LTTE itself knew this when it signed the Oslo declaration. There it had compromised on Tamil Eelam by agreeing to find a solution within a united Sri Lanka. This was a pragmatic decision because the emerging international counter terrorism regime was getting tough to beat. More countries than ever before have now banned LTTE. As the support from Tamil Diaspora gets throttled, LTTE's fighting capability will be affected because waging war is a costly proposition; and war produces diminishing returns. Already it has lost the east, and is fighting with its back to the wall to retain its hold in the north. 11. LTTE represents the Tamils. So why bother about other Tamil organisations? No. LTTE is not representative in character as understood in a democracy. LTTE has assumed the mantle of representing the Tamil constituency after liquidating a large number of Tamil political leaders, intellectuals, and militants of other Tamil groups. LTTE has never allowed the public to critically question or debate its views and actions. It is least tolerant of dissent among its own cadres. (Karuna is a recent example of this aberration.) Its vision is a vague autocratic socialist regime somewhat on the lines of Baath socialism (like Syria and Iraq under Saddam Hussain). Essentially a militant organisation, it has never participated in an election under its own banner, giving up its armed power. However, in the present context it does represent the military capability of a large section of Tamils who use it to guide their political decision-making. As the most powerful and dominant Tamil movement at present, LTTE has an important role to play in evolving a solution. But a lasting solution can only be evolved when the State and LTTE agree upon a structure of state where everyone including Tamils who do not agree with LTTE's political and social perceptions, have an equitable role to play. LTTE and Tamils have to come to terms with this reality; otherwise Tamils will never enjoy the fruits of democracy. (Col. R Hariharan, an intelligence specialist on South Asia, is a retired Military Intelligence officer. He served as the head of intelligence of the Indian Peace Keeping Force in Sri Lanka 1987-90. E-mail: colhari@yahoo.com) 29 April 2007 Suspected Tamil rebel plane bombs gas storage facility near Sri Lanka's capital Sri Lanka: A suspected Tamil Tiger rebel aircraft bombed a gas storage facility near the capital Colombo early Sunday, setting off a fire, a military official said.The plane dropped two bombs on the station in Kerawalapitiya, 10 kilometers (6.5 miles) north of Colombo, said a military official who witnessed the attack. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he is not authorized to talk to the media.The extent of damage to the gas storage facility was not immediately known.Sri Lankan troops responded by firing anti-aircraft guns and blacked out the country's only international airport, an adjoining air force base and the entire capital, while many people were still awake watching Sri Lanka's cricket team play Australia in the World Cup final on television. Sri Lankan Air Force bombs rebel targets Sri Lankan Air Force jets bombed several identified targets of Tamil Tiger rebels early Sunday morning, defense officials said. Officials from the Media Center for National Security said the air raids were carried out at about 5:35 a.m. (2405 GMT) on targets near the airstrip of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) at Iranamadu in the rebel controlled northern Wanni district, adding that the raids were successful. The air raids came shortly after LTTE aircraft dropped four bombs in the capital Colombo. Group Captain Ajantha Silva, the Air Force spokesman, said "the LTTE had dropped four bombs at two different locations around 1:30 a.m (2000 GMT), one landed at Kolonnawa (about 15 km east of Colombo) and another at Muthurajawela (about 15 km north of Colombo)." Silva said the damages caused by the bombs were not serious but the bombing at Muthurajawela had caused fire. No people was killed or injured in the LTTE air attack, said the spokesman. The pro-LTTE website quoted LTTE Military Spokesman Irasiah Ilanthirayan as saying oil and fuel storages in Kolonnawa and Muthurajawela were attacked by LTTE aircraft at 1:50 a.m. (2020 GMT) and 2:05 a.m. (2035 GMT) respectively. Ilanthirayan said that LTTE bombers had safely returned to their airbase in the rebel controlled Vanni district. Silva said half an hour before the rebel attack in Colombo, the Air Force carried out air raids at the LTTE held Kilinochchi district. He said the air defense system was activated in the early hours of Sunday when the military got information that suspected Tamil Tiger rebel aircraft were approaching Colombo. Electricity was switched off in the city and the firing of anti- aircraft guns caused panic. Loud explosion sounds due to anti aircraft gun fire could be heard in many parts of the city and suburbs. Officials said the functioning of the country's only international airport near Colombo was normal. The incident came as many people in the city were watching the Cricket World Cup final match between Australia and Sri Lanka. This is the third air strike carried out by LTTE rebels on government targets. The government has vowed to destroy the Tiger air capability but so far failed to achieve its target. Government troops and LTTE rebels are currently being locked in fierce battles in the island country's north and east. More than 4,000 soldiers, LTTE rebels and civilians have been killed since December 2005 with the escalation of violence. The LTTE has been fighting for an independent Tamil homeland in the north and east since 1970s. Military halts air defence system, after LTTE attempts to infiltrate into strategic points Sri Lankan security forces ceased firing into the air a little while ago, after activating the air defence system at around 1.45 a.m. today (Sunday) after LTTE air crafts attempted to infiltrate into strategic points in the country including the Air Force base in Katunayake, Colombo Harbour, the Ratmalana Airport, and other establishments including the oil storage facility in Kolonnawa. Meanwhile, power supply was cut in Colombo and surrounding areas as a security measure preventing the LTTEers from identifying these strategic points. However power supply was being restored to these areas nearly an hour after it was disconnected. Meanwhile, unconfirmed reports stated that the slight damage has occurred nearby an oil storage tank in Muthurajawela. Colombo harbour and the Ratmalana airport under LTTE attack Sri Lanka Security forces have activated the air defense system after suspected LTTE air crafts were seen closing in the katunayake air force base and the international airport. Meanwhile military are also firing into the air following reports that they were in the process of infiltrating into the Colombo harbour and the Ratmalana airport. Meanwhile, a spokesman attached to the media centre for national secure was unable to give more confirmed details. India must involve directly to halt war - TNA MPs Many go underground due to threat Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarians have called for direct Indian intervention to bring a halt to the hostilities between the security forces and the LTTE.Most of the senior TNA parliamentarians who paid a visit to India recently, mounted pressure on the New Delhi government to intervene and pressurise the Sri Lankan government to bring an end to the war.A spokesman for the TNA said that the Lankan Tamil MPs, have told India that they gave up arms and joined the mainstream politics only because India wanted it, through the 1987 Indo-Lanka accord, adding that as such now India should intervene and try to stop the war.“Otherwise our lives are in danger. Any moment we can be killed by our rival parties,” the spokesman said.Citing the recent search conducted by the CID on the residence of TELO parliamentarian N. Srikantha, the spokesman said the Tamil parliamentarians suspected a conspiracy against the Tamil MPs engineered by the state. Also citing allegations of recent attempted murder on two MPs, namely TELO Leader Selvam Adaikalanathan and S. Sivanesan, the spokesman said there appeared to be a move by the government to eradicate TNA parliamentarians.He also said the Tamil MPs, would continue to mount pressure on India to intervene.Meanwhile The Nation also learns that a number of TNA parliamentarians have gone underground due to severe security threats.While leading TNA legislators like R. Sampanthan, S. Adaikalanathan, M.K.Sivajilingam and Gajendrakumar Ponnambalam have left the country through fear, other Members of Parliament are reported to be taking cover in Colombo without being able to visit their own electorates.According to Tamil political party sources all four Batticaloa district Members of Parliament have for the past seven months not visited their electorates due to fear.TELO parliamentarian Srikantha told The Nation that the present situation was fast deteriorating and becoming ‘undemocratic’.Parliamentarian Suresh Premachandran also said that his request to the government to strengthen his security has fallen on the deaf ears.He said he had been warned by the Ministerial Security Division (MSD) of a great threat to his life but when requested for more security the government has turned a blind eye. Vaiko's arrest: TN for Centre's nod CHENNAI: The Tamil Nadu government would seek the Centre's views on the Congress demand for the arrest of MDMK chief Vaiko for his 'pro-LTTE' remarks, Chief Minister M Karunanidhi told the state assembly on Saturday. Replying to points raised by Congress MLA C Gnanasekaran, who referred to Vaiko's remarks on Friday that his party would continue to support the LTTE and also the MLA's demand to parties which had supported LTTE, an outfit banned in India, Karunanidhi said, "We will convey the views expressed in the assembly to the Centre and seek their views and take action". He pointed out that the government's action of arresting MDMK functionary Seema Basheer recently in connection with the 'LTTE hawala' case was criticised as 'politically motivated'. "We have to enforce law and order in the state and so arrested Basheer. But before his arrest a DMK activist was also arrested, which proved that the action was not politically motivated', Karunanidhi said. On the police claim that the LTTE was behind the abduction of 12 fishermen off Kanyakumari coast and responsible for the killing of four fishermen, Karunanidhi said he had not said anything on the matter before as he did not want to pass remarks in haste. "But now confirmation has come about the LTTE's role on these incidents," he said. He said he would take up with the Centre, the issue of the safe return of the abducted fishermen, who are under the custody of the LTTE. Karunanidhi said he had already drawn the Prime Minister's helicopter at Tuticorin under the exclusive control of the Coast Guard (Eastern Command) to operate in the Gulf of Mannar and the Indian Ocean. He also wanted infrastructure facilities for refuelling at Tuticorin Airport. The Coast Guard should be permitted to use the facility, he added. Thondaman warns govt. not to treat CWC as beggars Youth Empowerment and Socio Economic Development Minister Arumugam Thondaman last week warned the government not to treat his community and party as beggars and said they will not hesitate to assert their rights and walk out of a meeting at Temple Trees if humiliated any further. Minister Thondaman issued his warning at Temple Trees on Thursday following a dispute over a ceremony to hand over 300 teacher appointments to schools in the estate sector in terms of an agreement reached during Chandrika Kumaratunga's tenure as president. An angry Minister told a meeting at Temple Trees where Prime Minister Ratnasiri Wickremanayake, Education Minister Susil Premjayanth, Petroleum Minister A.H.M. Fowzie, Western Province Governor Alavi Moulana and Chief Minister Reginald Cooray were present that the government would be mistaken if they were treated as broomsticks and cast aside after being used. The dispute arose after the CWC was kept in the dark on the ceremony to be held at Temple Trees on Thursday to hand over appointments to the estate sector teachers. The Sunday Leader learns the CWC was informed last week by the President's office that since President Rajapakse was going overseas, he would not be available for the ceremony scheduled for Thursday following which a CWC delegation led by Minister Thondaman undertook an official visit to India. "While we were in India, we were informed on Wednesday the ceremony was going to be held on Thursday and all official engagements with the Indian Foreign Ministry scheduled for Thursday were cancelled and we rushed back Wednesday night," a CWC source said. At Temple Trees, Thondaman had lost his cool on hearing that CWC defectors, Deputy Ministers Suresh Vadivel and Faizer Mustapha amongst others had been invited for the ceremony. Thondaman, sources said, had informed Governor Moulana that the CWC would walk out if any of the party defectors were present at the occasion prompting Moulana to suggest a postponement of the ceremony. "We refused to postpone the ceremony since the teacher appointees had already arrived and were waiting for a long time to get their appointments. We insisted on it and the government agreed and kept the defectors out. Then Minister Thondaman spoke his mind out at the meeting," the source said. At the ceremony Thondaman had also said his people and party will not be subservient to anyone and as an independent party will not hesitate to assert their rights. "This is not a concession given by anyone but a right our people are entitled to," Thondaman had further charged. 28 April 2007 Military commander going to watch cricket is like Nero playing the violin while Rome was on fire - John Amratunga Former minister and UNP parliamentarian John Amaratunga challenges the government asking it to hand over the country to those who could protect it, if they can't stating that no one was safe and the entire country was vulnerable.Amaratunga made this statement addressing the media after yesterday's incident in Katunayake where the some air force personnel fired to the sky after being alarmed of a suspected air craft."I also live close to Katunayake. We had no sleep throughout the night. I was waiting to get outside. Some fled their homes. No one knew what was happening, whether they were shelling or firing artilleries. No one knows who fired what. This is the third time that the LTTE attempted to carry out air strikes. So far the government has not been able to put them down. You never know there they will attack next day." He said. He said that the developments with regards to LTTE was not that fascinating since LTTE spokesperson Illantherian had said that the LTTE territory could now be claimed as a separate state because they have all possible military power and an administration with a judiciary. The UNP parliamentarian said that if the troops war is being guided well there was no need of pasting posters to uplift the image of Gotabhaya Rajapakse.He said the president should be in the country during this period as the LTTE had vowed to carry out more attacks after the Katunayake attack. Amaratunga is of the view that the president should stay in the country to lift the moral of the troops and to guide them. He said that president shouldn't waste the money of the people to go on such trips and compared this to Nero playing the violin when Rome was on fire.John Amratunga said that a helicopter has also come down during yesterday's incidents and that no one knows what happened to it. It was like the announcement of the second tsunami- Air force spokesperson Air force spokesperson group captain Ajantha Silva told 'LeN' that the air force yesterday took all measures that should have taken when a terrorist air craft was arriving to carry out an attack, and that it was a good practice for the troops.He stated this when 'LeN' questioned what exactly happened yesterday at the Katunayake air base. This is how he answered our questions. LeN: Several media institutions have reported yesterday night's Katunayake incident in various ways. What exactly happened? Grp. Cpt.: we were informed of a suspected air craft. When we receive such a notice there are certain things that we do. That is what happened yesterday. We took measures to alert all possible sections to counter an attack and to destroy the craft if there was such an attack. We had no problems yesterday. That is what happened. LeN: Did a LTTE air craft come yesterday? Grp. Cpt.: this was a notice. When we are informed of such a thing we take action. There after we wont tell other whether we saw a craft or not. If we revel such things it would benefit the terrorists. We can't tell others whether there was an air craft. If so what happened to it. Where did it go? We had taken full measures to take on any such incident. LeN: Do you mean this was a rehearsal? Grp. Cpt.: No. We actually did it. We had a good experience from it. That became a rehearsal. For an example lets think of the tsunami. When the tsunami struck the island first time we knew nothing about it. But when there was an alert of a tsunami the second time around people started to run away from the coast and take appropriate measures. That is the same thing that happened. We got ready to face the situation yesterday. Our people are learning how to face such a situation. Because then we know how to handle situations. The LTTE air craft flew to Vanni without any trouble Our special reporter in Vavuniya who witnessed the LTTE air craft which attempted to launch an attack sent a special report regarding yesterday's incident to 'LeN'.The clock just passed 11:30 in the night on the 26th of April. Suddenly we heard loud noises of explosions and when I came out and looked at the sky I saw blue, green, red and yellow colour fire balls rising up to the sky and then coming back to the land.People in our neighboring houses started running away and dogs started to bark and started to run around the houses.Then me, my wife and my children ran to a nearby bunker and several other villages also came into the same bunker with their children. We heard several rounds of firing and no one could understand what was happening.The LTTE air craft flew over the Vavuniya air force camp and went away to the Vanni. Though there was firing for around 30 minutes the LTTE air craft flew to the Vanni without any trouble. UNP says SLFP proposals meaningless While the ruling SLFP has proposed the district council as the unit of power devolution, the main Opposition the UNP has proposed to continue with a further strengthened provincial council system.“There could hardly be a possibility for achieving uniformity in development under the proposed DC system. No area of the country will get developed in a meaningful manner under such a system,” UNP MP and Constitutional expert K.N. Choksy told Daily Mirror yesterday.“This is principally why the UNP advocates continuing with the provincial councils with greater devolved power,” he said. The UNP said the number of provincial councils should remain while the northern and eastern provinces be re-merged for a specific period.“After that, a referendum should be held in the east to decide whether to continue with the re-merger or not. Devolution of power to PCs will be uniform. But, when a specific requirement in respect of a particular PC arises, there should be provisions to accommodate it. It shall also apply to the re-merged northern and eastern provinces,” he said. Referring to the SLFP proposal to establish a second chamber or a senate, the senior lawyer said many countries which are multi-ethnic and multi-religious had established upper chambers, normally giving greater weightage to the minority communities in composition. The UNP also advocated the continuation of the executive presidency with modifications citing the executive presidential power could be an instrument for a rapid economic development if properly used. “Former Presidents J.R.Jayewardene and R. Premadasa proved this. President Mahinda Rajapaksa has begun to do so. However, there should be important modifications such as requiring the President to consult the Prime Minister before dissolving Parliament and to make him subject to the laws of the country,” he said. Our ‘air force’ will help claim statehood: LTTE The LTTE has said that its newly established ‘Tamileelam Air Force’ (TAF) will help it gain international recognition as an organisation running a full-fledged ‘state’. "The air actions open up new possibilities in the military, political and diplomatic fields," the rebel military spokesman Rasaiah Ilanthirayan told Hindustan Times over the phone from Kilinochchi."We have territory, administrative, judicial and law enforcement systems; an army, navy, and now an air force. Let's call a spade a spade, we are a state!" he said.The Tigers have staged two air raids against major military targets in the past month. The first was against the Sri Lanka Air Force base at Katunayake in March, and the second was against the Myliddy Army camp, near the Palaly airbase in Jaffna this month."We expect our air force to grow the way our Sea Tigers did. The Sea Tigers began as a tiny group with a few boats. But today we control a part of the sea. The Air Force too will grow," Ilanthirayan said. Indian Air Force to Set Up Forward Enclave in Rameswaram Near Sri Lankan Border The Indian Air Force (IAF) will set up an enclave in the Rameswaram region, according to Air Marshal Y.R. Rane, Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Southern Air Command, Thiruvananthapuram.He made the announcement after visiting a mobile radar station established recently at Seeniappa Dharha, a seashore hamlet near Mandapam. "We need to ensure our capabilities in case of any untoward incident. We think there is a certain amount of threat potential that can jeopardise national security," Air Marshal Rane told The Hindu . Threat perception Asked whether the region faced any threat from the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam in the wake of its attacks on Sri Lankan defence facilities, he said: "If there is a threat we will meet it. We have been monitoring the region and closely watching all developments."Asked whether there was a link between the establishment of the mobile radar system and the LTTE air strikes, he said it was a coincidence. "That [LTTE attack] is not the reason. Air defence is dynamic in nature. The radar established here covers an area of our responsibility. We have radars all over the place. It all depends upon what we assess the area."The Mandapam facility would also help in disaster management, he said. Asked whether the radar had come across any air objects or violation on Indian air space from Sri Lanka side, Air Marshal Rane said there was no such report. He said the IAF had sought land from the State Government for its operations in the Mandapam area, and the Government had responded positively.The Air Marshal said preparations were on to develop an air base at Thanjavur. Facilities to use Light Combat Aircraft in the Sulur Air Force station near Coimbatore would also be created. Earlier, Mr Rane held discussions with Commandant K. Janardhanan, Commanding Officer, Coast Guard, Mandapam, Squadron Leader Srinivasan and others. S.Lankan group not serious on child troops – U.N. Karuna warns against giving police powers to military TMVP leader Karuna Amman yesterday expressed concerns over the possible implications for the Tamil community in case the government decided to vest police powers in the military, Karuna faction spokesman Azad Maulana told the Daily Mirror.While praising efforts taken by the government to eliminate terrorism, Mr. Maulana insisted that such efforts should not affect the ordinary Tamil civilians who continued to suffer the brunt of the more than two decade-long conflict between the government and the LTTE.“As a group which is also involved in fighting terrorists we remain firm on the need to eliminate terrorism from this country but whatever measures that are implemented should in no way affect the ordinary Tamils. “We are concerned that giving police powers to the military might affect the Tamils,” Mr. Maulana said.Certain media reports earlier this week indicated that the government was planning to vest police powers with the security forces with a view to counter what the government saw was a growing terrorist threat. “This decision has been taken as it is difficult to collaborate with the police at all times,” a top government official told the Daily Mirror earlier this week. He said even though emergency regulations were in force, the security forces usually sought police assistance to enforce the law when dealing with civilians but if the new regulations were implemented the security forces would not require police assistance when carrying out search operations. Contd. on A4 Pope will be apprised of the sorry plight of the Batticaloa refugees -Pop’s Lankan Envoy assures TNA Rev.Fr.Maria Senari, Pope’s Envoy in Sri Lanka assures to report the sorry plight of Batticaloa refugees to the Pope. He gave this assurance to the TNA Parliamentarian, who met him after his recent visit to Batticaloa to have first hand information about the plight of the refugees. He told the TNA delegations that he was greatly moved at the sight of the sufferings and the tragedy of the displaced people in Batticaloa. TNA Batticaloa Parliamentarians T,Ariyanenthiran, T.Kanagasabai, S.Jayanantha Moorthy, K.Thangeswari and K.Pathmanathan comprised the TNA delagtion. Sri Lanka stocks fall Navy vehicle robbery suspects granted bail Two Navy men and a soldier held in connection with making a forged number plate and attempting to sell a Navy vehicle were granted cash bail in Rs. 10,000/- each and surety bail of Rs.500,000/- each by Colombo Fort Magistrate Namal Bandara Balalle. The suspects B.H. Dissanayake, C. Kumara ad T.G. Dahanayake were produced on a complaint made by the driver of the vehicle. The suspects were handed over to the disciplinary units in their respective service.Police stated that the driver had parked the vehicle in the Naval yard and placed the keys on the key board at 7.25 p.m on February 15. Thereafter when the driver was to go on another official assignment at 11.21 p.m. he had found the van had been taken out and an entry made in the book. However the keys were intact on the key board. It was alleged that a duplicate key had been made.Police said that they conducted investigations and arrested the suspects.The Crimes Unit of the Fort police appeared for the prosecution. Rebels kill three sailors in fighting in Sri Lanka Tamil Tiger rebels killed three Sri Lankan navy soldiers on a foot patrol in a firefight near the east coast town of Trincomalee early on Friday, a defence ministry spokesman said. "Three sailors were killed. They fired with small arms and they were killed near a navy camp at Kuchchaveli," a spokesman for the Media Centre for National Security said. The attack inflicted "severe damage" on the rebels, known by their official name, the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, the Centre's Web site (www.nationalsecurity.lk) reported without giving details. The Tigers, who say they are fighting to create an independent state in the north and east of the island for ethnic minority Tamils, could not be reached for comment. Since 1983, the war in Sri Lanka has killed some 68,000 people, including more than 4,000 since late 2005. The near daily air, land and sea battles of the past 16 months have left a 2002 ceasefire agreement in tatters. Friday's incident happened just hours after authorities temporarily closed the Colombo international airport, cut power to the city and fired anti-aircraft guns skyward after reports of suspicious planes flying along the coast toward the capital. Looting by armed group continues in Kotahena An unidentified ‘armed group’ is said to be looting shops owned by Tamils at night in the Kotahena and Old Moor street areas, traders told the Daily Mirror yesterday. This came less than a month after shop owners in the area were forced to close their shops in protest following threats of extortion and abductions.According to one trader who wished to remain anonymous an unknown group had forced its way into his store on Wednesday night and got away with a large sum of money and other valuables. He claimed several other stores in the area were also looted within the past few days and that a complaint had been lodged with the Kotahena police.The latest threat surfaced despite authorities assuring maximum protection to traders after hardware merchants and other businesses along Old Moor Street, Quarry Road and adjoining areas staged a protest last month following an alleged attempt by an unknown group travelling in the now infamous ‘white van” to abduct a leading businessman in the area.More than 30 traders of the area had received threatening calls during the past few months demanding huge sums as extortion and threatening of abduction if the demands were not met. Japan provides rice for displaced people in north and east areas in Sri Lanka The Government of Japan has made a donation in kind of 3,175 tonnes of rice for the newly displaced people in North and East areas of Sri Lanka. The official handing over ceremony was held at Orugodawatte Warehouse on 27th April 2007. H.E. Mr. Kiyoshi Araki, Ambassador of Japan, Mr. J.R.W. Dissanayake, Secretary, Mr. R. Tharmakulasingham, Addl. Secretary of the Ministry of Nation Building & Estate Infrastructure Development, Mr. Lalith Abeygunawardana, Director General, Presidential Secretariat and Mr. Jeff Taft-Dick, Representative & Country Director of WFP Sri Lanka were present on the occasion. This assistance in kind by the Government of Japan will be implemented through the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP). The first consignment - a shipment carrying 422 tonnes of rice – has already arrived at the Colombo Port on 9th of April and the first dispatch from the shipment has been delivered to the displaced people in Batticaloa. The remaining consignments of the 3,175 tonnes of rice will be arriving within a few weeks. Most of the donation will be used for the displaced people in the Batticaloa district. The Japanese Government assistance, valued at 200 million Yen (approximately Rs. 180 million), will help to alleviate the burden of thousands of displaced people who had to leave their homes due to the deteriorating security situation. The Japanese Government is very much concerned about the restoration of the livelihood of displaced people in the North and East. Last December, the Japanese Government provided assistance for 10,000 displaced people with 10,000 sleeping mats, 10,000 water containers and 4,000 plastic sheets through the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). LTTE suffers a major blow in Tamil Nadu A mysterious vessel drifting in the sea, quick thinking by the Coast Guard, police doggedness, political will - all these have merged to make Tamil Nadu allege for the first time that Sri Lanka's Tamil Tigers killed five fishermen from the state.In a dramatic turn of events, the Tamil Nadu authorities late Friday blamed the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) for gunning down the five fishermen in the sea south of the Kanyakumari March 29 - killings that sparked widespread anger in the state and for which the Sri Lankan Navy was widely blamed.This is the first time the Tamil Nadu government has formally accused the LTTE of killing Indians in cold blood after the 1991 assassination of former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi. The explosive charge comes at a time when Colombo has unleashed a punishing military offensive against the Tigers and the latter are trying to whip up passions in Tamil Nadu.In another significant development, Friday's statement, issued by Tamil Nadu's Director General of Police D. Mukherjee, also accused the Tigers of abducting 12 Indian fishermen - 11 from Tamil Nadu and one from Kerala - who went missing April 4. According to official sources, the truth behind the March firing came to light after a Coast Guard patrol chanced upon two Indian fishing vessels proceeding to the Indian coast with six men each, south of Kanyakumari, April 11. Asked about their identity, the occupants of the boats said they were Indians.The unsuspecting Coast Guard moved ahead, and soon thereafter came across a vessel called Maria that was drifting in the sea. Surprised, the Coast Guard boarded it after opening precautionary gunfire to realize that it was empty, devoid of any human or other cargo.Putting two and two together, the Coast Guard reversed and this time took the 12 occupants of the two boats they had encountered earlier into custody. What aroused the Coast Guard's suspicion was that the ship involved in the March firing on the Tamil Nadu fishermen was also called Maria.It was quickly found out that six of the 12 arrested men were Sri Lankan Tamils. Their interrogation by various security agencies revealed that they were from the LTTE's Sea Tigers. The leader of the lot was Robin. The guerrillas admitted that they were involved in shipping arms and ammunition from the sea to an LTTE base in Sri Lanka when their vessel developed a snag. As it drifted towards the Indian waters, they dumped all their arms and ammunition into the sea and crossed over into the two boats of Indian fishermen.'The LTTE cadres were upset about losing their weapons in the sea,' an informed source told IANS.Significantly, the arrested men revealed that another group of Sea Tigers who were similarly transporting arms and ammunition in Maria on March 29 had shot dead the five Indian fishermen because they suspected the latter to be spies.According to the sources, the fishermen had then inadvertently got into a tiff with the men on Maria thinking they were fishermen from Sri Lanka. The Tigers panicked and opened fire killing five fishermen.On Friday, the Tamil Nadu government, under attack from the opposition for turning the state into a haven for Tamil Tigers, decided to go public with the damning information about the LTTE. A day earlier, by which time the LTTE cadres' confession may have been known to him, Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi told the state assembly that his government would provide no room to the LTTE to operate in Tamil Nadu.The five fishermen's killing had sparked widespread protests across Tamil Nadu, the anger directed at Colombo. The fishing community observed a strike April 3. One of those who took part in a huge protest demonstration was M.K. Stalin, the son of Chief Minister Karunanidhi.MDMK leader Vaiko, a diehard supporter of the LTTE, was most vocal in denouncing the Indian Navy for allegedly not protecting Tamil Nadu's fishermen from the Sri Lankan Navy. Pro-LTTE websites too echoed the allegations that the five men from Tamil Nadu had been shot dead by the Sri Lankan Navy. 27 April 2007 Sri Lanka's main airport re-opens after air raid scare Lanka closes airport, cuts power after planes seen Sri Lankan authorities closed the Colombo international airport and cut power to the city on Thursday night after suspicious airplanes were seen flying south along the coast, a military source said."Some civilians in Puttlam district had seen three aircraft flying from north to south hugging the sea. With suspicion, contingency plans have been activated because of the imminent risk of threat, closing off the entrance of the airport and switching power off," he said on condition of anonymity.Early on Tuesday, Tamil Tiger rebel airplanes dropped bombs on military positions in the north of the country in their second aerial attack ever. The first was an attack on an air base attached to Colombo airport less than a month ago. we will update more news later. Sri Lanka security forces fire into air after shutting down electricity in Colombo. Sri Lanka President leaves for Caribbean to watch World Cup Final Sri Lanka President Mahinda Rajapaksa left for Bridgetown, Barbados, in the West Indies yesterday morning to witness Saturday's World Cup final match between Sri Lanka and Australia. “The President's visit indicates his appreciation of efforts of the national cricket team in reaching the World Cup final,” Presidential Media Secretary Chandrapala Liyanage said. He also said the Sri Lanka President was invited by the Prime Minister of Barbados Owen Arthur to attend the event. Sri Lanka air force targets meeting of Tamil rebel leaders; rebels say civilians hit Sri Lanka's military said it targeted senior Tamil rebel leaders Thursday with an airstrike in the north, but it was not immediately clear if there were any casualties, military officials said. The rebels claimed the attack hit a civilian area.Government ground troops, meanwhile, attacked insurgents' mortar positions in the northwest following a day of fierce fighting that left 23 combatants dead.Air force fighter jets bombed a location in the northern town of Kilinochchi following intelligence reports that senior leaders of the Tamil Tiger rebels were meeting there, said air force spokesman Group Capt. Ajantha Silva.It was not clear who was hurt in the strike, but "the place was destroyed," Silva said.But rebel spokesman Daya Master denied the military's claim, saying the air force had bombed an area populated by civilians, and that two were wounded."We don't have camps in that area and none of our leaders were wounded," Master said by telephone from the rebel stronghold of Kilinochchi.There was no way to independently verify the claims of either side. In northwestern Sri Lanka, soldiers tried to knock out rebel mortar positions bordering the island's northwestern Mannar and Vavuniya districts, from where the Tamil Tiger insurgents have often launched attacks on military defense lines, said military spokesman Brig. Prasad Samarasinghe."We are continuing to destroy their mortar positions and also to clear small pockets where they (rebels) are operating," Samarasinghe said Thursday.The military says at least 21 insurgents and two soldiers were killed in the fighting Wednesday.But the Tigers denied any losses and said they had repulsed government troops, killing 10. Rebel spokesman Rasiah Ilanthirayan accused the government of "giving false information to cover up their losses."Both sides routinely exaggerate each other's casualty figures and lower their own.Independent verification of the claims was impossible due to heavy restrictions on the area.The battle in the northwest came after at least one Tamil Tiger plane bombed government positions in northern Sri Lanka on Tuesday, killing six soldiers, in the guerrillas' second-ever airstrike in more than two decades of war.The rebels launched their campaign to create an independent homeland for ethnic minority Tamils in 1983.A cease-fire mediated by Norway in 2002 brought a semblance of peace for several years, but violence over the past 18 months has killed at least 4,000 people, taking the death toll in more than two decades of war to over 69,000. Mangala - Mahinda 4 hour discussions settles disputes President Mahinda Rajapakse has decided to hand over the ministry which Mangala Samaraweera held previously and several other subject matters including government’s peace process, development and politics.The president arrived at this decision after a hour discussion held with Mangala Samaraweera last night at the temple trees. Presidential secretary Lalith Weeratunga and Western Province governor Alevi Maulana were also present at the discussion.It is being reported to LeN form sources close to the president that the disputes that arose in the government and the Sri Lanka Freedom Party after removing both Mangala and Sripathy from their ministries would gradually come to an end.Yesterday at around 7:45 Alevi Maulana had gone to Samaraweera's house and taken him to temple trees, with the consent of the president.The president had been watching Sri Lanka's semi final against New Zealand and enjoying the match, when Rajapakse asked Samaraweera to forget the old disputes and work together. The head of state had said that he expected Samaraweera to attend the previous central committee meeting and invited him to take over the propaganda work of Sri Lanka Freedom Party's proposal to the APRC.However any of the issues that led to the dispute and the alleges made to the Rajapakse brothers have not come under discussion. Samaraweera had also spokes regarding the issues faced by Sripathy Suriarachchi, Tiran Allas and Dushyantha Basnayake.President had then asked presidential secretary Lalith Weeratunga to discuss with Samaraweera and set a time and date for him to assume duties once again as the minister of ports and aviation.The discussion had then ended at around 11 pm.When 'LeN' questioned Alevi Maulana regarding this he said the discussion ended on a friendly note and no conditions were laid by any of the two parties. He added that the decisions arrived at the meeting would be publicized in the next few days. We will decide whether to stay with the Govt. or not- SLMC secretary Chief secretary of the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress Hasan Ali says the Muslim congress will have to decide whether it is going to remain with the government if their requests with regards to the ethnic conflict is not furnished in the government's proposal to solve the crisis.He has made this statement addressing a function in Kalmunai.He had said that the SLMC will not support any proposal which does not carry solutions to the plights faced by Muslims and that the UNP in their proposal had mentioned the Muslims as a separate party and questioned whether government cannot introduce a proposal that devolves power. Ali says that the SLMC is at a decisive conjuncture and that the party was paying a lot of attention into the situation.When LeN questioned Hasan regarding the statement he said the SLFP's proposal has not yet got into the hands of the party. But he said the party does not agree the introduction of district level power devolution instead of the provincial level.It is also reported that the SLMC is unhappy since the government has not taken any measures to stop the Karuna movement in the Eastern Province. Rajiv Gandhi assasination hatched in Paris hotel A web site has suggested that the plot to assassinate former Prime Minister and then Congress party president Rajiv Gandhi in 1991 was hatched in a five-star hotel in Paris.According to politicsparty.com, French intelligence agencies are in possession of documentary proof and evidence, that the L.T.T.E, Italian businessman Ottavio Quattrochchi and several Congress party bigwigs colluded to have Rajiv Gandhi eliminated, as he was seen as a looming threat to the LTTE and to some Congress leaders, in spite of not being India's Prime Minister at the time. According to the web site, the L.T.T.E was convinced that Rajiv Gandhi would remain hostile to its activities in Sri Lanka, and therefore to prevent his return to power in 1991, plotted his elimination in a Paris hotel through its key intermediary Anton Balasingham.The web site further goes on to claim that the surfacing of the Bofors Gun scam brought Quatrocchi into the picture. It says that Quattrocchi realized that India's Opposition politicians and anti-Congress Governments in their passion to expose Rajiv would chase the Bofors Scam and all its beneficiaries. Quatrocchi believed that Rajiv and his Congress were not winning the 1991 Elections, and therefore, panicked. He wanted the Bofors scam to be buried, and according to the web site, felt that as long as Rajiv Gandhi was alive, the scam would remain alive.Quattrocchi therefore met Balasingham in Paris and was also in touch with arms dealer Adnan Khashogi. The website said that the entire meeting and conversation between Quattrocchi and Balasingham was recorded by the French intelligence agencies. The website also says that on the day he was assassinated (May 21, 1991), Rajiv Gandhi was reluctant to leave Vishakapatnam for Chennai and then Sriperumbadur. But some Congress leaders convinced him to undertake the journey, which eventually killed him.The web site claims that the intelligence agencies of France, Israel and the U.S. possess classified data, which they should hand over to the Government of India.It says that Government of India should initiate moves to acquire the information pertaining to the Rajiv Gandhi assassination. 26 April 2007 Sri Lanka, rebels claim many killed in fierce battles Sri Lanka's military said troops killed 21 Tamil Tiger rebels in gunbattles and mortar barrages in the north of the island on Wednesday, citing intercepts of rebel radio communications.But the Tigers denied they had suffered any casualties, and said 10 government soldiers were killed and about 50 wounded in a fierce, five-hour battle near the coastal town of Mannar.Over the past 16 months, Sri Lanka has slipped deeper into a civil war that has claimed more than 68,000 lives since 1983 -- including more than 4,000 since late 2005. The intensified violence has left a 2002 ceasefire in tatters.Government forces targeted Tiger mortar and gun positions that had been attacking forward lines in recent days, said Lieutenant-Colonel Upali Rajapakse, of the national security media centre."The Tigers got 15 killed in one place. At another place, five were killed, and at another one was killed," he said, adding the military had gleaned the figures from rebel radio communications. About 26 rebels were injured, he said.On the government side, two soldiers were killed and up to 15 were wounded, Rajapakse said. The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), who are fighting for independence in the north and east of the island, said they repulsed the attack."Sri Lankan troopers tried to advance into our area and were confronted by our troopers. The Sri Lankan troopers retreated to their original position with heavy casualties," rebel spokesman Rasiah Ilanthiraiyan said by telephone from rebel-controlled territory."Around 10 were killed in action and around 50 wounded on the government side. Our side has no casualties."There was no way to independently verify the claims.Casualty figures quoted by hospital workers in the town of Anuradhapura, southeast of the fighting, suggested the battles were intense and that the death toll could rise.At the government-run Anuradhapura Hospital, 44 wounded government soldiers were admitted during the day and about half were in "serious" condition, a health worker said on condition of anonymity.Nearby, the army hospital in Anuradhapura admitted 10 wounded soldiers, another worker said.The fighting on Wednesday comes a day after the Tigers staged their second ever aerial attack, dropping bombs on a military position in the north, killing six soldiers.The military said anti-aircraft fire thwarted the air raid, which was meant to attack the Palaly air strip, which is the only place the government can fly supplies to the Jaffna peninsula. Tamil Tiger satellite signals hit 'Blow' Members of the Tamil diaspora in the United Kingdom confirm being unable to receive direct Tamil Tiger television broadcasts for the past three days. Some rebel programming is still accessible indirectly via other channels, they say. The rebels, who are fighting for independence for minority Tamils in north and east Sri Lanka, are proscribed in a number of countries. Correspondents say Intelsat's move hampers the rebels' ability to reach diaspora Tamils and is a blow to the prestige of running their own television station. The rebel television station is seen as an important tool for them to communicate with their supporters. Srilanka Security forces a high risk group for AIDS The security forces are a high-risk group for AIDS due to the high prevalence of prostitution and casual sex in the Anuradhapura and Polonnaruwa Districts."Fortunately AIDS prevalence overall is low in Sri Lanka. However, soldiers are at risk because of the prostitution in areas surrounding the north and east," Director, National AIDS Programme, Dr. Nimal Edirisinghe said.Edirisinghe said so far only one prostitute in Anuradhapura had been identified as HIV positive."We hold AIDS awareness programmes for soldiers right after they’re recruited, before they’re sent to the north and east," he said. Edirisinghe added that they also provided free condoms to them through the Army Hospital."We encourage them to use these if they don’t want to abstain, though abstinence is the best," he stated.According to UNAIDS, Sri Lanka has a relatively small number of people living with HIV — about 5,000 adults. Since 1986, only 712 cases have been officially reported, with under reporting mainly due to limited availability of counseling and testing, fear associated with seeking services and the stigma and discrimination associated with being identified as HIV positive.Of the total number of HIV cases reported from 1987 to 2000 in which the mode of transmission is known, 98% were sexually transmitted. U.S. leader of Sri Lankan terror group is arrested in New York NEW YORK: The top U.S. representative of the Tamil Tigers, a Sri Lankan rebel group designated as a foreign terrorist organization, orchestrated a covert campaign to finance its escalating conflict with military forces in Sri Lanka, federal prosecutors said Wednesday.Karunakaran Kandasamy was arrested and awaiting arraignment on charges of providing material support to the Tamil Tigers. If convicted, he faces up to 15 years in prison.In the past several years, the group has "covertly operated within the United States, drawing on America's financial resources and technological advances to further its war of terror in Sri Lanka and elsewhere," U.S. Attorney Roslynn Mauskopf said in a statement.The arrest was the latest attempt by American authorities to cut off support for the group, which according to court papers has engaged "in terrorist tactics, including suicide bombings and political assassinations" while fighting for an independent homeland for ethnic minority Tamils in the island nation's north and east.Last year, its emissaries were charged in New York with conspiring to buy surface-to-air missiles. Prosecutors also alleged the defendants tried to bribe U.S. officials to remove the group from the terrorism list. Kandasamy, as director of the American branch of the Tamil Tigers based in New York City, raised hundreds of thousands of dollars, the court papers said. He also allegedly arranged for rebel leaders to meet in Sri Lanka with supporters "with backgrounds in engineering, technology, weaponry, medicine and scientific fields."The Tamil Tigers have fought the Sri Lankan government since 1983, seeking independence from the ethnic Sinhalese-dominated country after decades of discrimination against Tamils.The civil war killed at least 65,000 people before a Norwegian-brokered cease-fire was signed in 2002. The truce temporarily halted the fighting, but more than 4,000 people have died since late 2005, when violence flared again.Violence has increased recently in Sri Lanka as the government pushes to retake rebel-held territory in the east. The rebels have struck back with bombings, their first-ever air raid on a government air force base and several attacks at sea. JJ receives Ambassador for Peace award Dr. Jayalath Jayawardana, MP and Assistant Secretary of the UNP, who is in charge of relief and human rights, has been awarded the Ambassador for Peace award, in recognition of his humanitarian services, by the Universal Peace Federation, which has a special consultative status with the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations, with its headquarters in New York. This award has been presented to Dr. Jayalath Jayawardana in Seoul, South Korea during the international summit on Asia Pacific Peace, which focused on a new foundation for a regional alliance.Gyanendra Bahadur Karki, Minister of State, Ministry of Water Resources, Government of Nepal, who played a key role in the Nepalese peace process and Prof. (Ms) Satinder Ragobur, Dean of the University of Mauritius, Mauritius were also awarded the Ambassador for Peace award by the Universal Peace Federation during this Conference. Sri Lanka 2006 World Press Freedom Review Sri Lanka is unable to escape its violent past. In recent years, the February 2002 ceasefire between the Sri Lankan government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) has largely held firm; however, this year saw the relationship between the parties deteriorate and there was a resumption of the fighting that has killed more than 70,000 people since 1983.Negotiations were begun in 2002, but they were halted in 2003 as each side wavered over the terms of a political settlement.In November 2005, elections led to a new government, led by President Mahinda Rajapakse, that has since taken an uncompromising stance against the LTTE. Fuelling the problems, the LTTE has continued to recruit soldiers, including children, and has maintained a tight grip over the areas of Sri Lanka it controls.The behaviour of each side, who find it easier to play to their supporters rather than engage each other, has led to retrenchment and undermined the ability of the international community to assist. In April 2006, the situation degenerated to such an extent that the ceasefire barely existed.Although both parties reiterated their commitment to the ceasefire at talks held in Geneva, by April, the parties were fighting in and around Trincomalee in the northeast of Sri Lanka. Based on the International Crisis Group’s (ICG) estimate the resumption of fighting in 2006 has killed 2,500 people and displaced a further 200,000 individuals.As in previous years, the fighting has had a disastrous effect on all sectors of Sri Lankan society. There have been numerous terrorist acts around the country, including the successful murder of a high ranking military official, as well as an assassination attempt on the president’s brother, defence secretary, Gotabaya Rajapaksa.These attacks, as well as the numerous kidnappings occurring in the country’s capital, Colombo, have led the government to introduce fresh restrictions on civilian life. Caught in the middle are the country’s Sinhala, Tamil and English-speaking media. Each of these groups has encountered its own problems in attempting to cover the reawakened conflict; however, the media sector suffering the most are Sri Lanka’s Tamil media, who are often reporting in the actual areas of conflict. Articulating his experience to the members of an international press freedom mission in early October, one member of the Tamil media described reporting in Sri Lanka as similar "to publishing in two different countries." Other journalists the mission talked to said there was an "atmosphere of fear" and that there was "hostility in the air."These views are reinforced by the events in 2006 that reveal a number of different layers of censorship in Sri Lanka.On one level, there are widespread attempts at coercing the media from a range of different actors, including the government, parliamentarians, community group leaders, the security forces, the LTTE and militia. On another level, the government, through its control of Sri Lanka’s regulatory environment, has introduced fresh emergency regulations and threatened to force the media to accept a legislated press council. Elsewhere, it is ignoring its commitment to a Freedom of Information Act and actively calling on the media to censor itself.Finally, there are associated groups murdering journalists and media workers. These acts are reinforcing the censorial environment that exists in Sri Lanka and, due to the impunity, encouraging others to come forward and commit fresh acts. Journalists are once again facing a cycle of self-perpetuating violence, reinforced by the willingness of groups to use hostile language describing the media as traitors or spies.Given the violent nature of the fighting, the use of hostile language not only inflames an already tense situation, it also actively encourages groups and individuals to carry out reprisal attacks on those accused.In February, the Propaganda Secretary of the Peoples Liberation Front (JVP), Wimal Weerawamsa, was reported to have said in parliament that the editor-in-chief of the Sunday Leader, Lasanatha Wickrematunge, was a traitor and that he conspired with the LTTE. The accusation came after an article in the Sunday Leader describing a terrorist attack allegedly carried out by the LTTE. On 16 May, a group of journalists, representing various journalism organisations in Sri Lanka, met with the leader of the political wing of the LTTE to protest its call for the resignation of Tamil journalists from all state run media. In a sign of the dangers for journalists in the country, all the journalists who met with the LTTE political leadership were accused of being dangerous traitors and some received death threats.Commenting on the case, IFJ said in a protest letter, "The labelling of independent journalists as being politically aligned in such a fragile political environment like Sri Lanka is a particularly worrisome and dangerous business." The Brussels-based press freedom organisation went on to say, "Unfounded public attacks such as these may result in direct threats on the lives of those journalists, thus contributing to the declining levels of safety for journalists in Sri Lanka." Aside from the hostile and violent language used to describe some journalists, another problem is the range of different militia and paramilitary groups, on both sides, seeking to influence the media’s reporting. These groups all threaten violence, and on occasion have gone so far to attack the media. In consequence, the media are often caught between opposing groups who have different designs on the media.In July, there were attempts by paramilitary groups opposed to the LTTE to halt the distribution of the two Tamil language dailies, Sudaroli and Thinakkural, in eastern Sri Lanka. Distribution agents for both newsagents received death threats.The army in the northern and eastern parts of the country represent another group attempting to censor the media. On 6 November, the Army 512 Brigade commander in Jaffna warned the three editors of Uthayan, Yal Thinakural and Walanpuri that they should not carry news of the LTTE, including any messages or speeches. At the same meeting, the commander criticised the reporting of the newspapers as well as their coverage of the humanitarian crisis in the Jaffna peninsula where little food and petrol reached civilians. Throughout the year, there has been a wave of kidnappings of Tamils, including journalists, in Sri Lanka, particularly in Colombo. On 6 November, police chief Victor Perera said the media were guilty of false reporting and should not be writing articles on the subject until after the police have completed their investigations. The Asian Human Rights Commission has reported that nearly 700 Tamils have been abducted since the start of 2006.In one of the most serious cases, on 29 August, Nadarajah Guruparan, the news director of the Colombo-based Tamil radio station Sooriyan, was abducted outside his home in Colombo. According to eyewitness reports, four men forced the journalist out of his car and into a vehicle. The journalist was released on the following day.Bearing in mind the death threats against journalists, the accusations of treason and spying as well as attempts by all sides in the conflict to control the media’s reporting, there has been a return in Sri Lanka to the callous murder of journalists. In 2006, there were five such killings. On 24 January, Subramaniyam Sugirdharajan, popularly known as SSR, a part-time journalist with the Tamil language daily Sudaroli, was shot dead in the eastern port of Trincomalee. The newspaper has faced numerous threats in the past, and on 20 August 2005, two hand grenades were thrown into the advertising department. Nine days later, a second hand grenade attack, this time on the printing press, killed a security guard. In early 2006, the Free Media Movement (FMM) criticised the failure of the authorities to properly investigate the murder of Tamil journalist, Dharmeratnam "Taraki" Sivaram, the editor of the Tamilnet news Web site and columnist for the Sri Lankan Daily Mirror newspaper.Sivaram was kidnapped on 28 April 2005. His body was found the next day. In June 2005, police made a number of arrests, but there has been little progress since that time.Another journalist was killed in July. On 2 July, freelance journalist Sampath Lakmal de Silva was abducted from Colombo. He was found shot dead three kilometres from his home. Before becoming a freelance journalist, de Silva was the defence correspondent for the weekly Sathdina. Based on news reports, de Silva had been apparently lured to his death, perhaps with promises of information. Three months later, Sri Lankan media groups were still expressing concern that the investigation into de Silva’s death appeared to have been forgotten. Journalist Sinnathamby Sivamaharajah, managing director of the Tamil-language Namathu Eelanadu newspaper ("Our Eelam Nation"), was murdered near his home on 20 August in the Jaffna Peninsula that saw renewed fighting between government forces and the LTTE. The journalist was killed in Vellippalai. Sivamaharajah was a former member of parliament for the Tamil United Liberation Front, and a member of the Tamil National Alliance.There have also been attacks on newspaper distributors. On 15 August, Sathasivam Baskaran was shot dead in Jaffna, while delivering copies of the daily Tamillanguage newspaper, Uthayan. A mine killed the newspaper vendor, Mariathas Manojanraj, on 27 July also in Jaffna. He had been going to pick up copies of the Tamil-language daily Thinakkural. Gunmen also entered the offices of the Uthayan and killing marketing manager, Suresh Kumar, and Ranjith Kumar, who worked in the circulation department.As the conflict deepened, the authorities clamped down on the media. On 5 January, soldiers first cordoned off and then searched the offices of the Jaffna Tamil daily Yal Thinnakkural. Reports on Tamilnet said that the soldiers were pursuing a photographer who had taken pictures of a grenade attack on a sentry point. Three days, later, on 8 January, Joy Jeyakumar, a senior photographer for the Tamil daily Veerakesari, was summoned on 5 January to the office of the Colombo Criminal Investigation Department (CID) for questioning about photographs of Tamil detainees that appeared in the newspaper.The Sinhala-language weekly Irudina and the Sunday Leader also found themselves in trouble over an article on claymore mines in later January, which according to police infringed Sri Lanka’s security. Journalists from the newspapers were summoned by the police for questioning; but instead of questions about the mines, they faced questions about their newspapers’ management style and other similarly intrusive questions.Adding additional pressure, the Ministry of Defence subtly attempted to influence the media’s reporting by requesting all media organisations to submit to the Media Centre for National Security any stories with national security implications.The request was made in a 20 September letter that stated, "Please be advised that any news gathered by your institution through your own sources with regard to national security and defence should be subjected to clarification and confirmation from the MCNS in order to ensure that correct information is published, telecast or broadcast." The letter followed the massacre of civilians and accusations that the military may have been involved. As with the accusations of spying and treason, the questioning by the authorities also led to these media being targeted by other groups. On 11 February, weekend newspaper staff at Sathdina were brutally assaulted after being mistaken for the staff of Irudina. The men who carried out the attack were apparently under the supervision of Janaka Ranawake, the opposition leader of Kotte Urban Council.A further attack took place on 17 February, when Prasad Purnamal, a journalist working for MTV Television Network and Associated Newspapers of Ceylon Limited (ANCL) newspapers was assaulted. The journalist had been covering clashes between rival supporters in local government elections.The arrest of a journalist at the UNESCO celebrations to mark World Press Freedom Day on 3 May was also a reminder that the authorities have tightened security on the Island. The female journalist was arrested on suspicion of being associated with terrorist activities and her case was handed over to the National Intelligent Service and Terrorist Investigation Division. Sivaramya Sivanathan, a Tamil journalist and relief announcer for the state owned Sri Lanka Broadcasting Cooperation (SLBC) failed to produce an invitation to the 3 May event. She was then arrested despite producing evidence that she worked for SLBC.In addition to calls to self-censor, the government has also sought to make changes to Sri Lanka’s media policies. One of the first signs of these new developments could be seen in the Supreme Court’s rejection in the Nallaratanam Singarasa case of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR). In the case, which involved an attempt by the petitioner to have his conviction set aside, the Supreme Court said that the treaty had no bearing on Sri Lanka’s citizens because it would only have effect if it were enacted as a law in the country.The decision was widely interpreted as Sri Lanka’s withdrawal from a human rights treaty that has been universally accepted by democratic societies all over the world. On 22 June, the Minister for Information announced that the cabinet had agreed to reintroduce state-controlled regulation of the media in Sri Lanka. In line with this announcement, the cabinet said it intended to restore the statutory-based Sri Lanka Press Council. Protesting the issue, FMM said, "The Press Council Act has penal provisions that are in direct violation of the principles of freedom of expression."On 6 December, the government introduced new emergency regulations – the Emergency (Prevention and Prohibition of Terrorism and Specified Terrorist Activities) Regulations that, according to FMM, contain sweeping powers that are "highly susceptible to abuse as well as governmental control of a free media and civil society." Protests about the new regulations also noted the previous use of such regulations to control the media.In their own letter, the FMM said, "we would note the impermissibly wide scope of the range of activities prohibited by Regulations 2, 3 and 4 and the definition of terrorism in Regulation 16 (i)..." With pressure on the media continuing, an international fact finding and advocacy mission that included the International Press Institute arrived in Colombo to conduct a press freedom mission from 9 to 11 October. In a press conference at the end of their mission, the members highlighted concerns about safety, censorship and changes to media policy. The mission also issued a statement that "stressed the central importance of press freedom and freedom of expression as fundamental components of a democratic society and an essential element for building a lasting peace in Sri Lanka."Following the international mission, local journalist organisations also issued a statement, known as the "Weligama Declaration 2006," that examined the role of the media in national unity. The groups said, "Our gathering and our concerned focus is prompted by the severity of the crisis faced by Sri Lankan society and all its peoples which has threatened the very survival of our economy, society and political system."Another delegation, this time comprised of South Asian editors, visited the country from 23-25 October. The blue ribbon mission said that it recognised that there had been an escalation of violence between the government and the LTTE, which had created a climate of insecurity and uncertainty for the media community. Supporting the media, the group also said, "diverse views and opinions of all ethnicities and social groups becomes imperative in the search for a just and sustainable peace." On 17 October, the official radio station of the Liberation Tigers of the LTTE, the Voice of the Tigers, in Killinochchi, an LTTE held town in Northern Sri Lanka, was bombed by the Sri Lankan Air Force. Responding to protests about the air raid, the government said that it had deliberately targeted the radio tower and not the station’s offices.Paramilitary groups, also unhappy at the media’s reporting, attacked the media in October. On 23 October, the Karuna group in the east of Sri Lanka burnt 10,000 copies of the Tamil daily newspaper Virakesari. The Karuna group was formerly part of the LTTE, but has since broken away and, according to sources, is now close to the government. The burning of the newspapers occurred when a group of 10 to 15 armed men stopped a van transporting copies of Virakesari and Metro News. SA Tamil group criticises Sri Lankan government The South African Tamil Organisations have lashed out at the Sri Lankan government's alleged atrocities against the island's Tamil people.Speaking during discussions facilitated by the South African government, delegates told Douglus Devananda, the visiting Sri Lankan minister, that it is time for peace on the island.Devananda, whose visit sparked some controversy because of his defection from the Tamil Tigers to government, says the rebels are to blame. However, with restricted access to given aid groups in Tamil areas and neglected services, thousands of Tamils are facing a humanitarian crisis. The issue is likely to come on a presidential level later this year when Mahinda Rajapakse, the Sri-Lankan president, meets President Thabo Mbeki in South Africa. 25 April 2007CID searches TELO MP's residence in Colombo Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of Sri Lanka police conducted an intensive search in TELO and Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarian N. Sri Kantha's official residence in Mathivela, Colombo Monday around 5:30 p.m. TNA parliamentarian Mavai Senathirajah's secretary Selvarajah Samuel who was at the residence during the search was interrogated for nearly three hours, according to sources in Colombo. All the rooms, bathrooms, kitchen and the roof of the residence were searched meticulously.Mr. Sri Kantha was not present when the CID lead the search. Nothing suspicious was found.Prior permission had been obtained from Colombo Nugegoda Magistrate Courts and the Speaker of the House, Mr. W. J. M. Lokku Bandara for the search.Meanwhile, T. Jeyanandamoorthy, TNA Batticaloa district parliamentarian said that the search conducted in the residence of the member of the House of Representatives is a warning to all TNA parliamentarians. Mr Samuel is from Alanwick Estate in Udapusselawa. Tigers say cool flight over Jaffna after bombing military base Sri Lankan government dismisses Tiger claim of air attack in Jaffna Sri Lankan government dismissed the Tamil Tiger claim that a Tiger aircraft have bombed a Sri Lankan military air base in Northern Sri Lanka.Defense officials denied the air raid claim but said the rebels fired artillery towards the military complex. "We have reports saying they had attacked with artillery but there was nothing like an air strike,” a military official said. The Tiger web site said their air wing attacked Palaly airstrip and militar | ||
