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28 February 2007 Minister and Diplomats escape deadly attack Human Rights Minister Mahinda Samarasinghe and several top diplomats narrowly escaped death yesterday when they came under mortar attack in Batticaloa while on an inspection tour.Italian Ambassador Pio Mariani was slightly injured when the group including him, his American, German, French and Japanese counterparts, Minister Samarasinghe and a large UN team came under mortar fire inside the main STF camp in Batticaloa yesterday morning.Eight others, including three members of the Special Task Force, four police officers and a student too were injured in the attack that the military said was carried out by LTTE cadres from the Vavunathivu area located west of the camp. The Defence Ministry said that 13 persons were injured in the attack.Earlier reports said that American Ambassador Robert Blake and German Ambassador Juergen Weerth too were injured when mortars fell in the Webber Stadium located inside the camp, just outside Batticaloa town yesterday morning around 8:50 a.m. However, Weerth told The Morning Leader that he was safe and only Mariani had suffered injuries to the back. Other reports said that Blake may have been hit a small sharpenl piece or a stone in the arm.The Tigers accepted responsibility for the attack but blamed the government for risking the lives of the diplomats. The Tigers said that it was a case of mistaken identity and that they had ceased fire as soon as the UN security coordinator informed Kilinochchi of the identities of those onboard the aircraft.The Tigers said that they had fired at the aircraft suspecting them to be used by the military."In recent times the Batticaloa air space has only been used by the Sri Lankan military. The two landing sites, the Batticaloa airstrip and the military head office complex are used for military purposes only. The airstrip was also used to bring military supplies. The Sri Lankan military also uses these two locations as artillery positions. Even this morning there was provocative shelling by the Sri Lankan military in Batticaloa. "Immediately after the event, Head, UN Security, Marian Din Kajdomcaj contacted M. Pavarasan of LTTE liaison office and the shelling was stopped immediately and the aircraft with the foreign diplomats were able to take off safely," the Tigers said.The Tigers said that the UN and the ICRC informs them beforehand when flights used by the agencies travel to and from Jaffna. LTTE Military Spokesperson Rasiah Illanthirayan said that a simple case of diplomacy could have avoided the mishap.Military Spokesperson Brigadier Prasad Samarasinghe said that three air craft had been used to ferry the delegation – a Bell 212 and MI 17 helicopters and a fixed wing aircraft belonging to a private company to transport the UN team.The first mortar fire had been reported when the fixed wing aircraft and the helicopters approached the airfield. The fixed wing aircraft was able to land in the airfield despite the mortar fire. The Defence Ministry said that it had been slightly damaged. The ambassadors had been in the helicopters that were later diverted to the Webber ground.When the helicopters with the diplomats approached the Batticaloa air force camp located west of the Webber ground, mortar fire had been directed at the camp, diplomatic sources said. Later the two helicopters were directed to the STF camp that was deemed to be secure."Two shells landed very close, the helicopters took off immediately," a diplomat said.The helicopter with the ambassadors had landed in the grounds when the firing took place while the other was still airborne. The latter immediately took off from the scene followed by the helicopter on the ground.The helicopter with diplomats that landed was slightly damaged in the fire.Marrianni was rushed to the Batticaloa hospital but his condition was later established to be safe. He was later reported to be undergoing a CT scan on the recommendations of doctors who checked him at the Batticaloa hospital. The ambassadors were stranded in Batticaloa for several hours after the attack. "There are lot of discussions going on," diplomatic sources said. They were to be transported to Colombo yesterday afternoon."We had just landed, not even 10 minutes, when the mortar fell," Minister Samarasinghe told The Morning Leader from Batticaloa.The two helicopters that evacuated as soon as the firing commenced were first routed to Ampara, he said.The mortar fire had been directed from the Vavunathivu area that is located west of the landing sight. The area just after the Vavunathivu Divisional Secretariat is under Tiger control and mortar fire had been exchanged in the area in the past few days. However, 120 mm mortars that were targeting the aircrafts yesterday had been fired over the lagoon.The mortar has a range of between 20-25 km. The distance between Vavunathivu and the Webber Stadium is less than 10 km. The stadium and its surrounding area currently house the main STF camp. The STF took over security in the area from the army in late January. The Ambassadors were part of a delegation that was visiting Batticaloa to assess the humanitarian situation in the district. More than 70,000 refugees displaced in the fighting are housed at temporary shelters in the district.The US mission in Colombo said that it was a preplanned visit. Members from humanitarian agencies too were part of the delegation. The UN office in Colombo said that the visit had been cancelled soon after the attack and that no one from the UN delegation was injured.The Defence Ministry however said that the mission was not cancelled and several meetings were held by the delegates."The delegation however continued with their schedule despite the terror attack. Having obtained medical treatment, all the officials attended a meeting on developing the Eastern Province and providing humanitarian assistant to the displaced," it said in its website.The Media Centre for National Security also said that the Marrianni too had taken part in a meeting after medical examination. "The Government Agent with the assistance of the security forces made necessary arrangements to conduct the meeting as planned and the Italian Ambassador later joined the meeting."The Italian Embassy declined to comment on the ambassador’s condition or the state of the mission.Meanwhile, civilians in Batticaloa said that the town was brought under a strict security cordon after the mortar attack. Condemning rebel attack in Sri Lanka, Ban Ki-moon calls for end to violence Italy seeks ‘clarifications’ on Sri Lanka attack ROME - Italy sought urgent clarifications on Tuesday from Sri Lanka over an incident in which the Italian, German and US ambassadors were wounded in an artillery attack by Tamil Tiger rebels.Foreign Minister Massimo D’Alema said in a statement he was ‘relieved’ that Pio Marini, the Italian ambassdor to Sri Lanka since August 2005, had suffered only ‘light wounds’.But he ‘hoped that the circumstances of the worrying episode can be clarified quickly.’The three ambassadors were wounded Tuesday as they visited Sri Lanka’s troubled region of Batticaloa, where Tiger rebels and government forces have been locked in a cycle of bloodshed despite a Norwegian-brokered ceasefire agreed in 2002.The Tiger rebels expressed their ‘deep regret’ and accused the government of endangering the lives of the diplomats by taking them by helicopter to the embattled area.The government, for its part, accused the rebels of attacking with full knowledge of the presence of the diplomats. EU condemns helicopter attack in Sri Lanka BERLIN: The European Union condemned Tuesday's attack on a diplomatic helicopter by Tamil rebels in Sri Lanka, calling on both sides to halt the violence and return to negotiations.The U.S. and Italian ambassadors to Sri Lanka were lightly injured when their helicopters were targeted by mortars.The Foreign Ministry in Germany, which holds the rotating EU presidency, said the bloc "emphatically calls on both sides to immediately halt the violence" in Sri Lanka."The European Union calls on both sides to return immediately to the negotiating table and to work on the basis of a constructive proposal of a sustainable resolution to the conflict," the ministry said in a statement. LTTE accepts responsibility for mortar attack in Batti. The LTTE yesterday accepted responsibility for the attack on three aircraft ferrying foreign diplomats to Batticaloa but blamed the government for putting their lives at risk by transporting them without informing the Tigers."We are shocked and saddened by this incident This was a retaliatory attack, because the Sri Lankan forces shelled in the morning from the same locations, and militray helicopters were flying in," LTTE Military Spokesperson Rasiah Illanthirayan told The Morning Leader.However the government said that attack had clearly targetted the diplomats. "There was no doubt, the ambassidors were the target," military spokesperson Brig . Prasad Samarasinghe said.Illanthariyan coutered and said that when UN and ICRC aircraft travel to and from Jaffna, the Tigers are kept informed. "This is a simple procedure when the UN officails fly to Batticaloa we are kept infomed, this was not followed today. This is criminal negligance on the part of the government,"Illanthariyan said. The Tigers said that they had ceased fire when informed by the UN office in Colombo on the identities of the passengers. The Tigers said the UN had thanked them for the prompt action."All this could have been avioded by a phone call to Pulidevan (head of the LTTE Peace Secretariat)," Illanthariyan said."Exploiting the halting of shelling by LTTE, Sri Lankan military has begun shelling again and latest report is that there has been aerial bombing in Batticaloa as well since then," the Tiger Peace Secretariat said.The government said that the attack was an attempt to disrupt the relief efforts taking place in the east. "This attack on the benefactors shows the callous disregard of the Tigers for the welfare and the betterment of the innocent civilians in the east," the Media Centre for National Security said Firing at fishermen: Karunanidhi's plea CHENNAI: Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi on Tuesday urged Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to "impress upon the Sri Lankan Government to instruct their Navy to desist from opening fire" on Tamil Nadu fishermen. In a letter, a copy of which was released here, Mr. Karunanidhi said the fishermen, "who solely depend on this profession for their living," were under "tremendous distress" and put to "hardship" in the past 10 days because of firing by the Sri Lankan Navy. "This is of great concern to the Government of Tamil Nadu." He said that on February 14, the Navy opened fire off the Nagapattinam coast on a boat carrying nine Indian fishermen. "Although no one was injured, the boat was seriously damaged and the catch... taken away by the Sri Lankan Navy." On February 16, the Navy destroyed two fishing boats off the Pudukottai coast. The fishermen, hailing from Iyyampattinam village, were attacked, their nets damaged and their catch taken away. "This resulted in all the fishermen jumping into the sea... to save their lives." On February 24, Aruldoss and three other fishermen from Ramanathapuram district were shot at while fishing off Kottaipattinam village in Pudukottai district. Mr. Aruldoss was injured. "The same day 10 boats were shot at and chased away... ." On February 26, seven fishermen were attacked. One fisherman died and another was injured. The Chief Minister said that these "series of incidents of attack by the Sri Lankan Navy on innocent fishermen belonging to Tamil Nadu, who had gone about their profession within the Indian waters," was a matter of "grave concern." He sought "urgent action." Terror suspect found dead in toilet at Police Hq. A Sinhala suspect under interrogation by the CID on a terrorist related charge was found dead in a toilet at Police Headquarters yesterday morning.The suspect identified as O.G. Chandrasekera had according to police committed ‘suicide’ by hanging himself in the toilet using a bed sheet.At the time this edition went to press, a post mortem was underway to ascertain whether it was a case of suicide or simulated suicide.According to official reports, the suspect had been arrested at a checkpoint in Valachchenai in November 2006 and had been handed over to the Valachchenai police and thereafter transferred to Police Headquarters for further interrogation.The official police version of the incident is that the suspect had wanted to wash his bed linen and gone to the toilet with it and thereafter used the sheet to hang himself when the police guard was not paying attention.The suspect had been later found hanging from a beam in the toilet using the bed linen as a rope.Informed sources said one police officer was interdicted following the incident. Ranil claims SLFP – LTTE rigged Presidential polls UNP and Opposition Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe says the last Presidential election was rigged through a secret pact, between the SLFP candidate and the LTTE. As a result hundreds of thousands of people living in the North and East were deprived of their right to vote, he says."If the North and East civilians were allowed to exercise their franchise, I would have become the President. This was prevented through a secret pact as now revealed by former minister Sripathi Sooriyarachchi. We demand that the masses and the international community reject this election rigger and his government," Wickremesinghe said at aceremony held yesterday to hand over letters of appointment to 20 new district chairmen at the party head office Siri Kotha in Colombo. "Rajapakse and Company is silent on what Sripathi has revealed. They have not spoken a single word about the charge or even denied it. We challenge the President to tell the truth concerning this revelation." The Opposition Leader accused the Government of trying to sweep the accusation under the carpet. "It was a former minister who accused the head of the state of rigging an election. Rajapakse and Company cannot keep mum. They should hold an impartial inquiry into this. They can take immediate action to suppress journalists who report on the COPE findings on corruption, but not a single word has been uttered on this issue," he said.He said the UNP will take the masses to the streets in the near future against this injustice and will inform the international community, including the European Commission, of this and will expose the fraudulent Government. Fuel quota to UN agencies in Kilinochchi and Mullaitivu approved The Commissioner General of Essential Services has approved the fuel quota for UN agencies working in Kilinochchi and Mullaitivu Districts for this month.A total of 11, 980 litres of diesel and 1, 042 litres of petrol have been approved out of the requested amount of 30,000 litres of diesel and 1000 litres of petrol, by the UN.However, the Defence Ministry has yet to inform the local area commander for clearance to be obtained to transport this fuel to Kilinochchi.Meanwhile, during the course of last week a total of 382, 800 litres of kerosene out of the February allocation of 700,000 litres was transported from Vavuniya to Kilinochchi by the District Multi-Purpose Co-operative Society forthe use of the general public . DPU ambush kills School Principal in LTTE territory A newly appointed principal who was on his way to Vilathikulam from the Zonal Education Office in Madhu was killed, and an Divisional Education Officer was wounded and rushed to Kilinochchi hospital for treatment Tuesday morning following a Claymore ambush by the Deep Penetration Unit (DPU) of the Sri Lanka Army, said N. Selvy, Liberation Tigers Human Rights Spokesperson. The victim, identified as Siluvairasa Amalanesan, 33, was killed on the spot.An education official, identified as Christian Rajakone, 47, was rushed to Kilinochchi hospital.Both were traveling in a motorbike, driven by the deceased, to attend an event at the school.The ambush was reported around 10:30 a.m. at Sinnavalayan Kaddu in Madhu division in the LTTE controlled area in Mannar district.Sinnavalayan Kaddu is located in Madhu education zone.Thamileelam Police rushed to the site and launched a search operation. JHU wants US to learn a lesson from attack The JHU yesterday said US ambassador in Colombo, Robert. O. Blake, who a few days ago said the LTTE could not be defeated militarily, should learn a lesson from yesterday’s incident in Batticaloa, where the ambassador too came under attack.Issuing a statement on the incident, the JHU said the US ambassador had lately been issuing statements that undermined the sovereignty of Sri Lanka and kindly requested him not to interfere in the internal politics of Sri Lanka.Recent statements by the US ambassador made one wonder whether Ambassador Blake is furthering the agendas of the LTTE, said the statement. The JHU said it hoped that yesterday’s LTTE attack on some diplomats would be an eye opener to Ambassador Blake, as it shows the true nature of the LTTE. The JHU has also said they would pray for the speedy recovery of the ambassador and all those who received injuries in the LTTE mortar attack. SLA cordons, searches Jaffna Hindu College Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers cordoned off Jaffna Hindu College and surrounding areas, asked the students and staff to assemble at the School play ground, before conducting search of the school premises, administrative officials of the school said. The SLA ordered school closed and sent the students home after the search. Local residents said that they heard sounds of gunfire near the school Monday night, and this may have triggered the SLA search.School Principal and staff were questioned by the SLA, while being held at the playground, sources said.Key roads close to the school including Jaffna-Palaly road, and Kasturiar Road were closed during the search, sources said.The search occurs amidst accusation by the Sri Lanka security forces that schools and places of worship are being used for activities against the State.However, civil society sources in Jaffna say SLA's recent actions appear to to intended to silence the voices of NGO officials, Bishop of Jaffna, and the officials of the department of Education who have been criticizing the various acts of violation by the SLA troops. Sri Lanka bombs Tamil hideout after ambassador attack Sri Lanka's air force bombed suspected Tamil rebel targets in the Batticaloa district on Tuesday, hours after a group of ambassadors to Sri Lanka came under mortar attack on an airfield, officials said. A military spokesman said the retaliatory bombings were directed at the Thoppigala hideout of the rebels, in the same district where Tuesday morning's attack took place. No details of damage caused were known immediately. The government earlier airlifted groups of politicians and journalists to the eastern province for a guided tour into the recently recaptured Vakarai area, 260 kilometres east of the capital where plans are underway to resettle some 40,000 civilians who fled the area during military operations. President Mahinda Rajapaksa himself visited the Vakarai area on February 3 and directed that immediate measures be taken to restore electricity supplies and rebuild roads and other infrastructure to resettle civilians. Fighting in north and eastern parts of Sri Lanka have escalated during the last 14 months claiming nearly 4,000 lives and the government also has stepped up military offensive operations. International Solidarity Forum for permanent peace in Sri Lanka The New Left Front Leader, Dr. Wickramabahu Karunaratne launched an International Solidarity Forum to establish permanent peace in Sri Lanka. Dr. Karunaratne told a press conference yesterday that a Solidarity Forum had already been launched in the UK during his recent visit. He said he will launch it in other countries with the minority political parties in those nations. “There are small political parties such as New Left Front in many nations and we will get together with them to launch this forum he said. Dr. Karunaratne explained the key demands of this forum were lifting the LTTE Ban, opening of A9 highway and re-commencing peace talks He said he accepts the Tamil people’s right of separatism, but pointed out that they should not go for separatism as there was room for devolution of power within a single nation. “I have given this message to the Tamil diaspora during my European Tour,” he told journalists. Responding to a question raised by journalists as to whether the LTTE will be isolated after yesterday’s attack in Batticaloa on Ambassadors, he said it will also help the rebels to form alliances with those forces who are against global powers who try to rule the world today. “LTTE attacked those forces who try to rule the world today and therefore, those who are against the global giants would team up with the LTTE,” he pointed out. 27 February 2007 Eastern Tamils oppose merger of Universities The initiative of the Deputy Minister of Higher Education, 'Myown' Mustafa to amalgamate the Eastern University of Sri Lanka (EUSL) with the Muslim-dominated South Eastern University, faces stiff resistance from Tamils and Muslims living Batticaloa district, sources in Batticaloa said. Mr. Mustafa expressed his willingness to merge both the universities together in a high level meeting held last Thursday at the Auditorium of the University Grants Commission (UGC) in Colombo, sources said.Batticaloa district Tamil National Alliance (TNA) Parliamentarians expressed concern, and vowed to stop the move. Amalgamation will intensify the division among the Tamil and Muslim communities, the MPs said. "Only recently Batticaloa district has been declared a backward district, and that enables more poor Tamil youths to study at the EUSL. Furthermore, the Medical Faculty is about to be inaugurated at EUSL after a long time demand. "Amalgamation will amount to a betrayal of the Tamil students," the MPs said. "We would bring the matter to the attention of Sri Lanka's President," they added. S. M. Amir Ali, the Deputy Minister of Disaster Management, and the Member of Parliament for Batticaloa district swore that he would never allow the EUSL is amalgamated with any other university while he is in power.Meanwhile, the undergraduates and their parents are planning to express their opposition to Deputy Minster Mustafa when he presides a meeting at Vipulanantha Aesthetic Studies Centre at Kallady Monday to explore ways to reopen the EUSL.The activities of the Eastern University came to a standstill after the Vice Chancellor (VC) of the university, Prof. Sivasubramaniam Ravindranath, was abducted in daylight in Colombo on 15 December 2006. After his resignation was accepted by the UGC, the acting VC, Dr. N. Pathmanathan, took steps to reopen the university. However, the arrests and detention of some undergraduates and staff of the university following a claymore explosion along the main road near the university on 31 January hampered the initiative.Meanwhile, the Deputy Minster of Higher Education Mustafa dismissed the speculation as the 'work of sensational media.' Mr Mustafa told TNA parliamentatarin Mr Ariyanenthiran that he stood for the unity of Tamil and Muslim communities. Mr. Mustafa, nominated to the Parliament under the United National Party's (UNP) National List, recently crossed over to the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) coalition Government and was offered the Deputy Minister post. False bomb scare in Vavuniya banks People in Vavuniya town were panic stricken last afternoon after a false bomb scare in two state banks.The Security Forces were conducting a major cordon and search operation when an anonymous caller had warned the Vavuniya Police of bombs having been planted in two state banks in the town.Police immediately evacuated the customers from the Bank of Ceylon Bank and People’s Bank branches before the STF Bomb Disposal Unit inspectedthe two places. However no suspicious items were found during the search. Security in the town has been intensified after the bomb hoax. Two who fled UNP wants to rejoin It is being reported that two of the parliamentarians that joined the government from the UNP are planning to come back to the UNP.One of them is a cabinet minister and represents the parliament from the Colombo district. According to reports on the very same day which they were sworn in, the relevant minister had called UNP general secretary Tissa Attanayake and told that he wanted to rejoin the UNP. In return he had asked for a organizer post in Colombo. He joined the government before the 18 ministers crossed over.The other who wants to rejoin the UNP is a deputy minister. He represents the Gampaha district. Mawbima director arrested 2 Police constables shot dead in Vavuniya Unidentified armed men on motorbike shot dead two police constables Monday around 7:40 p.m. at Muthalikkulam in Vavuniya district. The police handed the bodies of the two victims to Vavuniya hospital around 10:00 p.m.The police constables killed were identified as Vickremasinghe and Seniveratne.Chettikulam police claimed that Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) pistol group cadres arriving on motorbike had shot dead the constables who were on duty. STF officer further remanded The STF officer who was produced before courts, in connection with the death of a STF constable attached to the VIP Security service at the Kalutara STF training camp, was remanded till March 01 by the Acting Magistrate Kalutara.The suspect is Wijayalath Pathirannahalage Sahik Anusha Jayalath of Narammala, Matiyagane. STF driver, HH Herath Mudiyanselage Kumarasinghe Bandara of Pahala Rankinda Girandurukotte died in this incident.Sub Inspector, Indradasa of the Kalutara South police station, who produced the suspect before courts, said the death had been caused as the suspect had acted contrary to the instructions given at the training school.Police requested the courts to remand the suspect till March 12 as the inquiries are not over. Meanwhile the counsel appearing for him made submissions requesting the courts not to keep him in remand custody for a long period of time and to provide him security in the remand prison, as the death had been caused by an oversight. Youth shot dead in Amparai Unidentified armed men following a youth riding his bicycle to purchase goods shot him dead Sunday around 8:00 p.m at Veeramunai in Sammanthurai police division in Amparai district. Sammanthurai police recovered the dead body Monday morning and handed it over to Sammanthurai hospital for inquest into death. The victim was identified as S. Sathiyaseelan, 24, a daily wage earner of Veeramunai 01. Sathiyaseelan's brother is a cadre of Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and the killers may have interrogated him about his brother and then shot him dead, residents of Veeramunai said.Veeramunai is situated 40 km southeast of Batticaloa town. LTTE: Jayalalithaa assails `inaction' CHENNAI: General secretary of the All-India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) Jayalalithaa on Monday accused the police of not taking action to curb the movement of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) militants and their activities such as smuggling of weapons and explosives to Sri Lanka on a large scale, besides stockpiling them in the State. In a statement here, she sought the intervention of the Central Government to safeguard the nation's security, as extremist and terrorist organisations had "intensified their activities, taking advantage of the situation prevailing in the State." Failure to curb such activities might result in raising demands, building intensified campaign, holding conferences and bringing out publications in support of extremism and terrorism, she cautioned. AIADMK stand Making the AIADMK's stand on the Sri Lankan ethnic problem clear, Ms. Jayalalithaa said even while stressing unity among the Tamils to find a solution to the issue, the party was keen that Tamil extremist groups in the island should not be encouraged. The party had taken a firm stand that the Government of India should earnestly strive for finding a solution to the Sri Lankan ethnic issue. At the same time, it had been strongly opposing the extremist groups. As the party thought that the ethnic issue could not be solved by taking up arms, it had been opposing extremism and terrorism, she added. Though some sections in Tamil Nadu argued that the LTTE should be supported on the basis of Tamil ethnic affinity, the AIADMK did not accept the theory, as it was of the view that such action would ultimately pave the way for the advent of extremism and terrorism in the State, she said. Ms.Jayalalithaa referred to the recent seizures of weapons and explosives off the Tamil Nadu coast, and said these were the "tip of the iceberg." There had been reports that persons belonging to the Sri Lankan extremist group had visited the State and the uninhabited islands off Rameswaram had been converted into arsenals of the extremists and terrorists, she added. Vaiko says they support Eelam but not allow to create violence in Tamil Nadu Pro-LTTEer and India’s MDMK General Secretary Vaiko said yesterday that though his party is supporting the cause of a separate Eelam for Tamils in Sri Lanka, it would not support those creating violence in Tamil Nadu in the name of Sri Lankan Tamils."When it comes to arms smuggling or using the land in Tamil Nadu to create violence or become reason to create violence, in the name of Eelam Tamils, MDMK will not support any organisation," Vaiko told reporters in Tamil Nadu.He also alleged and accused the US of supplying weapons to Sri Lanka illegally through Pakistan. Canadian Tamils Call For Clarity From Ottawa on Sri Lankan Policy "By every objective measure, Sri Lanka is a failed state. With state-sponsored pogroms, with military bombings of civilian areas, with the burning of homes and schools, Sri Lanka has failed to meet the basic criterion under which nation-states can justifiably continue to exist intact: that bottom line is protecting your own citizens from harm."Citing norms of international law, the CTC called on Ottawa to explain whether it believes - as it does - that Tamils deserve independence from Sri Lanka.The group also called on Ottawa to take more immediate steps that would place pressure on Sri Lanka to ease the suffering of Tamils in that country. They asked the federal government to demand that Sri Lanka put an end to the road blockades that have exacerbated an ongoing humanitarian crisis. These blockades have prevented goods and international aid to flow into Tamil-controlled areas in the north-east parts of the country. They have also made it nearly impossible for Tamils to travel and seek consular and immigration services from Canada and other countries in the capital, Colombo."So many Tamils have found a paradise in Canada - and have contributed as honest, hard-working citizens thanks to the humanitarian amnesty granted in 1983 by former prime minister Brian Mulroney," added Francis."There would be more of our relatives here today, working hard, paying taxes, and getting an education, if they were able to flee that violence-ravaged country. But sadly, it's difficult for many of them to even reach the Canadian embassy." Also in attendance was MP Maurice Vellacott, who expressed his personal admiration for the Tamil community's contribution to Canada, noting that Canadians ought to "allow them (potential Tamil refugees) to further contribute to our society."The CTC called on Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Foreign Affairs Minister Peter MacKay to state a position on Sri Lanka's national status, and to participate with Immigration Minister Diane Finley in seeking a solution that would ease badly-needed access to Canadian consular services.The Canadian Tamil Congress is a national organization with over 10,000 members, dedicated to promoting human rights and celebrating Tamil culture. UNICEF concerned about child recruitment With both the LTTE and the Karuna faction still actively recruiting child soldiers, the UN child rights group UNICEF yesterday urged the parties to turn “words into deeds” even as Government defense spokesman Keheliya Rambukwelle averred that a plan was already in motion to probe the involvement of certain elements of the military in the recruitment.The LTTE meanwhile accepted it had a large number of child recruits in its ranks and following discussions with UNICEF last week agreed to put forward an action plan within the next few days to release all underage child recruits.According to latest UNICEF figures there were 1710 outstanding cases of child recruitment by the LTTE out of which 707 were underage and the remaining 1003 were below the age of 18 at the time they were recruited but are now over the stipulated age. As for the Karuna faction there are reports of 169 child abductions by January 31 and the UNICEF is seeking an assurance and stronger conviction to cease underage recruitment and an action plan on the lines of the commitment given by the LTTE. “Underage recruitment is not just an issue for the LTTE. The government also has a responsibility to investigate the alleged complicity of certain security forces with Karuna in child recruitment. We hope the government will transparently investigate these allegations with the right level of authority,” UNICEF spokesman Gordon Weiss told the Daily Mirror.While assuring that the government was probing the allegations and stood ready to go further with the probe Minister Rambukwelle cautioned UNICEF and others to be mindful that the rebels were capable of deceiving people to divert negative publicity. “We are not ruling out investigating these allegations. We have infact already set a plan in motion in this regard. But with the LTTE losing on all counts they will try to find various methodologies to entice the international community. They can easily make some lady cry and say her child was abducted in a white van as usual and blame it on the forces,” Minister Rambukwelle told the Daily Mirror.UNICEF officials met LTTE political head S.P. Thamilchelvam in Killinochchi last week and discussed the highly controversial Allan Rock report, which was produced before the UN Security Council earlier this month and suggests sanctions against the LTTE for continued child recruitment.“The LTTE has committed to formulate an action plan. They will show us the action plan within the next few days. We laid down suggestions for the framework and are awaiting the final outcome. Among the suggestions, we made clear that we are against under 18 recruitment,” Mr. Weiss said. Asked if UNICEF had access to child recruits in the LTTE Mr. Weiss said that was also part of the ongoing discussions with the rebels.“The LTTE has accepted that at least 90 percent of the allegations on child recruitment is true,” Mr. Weiss said and noted that despite the rebels preparing an action plan it would not in any way influence the Security Council to reconsider suggestions to impose sanctions.“It’s like a stigma. If sanctions are imposed it will send out a strong message,” Mr. Weiss added. Water supply project in B’caloa after 90 years UNP dismisses Eelam claim The UNP has dismissed LTTE claims that the Ceasefire Agreement (CFA), recognised its de-facto state in the North East, saying the agreement to create a favourable atmosphere for peace talks.UNP, General Secretary Tissa Attanayake said the party would never support the division of the country.“We signed the CFA to create a favourable environment to negotiate with the LTTE which waged war against the Sri Lankan state for two decades. Even before the CFA, there was a de-facto state in the northern and eastern provinces with the rebels having their own judiciary system, police service and other administrative mechanisms,” he said. Mr. Attanayake said there was no foundation for the LTTE argument that the CFA had given legal status to the de-facto state. The party’s sole objective was to bring the warring parties to the negotiating table. However, the Tigers, issuing a statement for the fifth anniversary of the CFA on February 22, claimed the agreement formulated with the full support of the international community, had transcended the parameters of Sri Lanka’s majoritarian constitution, recognizing Tamil Eelam’s de facto existence.Meanwhile, the JVP and JHU are urging the government to abrogate the CFA while JVP strongman Wimal Weerawansa vowed in Parliament last week to nullify the agreement in a similar manner adopted for the de-merger of the North and East.Meanwhile, the UNP said in a statement yesterday that the governments of former President Chandrika Kumaratunga (2004-2005) and President Mahinda Rajapaksa (2005 - to date) accepted the fact that the agreement was only to find a negotiated solution to the conflict The UNP said the parties to the agreement recognized the right of the Sri Lankan armed forces to continue performing their legitimate task of safeguarding the sovereignty and the territorial integrity of the country.“This alone prevents the de-facto recognition of a separate state,” the party says. Tamil gangs tackled from 'within' BBC News, London Community 'intimidated' A childhood friend's gruesome death in 2003 jolted him into reforming his ways. His friend was 23. "He was watching TV downstairs and I was upstairs with other guys when a group wearing masks came and shot him thrice through the window. He died on my birthday." Chief Inspector Derrick Griffiths, who has been involved with the special task force, said there are five main Tamil gangs in London. They are based in East Ham and Walthamstow in east London, Wembley in north-west London and Merton and Croydon in south London. The East Ham group is the biggest with 30 core members. But a series of crackdowns, patrols and installing CCTV cameras on the High Street over the past 18 months has driven the gangs into hiding. Despite these measures and a relatively quiet two years, people still live in fear as police were only able to secure convictions in two of 10 murders, said Mr Griffiths. "All crimes were detected and people were charged but what we found was the level of intimidation was so high that we couldn't get anybody from the Tamil community to come to court and give evidence," he said. The gang violence shocked the nearly 100,000-strong Sri Lankan Tamil community in London. Vellupillai Jegendira Bose, 58, who owns an estate agency on East Ham High Street, faced the wrath of the gangs when he attended a community meeting called by the police. "After the meeting I was joking with the officer that I may need protection, and when I returned someone had shattered the display window of the shop," he said. 'Funding' rebel struggle Most of the violence has resulted from inter-gang rivalries and revenge attacks stemming from territorial control, community leaders believe. Historically the gangs have largely been involved in credit card frauds and extortion from local businesses. A police operation uncovered that in the past two years alone, credit card frauds by Tamil gangs amounted to £70m. In Newham, for instance, gang members demand £10,000 to £15,000 a year from shops and businesses while they confiscate cars from people and demand up to £3,000 for their return, Mr Griffiths said. And the money is sent to Sri Lanka to fund the struggle by Tamil Tiger rebels, he added. Rebels are fighting for a separate homeland for the country's 3.1m-strong Tamil population following decades of alleged discrimination by the majority Sinhalese. But this has been repeatedly and vehemently denied by community leaders although some do believe that the Tamil Tigers use gangs to threaten people. Paul Sathianesan, a councillor in Newham, said: "The anti-social behaviour is damaging race relations and spoiling the image of the community, but it is mostly territorial control with these boys. They have nothing to do with the fighting in Sri Lanka." 'Show of power' Mr Griffiths said they have successfully subdued some gangs by arresting and slapping ASBOs on main players, but many businessmen like Mr Bose say some should be deported to send a strong message. Deportation is a tricky issue, said Mr Griffiths, although police have submitted at least 24 names to the Home Office. "The boys get rid of their ID papers so when they are taken back to Sri Lanka the immigration there says we can't prove their nationality," he said. "Also many of these boys are second generation Tamils who are born and bred here." Mala Krishnaraja, 56, who heads Tamil Community Forum, said young children are most vulnerable. "Boys of 12 and 14 are being lured by the gangs. The attraction of having money and flashy cars and the show of power gets the children interested in gang culture." The police have carried out regular raids to seize weapons from gang hide-outs. While their weapon of choice seems to be samurai swords, axes and daggers, guns have started infiltrating the leadership, some of whom now carry pistols, Mr Griffiths said. Following the recent spate of shootings in south London, which claimed the lives of three teenagers, a police report identified 169 groups, more than a quarter of which have been involved in murders. With regard to the Tamil gangs Mr Griffiths said their next target will be money launderers and Tamil Tiger fundraisers. Even people from the community agree that recent measures have brought the gang menace under control. Action from 'within' Mr Griffiths said: "Unreported crimes are still a problem but the number of intelligence reports have gone from one in two to three months to 10 or 15 a week. The intelligence flow is very important in relation to future action and our success." Although optimistic, Abhya believes every time a gang is subdued the next generation takes over. "Teenagers follow their brothers or cousins... We need to help these boys rather than classing them as gangs as that gives them publicity," he said. "People need to go to schools and speak to these boys. The action needs to come from within the community." Tigers rebuilding fleet The LTTE has commenced a project to rebuild its Sea Tiger fleet which had been depleted following attacks by the forces.The Sea Tigers, who in recent months lost hundreds of boats, have set a target of 100 new boats in a fortnight, intelligence sources said."Information we received on the project, was proved correct when the Navy captured a stock of equipment, devices and machinery, intended for building sea craft, on Saturday at Mannar," a senior intelligence officer told The Island.A lorry transporting hardware to the Vidithalathivu area was taken into custody at a road block in Mannar, manned by the Navy on Saturday (24) around 1.30 p.m. The driver and assistant too were taken in. "At first they suppressed the correct details of the recipients. Later they admitted that the lorry load was intended to be handed over to LTTE Sea Tiger operatives to be sent to a camp in Vidithalathivu," the officer said.Fifty boxes of Satellite installing parts, for Antenna, 20 packets of Antenna installation spare parts, 2,500 polythene bags, Four fiberglass barrels, 50 barrels of acid, 72 motor cycle batteries, 25 electric generators, 356 compound bottles, Six barrels of nylon Cord gum, and 11 rolls of nylon cord were taken in. The lorry and the goods with the driver and assistant have been handed over to the Mannar Police for further investigations. 26 February 2007 The LTTE cannot be defeated militarily, US tells Sri Lanka He said a majority in the Southern Sri Lanka felt that ‘a military solution is possible. We respectfully disagree. The LTTE cannot be defeated militarily without a parallel political strategy to address the grievances of the Tamil community...‘I don’t think a military solution is possible without a parallel political strategy. The LTTE has significant capability to attack, using terrorist means. We should not underestimate that. I think there would be costs (to pay) to a military strategy. The most important thing in our view is to come up with a credible (political) process.’Blake, however, suggested that while he thought that Sri Lanka remained committed to peace despite the military pursuing a military strategy, the LTTE’s credentials vis-a-vis a negotiated settlement were doubtful.‘The government is committed to peace. Every time I speak to (President Mahinda Rajapakse) and senior members of the government, they assure me they are committed to a peaceful settlement. I have no reasons to doubt that.‘The military believes in a military solution but the policy of the government is to pursue (a negotiated settlement). At this point of time, without a proposal, there is nothing to negotiate over.‘As for the LTTE, I cannot say if they are committed to peace. Their record of 20 years shows they have never seriously pursued the peace option. The government will have to soon give them a chance to see if they are ready to negotiate in good faith.’ The internationally backed Norwegian-sponsored ceasefire agreement (CFA) signed by Sri Lanka and the LTTE entered its sixth year Feb 22 with all signs pointing to a war again in the island.‘Since last year, the human rights situation has also deteriorated,’ Blake said. ‘There is therefore an urgent need to end the fighting and resume talks (for) a negotiated settlement.’He said the US believed that a body representing almost all political parties and tasked to come up with power sharing proposals provided an important opportunity to achieve peace.‘We very much hope the proposals that emerge will be credible and meet the legitimate aspirations of the Tamil people in particular but also of the other communities. This could be the basis for the talks between the government and the LTTE...‘The most important thing is the government has an opportunity. It must come up with a credible solution. They have the votes in parliament. There is very strong evidence that (the main opposition United National Party) will support a credible solution. That would be a major, major step forward.’ The ambassador pointed out that there had been ‘very significant consequences’ for the failure of the LTTE to settle for peace since the last round of talks in Geneva that ended in a fiasco. ‘We think there is a strong incentive for both sides to go back to the table.’But irrespective of what happens, he said ‘we cannot imagine a situation’ when the US would support an LTTE state, which for all practical purposes now exists in parts of Sri Lanka’s north and where Colombo’s writ does not run. ‘The US takes a very hard line regarding the LTTE.’Asked if India needed to play a more pro-active role, Blake said he disagreed with the surmise of the question.‘India is already playing a very active role and is a major if not the pre-eminent player in Sri Lanka. The US cooperates very closely with our Indian friends on the situation in Sri Lanka. I don’t see any difference in our analysis of the situation or what needs to be done. We will continue our cooperation with India.’ War based on political agendas: Sripathi Ousted Minister Sripathi Sooriyarachchi yesterday vowed he would never accept a portfolio under President Mahinda Rajapaksa and said there was no point in President Rajapaksa imposing conditions for his return. Speaking to the Daily Mirror yesterday Mr. Sooriyarachchi said however he and Mangala Samaraweera would continue to be SLFP MPs.President Mahinda Rajapaksa in the TV programme “Janapathi Janahamuwa” on Saturday said the two ousted ministers should apologize to the security forces for their statements on the military movements in the East, if the two wished to be back in the Cabinet.Mr. Sooriyaarachchi denied charges that he had undermined the security forces and weakened their morale with his post-ouster statements.He categorically said what he criticized was, the manner in which the strength and the morale of the security forces were being wasted on a war waged on political agendas by the political leadership. “I salute the valour, morale and the strength of the security forces. But, they are forced to fight with the LTTE according to the whims and fancies of politicians, on a political agenda. Not only me, even JVP MP Sunil Handunnetti had pointed out that this war was being carried out according to a political agenda aimed at winning elections,” he said. The former minister said he along with Mr. Samaraweera would create awareness among people on these latest political trends through a series of public meetings under the theme ‘Mangala Abinandana’ to be conducted island-wide. “Attempts are being made to create a bad impression among the public about us. We will explain the truth to the people at our meetings” said Mr. Sooriayaarachchi. SLMM close down their office in Vavuniya The Sri Lanka monitoring mission has closed down its office in Vavuniya and returned to Colombo due to the insecure environment in the area. However speakeing to LeN SLMM spokesperson Thoffinur Omarson said that the officers of the SLMM Vavuniya office were brought to Colombo to conduct a briefing and that they would resume monitoring in the area soon. But it is reported that the crimes rate in the area has seen a severe increase as several murders and abductions are reported from there everyday. Jaffna faces shortage of critical medicines Jaffna Teaching Hospital, Manthikai Government hospital in Point Pedro and other hospitals in Jaffna district are unable to perform surgeries as stocks of saline drip and other essential medicines have depleted, medical sources in Jaffna said. Government supplies of medicines earmarked for the first quarter of year 2007 has not been shipped from Colombo to Jaffna, hospital sources said. Residents of Jaffna peninsula requiring critical medicines are forced to pay up sometimes up to ten times the normal market value from private traders who have small amount of stocks left, according to Jaffna residents. Although two months of first quarter of 2007 are almost over, essential medicines, oxygen cylinders and other surgical accessories are yet to be shipped from Colombo, medical sources in Jaffna said.Since the SLA closure of the A9 route to Jaffna in 11 August 2006, essential medicines and other medical needs for the peninsula arrived in ships from Colombo.Dr. A. Ketheeswaran, Director of Public Health Service in Jaffna district, said Saturday that essential medicines allocated for the first quarter of 2007 are being loaded in ship in Colombo and that the consignment is expected to reach Jaffna soon. He, however, did not mention a specific time frame for the arrival of medicines.He also added that action has been taken to ship sufficient number of oxygen cylinders to Jaffna peninsula. JVP rejects Premjayanth’s assertion on collapse of JVP-SLFP talks The JVP yesterday dismissed Minister Susil Premjayanth’s assertion that talks between President Mahinda Rajapakse’s government and the JVP collapsed due to their fault.Severely criticising the government over Saturday’s telecast of a live question and answer session with the participation of President Mahinda Rajapakse and several Cabinet ministers, the JVP mainly challenged Premjayanth’s claim that the government accepted 18 out of the 20 proposals forwarded by the JVP as a prerequisite for joining the Rajapakse administration.The JVP said that their proposals were sent to the government on August 5 last year. According to the JVP, the SLFP responded in a statement dated August 17 and contrary to Premjayanth’s assertion the SLFP accepted only a few proposals. The JVP emphasised that the SLFP rejected several important proposals, including the two critical demands, abrogation of the Ceasefire Agreement and to end the Norwegian role in the peace process. The JVP accused the SLFP of side-stepping several other proposals, including the de-merger of the Eastern Province from the North on the basis that it would be subjudicae.A JVP spokesperson accused the government of trying to paint a wrong picture of the circumstances leading to the collapse of SLFP-JVP talks and the subsequent political alliance with the UNP.The JVP challenged Premjayanth’s claim that the SLFP agreed to restrict the number of Cabinet Ministers to 25. In fact, the JVP had called for a 30-member Cabinet of Ministers, an equal number of Deputies and an assurance that any other portfolios would not be created to appease members. The JVP also emphasised the need to make Cabinet appointments on what the spokesman termed as a scientific formula. The SLFP Central Committee, while accepting the principal to reduce the number of Cabinet Ministers emphasised that the right of the President to appoint the Cabinet should not be challenged, the JVP pointed out. The JVP said the government should not have expanded the Cabinet. "We offered our support without taking any portfolios," the spokesman said. He faulted the President for failing to put a ceiling on the Cabinet, when appointments were made after the last presidential election.The JVP also challenged Premjayanth’s claim that the President wrote to Karu Jayasuriya regarding a government-UNP alliance after the collapse of negotiations with the JVP. The JVP claimed that the government initiated talks with the UNP in September while negotiations were continuing with the JVP. Government-JVP talks collapsed on October 3, the spokesman said. LTTE on the run in NE: Military The Military yesterday claimed that, over the weekend, they captured four Tiger bases in the Peraru area in the Trincomlaee district; forcing the LTTE to withdraw further north of the district, while the Navy captured another two camps in the east of Trincomalee. “The Tigers are now losing Trincomalee district, as the security forces capture key Tigers bases, killing a large number of fleeing LTTE combatants,” military Spokesman Brigadier Prasad Samarasinghe said.He said that among the captured camps was one training camp with facilities for 40 trainees and another used as a hospital which could accommodate 50. A large quantity of medicines and medical equipment has also been recovered from another base.“An LTTE camp in the Peraru area, identified as a transit camp for terrorists moving to Sampur and VakaraiI was also captured by the Army,” the spokesman said. Meanwhile, the Navy, also a part of the military operation, on Saturday captured another two Tiger camps in Kumburupiddi area. “The Special Boat Squadron of the Navy captured LTTE’s ‘Baskaran’ and ‘Tango One’ camps during their operation,” Navy Spokesman D.K.P. Dassanayake said.He said that a large stock of military items were recovered from these camps.Meanwhile, security forces using artillery and Multi Barrel Rocket Launchers, targeted LTTE cadres fleeing to West Veppankulam, inflicting heavy casualties. “The manner in which the terrorists had abandoned their camps confirmed that they had suffered heavy losses,” he said.The security forces have recovered large stocks of weapons and ammunition from the captured LTTE camps. They include Claymore mines, 60 and 81 mm mortars, hand grenades, T. 56 assault rifles, anti personnel mines, RPG bombs, motorcycles and a huge stock of ammunition. Troops are consolidating their positions, ensuring the security of the villages situated alongside the Trincomalee –Tiriyaya road, the Morawewa area and the Kumburupiddi area.So far the LTTE has not responded to the military’s claim, but on Thursday night announced they were re-launching their ‘freedom struggle’ to achieve statehood. UGC team to revive Eastern University A team of UGC officials headed by Deputy Minister of Higher Education M. M. Musthafa is visiting the Eastern University today (26) to work out a strategy to restore its academic activities.The University has been crippled since its Vice Chancellor Prof. S. Ravindranath was abducted in Colombo on Dec. 15 without any clue to date of his abduction. The situation has become worse following a deadly landmine attack on forces close to the university on Jan. 31 and the arrest of nine university workers in this connection.The team comprises UGC Chairman Prof. Gamini Samarawickrema, Vice Chairman Nanayakara and officials of Higher Education Ministry. The team will hold discussions with Acting VC Dr. Padmanathan, University Academics, students and parents to work out a speedy solution to the problem.Meanwhile the UGC has decided not to admit Sinhala and Muslim students to the Jaffna and the Eastern Universities. 500m rule for Trinco IDPs 'Ready to listen' The minutes of the said meeting, issued to media on Sunday, said the areas for the proposed coal power plant and Trincomalee Metro Urban Development area have already been earmarked.District Secretariats in Trincomalee and Batticaloa were urged to identify villages and families that could be resettled in areas under Muthur, Seruwilla and Eachillampathai Divisional Secretariats. Minister in charge of Resettlement, Rishad Badiurdeen, told BBC Sandeshaya that the government is willing to listen to concerns of the refugees.The minister was not aware of the meeting held nearly two weeks ago.The resettlement is to be completed by 31 March, 2007. Three Tamils abducted in Mannar Unidentified persons abducted three Tamils in Mannar in two separate incidents when they were traveling along Mannar-Talaimannar main road, Tuesday afternoon, according to complaints made by their relatives with the regional office of the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka (HRCSL). They have been identified as Louis Moraes Satkunanathan,59, a retired Grama Sevaka Officer, Anestine Kathirkumar, 31, and Christie Balendran Croos, 29.Unidentified men abducted Louis Moraes Satkunanathan of Sinnakadai in Mannar town, father of three, with his motorbike when he was going to supervise a construction work he had undertaken in Talaimannar. Anestine and Christie were abducted when they were returning home in a motorbike with provisions they bought in Mannar bazaar. They are residents of Pesalai and fishermen by profession, according to the complaints.The relatives have also lodged complaints with Mannar branch of the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM), International Committee of Red Cross (ICRC) and Police. Brother in law of SSP Colombo crimes division Sarath Lugoda has gone missing since last night. Missing Raja Pulendun is married to a sister of the SSP and he is originally from Batticaloa. Is also the owner of "Millennium Colour Lab" in Borella. The victim had left the office with his manager and had dropped him in his house in Krulapona. Then Pulendun had been coming to his house in Kohuwala Via Balapokuna Mawatha. Then a vehicle that followed him had overtaken his vehicle and forced Pulendun to stop the vehicle. Then the abductors had attempted to open the doors and Pulendun had then locked his vehicle to which the abductors reacted by pulling out the victim through the windscreen after breaking it. This had been revealed to the police by a group of people that were in a nearby vehicle. It is reported that the victim and his family members had received death threats a week ago. Some say the abduction is a result of a business dispute that took place with one his nieces while some say he had refused to pay taxes to the LTTE when he was in Batticaloa. But there is also a group who say that Pulendun was abducted to avoid the SSP of the Colombo Crimes Division investigating a particular case. Another abduction at Kirulapone The Kirulapone police informed the additional Magistrate of Colombo Gihan Pilapitiya that a women and her child were abducted in an ambulance by two unidentified persons and released the following day at Peradeniya..IP Ranasinghe of the Kirulapone Police informed the Magistrate that neither the suspects nor the ambulance had yet been identified or traced. They said investigations into the incident were continuing.The complainant Mrs. Gomez of Dutugemunu Street Kirulapane said she was the wife of a teacher at a private tutory. She said, she and her child were abducted at Baseline Road on their way to Kirulopane. On the day of the incident, at about 9.00 a.m. the abductors who came in an ambulance asked her whether she was the "wife of Ashim". When she said she was, they had dragged into the ambulance and driven away.At 4.30 p.m. the ambulance stopped near a two-storied building and they were taken into house and locked up in a room. At night they were provided with biscuits and water.She claimed neither she nor her child were subject to bodily harm by their abductors. On the following morning she was taken in another vehicle to an unknown destination and released .Later she had come to know that she was in Peradeniya. She had gone to the police station and complained of the incident.The reason for the abduction is unclear and police moved for a date to file a progress report.The matter will be taken up on May 18 Arms smuggling to Lanka: BJP warns TN govt CHENNAI: BJP on Sunday warned the Tamil Nadu government to be 'extra-vigilant' against attempts of arms smuggling to Sri Lanka from the state. Senior party leader Venkaiah Naidu said that the party was concerned about the series of seizures of arms, ammunition and materials used to make weapons in Tamil Nadu and said the State government should come down firmly against those involved in such activities and those co-operating with them knowingly or unknowingly. Replying to a question on likely solution to the river water disputes, he said the NDA government had prepared a Rs 5,33,000 crore proposal for linking of rivers adding this was the only solution for such disputes. He said political parties should not resolve such disputes and the Centre should negotiate with the State governments concerned and find solutions to such problems. "Abrogate CFA": President challenged 25 February 2007 India calls for political package based on regions India has informed the Mahinda Rajapakse government that its support for the resolution of the ethnic conflict will only be forthcoming if the proposals to be submitted are an improvement on the 2000 Draft Constitution of former President Chandrika Kumaratunga. The 2000 draft proposals provided for a union of regions within an undivided state with a merger of the north and east subject to a subsequent referendum. The Sunday Leader learns India has communicated its thinking to the government last week in the backdrop of the impending proposals of the SLFP to the All Party Representative Committee (APRC). It is learnt, India has also stated while the Majority Report of the Experts Committee to the APRC was a positive development, the Tissa Vitharana Report had diluted its content and any further dilution will be looked at negatively. The government was told that ultimately if it needs the support of India and the international community to sell the political solution to the moderates, the political package would have to be an improvement on the 2000 proposals and not less in substance. Diplomatic sources told The Sunday Leader the government was told the proposals must be 'respectable and reasonable.' Chandrika-Mangala alliance in the offing The much talked about nexus between President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga and ousted Minister Mangala Samaraweera and the JVP is emerging once again.According to informed sources it is likely that former Ministers Mangala Samaraweera and Shripathi Sooriyarachchi will form an alliance with former President Chandrika Kumaratunga to oppose President Mahinda Rajapaksa.The duo is likely to join hands with JVP to achieve their objective and their main focus these days is to push President Mahinda Rajapaksa towards the dissolution of Parliament.Although the UNP is not in direct truck with this alliance they too are working with some understanding with the Mangala – Shripathi nexus to bring the government down.Soon after the birthday celebrations of Minister Anura Bandaranaike, former President Chandrika Kumaratunga visited Mangala Samaraweera at his Stanmore Crescent residence during the wee hours of parody unlike Minister Samaraweera still having a meeting with his close associates.Former President Chandrika Kumaratunga had apparently found fault with Anura Bandaranaike for having left Mangala Samaraweera and joining hands with President Rajapaksa.However, when President Chandrika Kumaratunga’s sentiments were conveyed to Mr. Anura Bandaranaike he has snapped back saying “I have better things to do rather than wearing dark glasses and going from commission to commission seeking protection,” an attempt to justify his position.Early this week too former President Chandrika Kumaratunga had telephoned Mr. Bandaranaike and had given him an earful for having gone back to the fold of President Mahinda Rajapaksa.What political analysts question is how the intended alliance is going to work out especially between the pro-devolution UNP and the anti-devolution JVP. But earlier too former President Kumaratunga who is pro-devolution was able to form an alliance with the JVP to defeat the UNP government. Attempt to take back four UNP dissidents foiled A Colombo District UNP member had held a round of talks with four members of the UNP reformist group parliamentarians who joined the government, in a bid to win them back to the UNP fold, a Minister of the UNP reformist group said yesterday."The talks were unsuccessful", he said.He said the UNP leader Ranil Wickremesinghe made capital out of some shortcomings in the newly constituted ministries and assigned this UNP member to talk to the four dissidents and promise them positions in the party, he said."But the four parliamentarians had refused to return to the Opposition", the Minister said.When asked whether any more UNP parliamentarians were planning to cross over to the government benches, he said it was confirmed that four more were on line and are expected to join the government in the near future.He said the SLFP and the other constituent parties of the government had give President Rajapakse a mandate to invite any UNP members to join. The President was also given a free hand to give any ministerial positions to those who join the government. Devolution proposals of govt. before New Year The government will put forward its devolution proposals as a political solution to the North-East crisis, before April 13. This was revealed by President’s Special Advisor Basil Rajapaksa to Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Aso and Japan’s Special Envoy Yasushi Akashi.during a recent visit to Japan. During the visit Aso and Akashi inquired about the prospects for peace and Rajapaksa had said that the devolution proposals would be ready by April. The Japanese Foreign Minister had said that economic prosperity should accompany freedom and peace. Meanwhile Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama had told the Co-chairs that the devolution proposals would be ready by end March. Last week the Co-chairs held a tele-conference where Norwegian Special Envoy Erik Solheim, Japan’s Yasushi Akashi, American Assistant Secretary of State Richard Boucher and the EU representative exchanged views on the Sri Lankan situation. They all agreed that the general situation in the country had not improved in the absence of moves to resume peace talks. However, the government announced at the Development Forum held in Galle recently that they were ready to talk with the LTTE although it is not acceptable that the LTTE assumes the position of sole representative of Tamils. Two weeks ago Norwegian Ambassador Hans Brattskar visited Kilinochchi and discussed matters with LTTE Political Wing Leader S.P. Thamilselvan while expressing disappointment over the present situation. India may join West to impose sanctions on SL Mangala Samaraweera in his capacity as Foreign Minister had informed President Mahinda Rajapakse that there was a widening chasm in Sri Lanka's relations with India and the only way of bridging the gap was by a show of clear support for the devolution of power and addressing the human rights issues. In a letter dated December 13, 2006, Samaraweera has in his capacity as Foreign Minister told the President it was clear from Rajapakse's meeting with the Indian Premier in November 2006 that Indian policy is dictated more and more by Tamil Nadu forces and that a realistic view must be taken of this situation. "We must be realistic to recognise that the Indian central government will not do anything to upset any of the southern states, especially Tamil Nadu, as those are the states that have put India on the world map through their technological and economic development in many fields. Even the latest assurance by Mrs. Sonia Gandhi to Karunanidhi about not supplying lethal weapons to Sri Lanka is indicative of this stance," Samaraweera wrote. Samaraweera has further pointed out that the only instrument Sri Lanka has to bridge the widening chasm was the clear support for devolution of power and some visible action with regard to human rights and humanitarian problems. "If we do not do that, it is quite possible that India may join other Western powers to bring international strictures and even embargoes on Sri Lanka. It is unrealistic to expect India to alienate Tamil Nadu as well as European countries in order to support the Sri Lanka government, especially if we have no clear policy of supporting devolution and preventing and investigating human rights allegations," Samaraweera wrote LTTE meets UNICEF rep to discuss Rock report LTTE Political Wing Leader S.P. Tamilselvan on Friday met with UNICEF country head, Joanna Van Gerpen at the LTTE Political Head Quarters to discuss on the report by UN Special Representative Allan Rock and follow up actions.Tamilselvan at the meeting invited the UNICEF to appoint a special representative to be in touch with the representative to be appointed by LTTE’s Child Protection Authority, to discuss on complaints of underage child recruitment and to take immediate action.Tamilselvan also promised to submit a work plan for close cooperation with UNICEF on all matters that come under the Security Council Resolution 1612. Gotabhaya vows not to get distracted by political chaos Troops are engaged in a major jungle operation aimed at weakening LTTE units operating in parts of the Batticaloa district. Specialised units operating north of Trincomalee-Horowpothana road are seeking to neutralise enemy units which are believed to be isolated due to growing security forces presence in the Batticaloa-Trincomalee region.The military launched the operation a few days ago, a senior military official said. "We are seeking to neutralise their presence in an area upto Yan Oya," he said. This would be pivotal to the overall military strategy, he said. Once troops establish control over the area where the current phase of ground operations are focused on, the military would have the opportunity to clear the Batticaloa basin of the LTTE.The Sunday Island learns that units which spearheaded the recent assault on the LTTE-held Vakarai region are engaged in the operation. The thrust would deny the LTTE (in the East) easy access to Mullaitivu, the military said. Impeding both overland and sea routes to and from the East would be critical to prevent the LTTE from replenishing its depleted arsenal in the East. The military believes at least 300 LTTE cadres had managed to escape through the circuitous jungle route as troops advanced on their Vakarai bases. The Vakarai region encompasses a large expanse of land north of Navalady Junction extending 50km to the Verugal River. Navalady Junction, held by the army is situated 34 kms North of Batticaloa town, on the Batticaloa-Colombo road. The region’s eastern boundary extends to the shores overlooking Bay of Bengal and the west lined by agricultural land and forests. Batticaloa-Trincomalee highway (A-15) passes through Vakarai.Immediately after the fall of Vakarai, the military declared that it would target LTTE units operating in the Thoppigala region.As part of the ongoing offensive action, troops late last week cleared three abandoned LTTE bases in the Kumuruppiddi area. Terrorists operating out of them targeted military traffic on both Trincomalee-Thiriyaya and Trincomalee-Anuradhapura roads Troops recovered a large number of Claymore mines, anti – personnel mines, RPGs, RPG bombs, 81mm base plate, generators, T 56 assault rifles, 60mm mortars and bombs, disposable RPGs, motor cycles and large quantities of ammunition abandoned by terrorists. The army and the navy also conducted a major clearing operation in the Kaddawan area. The military said that naval troops cleared two LTTE bases identified as Tango one and Baskaran in the Peraru jungles, north of Trincomalee. The two bases, abandoned before the SLN moved in are situated in the Nilaweli sector.Defence Secretary Colonel Gotabhaya Rajapakse yesterday emphasized the need to continue with the ongoing military action to prevent the LTTE from re-grouping in the north and east. Dismissing recent reports on a secret pact between President Mahinda Rajapakse’s government and the LTTE, the retired infantryman said that they were determined to go ahead with planned action against the LTTE.Rajapakse said that they won’t be distracted by unfair criticism. He ridiculed the perception that the military was moving into the East with the knowledge of the LTTE while allowing the group to run the north. "Absolute rubbish," he said. "See what is happening on the ground, not only in the East but the north as well. We are working to a plan and won’t be sidetracked by unfair criticism," he said. The architect of the government’s military action said that the LTTE was on the run. Had they any chance of holding onto Sampur or Vakarai, would they have been vacated, he asked. They abandoned their weapons including the big guns, explosives-laden boats and fled the region, he said. Since losing the battle for Mavilaru in the middle of last year they suffered a series of devastating defeats, he said, accusing the critics of seeking to give a lifeline to the enemy.The Defence Secretary urged the masses to rally around security forces and police. Petty politics, in fighting and insignificant disputes should not be allowed to impede the battle against terrorism. SLA intensifies attack on LTTE territory in Batticaloa Batticaloa district plunged into darkness due to interruption of electricity supply following a 15 minute heavy artillery and Multi Barrel Rocket Launcher (MBRL) barrage by the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) from Batticaloa Brigade camp and Mylambaveli SLA camp on Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) held territories , Saturday from 6:30 p.m., sources in Batticaloa said. SLA shells fell and exploded in Ayithiyamalai, Karadianary, Pankudaveli and other areas in the LTTE held territory.Most areas in Batticaloa district shook due to the barrage, and areas in Batticaloa district suffered loss of electricity supply.Casualties in the LTTE held areas were not available. President off to China on official visit Govt. seeks UN help to airlift supplies to Jaffna The government has once again sought UN help to send supplies to Jaffna. Human Rights and Disaster Management Minister Mahinda Samarasinghe has sent a new set of proposals to Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapakse that includes a request for the UN to "look into chartering a cargo plane to supplement government efforts in sending supplies to Jaffna." The proposals were first made by the Joint Assessment Team and were submitted by the Minister to the Defence Secretary on February 20 at the Consultative Committee on Humanitarian Assistance. However, the UN office in Colombo declined to comment on the development and said that the committee meetings were usually kept confidential. "Recommendations for improvement were made by the Joint Assessment Team on issues relating to essential supplies and services, health services, livelihood and movement of people," the Ministry however said in a press release. It was these recommendations that Samarasinghe has now forwarded to the Defence Secretary. The recommendations look at easing the food and medicine supply situation in Jaffna that has been without a land link since the closure of the A9 on August 11. The UN has been chartering several flights to move officials as well as supplies to Jaffna since air routes were reopened. An earlier attempt to move supplies to Jaffna by land as well as sea under UN cover did not materialise. A possible UN role came under discussion when the ICRC pulled out of accompanying ships to Jaffna last September when the Tigers declined to give security guarantees. The UN too said that it would seek security guarantees from all parties, including non-state actors if it were to play a significant role in the movement of food and supplies. The suggestion to involve the UN was also met with stiff criticism by the JVP, which said that such a move would internationalise what was in its view a domestic situation. The Consultative Committee on Humanitarian Assistance which is held fortnightly under the chairmanship of Minister Samarasinghe is represented by Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapakse, Commissioner General of Essential Services, Secretaries of the Foreign Affairs Ministry, Nation Building and Estate Infrastructure Development Ministry, Resettlement and Disaster Relief Services Ministry, Health and Nutrition Ministry, SCOPP, Chairman of the Co-Chairs and US Ambassador, Robert Blake, Resident Coordinator / Humanitarian Coordinator of the UN, Frederick Lyons, heads of UN agencies, ECHO and NGO representatives, the Ministry said. CID thrown open; top officers moved out What is easily the Police Department's most coveted arm, the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), is undergoing a complete purge.Officers at the higher echelons are all being moved out after a new decision that they should also serve in operational or war-torn areas. Until now, the CID has remained a closed unit and its senior officers were never transferred. This was on the basis that their appointees were handpicked personnel with good professional records and high integrity. However, the National Police Commission (NPC) has accepted a recommendation that senior officers in the CID too should serve terms outside the unit.Asoka Wijetilleke, presently DIG (CID) is expected to be moved out to Police Headquarters to be in charge of a newly created international unit. Upali Gunasekera, a newly promoted DIG is tipped to succeed him. Mr. Gunasekera was posted to the Trincomalee division as acting DIG and is currently serving in that capacity.Sisira Mendis, SSP who has served in the CID for more than 30 years and now its Director is to take over the Vavuniya Division. He is tipped to be succeeded by an old CID hand, SSP Nimal Kulatunga, who is now attached to the Sri Lanka High Commission in Canada. Three Assistant Superintendents of Police in the CID have already been transferred out. They are Mevan Silva (with 22 years service) to Talaimannar, Senaka Kumarasinghe to Vavuniya and N Wickremasinghe to Batticaloa. The CID is the equivalent of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in the United States and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in India. Former Indonesian general pleads guilty to arms trafficking A former Indonesian general has pleaded guilty for his role in arms trafficking.Erick Wotulo was caught in September during an undercover operation in Maryland targeting illegal arms dealers.He was one of six South Asian arms dealers who were accused of paying hundreds of thousands of dollars to ship high-tech weapons to rebels in Sri Lanka and the Indonesian Army.He pleaded guilty yesterday in Baltimore federal court to conspiracy to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization and money laundering.He is the third person to plead guilty in the case. 80 million-rupee luxury BMWs for new ministers Contrary to assurances that the new ministers in the super-size Cabinet of President Mahinda Rajapaksa will only be drawing their salaries as parliamentarians and not be given any perks, a scramble for luxury vehicles by the new ministers has begun.Early this week Treasury Secretary P. B. Jayasundera directed Director General Budget Sudharma Karunaratne to prepare a policy guideline circular on allocation of new vehicles.Dr. Jayasundera, said that only four applications had been received so far and they were being approved on a case by case basis and provisions provided for through miscellaneous votes as these expenses were not envisaged in the last budget.The Sunday Times however, learns that as many as 40 new luxury vehicles were likely to be ordered.Unconfirmed reports said the vehicles were bullet proof BMWs like the one that saved the life of Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapakse on December 1 and may cost about Rs. 80 million each.It is also learnt that while the Treasury is merely approving and providing financial allocations, the actual procurement of vehicles is being done by the presidential secretariat. SLA strips bare houses in Vaharai, Sampoor - MP Batticaloa District Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarian S. Jeyanandamoorthy charged Saturday that Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers are dismantling civilians homes and stripping them of furniture and equipments in the recently captured Vaharai area. The internally displaced people (IDPs) who fled Vaharai before the SLA entered the area, have been prevented from entering the area by the soldiers guarding the entry points, the parliamentarian said. Meanwhile, the refugees from Sampoor had complained that the roofs of their houses have also been removed by the SLA. The refugees from Vaharai fear that they will be forced to live as IDPs as the SLA was demanding the IDPs to register their details and acquire special identity cards for those who are above the age of 10, the MP said.The IDPs from Vaharai who had settled in various IDP camps in Batticaloa district, preferred to resettle in Vaharai and Kathiraveli as early as possible, rather than being forced to live in temporary camps, Mr. S. Jeyanandamoorthy said.The refugees have demanded the parliamentarians to inspect their houses and properties by undertaking a fact finding visit to Sampoor and Vaharai.The Batticaloa district parliamentarian dismissed the SLA claim that there were landmines in Vaharai and Kathiraveli."40 000 civilians were staying in this area until a few days ago. The people are only asking to let them visit the houses they fled a few hours before the SLA entered Vaharai."If there are any landmines, these were to be found in border areas, not in civilian populated areas," the MP said.While the Sri Lankan government in Colombo maintains that it will resettle Tamils back in Vaharai, there was no indication on the ground that this would take place, the IDPs have complained to TNA parliamentarians. Sri Lankan expatriate workers can now bring home the vehicle they used Sri Lanka government has now granted permission to the Sri Lankans who return from work in abroad to bring their used car to the homeland. Accordingly the expatriate workers will be allowed to import five years old cars if they have been used by them for a year's time. If the vehicle to be imported is five to ten years old, it should be one used by them for three years. However the vehicles need to be registered in the expatriate worker's name to be allowed for importation. Kalam says Lanka was told at 'high political levels' to work for a negotiated settlement of the ethnic issue Indian President APJ Abdul Kalam has told lawmakers as they assembled here for a three month long gruelling budget session here on Friday that Delhi stands committed to the line that Sri Lanka should find a negotiated political settlement for the ethnic issue in the island nation. The settlement should be acceptable to all sections of the country, he said.While making a broad review of India's foreign policy and relations with various countries, President touched upon the ethnic Tamil imbroglio which has become front page news in India in the context of recent seizure of Tigers' boats off Tamil Nadu coast.Kalam said India has conveyed 'at high political levels' to Sri Lankan leaders the need for a negotiated, political settlement to the ethnic issue that is acceptable to all sections of Sri Lankan society. Australia say SLankans won't be sent home if they face persecution Australia vowed Saturday not to send home a group of 85, mostly Sri Lankan boat people if it meant they would face persecution. The Australian government said the fate of the group, intercepted by a navy ship this week, was being discussed with both Jakarta and the tiny Pacific nation of Nauru, where Australia already has a immigration detention centre.But Canberra played down a report in the Sydney Morning Herald that it was seeking to have the group sent back to Sri Lanka via Indonesia, in a possible breach of international conventions."While the government is considering options, clearly no action would be taken which would breach our international obligations," Immigration Minister Kevin Andrews and Foreign Minister Alexander Downer said in a joint statement."Any suggestion that Australia would agree to an arrangement which would see refugees returned to a country where they face persecution is wrong." Australia has a strict policy of detention for asylum-seekers and the ministers said the group, all men, would not be taken to the Australian mainland.Instead, it said the men would be temporarily housed at Christmas Island, an Australian territory in the Indian Ocean, while they underwent health checks and the government decided what to do with them.Under Canberra's controversial "Pacific Solution", asylum seekers are sent to Australian-run detention centres on Nauru or Papua New Guinea's Manus Island in a bid to deter people-smugglers.The Nauru detention centre became the focus of global attention in 2001 when a boatload of Afghan refugees seeking asylum was offloaded on the Pacific island.Last September, Australia sent seven Myanmar asylum seekers to Nauru as it reactivated the centre, which had stood empty for some months after its last occupant, an Iraqi, went to Australia for medical treatment.Prime Minister John Howard said this week that Australia's hardline stance on asylum seekers had not changed and the country would continue to defend the integrity of its borders.No formal request for asylum has been made by the group intercepted by an Australian naval ship 50 nautical miles from Christmas Island on Tuesday but officials said this week that they expected the men to claim refugee status.Sri Lanka has been wracked by separatist violence for the past 35 years, with an upsurge in violence since December 2005 claiming nearly 4,000 lives. 24 February 2007 TNA appeals to international community to back Tamil self-determination Sri Lanka’s ongoing military campaign leaves Tamils with no option but to seek self-determination and self-rule, the country’s largest Tamil party said Friday. In a statement to mark the fifth anniversary of the Ceasefire Agreement between the LTTE and the Sri Lankan government, the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) called on the international community to recognise the Tamil struggle pointing out that in the past five years, “the Sri Lankan government has utterly failed to alleviate the sufferings of the Tamil people. Neither has it contributed meaningfully to a lasting solution to the national conflict.”The full text of the TNA statement, signed by Mavai S. Senathirajah on behalf of the TNA Parliamentary Group, follows: Sri Lanka’s military campaign leaves Tamils with no option but self-determination and self-rule Five years have lapsed since the signing of the Cease fire Agreement (CFA) between the Sri Lankan government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). In these five years, the Sri Lankan government has utterly failed to alleviate the sufferings of the Tamil people. Neither has it contributed meaningfully to a lasting solution to the national conflict. The SIHRN (Subcommittee on Immediate Humanitarian and Rehabilitation in the NorthEast ) formed to address the humanitarian crisis of the people in the Tamil homeland, the P-TOMS (Post-Tsunami management structure) and the two rounds of negotiations in 2006 between the LTTE and the government were rendered fiascos due to the intransigent and hardline position of the Sri Lankan state. Today, humanitarian and human rights conditions in the Northeast are deteriorating rapidly as the Sri Lankan government puts its trust on a military solution to this political conflict. Armed with draconian anti-terrorism laws, the Sri Lanka state has launched numerous military campaigns in the Northeast, resulting in the displacement of 213,000 Tamil people. In the same period, over 1561 civilians have been killed and 635 people have disappeared. Meanwhile the Sri Lankan state justifies these atrocities committed by its armed forces in the name of protecting its sovereignty.Although the Ceasefire Agreement came into effect with the strong support of the international community, the latter's selective engagement in the peace effort has had the effect of encouraging the Sri Lankan state in its pursuit of a military solution to the Tamil National question. The international community's unreflective insistence on 'a united Sri Lanka' and its unwillingness or failure to take concrete measures to exert pressure on the Sri Lankan state to abandon its aggression in its pursuit of the military option has contributed to rendering the CFA meaningless. The simultaneous international proscriptions of LTTE, imposed at the behest of the Sri Lankan Government, has also contributed to the resumption of the conflict.The Sri Lankan state’s nullifying of the Northeast merger, which was part of an international treaty, the Indo-Sri Lanka Accord, seriously calls into question the trustworthiness of the Sri Lankan state in future negotiations.In the face of the Sri Lankan state’s insistence on pursuing a military solution to the Tamil National question, the Tamil people are appealing to the international community to recognize their struggle for self determination and self-rule. Deaths under Ranil’s regime 130 while under Mahinda 4000----UNP in Parliament Laxman Kiriela, a UNP Parliamentarian, towithld the House speaking on the motion of condolence on TNA MP Raviraj, told the House that the number of deaths during the regime of Ranil was a meager number of 130 while it is 4000 under President Mahinda Rajapakse. He continued that Rani Wickremasinghe, who signed the CFA on behalf of the government of Sri Lanka, told the world that even if a single Parliamentarian was killed while the CFA is in force, he would resign from his post. True to his words, not a single Parliamentarian was killed during his tenure of office. Tamil political prisoners on hunger strike demand meeting with Justice Minister and Attorney General The Tamil political prisoners who are presently on a hunger strike either for their release or for an early trial demand meeting the Minister of Justice and the Attorney General to discuss their problems. Food provisions collected in Pondicherry for Lankan Tamils. Food provisions and other essential commodities are collected in Pondicherry to be dispatched to the Lankan Tamils through the Red Cross Society. This was launched on Wednesday Feb 21 by the Co-ordinating Committee led by I.Alagiri, Convenor of Lankan Tamil Welfare Federation and E.Rajesaekaran, the President of Chamber of Commerce. It was inaugurated by R.K.R.Anandaraman, an MLA of the Pattali Makkal Katchi. Representatives of MDMK, Periyar Dravidian Khalagham, Bagujana Samaja Katchie and others participated. Tamil Nadu CM gives Tiger warning The chief minister of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu has warned that stern action will be taken against people linked to Sri Lanka's Tamil Tigers. He said the warning applied to political leaders and individuals. The Tamil Tigers are banned in India, which designated them as terrorists after the murder of former Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi. He was killed by the Tamil Tigers in a suicide bombing while electioneering 15 years ago in Tamil Nadu. Armed struggle "Strict instructions had been issued not to show any lenience to those who are in nexus with the Tamil Tigers and try to supply arms to them," Chief Minister M Karunanidhi said. Traditionally, Mr Karunanidhi's Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam party is seen as sympathetic towards the struggle of Sri Lankan TamilsBut he stressed that his party's sympathy for Sri Lankan Tamils should not be seen as an approval for the Tamil Tigers' armed smuggle. The BBC's LR Jagadheesan in Madras says that security agencies have seized huge caches of arms, ammunition and bomb-making components at sea between Tamil Nadu and Sri Lanka. Indian security officials suspect the arms were meant for the Tigers, who are engaged in an armed struggle against the Sri Lankan army in pursuit of their demand for a separate state. Sri Lanka's Northern Province has a sizeable Tamil population and a strong Tamil Tiger presence. It is only separated from Tamil Nadu by a narrow stretch of sea. But following Mr Gandhi's death in 1991, the Tigers lost political clout and public sympathy in Tamil Nadu. Our correspondent says that they have been trying hard to regain public support and political patronage in the state, which has a population of more than 60 million people Stop toying with ethnic crisis, enough is enough—UNP MP tells Parliament Dr. Jayalath Jayawardene, UNP Parliamentarian, appealed to the government to stop toying with the ethnic crisis since the country has had enough of it. Instead the government must take meaningful steps. While addressing the Parliament on the debate on the Resettlement Authority Bill, Dr.Jayawardene pointed out that the number of displaced people has increased immensely after Rajapakse coming to power. The government must address its mind on how best displacement can be avoided in the country. It is by resolving the ethnic problem that we can put an end to displacement of Tamils, Muslims and Sinhalese in this country. Sri Lankan troops overrun three LTTE bases Sri Lankan security forces have overrun three LTTE bases in the island's restive Trincomalee district. The offensive coincided with the fifth anniversary of the ceasefire, which is now practically holding only on paper. Troops, backed by artillery, carried out a three-day operation to flush out guerrilla locations just north of Trincomalee on Friday, the Defence Ministry said. "The troops are still continuing their search and clearing operations to provide safety and security for the civilians and troops," the ministry said in a statement. Meanwhile, a pro-rebel website said that the troops were amassing heavy weapons along the de facto border in the island's north and there were long range attacks on Friday. The LTTE rebels on Thursday announced the virtual collapse of a 2002 truce arranged by Norway and said that military action by the island nation's government compelled them to achieve "statehood." The rebels said that the ceasefire was now virtually non-existent but stopped short of formally pulling out the truce. TN Police denies laxity Chennai, Feb 24: Under media criticism for "laxity" in taking action against LTTE supporters' activities and "intelligence failure", Tamil Nadu police has asserted that there was no let up by police in dealing with the issue.On a day on which Chief Minister M Karunanidhi warned of stern action against the leaders, who were found to have nexus with banned organisation, state DGP D Mukherjee told reporters yesterday that in the last two months, the police had arrested 41 people suspected to be involved in running supply chains to the Sri Lankan militants.Mukherjee also defended the recent blowing up of a boat, stuffed with 500 kg of explosives, seized by the Coast Gaurd as a joint decision after consultations with central agencies. "It was a joint decision. Permission was obtained from a court to blow it off in mid sea," he said. The DGP also referred to statistics since 1991 to show that the police had been keeping a surveillance on the coastal areas and was arresting people involved in smuggling."We are on the look out for a person, Kripakaran, who has been buying aluminium ingots from a small unit in Madurai. The person who was running the unit had been arrested along with 12 others," he said.The police had busted an aluminium unit in Madurai that was suspected to have supplied the LTTE with the ingots for Improvised Explosive Devices(IED's). The DGP also denied that there was any intelligence failure adding that arrests were being made on the basis of inputs from intelligence agencies. Australian Govt under fire over Sri Lankan asylum seekers plan Refugee groups have criticised the Federal Government for considering sending 85 men picked up in the Indian Ocean this week back to either Indonesia or Nauru. The men have been taken to Christmas Island for questioning and health checks. Immigration Minister Kevin Andrews says he expects the men will make a formal asylum claim there."The services that need to be available will be available to them like anybody else," he said.Mr Andrews says discussions with the respective governments are at a preliminary stage. He says if the men are returned to Indonesia it would be an Australian first but it would fit in with the Government's border control policy."People who apparently seek to unlawfully enter Australia, we will not allow them to enter mainland Australia and that's our policy in practice here," he said. "Secondly though we will abide by whatever international obligations we have and part of that is to ensure that they are not sent back to some country which they might face persecution."But the co-ordinator of the Refugee and Immigration Legal Centre in Melbourne, David Mann, says the situation is concerning."What here is being proposed is something extremely dubious and dangerous," he said."An exercise in human ping-pong, where these people could literally be sent back to a country, Indonesia, which is not a signatory to the refugees treaty, does not itself protect refugees, has a poor human rights record itself, and this is a matter of grave concern."The Australian navy took the men on board HMAS Success last Monday when it discovered their boat was sinking.The boat is unseaworthy and cannot be towed but will have to be moved because it is in an international shipping lane. 23 February 2007 LTTE rebels to resume 'freedom struggle' There was no reaction from the rebels, but a pro-rebel website said eight fishermen had gone missing in the same area where the navy said it sank the boats. Security forces also launched ground attacks against Tiger rebels Thursday as the guerrillas said thousands of civilians in the north fled their homes in fear of an upsurge of fighting. Military officials confirmed they were retaliating against rebel harassment, but said there was no major offensive in the region. The Liberation Tiger | ||
