Telo_Home

The Swiss Foreign Ministry has noted with regret the inability of the government and the LTTE to achieve tangible progress following talks in Geneva over the weekend.A statement from the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) noted that the talks between the Sri Lankan government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) on October 28 and 29 in Geneva did not achieve any tangible progress and that no decision was made as to further meetings between the conflicting parties.In its opening speech, Switzerland expressed the expectation that the talks would lead to an improvement of the civilian population’s humanitarian situation and to a new dynamism in the political peace process."These hopes were not fulfilled in this round of talks," the Swiss statement said.However, both sides did at least pledge to respect the ceasefire and not to carry out any military offensives. Switzerland expects these undertakings to be honoured. The DFA intends to continue its activities for the promotion of peace and of human rights in Sri Lanka, added the statement.

As the sound of artillery thunders in the distance, Samuel Vethanayagam warns of more grim tidings for Sri Lanka's isolated north after peace talks between the Tamil Tigers and government failed.The weekend dialogue in Geneva collapsed over the rebels' main demand that the government reopen a key highway to the Tamil-dominated northern Jaffna peninsula that was closed in August during a surge in fighting on the Indian Ocean island."If the government delays reopening the A-9 road, I tell you there will be riots ... more killings, violence and kidnappings," Vethnayagam, a retired land surveyor, said in the government-controlled town of Jaffna.The peninsula, which is cut off from the rest of the island by rebel lines, is a coveted strategic prize in the conflict between the government and Liberation Tigers of the Tamil Eelam (LTTE) -- who say they are fighting for a separate homeland for the country's minority Tamils.It has changed hands several times. The government took it from the rebels in 1995 and has held it since, but at the cost of hundreds of soldiers' lives. More than 40,000 troops are now stationed on the peninsula.Many of Jaffna's half-million Tamils complain of food, medicine and fuel shortages since the army shut the A-9, the nation's main north-south artery. The army says the rebels shell the road, making it unsafe.To Vethanayagam, who came from Colombo in August to visit his ancestral home in Jaffna and has been stuck there ever since due to the fighting, the talks in Geneva were a waste of time.

"Now the talks have ended without any benefit to anyone," the stocky 65-year-old said as army troops with AK-47s checked the identity cards of young Tamil men nearby.The government, which refused to open the highway during the talks in Geneva, is supplying the peninsula by sea and air.Vethanayagam, who has been displaced from his home twice due to fighting over the past 11 years, says it is not enough."The government is holding us like prisoners here ... I have no fear of war because we have faced war situations before, but never a scarcity of food like this."For weeks international aid agencies have been calling for easier movement for their workers and for supplies to the conflict areas in the east and north. They accuse both sides of blocking access to civilians caught up in the fighting.

"The government does not seem to understand the hardships the people of Jaffna are facing every day," said schoolteacher Saratha Selvakumar as she waited for a bus."We know that airlifting and shipping food for so many people will not be a success. Half the stuff goes to the (armed) forces," she said, adding that corruption meant the other half was not distributed properly by the fixed-price ration shops.Witnesses say residents must wait for seven to eight hours to receive their rations, often getting up before dawn.Prices of milk powder, rice, soap and sugar have more than trebled in private grocery stores after A-9 road was shut."Can the government supply all the requirements of Tamils by ship?" Vethanayagam asked. "That is totally impossible."

Serunuwara TNA Pradeshiya Sabha Member Gopala Krishnan Padmanathan was shot dead last morning by unidentified gunmen in the Serunuwara town. Eastern province DIG Rohan Abeywardene said the victim who was on his way to Seruvila town on a motorcycle was shot by two gunmen who had been following him. Seruvila police inquiring into the incident recovered 6 spent cartridges from the scene of the incident and recorded statements from 10 persons. The police said the PS member was under death threats by an unidentified group demanding his resignation from the post.

The long standing plan to build a monument for the Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF) in Sri Lanka got a fillip on Sunday, when President Mahinda Rajapaksa approved a design and fixed the location for it.The IPKF had served with distinction in the Tamil-speaking North-East of Sri Lanka between 1987 and 1990 following the India-Sri Lanka Accord. A top source in the Presidential Secretariat said that the monument would be located near the Sri Lankan parliament in the outskirts of Colombo.The architect for the monument is a Tamil.The IPKF was inducted into Sri Lanka at the request of the Sri Lankan government to implement the India-Sri Lanka Accord of July 1987. But in October 1987, the LTTE attacked the IPKF and in the prolonged military campaign which followed, 1,500 Indian officers and men were killed and more than 3,000 were wounded.

By 1988, the government of Sri Lanka had also fallen out with India and had entered into an alliance with the LTTE. In 1989, President R Premadasa gave an ultimatum to the IPKF to leave. The force left the island in March 1990. However, when the government of Sri Lanka and the LTTE fell out again, and a long and costly war ensued, many in Sri Lanka began to toy with the idea of winning back the goodwill of India.A former Associate Foreign Secretary K Godage proposed that a monument be erected for the IPKF because the force had tried its best to maintain the unity of Sri Lanka in the face of a terrorist challenge.Maj.Gen. Ashok Mehta, a former officer in the IPKF, had already erected a small monument at his headquarters in Batticaloa. He too called for a monument befitting the sacrifices made by the force.

In 2002, the government of Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe toyed with the idea of building a monument in Colombo or Trincomalee. The Indian government was also enthusiastic. But the plan fell by the wayside, only to be revived now by President Mahinda Rajapaksa in 2006. Rajapaksa’s move indicates his interest in getting close to India in the face of a serious military challenge from the LTTE. The Sri Lankan President also suspects that the LTTE is getting tacit support from the West, and that the latter can be contained by a greater Indian involvement in the Sri Lankan peace process.

In Colombo the apparent failure of the Geneva talks drew varied reactions from the country’s leading political parties, with the main Opposition UNP emphasizing the need to pursue a negotiated political settlement. Opposition UNP leader Ranil Wickremesinghe said the latest round of talks in Geneva created the background for negotiation on the final political solution though it ended with no breakthrough. Addressing representatives from the Indian civil society at his Cambridge Terrace office, Mr. Wickremesinghe said the LTTE had expressed hope about the possibility of the talks leading up to a final solution after concrete proposals were put forward with the southern consensus based on the MoU signed with the UNP.

TNA leader R. Sampanthan said the government should have shown greater flexibility with regard to granting humanitarian assistance to the Tamils.He said whatever the position of the conflict, humanitarian issues needed to be addressed, as they would prove fundamental to the process of confidence building and help take the peace process forward.Mr. Sampanthan expressed the hope that the talks would not reach a dead-end, as Norway had pledged to keep both parties at the table.In contrast JHU theoretician Paatali Champika Ranawaka said the Tigers had proved once again their reluctance to settle for a negotiated political settlement to the crisis.

Mr. Ranawaka said the Government had continuously been deceived by LTTE tactics, as in the latest round of Geneva talks. He said the LTTE attempted to re-open the A 9 highway using the latest round of talks as it had lost Rs. 3.5 million per month by way of tax after the closure of the road. Mr.Ranawaka insisted on wiping out terrorism in the East, particularly in Vakarai, to conduct provincial council elections.SLMC Chairman Basheer Segudawood said the collapse of the Geneva talks had raised fears among the public that war would break out.He called on the Government and the LTTE to ease such fears, and expressed optimism that Norway and the international community would bring both parties back to the negotiating table soon.

He asked the LTTE to assure security to ships currently transporting food to the people of the North. He also called on the government to consider reopening the A 9 highway on humanitarian grounds. When the JVP was asked for its response front liner Anura Kumara Dissanayake declined to comment saying the party was yet to receive confirmed information on the peace talks.He said he had only seen the media reports on the outcome of the talks, and as such could not comment. Repeated attempts by the Daily Mirror to contact several top rung JVP members failed, as they were out attending political rallies in the outstations, and had switched off their phones.

The LTTE delegates who took part at the Geneva talks are expected to return to Vanni forth-with. They don’t propose to proceed to Norway as scheduled earlier. A team of constitutional experts from foreign countries had been invited for consultations with the LTTE delegation in Norway. Following the failure of the talks without any progress, it was decided that they take off to Vanni immediately.Their departure from Geneva will be finalized in a day or two once their travel arrangements are finalized.

Ending a nearly seven-month-long vacation in London, former President Chandrika Kumaratunga returned to Sri Lanka early yesterday to appear in a court case against her but learnt that the Chief Justice had fallen ill and the case was postponed. The case has been filed by three lawyers accusing the former President of misusing privileges. In a visit that was kept under wraps, Ms. Kumaratunga headed to her brother Anura Bandaranaike’s Visumpaya residence straight from the airport and was about to leave for the Supreme Court when the news reached her, the Daily Mirror learns. At the airport, Ms. Kumaratunga reportedly said she was quite content to use normal arrival points instead of the VVIP lounge. But Airport Authority Vice Chairman Shalitha Wijesundara on hearing about Mrs. Kumaratunga’s arrival rushed to the scene and welcomed her at the VIP lounge. But Ms. Kumaratunga won’t be staying long. On Thursday, she will be leaving for Pakistan at the invitation of Pakistan Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz and will visit earthquake-hit areas in Kashmir. She is also scheduled to address an international conference in Pakistan. The former President who is now a senior UNESCO consultant on education in Asia, will then proceed to India where she will begin her new job.

The media freedom is under severe threat in Sri Lanka following the abductions and killings of journalists and attacks on media institutions.Sri Lanka is identified as one of the countries, where media freedom is violated. This is due to the recent attacks on journalists on Sri Lanka. The list of journalists that were killed in Sri Lanka seems to swell. Richard de Soyza in Moratuwa , Nimalarajan of Jaffna , Antony in Vavunya, Rohana Kumara in Borella , Ramesh Atputha Raja in Wellawette , K.S.Raja in Galle face, Kuga Murthy in Thimbrigasyaya, Navaratnam Sivaram near the Parliament, Cheliyan Perinpanayakam in Pandiruppu, Iyathurai Nadesan in Batticola, Bala Natarajah Iyar in wellawette , Suhirtha Rajan in Trincomalee and Sampath Lakmal in Galkilssa are some of the victim journalists. Media persons, particularly Tamil journalists had been killed in the recent past. There has been violence unleashed on Tamil media people and Tamil media establishment.

Killings, bomb attacks on media institutions, insults on media institutions, searches, biased allegations and threats have been the different types of violence on the Tamil journalists and the Tamil media institutions. Media must have the right to free expressions, to collect information and to be the vehicle to convey facts to the people. But, the big question is, is there such a congenial atmosphere in the country today?. It is the duty of the government to end the violence on journalsts and preserve the freedom of the press. Any infringement on the freedom of the press is detrimental to democracy in the country.

Chief Magistrate Harsha Setunge called for a report from the Probation Officer, before the two girls who got caught in the Asian Tsunami, and are now in a home for children could be released into the custody of their parents.Two Tamil girls from a Norwegian based rehabilitation camp situated in Batticaloa, had been brought to Kandy and one of them, a seventeen year old, is alleged to have been raped according to a medical report, while both had been held in solitary confinement on the third floor of a house on Peradeniya Road, Kandy. They were only let out to do menial work around the house which also housed three sisters of the suspects involved in the alleged rape who are supposed to have been teachers. One of the suspects was alleged to be a Human Rights Activist.

Earlier a ‘B report had been filed by Inspector R.A.P.Dharmaratne of the Kandy Police before the acting Magistrate, Kithsiri Seneviratne, who allowed the application by Inspector Dharmaratne to raid the premises on Peradeniya Road, a three storeyed building. The Police recovered ‘pornographic material from the second floor of the house where the suspects lived. It is reported that a suspect in the case used to show pornographic films to these girls, according to a statement given by the girls.During the raid, Inspector Dharmaratne, had found two girls, between the ages of 12 and 17 years, who had been brought from a Norwegian refugee camp in Batticaloa, under the pretext of sending them to school

On orders of the Acting Magistrate Seneviratne, they were examined by the Kandy Judicial Medical Officer, who reported that the seventeen year old girl had been raped. Thereafter the Acting Magistrate ordered that the girls be kept in a ‘Home’ at Lewella, until they were handed over to their parents.Two suspects Rajendran Manoharan Charles and Mohandas have been taken into custody while Charles was remanded. Further inquires are now being conducted by the Women’s and Children’s Bureau of the Kandy Police.

In a search operation launched by a police team from Kandy and the suburbs forty persons had been taken into custody on suspicion, Kandy SSP E.M. Guantillake said.Among those who were taken into custody some young men and women who had come to Kandy for various purposes form various parts of the country including the North and East.These suspects will be questioned in detail and those who fail to substantiate their reasons for coming to Kandy will be produced in courts.” Acting OIC Kandy police, Chief police Inspector Nipuna Dehigama said.

Civilian air traffic between Jaffna and Colombo suspended from August 11 this year due to intensified hostilities is to resume on a scaled down schedule beginning November 2.“We have planned to operate two flights a week for civilians,” an official from the EXPO Airlines office in Jaffna told the Daily Mirror yesterday.Prior to the suspension of civilian air traffic, in August, three airlines together operated two flights a day.The resumption of flights will also see revised airfares coming to effect, Rs.10,000 one way, up from the previous fare of Rs.7,000 and Rs.20,000 for the round trip, up from previous Rs.12, 000 the official explained.

Currency	Buying (Rs.)		Selling (Rs.)
US Dollar	106.33		108.19
Sterling Pound	201.25		205.91
Euro	134.75		138.28
Swiss Franc	84.49		87.30
Australian Dollar	81.20		83.89
Singapore Dollar	67.87		68.77
Japanese Yen	0.9017		0.9275
Country		Currency		Indicative Rate(RS.)

Bahrain	Dinar	284.67
Kuwait	Dinar	371.12
Oman	Rial	278.74
Qatar	Riyal	29.48
Saudi Arabian	Riyal	28.63
UAE	Dirham	29.22

Sri Lanka's peace talks collapsed after a failure by the warring parties to agree on a new meeting and fruitless wrangling over "humanitarian issues" during two days of negotiations in Geneva, diplomats said. Peace broker Norway said it hoped that the failure would not lead to full-scale war in Sri Lanka, where some 3,000 people have been killed in a fresh spiral of violence since the two parties met in Switzerland in February.Norway's International Development Minister Erik Solheim said representatives of the Sri Lankan government and the rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) were unable to agree on tackling humanitarian questions."I hope the parties will honour commitments to abide by the ceasefire," Solheim told AFP after announcing the failure to clinch an agreement on dates for a meeting in December and January to keep the peace process alive.

"I feel pained that we were not able to solve humanitarian issues that have been a key problem," Solheim said. "I hope the parties will live up to the commitments and keep up the process."The two sides pledged to uphold the crumbling truce agreement they reached in 2002. However, it has been widely violated in recent months and Scandinavian monitors in Sri Lanka say the ceasefire is valid only on paper."Both sides reiterated their commitment to the ceasefire agreement and promised not to launch any military offensives," Solheim said.He said Sri Lanka's key financial backers, including the United States, European Union and Japan will meet next month to review the latest setback in Sri Lanka's peace process."They will meet in November to decide how to deal with the current situation," Solheim said.

The Norwegian mediators had been aiming to reach a deal over new dates for two more rounds of face-to-face negotiations in December and January in the absence of other progress, diplomats close to the talks said earlier Sunday.The Tamil Tiger chief negotiator, S. P. Thamilselvan, had reported "zero" progress after the first day with government representatives, with no agreement on the rebels' priority demand.On Sunday, he likened the closure of a key highway in the north of the island to a "Berlin wall". Thamilselvan said the government refused to reopen the highway that links the Jaffna peninsula with the rest of the main island.Sri Lanka's chief negotiator Nimal Siripala de Silva said the Tigers were inflexible and refused to accept an alternative sea route to supply the Jaffna peninsula, where some half a million people live under virtual siege conditions."We hope the LTTE will give up its hard line and accept a softer approach," de Silva said.

Each side blames the other for the violence which has closed the highway.On Sunday, the LTTE also accused government forces of preparing for a fresh offensive in the area.The LTTE's military spokesman, Rasiah Ilanthiriyan, said in Geneva that government troops were preparing to launch a major offensive against rebel-held territory in Jaffna."There is a heavy troop build-up along the front lines at Muhamalai, Nagarkovil and Kilali," Ilanthiriyan told AFP. "This could have serious consequences for the entire peace process." He said both sides were exchanging artillery and mortar fire. The Sri Lankan military has accused the Tigers of launching long-range attacks against security forces in a bid to draw fire from them. Solheim urged the two sides to refrain from large-scale military action. Sri Lankan police and defence officials said early Sunday that at least five people were killed in clashes in the country.

A Sri Lankan government delegate, who declined to be named, said after the first day of talks that there was little scope for compromise with the rebels. The negotiator said: "The government delegation is not in a position to agree to the LTTE demands because of the military implications." Following earlier warnings from the international community, the Tigers now run the risk of greater isolation while the government could lose foreign aid. The conflict in Sri Lanka is Asia's longest and bloodiest separatist war, claiming over 60,000 lives since the LTTE launched its bid for Tamil independence in 1972.

Tissa Attanayake, General Secretary of the United National Party, John Amaratunge MP and former Cabinet Minister and Dunesh Gankanda MP and member of the Co-ordinating Committee of the International Branches of the UNP and the Chairman of Young UNP Professional Association, made a courtesy visit to Sri Saddatissa International Buddhist centre in North London on Saturday.They are in London to attend the annual general meeting of the UK branch of the United National Party. Head of the temple and Chief Sanghanayaka of Great Britain, Ven. Galayaye Piyadassi Nayaka Thera, MBE, welcomed the party that included several branch members from London. They attended the evening Pahan Puja programme.

UNP general secretary, Tissa Atthanayake said that there is a programme organised by the party to re-organise the international branches. This is one of the reasons that the party has decided to send a strong team from Colombo to attend the annual general meeting of the UNP UK branch. When asked about the memorandum of understanding signed recently between his party and the SLFP, Mr. Attanayake said that it was signed for six main reasons. "Under this, United National Party as a group has pledged and will assist the government in the parliament to bring about a lasting solution to the problems in the North and East of Sri Lanka, to uplift the nation, to bring about a justice to everyone in the island, introduce a common national education policy and implement it, improve the economy of the whole country and introduce a new suitable way of electing members to the parliament and government" are the six major objectives of the signing of the MOU , he said.

He categorically dismissed all rumours and stories spreading around that the post of the Prime Minister has been offered to the Deputy Leader of his party and possible cabinet posts for the UNP as "mischief making" and said that if a situation of that nature occurred, the final decision of accepting any such offers will be taken only by the executive committee and the parliamentary group of the party but no one else". he said.Mr. Attanayake also said that although the MOU is valid for two years " his party is ever ready to face a snap election and win it if such a thing is to happen"

Unknown attackers, believed to be paramilitary operatives, lobbed six grenades on Vanni district Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarian Sivanathan Kishore's house located in Rambaikulam, 1 km east of Sri Lanka Army controlled Vavuniya Sunday around 10:00 p.m. The parliamentarian who was at his house narrowly escaped from the attack.The MPs house was attacked. A policeman providing security to the parliamentarian was wounded.Police said they recovered two unexploded grenades. Sivanathan Kishore who was the city coroner and a social worker, earlier worked as the head of the Vavuniya branch of the Sri Lanka Red Cross Society (SLRC) before becoming parliamentarian. He was arrested and detained by the Sri Lanka Army in 1999.

Sri Lankan peace talks under way

Sri Lanka's government and Tamil Tiger rebels have begun talks in Geneva in an effort to avert a slide back into war. Violence between the two sides has soared - since July 372 security force members, 128 civilians and many rebels have died, the government says. Correspondents say expectations from the talks are close to zero. The best scenario, many believe, is that the two sides agree on another date for another round of negotiations. The talks are the first time the two sides have met in eight months. On the eve of the talks, the rebels said the road linking northern Jaffna peninsula with the rest of the country should be opened to facilitate further negotiations. Spokesman Daya Master told the Associated Press news agency that the rebels would not agree to any future meetings with the government if the demand was not met. The road leading to the government-controlled city of Jaffna was closed in early August after fierce fighting broke out between the two sides. The BBC's Dumeetha Luthra in Colombo says if talks fail diplomats believe it is almost inevitable that Sri Lanka will return to all-out war.

Seasoned observers say neither party is sincere in wanting to resume negotiations and that the Geneva meeting is essentially a result of intense international pressure. The last round of discussions was in Geneva in February. Two subsequent attempts at talks failed, most recently in June. Since then the international landscape has changed significantly for both sides, our correspondent says. The rebels have been blacklisted as a terrorist organisation by the European Union and Canada. The government, meanwhile, is concerned about losing its international credibility. Both parties have been criticised for human rights abuses, while, on the military front, both have suffered reversals of fortune.

While all eyes are on the Geneva talks the TNA yesterday accused the government of launching a virtual scorched earth policy against the Tamil people, leaving some 1,000 Tamil civilians dead and more than 4,000 injured during the past few months.In a letter to the United Nations Human Rights High Commissioner Palais Wilson, the TNA said expressed grave concern over the alleged disregard of civilians during military operations by security forces, extra judicial killings and the blocking of access to NGOs.“The military operations by security forces in the north and east have been conducted with callous disregard for the safety and the security of Tamil civilian life and property. “Since December 2005 the number of Tamil-speaking civilians killed thus far this year by such military operations exceeds 1,000 and the number of Tamil civilians grievously injured, mostly maimed exceeds 4,000, according to local human rights groups and bodies,” the TNA said.It accused the government of executing a ‘scorched earth’ policy, which causes immense destruction that deters civilians from returning to their habitations.

The TNA said many Tamils including a parliamentarian, ex parliamentarians, members of the clergy, leading businessmen, journalists, civil society activists, aid workers employed by International and domestic non governmental organizations, students / children, civilians seeking refuge in places of worship and other civilians have been targeted and killed by members of the armed forces and military-backed paramilitary groups. In a separate letter to the LTTE, the TNA noted that the humanitarian situation in Jaffna has reached critical levels since the closure of the A9 highway and appealed to the Tigers to take-up the opening of this highway as a matter of top priority at the Geneva talks. The TNA said Jaffna requires 11,000 metric tons of food supplies per month but for the last three months only 14,000 metric tons of food items had been sent by ship, a short fall of 19,000 metric tons. “As you will appreciate, this is a most unsatisfactory state of affairs. The civilian population has reached breaking point. As the delegation that has been entrusted with the immense responsibility of negotiating on behalf of the entire Tamil nation, we bring these matters to your urgent attention.We expect your delegation to give priority to the humanitarian crisis facing the Tamil population in the North-East, the situation in Jaffna being the most severe,” the TNA said.

Sri Lanka is studying the Indian system of devolution of power to local self governments and involving people in decision making to find a solution to the ethnic conflict there. A 13-member all-party parliamentary delegation from Sri Lanka that is here to study the Indian Panchayati Raj system on Friday had a long interaction with the Union Panchayati Raj Minister Mani Shankar Aiyar to understand decentralisation. "We are studying devolution of power here and have been mandated to come out with some framework that could be the basis of our talks with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam and could form the basis of the new Constitution," Sri Lanka's Science and Technology Minister Tissa Vitarana said told reporters after the meeting. "Devolution of power can play an important role and could be the cornerstone in any strategy leading to resolving the ethnic conflict in our country," he added. There were elected urban and municipal councils in Sri Lanka but it was generally felt that they were not serving the purpose. "Our aim is to provide economic and social benefits to the people at the village level,"

Mr. Vitarana said. "The Government is trying to seek a consensus on the issue of devolution of power to the people." The delegation will visit Karnataka and Kerala to study the situation on the ground. According to Mr. Aiyar the request for such an interaction had been made by the Sri Lankan President last month. "It is a historic event and we are honoured to have this All Party Expert Committee on Devolution of Power here but how they implement it in their country within their Constitutional framework is totally up to them. We are not advocating anything and we have no role to play in its implementation," he added. This follows an agreement between the Sri Lankan Freedom Party and the United National Party to work together towards resolving the conflict in the country. The agreement was made a few days ago.

President Mahinda Rajapaksa and Opposition UNP leader Ranil Wickremesinghe yesterday held one to one talks on the premiership and the possibility of offering the UNP 18 to 25 cabinet portfolios.At the Temple Trees meeting, the two leaders also agreed to appoint the proposed High Level Committee headed by the two to implement the SLFP-UNP MoU. The committee comprising four members from each party is scheduled to meet next week.The meeting also emphasised on matters pertaining to good governance and broad-basing and monitoring the state media. The two leaders are expected to meet again next week to finalize matters.The historic signing of the MoU between the two parties took place last Monday to work in consensus on four areas- the resolution of the North-East conflict, electoral reforms, good governance and social development. The leaders will brief their respective parties before reaching any finality on these issues. The UNP has also pledged its fullest support to the forthcoming budget to be presented next month.

MR wants shipping fleet

The government is likely to explore the possibility of acquiring several ships to move supplies to the Jaffna peninsula. Since the closure of Muhamalai entry/exit point on August 11 following an abortive bid to overrun the army frontline from Kilaly extending upto Nagarkovil, essential supplies are either transported by sea or air.President Mahinda Rajapakse asked Shipping Minister Mangala Samaraweera to acquire the required vessels at a meeting held at Temple Trees to review the progress at the ministry. It was revealed that some 18,000 Sri Lankans employed by international shipping agencies remit US $ 80 million annually.

The Newspaper Society unreservedly condemns the recent restriction placed on the distribution of the Tamil language newspapers in the East of the country, by an armed group of persons.The illegal seizure of 20,000 copies of the Virakesari and the subsequent burning of these newspapers is a stark reminder how easily one jack boot can replace another.The right to information and the availability of diverse opinions is a fundamental tenet of Democracy. More; it is an inherent right of all those who live in a free society.This incident is the most recent of earlier attacks on journalists and newspaper offices both in the North and in Colombo. Any government wedded to democracy which allows such acts to be committed with impunity, imperils its own image.A statement issued by the Presidential Secretariat earlier this week, re iterates, inter alia, that the President and the Government of Sri Lanka is committed to ensuring the freedom and safety of the media in Sri LankaThe Virakesari group is a member of the Newspaper Society. The escalating violence against media, we feel, now merits the personal concern of His Excellency the President.

A delegation of the International Press Freedom and Freedom of Expression mission during a visit to Sri Lanka met government spokesman Keheliya Rambukwella and handed over a letter from International Federation of Journalist’s president Christopher Warren giving details of journalists killed during the past two years.The minister assured the delegation he would look into each of the cases mentioned.

"Let me first of all express the sincere regret of the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and our condolences to those families who have suffered loss as a result of the attacks over the past few months. You will recall that on October 10 you met a delegation representing the International Press Freedom and Freedom of Expression Mission, including the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), which had come to Sri Lanka to assess the press freedom environment in the country. During this meeting you were enjoined to give assurances about the investigation of a number of deaths of media workers.

The IFJ, along with the delegation and its sponsors, welcomed your pledge on that day that you would see to it that all cases would be fully investigated and that progress reports would be made available on a regular basis. As your information on the number of deaths and the circumstances leading to the killings do not match those held by civil society we take this opportunity to furnish the relevant details. “ In 2005, Darmaratnam Sivaram was slain on April 29 and his body was found near the parliamentary complex withing a high security zone. On August 12 the same year, Relangi Selvarajah and her husband were shot dead by unknown gunmen in Bambalapitiya. Subramaniyam Sugirdharajan a Trincomalee journalist was shot dead on January 24 this year. Suresh Kumar and Ranjith Kumar were killed on May 3, as journalists gathered in Colombo to celebrate Press Freedom Day this year.On July 2 this year, freelance journalist Sampath Lakmal de Silva was shot dead by an unknown group. On August 1, newspaper vendor Mariathas Manojanraj was killed by a mine that was set off in Jaffna.Sathasivam Baskaran was gunned down while delivering copies of the Uthayan newspaper in the North.On August 21, Sinnathamby Sivamaharajah, managing director of the Jaffna based Tamil-language Namathu Eelanadu newspaper, was shot dead in Vellippalai.

"Don’t shoot the messenger because you don’t like the message" — British High Commissioner Dominick Chilcott told the Tourism Industry last week. He was referring to local criticism of the British Government’s Travel Advisory as the cause of Sri Lanka Tourism Industry’s current difficulties.High Commissioner Chilcott was chief guest at the 8th Annual Chairmen’s Black Tie Dinner of the HCIMA Sri Lanka chapter at Trans Asia Hotel.Commenting on a newspaper report, the High Commissioner said that a Japanese or an Australian tourist spends in Sri Lanka, on an average, more than 100 dollars each day. "But think how much more valuable foreign exchange could be generated if only there were peace.""The beauty of the tourism industry is that the economic benefits are felt immediately by ordinary people and tourism is a virile creator of jobs and livelihoods," he said.

"In Sri Lanka tourists, given a half a chance, would like to go to all parts of the country so those economic benefits would not be confined to one part of the country only", he said.Speaking on the travel advisory, he said it was evidence-based. When the situation changed on the ground, for better or worse, so does the advisory."It would be a mistake to see our travel advisory as the cause of the tourist industry’s problems in Sri Lanka. Don’t shoot the messenger just because you don’t like the message".The British High Commissioner, lauding the service rendered by the HCIMA Sri Lanka Chapter said: "You are certainly not resting on your laurels. Your mission is to continue to strive to attain in Sri Lanka the highest professional standards of management in the internationally competitive hospitality industry." He added "Your vision is to engage as the leading professional body in Sri Lanka devoted to the development of management excellence in the hospitality industry."

Chairman, HCIMA Sri Lanka Chapter Anura Lokuhetty said "Attracting the correct people to the industry to introduce professionalism is an absolute necessity".Volatility of the industry had also made it difficult to attract people with enthusiasm and one suggestion to overcome the problem was to introduce tourism related subjects into the education system at the A/Level examination, leading to a degree program, with theory component taught over two years and an internship for another two years in the industry, he said.Although we have a current degree program affiliated to the Rajarata University, unfortunately, the curriculum is taught in Sinhala medium and its not a demand driven curriculum he explained.Lokuhetty said "Recently I was able to bring this to the notice of Tourism Minister Anura Bandaranaike in the presence of the Tourist Board Chairman Udaya Nanayakkara, that introducing tourism related subjects in the A/Level curriculum, similar to Commerce, Biology and Maths streams, would be beneficial".

Even three weeks into the Muhamalai debacle, as to what went wrong in Muhamalai is something many find difficult to comprehend. The latest about the tragedy is that Army Commander Sarath Fonseka has admitted responsibility for the fiasco.It is learnt, that on behalf of Lieutenant General Fonseka, Military Spokesman Brigadier Prasad Samarasinghe had in a letter to a Sinhala daily newspaper stated that as the Commander of the Sri Lanka Army he is taking the responsibilities on the Muhamalai operation and at the same time he mentioned that two officers, General Officer Commanding (GOC) of the 53 Divisions Brigadier Samantha Suriyabandara and Air Mobile Brigade Commander Lieutenant Colonel Shavindra Silva are not responsible for the operation.The letter had come in response to an article in the newspaper whereby a writer had accused Brigadier Suriyabandara and Colonel Silva as being responsible for the debacle.The letter also stated that all the relevant authorities including Chief of Defence Staff Donald Perera also knew about the military operation in Muhamalai Meanwhile, Brig. Srinath Rajapaksa, who was on medical leave for several months had taken over duties as the GOC of the 53 division early this week. Brigadier Samantha Suriyabandara, who is now in Colombo, held the post in a temporary capacity in his absence.

In what could be the last, best hope for averting all-out war, the government of this island nation and the rebel Tamil Tigers are due to sit down today for their first face-to-face talks in months over one of Asia's most intractable conflicts.Both sides have been stung by heavy losses and international criticism in recent weeks, following a surge in combat that has left hundreds of people dead and thousands more refugees in their own country, forced to flee homes and livelihoods to avoid getting caught in the crossfire.In such a charged atmosphere, no one is predicting that any substantive advances will be made at the negotiating table. But so fierce has been the fighting that getting the two longtime adversaries to meet today and Sunday in Geneva is being trumpeted as achievement enough.The violence threatens to engulf the whole of this teardrop-shaped island, spilling over from the north and east, where the fighting had, until recently, mostly been confined and where the highly armed, highly motivated rebels want to establish an independent homeland for Sri Lanka's ethnic-minority Tamils.

Chief of Staff of the Sri Lanka Navy Rear Admiral Sarath Weerasekera will retire from the Navy tomorrow October 29 on reaching the age of 55.The Ministry has approved the retirement of Rear Admiral Weerasekera, who is also the Director General of the Homeguard Force. However Rear Admiral Weerasekera will continue in his position as the Director General of the 35,000 strong Homeguard Force as President Mahinda Rajapaksa has decided to allow him to stay the post. Since the appointment as the DG -Homeguards, Rear Admiral Weerasekera had taken several steps to increase the training capacity of the Home Guards. He also recruited several thousands of new personnel into the force and they were expected to be deployed in LTTE threatned villagers in North and East.

The Homeguard unit, which had been a part of the Police Department was designated as a separate force by President Rajapaksa who appointed Rear Admiral Weerasekera as the head of the new force. Following the retirement of Rear Admiral Weerasekera, the next in line for the post of Chief Of Staff of the Navy, are Rear Admiral D.N. Thuduwewatta – Commandant of the Kotalawela Defence Academy and Rear Admiral Wasantha Tennakoon – Director General Service.Having joined the Navy in 1971, Weerasekera rose to Rear Admiral Rank on January 1, 2001. He held several important positions in the Navy, including Deputy Chief of Staff and Director General (Service) Naval Headquarters and Commander of Northern, Eastern and Southern naval areas.An old boy of Ananda College Colombo, Weerasekera followed several overseas courses in India, USA, and Hawaii.Weerasekera was the Commander Northern Naval Area when the MoU was signed between the government and the LTTE in February 2001. He was instrumental in convincing the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM)of the need to ban the LTTE from entering Mandathivu Island. This Island is still a Restricted Zone and this is very vital to Northern Naval Area Security.

Lankan navy opens fire at Tamilnadu fishermen near Katchaithevu---Vaiko wires Indian Premier

Vaiko, MDMK Gneral Secretary has brought to the notice of Dr.Manmoham Singhe,Indian Prime Minister that the Tamil Nadu fishermen were shot at, by the Lankan navy near Katchaithevu while they were engaged in fishing. Vaiko, in his telegram to the Indian PM, stated that the victims of these unwarranted attacks by the Sri Lankan navy are fishermen from Rameswaram. He has stated that due to this attack by the Lankan navy more than 3000 fishermen of the Tamil Nadu coast are in a state of fear and they are reluctant to go fishing to earn their living. Such attacks are regularly unleashed on the Tamil Nadu fishermen by the Sri Lankan navy.

Army Commander Sarath Fonseka appointed Major General Sanath Karunaratne as the General office Command (GOC) of the army II division in Panagoda with effect from last Wednesday.Earlier he was ordered to take over the duties as the Commander of the Eastern range, but at the eleventh hour he had changed the decision and appointed Maj. Gen. Karunaratne as the head the II Division, which covers a large area of the country.The Daily Mirror learns that the change has been made following a request made by Major General Karunaratne himself from the Army Commander.Major General Karunaratne was the General office Command (GOC) of the army 55 division in Muhamalai and his transfer was decided upon in September, days before the debacle in Muhamalai which saw the death of more than 100 soldiers.With the new appointment, the current GOC of the II Division Major General Sumith Balasuriya has been appointed as the Director General Budget and Financial Management of the Army Headquarters. Eastern Commander Major General Nissanka Wijesuriya will remain in his position. The former army spokesman, Major General Karunaratne as a battalion commander has defended the Elephant Pass garrison in 1991 with the 6th battalion Sri Lanka Sinha Regiment.He was also Director - Operations and Logistics for the Secretariat for Co-ordinating the Peace Process (SCOPP) from May 20, 2004 to May 12, 2005 and also led the 55 infantry division in the capacity of GOC to defeat the LTTE when it tried to overrun the defences in Kilali – Muhamalai and Nagarakovil in August this year.

The Karuna Group has abducted between 300 and 900 children — some as young as 12 — since March, The Times newspaper reported this week, quoting international and local aid workers in Sri Lanka. The paramilitary group’s “escalating activity has emerged as a key factor behind the upsurge in violence that has killed more than 2,000 people this year and left a 2002 ceasefire agreement in tatters,” the British newspaper said.The Times spoke to residents and aid workers in Sri Lanka’s restive Batticaloa district.“Karuna is implicating the Government in the kidnap and exploitation of hundreds of children, according to aid workers, truce monitors, witnesses and relatives,” the paper said. “There is some sort of complicity by the Government in what is happening to children here,” one aid worker who asked not to be identified told The Times.“Most people feel there is no difference between the Government and Karuna.”

Batticaloa residents and Norwegian-led truce monitors told The Times that they regularly see Karuna members — armed and in black uniforms or civilian dress — working alongside troops and police.They say that government forces allow Karuna to transport children through dozens of checkpoints on the way to a training camp near the town of Welikande.“Karuna’s political wing, the TMVP, has opened several offices around eastern Sri Lanka recently, many beside military camps,” the paper reported.The paper spoke to five Tamil mothers who told similar stories about their sons being seized and forced to work as soldiers or labourers for the Karuna Group. “None reported the abductions to the police for fear of retribution,” the paper said.Analysts the paper spoke to cited the Karuna Group as one of the main obstacles to a negotiated settlement to Sri Lanka’s long-running conflict.The paper quoted analysts as saying that Karuna is at the heart of the Sri Lankan government’s strategy to divide and conquer the Tigers by exploiting tensions between northern and eastern Tamils.The Times, whose editorials are strongly critical of the Liberation Tigers’ armed struggle, also spoke to E. Prethip, an official in the TMVP’s Batticaloa office, who denied recruiting minors and blamed the Tigers.

Floods, landslides and water logging due to heavy rain during the last few days have displaced more than 60,000 people all over the country. The Kalutara District has taken the brunt of the impact of rains with over 25,000 people displaced by yesterday (27).Six persons had died, two at Kuruwita in the Ratnapura District, and two at Yakkala in the Gamapaha Distict. One person died at Mahawa and another at Neluwa. The Social Service Ministry has paid Rs.15,000 to each of the families of the deceased, official sources said.About 150 houses were destroyed or severely damaged in the floods, strong winds and lightening. The Kaluganga and Kelani Ganga had reached their spill level by yesterday and the tributaries of the two rivers had overflowed.

Houses in low lying areas of Wattala, Kelaniya, Gamapaha, Attanagalla, Palindanuwara, Bulathsinghala, Panadura, Wadduwa, Moratuwa, Boralesgamuwa, Bandaragama and Polgasowita are under water and some of the roads in these areas were impassable yesterday.Landslides were reported from Bandaragama, Wewessa, Kuruwita, Meneripitiya and Mawaththenna. A landslide on Kandy-Nuwara Eliya highway halted the movement of traffic to the Welimada and Kandy roads.Minister for Disaster Relief Ameer Ali directed officials to provide immediate relief to those in distress and 3.9 million rupees was released to District Secretaries for emergency relief assistance, Ministry officials said.The Divisional Secretary Ja-Ela has warned people living near the Ja-Ela river to leave the area as the flood prevention dam along the river is likely to breach due to the pressure of the overflow from the river.

TNA urges LTTE to prioritize opening of A9, warns humanitarian catastrophe in Jaffna

Tamil National Alliance (TNA) in an urgent letter to the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) Thursday, noting that the humanitarian situation in Jaffna has reached critical levels since the closure of the A9 highway, appealed the Tigers to take-up the opening of the A9 highway as a matter of top priority at the forthcoming talks in Geneva. Sri Lanka Army conrolled Jaffna, with 653,755 persons, requires 11,000 Metric tons of food supplies per month. For the last three months, only 14,000 Metric tons of food items had been sent by ship, the short fall is 19,000 Metric tons. The fuel that is currently available is grossly inadequate. NGOs and INGOs are being prevented from functioning. More than 100,000 fishermen are badly affected by total ban on fishing. 22% of the population have become IDPs, the TNA appeal to the LTTE noted.

Full text of Tamil National Alliance Parliamentary Group's letter to the LTTE follows:

Tamil National Alliance Parliamentary Group,
Parliamentary Complex,
Sri Jayawardanepura,
Kotte.

Mr. S. P. Thamilselvan,
Head of Political Section,
Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam,
Kilinochchi.

The Jaffna peninsula is a humanitarian catastrophe waiting to happen. Since the closure of the A9 highway, which is the only land route that links the Jaffna peninsula with the rest of the island, the humanitarian situation has reached critical levels. Due to the inability to bring in goods to sell, traders have been very badly affected. Due to the total ban on fishing, the fisher folk have been made destitute. Business has come to a virtual stand-still. Due to the severe restrictions imposed by the GOSL Armed Forces and the unavailability of farming products, farming has also virtually ceased. All in all, the GOSL has made the entire Jaffna District civilian population completely aid dependant. Having done so, the GOSL is also preventing the necessary aid from reaching the affected people. NGOs and INGOs are being prevented from functioning. Further, the essential rations for the very survival of the population are being severely restricted.

The total population of the Jaffna peninsula is 653,755 persons, 188,266 families. The number of families below the poverty line is 125,465 consisting of 431,516 persons. Out of this only 53, 615 families, consisting of 125,675 persons are the recipients of free dry rations from the GOSL. The number of families dependant entirely on fishing is 17,000, consisting of 100,000 persons. At present fishing is totally banned by the GOSL. Yet none of these families are being provided any assistance from the GOSL. The number of internally displaced families is 42,000.Total food requirement for the Jaffna peninsula per month is 11,000 Metric Tons, including 8,000 Metric tons of essential food items. For the last three months only 14,000 Metric tons of food items had been sent by ship, the short fall is 19,000 Metric tons.

Fuel requirement per month:
a. Kerosene – 1,500,000 Litres
b. Petrol – 800,000 Litres
c. Diesel – 3,298,000 Litres

However the fuel that is currently available is grossly inadequate. The official figures are being withheld by the GOSL.Due to the severe shortage of all conceivable items in the Jaffna peninsula, families are forced to stand in cues that stretch for miles on end. The cues start forming as early as 4am in the morning. Even children are compelled to take turns in the cues and as a result are not attending schools. The prices of goods have reached unaffordable levels.As you will appreciate, this is a most unsatisfactory state of affairs. The civilian population has reached breaking point. As the delegation that has been entrusted the immense responsibility of negotiating on behalf of the entire Tamil Nation, we bring these matters to your urgent attention. We expect your delegation to give priority to the humanitarian crisis facing the Tamil population in the North-East, the situation in Jaffna being the most severe. You will also appreciate that most of the suffering that the people in Jaffna are undergoing is primarily due to the closure of the A9 highway. The opening of the highway has been provided for in the Ceasefire Agreement itself. Therefore we strongly appeal to you take-up the opening the A9 highway as a matter of top priority at the forth coming talks with the GOSL in Geneva.

Delegates arrive in Geneva

Government and LTTE negotiators have arrived in Switzerland for talks to be held at the weekend.The government team for Geneva will be headed by the Health Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva. The delegation includes ministers Nimal Siripala de Silva, Jeyaraj Fernandopulle, Ferial Ashraff, Rohitha Bogollagama, Peace Secretariat Head Palitha Kohona, Gomin Dayasiri and former IGP Chandra Fernando.The four man team headed by the Tigers' political chief Suppiah Thamilselvan, indludes S P Tamilselvan, P Nadesan, R Illantherian and N Pulithevan.

The resumption of talks presents an opportunity for both sides to endorse measures that will ensure greater civilian protection and end the rampant and widespread abuses of human rights in the country, Human Rights Watch said on Thursday.In letters sent to Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse and to LTTE political head S.P. Tamilselvan, Human Rights Watch expressed its deep concern for the ongoing human rights abuses and violations of international humanitarian law.Human Rights Watch called on the Sri Lankan government and the LTTE, regardless of how the talks in Geneva develop, to institute concrete measures to protect civilians.

The BJP's Tamil Nadu unit today alleged that the Indian government was providing military aid to Sri Lanka and urged the Centre to stop it immediately as it would be "used only against Tamils in the island." "Sri Lanka has no enemies in its neighbourhood. Hence, the weapons given to it will be used only against Tamils in the island and fishermen belonging to Tamil Nadu," state BJP president L Ganesan told reporters here.Welcoming the negotiations between the Sri Lankan government and the LTTE, he said "both parties had in the past used the time to make preparations for war. The Sri Lankan government had never honoured any of the previous agreements with the Tamils." India had a responsibility in the Lankan issue, as thousands of refugees were coming from the island to Tamil Nadu. The BJP would send a team to the refugee camps to study the refugees' condition and submit a report to the party's state leadership, he said. The BJP leader alleged that police had refused permission for the party to stage demonstrations to protest "rigging and violence" during the Chennai Corporation elections. "I do not think police are acting independently. Suppression of expression in a democracy is not good. It will cause a blot on the state government," he said.

Suspected Tamil Tiger insurgents hurled grenades into a Hindu temple compound in eastern Sri Lanka on Thursday, wounding nine members of a rival Tamil rebel faction, police said. The violence came ahead of weekend peace talks in Geneva between the Tigers and government on how to salvage a 2002 cease-fire that has virtually collapsed amid a major surge in fighting. The mainstream rebels accuses the military of backing the rival Tamil rebel faction. The military denies the charge. The attack took place shortly after midnight in the eastern district of Batticaloa, said military spokesman Brig. Prasad Samarasinghe. He said mainstream Tigers had carried out the raid against members of the splinter group. ``The victims were sleeping in the open in the compound of the temple when two hand grenades were hurled at them,'' said Senior Superintendent of Police Maxi Proctor. The breakaway rebel faction has an office complex about 50 meters (165 feet) from the Hindu temple, where the victims were resting after apparently deeming it a safe haven. Proctor said the wounded were admitted to a Batticaloa hospital.

The Tigers could not immediately be reached for comment on the attack. The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam or LTTE rebels, campaigning for a separate Tamil homeland, split in 2004 when a powerful Tiger leader from the east, known as Karuna, broke away from the northern-based mainstream group. He took about 6,000 fighters with him. The mainstream Tigers have mostly suppressed the uprising and have vowed to crush Karuna's faction, but it remains active in the east. Also Thursday, a human rights group urged the government and Tigers to address civilian safety and human rights in the coming talks. The escalation in abuses show ``the urgent need for the Sri Lankan government and the LTTE to abide by international law, hold accountable those responsible for abuses, and support international human rights monitors on the ground,'' Brad Adams, Asia director of the New York-based Human Rights Watch, wrote to Sri Lanka's President Mahinda Rajapakse and rebels' political wing chief Suppiah Thamilselvan. Hong Kong-based Asian Human Rights Commission reported last month that at least 400 ethnic Tamil youth have been abducted since December, all from Sri Lanka's embattled northern Jaffna peninsula.

Gunboats of Sea Tigers and Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) clashed for 5-hours in the Kilaly bay Thursday morning from 3:30 a.m. to 8:30. A Sri Lankan naval source that did not wish to be identified said their gunboats off Kerathivu had mistaken Sea Tiger patrol vessels in Sangupitty area as an LTTE attempt to launch an attack on Jaffna. LTTE vessels alleged to have set off from Pooneryn Munai via Sangupitty jetty area toward the Kilaly bay, were observed by Keratheevu naval troops who began the attack on the Sea Tigers.The Sri Lanka Army (SLA), based in Gurunagar, Pasaiyoor, Ariyalai east, southern and western parts of Thenmaradchy, Kokilakandy, Thanagkilappu and Keratheevu supported the SLN with heavy mortar and artillery fire launched form their positions. The LTTE from its Sangupitty base retaliated.

A group of 13 Sri Lankan MPs representing as many parties are here to study India's devolution process to see if it can help resolve the long-drawn ethnic conflict in their country.Led by Minister of Science and Technology Tissa Vitarana, the delegation will interact with Indian officials here as well as in Karnataka and Kerala to learn in detail about center-state relations and the grassroots Panchayati Raj in villages."We are here to have a better understanding of the devolution process and how it has worked in the Indian context," said Vitarana, a 72-year-old MP from the leftwing Lanka Sama Samaja Party (LSSP) and also the delegation head.The team includes representatives from almost all political parties including President Mahinda Rajapaksa's Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP), the Sinhalese-Marxist JVP, the Communist Party of Sri Lanka, the Eelam People's Democratic Party, Ceylon Workers Congress and the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress.The main opposition United National Party and the pro-Tigers Tamil National Alliance are not in the delegation.

Vitarana said the MPs would hold meetings with Panchayati Raj Minister Mani Shankar Aiyar and his officials on Thursday and Friday before traveling to Karnataka and Cochin (Kerala) to study the impact of the devolution process on the ground."Our aim is to think of a solution to the ethnic conflict based on devolution and work out the modalities," Vitarana said."Once that is done, we will go into the nature of a new constitution for Sri Lanka and finally the negotiation process (with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam)."Basically, we want to study and learn, and see what is relevant and what is not relevant to Sri Lanka."A professor of medical microbiology in Colombo's University of Jayawardenapura, Viatarana said the mandate of the delegation, drawn from the All Party Representatives Committee, was to find ways of satisfying the political aspirations of the Tamils and other minorities and also the majority Sinhalese community.

A serious dialogue is on within Sri Lanka on what kind of power sharing will persuade the LTTE to give up its stated goal of an independent Tamil state and settle for autonomy within the island nation.Vitarana explained that the first meeting of the All Party Representatives Committee in Colombo was a stormy one but eventually MPs representing a wide variety of views had come to respect one another's often contrasting opinions on how to end the conflict that has claimed over 65,000 lives since 1983.Will the delegation's efforts have any impact on the Tamil Tigers?"I think the LTTE is increasingly finding it difficult to maintain its struggle for separation," the minister said, voicing confidence that the Tigers would one day have to see reason."Eventually when they realise that separation is not realisable, then they will come forward for genuine talks (with the government). I hope that day is not far off."So we are trying to find an acceptable solution. If we achieve that, then the international community will be constrained to put maximum pressure on the LTTE to come for serious talks," said Vitarana, who has been with the LSSP since 1953.The delegation's trip to India will also coincide with the Oct 28-29 talks in Geneva between the Sri Lankan government and the LTTE, a meeting the international community hopes will at least bring down the present level of killings in the island.

Sri Lanka has expressed its suspicions that weapons supplied for the separatist Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam were illegally "sent through" Indonesia, an Indonesian Cabinet minister said Thursday. "They have suspected that the illegal weapons supplied to the Tamil Tigers group were sent through Indonesia," the state-run news agency quoted Defense Minister Juwono Sudarsono as saying after meeting visiting Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ratnasiri Wickramanayake. The minister did not provide any details, but said Indonesia and Sri Lanka agreed to build cooperation in defense and security, particularly in antiterror activities. "We don't need to get upset. It's only an accusation and they (Sri Lanka) ask us (to cooperate),? Sudarsono was quoted by Tempo Interaktif online media as saying. The LTTE, which is fighting for a separate state in the country's northeast, is branded as a terrorist group by foreign countries including the United States, the European Union, Britain and India. Recently, the United States arrested 19 persons in connection with the arms, ammunition and equipment procurement deal for the LTTE. Among the persons in custody are four Indonesians, including a retired marine brigadier general.

Finland on Thursday called on the warring parties of Sri Lanka to find a political solution to the ongoing conflict, through the scheduled negotiations in Switzerland. There is no military solution to the conflict, Finland, which holds the current European Union presidency, said in a statement. The comment came as Sri Lankan government and the rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) negotiators arrived in Geneva to resume peace talks, which was brokered by Norway. EU expressed its deep concern over the humanitarian situation, urging the parties to protect civilians caught in the conflict, the statement said. EU also urged the parties to guarantee a free and safe access for international organizations to help the people in need of essential humanitarian assistance, and to continue valuable reconstruction and development work, it said. The peace process broke down last June in Oslo after the Tigers left the meeting, saying the Sri Lankan government negotiators were too junior. Some 60,000 people have been killed since the conflict erupted in 1972 in Sri Lanka.

Leonard Woolf arrived in Sri Lanka almost exactly a century ago. Not yet married to the more illustrious Virginia, the young colonial officer admitted in his autobiography: "I had entered Ceylon as an imperialist. The curious thing is that I was not really aware of this ... I was a very innocent, unconscious imperialist."Observing racist British rule from the inside turned him against it within months. During his six years on the island he became an astute observer of its traditions. His novel The Village in the Jungle shows as deep an understanding of Sinhalese peasant superstitions as EM Forster's more celebrated Passage to India (published 10 years later) does of the middle class in a different part of the subcontinent.

For a time Woolf worked in Jaffna, the heartland of Sri Lanka's Tamil community, and his rare combination of experience in north and south led him to the view that only federalism could solve the conflict between the island's two main population groups. "Consideration should be given to the possibility of ensuring a large measure of devolution or even of introducing a federal system on the Swiss model," Woolf wrote in a memorandum for the Labour party in 1938. Of course, the Swiss model is tripartite, and Woolf took the unusually broad view that Sri Lanka's Muslims also deserved to have their rights protected.

The British did not take Woolf's advice, and how little have things changed since then. Indeed they have got much worse. The Sinhalese-dominated government and the rigidly controlled Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) have been at war for 23 years. They hold a new round of peace talks in Geneva tomorrow, but the solution that seemed obvious to Woolf - and many of Sri Lanka's best analysts today - is not on the table.The LTTE has dropped its goal of independence, but its current call for undefined "autonomy" sounds much the same. The government talks of devolution within a unitary state. Neither is willing to embrace the compromise of federalism, either in Quebec-style asymmetric form (which would give the Tamils a province with a special status) or on the Swiss pattern of equal cantons.

While talks have been deadlocked, fighting has intensified, with heavy casualties on both sides. The LTTE, the world pioneers of suicide bombing in the modern era, no longer tend to go for civilian targets as al-Qaida do. They recently hit buses full of soldiers and sailors, as well as Sri Lankan navy boats. In retaliation the army used artillery and aircraft, mainly intimidating civilians.Conventional wisdom hails the two sides' willingness to meet (under Norwegian mediation) as positive, though few expect much from the latest talks. From a wider perspective, the phenomenon of talks-plus-war raises important issues for the growing science of comparative peace processes.

If two parties are really ready for compromise, they can quickly find a way to begin talks. It is not necessary to have a phoney dialogue in place in the hope that it will suddenly be invigorated by an onset of sincerity. Does a talks process, therefore, only increase all-round cynicism? Why do parties talk if they have nothing serious to say? Is it to hoodwink donors, whether foreign governments or the rival diasporas, by proving they are "committed to the search for peace"?What of the facilitators, in this case the Norwegians? Are they merely trying to maintain their reputation, tarnished as it increasingly is by the Oslo accords between Israel and the Palestinians, which turned out to be disappointing and a diversion from the core issues?

These are not easy questions, as there is a natural reluctance to declare talks dead as long as there is the slightest sign of life. Many civil wars do not have the "luxury" of talks, since one side insists on a military solution or refuses to recognise the very legitimacy of the other, demonising it as an insignificant minority or a bunch of terrorists. Sri Lanka's long-running crisis is better than that.Much depends on the talks' agenda, coupled with the mediators' agility. Can they find new ways of presenting key issues? Are they able to insist on transparency, so that negotiators keep pace with public opinion? In the talks that produced peace deals in south Sudan and Darfur, the international mediators approached the central issues slowly and creatively. They organised expert seminars for the warring parties on how power- and wealth-sharing operated in other countries. In Darfur the deal did not work, partly because the civilian victims displaced by the war were not adequately consulted. There were other reasons for failure, not least the fractured nature of the rebel groups and their leaders' ambitions and rivalries.

In the Sri Lankan case the best tactic for the Norwegian mediators may be to highlight the issue of human rights. Arguing over the myriad violations of the 2002 ceasefire, and especially any effort to apportion blame, would guarantee failure at Geneva this weekend. It would be more useful to focus on minimising casualties among civilians and helping displaced people to go home, safely and under guarantee of protection, before yet more camps are created.In a recommendation that could apply to other conflicts, Professor Philip Alston, the UN's special rapporteur on extrajudicial executions, urged the general assembly this week to appoint international human rights monitors for Sri Lanka. He pointed out that each side, directly or through proxies, has used assassinations to weaken the other, or to enforce discipline. At various times both have targeted civilians.

Recommending that the current international monitors (now under Swedish control) also investigate rights abuses, Alston wants the new team to be separate from the one that looks into ceasefire violations. Breaches of international humanitarian law are different from, and in many cases more serious than, violations of a particular time-bound and locally negotiated ceasefire. The investigators must be forensically trained, Alston says, and have the right to name suspects so that the current practice of denying atrocities is weakened.These are excellent suggestions that should be followed up in Geneva. The LTTE and the government both claim not to be involved in attacks on civilians. Here, at least, there is common ground. Flesh could be put on that pledge by having them invite human-rights monitors to check it out. Whatever doubts there are about the value of the Geneva meeting, it will not be in vain if it makes progress here. The talks could even become a model for resolving or at least ameliorating conflicts in other countries.

Food supplies run low for Sri Lankan families displaced by violence- UNICEF

Sri Lanka’s Jaffna Peninsula has already seen decades of conflict. Now its population of 600,000 is feeling the effects of the recent upsurge in fighting between the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam and government forces. Apart from the sound of occasional shelling in the distance, the streets of Jaffna town are quiet. Because of fuel shortages there are few motorized vehicles on the road, and due to security concerns few businesses are operating at all. Many people have no work, and transportation into Jaffna is currently limited to air and sea. In the town, queues form outside food shops. Although the government is continuing to bring in supplies by ship and has set up a rationing system, almost everyone talks about shortages of flour, rice, sugar and lentils. On the black market, sugar and petrol now cost about four times their normal prices. More than 50,000 people are displaced across the peninsula. The majority have squeezed into the houses of relatives and friends. Others have gathered at temporary accommodation centres.

In Jaffna town, over 1,300 people are living in school buildings on the grounds of Our Lady of Refuge Church. The families here have clustered their few belongings – some clothes, mattresses, blankets, pots and pans – on the stone floors. They fled from two villages, Allaipiddy and Mandaithevu, on the islands to the west of Jaffna. The residents of Allaipiddy have been forced to leave their village twice this year – once in May, after the killing of 13 civilians, and again in August, when fighting broke out in the area. “A shell landed on our village and I was wounded in the leg,” recalls Jeyapiria Jeyaratnam, 10. “I’ve seen a lot of fighting. I hear noises in the night and I’m very scared. I feel that a shell is going to fall here, and I get frightened when I hear about fighting on the radio.”Her mother, Mary Angaleena, says the family decided to sleep in a church when the shelling started. She was wounded as well, and the family was evacuated by ambulance. “We lost everything, even our clothes,” she says.Jeyapira now spends her time with other children at Our Lady of Refuge. She also helps fetch water when her mother cooks. She is in Grade 5 and says she’s disappointed she had to miss her exams because of the conflict.

Children like Jeyapira are registering for school and hope to start lessons soon. UNICEF has been working with the government and other partners to support the families at the church and additional centres in the area, creating spaces for children to play and take informal lessons.The parish priest at Our Lady of Refuge worries that poor sanitary conditions might lead to the spread of disease at the site, and says he is trying to find another location for the people staying there. Meanwhile, UNICEF and its partners have supplied water tanks, toilets, washing areas and wells to accommodation centres across Jaffna. Northeast of Jaffna town, in the Karaveddy area, about 7,000 people are displaced – two thirds of them living with host families. They fled from fighting on the front line in the east. In one small village, four families with 11 children between them are living together in a single-storey house. “Food is the main problem,” says the owner of the house. “There’s not enough flour and rice, but everyone will stay here until the problem is solved.” Because of the security situation, the families are afraid to return to their village. At a temporary accommodation centre nearby, another 36 families are staying at a school. They have received three rounds of rations but supplies are running low. Mothers at the centre say they cook rice porridge for breakfast. They can sometimes buy vegetables in the market, but in the evenings they skip meals so that they can feed their children.

The Hong Kong - based Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) protested the appointment of Kumaratunga as a Senior Consultant to UNESCO."AHRC is surprised and shocked that a person with a record of grossly violating human rights, abusing power and sis placing the rule of law in Sri Lanka" has been appointed to the UNESCO," it said in a statement yesterday.Firing a letter to Koichiro Matsuura - Director -General United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation, the AHRC called the move "scandalous".It warned that UNESCO would suffer ridicule both within Sri Lanka and also internationally if it does not reverse its decision on the appointment Kumaratunga.Saying that if Ferdinand Marcos of the Philippines or Suharto of Indonesia had been given such a post there would have been an international out rage, the AHRC noted that UNESCO may have taken this decision since Ms. Kumaratunga's track record was not so well known outside the country.

All public activity came to a standstill in northeastern Sri Lanka on Wednesday in protest against the Sri Lankan Supreme Court's order to de-merge the Tamil-speaking Northern and Eastern Provinces.Sources in Batticaloa, Amparai, Trincomalee and Jaffna districts said that government offices and schools did not function. There was no public transport.Most of the shops, in most towns in the ethnically-mixed East, except in predominantly Muslim towns like Kattankudy, Sammanthurai and Akkarapattu, had downed their shutters.Akkaraipattu is the stronghold of government minister Athaullah, who is a vocal advocate of the de-merger.Half the shops were not open even in the predominantly Muslim towns. However, this was probably because of Eid, locals said.If some shops were open in the Tamil areas, it was because the Karuna group, a breakaway group of the LTTE, assisted by the security forces, was going around forcing traders to open their establishments, said Ariyanenthiran, a Tamil National Alliance (TNA) MP for Battialcoa district.Karuna group chief Col Karuna had said that his Tamil Eelam Peoples' Liberation Tigers supported the de-merger in the interest of the Eastern Tamils, who were being dominated by the Northern Tamils.

M Sahabdeen, a well known Muslim columnist based in the East, said that 90 per cent of the Muslims of the Eastern Province were against the de-merger because a de-merger would not mean that Muslims were going to be better off.Muslims of the East feared Sinhala-majoritarian domination as much as they feared Tamil domination, he said.What the Muslims wanted was a separate autonomous unit for themselves in parts of the East where they were preponderant, he said.But the Muslims did not want to alienate the Tamils, with whom they would have to live cheek by jowl in most parts of the East, Sahabdeen said."Even in the de-mergerd East, Tamils would be the single largest group comprising 43 per cent. The Muslims would be 33 per cent and the Sinhalas 24 per cent.""The Muslims closed their shops today to express solidarity with the Tamils but they expect the Tamils to recognise their aspiration to have an autonomous unit for themselves in the East," he said.

The Government, at the Geneva talks this weekend will seek to set a definitive time frame in discussing the core issues.It is hopeful the latest negotiations will give the LTTE an opportunity to give up violence and enter the democratic stream.Speaking to the media prior to departing for Geneva early last morning Government chief negotiator Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva played down the chances of a major breakthrough at the talks to be held at the International Convention Centre in Geneva.“The discussions will be difficult. You cannot expect a solution within one or two days,” the minister said even as a 13-member LTTE delegation which left for Geneva separately last morning also played down the chances of reaching the much needed political settlement.

Government defence spokesman Keheliya Rambukwella told the media that the LTTE leader had verbally given the assurance sought by the Government for it to embark on fresh negotiations. “We are going to talk sensible core issues and have the window open for the LTTE to enter the democratic stream. We are not shutting the LTTE out. We want it to enter the democratic mainstream. That is the reality,” the minister said.He said the Government hopes to suggest setting up a time frame to deal with the core issues faced by the Tamil people instead of dragging the process even as an All Party Representative team left for India yesterday to study the Panchayat model.

“We want to give recognition to pluralism and not to a Sinhala-Buddhist only country. This is a multi-ethnic, multi-religious country. Tamils have legitimate issues. I wouldn’t use the word grievances but issues. We hope to prepare a diary in Geneva to see that the core issues are addressed within a specific time frame. Of course the LTTE has to agree to this,” he said.He also said that with the two major political parties in the South agreeing to work together on national issues the LTTE cannot continue to say there was no consensus in the South to reach a final political solution.A 19-member LTTE delegation - the largest ever rebel team - will sit down for talks with the Government. Asked if there was a chance the LTTE will misuse the opportunity to travel about Minister Rambukwella responding humorously said “there is information the LTTE has been barred from even shopping. That’s why the members are not taking their wives with them.”The LTTE delegation has plans to visit Oslo at the conclusion of the October 28, 29 talks in Geneva, for meetings with the Norwegian facilitators and there is every likelihood the rebels would meet the Tamil diaspora both in Switzerland and Norway.

Mr. Mano Ganeshalingam the leader of the Western province peoples' front accuse that the investigations conducted by the police in abductions, killings and extortions are conducted at a very low pace.He says though the man who got caught red handed taking extortions was handed over to Kotahena Police, nothing has been done so far. Though he admitted in his statement to the police abducting a person and taking extortions as he belongs to Minister Douglas Devanandas EPDP no action had been taken yet.Speaking to 'LeN' Mr. Ganeshan said to set the owner of the Vivekananda. Hill lodge Mr.Pushpadas released his mother had to pay Rs. 40 Lakhs at a place near Base line Road and the said lady has recognized the culprit at the police Satation as the man took money from her.

The Police lament that people do not provide infomations on abductions and extortions. But when the culpit is an apprehended and recognized it is pity that no action is taken Mr. Ganeshan said.When questioned from the Kotahena Police crime division they said that they have handed over the suspect to the CID.When the commission appointed by the President was conducting it's investigation six Tamils was abducted on the 19th and 20th of this month and three were shot and two of them were husband and wife.At the work shop held at the Temple trees for the govt. deligation to Geneva, Mr. Mangala Samaraweera the foriegn minister said he was being constantly grilled by the international community over the spree of the abdutions. Even the President said it was true as he too had to face similar problems when he met diplomats.Ministers Jeyeraj Frenandopulle and Fariel Ashroff also said these abductions should be stopped.Countering the President and Minister Samaraweera was defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa who in turn queried whether the international community was only worried about these abductions while being blind to LTTE atrocities.Some believe the groups behind these abductions are close to the government.

The European Commission has allocated a further Rs. 667 million (Euro 5 million) in humanitarian aid to assist conflict-affected people in Sri Lanka and the Sri Lankan refugees in Tamil Nadu, despite the upsurge in violence in the country, even with the retriction of accessing to some areas in North and East.Addressing a media conference yesterday Mr. Wilson said that the new grant will cover basic needs such as shelter, water, sanitation and healthcare with a particular focus on vulnerable groups such as women and children.However, he said, that the Organization still has problem of access to vulnerable areas in the North and East due to security reasons and some other problems. “It has become more difficult to carry out development projects in some areas due to the restriction on access,” Mr. Wilson said.

Mr. Wilson also appreciated Sri Lanka government’s decision on setting up a mechanism to distribute aid to conflict-affected people.Conflict victims will be supported through a wide range of humanitarian interventions - shelter, food, food security, water/sanitation, basic items (kitchen and hygiene kits), healthcare, education, and livelihood support and protection activities, he said.Explaining the situation of the Sri Lanka refugees in Tamil Nadu, where 15,778 Sri Lankans are being sheltered, Mr. Verboom said.Funds are channeled through the European Commission Humanitarian Aid department (ECHO) under the responsibility of Commissioner Louis Michel. In a statement Mr. Michel said that the Commission is extremely worried about the upsurge in violence in Sri Lanka since the end of 2005 that has a direct impact on the lives of thousands of civilians.

“We are committed to easing the suffering of the victims, but it is becoming ever more difficult to get help to the most vulnerable. There also have been attacks and murders perpetrated against relief staff. It is unacceptable. The authors of these appalling acts should be brought to justice. It is essential that the fighting forces comply with international humanitarian law and respect the dignity and human rights of civilians a well as guaranteeing the security of relief workers and preserving the ‘humanitarian space’ so that aid agencies can do their work,” he said.The new funding allocation is a response to the appeal for aid by the UN and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and will benefit over 250,000 displaced and vulnerable persons.Since 2004, the Commission has given a total of €64 million in aid for victims of humanitarian crises in Sri Lanka.Resident Co-ordinator at Interim United Nations Amin Awad, Local Head of the European Commission Humanitarian Aid department (ECHO) David Verboom and ICRC Representative Toon Vandenhove were also present at the press conference.

Former President Chandrika Kumaratunga who was appointed a senior consultant to UNESCO for education in Asia has asked the world body to exclude Sri Lanka from her area of responsibility, her office said yesterday. While initially focusing on South Asia, Ms. Kumaratunga requested that Sri Lanka be excluded, her office said in a statement. The appointment came at the invitation of UN Secretary General, Kofi Annan, and UNESCO Director General K. Matsura.Ms. Kumaratunga’s office refuted various news items and insulting comments and cartoons carried in the government media, as well as the private media, saying she was pleading for jobs from international organizations.Ms. Kumaratunga said since retiring from the presidency, several governments and international organizations had invited her to attend many conferences and seminars where she delivered keynote addresses and that she had no reason to plead for jobs.

Judiciary not dead – Athaullah"

It has been demonstrated on many occasions that our judiciary is not dead. The judgement on North-East merger is another example of this. And I owe my profound gratitude to the judiciary on behalf of the people of the East", observed A. L. M. Athaullah, Leader of National Muslim Congress and Minister of Infrastructure Development and Fisheries Housing at Ifthar (break of fast) ceremony held in Oluvil.Further speaking he said "I have always prayed to the almighty that he should not take my life before I see the North -East is de-merged. And I have always held that the merger of East without the consent of its people is the worst form of terrorism. Now my prayers have been answered without a drop of blood. My thanks first to Almighty Allah and then to his judiciary."

Everyone including Rauf Hakeem subscribes to LTTE’s idea fearing their lives but the Chief Justice and the judiciary have delivered a bold, milestone judgement on the North - East merger. The judiciary has asserted William White’s statement - Justice stands upon power, or there is no justice, he added."The naked reality is the Eastern Muslims do not like the merger and the rest is politics. Just to fulfil the aspirations of one community, another community cannot be exploited and their aspirations of one community, another community cannot be exploited and their aspirations cannot be repressed. Today is a red letter day in my life. I do not have any aspiration other than this political aspiration. Now I am ready to accept even death the minister further said.

ITRO London expressed concern that the Sri Lankan government continues to impose restrictions and deny international humanitarian agencies and organizations access to the North East. The latest incident involves the Nobel Peace Prize winning ‘Doctors Without Borders (MSF)’, it said in a statement. MSF in a press release on 19 October 2006 stated that Sri Lanka's Ministry of Health had previously requested them to provide assistance to several hospitals in the north of the country, but that MSF had thus far only been allowed to begin activities in Point Pedro Hospital on the Jaffna Peninsula. It also states that MSF received a letter from the government canceling their existing work visas and ordered them to leave the country. As a result MSF withdrew the team from the Jaffna Peninsula.

A second official letter was then received stating that MSF could stay in the country until "further notice" but was "under investigation." The North East lacks adequate numbers of hospitals, doctors, nurses, and other medical personnel and so it is disheartening that one of the leading medical/health INGOs has been ordered out of the country by the Government of Sri Lanka (GoSL). The already critical health situation can now only get worse.It cited the latest in a series of events which it claimed has restricted humanitarian aid to the war and tsunami affected populations of the North East: In light of the restrictions being placed on the access of international humanitarian agencies and international staff to the LTTE controlled areas of the North East the questions of the "independence and neutrality" of these organizations and their commitment to "equity" in the delivery of humanitarian aid and assistance arises.

ITRO London appeals to international institutions, human rights bodies and humanitarian organizations to make representations to the Government of Sri Lanka (GoSL) to prevent the further degradation of the humanitarian situation. The situation is currently reaching a "critical status" and immediate action is needed.

17 ‘Action Against Hunger (ACF)’ aid workers executed in Mutur, Trincomalee district

Ministry. of Defence states that no work permits will be granted to the LTTE controlled areas for international NGOs and very few permits for Government controlled areas of the North East

Freezing of TRO funds – TRO was the last functioning NGO/INGO in many parts of the North East and this freezing seems designed to halt the work of the last humanitarian organization working with the internally displaced persons (IDPs).

The Free Media Movement (FMM)- Sri Lanka condemned the burning 10,000 copies of the Tamil daily Virakesari, and Metro News near Kiran Regional Secretariat 22nd Monday around 3:50 a.m. by paramilitary cadres alleged to be belonging Karuna group, in a statement released Wednesday in Colombo, political sources in Colombo said. Earlier in August, paramilitaries collaborating with the SLA threatened the owner of Surena Travels not to deliver to Muruges and Son Stores, Sudaroli and Thinakural news papers. On August 5, paramilitary cadres burnt the Sudaroli, Thinakural distributor's shop, Muruges and Sun Stores in Batticaloa, located 75 meters from the Special Task Force (STF) camp.

Free Media Movement ( FMM) registers its strong condemnation of continuing threats and harassments to Tamil language media in Sri Lanka. On 22nd Monday October 2006 10,000 copies of Tamil Daily Virakesari was burned by a para military group operating in the east of Sri Lanka relevant authorities Virakesari of V told FMM. This is the latest incident of series of killings, harassments and threats directed towards Tamil language media in Sri Lanka. An armed group of 10-15 men had stopped the private passenger transport bus and a van carrying the copies of Virakesari daily and metro News to be distribution and burned nearly 10,000 copies.The incident took place near Kiran, Batticaclo around 3.30 pm. Kiran is in the government controlled territory of Batticaclo.Karuna Group has political party offices in government controlled areas in the east and in Colombo, and protected by Sri Lankan security forces.

According to Tamil net website " The armed men took away bus driver's hand phone and asked him to collect it at the office of the Karuna group. Three months earlier the Virakesari Agents 'Murugesu & Sons' shop on the Main Street in Batticaloa was burnt down by armed gangs." Virakesari was the only Tamil language news paper which has been distributed in the east for some time now. Other two Tamil dailies Sudar Oli and Thinakural, were banned in the beginning of the year in Batticaloa and Amparai allegedly by Karuna group. According to Sudaroli management one third of their circulation has dropped due to this ban. FMM urge the government to take urgent steps to reverse this situation, so that Tamil language news papers will be able to distribute freely and people living in Eastern province of Sri Lanka will have the choice of reading what ever newspaper they like.

Free Media Movement -For more information -Sunanda Deshapriya – (+ 94)777 312457

India is happy but not overtly jubilant over a historic pact signed on Monday between Sri Lanka's two main political parties in a long-term bid to resolve the country's seemingly unending ethnic conflict. The Indian assessment is that the memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed by the SLFP and the main opposition UNP to cooperate on key national issues is indeed crucial, but it needs to be watched as to where it leads to.The unprecedented agreement would prove to be truly path-breaking only if -- and policy makers emphasize it is no small if -- it helps in an ultimate resolution of an ethnic conflict that has bled Sri Lanka besides claiming more than 65,000 lives since 1983.

Nearly every time Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and external affairs ministry officials have interacted with their counterparts in Sri Lanka, the message has been time and again repeated, almost like a mantra.The last time this happened was in Havana in September when Manmohan Singh held discussions with Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa on the sidelines of the Non-Aligned Nations’ Summit.The Indian establishment feels the SLFP-UNP pact would prove beneficial to Sri Lanka even if it results in their genuine cooperation on any of the issues covered by the agreement and not just the ethnic conflict.“With this agreement, we are not only moving to a new beginning in Sri Lanka but also setting an example in the politics of South Asia. We are moving in a new direction of political understanding and consensus, as seen in India and other countries,” President Rajapaksa said after the agreement was signed making a reference to India in a public statement.

The JVP - until now a staunch ally of President Mahinda Rajapaksa yesterday came out firing against the MoU between the SLFP and the UNP saying the MoU would not end terrorism completely but would create a political environment in favour of the Tiger terrorists.The party’s politburo in a statement said the MoU signed on Monday would drag the government further away from people’s mandate given in 2005 and gradually jeopardize the unitary state of the country.“It was reported that the two parties have already agreed to an Indian model of power devolution. We find this consensus was just to dilute the ongoing military activities towards ending terrorism and favour negotiations which would strengthen terrorism,” the politburo statement said.

It said if the consensus was meant towards specific strategy to end terrorism, the JVP would raise both hands in support.“Hereafter there will be SLFP-UNP rule. These two parties should face future challenges in unity. But we make it sure that this alliance will not bring defeat to the country and victory to terrorism,” the statement said.Meanwhile the SLFP yesterday said the MoU signed with the UNP was totally in keeping with Mahinda Chinthana programme of President Mahinda Rajapaksa SLFP co-media spokesman Vishwa Warnapala said in a statement that the MoU was not signed due to any unnecessary influence rather it was done in keeping with Mahinda Chinthana. Dismissing reports that the MoU would leave room for the LTTE to get the upper hand over the ethnic crisis, he said both the government and the UNP were committed to defeat terrorism.

Negotiators leave for Geneva

Negotiators for the Tamil Tigers have left their stronghold in the north for talks in Switzerland.Peace talks between the government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam(LTTE) are due to restart at the weekend. The four man team, led by the Tigers' political chief Suppiah Thamilselvan, travelled in a government military helicopter from Kilinochchi to the international airport outside the capital, Colombo. The government team for Geneva will be headed by the Health Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva. The Sri Lankan delegation for Geneva talks will leave tomorrow, government information department said.The delegation will include ministers Nimal Siripala de Silva, Jeyaraj Fernandopulle, Ferial Ashraff, Rohitha Bogollagama, Peace Secretariat Head Palitha Kohona, Gomin Dayasiri and former IGP Chandra Fernando.The LTTE delegation indludes S P Tamilselvan, P Nadesan, R Illantherian and N Pulithevan. Next round of peace talks will be held on October 28-29.A Swiss Embassy Spokesperson said that the preparations for the talks were 'well under way'. They are to take place at a Convention Centre in Geneva, the information department said.

Indian Foreign Secretary Shivshankar Menon is to visit Sri Lanka shortly, an Indian official told the Daily Mirror. The visit is part of Mr. Menon’s familiarisation trip to India’s neighbouring countries.The date and schedule of his visit are yet to be finalized but Indian High Commission officials said Mr. Menon intends making the trip to Colombo soon.Mr. Menon assumed duties on October 1 replacing former Foreign Secretary Shyam Saran who has been appointed special envoy for the negotiations relating to the Indo-US Nuclear Agreement. He was India's High Commissioner to Pakistan prior to his new appointment.

Monday's agreement, signed by the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) and the United National Party (UNP), to resolve the ethnic conflict in the north and east, subject to further discussion and ratification, envisages maximum devolution of powers to the "regional administrators." The tentative agreement, a copy of which is in the possession of The Hindu , avoids any reference to either a unitary or federal model. It does not even touch the much-debated "Indian model." Instead, it says that under the "power-sharing" arrangement, the role of the Central Government should be confined to subjects such as defence and security, foreign affairs, finance, elections, national planning and shipping.

The relevant paragraph reads: "The basic assumption underlying an equitable framework for power-sharing is that the Central Government would be invested with all the powers, functions and responsibilities essential for the effective conduct of the national policy in all fields [principally including, but not limited to defence and security, foreign relations, the national budget, monetary policy, elections, immigration and emigration, national planning, shipping and navigation and related matters], while other matters will fall within the purview of regional administrators." It says particular attention should be paid to fiscal considerations. Also, the regional administrators should have access to adequate resources for effectively discharging their duties. The document says that the cornerstone of the political solution is power-sharing on the basis acceptable to the Sinhala, Tamil and Muslim communities and reflecting the experience in the past five decades.

Following the series of LTTE attacks on navy vessels and the base in Galle, the Navy yesterday imposed a ban on dinghies and small boats leaving or entering the coastal belt from Wellawatta to Uswetakeiyawa.Navy headquarters said dinghies and small boats were prohibited, due to security reasons, from entering or leaving the coastal belt from Kinross Swimming Club in Wellawatta to Uswetakeiyawa in Wattala with immediate effect. However, fishing trawlers and multi-day fishing boats will be allowed to enter or exit from the Modera fishing Harbour and Kelani River Estuary from 6 am to 6 pm everyday, the navy said.Earlier dinghies and boats smaller than dinghies had been allowed to enter and exit from the Modera fishing Harbour and Kelani River Estuary, but under the new regulations all such inward and outward boat movements will be taboo.

US Marines will conduct exercises with the Sri Lanka Navy later this month, deploying more than 1,000 personnel and support ships for amphibious and counter-insurgency manoeuvres with the aim of 'containing' growing Chinese presence in the region and to test its latest theories on 'littoral battle' without putting American soldiers at risk. Military sources said the joint exercises involving the 15 Marine Expeditionary Unit on the beaches in Hambantota in southern Sri Lanka are taking place where the Chinese plan on building oil and harbour facilities that were ravaged by the tsunami two years ago. 'Whilst the manoeuvres will put the Tamil Tigers on notice to engage seriously in the upcoming peace talks in Geneva, the location of the exercise clearly indicates that India too has signed off on the venture as a subtle warning to the Chinese not to unduly intrude upon the Indian Ocean Region (IOR),' Brigadier Arun Sahgal of the United Service Institution of India told IANS.

For Sri Lanka, however, US Marine training in amphibious warfare will equip its navy to counter the Sea Tigers, the world's only insurgent force with an aggressively operational naval wing that deploys custom-built boats which were launched in a suicide attack on the southern port of Galle Oct 18. The US and India, however, have long eyed with trepidation China's 'string of pearls' strategy in the IOR of clinching regional defence and security agreements to secure its mounting energy requirements, enhance its military profile from the Persian Gulf to the South China Sea and significantly expand its presence and visibility in the area. Meeting with senior Indian military officials including the three Service Chiefs in New Delhi earlier this week, US Pacific Commander Admiral William J. Fallon conceded as much when he expressed concern over Beijing's military build up in the region. But India and the US have frequently reiterated that their new-found strategic partnership is not aimed at countervailing China's proliferating military, especially naval expansion.

They also claim that though India exercises limited influence in the region, it remains the dominant, albeit 'hesitant', naval power and consequently has been 'anointed' Washington's junior partner in the IOR. The US along with other members of the Sri Lankan Donors Group, which assist with the country's post-tsunami rebuilding and in brokering peace talks between the government and the separatist Liberation Tamil Tigers of Eelam (LTTE), have been known to frequently consult with India on Colombo-related security matters.Washington has also long harboured a strategic interest in Sri Lanka, centred around eastern Trincomalee port, which it looks upon as a staging point for its naval assets stationed in and around its Diego Garcia base in the Indian Ocean. And to gain access to the 'strategic jewel' that is Trincomalee, one of the world's biggest natural deep-sea harbours, the US has 'persuaded' India to step in as Washington's 'proxy' to extend its influence over the port without overtly arousing suspicion of superpower hegemony.

Located on the busy East-West shipping route stretching from the Suez Canal to the Malacca Straits, Trincomalee controls the Indian Ocean. Earlier, through a combination of diplomacy, bullying and astute bargaining, a paranoid India had for several decades managed to prevent outside powers - especially the US - from gaining access to Trincomalee. During the Cold war years, the US had wanted to station a Voice of America transmitter in Sri Lanka as a precursor to using its warships using the harbour. But close Soviet-ally India steadfastly opposed any such move. One of the key clauses of the 1987 accord that led to the deployment of the Indian Peace Keeping Force in Sri Lanka to disarm the Tamil Tigers declared that Trincomalee - particularly its oil tanks, located around 20 km from the Indian coast - would not be controlled by any foreign power 'inimical' to India.

But after 9/11 things changed and even more so recently with India and the US strategically and militarily coming closer. The US has acknowledged the Indian Navy as a 'stabilizing force' in IOR and wants a closer working relationship with it that includes arrangements to patrol the sea-lanes from the North Arabian Sea to the Malacca Straits off the Singapore coast.Consequently, in a quiet, 35-year deal clinched with Sri Lanka - with US approval - the state-owned Indian Oil Corp (IOC) hammered out a Rs.200 million ($4.16 million) agreement in 2002 to refurbish the voluminous oil tanks at Trincomalee for the first time after World War II when British warships used it for refuelling. Providing the entire operation protection at Trincomalee are US-trained Sri Lankan soldiers. Under Operation Balanced Style US, Sea Air Land Forces (SEALS) specialists have trained Sri Lankan army and navy personnel in security techniques to protect Trincomalee.

Sri Lankan police teams have also attended anti-terrorism courses in the US with emphasis on bomb disposal and US military cooperation has also been quietly extended to the island's air force that operates a wide range of Israeli-made combat aircraft.It is well known that the US Navy has long been looking for access to a strategically located South Asian port for its Fifth Fleet, established in 1996 for permanent deployment in the Indian Ocean to bolster the US Middle East Force, increasing in tactical and strategic importance after the Iraq invasion. US missile strikes during the war in Afghanistan were executed, amongst others, by Fifth Fleet warships, clearly demonstrating America's ability to exercise military power against littoral states deep inland. 'With the US now India's most coveted ally, New Delhi is unlikely to object to Washington neatly tying up various strategic bonds to fully dominate the Asian region,' a senior Indian security officer said. In turn, India hopes to profit from its growing military relations with the US, he added.

A top defence delegation led by Chief of Defence Staff Donald Perera and including Army Commander Sarath Fonseka on Monday visited the Security Forces Eastern Headquarters at Welikanda in Polonnaruwa to get first hand information on the security situation in the East. Army Headquarters said the Eastern Headquarters Commander Nissanka Wijesinghe and General Officer Commanding 23rd Division Daya Ratnayake briefed the military top brass on the security situation in the East. Several Senior Officers also attended the briefing.Both military chiefs after reviewing the status quo as regards the security situation discussed matters of relevance to troop deployment in trouble-torn areas and gave instructions on future contingency plans, military sources said.

The Army in Jaffna opened six outlets for the sale of consumer items to the public, as Air Force transported 18,000 kgs of essential items to the peninsula. “With a view to ease the burden on the people, following food shortages in the Jaffna Peninsula, the security forces opened these outlets,” a senior military official said.He also said after LTTE’s unilateral and forced closure of the A-9 Kandy – Jaffna Main Supply Route (MSR), traders in Jaffna were capitalizing on the situation by selling their consumer items at unreasonable prices. It was found that numerous people who had purchased essential items from government agencies and cooperatives at concessionary prices, had reportedly sold them to businessmen and interested parties, who in-turn were re-selling them at high prices. Amongst the essential goods were milk powder, wheat flour, kerosene oil, rice and sugar.Meanwhile, the Air Force despatched a stock of essential items including soap, medicine and mosquito coils to Jaffna yesterday.“A special C 130 aircraft had been deployed to transport these items to the peninsula,” a senior military official said. He said that since the monsoon has hampered transport by sea, the government has directed the Air Force to conduct the humanitarian mission.

The Sea Tigers of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) took the Sri Lanka Navy completely by surprise early on the morning of October 18 by successfully penetrating the naval base and a commercial harbour in Galle, destroying three naval boats in the base. One sailor and one civilian were killed and 26 others — naval personnel and civilians — were injured.

2. The Sea Tigers —15 of them — dressed as fishermen approached the naval base and harbour in seven boats looking like fishing vessels. Five of them managed to enter the base undetected. Three filled with explosives rammed against three naval vessels and exploded. The remaining two were sunk by the navy before they could cause any damage.

3. The inmates of the two boats, which penetrated the harbour, opened fire with rocket-propelled grenades and other small arms and then escaped into the town after abandoning the weapons. While the attack on the naval base was a suicide mission, the incident in the harbour was apparently not.

4. After the LTTE’s unsuccessful attempt to kill Col.(retd) Bashir Wali, Pakistan’s former High Commissioner to Colombo, in Colombo on August 14, 2006 —which came on the eve of the arrival of a fresh consignment of arms and ammunition for the Sri Lankan military from Pakistan — the Sri Lankan military authorities have stopped unloading military consignments from Pakistan at the Colombo harbour. Instead, since August 14, 2006, ships bringing in arms and ammunition from Pakistan, are being diverted to Galle for unloading. The Sri Lankan authorities were worried that the LTTE might attack ships bringing in arms and ammunition from Pakistan at the Colombo harbour, thereby endangering the harbour.

5. It is learnt that the LTTE attack in Galle came a few days before the arrival of a fresh consignment of arms and ammunition from Pakistan at Galle.

6. The LTTE attack has had two other objectives — firstly, to demonstrate that the capability of the Sea Tigers for covert actions remains strong despite government claims of severely damaging the LTTE’s naval capability in the north and the east; and, secondly, to create nervousness among foreign tourists about the advisability of their coming to Sri Lanka for spending their forthcoming Christmas vacation. Galle is a favourite tourist resort.

7. In 1997, the LTTE had unsuccessfully tried to kill the naval commander in Galle. Since then it has not operated there.

8. Galle is a stronghold of the Sinhala extremist Janata Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP). The LTTE attacks in Galle on October 18 led to some attacks on local Tamil shops by the Sinhalese. The police was able to bring the situation under control after imposing a curfew.

9. Despite the serious incidents since October 11, the government as well as the LTTE have re-assured their international interlocutors of their willingness to resume the peace talks as scheduled at Geneva on October 28 and 29.

10. So long as the Sri Lankan Government continues to use its air force indiscriminately in an attempt to decimate the LTTE and intimidate the civilian Tamil population, we can expect more retaliatory covert actions by the LTTE in other parts of Sri Lanka outside what it looks upon as the traditional Tamil homeland — that is, the Northern and Eastern Provinces.

11. After having demonstrated its continuing capability against the Army at Muhamalai in the north on October 11 and against the navy in Galle on October 18, the LTTE is expected to demonstrate its capability for covert action against the air force and the Pakistani personnel posted in Sri Lanka.

The writer is Additional Secretary (retd), Cabinet Secretariat, Govt. of India, New Delhi, and, presently, Director, Institute For Topical Studies, Chennai.

Two women LTTE suspects were taken into custody by the Mt. Lavinia police yesterday morning. The Tamil suspects identified as sisters in their late twenties were arrested while loitering in the Soyzapura apartment compound in Moratuwa. A group of trishaw drivers who were suspicious of the couple had informed the Mt. Lavinia police and they were immediately taken into custody. According to Mt. Lavinia police the suspects reportedly from Vavuniya could not explain why they had come to Colombo.They are being further questioned by the police.

"We Have No faith in the Sri Lanka Govt. Still we are going to Geneva at International Community's Request," - S.P.Tamil Selvan.

Addressing the Press prior to departure from Kilinochchi in a govt helicopter arranged by the Norwegian Facilitators, the leader of the LTTE Peace Talks Team said he was leading a team to Geneva because the LTTE did not want to spoil the international community's hopes and expectations."This also gives us an opportunity to expose to the world, the atrocities perpetrated on the Tamil people by the Mahindha Rajapakse govt," said TS. "We will use the Geneva Talks Conference Hall as a platform to unravel the truth," Tamil Selvan said."Once the Talks are over, we propose to proceed to Norway, before returning to base," TS said.Tamil Selvan left with a team of 13 colleagues including P.Nadesan, the Head of the Tamil Eelam Police, S.puleedevan, the Secretary-General of the LTTE Peace Secretariat, Irasiah Ilanthirayan, the LTTE Military Spokesman and Thamil Vili, the Deputy Head of Women's Political Wing. Hans Brattskar, the Norwegian Ambassador accompanied the team in the helicopter.The LTTE has nominated a team of six at the Peace Talks in Geneva on the 28th and 29th of October, facilitated by Norway and hosted by Switzerland.

Some 200 police trainees at the Kalutara Police Training School were yesterday suddenly taken ill suffering from possible food poisoning and were admitted to Nagoda hospital.They were being treated for severe diarrhoea, vomiting and fever, hospital’s Deputy Director Dr. Mallika Ekanayake said.Meanwhile, a team led by Kalutara Chief MOH Dr. S. Chitrani Lenadora began investigations at the Kalutara PTS to ascertain the cause of the sudden illness.Dr. F.K.M. Jeevakaratne and Dr. Ms. Manouri Wanniarachchi of the investigating team told the Daily Mirror they were yet to receive the reports on food samples sent to the Food Laboratory of the Kalutara Health Institute.“Patients are now out of danger and are on the mend. The situation is not serious,” one of the doctor said. The doctors believe that some food the trainees had taken for dinner the previous night might have been contaminated.The investigators advised the PTS authorities to avoid using meat, fish and vegetables already stored in the school larder until further instructions.

The final Sri Lankan battle will be in the sea and not land – Soosai, Sea Tiger

Junior Vikatan: The news in circulation suggest that you will not participate in the peace talks and is determined to engage in a military campaign against the Sri Lanka Armed Forces?

Special Commander Soosai: We are in the thick of a battle, risking our lives to bring peace to our land. When those countries who take interest in our welfare had created a climate for a peace talks we are not going to forsake such an opportunity." We are in the thick of a battle, risking our lives to bring peace to our land. When those countries who take interest in our welfare had created a climate for a peace talks we are not going to forsake such an opportunity." At the same time it has to be pointed out that a group within the Sri Lanka government as well as within the armed forces is stealthily operating to prevent peace talks. Their vicious military maneuvers are responsible for artillery shells and bombs raining into the areas where our people live, disturbing the peace and normalcy. This evil group opposes holding the talks. We are not against talks.

Junior Vikatan: Will you be participating in the peace talks if everything is in order?

Special Commander Soosai: Yes we will participate. I wish to convey our participation through your media. Five delegates from our side will participate in that talk.Head of our Political Division Tamiselvan , Puleedevan, Head of the Tamil Eela police P, Nadesan and another two will be participating. We are not quite certain as to how far the Sinhala Army would go unleash a military campaign against our people to halt this peace talks. However we believe in peace. We don’t like war. Anyhow, it must be recognized that we are surviving in a situation where we are surviving in a situation of war. You must be able to comprehend this tricky situation.

Junior Vikatan: It is now said that in the event of another war it will be fought in the sea with you in command. It is also known that the Sri Lankan Navy is strengthened with modern weapons provided by the international community. How are you prepared to face these new developments?

Special Commander Soosai: Hereafter the war to crush Sri Lankan forces will not take place on land. It will take place in the sea. If the Sinhala Army continue to disturb the peace process the ultimate campaign would take place only in the sea because we are being surrounded by the ocean on three sides. It is the ocean that will safeguard us. And the place where our final battle would be determined too would also be the sea. The Sinhala Army was first supplied with four modern vessels equipped with lethal weapons from China. All those vessels with artillery guns were destroyed by the Sea Tigers who crashed into those vessels. After that India gave a vessel called “Sarayu ” and USA gave a vessel called “Rogel” to the Sinhala Army.When it comes to sea confrontation, no one can win over us. When you look at the navy organized and established by our leader Prabakaran, it remains as a fortress to safeguard the Tamil Eelam people as well as those people residing in the coastal areas of Tamil Nadu. It also serves as a buffer force preventing foreign forces threatening India.Our sea division forces toil hard to safeguard the Tamil Nadu fisherman who comes over to fish in the sea.

Reason for this was from 1983 - 90, when heavy fighting was going on, our bases were located in coastal regions of Tamil Nadu. It was with the cooperation of the Tamil fishermen of that area that the liberation struggle movement was able to move on. For our growth and strength Tamil Nadu fishermen’s were responsible and their cooperation was immense. We think that providing them protection and security is the only way of paying back our gratitude to them.On numerous occasions we have intervened and prevented Tamil Nadu fishermen from being arrested by the Sri Lanka Navy. We have greatest respect and regard for the Tamils in Tamil Nadu and also to India as a whole. We appeal to India not to fall into the trap of the Sinhala Government. India should come forward take into consideration the reasons behind our just struggle and we believe that India alone can lay the foundation for our peoples’ well-being and peaceful life.

Junior Vikatan: Do you think the countries in the world would ever believe that even after Sri Lanka President announcing that they are ready for talks, the army of that country was involved in hostile activities? Will they not think that it was you people behind those attacks?

Special Commander Soosai: I will be in a position to give many examples that the Sinhala Government say something and do just the opposite. I will just give you only one example.It has been said that Ranil Wickremasinghe is the one who is for peace. When he was the Prime Minister in (sic) 2001 (2002) the Ceasefire Agreement was signed. On the very day when our leader Prabakaran and Ranil were signing the Agreement, we were on a sea voyage. At that point of time, the Sri Lanka navy stopped us and began attacking. We began to ponder whether we should start firing at the time a peace agreement was being signed. As we were considering about the type of response to the attack, some of our cadres were shot, killed and martyred. While we were hesitant that if we launch a defensive attack, it would have adverse repercussions on the peace talks, the Sinhala army was ready with its lethal weapons to attack us. The countries in the world should come forward to understand this. In real sense the war is being thrust on us.

Junior Vikatan is one of the leading investigative journal published twice a week in Chennai, India. It is one of the prestigious publications by Anananda Vikatan Group, Chennai, Tamil Nadu.

The two key Sri Lankan political rivals came together in a Memorandum of Understanding to solve the national problem in Sri Lanka based on the Indian Federal Model, lifting the mood of the country significantly. The MoU comes in the backdrop of both the GOSL and LTTE gearing up for a long awaited peace talks to be held in Geneva on 28thn and 29th October. Officials of the ruling coalition's Sri Lanka Freedom Party and the main opposition, United National Party, signed an agreement at a ceremony at President Mahinda Rajapakse's official residence.President Mahinda Rajapakse, speaking to the media said "This is a historic event in Sri Lanka."

President Mahinda Rajapakse, speaking to the media said "This is a historic event in Sri Lanka." UNP leader Ranil W, whom everyone watched closely since the MoU news became public, recently, said that the Executive Committee of UNP has not given permission to "accept Cabinet Posts from the Government". "I have not been given permission" he said. He added: "When the govt brings the solution-proposal, it will be tabled to LTTE. And then we the UNP will support it, without pulling it from under/without derailing the proposal..."

The Tamil National Alliance spokesman and TELO Muthalvar Shivajilingham speaking to a private TV channel MTV said: "TNA thinks if they can find a solution to the ethnic problem, it shall be good". Rohan Edrisinghe ( a Director of Colombo ‘think tank’ CPA) said: "Good that they came together-But will the president be willing be to change his policies on resolving the ethnic conflict according to UNP proposals?" he questioned. Meanwhile, the Colombo Stock index All Share Price Index closed an all time high for 2006 at today's close, jumping 32.02 points up to 2503.61 points.

The Co-chairs to the Tokyo donor conference yesterday welcomed the agreement signed between the SLFP and the UNP saying it would help strengthen efforts to reach a political solution to the ongoing conflict in Sri Lanka.Speaking on behalf of the US Government the local mission’s media officer Evan Owens told the Daily Mirror the US was encouraged that the two largest political parties in Sri Lanka were determined to work together to find a political solution to the conflict. The Norwegian government as Co-chair and peace facilitator said over the past few months it has already expressed its views on the need for the two parties to come together adding that any initiative which enhances the chances of peace would be welcome.“We welcome any initiative that will enhance the chances to come to a peaceful solution,” Norwegian Embassy spokesman Eric Neurenburg told the Daily Mirror.

United States Promoting Political Solution for Sri Lanka-(usinfo.state.gov)
Both sides must work to reverse negative momentum, says top State official

Washington – The people of Sri Lanka must grasp the opportunity of upcoming peace talks to pursue again a political solution to the island nation’s 28-year conflict, says Richard Boucher, assistant secretary of state for South and Central Asian affairs.“People here are facing a critical moment,” Boucher said in an October 20 press briefing in the Sri Lankan capital, Colombo. “In our view, it is time to move forward.”For decades, the Sri Lankan government has been locked in a conflict with Tamil separatists from the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) that has claimed more than 65,000 lives.In a two-day visit October 19 and 20, Boucher met with senior Sri Lankan officials and humanitarian aid organizations as the government prepares to return to the negotiating table in Geneva, October 28-29 in a new push to resolve the long-running conflict. (See related article.)

Even though the two sides concluded a cease-fire in 2002, 2006 has seen a dramatic upsurge in violence following LTTE suicide attacks on Sri Lankan naval targets in Habarana and Galle in April, part of its campaign for the creation of a separate Tamil state. Since then, retaliatory air strikes and fierce fighting in the Tamil-dominated east of the country have resulted in hundreds of civilian deaths and the displacement of thousands of others. “We stand with the government and the people of Sri Lanka in resisting terrorism,” Boucher said. “We also believe that at this moment it is important for both sides to do what they can to lower the temperature, to cease hostilities that have occurred in recent weeks and months. In the end, people have to understand that the only real solution to their grievances is going to be a political one.”Both sides need to take positive steps to reverse this “negative momentum” away from peace, he said.

“We think it is important to discuss all the issues. It is also important to begin a process that can lead to a serious negotiation, and eventually, to a political solution with legitimate interest of all the communities: of Tamils, of Muslims, of Sinhalese,” which he emphasized could be accommodated within “a unitary Sri Lanka.”(See related article.)As part of this process, Boucher also emphasized the need for increased attention to respecting human rights on all sides and called for investigations of reported abuses.“We do believe the international community can have a role in helping – whether it is with expertise, such as the Australian forensic team that is here helping with the investigation, or whether it is with the basic monitoring mechanism to observe the situation, to encourage progress and look at where that progress could be made better – that is the kind of commission that we are trying to put together with the government,” he said.

To this end, Boucher highlighted the positive role played by the co-chairs of the Tokyo Donor Group, Japan’s Yasushi Akashi and Norway’s Hanssen-Bauer, in working with Colombo toward creating an international human rights commission. (See related article.) “We think now is the moment, with the events in the coming days, with the new round of negotiations, where we can make a start in the right direction,” Boucher said. “That is our hope and that is what we are trying to help achieve, but it’s going to require determination, good will and an effort from people throughout this island.” A transcript of Boucher’s remarks is available on the State Department Web site.

New 'permit offices' in the east

The police in Sri Lanka have opened a series of offices in eastern region to issue special permit to those travel to the capital, Colombo.Vehicle owners intend to travel to the capital are to be issued with a permit from the office before leaving the east.SSP Kantale, HS Dayananada, told journalist RG Dharmadasa that the police will open ‘permit offices’ near check points in the area.Permit owners are required to hand over the parts of the four-part permit to check points as they travel, SSP Dayananda said.But the commuters and drivers had a mixed response over the new initiative by new police chief, Victor Perera.Some were supportive of the idea though the travelling time is to be drastically increased.“It is good that we have checkpoints for better security,” one commuter said.But many drivers and commuters opposed.“It does not matter how many check points are there, what matters is whether there are proper searches,” a commuter said.Journalist RG Dharmadasa said many others opposed it but were afraid of commenting publicly.

An armed gang has reportedly set fire to the Tamil newspapers transported from Colombo to Batticaloa. An armed gang this morning has stopped a private bus and a van that were transporting Tamil dailies Virakesari and Metro News near the Kiran Regional Secretariat in Batticaloa district and set fire to them. The newspapers were being transported to Batticaloa and Ampara districts. This incident is the latest of a series of incidents that violate the media freedom in the Eastern Province of Sri Lanka during the recent times. Several times the newspapers were banned, burnt and distributors were attacked.

The father of the soldier taken captive by the LTTE following the attack inside rebel held areas in Muhamalai earlier this month was given an opportunity to visit his son in rebel captivity on Sunday. The visit was facilitated by the SLMM.Samantha Weerasinghe was taken captive following the clash on October 11 and admitted to the Killinochchi hospital for treatment while the bodies of 74 soldiers killed was handed over to the military via the ICRC.“The SLMM brought the father from Vavuniya through Omanthai to Killinochchi where he met his son on Sunday. The father was set to return to Colombo yesterday,” the SLMM told the Daily Mirror.The LTTE has thus far refused to release the Prisoner Of War (POW) and the government has now sought the assistance of the SLMM and the ICRC to secure his release and also the release of two other soldiers also taken captive on previous occasions.More than 100 soldiers were confirmed killed and several more injured in the fierce battle which erupted in Muhamalai while scores of rebel cadres were also believed dead although the LTTE claims it lost only 30 of its cadres.

U.S. warns that Sri Lanka travel could be dangerous because of government-rebel violence

Americans in Sri Lanka should be alert to the possibility of violence throughout the South Asian island state and should avoid areas of fighting between government forces and Tamil rebels, the State Department said Monday. In a travel warning, the department said most of Sri Lanka still is largely unaffected by the violence, but in the north and east travelers face greater potential to encounter terror activity, including attacks on civilians. "Although there is no specific indication that American citizens or institutions are targets, there is a general risk of American citizens being victims of violence simply by being at the wrong place at the wrong time," the warning said. It said politically motivated assassinations have occurred throughout Sri Lanka, including in the vicinity of Colombo, the capital. The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Elam have fought for an autonomous homeland in northeastern Sri Lanka since 1983, and the violence has killed 65,000 people. A cease-fire brokered by Norway, signed in 2002, temporarily stopped the killing. Renewed violence has killed 2,000 people this year, although both the government and the rebels claim that they are honoring the truce. Talks are to be resumed this coming weekend in Switzerland.

VOT 'not military target'

International media watchdogs have strongly condemned the bombing of Tamil Tigers' radio station, Voice of Tigers (VOT).The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) said all media outlets should be treated as non-military targets according to international conventions."While the IFJ does not endorse or support the views of any particular media organisation, we maintain that all media should be treated as non-combatants," IFJ President Christopher Warren said in a statement.

Transmitting towers of VOT in Killinochch were destroyed by Sri Lanka Air force (SLAF) on 17 October.VOT journalist R Sarath told BBC Sandeshaya that two workers sustained injuries in the attack.Government’s Defence Affairs spokesman, Minister Keheliya Rambukwella, told bbcsinhala.com that the VOT was an “illegal” institution as it was not registered with the government.He acknowledged however that the previous UNP-led government, of which he was a member, helped VOT getting technical support.The IFJ said the attack was a breach of international law as Sri Lanka has an obligation under the Geneva Convention to protect journalists."The journalists at the VOT are unarmed citizens and thus should not be considered military targets under any circumstances," Christopher Warren said.The IFJ, representing over 500,000 journalists in more than 115 countries, has been protesting targeting of media in conflict zones since the NATO strike on Radio Television Serbia in Belgrade in 1999.

Colombo bound truck bomb seized

A truck that was being turned into a four wheeled bomb targeted for Colombo was seized from a garage in Arayampathi in Batticaloa by the STF. The owner of the truck and a businessman were arrested by the Batticaloa police.The truck was meant to be sent to Colombo to target an important landmark. Parts of the truck had been removed to be fitted with explosives when the STF personnel raided the garageThe lorry has been handed over to the Batticaloa Police. The raid was conducted on a tip off.

The current issue on the transport of Geneva bound LTTE leaders from Kilinochchi to the Bandaranaike International Airport is being settled through Norwegian intervention, Government sources said yesterday. A senior official said the prospects of peace talks being held on schedule (October 28-29) are good given the fact peace facilitator Norway has intervened to settle the transport issue which ensued after the LTTE's remarks that they were uncertain over Air Force transport to Colombo. The Government has however, assured the security of the LTTE team attending the peace talks saying as a responsible Government it was bound to protect the LTTE delegation as it cannot act like a terrorist group.

LTTE political head S.P. Thamilselvam was earlier reported to have said they were unsure about getting into an Airforce helicopter to travel to Colombo, though this was how they proceeded on their previous outbound trips. Earlier they insisted on using SLAF aircraft, refusing to travel even in SriLankan airtaxis and private planes. Peace Secretariat Chief Dr. Palitha Kohona said the Government would ensure the safety of any individual passing through Katunayake. Therefore they will do the same to LTTE members travelling to Geneva.

A Swiss Embassy Spokesperson told the Daily News yesterday the preparations for the talks were 'well under way'. They are to take place at a Convention Centre in Geneva. "I hope the delegations will leave for talks," he added. The Government will announce their official delegation to the talks today. The President has briefed the talks team members on a number of occasions. Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva, the Chief Negotiator for February 22-23 Geneva I talks, is expected to lead the delegation

An incident which strongly suggests the Labour Relations Minister may be involved illegally and against the agreement in the project to send Sri Lankans to Korea for employment which has become an easy way of earning a fast buck for some individuals in the Foreign Employment Bureau and the personal staff of the Labour Minister, has been reported to 'Lanka e News'.Serious doubts have emerged regarding the issue following permission being granted to Kosinka Association located at 125/2, Pamunuwa Rd, Gonawala, Kelaniya to send 3000 job seekers to Korea following talks with its officials. The permission has been granted as a part of the quota received by the government through the letter My No. LR/052/ MIN dated 4th may, 2006 directed to the Chairman of Kosinka Association signed by the Minister. (see photograph). The job order has been placed by Korea's Hansu Construction Limited.

The Minister's letter has stated that it is the responsibility of the Company not to violate the conditions of the agreement entered into by the Korean and Sri lankan governments when workers are sent to Korea.Under the Memorandum of Understanding on employment signed by the Korean and the Sri Lankan governments, only the government function as the job agency. It was under this backdrop that the Minister has permitted Kosinka Association to send people to Korea for jobs. Incidentally this company is not registered at the Foreign Employment Bureau as a foreign employment agency. Further under the MoU, job quotas cannot be transferred to private firms. Sending people to Korea for jobs has been a lucrative business in the past and various allegations were made by the media as well as in the Cabinet against the Minister, one of his children and some members of his personal staff for their involvement in some shady deals.

The Minister's letter has also given rise to another serious problem. Six hundred prospective job seekers trained by this company visited the Foreign Employment Bureau on the 18th to obtain Korea job permits and to register themselves for the Korean language test, but they were not allowed to register with the Bureau. According to newspaper advertisements, candidates can register for the language test only from October 18-27. Even thought they were not permitted to register, Kosinaka Association has charged Rs. 7000 from each candidate which means the Company has earned 42,00,000 from the 600 candidates.

Another serious offence in this episode is as to how this company got permission to conduct the training course, when such permission is only given to recruitment agencies registered with the Foreign Employment Bureau. FEB Chairman Jagath Wellawatta has stated that it is illegal for the company to offer training without a license. It is also questionable as to how this company retained passports of those seekers as it is a violation of the Emigration and Immigration Act and only a registered recruitment company or a ticketing agency can ask for passport. Amidst this high drama, Minister's brother, Working Director Athauda Jayawardane has been appointed with immediate effect to the Supervision Unit of the Korea job recruitment unit. The appointment has been made by acting General Manager of the Foreign Employment Bureau H.Batagoda through his letter AD/2/14-2 dated 11-10-2006

A Sinhalese mob went on rampage on the nights of May 31 to June 2 burning the market area of Jaffna, the office of a Tamil newspaper, the home of the member of Parliament for Jaffna, the Jaffna Public Library and killing four people. The destruction of the Jaffna Public Library was the incident which appeared to cause the most distress to the people of Jaffna. The 95,000 volumes of the Public Library destroyed by the fire included numerous culturally important and irreplaceable manuscripts. Witnesses reported the presence of uniformed police officers in the mob[1] and their involvement in the deaths of four individuals.

Today its rooms are thickly carpeted with half burnt pages, fluttering in the breeze which comes through broken windows. Inspecting the charred remains, I met a heart broken lecturer from the local teacher training college. 'The Sinhalese were jealous of the library, he said. 'I used to come here every day to prepare lectures and tutorials. Now I shall have to go to Colombo and some of these books aren't available even there'." - Francis Whelen, New Statesman and Nation, 17 July 1981, visiting Jaffna soon after the destruction of the Library

"It is regrettable that the government did not institute an independent investigation to establish responsibility for these killings (in May/June 1981) and take measures against those responsible. Instead, one police officer involved was promoted and emergency legislation was introduced facilitating further killings." - Orville H.Schell, Chairman of the Americas Watch Committee, and Head of the Amnesty International 1982 fact finding mission to Sri Lanka

''During the District Development Council elections in 1981, some of our party members took many people from other parts of the country to the North, created havoc and disrupted the conduct of elections in the North. It is this same group of people who are causing trouble now also. If you wish to find out who burnt the priceless collection of books at the Jaffna Library, you have only to look at the faces of those opposing us.'' - Sri Lanka President Premadasa speaking at a Muslim College in Puttalam in October 1991 in the aftermath of the impeachment resolution against him sponsored by UNP dissidents led by Mr.Lalith Athulathamudalai and Mr. Gamini Dissanayake.Some Interesting quotes of pro UNP and pro Sinhalese leaders on the bruning of Jaffna library in the Parliamentary Debate
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"If there is discrimination in this land which is not their (Tamil) homeland, then why try to stay here.Why not go back home (India) where there would be no discrimination. There are your kovils and Gods.There you have your culture, education, universities etc. There you are masters of your own fate....

If the sleeping Sinhalese wake up to see the Tamils trying to establish a Tamil Eelam in Sri Lanka, then things may not be quite calm. It would be advisable for the Tamils not to disturb the sleeping Sinhala brother. Everybody knows that lions when disturbed are not peaceful." - Mr.W.J.M. Lokubandara, M.P. in Sri Lanka's Parliament, July 1981

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"If we are governing, we must govern. If we are ruling, we must rule. Do not give into the minorities. We are born as Sinhalese and as Buddhists in this country. Though we are in a majority, we have been surrendering to the minority community for four years. Let us rule as a majority community". - Mrs. Wimala Kannangara M.P., Minister for Rural Development, in Sri Lanka's Parliament, July 1981

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Now, Sir... what should we do to this so called leader of the Tamils? If I were given the power, I would tie him to the nearest concrete post in this building and horsewhip him till I raise him to his wits. Thereafter let anybody do anything he likes - throw him into the Beire (lake) or into the sea, because he will be so mutilated that I do not think there will be life in him. That is war." - Mr.D.M. Chandrapala, M.P. for Kundasale in Sri Lanka's Parliament, July 1981

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Since yesterday morning, we have heard in this honourable House about the various types of punishment that should be meted out to them (Tamil Parliamentary leaders).

The MP for Panadura (Dr Neville Fernando) said there was a punishment during the time of the Sinhalese kings, namely, two arecanut posts are erected, the two posts are then drawn toward each other with a rope, then tie each of the feet of the offender to each post and then cut the rope which result in the tearing apart the body. These people also should be punished in the same way..

...some members suggested that they should be put to death on the stake; some other members said that their passports shouldbe confiscated; still other members said that they should be stood at the Galle Face Green and shot. The people of this country want and the government is prepared to inflict these punishments on these people." - Mr. G.V.Punchinilame, M.P. for Ratnapura in Sri Lanka's Parliament, July 1981.

The Supreme Court's order to de-merge the Tamil-speaking Northern and Eastern Provinces is expected to be a burning issue at the talks between the Sri Lankan government and the LTTE in Geneva on October 28 and 29.The government would rather not discuss the issue because it is now caught in a cleft stick. On the one hand, its main political constituency, the Sinhala majority community, is thrilled with the judgement and would brook no compromise with the Tamil minority. But on the other, it is under international pressure not to de-merge. The US has openly expressed its opposition to de-merger. The international community feels that de-merger will only widen the ethnic divide and sharpen the conflict.The LTTE, on the other hand, would raise the issue vehemently because the de-merger buttresses its long standing argument that the Tamils will never get their cherished Homeland or even a Tamil province for that matter, within a united Sri Lanka.

Such a dream can be realised only by separation through an armed struggle, will be the LTTE's argument.While the government is likely to be defensive and apologetic at the talks, the LTTE will go to the government with all its propaganda guns blazing, and that, in full view of the world press.In a sense, the government will have asked for it.Initially, the talks were to be only on the nitty gritty of the implementation of the Ceasefire Agreement (CFA) and other humanitarian issues like the re-opening of the A9 highway. But in a bid to corner the LTTE and divert attention from the heavily breached CFA, the government recently said that it was determined to go beyond the CFA and demand a discussion of the "core issues" of the ethnic conflict. And the issue of the merger and de-merger of the North and East are among the "core issues" of the ethnic conflict. The government will be hard put to it to face this core issue.

There is time for correctives

However, there is time to minimise the damage. The government has time until November 16 to take legal steps to keep the North and East merged.The Supreme Court had struck the merger down on legal and not political grounds. The merger had been done disregarding some clauses of the Provincial Councils Act No: 42 of 1987, the court had said. The law could be changed and the merger would stand. The latest deadline for holding the mandatory referendum on the merger in the ethnically mixed Eastern Province is November 16. Government could change the Provincial Councils Act No: 42 of 1987 before that date to make the merger legal and avoid an immediate referendum.

Opposition ready to help

The main opposition party, the United National Party (UNP) has pledged support to the government on this issue. Therefore, if the government wants it can change the law.But it would still have to manage the political follow out in the majority Sinhala community, which is increasingly coming under the ideological umbrella of the radical Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) and the Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU).Through full-page press ads, the JVP has been portraying itself as the only party safeguarding the unity of Sri Lanka against minority ethnic separatists. The ruling Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP), apart from the UNP, is being shown as the divider of the nation.The pro-LTTE Tamil National Alliance (TNA) has asked the government to announce by November 7, appropritate steps to retain the merger. Parliament is to meet on November 7.But the talks with the LTTE would have been held before that. If the government remains silent from now till October 28, the LTTE is sure to haul it over the coals at Geneva.

The negotiating teams that would fly to Geneva for the peace talks between the Sri Lanka government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Ealam (LTTE) are out in media although the final confirmations are yet to come. The Sri Lanka government team will be led by Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva and the team will comprise Ministers Rohitha Bogollagama, Jeyaraj Fernandopulle, Ferial Ashraff, The Head of the Peace Secretariat Palitha Kohona, President's Counsels Gomin Dayasiri, H.L. de Silva and the former Inspector General of Police Chandra Fernando. Few other government officials are to be added to the negotiating staff.

LTTE's chief negotiator Anton Balasingham will not participate in the talks this time. However LTTE legal adviser Vasantha Rudrakumar will fly from US and former Sri Lankan Attorney General Siva Pasupathi will come from Australia to participate in the talks. LTTE political head S.P. Thamilchelvan, Police chief Nadesan and Head of the Peace Secretariat S. Pulithevan will fly from Sri Lanka to Geneva for talks. Sri Lanka's government said yesterday it will provide safe passage for LTTE delegation to the only international airport, at Katunayake, near the capital Colombo. The government has agreed to provide helicopter facilities for them to travel to Colombo from rebel held Kilinochchi.

Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) warned Sri Lanka Saturday that they were quite ready to extend their onslaught to every nook and corner of the island if the government "wants war.""Whether it is war ot peace, the LTTE will leave the choice in the hands of the Sri Lankan government, the Freedom Movement's spokesman Rasiah Ilanthiriyan told the Press.“If the Sri Lankan government wants peace, before it enjoys peace, the Tamil people should feel they have peace and security, he emphasised. The warning has come at a time when both parties to the conflict have agreed to meet in Geneva on 28-29 October for peace talks. Ilanthirayan pointed out that the Sri Lankan Armed Forces are drumming up a propaganda war when asked whether the Sri Lanka navy destroyed six Sea Tiger vessels and killed 35 Sea Tigers Friday evening.In order to cover up the daring attack made on Galle harbour where two Dvora gunboats, two battle ships and an oil tanker belonging to the government Wednesday morning, the Armed Forces are trying to show off with imaginary successes, he point out. The Muhamalai debacle, Habarana disaster and the Galle Harbour attack, appear to have dented the morale of the Sri Lanka Security forces and many army soldiers seem to be reneging their positions and have gone into hiding.

One Sri Lanka Army (SLA) trooper was seriously injured when a claymore attached to a tree exploded on soldiers returning to their camps in Nelliyady, Karaveddy 4 km southwest of Point Pedro after conducting a cordon and search operation in Vathiry area at 2:00 p.m. Sunday, sources in Point Pedro said.The incident happened along Uduppidy-Vathiry Road, near Irumpu Mathavady (Steel culvert), sources said.The injured soldier was first taken to Manthikai Hospital, located 2 km northeast of Nelliady, and later taken to Palaly Military hospital, sources said. Unconfirmed reports said there were fatalities in the explosions.Meanwhile, sources in Thenmaradchy said SLA and Liberation Tigers exchanged artillery fire near Muhamalai Forward Defence lines from 8:30 a.m. until 12:00 noon, Sunday, residents in Kodikamam said.

SRI LANKA'S intermittent war between successive governments and the secessionist movement known as the Tamil Tigers, has been going on for nearly a quarter century and has taken 65,000 lives. It is one of the most vicious and intractable conflicts in the world, but receives less attention than other wars that involve American interests more directly. Episodes of gruesome bloodletting on both sides this fall demonstrate that a 2002 ceasefire survives only on paper. At the same time, Pakistani arms deliveries to the government and a consequent expectation that India will provide military aid (albeit covert) to the Tamils threatens to transform Sri Lanka's civil war into a proxy war between South Asia's two principal antagonists. So the Bush administration did well last week to dispatch Richard Boucher, assistant secretary for South and Central Asian affairs, to Sri Lanka to press for a political solution to the island's civil war.

During a visit last June, Boucher staked out a sound principle for resolution of the conflict. The United States believes, he said, that the Tamil ethnic minority that predominates in the north and east of the island nation ought to have some form of self-rule in its own homeland. Vague as this formula may be, it does point the way to a political rather than a military solution in Sri Lanka, including a durable, peaceful coexistence between the mostly Hindu Tamils and the Buddhist Sinhalese majority. But for Boucher's visit Thursday and Friday to have a practical effect, it will have to be followed up with concrete measures. Although American officials are prohibited from engaging in contacts with the Tamil Tigers because the group is on the US terrorism list, the Bush administration should give whole hearted backing to the Sri Lankan government's participation in peace talks with the Tigers later this month in Geneva.

To demonstrate Washington's seriousness about a permanent peace that provides for Tamil self-government and human rights in a confederal Sri Lanka, the administration ought to prevail on the central government to withdraw its armed forces from the Tamil areas in the north of the island. The Sri Lankan government should also be told that as a humanitarian gesture , it would be wise to open the road to Jaffna, the sole main artery connecting the Tamil areas to the rest of the country. Peace in Sri Lanka must be accompanied by justice for the island's Tamil minority. That justice and that peace should be seen as building blocks for the security in Asia that is sure to become more and more important to the United States

Six suspects have been remanded over the attack on the Dakshina Naval Base in Galle last Wednesday. Galle Harbour Police OIC Manjula Udumalagedarra said that 28 of the 34 persons that were arrested have been released after interrogation. Meanwhile, the post mortems on eight bodies of suspected attackers began today at the Karapitiya Hospital. The Sri Lanka government expects to hand over the bodies to the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) via the Red Cross. The rebels have neither admitted nor denied responsibility for the attack. Police sources said the corpses will be buried at government expense if the rebels do not accept them.

The wife of an Army Commando is alleged to have been kidnapped by some unknown persons in a van at Thurstan Road and later released at Kadawatha.Cinnamon Gardens Police told Colombo Chief Magistrate Kusala Sarojini Weerawardena that the complainant, a resident of Kalutara North had come to drop her two children at a leading government boys school in Colombo.As the school was commemorating Universal Children’s Day, the gates were closed. Thereafter, she had walked along Thurstan Road when two unknown persons in a van forcibly took her away, police said. Inside the van the kidnappers had covered her face with a piece of cloth police further said. While the van was travelling, she had been molested and later dropped in Kadawatha. Four persons are being sought by the police in connection with this incident, police informed court.

JVP Parliamentary group leader Wimal Weerawansa made a special statement in Parliament on Friday regarding the Supreme Court decision to de-merge the Northern and Eastern provinces.

Here are excerpts of that speech:

The Supreme Court on October 16 put right one of the biggest mistakes that were made in support of Tamil separatist politics. The five member Supreme Court unanimously gave this historical decision and the two provinces which were merged after the Indo-Lanka Accord are now two separate provinces. The Accord recognized the north and east as the area of historical habitation of the Tamil speaking people in the country. Hence it is clear that this merger was not done for administrative purposes or for any such similar reasons but to give legitimacy to the basic demand of Tamil racist separatist politics and further strengthen that claim.

Under no circumstances can the north and east be the historical area of habitation of the Tamils. The two provinces were merged to give credence to these so-called historical areas of habitation concept and were subject to certain conditions.

One of them was to hold a referendum in the Eastern Province within a year of the merger for the people there to decide whether they want to separate from the north or want to stay merged. Another was the disarming of all armed militant groups.

But what happened in reality? Was the referendum held? Did the militants disarm? No. And from President J.R.Jayewardene up to President Chandrika Kumaratunga, each President continued to extend the temporary merger by gazette each year.

The Supreme Court ruled that President J.R.Jayaewardene had no power to merge the north and east with a gazette notification and by denying the people of the Eastern Province to elect their provincial council, their fundamental rights have been violated. After 19 years, a grave mistake was corrected. This decision should not be reversed under any circumstances and the Sinhalese, Tamils and Muslims must be vigilant against such moves.

The much awaited Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the UNP and the SLFP will be signed today (Oct. 23) at Temple Trees. The MoU will address key national issues.The signing of the MoU is expected to take place in the morning at an auspicious time.SLFP Secretary and Minister Maithreepala Sirisena, now in Beijing will return to Sri Lanka today to attend the historic event scheduled for tomorrow.The UNP last week submitted some proposals to finalise the MoU between the two parties. But the Government rejected some of them, such as to halt UNP MPs crossing over to the Government.

“We told the UNP delegation that crossover is a democratic right of MPs. The SLFP was formed after the late Prime Minister S.W.R.D Bandaranaike crossed over from the UNP. If there was no such move by the late leader, the SLFP would not have existed today”, Minister of Power John Seneviratne told the Sunday Observer. However, debates are going on in the UNP whether to accept portfolios or not under the proposed MoU.The issue is still under discussion in the UNP. Some members are canvassing for portfolios while others seem to claim that the party should support the Government sans portfolios.Meanwhile, President Mahinda Rajapaksa held two meetings yesterday to educate PA coalition party leaders and the Jathika Hela Urumaya leaders on the proposed MoU between the UNP and the SLFP.President Rajapaksa explained to the leaders how he is going to work with the UNP and also discussed on issues relating to the national question, peace process and the national security.

The Supreme Court decision last Monday to de-merge the temporarily amalgamated Northern and Eastern Provinces set off an angry reaction from Tamil National Alliance (TNA) legislators last week. The party announced on Friday it had called a ‘hartal’ in the north and east for Wednesday to protest against this ruling. The Party’s Jaffna district MP Gajendrakumar Ponnambalam in an interview with The Sunday Times said the consequences of the ruling on the peace process were very serious. Here are excerpts from the interview:

The very fact that a decision taken 18 years ago followed by four consecutive Presidents has been reversed on technical grounds itself has very serious implications. That means any agreement that is reached with a Sri Lankan state can be called into question and reversed on technical grounds. That is the sort of precedent that is set. If you have the Government now not taking immediate steps to merge, any agreement reached with this Government can be reversed by any future government on matter of policy. If the Government fails to take corrective measures then our view is that the very foundations on which the peace process can be moved forward has been nullified and thereby even if the LTTE does negotiate, we don’t believe these negotiations can succeed.

What about the sentiments of the Muslins and Sinhalese in the Eastern Province. There are Muslims politicians who have spoken in support of the court decision?

The Muslim leaders have stated that when the merger that took place 18 years ago, the leverage they might have had in a separate Eastern Province might be affected in a negative sense. Those are issues that can he discussed and finalised. None of the Muslims parties except one man (Minister Athaullah) are against the merger providing that within a merged north-east region their concerns are addressed and our view is that must happen.

That is one issue that has the unanimous support among all Tamil actors. I recently saw, the ENDLF, one group that was with Karuna, has issued a statement condemning the judgement and in fact calling for all Tamil political parties to come together and struggle for external self determination. The ENDLF is by no means a party supportive of the LTTE. But this is the reaction you can possibly expect if you think in terms of de-merging the north and east.

The areas were merged only after the Indo-Lanka accord? What prompted such a demand?

The main call for a Tamil linguistic region was prompted because of the steps taken by the Sri Lanka state particularly in the east to change its demography and make the Tamil majority region to lose the outright majority they had due to the colonisation programmes. It is for this reason that the Tamils insisted that any accommodation with the Sri Lankan state has to be based on a unified Tamil linguistic region.

We are considering our options but if the Government does not respond favourably the consequences will be fairly serious where prospects for the peace process are concerned.

Sirisena Cooray—veteran politician and UNP mayoral candidate for Colombo—has left Sri Lanka in "disgust", friends and associates say."He went to Australia about four weeks ago," one of them revealed. "Ravi Karunanayake and Azath Salley made it impossible for him to work out any kind of arrangement with the mayor."Cooray was widely credited with securing the victory for the proxy Independent Group after the UNP suffered the humiliating debacle of having its nomination list rejected. "He was largely responsible for getting the UNP’s tenement vote banks in Colombo to back the Independent Group instead of not voting at all after the party list was rejected," an analyst said.

Mayor Uvais M Imtiyaz and his CMC group last week joined the SLFP, pledging to work with President Mahinda Rajapakse five months after a melodramatic election in May. This arrangement effectively put paid to an arrangement Imtiyaz had with Cooray to run the CMC together.Cooray intimates confirmed, however, that he had left for Australia before Imtiyaz announced his change of loyalties.Azath Salley yesterday rejected any allegation that he may have made it impossible for Cooray to work. "I’ll tell you who’s responsible for this debacle," he told the Sunday Island. "It’s the Three Musketeers...Sirisena Cooray, Milinda Moragoda and Mohamed Maharoof."

"The UNP must take sole responsibility for the Independent Group now joining the SLFP," he continued, adding that the party has signed an agreement with Independent Group leader S Rajendran against his (Salley’s) advice.Salley pointed out that Cooray had refused to reach an agreement with SLMC leader Rauf Hakeem or WPPF leader Mano Ganeshan saying he did not want to side with "communal parties". However, both parties had been allies of the UNP and would have been better choices."Cooray wanted a weak fellow like Rajendran so that he could manipulate him," Salley said.

Karunanayake also rejected allegations that he was responsible for the current situation. "It’s the other way around," he said. "Cooray made it impossible for the UNP to come in. It was due to his own stupidity. He and people around him should have looked into the basics of getting a list done properly. All this stems from not being able to get the list done.""We predicted at a meeting of our political affairs committee that if something happens, he (Cooray) will go to Australia and that we will be left with the problem," Karunanayake said. "That’s precisely what has happened."

Meanwhile, Mayor Imtiyaz said he would remain First Citizen of Colombo. "I will continue as mayor despite my new alliance with the SLFP," he asserted. "I will gain the support of both parties to fulfil my duties as mayor."Asked why he had turned "traitor" to the UNP, Imtiyaz claimed the UNP did not have hard feelings against him. He also said that he would not forget UNP voters and will work without party politics. Vasudeva Nanayakkara, SLFP opposition leader in the CMC, was not available for comment at the time of going to press.

SriLankan Airlines is expecting revenue of a few million dollars after passengers snapped up the airline’s attractive Internet offer of a return ticket to London, Paris or Frankfurt at a ‘dirt-cheap’ Rs.27,000 inclusive of taxes. The current rate is said to be around Rs. 80,000 per ticket. SriLankan Airlines Chief Commercial Officer Barry Brown told The Sunday Times there has been heavy demand since the national carrier started the promotion two weeks ago. Industry sources said the company’s payment gateway provided by Sampath Bank crashed as inquiries clogged the system but Mr. Brown denied this, saying there was peak demand during the first few days of the promotion. “In total we have about 6000 tickets and we have sold about 3000,” he said. Mr. Brown said about 300 to 400 tickets per day are sold with most of the demand coming from Europe.The tickets come with conditions where no refunds are made if visas are refused. Once a ticket is purchased, the airline will not refund the ticket. All travel must be made before mid-December.

India has done well to indicate that it does not wish ill of the government of Sri Lanka and the Sinhalese people. There is a need for a similar appropriate gesture-of a humanitarian kind-to the Tamils. The time has come to actually participate actively in the exercise to end the conflict and promote peace.The announcement made at Brussels last month by the Co-chairs of the Tokyo Conference of 2003 on Sri Lanka-Norway, the facilitator of the peace process, the European Union (EU), the US and Japan- about the consent of the Sri Lankan government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) to resume peace talks has not calmed down the ground situation as it was hoped it would. On the contrary, it has led to a further escalation of violence with each side trying to change the pre-February, 2002, Cease-fire ground situation in its favour before the peace talks are held.

In these exchanges, the government had the better of the LTTE in the Eastern Province due to its ruthless use of air strikes against the LTTE cadres and its use of the supporters of Karuna in the operations against the LTTE. Karuna was the legendary commander of the LTTE in the Batticaloa District of the Eastern Province. He and an unestimated number of his supporters, all Eastern Tamils, had deserted from the LTTE in March, 2004, in protest against the alleged discriminatory policies of the LTTE leadership against the Eastern Tamils. They have been helping the Sri Lankan military in its operations in the Eastern Province. Being sons of the Eastern soil, they are a big asset to the Sri Lankan Army. It is doubtful whether the military would have been able to prevail over the LTTE in the battles in the Eastern Province without their support.

However, the government suffered a serious debacle in the Muhamalai area of the Northern Province on October 11, 2006, when the LTTE routed a government offensive, killing at least 129 soldiers and seriously injuring over 200. The LTTE also reportedly put out of action at least five Armoured Personnel Carriers of the Army and captured a substantial quantity of small arms and ammunition. Since the back-up support of Karuna's men was not available to the Army in this area, it found itself totally outmanouevred and outclassed by the LTTE.

With its morale boosted by this spectacular success, which came after a series of set-backs at the hands of the military in the Eastern Province, the LTTE, undeterred by the continued use of air strikes by the army, has tried to retain the operational initiative in its hand. On October 16, 2006, an LTTE suicide car bomber blew up an explosive-packed vehicle at an open ground in which 24 vehicles of the Sri Lankan Navy and a number of buses hired by the Navy were parked in the Habarana area, 80 kms south-west of Trincomalee, killing at least 99 naval personnel and injuring another 200.

The naval personnel were moving in two convoys. One going to Trincomallee was carrying personnel returning from leave and the other coming from Trincomalee was carrying personnel going home on leave after having served in the Trincomalee area. The two convoys, which were carrying about 340 army and naval personnel, had parked in the open ground to enable them to take their lunch.The government has strongly condemned the suicide attack and has pointed out that it took place outside the area of conflict. Habarana is located in the North-Central Province outside what the LTTE looks upon as the traditional Tamil homeland.

The LTTE has justified its operation on the ground that since the government has been indiscriminately using air strikes on the LTTE cadres and the Tamil civilian population, it has a right to target military personnel, irrespective of whether the attack is in the two Tamil provinces or outside.The same day also saw the Sri Lankan Air Force admitting its first loss of an Israeli-supplied Kfir bomber as it was bombing the LTTE positions in retaliation for the suicide attack. While the aircraft crashed, the pilot managed to eject into the sea. The government has not stated whether the aircraft crashed due to technical reasons or was brought down by hostile LTTE fire. The LTTE has made no statement on this incident so far.

The fighting, in total violation of the cease-fire accord, has become dirtier and dirtier ever since the LTTE made an unsuccessful attempt to kill Lt.Gen.Sarath Fonseka, the Army Commander, through a woman suicide bomber in Colombo in April,2006. The government retaliated through air strikes in the Eastern Province. It described the air strikes as limited in scope and directed at an air strip allegedly constructed by the LTTE.In subsequent weeks, encouraged by the LTTE's inability to counter the air strikes due to the depletion of its anti-aircraft capability, the government has stepped up its use of the Air Force. While most of the planes are flown by Sri Lankan pilots, some are also reportedly being flown by mercenary Ukrainian pilots. A small team of Pakistani Air Force officers has been helping the Sri Lankan Air Force in the maintenance of the planes and also acting as advisers in the air operations.

Under these circumstances, it is doubtful whether, even if the peace talks are held as scheduled, they would produce any useful results unless they are preceded by a de-escalation on the ground and the restoration of at least a semblance of normalcy.This should involve the total stoppage of all air strikes by the SLAF, suspension of tit for tat military strikes by the two sides, stoppage of suicide attacks by the LTTE, removal of all restrictions on foreign journalists and humanitarian NGOs and the resumption of the free flow of humanitarian aid. Only after this has been achieved should the peace talks be held. Before fixing fresh dates for the peace talks, the two sides should undertake a clear commitment not to try to change the ground situation in their favour.

The four co-chairs of the Tokyo conference should exercise pressure on both sides to achieve this before going ahead with the preparations for the peace talks. The EU and the US have taken tough action against the LTTE since May last. The EU has included the LTTE in its list of terrorist organisations, thereby seeking to create difficulties in its fund collection drives. The US has arrested a number of Sri Lankan Tamils of the US and Canada on a charge of trying to procure surface-to-air missiles and other weapons and equipment for the LTTE.These measures have been interpreted by the advisers of President Mahinda Rajapaksa as indicating that the West has definitively turned its face against the LTTE. Moreover, the preoccupation of the international community with Iraq, Afghanistan, Iran, North Korea and Al Qaeda has been interpreted by them as giving the Sri Lankan security forces a window of opportunity to crush the LTTE and impose a dictated peace on the Tamils, which would fall short of even the previously promised federal model, without having to worry about undue concerns in the international community.

The Co-Chairs have to disabuse the mind of the Rajapaksa government of this impression and make it clear to it that they will not close their eyes to the impermissible tactics being followed by it in violation of the predecessor government's commitments to the Tamil people and the international community. The time has come for India to give up its policy of blessing the initiatives of the Co-chairs from the sidelines without actually participating actively in their exercise to end the conflict and promote peace. It should now get actively involved in this exercise.

Admiral Arun Prakash, India's Chief of the Naval Staff, is recently reported to have told the media in Kolkata that the government of India has cleared the sale/supply of some military equipment of a defensive nature to the government of Sri Lanka. He has been quoted by The Telegraph of Kolkata as saying: "The policy so far has been not to give them (Sri Lanka) offensive weapons. But our instructions from the government are we must do everything to protect the sovereignty and integrity of Sri Lanka. We have been in dialogue with DRDO (Defence Research and Development Organisation). We can now export some types of sonars, radars, electronic warfare suites and some makes of naval guns."This is a welcome gesture to reassure Colombo that the government of India does not wish ill of the government of Sri Lanka and the Sinhalese people. There is a need for a similar appropriate gesture-of a humanitarian kind-to the Tamils of the Northern and Eastern Provinces.

The United States on Friday expressed opposition to the de-merger of the Tamil-speaking Northern and Eastern provinces of Sri Lanka because it would adversely affect the on-going peace process in the country.US Assistant Secretary for South and Central Asia, Richard Boucher, said here that the merger of the North and the East was "fundamental" to the Sri Lankan peace process.He said that the "timing" of the Sri Lankan Supreme Court's judgement striking down the merger was "unfortunate.""It raises a lot of questions before the next round of talks," Boucher said after talking to a wide spectrum of government and non-government leaders in the island.De-merger was an issue for all the people he had met, and it remained to be seen how they would approach it in the 1ight of the apex court's judgement, he said.

The US is one of the four Co-chairs of the Tokyo Donors' Conference whose representatives recently asked the Mahinda Rajapaksa government not to change the "existing institutional arrangements" in the North East.By this they meant that the government should not de-merge the North and the East.The Supreme Court's ruling de-merging the North and East had come after the Co-Chairs' appeal.The Co-Chairs, namely, US, Norway, EU and Japan, are the "international community" in the Sri Lankan peace process.

Cease hostilities before talks

On the forthcoming talks in Geneva on October 28 and 29, Boucher said that despite the violence which had taken place all this while, it was important for both sides to go for talks and, prior to that, they must cease all hostilities.The US official was in Colombo along with two other members of the international community trying to make the two warring sides, the government and the LTTE, go for meaningful talks.The other leaders who in Sri Lanka in the last few days were Special Japanese envoy Yasushi Akashi, and the Norwegian peace broker Jon Hanssen Bauer.Akashi and Bauer had traveled to Kilinochchi and met the LTTE's political wing leader SP Tamilselvan.

Tamiselvan told them that the LTTE was ready for talks, but the government should cease hostilities ahead of it. The ball was in the government's court, he said.He also sought an international guarantee for a secure travel arrangement for the LTTE delegation between Kilinchchi and Colombo.

The TNA has organized a Hartal in the North and East on Wednesday, to warn the government of dire consequences if the de merger of the two provinces was carried out in keeping with the Supreme Court ruling. Parliamentarian Gajendrakumar Ponnambalam yesterday told journalists at the Parliament complex that the government would have to face serious consequences if the de-merger went ahead as the move would close the doors to any negotiated political settlement within one country.Mr. Ponnambalam said the Tamil National Alliance gave the Government an ultimatum to come up with meaningful measures to re-merge the two provinces before November 7.“The government agreed to come up with a formal response by Friday to our agitation in the House.

We gave them adequate time till November 7, as we do not want the government to give excuses on this important matter,” he said.The TNA MP said the Supreme Court delivered its ruling considering procedural mistakes in the merger of the northern and eastern provinces during the tenure of former President J.R. Jayewardene and as such the government should now take the necessary corrective measures. “These provinces should be re-merged immediately in line with correct procedure,” he said. Mr. Ponnambalam said the Tamils would be reluctant to enter into any agreement with the government in this context as an agreement arrived at 18 years ago, has been now reversed in this manner. “If the government can reverse agreements signed previously, it means agreements cannot be considered sustainable,” he said.Mr. Ponnambalam said a hartal had been organized to highlight the serious repercussions in case the de merger was carried out, and called upon all the communities in the two provinces to participate in the hartal.

Minority Tamils said they hoped to go back to work after being forced to seek refuge in Hindu temples during two days of looting following a Tiger attack on the navy base in Galle.“The trouble is over now – it’s back to normal,” a man who remained in Galle's largest Hindu temple said and added that Tamil-owned businesses would open later in the day.Dozens of families had gathered inside the temple compound, hours after continued attacks against their businesses, as government officials tried to reassure them that order had been restored.“Some people from the Tamil community have come here – out of fear,” social services deputy minister Lionel Premasiri said surrounded by dozens of anxious people.

Tiger suicide bombers disguised as fishermen in five boats forced their way into the heavily-guarded navy base on Wednesday and three of the boats rammed naval craft and exploded while one was sunk by naval gunfire.Two people were killed and 26 wounded in the attack, sparking riots against Tamil shop owners in Galle. Three people were wounded when police opened fire on mobs trying to damage Tamil-owned shops and police imposed a curfew that lasted until Thursday morning in an attempt to quell inter communal violence. “Day-by-day, it's getting better,” a shop owner who gave his name as Siva said. But he and dozens of others slept in the temple again on Thursday night, under armed police guard.

Another man who did not want to be named described how more than 100 people descended on his house on Wednesday, forcing him and his family to flee. Others said they were not victims of violent mobs, but left their homes out of fear that something could happen to them. Siva downplayed the violence, saying the attacks were crimes of opportunity committed by poor against rich.“This was not about Tamils and Sinhalese -- it was not a racial thing. They came to our shops for whatever was there; jewellery and groceries. It was about who had money and who didn't,” he said.

But Mr. Premasiri, who had come to the temple with other government and police officials, acknowledged that the attack by the LTTE -- the first to strike southern Sri Lanka in almost a decade -- had angered many Sinhalese. “Because of this attack by the LTTE, some Sinhalese people did get angry. But we have come here to look after everyone,” he told AFP. Government officials blamed the LTTE for trying to divide the two communities, playing on long-held suspicions that the Tamils were sympathetic to the rebels. Attacks against Tamils were also reported earlier in the week around Habarana in northern Sri Lanka, where at least 115 people, mostly navy sailors preparing to return home on leave, were killed on Monday in the worst suicide bombing in the history of Sri Lanka's conflict. Defence spokesman Keheliya Rambukwella said after the bombings he believed the Tigers had chosen to attack Galle to provoke a reaction against minority Tamils. “Obviously they have come to Galle on a suicide mission,” Mr. Rambukwella told AFP. “There was no damage to merchant shipping. It looks like they are keen to create a backlash.

When a presidential commission is being appointed to probe the abductions extortions and killing on Colombo and its environs, three Tamils were abducted Thursday (19) and shot dead and three more were abducted Friday. Two of the killed were husband and wife. They have been living in the housing scheme at Mattegoda Piliyandala. They were abducted at about 1.00 a.m. and the police have found their bodies near a culvert at Kuda Maduwe Rd, Piliyandala. The killed couple is David Vigneshwaran and Thirikeshwari Vigneshwaran who was a teacher attached to Piliyandala Korean International School. In addition to that Reggie Balananthan of Mallakkaliya was abducted Thursday night at about 10 p.m. and shot dead in the Ragama police division. He was 30 years old and owned a record bar in the see street.

Jeyeraj Shayam of Moratuwa and George and Deepam of Colombo 15, were abducted Friday. When people like Yashushi Akashi the Japanese peace envoy, Hansen Baur the Norway peace envoy and Richard Boucher the Deputy State Secretary of America are here meeting the President and the leader of the opposition for cessation of hostilities and to stop killings it is regrettable to see this barbaric acts continue said Parliamentarian Mr. Mano Ganeshan the leader of the Western Province Peoples front and secretary of the peoples monitoring committee. The president the peoples monitoring committee Mr. Siritunga Jayasooriya told to meadia Sri Lankans along with the Human Rights Organization of Europe and Australia are due to hold protest rallies opposite Sri Lankan embassies and High Commissions against these dastardly acts.

We'll do military exercise with SL in the near future, but not now - US Asst. Sec. of State

"We will do military exercise with Sri Lanka in the near future, but we are not going to do right now for a variety of operational reasons," a top US official said.Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian affairs, Richard Boucher, said Washington was cooperating with Sri Lanka's military, but that a joint exercise had been put off."We have been talking about an exercise, especially on humanitarian aspects, but for the moment our plans have been deferred," Boucher told reporters here at the end of a two-day visit."We will do such an exercise in the near future, but we are not going to do right now for a variety of operational reasons," he added.A local press report had said the US was planning a joint naval exercise with Sri Lanka's military involving up to 1,000 US marines.Boucher said the US was encouraging both the LTTE and the Sri Lankan government to "lower the temperature" and have a "new beginning" in their faltering peace process following weeks of spiralling violence.

LTTE Wednesday staged a suicide attack against a naval base in the island's south, killing two people, two days after another suicide attack killed 115 people, mostly sailors, in the island's troubled north.Last week, the Tigers repulsed a military offensive, killing at least 133 soldiers.During his previous visit to Sri Lanka in June, Boucher pledged "tangible military cooperation" but warned the government against a return to war with LTTE."It is important to be clear that the purpose of our (military) assistance is not to encourage a return to war," Boucher said during his earlier visit.Washington also offers medical training and study opportunities for Sri Lankan military officers.

Karuna faction office in Trincomalee(This office forcefully taken from TELO)

Branch office of Tamil Peoples Liberation Tigers of Karuna faction opened in Trincomalee on Friday..Spokesman for the Karuna faction Thuyavan and political leader Pradeep were among those who officiated at the opening.Addressing the gathering they said that the idea behind opening this office was to assist all communities in the Trincomalee district.Spokesman Thuyvan said that he defected from the LTTE because LTTE leader, Pirabhakaran and members are using the money sent by people abroad only for their self-indulgence. The money sent by the people abroad are meant for the benefit of the Tamil people, he said.The other reason was that they also neglected the fighters in the east, he added.Thuyvan said that they can not put down arms while LTTE are killing members of the Karuna faction and innocent people.He said it is not safe to resettle Tamil refugees in the district until the war situation is over.

TNA gives Govt. ultimatum on N, E

The Tamil National Alliance group of MPs said they were boycotting Parliament from yesterday (19) and gave an ultimatum to the government till November 7, to decide on a way to merge, the Northern and Eastern Provinces which was demerged by the decision of the Supreme Court.The senior TNA member Gajendra Kumar Ponnambalam making a special statement said the Indo-Sri Lanka accord of 1987 had recognized the two provinces as the traditional homeland of the Tamil people and the government should now find a way of merging the to two provinces as the demerger will have a serious repercussion on the peace talks.

The merger of the Northern and Eastern Provinces as one Unit by President J. R. Jayewardene in 1988 has been held by the Supreme Court of Sri Lanka to be invalid on the basis of some technical reason pertaining to the procedure related to the merger. No further legal measure is available under Sri Lanka’s judicial system to reverse the said finding.

Three Presidents, President R. Premadasa, President D. B. Wijetunga and President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga, who succeeded President Jayawardane have during a period of eighteen years (1988-2006), postponed annually the date for the holding of a poll, relating to the continuance of the merger.

The Indo-Sri Lanka Agreement of 1987 acknowledged that the Northern and Eastern Provinces were the areas of historical habitation of the Tamil speaking people and the merger was effected on the said factual basis.

Three Tamil-speaking citizens representing the historical inhabitants of the Eastern Province, who sought to intervene in the three petitions challenging the merger, were denied the right to intervene. They were thus prevented from stating their case justifying the merger fully and effectively before the court.

Consequently, the judgment delivery has the effect of irretrievably damaging the current peace process unless corrective action is immediately taken. This view has been stated both by India and other members of the international community. The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) wishes to reiterate that the failure to take immediate steps to validity merge the Northern and Eastern Provinces as one Unit, will permanently shut the door on the possibilities of finding a solution within one country. It is with the intention of bringing out the urgency of the matter that the TNA commenced protests in the Well of the House on the 17th and 18th of October 2006.

The TNA calls upon the President and the Government of Sri Lanka to immediately take necessary action to validly restore the Status Quo Ante pertaining to the constitution of the North-East as one Unit. The TNA urged the Government to respond favourably by the 7th of November 2006 the latest."

SLMC Leader Rauf Hakim, making a statement said the Supreme Court decision to de-merge the two provinces was a matter that would not be considered as a measure of relief for the Muslim people of the Eastern Province. The Muslim people cannot accept it without considering the views of their "Tamil brothers" of the province. Even LTTE’s spokesman Anton Balasingham had admitted that the Eastern Province was also region of historical habitation of the Muslim people.

Minister of Urban Development Dinesh Gunawardena said the SLMC leader was incorrect about the Indo-Lanka accord of 1987. The preamble to the accord clearly stated that the Eastern Province was the region of historical habitation of the Sinhalese people. He cannot mislead the House, by giving his own views as the clauses of the accord and the factual position.

The Ven. Athuraliye Rathana Thera, (JHU) group leader, said the JHU agreed that the SLMC leaders’ position about the Eastern province cannot be accepted as correct. The JHU will make a special statement on Friday (20) in Parliament.

JVP member Anura Dissanayake said the TNA’s position on the de-merger does not reflect the views of Tamil, Muslim and Sinhala people of the Eastern Province. The views of the SLMC leader also did not mirror the views of the people of the Eastern Province. Therefore the JVP group will make a special statement in the House on Friday (20).

The leaders of the south always maintain with arrogance that they will not allow their homeland to be divided but when it comes to the question of the homeland of the Tamils, they want it to be de-merged. What a paradox it is! Initially, there were moves to separate the North-East through state aided Sinhala colonization in the east. The motive was to prevent the North-East being a contiguous territory. There is an armed struggle to win the rights of the Tamil people. The Tamil parties always participated in all moves to find a peaceful resolution but all such moves were thwarted by the communal forces among the Sinhala people.

Banda-Chelva pact and Dudly-Chelva pacts are examples of how the Tamil people were prepared to reconcile. But both pacts were abrogated unilaterally by the very same Sinhala leaders who signed the pacts. These deteriorations were obviously due to the pressure from Sinhala chauvinism . The only meaningful provision of the Indo-Sri Lanka agreement was the merger of the North-East. Even that has now been rejected by the Supreme Court. While Banda –Chelva pact and the Dudly-Chelva pact were abrogated by Sinhala communal politicians, the merger of the North-East, the only salutary feature of the Indo-Sri Lanka pact has now been rejected through a legal procedure.

President Rajapakse, addressing the Government Parliamentary Group, has stated that nobody could determine the fate of the people of the east. He had stressed that neither the Parliament, the Executive nor the judiciary could decide the merger. This is a sound move and we have to welcome it. Therefore we request the President to display the same healthy sprit on all matters. By the same logic, we appeal to the President to let the Tamil people who speak a distinct language, who live in a contiguous territory, who have their own culture and civilization and who enjoy the right to self determination to determine whether they want to live together in a united Lanka or in a divided Lanka.

In its first reaction to the Supreme Court order for the demerger of the North-East province the LTTE said yesterday the Supreme Court had no right to decide on the fate of the Tamil homeland as the Tamil people had not accepted the Constitution of Sri Lanka.“As far as we are concerned Tamil land cannot be divided. The Sri Lankan government has no right to decide whether to demerge or merge Tamil land because the Tamil people have not accepted the Constitution of the Sri Lankan government nor have we,” LTTE political wing leader Mr. Thamilselvan said after a meeting with the visiting Norwegian peace envoy Jon Hanssen Bauer.He said the Tamil people wanted to live in freedom on their own soil to safeguard their rights and as such the Sri Lankan government has no right to refuse those rights.

TULF leader V Anadasangaree, in a letter to Japanese peace envoy Yasushi Akashi, says it will be very unreasonable for any body to expect the Tamils to be satisfied with a solution based on a Unitary Constitution under which no relief came during the past fifty years. “There are people who still ask as to what problems the Tamils face? We can’t wake-up people who pretend to be sleeping. The Tamils and Muslims have problems and without any hesitation and with strong conviction I say that the Tamils will not agree for a solution under a Unitary Constitution,” Mr. Anandasangaree said adding that “as an alternative to satisfy those who are opposed to the words Federal and Unitary an Indian model maybe acceptable.”

The TULF leader said having talks with the LTTE without a reasonable solution would be mere waste of time and would only help the LTTE to strengthen itself. He said it would be very beneficial if the Japanese envoy could initiate discussions between the UNP and the SLFP to come up with suggestions to be placed for talks at the next meeting or at subsequent meetings between the Government and the LTTE.Mr. Anandasangaree also warned that the LTTE should be told clearly that separation of the country would not he tolerated by the International Community, the Indian Government and the people of Sri Lanka. He said at the same-time the Government too must make it very clear that it would not strike a deal with the LTTE to hand over part of the territory either in the North or in the East.

The SLMC said in Parliament yesterday that it would be too naive to assume that Muslims would be overjoyed regarding the de-merger of the Northern and Eastern Provinces, knowing fully well the timing and the implications of the judgment.Making a special statement to the House, party leader Rauff Hakeem said they could not be so naive as to ignore the sentiments of their Tamil brethren.The SLMC leader referred to our editorial yesterdayand the news item to substantiate his position on the matter.The editorial stated, “the Left parties that welcomed the merger as a prerequisite for bringing about a solution to the national problem opine that the present judgment against the merger would further frustrate the Tamil parties and complicate efforts to bring about a peaceful resolution of the conflict. Obviously, the political implications of this judgment are considerable.”

In addition, Mr. Hakeem also referred to a news item in the same edition discussing the concerns of the Indian government on this judgment.“Mr. Speaker, we should not lose sight of the fact that what was intended by the Indo-Lanka Accord was a temporary merger. Unfortunately, many such temporary arrangements have had a long gestation period in our country,” Mr. Hakeem said.The SLMC said that it had come a long way since 1987 and could not be oblivious to certain flaws in the arrangement sought to be introduced by the leaders of the two countries in the Accord.“Of particular significance is a need to address the Muslim dimension in a permanently merged Northern and Eastern Province,” he said.Mr. Hakeem said that JVP MP Anjan Umma asked him ‘a mundane question’ after the judgment, saying that Muslims could feel happy because the Supreme Court had re-established the status-quo as it was prior to 1987.Being quick to caution her, Rauff Hakeem said, “What I told a bemused Hon. Anjan Umma was, as a responsible party leader with a preponderant mandate from the Muslims of the Eastern Province in particular and others from other parts of the country, I cannot give a simple answer to this question.”

The Mahajana Eksath Peramuna (MEP) issuing a media statement yesterday hailed the Supreme Court judgment on the North-East de-merger.“The temporary amalgamation of the Northern and Eastern Provinces was carried out using Emergency Regulations in an arbitrary manner with scant regard to the tremendous opposition of the patriotic people led by the great and noble Maha Sangha,” a statement said.The MEP was a pioneer participant in the patriotic peoples’ struggle, unbroken since the fusion of the Northern and Eastern Provinces in 1987, to separate them and restore the status quo ante.

“Even when other forces were silent or apathetic, the MEP addressed the people and Parliament, on various platforms, opposing the amalgamation of the Northern and Eastern Provinces, explaining the facts. It steadfastly demonstrated the anti-constitutional nature of this act,” it said.MEP leader Dinesh Gunawardena strongly recommended the de-merger of the two Provinces and their continuation as two separate entities in the alternative report to the Mangala Moonesinghe Committee report.“The MEP appreciates the Supreme Court, the Chief Justice and other Justices, the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna, the three petitioners - including the two Members of Parliament — and the lawyers who brought this matter before the Supreme Court.“Furthermore, the MEP Central Committee informs the people that it decided to meet the President to discuss the current political and security situation and the forthcoming budget.

Sri Lanka's Tamil Tiger rebels have agreed to attend peace talks with the government this month in a breakthrough announcement after a week of bloody attacks left over 250 dead. The rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) told Norwegian peace broker Jon Hanssen-Bauer Thursday they will shortly name a team of negotiators to attend the October 28-29 talks in Switzerland."We will attend the talks," Thamilselvan told reporters in the rebel-held town of Kilinochchi, 330 kilometers (206 miles) north of the capital, after talks with Hanssen-Bauer who arrived Tuesday amid uncertainty over the talks."We are going for talks in deference to the wishes of the international community," Thamilselvan said according to a transcript of the news conference obtained by AFP.

There was no immediate word from the Norwegians, but the announcement came after increased international pressure on Colombo and the Tigers to enter talks and save a collapsing ceasefire.The government, which has maintained it would hold talks unconditionally, also gave no immediate comment.The rebel statement follows days of negotiations via Norway's envoys punctuated by devastating acts of violence.On Wednesday, two people were killed and 26 wounded in a rebel suicide attack on a naval facility in this southern coastal town, a popular tourist destination.The Tigers reportedly used a group of 15 guerrillas and four bodies, believed to be those of the suicide bombers, washed ashore here Thursday.

Two days earlier the Tigers staged their deadliest suicide bombing in the history of the conflict, killing at least 115 people by driving a truck packed with explosives into a large group of sailors in the Trincomalee district.And on October 11, at least 133 soldiers were killed in an assault on rebel territory on the northern peninsula of Jaffna.Fearing further violence, police and troops stepped up security in Galle on Thursday while similar measures were also taken elsewhere.Troop reinforcements poured into the area and military patrols were stepped up, even as a night curfew was eased early Thursday, local police chief Keerthi de Silva said.He said 11 people had been detained for questioning after breaking the curfew and for possible involvement with the bombing in Galle. Police said they believed four or five Tigers may have escaped after the attack.

The security boost in Galle came amid fears of inter-communal tensions, the officer said, adding that police opened fire and wounded three men Wednesday to prevent rioting between the majority Sinhalese and minority Tamils.De Silva said more troops had also been deployed to Tamil areas to prevent a repeat of the rioting the day before.The United States has warned its citizens against travelling to Galle in the wake of the attack. Australia asked its nationals not to visit Sri Lanka because of the security situation.The Tigers have made no comment on the Galle attack, but said war planes bombed rebel territory in the island's restive east early Wednesday, killing a woman and wounding two more civilians.

The rebels last hit the Galle port area in December 1997, when they detonated a truck bomb that was targeting the navy commander at the time. Sri Lanka's military has used Galle harbour to import arms and ammunition for security forces following threats to the bigger port of Colombo, which is a container hub for South Asia. It is also a popular tourist spot, known as Sri Lanka's "Riviera" for its high-end hotels and pristine beaches. Hotel owners Thursday said they feared for the tourism industry in the wake of the bombing. The three decades of ethnic bloodshed in the tropical island nation have claimed more than 60,000 lives.

Police and some judges deliberately sabotaged and then blocked judicial steps against members of the pro-government EPDP party implicated in the murder in 2000 of Tamil journalist Mayilvaganam Nimalarajan at his home in Jaffna, northern Sri Lanka, said Reporters Without Borders The result has been that six years after the death of the BBC World Service journalist, his killers have still not been tried or punished, said the worldwide press freedom organisation, calling on the government to reopen the investigation into his death.This was the promise made recently by the government spokesman on defence matters, Keheliya Rambukwella, to the international press freedom mission to Sri Lanka, it said.

This sixth anniversary of the cowardly murder of the Tamil journalist on 19 October 2000 comes at a particularly challenging time for press freedom in Jaffna. Four media workers, three of them working for the newspaper Uthayan, have been killed since the start of the year in this town which is held by government troops. Members of the EPDP are again suspects in some of these attacks.All the suspects in the Nimalarajan case, members of the EPDP, were released in 2003, by a court in Vavuniya in the north of the country. Moreover the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) never managed to interview one of the suspects, Sebastianpillai Ramesh, better known as "Napoleon". Police never seriously made use of the physical evidence, including cartridge cases and fingerprints.

An important highlight of the fighting between Government of Sri Lanka (GOSL) forces and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) on October 11th was the severe losses of armoured vehicles by the army At least twelve armoured fighter vehicles (AFV) and Armoured personnel carriers (APC) were put out of action by the tigers in three hours of fierce combat.Even as fighting progressed and GOSL troops backed by artillery went forward. the advance was slowed down to some extent by tiger artillery as well as mines. Two Main Battle Tanks (MBT) were hit by anti - tank "monster" mines. These mines were placed and triggered by the Victor unit of the LTTE which specialises in anti - tank and anti - armoured vehicle warfare.After the first MBT tank was hit and rendered non - operational the second MBT overtook it and proceeded ahead. This too was hit in turn by a "monster" anti - tank mine.

A third armoured vehicle moved in a different direction and fell into a deep, waterlogged ditch. It was a pit dug and covered up with vegetation It was a well cqamouflaged tiger trap.This too was laid by the Victor unit and demonstrated that the LTTE excelled in both using modern weaponery as well as engaging in comparatively "primitive" yet effective warfare tactics.The LTTE's Victor anti - tank and armoured unit continued engaging in action during intensive fighting too. Despite losing its founder - commander Lt. Col Akbar to a random army shell on Oct 7th members of the unit fought fiercely. In addition to the earlier losses of two armoured vehicles to "monster" mines and another to a camouflaged pit - trap, three more Armoured fighting vehicles (AFV) were hit by anti - tank RPG? s and destroyed.

Six AFV's comprising 4 Czhech built T - 55's and two Russian built BMP's were put out of action by the Victor unit.The Victor anti - tank and armoured unit also fired at Chinese built Armoured Personnel carriers with success. Three APC's were totally destroyed while another three were partially damaged .Altogether the Victor unit had put six armoured fighting vehicles and six armoured personnel carriers out of action within a few hours of fighting. The armed forces have never sustained such massive losses in this manner before.Significantly the LTTE suffered a major loss before Wednesday's fighting. On Oct 7th Lt. Col Akbar of the LTTE was killed along the Muhamaalai FDL as a result of an army shell. Akbar who is a Batticaloa Tamil was the head of the Victor anti - armoured artillery unit which specialises in combatting tanks and armoured vehicles.

Akbar who joined the LTTE in 1990 got married in 2003. He was from its inception the chief of the Victor unit.It was named after former Mannar tiger commander Victor.This unit known generally among LTTE cadres as the "RPG Commando" had its roots in the "Col" Kittu artillery unit and had its baptism of fire during "operation Sathjaya" in Kilinochchi. It then became a sub - division of the "Imran - Pandian" unit named after two of Prabakharan's trusted bodyguards.By 1997- 98 the anti - armoured artillery unit began functioning independently under Akbar.Members of this unit have vertical and not horizontal stripes on their uniforms. Though many stalwarts of this unit like Maj. Navachandran, Lt.Col Manivannan and Lt. Col Chutta are no more Akbar had survived despite being a veteran of many "Jayasikurui" and "Oyatha Alaigal" battles.

Lt. Col Akbar's death at a critical time may very well have affected LTTE fortunes as the Victor unit was of crucial importance in countering army advances. His death however seems to have inspired his unit members to perform well during war. Instead of being a bad omen it seems to have become the "blood sacrifice" made to the Gods before war to ensure victory. This was a practice in the lost martial tradition of the Tamils that is now being revived by the Liberation Tigers.

The Colombo District Court declined to grant the declaration sought by TULF President V. Anandasangaree that the defendant Sampanthan was not entitled to summon and or hold any meeting of the TULF or do any act or take any decision without the written instructions from the plaintiff Anandasangaree.However, in the lawsuit against Party General Secretary R. Sampanthan and its Senior Vice President Joseph Pararajasingham, court granted the declaration sought by the plaintiff Anandasangaree that defendants Sampanthan and or Pararajasingham and or any member of the TULF have no rights to violate the provisions of the Party Constitution.In his judgment, District Court Judge Aruna C. Ranasinghe granted a permanent injunction restraining the defendants and or any member of the TULF from violating the provisions of the Party Constitution.Plaintiff Anandasangaree in his plaint inter alia stated that according to the Constitution, summoning of the party meeting and all its activities have to be done by the General Secretary on the instructions of its President.

However, he stated that on 30.11.2003, a Central Committee meeting was convened and he attended and took the chair. He stated that at the said Central Committee meeting, a no confidence motion was brought against him and that one of the members pointed out that according to the Constitution, the Central Committee has no power to remove its officers.He stated that considering the above matter, he made an order that the Central Committee cannot consider the said no confidence motion and that using his powers as President postponed the said meeting indefinitely.Defendant Sampanthan took steps to hold a meeting of the Central Committee at Ampara on December 14, 2003. However, this meeting was postponed for December 21 to be held at the residence of TULF MP A. Chandraneru at Thirukkovil in Ampara.

Anandasangaree instituted legal action on December 16, 2003 and obtained an interim order the next day from the Colombo District Court wherefore the defendants Sampanthan and Pararajasingham were prevented from holding a Central Committee meeting of the party at Tirukkovil, Ampara, and defendant Sampanthan was restrained from summoning and/or holding whatever meeting of the party or performing any activity of such party and taking any kind of decision without consulting the plaintiff Anandasangaree.S.L. Gunasekera with Dilsan Jayasuriya instructed by Dissanayake Amaratunga appeared for the plaintiff. M.A. Sumanthiran with K. Prabakaran instructed by Mohan Balendra appeared for the defendants.

A Pillayar temple, a Multi-Purpose Co-operative Society building and 13 houses were badly damaged Thursday morning around 11:00 when SLAF kfir attack aircrafts bombed civilian settlements in Tharavai and Iralakulam in the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eeelam (LTTE) controlled area in Batticaloa district. Since residents have sought safety in the jungles and other places when the bombings started this Wednesday, there were no injuries to civilians.However, a large number of livestock including goats and cattle were injured or killed in the bombing.Four bombing raids have been conducted by the SLAF in the LTTE controlled areas since Wednesday.Tharavai is situated north west of Batticaloa town.

The United Nations, in a strongly worded statement, has urged the government and the LTTE to avoid plunging the country into a man-made tsunami even as violence between the parties continues to escalate.UN global Emergency Relief Coordinator, Jan Egeland in a statement emailed to the Daily Mirror last night, said the UN stands ready to help Sri Lanka in any way which the government and the parties to the conflict deem necessary to prevent violence and promote reconciliation. “The United Nations and indeed the whole international community are watching the dramatic increase in violence in Sri Lanka with deep concern. All Sri Lankans benefited immensely from the cease-fire and the parties must now return to a cessation of hostilities and to resolving their differences at the negotiations table,” Mr. Egeland said.

The high profile UN official who visited Sri Lanka following the December 2004 tsunami, said he was also shocked by the lack of access for relief agencies to civilian communities in many conflict areas. “The parties should be reminded that they are under international legal obligations to enable unimpeded access to civilians in need of assistance irrespective of where they are, or the circumstances under which they live,” Mr. Egeland said.Over the last few days, government officials have cleared the movement of some 7,500 liters of diesel fuel for transportation by the International Committee of the Red Cross/Red Crescent (ICRC) to the Vanni from Vavuniya. United Nations agencies continue to support the government in providing relief for some 204,000 people currently displaced in the north and east, who have fled their homes as a result of the escalating violence, the UN office in Colombo said.

Government troops and Tamil Tigers exchanged artillery fire overnight on the volatile Jaffna Peninsula leaving one soldier wounded, the military said Thursday, following a rebel suicide ambush on a naval base that killed one sailor. The surge in violence came as U.S. envoy Richard Boucher arrived in Sri Lanka Thursday for talks with government and rebel leaders. Boucher - the U.S. assistant secretary of state for central and South Asian affairs - is on a two day visit to push the two sides to return to peace talks in Switzerland starting Oct. 28. Tamil Tigers launched an artillery attack on the army's defense line in Nagarkovil on the northern Jaffna Peninsula late Wednesday, wounding one soldier, a defense ministry official said on condition of anonymity in line with policy. He said the army retaliated using artillery and mortars, but rebel casualties were not known. There was no immediate comment from the rebels.

On Wednesday, suspected Tamil Tiger rebels posing as fishermen blew up two boats in a suicide attack on a naval base in the resort town of Galle, killing at least one sailor in the first such attack on the southern coast popular with tourists. The pro-rebel TamilNet Web site said 15 rebels took part in Wednesday's attack. Military officials could not confirm the number of insurgents involved, but it said all were killed. Two other sailors were left missing and 12 were wounded in the attack, which damaged two navy fast boats and another small boat. The attack could signal a major shift for the rebels, whose decades-long campaign for a separate homeland for minority ethnic Tamils has largely focused on Sri Lanka's north and east, which they claim as their cultural heartland. Galle, 70 miles (110 kilometers) south of the capital, Colombo, is also home to Sri Lanka's main southern naval port. It was the second rebel suicide attack on Sri Lanka's navy this week.

On Monday, a suicide bomber rammed an explosives-packed truck into a military bus convoy in central Sri Lanka, killing at least 95 sailors and wounding more than 150 _ the deadliest insurgent attack since a 2002 ceasefire temporarily halted the country's civil war. Despite the soaring violence, rebel leaders told visiting Japanese peace envoy Yasushi Akashi Wednesday that they remained committed to talks. The government said they also would return to the negotiating table. Diplomatic efforts have been stepped up ahead of the talks. Norwegian envoy Jon Hanssen-Bauer is currently in Sri Lanka and is scheduled to meet government and rebel officials. The Tamil Tigers have been fighting since 1983 for a separate homeland for the Tamil minority, citing decades of discrimination by the majority Sinhalese. About 65,000 people were killed before the 2002 ceasefire.

Air force jets yesterday pounded identified rebel targets at Illuppadichena in Batticalao, the Media Centre for National Security (MCNS) said adding that a Tiger military base was among those hit.MCNS quoted technical and field intelligence sources as saying the base had been used by the Tigers to train their cadres and to launch attacks on the security forces.The air force attack followed the foiled rebel attempt on the Galle naval base just hours earlier in which one sailor was killed and 12 others injured.The LTTE however in a statement claimed that two Sri Lankan Kfir jets dropped five bombs in rebel-controlled areas of Trincomalee killing a woman and injuring two more including a child. Of the five bombs two failed to explode, the LTTE said adding that the bombs fell on the village of Thalaichenai in Karadiyanaru located some three kilometres from Senkaladi on the Senkaladi-Badulla road.

Japanese special envoy, Mr Yashusi Akashi and LTTE Political Head, S P Tamilselvan, held a meeting yesterday at the LTTE Political head quarters in Kilinochchi to discuss the upcoming direct talks in Geneva between the LTTE and the Sri Lankan government. Attending the meeting with Mr Akashi were, Japanese ambassador, Mr Araki, and the Assistant Director for the South Asia Division of the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mr Wajima.With Mr Tamilselvan, Head of LTTE Police Division, Mr S Nadeson and the Secretary General of the LTTE Peace Secretariat, S Puleedevan also attended the meeting.Tomorrow Norwegian special peace envoy, Jon Hansson-Bauer is also scheduled to meet Tamilselvan.

The Mahinda Rajapaksa Government intends to seek the opinion of legal experts on the issues arising out of the decision of the Supreme Court to de-merge north-east into two provinces. A senior Minister told The Hindu , "Since it is a decision at the highest level, the Government is duty bound to implement the decision." Asked about the United National Party (UNP)'s decision that it was ready to support any legislative move to restore status quo, the Minister said, "We would wait for the legal opinion." According to sources, those making enquiries with the President's Secretariat have been given to understand that to begin with the Government is duty bound to appoint Governors for the north and the east even as it looks at possible options in the wake of the concerns from various quarters. Indications are the Co-Chairs of Sri Lanka and India are of the view that de-merger could complicate the efforts for resolution of the ethnic problem .

The main opposition UNP is to handover the draft of the proposed memorandum of understanding to President Mahinda Rajapaksa today and it is due to be signed on October 23.The MoU between the SLFP and the UNP lays down a common national agenda on national issues mainly in seeking a solution to the ethnic conflict. Meanwhile UNP leader Ranil Wickremesinghe will meet the Maha Nayake Theras of the Malwatu and Asgiriya Chapters in Kandy today.

GALLE: The Karapitiya Teaching Hospital in Galle is fully prepared to handle any medical emergency, Hospital's Deputy Director Dr. Shelton Perera told the Daily News. According to him, 24 people were admitted to the hospital following the LTTE attack on the Galle Naval base. He said 13 Navy personnel were among the injured while the rest were civilians mostly fishermen. One died in the incident while two among the injured were critical. He said one person suffered head injuries and the other had lung injuries. Both are Navy personnel, he added. "They underwent emergency surgery at the hospital and are being treated at the ICU. Their conditions are stable," Dr. Perera added. Most patients admitted to the Karapitiya Teaching Hospital were suffering from shock, hospital sources said. The Deputy Director said the Karapitiya hospital is prepared to cope with any situation and hospital staff are on stand by for any developments. According to Dr. Perera, there was no need to transfer patients to Colombo as the hospital has the facilities.

The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) carried out two major attacks against the Sri Lankan military in the past three days, raising the danger of a further escalation in the open civil war that has erupted since late July.At least 102 people were killed and more than 150 wounded, mostly sailors, in a suicide bomb attack on Monday at Habarana, about 170 km northeast of the capital, Colombo. The place is a transit point for sailors and soldiers coming to and from the naval and army camps in the eastern port of Trincomalee.A suicide bomber drove a truck loaded with explosives into an area where around 20 buses carrying nearly 350 navy personnel were parked. While it has not formally claimed responsibility, the LTTE, which has a long history of suicide bombings, almost certainly carried out the attack.

Yesterday, five LTTE boats, several laden with explosives, attacked the main naval base in the southern city of Galle. Details are still sketchy, but it appears that two naval vessels were damaged. According to the military, two soldiers died in the clash and 26 others, including several civilians, were wounded. All 15 rebels were killed.The Colombo government immediately denounced the attacks. Defence spokesman Keheliya Rambukwella branded the Habarana bombing as a “barbaric terrorist act”. “It clearly shows that peace is not on the agenda of the LTTE and they don’t care about international opinion.”

The military retaliated with air strikes against LTTE-controlled areas, using Israeli-built Kfir jets, one of which crashed shortly after take off. According to LTTE reports, a number of civilians, including two young girls, were killed and injured in the raids, which struck the LTTE’s radio station and transmitting tower, among other targets. Further air attacks were carried out yesterday following the clash in Galle.The clashes take place amid preparations for peace talks due to be held in Geneva on October 28-29. Japan’s special envoy Yashushi Akashi was in Colombo on Monday to meet with President Mahinda Rajapakse, while Norway’s envoy Jon Hanssen-Bauer and US assistant secretary of state Richard Boucher are due in Sri Lankan this week.

Rambukwella and other spokesmen are seeking to exploit the latest attacks to enlist the support of the major powers at any talks to pressure the LTTE. But the chief responsibility for the escalating war rests squarely with the Rajapakse government, which launched a major offensive to seize the Mavilaru irrigation sluice gate inside LTTE territory in July. The attack was an obvious breach of the 2002 ceasefire.Rambukwella’s outrage over the Habarana “terrorist act” and declarations of support for peace talks are completely hypocritical. Last week, just days after the Geneva talks had been agreed, the military provocatively launched another substantial offensive against LTTE positions at Muhamalai, in the narrow land corridor to the northern Jaffna peninsula.

The government initially claimed the military’s actions were “defensive”—the official pretext for all its offensives over the past three months. The claim soon proved to be a lie. The attack turned into a debacle as soldiers ran into heavily entrenched LTTE fighters. Around 130 soldiers were killed and more than 500 wounded in fierce fighting before being forced to retreat.Over half the dead soldiers were left behind inside LTTE territory. The LTTE formally handed over the bodies to the army via the International Red Cross. As the Sri Lankan Monitoring Mission (SLMM), which oversees the ceasefire, diplomatically stated: “If the Tigers have recovered 75 dead troops, that would suggest the army had been mounting a fresh offensive inside rebel areas, despite the rebels’ warnings.”

Undaunted, the government concocted a new story: that the attack, and thus the defeat, was the responsibility of a rogue officer. The most elaborate version was set out by Iqbal Athas, who has close ties to the military command, in his regular “Situation Report” in last weekend’s Sunday Times. According to Athas, he had it on good authority that the president and the National Security Council knew nothing about the military action.“If there was a major military offensive in [Muhamalai], which indeed has turned out to be the case, the political leadership was completely unaware. So were high-ranking officials except for one, who had tried to persuade an ‘over enthusiastic’ military official, awaiting an extension of service, not to go ahead,” Athas wrote, repeating the same point several times throughout the article.

The offensive, however, was no major secret. The LTTE had expressed its concern to the SLMM, two days before the attack, about preparations for the offensive, which involved large numbers of troops backed by armoured vehicles and air support. The LTTE’s warning was reported in the local and international press. It is absurd to claim that Rajapakse and the defence chiefs read the media but took no action, especially as they knew it would affect the impending peace talks.The truth is that the flimsy story was invented to cover up a major embarrassment. As Athas himself noted: “More than anything else, Wednesday’s ill-planned operation conducted without the knowledge of the political leadership and against the wishes of senior officials has clearly embarrassed the Mahinda Rajapakse government. Its credibility was been brought into question in the eyes of the international community.”

In preparing for the Geneva talks, the government’s unstated strategy has been to weaken the LTTE as much as possible. The offensive in Muhamalai is just one of several operations, including in Sampur and the Batticaloa district, aimed at seizing LTTE-held territory. Not surprisingly, the LTTE has struck back to try to shore up its position prior to negotiations.Government spokesman Rambukwella denounced the LTTE for killing “unarmed” sailors on Monday. An attack on naval personnel, armed or not, constitutes far more of a legitimate military target than the indiscriminate use of aerial and artillery bombardments on LTTE-held areas. Rambukwella defended the air force bombing of a school in August that killed scores of female students by falsely declaring the dead were “child soldiers”. He was not troubled at the time that these “child soldiers” were unarmed.

Such propaganda is part of the government’s efforts to whip up a climate of anti-Tamil hysteria to justify a war that the vast majority of the population does not want. Following the LTTE attack in Galle yesterday, Sinhala chauvinist mobs attacked several Tamil-owned shops in the area, throwing stones and smashing windows. Rambukwella blamed the LTTE for trying to provoke “some kind of backlash” but he and the government are chiefly responsible for creating the communal atmosphere.The Rajapakse government is supported by Sinhala extremist parties, including the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), which has been more and more openly campaigning for war. Following the attack in Galle, the JVP urged the government not to attend the talks in Geneva. “If the government is to resume peace talks in Geneva, we insist that they give it up,” JVP parliamentary leader Wimal Weerawansa demagogically declared. “It’s high time for would-be government peace envoys to stop ironing their clothes to go to Geneva.”

The most significant reaction came from the Bush administration, however. State Department spokesperson Sean McCormack condemned Monday’s attack at Habarana, declaring the US has “long designated LTTE as a Foreign Terrorist Organisation” and insisting the “LTTE must renounce the use of terror”. Formally at least, Washington still backs the so-called peace process. In practice, however, the US has turned a blind eye to the constant ratchetting up of the conflict since Rajapakse came to office last November. McCormack, of course, had nothing to say about last week’s military offensive at Muhamalai.The Bush administration’s tacit support for Rajapakse has been a significant factor in encouraging the government and the military to ignore the 2002 ceasefire agreement and go on the offensive against the LTTE.

The Daily Mirror in partnership with the zMessenger, the premier SMS based marketing and marketing research solution provider, yesterday conducted a snap SMS (Short Messaging Services) poll on a randomly selected cross section of the population numbering 5,000 mobile phones users.In view of the recent attacks where hundreds of security forces personnel, civilians and LTTE cadres were killed, the Daily Mirror asked whether the next week’s peace talks should be held as scheduled. Among the participants 57% said peace talks should be held as scheduled while 40% said talks should not be held. The survey question was sent to 5,000 mobile phone users, both male and female between the ages of 18 and 50. The districts covered included Colombo, Gampaha, Kalutara, Galle, Matara and Kandy. Of the 5,000 users contacted 2,128 (43%) responded to the SMS survey.

Any hope that the militant Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam would respond to diplomatic pressure and renounce their terrorist tactics ahead of the cease-fire negotiations scheduled for the end of the month was murderously subverted by a suicide attack that killed more than 100 Sri Lankan sailors this week. Although the government is poised to enter peace talks backed by political consensus for the first time, its willingness to negotiate the end of violence in Sri Lanka is being undermined by the rebel group's continuing violence. The talks are still scheduled, but will only provide salvation for the war-torn South Asian nation if the Tamil Tigers can be forced into truly renouncing violence -- an unlikely prospect.

Legitimate cease-fire talks require the Tamil Tigers to match the government's level of commitment to peace. In the past two decades of peace efforts, however, this hasn't happened. The Tamil Tigers have entered negotiations and cease-fire agreements with a disingenuous promise of peace only to use the break in hostilities to secretly regroup, rearm and relaunch their offensive. The Tamil Tigers are not interested in peaceful coexistence; their only goal is to win substantial territorial concessions, which is a nonstarter for the Sri Lankan government, and justifiably so. The Tigers, furthermore, lack any real support of the Tamil people and intimidate their opposition into silence.

This is a negotiation between a state and the terrorist group that pioneered the use of suicide bombing. Under no circumstances can they be considered equals, and it's essential that the international community, as it works to put the country on the right track, pronounce this distinction ardently. (Indeed, the United States refuses to negotiate with any terrorist groups.) Assistant Secretary of State Richard Boucher, who has rightly noted that the Tigers are a "terrorist group that needs to be treated accordingly," travels to Sri Lanka this week to meet with government officials and members of a Japanese envoy working in the country. While the trip should convey U.S. concern with the violence, the only effective way for the international community to pressure the Tamil Tigers is by targeting the group's world-wide fundraising network.

The recent arrests in Baltimore of six men accused of purchasing weapons, including Russian-made surface-to-air missiles, for the Tigers, which came only a few months after similar arrests were made in a sting operation in New York, are the first concrete actions taken since the United States classified the Tamil Tigers as a terrorist organization in 1997. These important arrests should be followed by forceful prosecution. This is precisely the kind of action that U.S. authorities need to take to disrupt the flow of money and weapons to the Sri Lankan terrorists, which is the only way to force the group into earnest negotiations.

The CID investigating the Habarana attack on the Navy arrested one Mano from Puttalam who is said to have sold the truck that was laden with explosives to the LTTE.Inquiries have revealed that he had sold such trucks to the LTTE in the past, too. Mano has told investigators that his business was buying and selling vehicles but he was not sure to whom he sold this particular truck.The truck originally belonged to a woman from Wellampitiya. Mano has bought the truck from a vehicles sales centre in Kurunegala.Meanwhile a majority of civilians in the North and East has informed the military that they would tip them off whenever they come to know of LTTE plans to plant bombs or prepare for attacks on the security forces. Even the SLMM has been notified of this

Political parties yesterday came up with different opinions on the resumption of peace talks. The UNP stressed the need to stop all forms of violence in the country. The JVP urged the government to give up peace talks and condemned yesterday’s LTTE attacks. The JHU said they are not against the resuming of peace talks but the LTTE should come to the negotiating table, lay down arms, stop suicide attacks and enter the democratic path.UNP General Secretary Tissa Attanayake told the Daily Mirror yesterday they would welcome peace talks as the way out of the problem protecting valuable human lives in the present violent trend. “That is the only way to bring peace and economic prosperity to the country,” he said.

Mr. Attanayake condemned the recent spate of killings carried out by the LTTE on several occasions with callous disregard for human life. He also expressed the party’s condolences to the family members of security personnel killed in the LTTE violence.The JVP yesterday urged the government to give up peace talks and to wipe out terrorism in the way they started doing it while condemning yesterday’s LTTE attack on the Dakshina Naval Base in Galle as well as Monday’s attack on naval convoys.“If the government is to resume peace talks in Geneva, we insist that they give it up. It’s high time for would-be government peace envoys to stop ironing their clothes to go to Geneva,” JVP’s Parliamentary Group Leader Wimal Weerawansa said.

He also asked the government to give up carrying the burdens of the ceasefire agreement and Norway as the facilitator on its shoulders.He also urged the civilians not to take the law into their hands and harass innocent Tamil civilians.“Such acts will only help terrorism. We made the biggest mistake in 1983 and one should not repeat the same mistake this time as only the LTTE will gain from such acts” he said.. Meanwhile, the Jathika Hela Urumaya said they were not against resuming peace talks but the LTTE should come to the negotiation stopping provocative and terrorist acts. JHU media secretary Nishantha Sri Warnasinghe told the Daily Mirror that since the LTTE had agreed to discuss the core issues the government had to start negotiations on certain conditions, the government should set up a proper agenda and a time frame.

“Accordingly, the peace talks on core issues will resume only if the LTTE lay their arms down, stop suicide attacks and enter the democratic path, give up using any heavy military weapons causing mass destruction,” he said while noting that LTTE should agree to accept what the All Party Committee comes up with as the final solution.“The government too should reply to the LTTE in a language they understand thus we believe the government should intensify and standardise retaliatory attacks,” he said adding that government and the military forces should act in a way that it would prevent any possible Sinhala- Tamil civilian riot.

SRI LANKA: SUICIDE BOMBERS ATTACK PORT

Suspected Tamil Tiger suicide bombers attacked on Wednesday the Sir Lankan southern port of Galle, reports say. Militants allegedly entered the port - popular with foreign tourists - aboard five boats and detonated powerful bombs killing at least two people and injuring 10, according to early reports. A police spokesman was quoted as saying that troops had sent gunboats to stop the attack which they said was by militants with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). The attack comes two days after a suicide bombing against a naval convoy killed at least 103 people and wounded 150 others.The raid also came a day after the government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam stressed their commitment to planned peace talks in Geneva on 28-29 October.Over 65,000 people have been killed since 1983, when the rebels began fighting for an independent Tamil homeland. Violence erupted once again in July after a truce brokered in 2002 was shattered.

Riots broke out in Sri Lanka's port city of Galle on Wednesday after suspected Tamil Tiger rebels attacked a naval base in an apparent suicide mission that killed four people, residents and police said. The attack on the Dakshina naval base in Galle city came two days after nearly 100 people, mostly navy sailors, were killed in a suicide bombing on a convoy in a north-central district. News of the raid sparked rioting in Galle, with shops belonging to the minority Tamil community targeted by the majority Sinhalese, residents and police said. A curfew was imposed and local police were ordered to stop the riots, one officer said. There were no immediate reports of casualties.

Galle is about 70 miles (113 km) south of the capital, Colombo, far from the northern and eastern strongholds of the rebels where much of the violence in the Indian Ocean island has been concentrated. At least three rebels and a navy sailor were killed in the attack on the base at around 7.45 a.m. (0215 GMT), a navy spokesman said. "They came in three boats and we blew all three of them. Two small patrol crafts of the navy were damaged in the fighting," he said. The Tiger boats sneaked into the base hiding between fishing boats in the adjoining harbour before attacking naval facilities, he said. Special forces were searching the area for more guerrillas, he added.

Another senior military officer said there were three explosions within minutes when the attack began. He said there were five rebel boats involved in the attack and two of them self-detonated on entering the base. One sailor was killed, 11 wounded and one missing in the fierce fighting that followed, he added. "The situation is very much under control now," he said. Galle was badly hit by the 2004 tsunami and has been the focus of reconstruction efforts by many aid groups. The raid came a day after the government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) reiterated their commitment to planned peace talks in Geneva on Oct. 28 and 29.

Few expect the talks to achieve a breakthrough in the face of continued fighting and deep distrust. Hundreds of people have been killed in spiralling violence since late July that shattered a truce brokered in 2002. Last week, dozens of troops and rebels were killed and hundreds wounded in one of the deadliest battles since the truce. More than 65,000 people have been killed since 1983 when the rebels began fighting for an independent Tamil homeland.

Police open fire to quell rioting after Sri Lanka port attack

Police opened fire and wounded three people Wednesday in a bid to quell rioting in the southern Sri Lankan town of Galle after Tiger rebels staged a suicide bombing against the naval port there, officials said.Mobs tried to attack shops owned by minority Tamil businessmen at Kittangi, a suburb of Galle, 70 miles (110 kilometers) south of the capital Colombo, a police official said. "We have opened fire and wounded three people and after that the situation is under control," the police officer told AFP from Galle. "We are strictly enforcing the curfew now."The authorities introduced an indefinite curfew after Tamil Tiger rebels in five boats attacked the main naval base at Galle.

Parliament was compelled to adjourn sessions after less than a hour of sittings yesterday (17) when Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarians launched a protest campaign inside the well of the House against Monday’s Supreme Court decision to de-merge the northeast.There was pandemonium in parliament when a group of TNA legislators shouted themselves hoarse at the time of commencement of sessions lodging their strong protest against the court ruling to de-merge the northern and eastern provinces of Sri Lanka after 18 years.The chaos that prevailed prevented the scheduled adjourned debate on the Banking Act to be taken up for discussion and had to be referred to a committee stage discussion as a debate became impossible.

When the House met at 9 30 am, the protesting MPs sat on the floor turning their backs to the Chair. Speaker W J M Lokubandara had to be hurriedly ushered in from the back entrance as the protestors prevented his entry. The TNA protesters included Gajen Ponnambalam, Padmini Sithamparanathan, S Kajendran, Nadarajah Raviraj,TELO Leader Selvam Adaikalanathan, Chandrakanth Chandranehru, TELO Muthalvar M K Shivajilingam and Thangeshwari Kathirgamar.The MPs shouted a series of slogans such as "don’t separate the northeast", "do not separate our homeland", " this decision paves the way to Tamil Eelam", down with the Supreme Court", " there will be our own Supreme Court under a Tamil Eelam", "India, accept Tamil Eelam", "India, intervene to settle Tamil grievances" and others.

The protestors also turned their fury towards a helpless Speaker and shouted, " down with the Speaker."Some of the TNA members also shouted slogans in Sinhala "Me adhikaranaya apata epa" (we do not want this judiciary).Amidst the commotion, members presented public petitions and oral questions were answered in haste with most of the answers being tabled by Chief Government Whip, Minister Jeyaraj Fernandopulle due to the prevailing din.When the day’s business was taken up, Speaker Lokubandara solicited the support of the opposition to move the adjourned debate on the Banking (Amendment) Act, as a debate had become a sheer impossibility by then. With a view to postponing the same, the House suspended sittings for 10 minutes at 9.35 a.m to hold a party leaders’ meeting.

When the House resumed at 10.15 a.m, the Speaker announced that the debate had been postponed to a future date. Leader of the House, Nimal Siripala de Silva rushed through nine items contained in the Order Paper in record time.Those so passed included a supplementary estimate on defence amounting to Rs. 109 billion.Others passed were resolutions under the Customs Ordinance, orders and regulations under the Finance Act pertaining to tele drama, films and commercial levies, a notice and an order under the Excise Ordinance, two resolutions under the Appropriation Act and regulations under the Economic Service Charge Act.The government and the opposition reached an agreement to refer the important amendment to the Banking Act to the committee stage debate on a future date.However, the TNA protests had some conspicuous absentees including Group Leader, R Sampanthan, Mavai Senathirajah and M K Eelavendan. The House will meet today at 9 30 am.

The Sri Lankan Air Force (SLAF) on Tuesday destroyed the LTTE's radio station called Voice of Tigers (VOT), which broadcasts Tamil and Sinhala programmes daily, and carries Supremo Velupillai Prabhakaran's annual Hero's Day oration on November 27.After visiting the wreckage in Kokkavil, 15 km south of the LTTE headquarters at Kilinochchi, the Head of the Political Wing SP Tamilselvan said that it was an assault on the freedom of expression."It is part of a planned agenda to suppress the freedom of expression prior to the talks scheduled in Geneva," the pro-LTTE Tamilnet website quoted Tamilselvan as saying.The aerial attack occurred at 9.30 am. Bombs and cannon fire hit the station and the 500 ft transmission tower 25 times.The radio station had lost SLRs 30 million (INR 15 million) worth of equipment as a result.The damaged equipment included two vehicles and power generator.Two staff members were injured.Tamilnet however said that the VOT did not stop its broadcasts!The Sri Lankan Military did not report the incident.All that the National Security Media Unit said was that the Air Force attacked two LTTE naval bases in Mullaitivu and a military camp in Mankulam with great accuracy.

The LTTE radio station might have been attacked to prevent Prabhakaran from making his Hero's Day speech where he takes stock of the political and military situation and outlines the LTTE's plans for the future.The VOT station had been licensed by the Sri Lankan government after the peace process was initiated in February 2002.This was done with the active involvement of the then Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and the Norwegian peace broker Erik Solheim, for whom this was a way of bringing the LTTE into the Sri Lankan legal system and mainstream.But the measure was attacked vehemently by the then Sri Lankan President Chandrika Kumaratunga and the Sinhala and English media as appeasement of terrorists.

The UNP yesterday called on the government to work towards the re-merger of the North and East through a bill in Parliament if they wanted the peace process to move forward smoothly."It is President Mahinda Rajapakse’s responsibility to present a bill before Parliament to re-merge the North and East if he wants to restore the status quo," Lakshman Kiriella, Senior UNP MP, said. He added that its implementation depended on the will of the government.Kiriella’s comments came in the wake of the Supreme Court ruling that led to the de-merger of the North and East on Monday.Asked if the UNP would support a bill to merge the two provinces, particularly given the certainty the JVP would oppose it in parliament, Kiriella said they would do so subsequent to studying the clauses of the bill."In such an event, we will examine the Bill and if it is satisfactory, give our support to the government for the necessary two-thirds majority," he said.He further urged the government to get the peace process back on track, citing the large number of lives lost during its 11-month tenure."Over 2000 young lives have been lost so far and the government is yet to present at least the framework of a solution to the ethnic crisis," Kiriella said.

Japanese peace envoy Yasushi Akashi will hold crucial talks with the LTTE political leadership in Killinochchi this morning with the rebels expected to express their strong views on the Supreme Court order for the de-merger of the North and East.At his meeting with LTTE political head S.P. Thamilselvan, Mr. Akashi is expected to seek an assurance from the rebels that they would participate in the October 28 and 29 peace talks with the government in Switzerland.Though the Japanese envoy had earlier sought a meeting with LTTE leader Vellupillai Prabhakaran, the rebels told the Japanese embassy their leader would be unable to meet Mr. Akashi owing to security concerns.

Meanwhile Norwegian peace envoy Jon Hanssen-Bauer who arrived in the country yesterday met Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera and other government officials to prepare the logistics for the proposed talks.Mr. Bauer is due to meet the LTTE leadership tomorrow when the rebels are due to make known their stand on the talks in the light of the Muhamalai military operation and the Mullaitivu aerial bombardment which followed the suicide truck bomb attack on a navy convoy in Habarana.In an effort to add impetus to the scheduled talks, US Assistant Secretary of State Richard Boucher will arrive in the country tomorrow on a two-day visit and is due to meet government officials, civil society and non governmental organizations, the US embassy in Colombo saidThe LTTE is listed as a terrorist organization in the US, one of the four Co-chairs to the peace process in Sri Lanka and as such official level contacts cannot be maintained between the US government officials and the LTTE.

Colombo Mayor M.U.Imtiyaz Mohammed Deputy Mayor A.Rajendaran and 20 other councillors of the ruling independent group today obtained SLFP membership from President Mahinda Rajapaksa. At the Colombo Municipal Council election the UNP nomination list was rejected and it backed the Independent Group contesting under the Spectacle Symbol which was led by A.Rajendran. The group managed to secure 23 seats at the election and gained control of the CMC.Significantly 17 our of the 21 councillors joined the government today are Tamil nationals. Except for the period where veteran leftist leader Dr. N.M.Perera served as Mayor, the Colombo Municipal Council was controlled by the UNP throughout its history.This was the second time a non-UNP group gained control of the Colombo Municipal Council.

The Navy and Police yesterday traded accusations over security lapses which led to Monday’s LTTE attack on unarmed Navy personnel at Diganpathana in Habarana.Navy personnel, some bound for their base in Trincomalee and others heading South on vacation had gathered at Diganpathana to board buses to their respective destinations when an explosives laden truck crashed into them killing 97 sailors and injuring 112. Had the Police done their duty properly at check points the truck could have been stopped, the Navy said. "There are so many check points and police stations around Diganpathana. There are two check points on both sides a few kilometers away, one at Mirisgoniyawa towards Dambulla and one at Habarana," a high ranking Naval source said

A highly placed Police source, based in Polonnaruwa dismissing the Navy’s charge said the Navy has been warned several times earlier that they could be sitting ducks and that they should take necessary measures for their security. "They simply ignored our warnings. Had they made their own security arrangements by erecting a barrier at the entrance to the place where the buses were parked and had they secured the perimeter well, no vehicle could have entered without being challenged." According to reports, the explosives laden truck had come from the Dambulla end but strangely it had not been checked at the Mirisgoniyawa check point. Mirisgoniyawa is the junction where the road branches off to Anuradhapura and Trincomalee. Habarana is on the Trincomalee Road. Digampathana is in between Inamaluwa and Habarana on this road.

When asked if the truck had come from Dambulla how it could have gone past the Mirisgoniyawa check point, highly placed Police sources said that it could have avoided check points by traversing by roads. A bus driver on the route has told Police that he saw the truck travelling at breakneck speed prompting passengers to say that the truck driver was going to kill himself by driving at such a speed.Five CID teams have been assigned to investigate with personnel from the Government Analyst’s Department.

President Mahinda Rajapaksa in a move to test the waters to go for an election was said to have asked the Ministers Monday whether they were ready for such a step. President Rajapaksa told the Government group members at the Parliament complex that he would opt for an election if the ministers ask him to do so. The President however sounded rather disappointed following a devastating suicide attack on the sailors by the LTTE, and was in no mood to discuss the pros and cons of heading for an election at this juncture. But the majority of the ministers responded that this was not the best time for an election.

France today condemned the yesterday's LTTE suicide blast in Sri Lanka and requested all parties to stop violence and resume negotiations rapidly in order to reach a political solution. “The Sri Lankan conflict cannot be solved through weapons and only a negotiated political agreement can end it,” the French Embassy said in a statement.“France offers her heartfelt condolences to the families of the victims and hopes the numerous injuries will have a prompt recovery. France has been preoccupied by the continuous spiral of violence over the last weeks,” it said.

The United States has condemned yesterday's suicide attack on a Sri Lanka Navy convoy, which killed over 100 unarmed naval personnel on their way to or returning from leave. "Though there have been no claims of responsibility, this attack is in keeping with the tactics of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, a group long designated as Foreign Terrorist Organization by the Department of State," said US State Department spokesperson Sean McCormack. "As we and others in the international community have made clear, the LTTE must renounce the use of terror. Only through the cessation of violence, a renewed commitment to peace talks, and constructive engagement by both sides can a political solution to this conflict be achieved," he said. Around 1.30 PM yesterday afternoon, an explosives-laden vehicle hit a naval convoy at Digampathaha on the Dambulla-Habarana road. The attack came just a day after Japanese peace envoy Yasushi Akashi returned to Colombo in an effort to restart the peace talks.

In a suspected suicide blast at a Sri Lanka navy convoy at Habarana, more than 103 SL Marines were killed. And 150 seriously wounded. The incident took place at 1.30pm Monday. It is suspected a ram-rod by an explosive laden truck might have caused the carnage. Six Navy buses were totally damaged at Digampathana, Habarana. The Navy convoy was on its way to Trincomalee from Colombo. There were 15 buses on the convoy. There were more than 320 marines in all, travelling. While six buses were totally written off, 7 more buses were also damaged. Injured were rushed to a number of near-by hospitals including Kurunagalle and Kandy. At least 100 were taken to the Dambulla hospital first while those confirmed dead were placed in rows at the site. The location of the blast was in a transit point where those returning from leave were taking pace of those going to Colombo on leave after serving in Trincomalee.From 5.00pm helicopters were arranged to fly those in critical conditions to Colombo.

The JVP and the JHU yesterday hailed the Supreme Court order for the de-merger of the North-East as a great victory for the people while Tamil political parties stressed the need to continue with the merger as a prerequisite to resolving the ethnic problem. JVP Parliamentary Group Leader Wimal Weerawansa said not only the court order but the day itself was historical. “The inhabitants rose up in rebellion against the first white governor and against the British imperialism on a day like today in 1818. So it is remarkable that this order which will have an enormous impact on the so-called Eelam concept was made on such a day. The merger of North and East forms the bedrock of Tamil Elam separatist policies,” he said.

Mr. Weerawansa said it was a victory for all people that the Supreme Court corrected a grave mistake committed in history even after 19 years.Asked to comment on the impact of this order on the peace process, Mr Weerawansa said: “It’s not relevant to us, what impact an order given by the country’s Supreme Court would make.” The pro and anti-LTTE Tamil parties subscribed to the same view with the TNA describing the new development as something running counter to the aspiration of the Tamil community.

TNA Jaffna district MP and TELO muthalvar M.K. Sivajilingam told the Daily Mirror yesterday that the situation would now compel them to secede and form a separate state in the greater interest of their community. "We see the situation as a declaration of war against Tamils," he said. The TULF declined to comment on the court order delivered by a five member bench.Party leader V. Anandasangari said the country's situation now is helping to strengthen the hands of Tigers to score over Government in the face of the international community.

The Government's ally, the EPDP said the judgement was in line with the present constitution, and therefore they had no comment on it.Party spokesman S. Thavarajah said they, however, stood for the merger of the two provinces under the constitutional reforms in the future to resolve the Tamil national question. Meanwhile, JHU's Legal Advisor Udaya Gammampila said this order had done justice to the majority of people.He said it was a pleasure to note that they too contributed to waking up of a nation which had been in a deep slumber for 19 years.

The North and East Sinhala Organization, which expressed its satisfaction at the judgment to de-merge the two provinces, said it would help ensure safety and rights of all communities in the North and East SLMC leader Rauff Hakeem said the North and East conflict would not come to an end with the de-merger. "We will closely monitor the possible implications of the judgment that annulled the merger. Whatever they may be, the SLMC will continue to guide the community promoting co-existence among all three communities," he said.

"When the decision was taken to merge the Northern and Eastern provinces, Muslims - the dominant community in the Eastern province were not consulted. We never asked for a merger or a de-merger," Mr Hakeem said. North and East Sinhala Organisation (N-ESO) President Ven Senpathiye Ananda Thera said the government in the past had turned a deaf ear to the request made by the organization to de-merge the North and the East. He said majority of the people would be happy about this court order as it was a defeat for the LTTE. Former North East Governor and former J.R. Jayewardene - Cabinet member Tyronne Fernando said the judgment to de-merge North and East was a far-reaching one. He said North and East was too large a unit for a single governor and one administration. However, he said the merger of the North and East was a temporary one.

The Supreme Court yesterday ruled that the proclamations issued by the then President enabling the Northern and Eastern Provinces to operate as one administrative unit and be administered by one elected council were null and void and had no legal effect.Chief Justice Sarath N. Silva with Justices Nihal Jayasinghe, N.K. Udalagama, Raja Fernando and N.G. Amaratunga agreeing also ruled that the failure of the then President to appoint a date by order published in the Gazette for the establishment of a Provincial Council for the Eastern Province was an infringement and continuing violation of the petitioners’ fundamental right to equality.

The court observed that the proclamation made by the then President declaring the Northern and Eastern Provinces as one administrative unit was made when neither of the conditions specified on Section 31(1)(b) of the Provincial Council Act as to the surrender of weapons and the cessation of hostilities was satisfied. Therefore the court ruled that the order must necessarily be declared invalid.The judgment stated that the 13th Amendment which introduced a new Chapter XVII A to the Constitution provides for extensive devolution of legislative and executive power to Provincial Councils.

It also stated that although the Amendment was certified on 14.11.1987 and a Provincial Council was established for the Eastern Province and each of the other 8 provinces by order dated 3.2.1988, a Provincial Council has not been established for the Eastern Province by an election of members as required by Article 154 A (2) of the Constitution due to the imposed merger.The court ruled that the right to have a Provincial Council constituted by an election of the members of such Council pertained to the franchise being part of the sovereignty of the people and its denial was continuing infringement of the right to the equal protection of the law guaranteed by Article 12(1) of the Constitution.

The Petitioners, JVP Parliamentarians Jayantha Wijesekera and L.K. Wasantha along with A.S. Mohamed Buhary of Sammanturai had filed separate petitions seeking a separate Provincial Council for the East. K.Thambiah of Trincomalee, Vettivel Jayanthan of Ampara, United Socialist Party leader Siritunga Jayasuriya and N. Thillayampalam of Ampara had filed intervenient petitions.The JVP petitioners had ask the court to declare that the Proclamations issued by former President J.R. Jayewardene on September 2 and 8, 1988 enabling the Northern and Eastern Provinces to be one administrative unit administered by one elected Council and purported amalgamation of the Northern and Eastern Provinces were null and void.

They had also sought a declaration from the court that the failure of the President to appoint a date by order published in the gazette for the establishment of a Provincial Council for the Eastern Province was an infringement and a continuing violation of their fundamental right to equality. They asked that such an order be directed to be made by the President.They had sought another declaration from the court that the consequential failure to afford the petitioners and other inhabitants of the Eastern Province an opportunity to exercise their right to vote at an election for membership of the Provincial Council of the Eastern Province was a denial of their right to equality and equal protection of the law.

They asked the court to declare that two separate persons be appointed by the President as Governors of the Northern Province and the Eastern Province. President's Counsel H.L.de Silva, S.L. Gunasekera and Gomin Dayasri and Manoli Jinadasa instructed by Paul Ratnayake Associates appeared for the petitioners. Additional Solicitor General P.A. Ratnayake with Deputy Solicitor Generals Anil Gunaratne and A. Gnanathasan and Senior State Counsel Indika Demuni de Silva, Janak de Silva, Milinda Gunatilake and Nerin Pulle appeared for the respondents. President's Counsel K. Kagag-Iswaran with M.A. Sumanthiran, Batty Weerakoon, L. Jeyakumar, Percy Wickremasekera and Lal Wijenaike appeared for intervenient petitioners.

Sri Lanka: Military installations "legitimate targets" when Colombo bombs locations far off FDLs, says LTTE

LTTE's Military Spokesman, Irasiah Ilanthirayan, ruling out the possibility of "suicide mission" as the mode of attack on Sri Lanka Navy in Habarana Monday, declined to reject Tigers regarding the military targets outside the Forward Defence Line (FDL) localities as legitimate targets if and when Sri Lankan military continued to engage in aerial bombardment and artillery shelling far beyond the defence line localities into LTTE territory. Tigers were yet to claim responsibility for the attack in Habarana. Meanwhile, Sri Lanka Air Force Kfir bombers flew over Vanni and attacked Puthukudiyiruppu town in Mullaithivu Monday between 5:15 and 5:40 p.m. "There are civilian casualties in aerial bombing on Puthukudiyiruppu," Mr. Ilanthirayan said.

When asked whether LTTE claimed responsibility for the attack in Habarana, the Tiger military spokesman said he had contacted the regional command of the LTTE for the verification of the Habarana attack."When Sri Lanka Air Force bombers continue to bomb targets in Tamil homeland, far off the defence line localities where the Sri Lankan ground troops engage in frontal assaults, how could anybody expect the Tigers to refrain from targeting military installations," asked Mr. Ilanthirayan when asked to comment on the LTTE perception of the the military targets outside NorthEast.SLAF bombers on Friday dropped 48 bombs in Muttayankattu village in the heart of Vanni, far away from FDL positons in the north."There are a number of records to cite as attacks by Sri Lankan forces into LTTE territory far off defence localities," he said."Recently a pregnant woman in Mahiladythivu in Batticaloa lost her baby due to shell attack inside a civilian settlement."

An Air Force Kfir Jet returning to Katunayake airfield crashed into the Negombo Lagoon last evening due to a technical fault while the pilot managed to escape unhurt.The jet which was returning after a short mission in the North had plunged into the lagoon in Talahena, Singapooruwatta area around 5.45pm, Negombo police said. According to sources the fighter jet was among three other Kfir jets returning after an air movement and was the last to return. The first three jets had landed safely. The pilot of the last Kfir had been aware of the fault and cruised the craft via Negombo Lagoon fearing an unexpected drop at any moment.

He had then immediately ejected from the craft and escaped without injury but the jet crashed into the lagoon, the sources said. According to the Media Center for National Security, the jet had crashed due to a technical fault and recovery operations were under way last night. Meanwhile, eyewitnesses said they saw the pilot jumping off the aircraft in a parachute seconds before the jet crashed into the lagoon with a large explosion. They said the aircraft broke into two and the whole area was covered with black smoke.

A one-year-old baby girl and a 12-year-old girl were killed and 15 civilians were wounded when Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) bombers attacked Kaiveli, a village in Puthukudiyiruppu, between 5:15 and 5:45, Monday, medical sources in Mullaithivu said. Four SLAF Kfir bombers targeted a civilian settlement on the left side of Puthukudiyiruppu - Paranthan Road. 9 civilian houses were destroyed in the bombardment. A one-month-old baby miraculously escaped from the attack. A Kfir jet came down in Negombo when it took off to bomb Puthukudiyiruppu this evening.Eleven women and 4 men were wounded in the SLAF bombing in retaliation to a bomb attack in Habarana in which around 100 Sri Lanka Navy troopers were killed.

Six civilians wounded in the attack were being treated at Puthukudiyiruppu hospital. Eight persons with serious injuries were admitted to Ponnambalam Hospital in Puthukudiyiruppu and one critically wounded was rushed to Kilinochchi hospital, medical sources added.Meanwhile, LTTE Peace Secretariat officials in Kilinochchi said the truce monitors had visited and inspected the civilian site and the hospital where the wounded were being treated. SLAF bombers have been heavily deployed in Sri Lankan attacks inside LTTE territory since April this year.51 school girls and 4 staffers were killed in Vallipunam in Mullaithivu district on 14 August 2006.

Every government has its honeymoon with the media and in the case of the Mahinda Rajapaksa administration, it seems to be over. The homecoming appears to be an event fraught with a lot of tension, not least because one partner has been proven to be not so innocent, as it appeared at the time of marriage.Indeed, the newsmakers of last week were media men themselves. And the news was not so good. First we heard that the Chairman of the Sri Lanka Rupavahini Corporation was resigning, ostensibly for ‘personal reasons’. Thereafter, there were reports that even the head of the Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation had been asked to resign but that didn’t come to pass.

Then there was a drama of different sorts. The Editor of a state run English Sunday newspaper was purported to have resigned, but later it transpired that he had not resigned but had apparently been found fault with for writing a column mildly critical of President Rajapaksa’s recent address to diplomats. The Editor was standing his ground, bless him, and daring his employers to go ahead and sack him if they found him wanting. Ours is not to an attempt to judge the relative merits of these events. Instead we think we are entitled to ask, ‘so, what’s new?’Politicians when in the Opposition are the darlings of the media. They are accommodating, accessible and love every moment of the limelight they are accorded by the media.

They also champion the cause of a free and fair media with missionary zeal. And the media, more often than not, find in their subject the ideal Messiah to deliver them from their trials and tribulations. The politicians, never missing a trick, make promises aplenty about what they would do to ensure the most liberal media culture when they assume office. Just ask Chandrika Kumaratunga in the early ‘90s and she would tell you.Then, they are elected to office and the metamorphosis begins. Understandably, their accessibility is less but their tolerance of criticism also takes a nosedive. They are suddenly ultra-sensitive, often about some comment or the other or about a cartoon drawn obviously in jest. And then, when they discover that the media are no longer their pet poodles, the battle begins.

Very soon, the relationship sours and heads begin to roll if the ‘culprits’ are in the state sector. And not a word about the hallowed traditions of media freedom either.The blame in all of this mustn’t lie entirely with the politician either. It takes two hands to clap. Just as much as politicians would wish for the media to be their lackeys when they are in and out of office, they seem to have a steady supply of mediamen who fit the bill. And that is why when those with the courage to stand up for what they believe is right are dismissed, there are others ever willing to fill the void. Therefore, for the politician, shooting the messenger is the best available option.

Different people have done it in different ways. Sirima Bandaranaike achieved notoriety by sealing an independent group of newspapers that were critical of her and supported the Satyagraha campaign of J.R. Jayewardene. Jayewardene himself, when he assumed office, imposed press censorship and once ‘tried’ a newspaper editor in Parliament for an inadvertent mix-up of captions in a picture involving his Foreign Minister, A.C.S. Hameed.The Premadasa regime was a nightmare for the media as Richard de Zoysa would have testified, with media freedom being a virtual non-entity in the climate of fear that prevailed during his tenure of office.

If the media believed that the political neophyte Chandrika Kumaratunga would do any better, they were to be thoroughly disappointed. She initiated charges of criminal defamation against several newspaper editors and her one time press secretary, Victor Ivan is today a best-selling author writing about what he calls the ‘Rogue Queen’!One question that would be relevant here is, do we expect Mahinda Rajapaksa to be different? Some in the media thought he would be. While he was a Minister in the Kumaratunga cabinet, Rajapaksa was known as the ‘reporter’ not least because he maintained very close contacts with the press. And, one of his closest confidantes is Dulles Alahapperuma, a media personality with some integrity before he embarked on a career in politics.

So, are the recent resignations a sign of the Mahinda Rajapaksa administration deciding that with the assumption of power, they are now immune from criticism, especially from the state sector? Is it their line of thinking that if the privately owned media adopts an independent stance, they have a right to use and abuse the state media according to their fancies? And just in case you were wondering, that wasn’t stated in the ‘Mahinda Chinthanaya’ either!The last word, for politicians who try to toy with the media using their new found power must be left to Appapillai Amirthalingam who was speaking at the Parliamentary ‘trial’ of the newspaper editor carried out at the behest of J.R. Jayewardene: “We are like children trying on new clothes. We are carrying this too far. Let us bring this to an end.” But then, some children never listen, do they?

Japanese special peace envoy Yasushi Akashi arrived here last night for talks with the government and the LTTE. Norwegian special envoy Jon Hanssen-Bauer is also due here tomorrow.“Mr Akashi landed here around 9 pm,” an embassy spokesman said. He will meet President Mahinda Rajapaksa and several senior government officials. He will also meet LTTE political Head S.P.Thamilchelvan in Kilinochchi.“Mr. Akashi would meet, Defence Ministry Secretary Gothabaya Rajapaksa and Army Commander Sarath Fonseka. This is the first meeting with Sri Lankan defence hierarchy,” the official said.The visit would be Mr. Akashi’s 13th visit to Sri Lanka since he was named by the Tokyo government as special envoy to country’s peace process.

The official also claimed that though Mr. Akashi would only meet LTTE’s Thamilchelvan as the Embassy request to meet with LTTE Leader V. Prabhakaran has not yet confirmed.The Japanese official said Akashi will for the first time meet Sri Lanka's defense secretary and army commander during the visit. Meanwhile, two other senior foreign diplomats, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Richard Boucher and Norwegian special envoy Jon Hanssen-Bauer are also due here. Mr Hanssen-Bauer is scheduled to touch down here tomorrow, while Boucher will arrive on Thursday.

The UNP's agreement for the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding with the SLFP and joining the government to obtain ministerial portfolios will be decided at tomorrow's working committee and parliamentary group meetings.It is reported that the twin meetings of tomorrow may run into stormy sessions as a group led by the party leader is still not agreeable to accept posts in the government. As the majority of the parliamentary group have expressed willingness to accept posts and join the government, the party leader is engaged in a move to overrule their decision by a ruling through the working committee comprising of members handpicked by him.

The usual practise of the UNP has been to meet the parliamentary group first to discus issues and to follow it up with a working committee meeting. But the trend has been reversed this time around by the party leader with the working committee meeting preceding that of the parliamentary group.Accordingly the working committee meeting will be held at 11.00 tomorrow morning. It has been scheduled first as the party leadership enjoys its majority support. However it is reported that the party leader is losing his grip on the working committee as well.

Wickremesinghe is increasingly becoming unpopular in the party for refusing to carry out proposed reforms and offering posts only for his loyalists. Even his Secretary Dayaratne has started openly criticising him.Recently at party headquarters 'Sirikotha', Dayaratne has remarked "I'm sick of politics now. I too am disgusted. Can’t work with the Boss any longer" .Meanwhile one of Wickrmesinghe's closest allies, Sudath Chandrasekara has told another Wickremeisnghe ally, Danasiri Amaratunga "I supported this man, now he is out of his mind ! I too will look for something else."

According to well informed sources, Karu Jayasuriya, M.H.Mohammed, Professor G.L.Pieris, Gamini Lokuge, Dr.Rajitha Senaratne, Ravi Karunanayake, Bandula Gunawardane, Dharmadasa Banda, Naveen Dissanayake, Earl Gunasekara, Neomal Perera and Dr. Jayalath Jayawardane is to adopt a tough stand against the Ranil faction at tomorrow's meeting. It seems that Wickremesinghe is politically isolated in the party as it was to the Deputy Leader Karu Jayasuriya that the President first proposed the SLFP-UNP agreement and in addition when Wickemesinghe made a request from the President for a one to one meeting when he returned from Australia, Jayasuriya requested the President to invite all UNP representatives who took part earlier discussions to which the President readily acceded to. The President wrapped up the meeting with Wickremesinghe led delegation inviting them to join the cabinet. Wickremesinghe left the meeting without giving a direct answer.

"None of our vessels were attacked in the Katpittiya sea" - Irasiah Ilanthirayan

None of the vessels belonging to the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam were attacked by the Sri Lanka Navy in the Katpittiya sea. LTTE Military Spokesman Irasiah Ilanthirayan denied that their vessels were not at all attacked as claimed by the Sri Lanka’s Navy spokesman D.K.P. Dissanayaka.LTTE Military Spokesman Irasiah Ilanthirayan denied that their vessels were not at all attacked as claimed by the Sri Lanka’s Navy spokesman D.K.P. Dissanayaka. He added this was a mischievous propaganda disturb normalcy in the Katpittya sea area.Earlier it was revealed by the Navy spokesman D.K.P. Dissanayaka that they were compelled to attack an LTTE vessel with arms and ammunition and the vessel was sunk.

In the meantime Media Centre for National Security in its release said on 15th October around 9.AM, Sri Lanka Navy saw a large Indian built trawler flying a Sri Lankan flag around 35 nautical miles west of Arippu. As the trawler appeared very suspicious, the Navy fired warning shots. Instead of heeding the warning shot, the trawler fired back. It compelled the Dvora to fire back, resulting in the trawler exploding. "It is believed that the trawler was destroyed with about six Tiger terrorists on board carrying explosives and ammunition."Ilanthirayan, LTTE’s military spokesman candidly denied the report and said that none of their vessels were attacked. "We haven’t received any information of this attack," he said.

The JVP is expected to submit their budgetary proposals to the Finance Ministry tomorrow, following talks with Ministry Secretary Dr. P.B. Jayasundara last Friday.JVP MP K.D. Lal Kantha told the Daily Mirror that they would focus on four issues when submitting the proposals for the next budget to be presented in Parliament next month.Mr. Kantha said that their proposals would be based on the MOU signed with President Mahinda Rajapaksa before the Presidential Election last year.“In this agreement, they pledged not to resort to privatization of any public assets. Such items will specifically be considered again in our proposals,” he said.

The JVP said that they would insist the Government implement certain pledges in the ‘Mahinda Chintanaya’ which received a mandate at the election. “There are certain pledges in the ‘Mahinda Chintanaya’, which the Government has yet to fulfil. We will look into this aspect as well,” he said. He charged that the fertilizer subsidy was not made available for other cultivation sectors such as tea, which they would consider in the proposals.The JVP will also consider the increase in the Defence expenditure when drafting the proposals for next year.

(LeN-Oct15, 8.00pm-Feature Artical) "I met this Sinhala doctor...nice Buddhist gentlema..He said, he went every morning for one hour meditation. Why? I asked. He said meditation in the morning soothes the mind...whole day he feels peaceful in mind...Good, I said..Then he asks me, why you man you go to Jaffna? You help our people...in the South...he tells me..My god, I thought...I told him Tamil people also need help..they don't have food...no water and electricity...always curfew..no schools now...very helpless, very bad situation......and this doctor..after morning meditation told me...no, that problem we are solving...our army will finish them..we are winning the war this time...Oooh-h-h ! I said."

The German Aid worker, Schabarum, if I remember his name right, who told me about this very pious, meditating, medical doctor, had been called to Colombo by the German Embassy about two weeks ago, as the German government feels the situation 'up North' is not conducive for its citizens to work any more.

No smiles, no anger, just pity. And this is what he started off with, and what others from Jaffna who survived a long awaited journey to Colombo, had to say about Jaffna.Eighteen months ago, when he first set foot in Jaffna, the army was on the roads, visible, but who cared? The trip along the A - 9 road, which is also called the Kandy - Jaffna road, had been quite enjoyable. There was queuing up at Omanthai, where the Sri Lankan security forces checked up with documents, but, it was only routine. Then one day about ten months ago, in the heart of Jaffna town, an army truck ran over an eight year old school girl. The school children came on the streets and pandemonium it was. It was anger let loose. Pent up anger. Fiery, scorching and wild.

The trip on the A-9 is no more. Its closed for all, for all goods and even to humanitarian aid. A coconut now, is around 85 to 100 rupees. A packet of milk powder is more precious than gold and never sold as a packet. A 100 gm handful is 150 rupees or more. Wheat flour and sugar is just as much, if available. A loaf of bread needs a 04 hour stay in a queue at the Multi-purpose Co-op. But where is the money ? Out of a population of about 500,000 left destitute in the Jaffna peninsula, about 200,000 are either fishermen or live off the fishing trade. But going out to sea is forbidden and that makes paupers out of once proud men. The ordinary labourer has no work either. Electricity is provided an hour a day. No guarantee of buses on the roads and most groceries are closed. Schools are closed too because children can not be fed before leaving home.

A news paper reported about a feeble elderly man snatching away the much toiled for parcel of 200 gm of milk powder and 300 gm of sugar from an equally feeble woman. His story was pathetic. A labourer from Annaicotte, he has no work, but 05 children to feed. He had not had a meal for two days, himself. The elderly woman was equally bad, but, they had shared the parcel.There are over 2,000 families, those who have some connection in Colombo, registered to leave the peninsula, But the SL Navy ship accommodates only about 15 to 20 people on a single fortnightly journey from KKS to Trincomalee. A chance some could afford to buy, if they can throw out 5,000 to 6,000 rupees.

In Colombo, the wealthy Tamil businessmen and traders go missing, all too suddenly. Some are yet missing, but there are those who re-appeared from remote towns off Polonnaruwa. Often a heavy ransom is negotiated by the family for the dear life abducted. Back home, they are glued to death and unable to speak.No victim or their dependents officially complaining, the government has no human rights issue to investigate. But concerned organisations and groups demand investigations. Appointing a single retired judge as a Commission, with no legal authority or proper mandate, and wants information from victims who bought their life to climb down from the cross, covers the government?s responsibility for now. For those who meditate, the war would nevertheless be won, never mind the carnage that would be left, there after.

The Civil Monitoring Committee on Extra Judicial killings has recorded from February 2006 to date, 43 cases of abductions of which 29 are still unresolved, with six killed and eight released.In one instance, a suspect, Poobalapillai Skandaraja, arrested for abducting Ariyadasa Pushpadas near the flyover on Baseline Road on July 19, claimed he was a member of the ‘Karuna’ Group. Ariyadas Pushpadas was abducted from his residence at 84, Vivekananda Hill, Colombo 13, on July 7, 2006, at 12 midnight, by four armed persons posing as CID officers. The abductors had phoned his mother Regina and demanded Rs 10 million for the release of Pushpadas. Consequently, Regina sold their house at Point Pedro for Rs 4 million. The ransom was paid to the abductors in Dematagoda on July 19. However, Pushpadas has yet to be released.

Kotahena Police arrested Skandaraja on September 28, following a tip-off, at the time of a ransom payment consequent to the abduction of another Tamil youth Sathasivam Kumarasamy, of Jampettah Street, Kotahena.At the Kotahena police station, Maria Regina Ariyadas had positively identified Poobalapillai Skandaraja of Batticaloa, as the person to whom she had handed over Rs 4 million at Baseline Road, Dematagoda, for the release of her son.Skandaraja, at the time of his arrest, claiming to be a member of the ‘Karuna’ group, confessed to being involved in many other abductions and killings occurred in Colombo. Poobalapillai Skandaraja, is under the police custody pending investigations. The Civil Monitoring Committee has compiled a list from information provided by the public. Disappearances, abductions and extortions in Colombo, suburbs and other areas, including the North and East have gone unreported due to fear and logistics

SLMM 'creating borders' in the east

The security authorities in Sri Lanka have accused international truce monitors of trying to create new demarcation lines in the eastern province. Military spokesman Brigadier Prasad Samarasinghe said no area in the east was considered under LTTE control in the Cease fire Agreement (CFA) signed in 2002.He told BBC Sandeshaya that Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) is trying to create new demarcation lines “after signing the CFA”.

The SLMM has earlier ruled that security forces have violated CFA by entering LTTE-held Sampur in the east.The special Task Force (STF ) had to retaliate attacks by the LTTE from Kanjikudichcharu but did not enter any rebel-held area, he said.The spokesman said the situation is different in the north where Forward Defense Lines (FDL) are clearly mentioned.There has been a huge blast near Mannar as Sri Lanka Navy launched an attack on a suspicious trawler boat, Brig. Samarasinghe said.

Sri Lanka Navy has identified one trawler as a fishing boat, but was suspicious about the other as it carried a Sri Lankan flag though the boat was an Indian one, he said.The navy patrols had ordered the trawler to stop and a gun battle started. The clash has taken place at Arippu, 35 nautical miles off from Mannar.“It is clear that the trawler was carrying explosives and live bullets as the boat exploded,” he told bbcsinhala.com.Three Sri Lanka Navy sailors sustained injuries, he added.This latest violence comes on the day that Japan's special envoy is expected in Colombo for talks with the government and the Tamil Tigers.

President Mahinda Rajapaksa on Saturday visited the funeral houses of two soldiers who succumbed to their injuries in the Muhamalai battle with the LTTE. Even without adhering to security advice, President Rajapaksa paid surprise visits to the villages of Nawagathegama in the Anamaduwa electorate and Sangappaliya in Galgamuwa electorate, to pay his last respects to Sergeant Jayasundera and private H.M. Nandasiri. In Sangappaliya, the President was informed that H.M. Nandasiri had been the third in the family, to have sacrificed his life for his country. On learning that the Nandasiri's dreams had been to free the country from the terrorists and secondly to construct a home for all the family to live in, the President affirmed to his grieving mother that he would make both his dreams a reality.

President Rajapaksa also instructed Parliamentarian Dallas Allahaperuma to direct the relevant CEB officials to take necessary action to ensure the availability of electricity to Sangappaliya, which to date, lacked electricity, but is the native village of many soldiers. The President condoled with the grief-stricken mothers who had produced such gallant soldiers whom he referred to as heroes. Ministers D.M. Dassanayake, Bandula Basnayake and S.B. Nawinna and Parliamentarian Dallas Allahaperuma accompanied the President on this tour.

An offensive launched by the Sri Lankan Special Task Force (STF) troopers Saturday night into Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) controlled territory south of Batticloa, was repulsed according to LTTE officials in Batticaloa. A Tiger Major and a Captain were killed in action, the Tiger officials said. Meanwhile, residents who fled Periya Porathivu said two civilians were wounded in artillery shelling from Paddiruppu bridge STF positions Friday night. Meanwhile, LTTE sources in Amparai said the STF troopers who penetrated into Kanchikudicharu were forced to retreat following a series of Tiger ambush attacks launched on them.The STF is yet to release details of the offensive or comment on their casualties.

LTTE sources in Batticaloa claimed that the STF had suffered heavy casualties when Tiger fighters fought the STF troopers back. LTTE Captain Thathankan (Kovinthan Ponnuthurai), 31, from 39 Colony, Vellaveli and Major Kuyilkannan from Amprai district were killed while fighting back the STF troops who penetrated the LTTE territory towards Vellaveli Saturday night around 8:00. Artillery support fire was provided from Vavunathivu Sri Lanka Army (SLA) camp towards 39th Colony, Vellaveli, Saturday night.The two civilians wounded Friday night in Periya Porathivu, 15 km south of Batticaloa, were identified as Kopalan Puvanendran, 26, and Ganesan Kanapathipillai, 56. Mr. Ganesan Kanapathipillai was admitted at Kaluwanchikudy Distirct Hospital and Mr. Kopalan Puvanendran was admitted at Batticaloa Teaching Hospital. Puvenendran's house was destroyed in shelling, according to the residents from the area.

A Memorandum of Understanding between the Sri Lanka Ports Authority (SLPA) and a consortium comprising China Harbour Engineering Company Ltd. and Sino Hydro Corporation Limited of China concerning the Detailed Design Works of Hambantota Port Development Project (Phase I) was signed in Colombo recently. Upon the request of President Mahinda Rajapaksa, the Government of China has agreed to look into the possibility of providing the required technical assistance and concessionary funding for this important national project.

Ports and Aviation Minister Mangala Samaraweera has also instructed the Sri Lanka Ports Authority (SLPA) to expedite the Hambantota Port Development Project.Under the direction of the Ministry of Ports and Aviation, SLPA officials and Chinese specialists will undertake the Detailed Design Works of the Phase 01 'A' of the Hambantota Port Development Project jointly. It is expected that the SLPA will also participate in the construction works of the project together with contractors from the Chinese consortium.

This MOU concerning the Detailed Design works of Hambantota Port Development Project (Phase 1) was signed by Sri Lanka Ports Authority Chairman Saliya Wickramasuriya and Tang Oiaoliang on behalf of the Chinese Consortium. SLPA Vice Chairman Priyath B. Wickrama, Managing Director W.G. Samarathunga, Advisor to the Ministry Dr. Krishan Deheragoda, Executive Director Dr, Irshad Mushen, Director Prasanna Kalutharage, officers of the SLPA and representatives of the Chinese Consortium were also present at the occasion.

October 11th - Actually What Happened in Northern Battle Field ?By D.B.S. Jeyaraj

Last Wednesday was the day of the tiger in the Northern theatre of war!The "defensive" offensive launched on October 11th by the Sri Lankan armed forces of the Government of Sri Lanka (GOSL) headed by President Mahinda Rajapakse was repulsed by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) led by Velupillai Pirapakaran in a day of fierce fighting from dawn to dusk in the Kilaly - Puloppalai region of Jaffna peninsula.The Sri Lankan Army commanded by Lt. Gen Sarath Fonseka suffered what was easily the single biggest debacle in recent times after the GOSL began its series of "Defensive Offensives" against the Liberation Tigers. At least 133 soldiers were killed and 519 wounded while the LTTE suffered 23 deaths and 101 injured cadres. Both sides have now returned to their earlier positions and are engaged in sporadic, low - intensity artillery fire.

The military advance was not unexpected as preceding events pointed to a high military build - up in the area. There had been intermittent exchange of artillery fire for many days between both sides along the Forward Defence Line (FDL) axis of Kilaly - Eluthumattuvaal - Nagar Kovil axis in the lower peninsula. There was also aerial bombardment of areas described as LTTE positions by the GOSL for many days.The past few days had also seen a massive increase in military preparations by the GOSL.The tigers protested at this visible military build - up to Norway. At the same time the LTTE also began strengthening its defences.The GOSL denied that it was planning an offensive. It re-iterated that the armed forces would only defend themselves or enhance defence by "neutralising" LTTE positions. Since this has been the usual excuse of the GOSL in justifying military operations it was a foregone conclusion that a "defensive offensive" was on the cards.The real aim of the GOSL security forces was Elephant Pass.

Originally the operation was to commence on Monday Oct 11th. Protests made by the LTTE of an imminent offensive were denied by the GOSL. So the planned offensive was delayed by two days to stave off possible international pressure. Another reason was heavy rain on Monday.The night of Tuesday October 10th saw the intermittent artillery fire escalating. The morning saw military movement on ground. Troops first broke out before dawn from the Nagar Kovil camp in Vadamaratchy East along the Peninsula's eastern coast. Troops from Kilaly along the South - Western coast of the Peninsula commenced moving out at first light. Troops from the Eluthumadduvaal base in the Peninsula's South started out after daybreak. All advancing troops had a pre - dawn breakfast of rice, fish and dhal before breaking out.By 6. 30 am there was forward movement by troops on all three fronts. K- fir jet bombers and Mi 24 helicopter gunships engaged in aerial bombardment to help facilitate troop movement on ground. The weather however turned nasty with heavy ,dark clouds proliferating. The Air Force could only fly one major sortie that morning due to climatic conditions.Naval gunboats fired from the sea at coatal points between Nagar Kovil and Thalaiyaddy on the Eastern coastal sector.

The LTTE also began firing their artillery. By 7. 30 am the Nagar Kovil troops called it a day and turned back. It was an apparent manouevre to divide enemy attention. Naval gunboats however continued to patrol the coast along Vadamaratchy east and Pachilaipalli engaging in occasional shelling. The navy aim was to prevent reinforcements from Chundikulam and Challai tiger sea bases from landing inside the peninsula.Troops moving out from Eluthumadduvaal did not focus on Muhamaalai and Pallai as expected. The army had already advanced about 800 metres into LTTE controlled Muhamaalai and reached the outer perimeter of LTTE lines. Instead of pressing home this advantage further the armed forces veered South - Westwards and continued their march.The troops moving along the coast from Kilaly also changed course. These personnel moved inwards in a South - Eastern direction.Both columns were now spreading out and advancing in the Puloppalai region between Muhamaalai and Kilaaly. If this advance was succesful the troops could circumvent Muhamaalai and Pallai . By adopting a semi - circular route they could reach the A- 9 highway or Jaffna - Kandy road at a point close to Puthukkaadu Santhi or junction. An east bound road from the junction through Massar and Soranpattru reaches Thalaiaddy on the east coast.

The Puthukkaadu junction on the A - 9 highway is between Pallai and the Iyakkachi road junction about 3 miles way from Elephant pass. If the troops reached Puthukkadu junction and then the Iyakkachi junction, it would have been only a "short, short way" from there to elephant pass.There were about 5500 combat and logistical support troops involved.The Air mobile brigade as well as the 3rd infantry brigade of the 55th division (533) comprised the main assault force. The 533 brigade consisted mainly of Gemunu Watch battalions. The mechanized units were also deployed heavily. Troops from the 55th division provided logistical support.The troops relied heavily on the mechanized personnel and were using a lot of battle tanks, armoured cars, armoured personnel carriers and heavy vehicles like bull dozers to clear the way. Three companies oh highly specialised commandos numbering about 250 - 260 were in the vanguard. They belonged to the Air Mobile brigade and were known as Special Infantry Oriented Teams (SIOT).

The SIOT function was essentially that of pathfinding and trail blazing. Being in the vanguard the SIOT was expected to monito enemy position and gauge artillery and machine gun emplacements. They were required to direct covering artillery and mortar fire extended by personnel to their rear.After pathfinder troops advanced the tanks , armoured cars andAPC persnnel carriers would follow establishing a safe route through the underbrush . Then troops would dismount from APC?s and other armoured vehicles and advance on ground.The main formations of infantry troops then advanced along ground cautiously. Once conditions were comparatively safe bull dozers cleared and flattened the area as far as possible to help consolidate captured areas.

The LTTE resistance to these rapidly advancing columns was carefully calculated. Initially tiger resistanceseemed feeble. The artillery fire seemingly lacked vigour. Earlier attempts to advance through Muhamaalai via the A - 9 axis had seen the LTTE deploying innumerable claymores and anti - personnel mines along the route. This time during the early hours of advance, the mines and booby traps were conspicuously scarce. LTTE cadres from the first and second lines of defence also fell back after a while.The troops were on the upbeat. It looked like the army was going to repeat its Maavilaaru, Muthur, Sampoor, Muhamaalai successes.

8.00 am was the H- hour for the army to commence a heavy onslaught of MBRL's, heavy artillery and field artillery. Even as the armed forces began this tiger artillery across the Jaffna lagoon in Poonagary began firing 122mm and 130mm artillery. There is also suspicion among military circles that 155mm guns were also used.Despite LTTE artillery counter -fire the troops continued. With the 1st and 2nd LTTE defence lines having fallen back the troops backed by artillery went forward. the advance was slowed down to some extent by tiger artillery as well as mines. Two MBT's were hit by anti - tank "monster" mines. After the first tank was hit the second overtook it and proceeded to be hit in turn. A third moved in a different direction and fell into a well - camoflaged deep, pit. It was a tiger trap.

Despite these difficulties the army continued its advance as the LTTE had not offered stiff resistance, By 9. 30 am the GOSL troops seemed to have penetrated nearly 2 - 3 miles deep into tiger territory in the Puloppallai - Pallai region. Some vanguard SIOT troops were even further up from the main advancing body.It was around this time (9.30 am) that the tiger roaring tiger pounced. The advancing troop formations were breached in three points.The vanguard troops were was attacked at a certain point and pressured to retreat sideways. The troops found a chain of deadly mines being triggered like some gigantic firework. LTTE cadres virtually surrounded these troops and intensified firing.. A whole company was virtually wiped out while the other two sustained much damage.The main advancing body was attacked frontally . Tigers also attacked the military in the rear. It was a virtual encirclement of GOSL troops.

The LTTE's Victor anti - tank and armoured unit went into action. Despite losing its founder - commander Lt. Col Akbar to a random army shell on Oct 7th members of the unit fought fiercely. In addition to the earlier losses of three tanks to 'monster' mines and an ambush a further three Armoured fighting vehicles (AFV) were hit by anti - tank RPG's and destroyed. Six AFV's comprising 5 Czhech built T - 55 's and two Russian built BMP?s were put out of action.The Victor anti - tank and armoured unit also fired at Chinese built Armoured Personnel carriers with success. Three APC's were totally destroyed while another three were partially damaged . The Victor unit had put six armoured fighting vehicles and six armoured personnel carriers out of action within a few hours of fighting.The armed forces have never sustained such massive losses in this manner before.

The infantry troops as well as the SIOT personnel to their credit did not turn around and run at the sight of strong tiger resistance. They tried to both hold on to territory and also advance. The fighting was intense from 9. 30 am to 11. 30 am. Troops found themselves attacked by tiny, mobile tiger groups who closed in and fired ruthlessly.The LTTE also fired RPG's , mortars and 60mm portable artillery. Troops were forced at times to move sideways. Very opften they found themselves victims to well - laid Johnny anti - personnel and also claymore mines. It appeared that the LTTE had planted them carefully in select locations and allowed troops to advance up to those places easily.Another problem for troops was the placement of LTTE machine - gunners in well concealed fox holes. Some of these foxholes were behind GOSL column lines. These tigers inflicted much damage from their foxholes. The LTTE also engaged in sniper fire from tree-top positions.

By 11. 30 GOSL troops abandoned the idea of proceeding to Elephant Pass via Puthukaadu and Iyakkachchi junctions. They began withdrawing taking back as many as possible of the dead and injured.The fighting too transformed itself into artillery and mortar firing. The LTTE kept up an intense barrage. The total withdrawal of GOSL troops was complete by 2.00 - 2. 30 pm.The entire battle was over in about six to six and a half hours. The tigers had triumphed in beating back troops.

The Air Force which flew only one sortie in the morning could not help troops later. Weather conditions were bad for aerial attacks. Also the Pakistani and Ukrainian pilots flying the Air Force planes were unable to engage in customary indiscriminate aerial bombardment due to fear of hitting GOSL troops. Helicopter Gunships could have flown low and targetted tigers but were worried about getting hit by LTTE?s surface to air missiles. Naval gumboats were off the peninsulas eastern coast and useless to fighting in the western sector.The army therefore was all alon at its hour of need..

There was practically no close combat or face to face fighting. The bulk of the fighting consisted of tank and anti - tank firing, artillery shelling and mortar fire. The GOSL usually fires artillery barrages indiscriminately and intensely against perceived LTTE positions. Superior firepower is used to its advantage.This however did not work out in this instance as the GOSL troops had advanced and were widely scattered. It was not possible to fire from Kilaly or Eluthumadduvaal at random for fear of hitting their own troops. The army was therefore restricted intitially to field artillery and mortars. The LTTE apparently advanced to comparatively close quarters and fired RPG?s and 60 mm shells from portable artillery.

The LTTE at one point advanced beyond original FDL's into army controlled areas. They turned back after a while and began clearing operations. The heavy fighting subsided after 2. 30 pm. Intermittent artillery fire of low intensity continued throughout the night. It continued even on Thursday 12th.The armed forces had incurred heavy losses. About 20 privately owned vans and mini - buses were commandeered by the armed forces to supplement army vehicles in transporting dead and injured back from the frontlines. Troops suffering major injuries were taken to the Varany camp in the Thenmaratchy sector. Three helicopters then air lifted them to Palaly . Thereafter they were flown to Colombo and Anuradhapura for treatment. Vehicles also took those with minor injuries and dead bodies along the road in Jaffna to Palaly.

The military hospital in Palaly was already overflowing with patients recovering from injuries sustained in previous rounds of fighting along the Kilaly - Eluthumadduvaal - Nagar Kovil axis. The GOSL had kept as many injured as possible in Palaly to prevent the actual truth about army casualties emerging.With troops sustaining heavy damage on Oct 11th the military hospital was unable to accommodate all victims. So a hangar at Palaly Airport was converted into a makeshift hospital.Initially GOSL and defence services spokespersons tried to obscure the truth. They gave ridiculously low casualty figures. Later the various security force websites began increasing casualty figures. Different news agencies quoting unnamed defence sources began giving out comparatively accurate figures. By Oct 12th /13th an accurate picture began emerging.

At least 133 soldiers had been killed.Of these 55 bodies were retrieved by security forces themselves. 75 were retrieved by the LTTE. 74 of these bodies were handed over to the Red Cross at the Kilinochchi playground on Oct 12th by the LTTE's Paavannan who usually interacts with international organizations. One of the bodies retrieved by the LTTE was not given to the Red Cross on time due to a transport problem.Later the LTTE said it was returning that body along with three other bodies of soldiers they had discovered later. According to LTTE defence affairs spokesperson Ilanthiraiyan there were 43 other bodies the tigers had located later. These were decayed and mangled. They were not in a condition to be transported and returned. The tigers themselves crenated them with military honours claimed Ilanthiraiyan.

The Defence ministry accepted the bodies returned through ICRC red Cross at Omanthai. But they refused to accept the LTTE claim that the 43 bodies found later by the LTTE were those of soldiers. The Defence ministry officially stated that three of the injured soldiers had died later. The official figure therefore was 133 dead.The Defence ministry also said that all 78 persons first declared as missing in action were accounted for.Yet an internal Defence ministry circular stated that rwo officers and thirty - five men were yet "missing". 12 officers were among the dead.

The official figures for wounded soldiers was 283. Yet the truth was that of 519 soldiers being injured. Of these 323 were brought to Colombo and 54 to Anuradhapura. Colombo residents saw and heard ambulances and sirens throughout night and day. The rest of the injured soldiers, many of them walking wounded, are in the Palaly hospital.LTTE's Ilanthiraiyan also said that there may be more dead soldiers whose bodies are yet to be located. Some of the injured soldiers also could succumb to their wounds. He said the final tally of dead soldiers could be over 200.Interestingly enough some GOSL and Defence spokespersons are saying that the LTTE suffered more than 200 deaths. Defence spokesperson Brigadier Samarasinghe said that 196 tigers were killed and 312 wounded.

One newspaper has put the LTTE casualty figure at 400. One journal which usually goes to town with stories of security force victories remained silent. There were no stories from the battlefront. News Agencies which initially wrote about "contradictictory" claims of casualties on both sides had after 48 hours concluded that the armed forces had suffered a major debacle.According to Ilanthiraiyan there were ten LTTE deaths at the end of October 11th. With some of the seriously injured dying the toll had risen to 22 on 12th and 23 on 13th. . There is a strong possibility that the tiger casualty figure could go up in the coming days. The number of injured LTTE was placed as above "muppathu" (thirty) by Ilanthiraiyan. It is learnt reliably that the number of LTTE injured is 101.

Among those killed the most senior tiger so far is a woman Capt. Isaichelvi. Of those killed at least four were from the auxiliary force known as "Makkal Sirappu padaiani".They are also given Great Hero or "Maaveerar" status. The LTTE's Imran - Pandian regiment. Sothia and Malathy womens brigades, Victor unit and auxiliary forces were engaged in the fighting.At least one soldier was taken alive by the LTTE. Samantha Weerasinghe of the 4th Gemunu Watch is now undergoing treatment at the Kilinochchi hospital. The ICRC has inspected the 18 year old youth. According to Colombo based diplomatic sources about five to ten soldiers have been taken alive as unacknowledged prisoners of war by the LTTE.At this point of time it is difficult to assess the exact number of losses and casualties on both sides. Perhaps the actual figures may never be known. There is however no doubt that in a conflict of see-saw fortunes the "victor" on Oct 11rh was the LTTE. It was truly the day of the tiger.

The LTTE is to take a final decision on its participation at the Geneva talks scheduled for October 28 this week. The Tiger decision decision is to be communicated to Norwegian Special Envoy Jon Hanssen-Bauer by LTTE Political Wing Leader, S.P. Tamilselvan on Thursday, October 19. The LTTE last week said it was running out of patience over continuous attacks by the government and that it would send a serious message to the government to halt all attacks if any talks are to be held. The Tigers said that more attacks in the coming days by the security forces might push them to pull out of the Cease Fire Agreement altogether.

"We are running out of patience. Although we have not pulled out officially, we will continue to monitor the situation and if the government continues with its attacks, we will decide on the future of the truce and the peace talks when Jon Hanssen- Bauer arrives for a discussion with the LTTE in Kilinochchi. Till then we will wait," LTTE Military Spokesperson, Rasiah Illanthirayan told The Sunday Leader. Norwegian Special Peace Envoy Hanssen-Bauer is expected to hold discussions with the Tigers on October 19, his second such meeting within three weeks.

Illanthirayan added that the LTTE military hierarchy had held discussions on the current military situation and although the LTTE had conveyed to the government through the Norwegians that all violence should halt if talks are to proceed, no progress had been made to date. The LTTE two weeks back wrote to the Norwegians and the SLMM indicating their stand on continued government military action. However, soon after the letters were handed in, confrontations broke out at Mankerni, Batticaloa and Muhamalai, Jaffna.

The government in the meantime continued to maintain that the Ceasefire Agreement did not preclude defensive action by government forces faced with Tiger attacks. The government also said that continuing military action did not hamper discussions taking place. "The LTTE is charging the government that this situation could hamper talks later this month. The government wishes to reiterate that this situation will not hamper talks in any way due to take place between the government and the LTTE later this month," the Center for National Security said

Sri Lankan navy destroys Tamil Tiger trawler carrying arms

Sri Lanka The Sri Lankan navy on Sunday destroyed a Tamil Tiger trawler carrying arms along the western coast, killing at least five rebels, the military said. Three sailors were wounded, it said.The rebels opened fire after navy patrol boats fired warning shots when they spotted the craft off Mannar in northwestern Sri Lanka, a Defense Ministry official said on condition of anonymity in line with policy.He said the rebel attack triggered a fierce response from the navy, which fired at the trawler, setting off a huge explosion. The craft sank, killing suspected five rebels, while three sailors were wounded, he said.

LTTE Chief Negotiator Anton Balasingham is unlikely to participate at the Geneva talks scheduled for October 28 even if it materialises. Balasingham told The Sunday Leader the situation in the north-east is gloomy and disturbing, and that the government seems to operate with a clandestine military agenda while pledging to pursue the peace process to placate the international community. "The Tamil people are deeply sceptical over this deceptive 'war and peace' strategy of the Rajapakse regime," he said. Balasingham further said whether the proposed peace talks in Geneva will take place or not seems to depend on the developments in the ground situation though the Norwegians are very eager to bring the parties to the negotiating table before creating a congenial atmosphere for dialogue. "I am advised by my doctors to rest at home, avoid travelling and other strains. Under these circumstances, I don't think I will be able to participate at the peace talks in Geneva," Balasingham also said.

Speculation that the LTTE would toughen its stand at the forthcoming Geneva meet due to last week’s battlefield success is rife. "If that happens, that would a double setback," a well informed source said. Referring to Wednesday’s humiliating defeat, the source said, "Before Muhamalai, we were on a high. Security forces did exemplarily well to repulse a series of terrorist operations since July. Unfortunately, they now feel strengthened and confident. This may spell disaster," he said.Although the army’s victories at Mavil-aru, Muttur and the Jaffna theatre of operations did not come cheap, they considerably strengthened the government’s position. The dates for talks at an overseas venue later this month were set in this background. The two parties are scheduled to meet on October 28 and 29 in Geneva under the auspices of Norway.

An official close to the peace process said that the government would not change its strategy. "They’ll try to talk from a position of strength," he said. The Muhamalai reversal could have been avoided if there was better understanding among the security forces top brass, he admitted.Army Headquarters said that 134 soldiers died in action while about 230 received injuries. The LTTE claimed that they recovered 40 more bodies of soldiers left behind by retreating soldiers. This claim was dismissed by the military. The army also lost six Armoured Fighting Vehicles (AFVs)—four Czechoslovakian built T 55 tanks and two Russian BMP fighting vehicles.The LTTE captured Private Samantha Weerasinghe of the fourth battalion of Gemunu Watch. Army Headquarters said that Weerasinghe was the third soldier to be captured in recent battles in the north and east.

The military grudgingly admitted that they had never lost six AFVs in a single confrontation with the LTTE. The confrontation which lasted for about two and half hours revealed that the LTTE retains considerable firepower in the northern theatre. Although pro-LTTE TamilNet claimed that they lost only ten defenders, the army estimated that over 200 died and a large number were wounded. President Mahinda Rajapakse Friday indicated that the Muhamalai battle should not be considered a defeat for the army. "The army weren’t successful but they didn’t lose any ground," he told members of his peace talks delegation and several ministers.

The president also spoke of the possibility of the LTTE receiving a fresh consignment of arms, ammunition and equipment. Although the president did not identify any specific source, he said "they seem to be getting equipment." Rajapakse briefed them on his stand on the peace process. There is general belief that former Attorney General Siva Pasupathy would lead the LTTE delegation to the Geneva confab. The legal luminary is expected to take over the delegation if London-based Anton Balasingham would not be available due to illness. "They need a man to articulate their position to the international community," an official said, adding, "Pasupathy would be their most likely choice." New-York-based lawyer V. Rudrakumaran who was involved in talks during Ranil Wickremesinghe’s tenure as prime minister is also a likely candidate for the leadership of the LTTE delegation.

The government delegation for Geneva peace talks on 28 - 29 met the President this morning and after their discussion it was decided to hold a two day seminar for the delegation. Extensive discussions were held on as to how the future course of action should be adopted taking into consideration the views and proposals forwarded by the All Party Advisory Committee and the President had underscored the importance of giving due prominence to proposals of the people, political parties, academics and other relevant sectors in conducting peace talks, the Presidential Secretariat announced. The head of the government peace delegation Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva and Ministers Mangala Samaraweera, Anura Priyadarshana Yapa, Jeyaraj Fernandopulle and Farial Ashroff, Presidential Secretary Lalith Weeratunga, Foreign Ministry Secretary M.G.S.Palihakkara, Peace Secretariat Head Dr. Palitha Kohona, President's Counsel H.L.De Silva, Gomin Dayasiri and former IGP Chandra Fernando participated at the discussion. Meanwhile LTTE military spokesman Rasaiah Ilantheriyan told that they will brief Norwegian peace envoy Jon Hanssen Bauer on matters related to their participation in pace talks when the envoy arrives in Kilinochchi on the 19th of this month.

The Memorandum of Understanding between the SLFP and UNP which is to be signed on October 23 will avoid the use of both words 'federalism' and 'unitary' as the basis of the solution to the ethnic crisis at the request of President Mahinda Rajapakse. The President who made this request when he met with the UNP on Thursday atTemple Trees however agreed to a power sharing formula to be the basis of the solution. Meanwhile UNP Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe will seek Working Committee and Parliamentary Group approval tomorrow for the proposed Memorandum of Understanding with the SLFP. The Sunday Leader learns Wickremesinghe will explain the broad terms of the proposed MOU and seek the support of the membership to sign the deal on October 23.

Top UNP sources said both the Parliamentary Group and the Working Committee are expected to approve the proposal. The MOU between the two parties is to be signed by SLFP General Secretary Maithripala Sirisena and out going UNP General Secretary N.K. Weragoda. The Sunday Leader learns the UNP will forward a draft MOU for SLFP's approval to the President on Tuesday with the SLFP expected to send the UNP a draft on the same day following which the final document will be put into shape. The UNP Leader will during the course of this week also brief religious leaders, the diplomatic community. civil society leaders and UNP local authority leaders on the proposed agreement with the SLFP. Wickremesinghe will meet with President Rajapakse after signing the MOU to work out the details relating to the implementation process of the proposed collaboration between the two parties and a possible power sharing formula.

Three Singhalese men were shot dead at Kanthapuram, about 8 km. from Vavuniya, around 9 a.m., Sunday. They were travelling in a car with two other Muslim men when their vehicle was stopped by unidentified persons, who allowed the Muslim men to leave the area and killed the three, according to the Police in Vavuniya. Eight people have been shot dead in Vavuniya during the past three days.The bodies were recovered with their hands tied behind and faces covered with their clothes at the site where two men were shot dead on Thursday, the police said.The Muslim men who surrendered to police will be inquired later on Sunday. Vavuniya Police IOC said the motive behind the killings were not known.The victims are yet to be identified, he added.

A revolts is being hatched within the UNP to clip same of the unlimited powers enjoyed by Mr. Ranil Wickramasinghe the leader of the UNP when the dates were fixed to sign the MOU after the consensus reached by the leaders of SLFP - UNP after talks.As a result of this revolt the National Organizer of the UNP Mr. S.B. Dissanayake is to present 10 proposals to the leadership and the secretary.The people who lead this revolt say that the democracy that was formed during the days of leaders like D.S, Dudley and Sir John is not to be seen under the autoerotic leadership of the present leader.While the leader was chosen at the party convention the organizers were selected in a manner they were replaced if he was found guilty in a disciplinary inquiry, resignation or death. Today under the present leader they are appointed annually to keep them under him thumb.

According to the constitution the president of the country could he removed it he in found to be mentally unsound or ultravires the constitution. The leader of the UNP cannot be removed in a similar fashion unless he dies or resigns they say.The people who revolt say that the present constitution tailored by the leader to suit his needs. They met at the residence of Mr. M.H. Mohomad and passed the 10 resolution to be handed over to the leader and the general secretary.This decision was taken by a group consisting M.H. Mohomed, S.B. Dissanayake, Mahinda Wijesekara, Prof G.L. Peiris, Bandula Gunawardena, Dr. Rajitha Senarathna, Ravi Karunanayake, Hemakumara Nanayakkara and Dr. Jayalath Jayawardena. It is said that this group have met twice before.As these proposals should be handed over one month before the convention it will be done in the 18 of this month.Mr. Dissanayake has obtained legal advice for the said proposals .If they will not be able to get the approval of the party executive committee for the said proposals it is believed that they would contest for the top posts of the party.

Out of the 74 bodies of soldiers handed over to the Omanthai exit-entry point by the International Red Cross, 70 have been identified, the co-ordinator of the Media Centre for National Security Major Upali Rajapaksa said. The identified bodies have been released to their immediate relatives with 27 bodies being sent to Colombo, 23 to Kandy, 10 to Kurunegala, 5 to Polonnaruwa and 5 to Anuradhapura and 4 bodies remained to be identified, Major Rajapaksa said. Meanwhile LTTE military spokesman Rasaiah Ilantheriyan said one more body of a soldier killed at the Muhamalai battle was handed over to the ICRC today (13) at Kilinochchi. He said four bodies of soldiers had been brought to Kilinochchi this evening and added they too would be handed over to the ICRC tomorrow. Thus the total number of bodies handed over by the LTTE is 79.

"The head of the government’s peace secretariat came straight to the point yesterday when he admitted that there was currently no love lost between the government and LTTE—but Palitha Kohona also said he expected both sides to focus on a "workman-like approach" at the forthcoming talks."I’m sure there will be a big fight," he said, when asked whether he thought the government and LTTE would spar over numerous issues. "But it won’t end up there. We will meet again to fight again.""Seriously speaking, both sides will probably focus on a workman-like approach," he said, adding that they will endeavour to find practical solutions to current issues. Accepting that there was a mutual lack of confidence between the LTTE and government, he said: "We need to establish that confidence and work towards a common goal`85 that’s peace."

In a statement issued on Friday, the Secretariat for Coordinating the Peace Process said President Mahinda Rajapakse had met with members of the government’s last delegation to talks in Geneva. "The president outlined some of the core issues that the government intended to focus on during the forthcoming peace talks," it said. "These included democracy, multi-party elections, tolerance of political dissent, human rights, child soldiers, development of the north and east and devolution issues."Asked what the agenda would be for the October 28-29 talks, Kohona responded: "There’s no agenda at the moment. We have to see what (Jon) Hanssen-Bauer manages to get from Kilinochchi."The Norwegian envoy is expected in the country this week, as are Japanese peace envoy Yasushi Akashi and US Assistant Secretary of State Richard Boucher.

Asked whether he thought last week’s failed military offensive in Jaffna would sour matters further, Kohona said: "No, why should it? They’ve been shelling our lines endlessly."Some analysts have guessed that the military offensive had been an attempt by the government to gain additional strength before they meet the LTTE across a table. Kohona said this was "absolute poppycock". "They were shelling our lines and we had to neutralize the positions from where the weapons were being fired," he maintained. "Appropriate action was taken in that context. The president himself assured the co-chairs last Monday that there would be no offensive action."Kohona said that the government delegation to the Geneva II talks was yet to be finalised, although Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva will lead the team. The members of the official delegation to Geneva I attended the meeting with President Rajapakse. Meanwhile, a workshop on negotiation techniques has been organized by the peace secretariat for next weekend. It will be conducted by the Public International Law and Policy Group, a Washington-based global pro bono law firm that provides free legal assistance to developing countries involved in conflict. A team from the firm is already in Colombo.

Amid growing international concern over the continued battles between the Sri Lanka Government and the LTTE ahead of the October 28 and 29 Switzerland talks, Yasushi Akashi, Special Peace Envoy of Japanese Government is arriving here on Sunday on a six-day visit for talks with Sri Lanka Government and the LTTE. The island nation on Saturday was relatively calm with no major incidents of violence from any place. Though both the Government and LTTE have maintained they are committed to fresh round of dialogue, political and diplomatic observers are worried about the prospect of talks derailed or leading nowhere. "Considering the current situation... Mr. Akashi is scheduled to meet officials of the Sri Lankan Government and the leaders of the LTTE with a view to enhancing this constructive effort and will also exchange views on the peace process and its future with leaders of political parties, international organisations and others", a statement by the Japanese embassy said.

According to diplomatic sources U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Richard Boucher and two other foreign envoys will visit Sri Lanka next week to seek a halt to fierce fighting that threatens to derail peace talks. "There is a possibility of a mini-summit of the Co-Chairs of Sri Lanka here in the next few days", a senior diplomat told The Hindu . In a separate development, Tamil Tigers on Saturday alleged that six Sri Lankan Air Force Kfirs each in two sorties dropped 48 bombs in Muththaiyankaddu in the Mullaithivu district on Friday. "The bombs fell mostly in cultivated land destroying crops and livestock. The bombing lasted for two hours between 7 a.m. and 9 a.m.", the LTTE said. Government of Sri Lanka has consistently maintained that it is not engaged in any military offensive against the LTTE and all its actions are a response to provocations from the Tigers.

In a statement, LTTE said Sri Lankan Navy and the Sri Lankan army from their camp in Mankindimalai in Mullaithivu fired artillery shells on the Mullaithivu fishermen on the evening of Friday when they were at sea. "Fishermen say that such attacks have continued for the last three days", it said. Separately, the Sri Lanka Army said security forces are making efforts to secure release of its cadre private Samantha Weerasinghe from the custody of the LTTE. The Tigers, in the pitched battles with the military at the Forward Defence Lines in the peninsula on Wednesday, took him into custody. The nasty battle has claimed hundreds of lives on both sides. The military in a separate statement said unidentified gunmen suspected to be of the LTTE shot at four civilians at Samanamkulam in the Vavuniya area on Saturday. "The incident took place at a suburb in Vavuniya located 8 km away from the Vavuniya town at 12.30 p.m. on Saturday", it said.

Germany's Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), with its statement on Friday has come down strongly on the warring parties in Sri Lanka to return to the Peace Arena before expecting any new aid projects in the country.Germany has insisted there can be no development without peace.“New commitments of more than 38 million euros, meant for projects in Government as well as Tamil areas, are therefore frozen until the peace process will be restarted. Already for some time several projects in the Tamil areas had to be interrupted due to security reasons as well as the EU listing of the LTTE as a terror organization,” Minister Heidi Wieczorek-Zeul is to have said in a statement.

“For weeks we have been demanding an immediate return to the negotiating table and a shaping of a common future,” Ms Wieczorek-Zeul said, adding that as long as both sides engage in intensive conflict, “it is not meaningful for the German government to commit additional funding that cannot reach the people of Sri Lanka”. "There cannot be a military solution to the conflict between the Singhalese and Tamils," the statement said. The move comes after a failed Sri Lanka offensive last week Wednesday saw nearly 200 troops killed. The fighting has been some of the worst since the truce was signed in 2002.

The European Union and India Friday demanded an immediate halt to violence in Sri Lanka and an early resumption of peace talks between Colombo and the Tamil Tigers.Sri Lanka was among the subjects that figured in talks Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had with his Finnish counterpart Matti Vanhanen Thursday and with leaders of the European Union Friday.A joint statement issued after the India-EU summit meeting said: "Both sides are convinced that violence is not the answer to problems in Sri Lanka, and call on the parties to return to talks immediately."The statement also referred to the large-scale civilian displacement of over 200,000 people in Sri Lanka's northeast and the killing of hundreds in intensified fighting in recent months, in complete disregard to repeated international appeals for calm.

"The ongoing hostilities have resulted in great suffering including the loss of life, internal displacement of thousands, and a refugee exodus to India," the statement said, referring to the flight of over 15,000 Tamils from Sri Lanka to Tamil Nadu since January this year.Both India and EU came out strongly in support of Norway, whose efforts led to a 2002 ceasefire agreement between the Sri Lankan government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). The truce is now in jeopardy, with both sides attacking one another."The leaders express strong, continuing support for the efforts of Norway as the facilitator to bring peace to Sri Lanka," the statement said.On Thursday, Prime Minister Vanhanen was non-committal when asked if peace monitors from Finland would be ready to return to Sri Lanka under changed circumstances.

"We were of course sad that the monitors had to leave Sri Lanka and we are ready to (cooperate) very constructively (on) Sri Lanka question," he had said."Of course as you know we took part in the monitoring project and ... we are willing to support the development of Sri Lanka."The Sri Lankan truce was being overseen by monitors from five Nordic countries including Finland, Denmark and Sweden, all three of which are also European Union members.Once the EU outlawed the LTTE as a terrorist group, the Tigers refused to deal with monitors from the three countries, forcing their exit by Sep 1 this year. This has left only monitors from Norway and Iceland in Sri Lanka.Fresh talks aimed at re-starting the derailed peace process are scheduled in Geneva Oct 28-29. The LTTE has warned of war if attacks by Sri Lankan security forces continue in areas controlled by it in the island's northeast.

The Indian and EU support to Norway comes amid continuing demands from sections of Sri Lanka's majority Sinhalese community to oust Oslo as the mediator in the conflict that has left over 65,000 people dead since 1983 and shows no signs of ending.The India-EU joint statement also referred to Afghanistan and Nepal.Both sides expressed their long-term commitment to assist the Afghan government in stabilizing and rebuilding Afghanistan."They noted that although much has been achieved during the recent years, formidable challenges still lie ahead in the arena of security, governance, rule of law, economic and social development as well as human rights. They recalled the consistent need to assist the Afghan government in establishing its control throughout the country and in curbing the ongoing insurgency."

The EU and Indian leaders also welcomed the restoration of democracy in Nepal and the dialogue between all political parties for restoring political stability in an atmosphere free from violence.The EU welcomed India's support to the 25-nation grouping's application for observer status in the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC).The joint statement also said: "(The two sides) regard the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and their delivery systems, including the risk of their falling into the hands of terrorists and other non-state actors, as a major threat to international peace and security."

Muhamalai battle latest report 139 soldiers killed, 515 wounded, 4 officers and 77 solders have gone missing

The correct toll of the casualties of ground troops at the forward defence lines of Muhamalai and Nagarkovil during the last 4 days. Though both parties avoid giving true figures of the casualties, we present to our readers the grim picture of the situation. According to the news that has been released to the top of the administration 139 soldiers have lost their lives and another 515 have sustained injuries. While 4 officers and 77 solders have gone missing, bodies of 8 officers and 50 soldiers have been transferred to Colombo. The LTTE has handed over 74 bodies of soldiers who are considered missing, to the ICRC who in return have handed over to the Army at Omanthai.491 soldiers including 24 officers are believed to be wounded and out of this 200 are seriously wounded and will not be able to return to the front.5 armoured fighting vehicles are damaged and 2 are damaged beyond repair. 3 armoured fighting vehicles have been brought back to government controlled areas. Though actual figures of LTTE casualties are not known, government forces believe more 200 cadres have lost their lives. LTTE claims that it lost only 22 cadres.

U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Richard Boucher and two other foreign envoys will visit Sri Lanka next week to seek a halt to a rash of fierce fighting that threatens to derail peace talks, officials said on Friday. Boucher's visit, due to start Thursday, comes as the government and Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) fight nearly daily artillery battles in the island's far north.This week, dozens of troops and rebels were killed in one of the deadliest battles since a tattered 2002 truce."He is coming to show support for the peace talks and call for an immediate cessation of hostilities," an official at the U.S. embassy in Colombo said.

Mediator Norway's special peace envoy Jon Hanssen-Bauer will also visit the island next week, his second trip in a month, as will Yasushi Akashi, the envoy of the island's chief financial donor, Japan.The talks between the Sri Lankan government and LTTE representatives are due in Geneva on Oct 28-29.Suspected Tiger rebels shot dead one soldier and wounded three in the northern district of Vavuniya on Friday, the military said, a day after the Tigers handed over to the Red Cross bodies of 74 troops they say mounted an offensive into their territory.The Tigers killed at least 129 troops during Wednesday's battle and wounded nearly 300 more. The military estimates it killed more than 200 rebels, but the Tigers say only 22 of their fighters were killed.

The fighting, some of the worst since the truce, came after the Tigers warned any further incursions by the military could prompt a full-blown return to a war that has killed more than 65,000 people since 1983, including hundreds since the ceasefire.Some diplomats suspect the Tigers have only agreed to talks to buy time to regroup after a series of military defeats, while senior members of the security forces say they want to kill as many rebels as possible before a dialogue.

"Both parties violate rights" - UK government

In the annual Human Rights Report issued by the British Government, the government of Sri Lanka and the Tamil Tigers were blamed for carrying out violations of basic human rights in Sri Lanka.Introducing the 9th annual Human Rights reports of the Britsh Government, Foreign Secretary Margaret Beckett said the report is about the people who ".... do not have the rights and freedoms wwhich we take for granted."The report which discusses the issues around the world focus on the situation in Sri Lanka among one of the concerned countries.

It blames both sides for the deteriaration of the rights, "the Violence against civilians and terrorist attacks on the security forces increased dramatically during the period covered by this report, as increased tension between the two sides put significant strain on the ceasefire agreement. Nearly 900 people were killed between December 2005 and June 2006, over half of them civilians."The Tamil Tigers are blamed for many aspects of their activities, "The LTTE has launched attacks against civilians, as well as military targets, and stands accused of involvement in the execution-style murder of 12 people in eastern Sri Lanka in May 2006 and the murder of a further 64 in an attack on a bus in June 2006. The LTTE continued to recruit children, extort ”taxes” and harass civilians in the north and east. In November 2005, the LTTE used violence and threats to prevent much of the Tamil population participating in the Sri Lankan presidential election. The LTTE exercise complete control in parts of Sri Lanka, preventing any form of rival political activity or freedom of expression".

On the other hand, the security forces are blamed for the ongoing abductions and killings of civilians. "There have been credible reports that members of the government security forces were involved in extra-judicial killings and repeated allegations that some civilians detained during large anti-terrorist operations have disappeared." The government is also mentioned for their failure to carry out the undertakings they had given; "anti LTTE paramilitary groups have also engaged in violence and intimidation. Despite promising to do so, the government has not succeeded in preventing these armed groups operating in government-controlled areas, and there are allegations of collusion by the security forces."

"The four leading international players in the peace process – the EU, Japan, Norway and the US (the “co-chairs”) – believe that both parties have failed to deliver their responsibilities, including the commitments made at the Geneva meeting. The UK shares this view."The report also asks the government of Sri Lanka to conduct credible investigations to the allegations of abuse. "We have repeatedly called on the LTTE to renounce violence. We have made clear that the Sri Lankan government must do everything in its power to ensure the safety and well-being of its population, to ensure that allegations of human rights abuse are credibly investigated in an open and transparent way and that, where there is sufficient evidence, prosecutions follow".

The British government also endorse the EU action to ban the Tamil Tigers. "The UK proscribed the LTTE under the Terrorism Act in 2001. In line with our national position, we actively support EU measures including a ban on visiting delegations being received in the member states and the listing of the LTTE as a terrorist organisation."The report also express concern about the threats to freedom of expression in Sri Lanka and the freedom of religion in the country.

Unidentified armed men shot dead two youths aged about 25 Thursday night. Bodies of these youths with gunshot injuries were recovered Friday morning at Kanthapuram, about eight km off Vavuniya town. Hands of these youths were tied and face of one of the dead was covered with a black cloth, residents of the area said. Grama Niladhari Officer of the area immediately brought this incident to the notice of the Vavuniya Police.According to civil sources that these youths had been brought to the site in a white coloured van and shot dead by unidentified men Thursday night around 9:00 p.m. The white coloured van left the scene after leaving these bodies in the area. Two spent cartridges of AK 47 rifle were found at the site.The victims were not identified till noon Friday. But monitors of the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) based in Vavuniya visited the scene and held inquiry.

Peace eludes Sri Lanka - Over-Militarisation Gives False Hope To Rajapaksa By: Sam Rajappa

Sri Lanka has emerged as the most militarised country in South Asia, according to a recent study conducted by Strategic Foresight Group, Mumbai. For every thousand population, it has eight military personnel against 1.3 in India or four in Pakistan. In terms of military expenditure, Sri Lanka spends 4.1 per cent of its GDP against 2.5 per cent by India or 3.5 per cent by Pakistan. Its defence expenditure is expected to cross one billion dollars this year against eight million dollars of the LTTE. The only threat to its territorial integrity comes from the LTTE. Against the 8000-strong ragtag armed cadres of the LTTE, Sri Lanka has an Army of 150,000 well-equipped men and a Navy of 20,000 personnel.

Its Air Force uses Israeli Kfir supersonic fighter bombers, MIG-23 and helicopters, including MI-24s. Mahinda Rajapaksa, who was voted President on a hardline manifesto in alliance with the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna and Jathika Hela Urumaya, both Sinhala chauvinist parties, has been forced by his allies to renege on whatever concessions his predecessors had shown to the ethnic minority and settle the crisis by liquidating the LTTE. In the USA’s global war against terrorism, the LTTE, a liberation movement for the legitimate democratic rights of the Tamil minority in Sri Lanka, has fallen a victim.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is surrounded by a clutch of advisers who are incapable of understanding the Tamil ethos. Whether it is a coincidence or deliberate design, the Prime Minister’s principal secretary, Security Adviser, Minister of State for External Affairs dealing with Sri Lanka, Foreign Secretary, High Commissioner in Colombo, chiefs of intelligence agencies, including RAW are Malayalees whose antipathy to Tamil, the only living language to be declared a classical language, is well-known.

Taking advantage of India’s hands-off policy, Sri Lanka has allowed Pakistan to fill the void. Basheer Wali, former director of Pakistan’s Intelligence Bureau and an ISI operative, who completed his term as his country’s High Commissioner in Colombo on 30 June but stayed on till an attempt was made on his life, was succeeded by Air Vice-Marshal Shehzad Aslam Chaudhri, who retired recently as the Deputy Chief of Air Staff (Operations) of the Pakistan Air Force. An expert in air-mounted operations against insurgency, his posting coincides with clandestine co-operation between the armed forces of Pakistan and Sri Lanka after Rajapaksa became President.

During Chandrika Kumaratunge’s presidentship, Colombo used to keep New Delhi informed of its important military developments. Not any more. Sri Lankan Air Force sends its fighter aircraft to Pakistan for overhauling and maintenance. The SLAF had now asked the PAF for Unmanned Aerial Vehicles and bunker-buster bombs, to be obtained from the USA, for operation against Velupillai Pirapaharan, the LTTE supremo. His elimination will not solve the ethnic crisis Sri Lanka is facing.The Army’s shopping list is valued at $20 million while the Air Force’s list is estimated to cost $38.1 million. Sri Lanka had also written to Pakistan to provide swift technical assistance for its T-55 Main Battle Tanks and C-130 transport aircraft.

The Army’s shopping list includes 10 Baktar Shikan anti-tank guided missile weapon systems, 300 warheads and two training simulators. The success of the recent air strikes by the SLAF against the LTTE and civilian targets in the Tamil areas is attributed to the training imparted by the PAF officers with experience of air-mounted operations against Baloch freedom fighters. Another sinister move of the Rajapaksa government is the attempt to raise a Muslim regiment in the eastern province to counter the LTTE. Muslims had been given a raw deal by the LTTE in the past. Taking advantage of the discontent of Muslims, who are also Tamils, Rajapaksa has been trying to widen the gulf between the two and use the Muslims as a bulwark against the LTTE. On 18 September, 10 Muslim youths were massacred in Pottuvil, Ampara district, allegedly by the elite counter insurgency Special Task Force troops, and the blame was put on the LTTE. The youths had gone to repair the anicut at Rattal Kulam in a predominantly Sinhala area. A training base of the STF is located near the massacre site. The media in Colombo has to accept the government version as there is no way of checking it independently.

In the first week of August, 17 AID workers in the northern town of Mutur were killed by the Sri Lankan armed forces and put the blame on the LTTE. All but one of the 17 were Tamils, working on tsunami relief for the French NGO, Action Contre La Faim. Fifteen of them were forced to kneel and then shot in the head. The other two were killed in a car as they tried to flee. All the 17 were wearing clothing that identified them as AID workers. The Swedish-led Sri Lankan Monitoring Mission squarely blamed the security forces for the killings.

On 16 August an orphanage in Mullaithivu in the Vanni area of the Northern province was bombed in which 61 innocent girls were killed. The Sri Lankan authorities, including the Deputy High Commissioner in Chennai, P M Amza, tried to mislead the public by saying that the victims were child recruits of the LTTE. International observers, who had visited the orphange, refuted the Sri Lankan version. In his address to the Non-Aligned Movement summit in Havana on 16 September, Rajapaksa described the LTTE as the most ruthless terrorist organisation and called upon NAM and the UN to “strongly renew the commitment to fight terrorism whenever and wherever it raises its ugly head.” Meanwhile, Sri Lanka’s Prime Minister, Ratnasiri Vickramanayaka, said: “More countries are coming forward to help us in getting rid of terrorism in Sri Lanka by pledging more weapons to seek them out from any jungle in the country.” Now it is quite evident that the Rajapaksa government is determined to settle the ethnic conflict by military conquest. The 1987 Indo-Sri Lanka Agreement enabled the merger of the Northern and Eastern provinces, one of the long cherished demands of the Tamils. Rajapaksa is all set to undo it by the dubious method of a Supreme Court order using the JVP to move a petition to renege the merger.

Indira Gandhi knew well the mindset of the Sinhala politicians and appointed the late G Parthasarathy as Special Adviser on Sri Lankan affairs. She had a definite plan to solve the ethnic crisis. But before it could be implemented she was assassinated. Rajiv Gandhi continued his mother’s policy and brought about the merger of the two Tamil provinces though it took some arm-twisting of President J R Jayawardene by J N Dixit, then Indian High Commissioner in Colombo who was dubbed the “Viceroy of India” by the disgruntled Sinhala politicians. After Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi, none of our Prime Ministers showed any understanding of the ethnic problem or desire to help Sri Lanka solve it. Simply repeating parrot-fashion that India believes in Sri Lanka’s unity and territorial integrity will not solve the problem. A certain amount of arm-twisting of Rajapaksa to come out with a federal solution is called for to solve the endemic ethnic crisis in Sri Lanka.

**The author, a veteran journalist who retired from The Statesman, is based in Chennai

Sri Lanka clashes kill 129 troops

At least 129 Sri Lankan army soldiers were killed in fierce fighting with Tamil Tiger rebels on Wednesday close to the northern city of Jaffna.The army said it had collected 55 bodies, while Tamil Tiger rebels handed over 74 more to the Red Cross. The toll is the worst the army has suffered in one day since a 2002 ceasefire called a temporary halt to the country's 23-year civil war. Fighting between the two sides has increased markedly over the past year. Army spokesman Brigadier Prasad Samarasinghe told BBC News that 283 soldiers had also been injured in fighting that lasted from dawn to dusk on Wednesday. One soldier was captured by the rebels, Brig Samarasinghe said. Later a spokesman for the Red Cross, Sukumar Rockwood, told the BBC Sinhala service that they had handed over 74 bodies received in Kilinochchi from the Tamil Tigers to the army.

The army said that it had killed 200 rebels, although the Tamil Tigers only confirmed losing 22 fighters from their side. Independent confirmation of rebel casualties is impossible to obtain and both sides in the conflict routinely magnify or minimise casualty figures to their benefit. The fighting has been close to a strategic causeway linking Jaffna to the mainland. The city is controlled by the government, but sits in the midst of rebel territory at the northern tip of the island. Ethirajan Anbarasan of the BBC's Tamil Service says that the Sri Lankan army's apparent attempts to gain more territory seem to have backfired. He adds that the intensity of the clashes and the high casualty figures indicate the difficulties, after more than 20 years of civil war, of achieving a military solution to the conflict.

A senior Sri Lankan military source described the clash as a setback. "There is no doubt that the army suffered a bloody nose," the anonymous source told AFP news agency. "It was a big mistake. There should have been better planning." The BBC's Dumeetha Luthra says that talks between the two sides planned for later this month are now hanging in the balance. On Tuesday, Norway's ambassador to Sri Lanka, Hans Brattskar, told the BBC that the rebels had confirmed they were ready to meet the government on 28 and 29 October in Switzerland. However, he said the Tigers had told him they could reconsider their decision if the situation on the ground deteriorated. The US state department said it was "deeply concerned" that the violence was harming hopes of peace talks. "We call on both sides to cease hostilities immediately and foster an environment that is conducive to holding productive discussions in Geneva," spokesman Sean McCormack said in a statement. Sri Lankan government spokesman Anura Priya Yapa said that talks would be going ahead despite the latest bloodshed. "There is no change of plans on the talks and the decision (to attend) remains," he told Reuters.

The clashes on Wednesday lasted up to 12 hours, with residents in the town of Jaffna saying they could hear the noise of heavy artillery in the distance. An army statement said that air force jets pounded rebel positions on Thursday morning, while rebels continued to shell the army's front line. Both sides maintain they are acting defensively, our correspondent says, and have retained the right to do so despite agreeing to resume discussions. The conflict has claimed more than 2,000 lives since it flared again last December, and before the 2002 ceasefire more than 60,000 people were killed in two decades of civil war. The Tamil Tigers are fighting for an independent homeland in the north and east of the country, and claim that ethnic Tamils have suffered decades of discrimination at the hands of Sri Lanka's Sinhalese majority.

Planned Sri Lankan peace talks have been thrown into doubt after the government said Tamil Tiger rebels killed at least 129 soldiers, the most in one battle since a truce was agreed in 2002. Among the dead were 74 soldiers the government said were captured and then killed, "violating all norms and regulations of human rights and Geneva conventions".The military said at least 515 more soldiers were wounded in Wednesday's fighting, which followed a push into rebel territory in the northern peninsula of Jaffna.More than 200 rebels were killed, the defence ministry said in a statement. The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) rejected the tally and said they lost only 10 fighters.Government forces attacked again on Thursday, using war planes to bomb rebel camps and artillery positions.

"Air Force Kfir jets Thursday morning, without taking any further chances, pounded several terrorist targets in Palai area, south of Muhamalai (army defences)," the ministry said in a statement.It said on Wednesday, 55 soldiers were killed in heavy clashes along the Jaffna peninsula's de facto front line after a pre-emptive strike on a guerrilla build-up.Later, guerrillas returned the bodies of 74 soldiers belonging to an infantry company attacked in rebel territory to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).The bodies were taken to the military in three trucks, an ICRC official said."We have received 74 bodies of Sri Lankan soldiers and they are being transported in three trucks to be handed over to the military," the official said.

The government said four members of the company were still missing along with an unspecified number of other soldiers.It added the guerrillas had set off a powerful Claymore mine in the government-held territory of Jaffna on Thursday, killing two constables and three civilians.Government defence officials privately admitted the military, which had enjoyed successes recently, had paid dearly for its failed offensive."There is no doubt that the army suffered a bloody nose," said a top defence source, who asked not to be named. "It was a big mistake. There should have been better planning."The heavy fighting came only hours after Norway's top peace broker, Erik Solheim, had announced a deal between the two sides to resume negotiations in Switzerland later this month.

Retired air force chief Harry Goonetileke said the fighting had dimmed prospects of a resumption of talks."I would say that the army fell victim to its own propaganda," Goonetileke said, referring to upbeat media reports of heavy rebel losses in recent months and official claims that the Tigers were on the run."With this latest fighting we are getting further away from talks," Goonetileke said. Before the fighting erupted Wednesday, envoys from Norway and Japan were expected to visit Sri Lanka at the weekend to nudge the warring parties towards negotiations. The United States, a key backer of Sri Lanka's faltering peace bid, said it was "deeply concerned that ongoing violence in Sri Lanka is putting the agreement (to resume talks) at risk."

Defence analyst Namal Perera of the Ravaya weekly said the military had clearly underestimated the Tigers' strength and had been outmanoeuvred. "The army walked into a Tiger trap," Perera said. "They got the army to move into an open area, boxed them in and brought down artillery. The Tigers have proved that their fighting capability is intact." Norway has been working to restore the 2002 ceasefire and end spiralling violence which has claimed over 2,200 lives since December, according to an official tally. Some 60,000 people have been killed in the three-decades-old conflict.

Peace rallies in 'north and east'

The National anti-war Front says it has organised peace rallies in the north and the east as well as in the south.Leader of the Front Dr. Kumar Rupasinghe said they have accepted challenges made by certain Buddhist monks and some other groups.The main opposition party in Sri Lanka, meanwhile pledged never to support President Rajapaksa’s attempts to wage war with the LTTE.

United National Party (UNP) legislator Dr. Rajitha Senaratne said the party under Ranil Wickramasinghe’s leadership never supported ‘racist policies’. “We are happy that President Rajapaksa has also accepted our policy of solving the national question through dialogue,” he told journalists in Colombo.The UNP and the ruling SLFP on Thursday agreed to work together in an attempt to bring peace to Sri Lanka.

Leader of the Western Peoples Front (WPF), Mano Ganeshan, criticised the government’s moves to put forward conditions to the Tamil Tigers before attending talks.“It is true that human rights have been violated in LTTE-controlled areas. But we shouldn’t create obstacles before commencing talks,” he said.Dr. Vickramabahu Karunarathne, leader of the Left Front, said the proposed “Punchayat” model is not a solution for the national question.A group of experts led-by Minister Prof. Tissa Vitharana has proposed India’s rural administration system for Sri Lanka.“Panchayat is a Gamsabha system. We need to offer a stronger solution than a village administration”.

The United States yesterday welcomed the agreement between the government and the LTTE to resume talks on October 28 and 29 in Switzerland, but expressed deep concern that the ongoing violence was putting the ceasefire agreement at risk.While calling on both parties to cease hostilities immediately and foster an environment conducive for talks, US State Department spokesman Sean McCormack in a statement urged both sides to ensure that non-government entities involved in humanitarian relief efforts were provided access to conflict-affected areas. “It is imperative that human rights be respected and protected in all areas of Sri Lanka.

We welcome the government’s initiative in creating a Commission of Inquiry on human rights and encourage the government to reach an agreement with the office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights in a bid to meet international standards,” the statement said.“The United States strongly supports the ongoing Norwegian peace facilitation efforts. We continue to coordinate closely with the other Co-Chairs of the Tokyo Donors’ Conference – Norway, Japan, and the European Union – to find a way forward to put an end to the violence and human rights violations in Sri Lanka and a return to talks,” it said.

Sri Lanka's central bank kept its policy interest rates unchanged on Thursday at their highest level since 2003 after an surprise 50 basis point rise in late September, but analysts see more rate rises by the year end. The central bank said it held the overnight repurchase rate at 9.625 percent and the reverse repurchase rate at 11.125 percent. September's unexpected rate rise, aimed at curbing credit growth and inflation, was the third increase this year. But while the central bank said it believed that 50-basis-point increase had done the trick, analysts disagreed. "I think we need more," said Vajira Premawardhana, head of research at Lanka Orix Securities in Colombo. "I think the central bank will have to raise them again next month."

"A good signal is the (364-day) treasury bill rate, which went up to 11.36 percent yesterday -- it went up 50 basis points," he added. "It is just a matter of time." Inflation rose in September to 11.2 percent as measured on a 12-month moving average from 10.8 percent in August Premawardhana expects interest rates to rise another 50 basis points by the end of the year. New central bank governor Ajith Nivard Cabraal has said the central bank is prepared to raise interest rates further if necessary to curb inflation.

The central bank had left rates unchanged at its regular policy meeting in mid-September, but then unexpectedly raised them less than a fortnight later citing expansion of bank credit and inflation. "In response, many banks have adjusted upward both deposit and lending rates, which is expected to decelerate the high expansion in private-sector credit and monetary aggregates, thereby contributing to contain inflationary pressures in the economy," the central bank said in a statement. Analysts say the outlook for inflation will depend largely on international oil prices. Sri Lanka produces no crude so imports all of its crude needs. Sri Lanka's trade deficit widened to $2.4 billion in the first eight months of 2006 from $1.575 billion during the same period last year, as government spending on intermediate goods like oil rose. The central bank is forecasting economic growth of around 7.0-7.5 percent for 2006, but many fear a new bout of civil war between the government and Tamil Tiger rebels could hit the economy and dent growth prospects. The central bank's next monetary policy announcement is due on Nov. 14.

The United National Party today consented to sign a Memorandum of Understanding based on the six areas which the SLFP-UNP agreed to work together in their earlier rounds of talks, UNP leader Ranil Wickremesinghe said addressing the media after meeting with President Mahinda Rajapaksa this morning. Though the two sides agreed to work together in 7 areas, the 7th item which is to set up committees and hold responsibilities would be further discussed before arriving at a decision, the UNP leader claimed. Wickremesinghe said that he and the President had a one to one meeting prior to the meeting of the delegations of the two parties.

The President also expressed willingness to involve others parties, too, in the implementation of the common program which includes the national problem, electoral reforms, good governance, economic development, education and social development, the Opposition Leader said adding that the President also offered ministerial portfolio to the UNP.He added that the UNP will not oppose this year's budget as a gesture of support for the government's peace moves. It is imperative that we should have peace if the cost of living is to be brought down and develop the country, Wickremesinghe stressed adding that the signing of the MoU would take place after briefing the UNP working committee and the parliamentary group on Monday(16).

He claimed that the people long for a political solution to war and opined that all parties should adopt a similar stand on political and main national issues. It has happened in many developed countries and under such a scenario, governments and ministers would not be allowed to act on their own, Wickremesinghe explained. All these are possible by brining war to an end and any development in the past few years was experienced only after his signing of the cease-fire agreement, he further noted. When asked whether the UNP would accept ministerial portfolios, Wickremesinghe responded by saying that the signing of the MoU and other preliminary activities would take two more weeks and the UNP will not demand anything and if a problem arose regarding the portfolios, it will be resolved by the working committee and the parliamentary group. He paid special tribute to the delegations of the UNP and the SLFP which paved the way for this program.

The TNA yesterday scoffed at the national consensus between the SLFP and the UNP, charging that the two parties appeared to be more concerned about sharing Ministries than resolving the national question through such a bi-partisan approach. TNA Jaffna district parliamentarian Gajendra Kumar Ponnambalam told journalists they would welcome such consensus only if it was genuinely aimed at addressing the most burning issues in the country.Mr. Ponnambalam charged the two parties had taken a whole lot of issues for discussion instead of giving the national question due prominence.

The TNA MP warned that if a full scale war broke out due to the government’s military offensives, the people would have to face much misery and destruction.“The government is systematically disseminating misinformation denying Sinhala people of the truth about the situation in the war theatre. They are making preparations to mount major military assaults,” he claimed. The party wondered as to what concrete steps the Co-chairs would take to compel Government to engage in meaningful negotiations with the LTTE if the latter continues to ignore their advice in such a brazen manner.Responding to the proposed Indian tour by the All Party Advisory Council to study Panchayat power devolution system,TELO MP M.K. Sivajilingman said that they would not accept such a form of power devolution even in their dreams.Mr. Sivajilingam said that in fact they would not accept the Indian model of federalism either to solve the problem

Unidentified gunmen shot dead three cadres of Eelam People's Democratic Front (EPDP), including the group's principal organizer for the Jaffna islets, at 11:30 a.m. in the central part of Jaffna town Thursday, sources from Jaffna said. One EPDP cadre was injured in the attack. EPDP is a paramilitary group operating with the Sri Lanka Army (SLA). A youth was killed and the owner of a clothing store was injured when Sri Lanka Police opened fire after the killings. EPDP cadres were identified as K.Sutha,23, of Karampon, Kaytes, Paralasingham Satheeskumar,24, of Delft , and Rasaiah Nakenthiran,33, of Karampon, Kaytes.Rasaiah Nakenthiran is in charge of EDPD activities in the islets off Jaffna town, sources said.

They were selling Tamil daily Thinamurasu along Power House Road, between KKS road and Kasturiar Road in Jaffna, when they were killed. The bodies of EPDP cadres and the body of the youth killed in retaliatory fire, have been taken to the Jaffna Teaching Hospital for postmortem examinations, hospital sources said.The civilian killed in the police shooting was identified as Tharmakulasingham Nirushan,20, of Manipay road, Jaffna. The injured civilian, A Kuganeswaran, 33, from Ramalingam Road, Thirunelvely and Kanthan have been admitted to Jaffna Teaching Hospital and are receiving treatment for their injuries, sources said.

The political parties representing the upcountry Tamils have demanded that 16 slots be allocated in Parliament for their community under the proposed electoral reforms.The Upcountry People’s Front (UPF) submitted its proposals to the Parliamentary Select Committee on Electoral Reforms in writing recently.The party says that the upcountry Tamils account for 7.1 percent of the total population in the country.UPF leader P. Chandrasekaran said in writing that the proposed new system should ensure 16 seats for their community on a district basis. According to their proposals, five slots should be ensured for the Nuwara Eliya district where 400,831 Tamils lived, accounting to 57.3 percent.

The party demanded that two slots be allocated each for the Kandy and Badulla districts, and one slot each for Matale, Ratnapura, Kegalle, Kalutara and Gampaha districts.With regard to the delimitation of the electoral divisions, the UPF said that it should be done in a free and fair manner if the present election system is to be replaced. The party also insisted that it should be done before the introduction of the new system. Referring to their parliamentary representation in the past, the party said it secured slots in the House since 1977 till 2004, but not in accordance with the population rate.The Ceylon Workers Congress (CWC) also subscribed to the same stand demanding 16 MPs for the Upcountry Tamils.

CWC spokesman R. Yogarajan said that Sri Jayewardenepura University lecturer Dr. Sudantha Liyanage, who is an expert in the field, had proposed to the Committee to allocate 150 seats under the First Past the Post system, and 72 seats under the Proportionate Representation system on district basis.“This has been proposed for the good of the two major political parties only. We are against such electoral reforms,” Mr. Yogarajan said.

Sri Lankan Special Task Force (STF) troopers launched a pre-dawn offensive into Liberation Tigers territory in Amparai Thursday. "The STF ground troopes have moved in 6 km into our territory inside Kanchikudicharu," said LTTE Amparai District Political Head S. Jeya. STF was continuing to target villages in the area surrounding Kanchikudichcharu with artilery shelling from Thirukkovil, Sahama, Kanjirankudah camps and Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) bombers were also targeting the villages, Mr. Jeya said. The Liberation Tigers fighters were engaged in defensive clashes with the STF troopers, according to the Tiger political head of Amparai district.Kanchikudicharu villagers have fled inwards into other villages via Santhanaru. Some civilian houses have been burnt down by the STF troopers who advanced into Kanchikudicharu, the Tigers said. LTTE Amparai District political head has complained to the SLMM stating that the STF offensive was a major violation of the CFA.

Two Sri Lanka Police constables were killed, one Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldier and two cadres of Eelam People's Democratic Party (EPDP) were injured when the pickup truck they were travelling in from Ariyalai along Navalar Road came under claymore attack, close to Kachcheri-Nallur junction, at 11:50 a.m. Thursday, sources in Jaffna said.The injured EPDP cadres were identified as Kanthan,30, Deputy organizer for the group for Islets off Jaffna town and Kuganesan,33.The Sri Lanka Police and the SLA soldier were providing security to the EPDP cadres, sources said.The claymore was fixed to the fence along Navalar road, Jaffna Police said.

Currency	Buying (Rs.)		Selling (Rs.)
US Dollar	104.65		105.467
Sterling Pound	193.82		196.73
Euro	130.62		132.93
Swiss Franc	81.74		83.75
Australian Dollar	77.52		79.43
Singapore Dollar	65.67		66.91
Japanese Yen	0.8704		0.8884
Country		Currency		Indicative Rate(RS.)

Bahrain	Dinar	278.88
Kuwait	Dinar	363.53
Oman	Rial	273.02
Qatar	Riyal	28.88
Saudi Arabian	Riyal	28.03
UAE	Dirham	28.63

The Sri Lankan Armed Forces' offensive in the Muhamalai sector, launched early on Wednesday, has apparently been blunted by the LTTE's stiff resistance.A spokesman of the Scandinavian-staffed Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) told Hindustan Times that the LTTE had informed the monitors that it would like to hand over 75 bodies of Sri Lankan soldiers to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) on Thursday.The pro-LTTE Tamilnet website said that the bodies were lying in Kilaly, a coastal village in Thenmarachchi.The government's National Security website had admitted 22 deaths. It put the number of wounded at 113.Other reports quoting unnamed military sources put the figure of the Army dead at 35.According to the LTTE, it lost six fighters in the battle which had raged throughout the day from 6.30 am.

The government blamed the LTTE for starting the hostilities with an artillery and mortar barrage against the Forward Defense Lines of the Army on the Nagarkovil-Muhamalai-Kilaly sector, south of Jaffna.The LTTE's fighters had infiltrated into the government-held area, the National Security Media Unit said.The Army retaliated with artillery and mortar fire and simultaneously called for Naval and Air support. The Navy and the Air Force took on identified LTTE targets.Though the LTTE put up "fierce" resistance, the Army was able to advance several metres south of its Forward Defense Lines.However, as the day wore on, the scales tilted in favour of the LTTE.Apparently, the LTTE had been able to push the Army back to its original positions.While the LTTE described the Army's operations as an "offensive", the government said that the operations were purely "retaliatory" in response to unprovoked aggression by the LTTE.

The LTTE had been complaining that the Sri Lankan Army was amassing troops and equipment in the Muhamalai sector for a major offensive.Apparently, the target was to capture Elephant Pass and Pooneryn, further south.The LTTE had warned that it would review its decision to go for talks with the Sri Lankan government in Switzerland on October 28 and 29, if the Army were to continue its military operations and amass troops for a new offensive in the Muhamalai area.Wednesday's fighting, one of the most intense in recent times, has seriously jeopardised peace talks.

Tamil Tiger rebels killed at least 35 government troops and wounded another 200, halting a major offensive into their territory in northern Sri Lanka, military sources said. Stiff resistance stalled the government's onslaught, which was backed by Israeli-built Kfir jets, after about six hours, high-ranking military sources said on Wednesday.The bloodshed hit Sri Lanka's peace hopes a day after Norway, the key peace broker in the conflict, announced a deal between the two sides to resume negotiations in Switzerland later this month and end an eight-month talks impasse.The military sources said the casualties occurred in the Muhamalai area of the Jaffna peninsula on Wednesday morning. Casualty figures for the rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) group were not immediately available.The warring parties blamed each other for the escalation.

Defence Ministry spokesman Prasad Samarasinghe said the operation was intended to neutralise a rebel build-up near the front line on the Jaffna peninsula, 400 kilometres (250 miles) north of Colombo."There were attempts to infiltrate our defence lines in three places and we took counter-measures," Samarasinghe told AFP. "They had been firing artillery at our positions in the past few days and last night we noticed a build-up."The military said its ground offensive, supported by warplanes, was a "defensive act" as a result of Tamil Tiger attacks."We can't verify the reports but it is something the LTTE has informed us of," said Thorfinnur Omarsson, a spokesman for the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission.

However, Omarsson said they also had information that the fighting had died down by mid-day. Both sides said the offensive was launched just before dawn."The offensive, shattering peace hopes, comes few hours after an official announcement by Norway that parties had agreed to meet in Switzerland from 28 to 29 October," the pro-rebel Tamilnet.com web site said.The LTTE said the military was carrying out a three-pronged attack against rebel-held territory in the Jaffna peninsula."Intense clashes are going on," the LTTE said in a statement sent to Colombo from its political headquarters in the northern town of Kilinochchi earlier in the day.Norway has been working to save a 2002 truce and end spiralling violence, which has claimed over 2,200 lives since December, according to an official tally.Some 60,000 people have been killed overall in the three-decades-old conflict between minority Tamils seeking an independent homeland and government forces.October's planned talks represent the latest attempt to quell the recent bloody upsurge in violence.

"It is crucial that the government and the LTTE now use this opportunity to cease hostilities," Erik Solheim, Norway's top peace broker, said.Norway's statement on the talks was followed by an announcement by Japan, the island's main aid donor, that it will dispatch special envoy Yasushi Akashi on Sunday to try and boost peace efforts. Akashi was scheduled to meet officials from both sides "with a view to enhancing this constructive effort and will also exchange views on the peace process and its future," the Japanese embassy said. Sri Lanka's tiny stock market, which had gained on the back of possible peace talks, went into reverse Wednesday, falling about half-a-percentage-point. The LTTE had warned it would reconsider its decision to go to Switzerland for talks if the military launched fresh attacks. The government had said it only agreed to talks on the basis that it could defend itself from rebel attacks.

The UNP is expected to propose to the Parliamentary Select Committee on Electoral Reforms that 125 members be elected under the first-past-the-post system (FPP) and 100 members under the proportional representation system (PR) on district basis, party sources said yesterday.The party members discussed the matter with leader Ranil Wickremesinghe at Sirikotha yesterday, and decided to make oral representations to the Committee today. They are also asking for a one-third representation for women under the PR system.However, the interim report submitted by the Committee had proposed the election of 150 MPs under the first-past-the-post system and 72 under the PR system.

Meanwhile, the JHU yesterday proposed to the Committee to carve out 200 constituencies or electoral divisions in the country with provision for dividing each into areas of jurisdiction of several local bodies.Party stalwart Paatali Champika Ranawaka said voters would have the opportunity to elect members representing their respective electoral divisions and local bodies at the same election through the same ballot paper under this system.The JHU also proposed the abolition of the Provincial Council system under the new reforms. In addition, it proposed 40 ‘functional constituencies’ providing for various professionals such as doctors, engineers and lawyers to elect their representatives to Parliament. In this exercise, Mr. Ranawaka, said even farmers and labourers would be eligible to elect their own representatives.“Professionals can vote for candidates to represent these constituencies in addition to voting for electing members for their electoral divisions and local bodies. They can use the postal vote system as well for this purpose,” he said.The party also proposed a slot for the Veddah community.

The TNA comprising three parties - the TELO, TULF and EPRLF - yesterday opposed such electoral reforms being introduced at this hour without effecting urgent constitutional changes to address the national question.“We can consider other electoral reforms only after a constitution to resolve this issue is introduced,” TNA MP and TELO Muthalvar, M.K. Sivajilingam said.

An opinion survey commissioned by the National Peace Council and conducted by the Marga Institute showed that 51 percent of those who participated in the survey believed that in order to achieve peace in Sri Lanka, a constitutional framework that did not confine itself to the unitary state should be explored. Of these 51 percent, 39 percent believed that a constitutional change that provided maximum devolution of power was the best solution, while 7 percent preferred a federal solution and 5 percent chose the Indian model. However, 34 percent chose the unitary state as the framework for the solution.

It is likely that the willingness to accept a power sharing framework beyond the unitary system would have been even greater if the public were better informed of the different forms of government, and how they were applicable to the Sri Lankan context. Of those polled, only 24 percent claimed that they had some knowledge of what federalism meant, while only 14 percent were able to identify the federal system as one of devolution of power within an undivided country. A majority of 62 percent had no idea of what the federal system was. This lacuna in public awareness highlights the need for a much greater governmental and civic effort to educate the general public on the issue.

Interestingly, most of those surveyed anticipated a return to war within six months. Given that this survey was conducted in July this year, it confirms the accuracy of popular expectations especially at this time When probed further about how soon the war would end, as many as 41 percent did not see it ending in the near future. Only 14 percent said it would end soon. Another interesting finding was that those surveyed believed that both the government and LTTE were to be blamed for the current situation, with 30 percent blaming the government only, 23 percent blaming the LTTE only and 22 percent blaming both parties.

A noteworthy finding was that a large majority of 79 percent were of the view that the best solution to the conflict was through peaceful means, including the re-negotiation of the Cease-fire agreement, negotiation of an interim solution or negotiation of a final solution. Only a relatively small minority of 21 percent believed that a full scale war the best option. This finding, together with the measured response that all communities provided in attributing blame to both sides, indicates attitudes that can provide a foundation for building a conflict resolving process.

The survey also assessed the perception that the general public had towards the role of the international community. A significant majority of 67 percent wanted the role of the international community to be strengthened. The response towards the international monitors of the SLMM was also positive with a majority of 55 percent wanting the role of the international monitors strengthened as against 27 percent who wanted it reduced. Although the international community and the SLMM have come in for much politically motivated criticism in recent times, the general public who were surveyed believed in the positive role the members of the international community had to play.

The survey was conducted from a sample of 5000 persons aged 18 and above who were interviewed from a random sample of 2500 households. A multi stage stratified sampling technique was used. The respondents were from all provinces, and a total of 3460 Sinhalese, 580 Sri Lanka Tamils, 740 Muslims and 220 Hill Country Tamils were selected for the survey. The survey was conducted in the field in June and July of this year.

Sri Lanka stocks dived today at the Colombo Bourse as investors feared that renewed fighting would derail the peace talks between the government and the LTTE rebels. Fierce fighting raged in the Jaffna peninsula as the Sri Lankan military retaliated rebel mortar and artillery fire inflicting heavy casualties on rebels. The main Colombo All Share Price Index fell 15.74 points or 0.64 % to close at 2,457.35 while the more volatile Milanka Price Index closed 17.97 points or 0.57% lower at 3,120.19. The turnover closed above average at 687.4 million rupees with the trading volume closing at 19.2 million shares.

Conglomerate John Keells Holdings dominated the turnover with 370.4 million rupees trading 2.57 million shares flat at 144.00 rupees while the Indian fuel subsidiary Lanka IOC followed by trading 1.64 million shares at 32.00 rupees, down by a percent. Sri Lanka Telecom remained flat at 21.75 rupees trading 497,400 shares while the market heavyweight Dialog Telekom fell 1.12% to 22.00 rupees trading 174,500 shares.

Other major contributors to the turnover included Distilleries (675,100), Touchwood (153,900), Tokyo Cement - Non Voting (1,415,700), Nawaloka Hospitals (3,676,900), Asiri Medical (703,900), Bairaha Farms (345,300), Sierra Cables (1,689,400) Ceylon Leather (175,500) and Lanka Cement (179,500). Almost all the sectors lost today except for Beverage, Food and Tobacco sector which posted a slight gain of 0.56%. Power and Energy sector fell 2.69% while Chemicals and Pharmaceuticals posted a loss of 2.15%. Telecommunication, Hotels and Travels, Investment Trusts and Trading sectors posted losses above a percent.

Arpico Finance Company gained 10.25 rupees or 10.59% to top the gainer’s list. The other top gainers included Kapila Heavy Equipments (10.00%), Hapugastenne Plantations (8.20%), Bairaha Farms (6.67%) and Maskeliya Plantations (6.12%). Gestetner lost 8.50 rupees or 14.11% placing it at the top of the loser’s list. The other top losers included Seylan Merchant Bank (-10.00%), Hayleys Exports (-8.15%), Lanka Cement (-7.84%) and Hotel Developers (-7.74%). Distilleries announced a 60% first and final dividend to be paid on Nov 21st.

JVP leader Somawansa Amarasinghe left the country yesterday hours after the party’s politburo meeting for London.Amarasinghe’s departure came after the politburo decided to step up the campaign against the government with street protests if the SLFP enters into a MoU with the UNP which is in conflict with that signed with the JVP.There was also speculation yesterday that investigations had commenced into Amarasinghe’s activities.

The Indian armed forces have cleared military hardware for export to Sri Lanka, among other countries, after Colombo requested a number of items. The chief of naval staff, Admiral Arun Prakash, told The Telegraph in an interview here today that military items for export had been “cleared for security”. The clearance is not specifically for items requested by Sri Lanka but also covers them.“The policy so far has been not to give them (Sri Lanka) offensive weapons. But our instructions from the government are we must do everything to protect the sovereignty and integrity of Sri Lanka,” Prakash said.

“We have been in dialogue with DRDO (Defence Research and Development Organisation). We can now export some types of sonars, radars, electronic warfare suites and some makes of naval guns,” he said.The navy chief limited himself to saying that some exports to Sri Lanka were cleared. He acknowledged that Colombo has requested Delhi for “a lot of things”. The politics of giving military aid to Sri Lanka is complex.“As far as we are concerned, military-to-military relations with all our neighbouring countries are very good Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Bangladesh.... For instance, if our ships require berthing and replenishment facilities anywhere in the region Seychelles, the Maldives, Mauritius, Sri Lanka they are available,” he said.

Delhi has been dithering over Colombo’s long list of hardware that it needs in its fight against the LTTE. Colombo has made it plain that it wants a defence cooperation agreement with Delhi. But three factors have played on Delhi’s Lanka policy before taking any step that might be interpreted as interventionist.First, Delhi’s policy has so far been not to arm neighbours with equipment that could pose a threat to India. Second, there are concerns over the political fallout from Tamil Nadu. Third, India has burnt its fingers in Sri Lanka with the peacekeeping force it sent there in 1987 and does not want those memories to be revived.But now apprehensions that Pakistan and/or China are stepping into the vacuum created by lack of Indian critical support are coming true. Sri Lanka has already sourced military hardware from Pakistan as India winked. Delhi is worryingly monitoring Islamabad’s efforts to use its arms supply to Sri Lanka as a lever to create a point of consternation in the island nation.In August, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh told MDMK chief Vaiko that India will not do anything to reinforce the Sri Lankan armed forces. But it is the Indian Navy’s job to monitor and guard against the LTTE, which has a seaborne capability.

Controversy surrounds the recent abduction and the release of Bala Sugumar, the Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Culture of the Eastern University at Vantharamoolai, Chenkalady.Sugumar returned to his Batticaloa residence Tuesday night after allegedly being held outside the town. An armed gang seized Sugumar from his home on the night of September 30.The release came against the backdrop of a request by lecturers of Arts and Culture calling for his release.As Sugumar was blindfolded he did not know where he was held, a family source said. "He was kept in a dark room," the source said, adding that the abductors did not harm him.

S. Rabindranath, Vice Chancellor of the University last week quit his post amidst claims that Sugumar would be killed unless he gave up the post. He sent his resignation papers to University Grants Commission (UGC). But the UGC declined to accept the VCresignation. A well informed source said that Rabindranath would consult Sugumar regarding the crisis. The VC, The Island, learns is worried about the possibility of Sugumar being harmed if he returned to the university. He is believed to be in Colombo.Speculation is that some Karuna loyalists staged the abduction. The incident is believed to be part of a strategy to force Rabindranath out of the university.

"He is from Jaffna, there are some people who wanted Jaffna academics out," a source said, adding, "`85the battle for top post at the University is obviously part of this campaign." "Sugumar is from the East," another source said, adding, "Did Karuna loyalists force him to play a role in this drama? Was he a willing partner? We’ll never know?"Police visited Sugumar’s residence Wednesday morning to inquire about the incident.

President Mahinda Rajapaksa is due to meet UNP leader Ranil Wickremesinghe this morning to discuss how best to implement the Common Minimum National Agenda that was agreed upon by the SLFP and the UNP recently, UNP sources said.Reliable sources said the President was expected to offer six Cabinet portfolios and six non-Cabinet portfolios to the UNP.The UNP members who held talks with the SLFP were also expected to participate at today’s meeting.

The debate within the UNP on accepting ministerial portfolios in the government continues with the party expected to take a decision on the matter this week.A UNP spokesperson admitting that there was a split in the party said it had nothing to do with collaborating with the government in resolving national issues. "But there is certainly a difference of opinion with regard to accepting portfolios and perks ."The spokesperson said that while a section wants the UNP to cooperate with the government after accepting portfolios others believe collaboration was possible even without accepting positions.Leader of the UNP Ranil Wickremesinghe is to consult both the parliamentary group and the working committee before taking a final decision.

According to an SLFP proposal UNP’ers who accept ministerial portfolios could sit in the opposition.Meanwhile President Mahinda Rajapakse and Ranil Wickremesinghe are scheduled to meet today, to finalise the Common National Agenda (CNA) agreed on last week by the SLFP and UNP to collaborate on six areas of national importance.The CNA, includes the Ethnic issue ,Electoral reforms,Good Governance, Economic Development , Nation Building (educational reforms) and Social Development.

Currency	Buying (Rs.)		Selling (Rs.)
US Dollar	104.24		105.49
Sterling Pound	192.92		196.21
Euro	130.25		132.80
Swiss Franc	81.65		83.47
Australian Dollar	77.06		78.98
Singapore Dollar	65.38		66.80
Japanese Yen	0.8669		0.8868
Country		Currency		Indicative Rate(RS.)

Bahrain	Dinar	278.12
Kuwait	Dinar	362.58
Oman	Rial	272.34
Qatar	Riyal	28.80
Saudi Arabian	Riyal	27.96
UAE	Dirham	28.56

Tamil Tigers ready for peace talks, but could quit if military attacks persist: report

Sri Lanka The Tamil Tigers' political chief said Tuesday the rebels will attend peace talks with the Sri Lankan government later this month in Switzerland, but warned they could withdraw if the military continues to launch attacks, a report said."We are ready for talks, and agreed to the venue and date," Suppiah Thamilselvan said after meeting with Norwegian Ambassador Hans Brattskar in the northern rebel stronghold of Kilinochchi, according to the pro-rebel TamilNet Web site."However, if the military aggression continued, we will be forced to reconsider the decision," TamilNet quoted him as saying.Rebel spokesman Daya Master confirmed the meeting, but did not give details.International mediators have nominated Oct. 28-29 for the talks in Geneva.

Dozens of army personnel and rebels have been killed since last week in fighting in northeastern Sri Lanka, with each side accusing the other of initiating the attacks. About 1,500 people have died in increasingly heavy fighting since the last round of talks in February.Thamilselvan described as unacceptable government claims that all military acts were defensive and retaliatory in response to violence instigated by the Tamil Tigers.He urged the government to allow members of the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission access to the front lines on the northern Jaffna peninsula — permission, he said, already provided by the rebels — so they can "judge who is the aggressor.""It will be too late to pass a final ruling on cease-fire violation after a major aggression has taken place and the entire island is plunged into a full-scale war," he added, according to the Web site.

Earlier Tuesday, government security spokesman, Keheliya Rambukwella, said President Mahinda Rajapakse told foreign ambassadors on Monday that he had asked the Tamil Tigers to renounce violence and terrorism, and join the peace process and be a party to democracy.Rambukwella said the president wants the peace talks to focus on core-issues, including democracy, allowing a multi-party system, pluralism, human rights, child soldier recruitment, development of the north and east and devolution _rather than discussing the 2002 cease-fire agreement."It is now high time to get into the substantive and core-issues," he said. COLOMBO, Sri Lanka The Tamil Tigers' political chief said Tuesday the rebels will attend peace talks with the Sri Lankan government later this month in Switzerland, but warned they could withdraw if the military continues to launch attacks, a report said.

"We are ready for talks, and agreed to the venue and date," Suppiah Thamilselvan said after meeting with Norwegian Ambassador Hans Brattskar in the northern rebel stronghold of Kilinochchi, according to the pro-rebel TamilNet Web site."However, if the military aggression continued, we will be forced to reconsider the decision," TamilNet quoted him as saying.Rebel spokesman Daya Master confirmed the meeting, but did not give details.International mediators have nominated Oct. 28-29 for the talks in Geneva.Dozens of army personnel and rebels have been killed since last week in fighting in northeastern Sri Lanka, with each side accusing the other of initiating the attacks. About 1,500 people have died in increasingly heavy fighting since the last round of talks in February.

Thamilselvan described as unacceptable government claims that all military acts were defensive and retaliatory in response to violence instigated by the Tamil Tigers.He urged the government to allow members of the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission access to the front lines on the northern Jaffna peninsula — permission, he said, already provided by the rebels — so they can "judge who is the aggressor.""It will be too late to pass a final ruling on cease-fire violation after a major aggression has taken place and the entire island is plunged into a full-scale war," he added, according to the Web site.

Earlier Tuesday, government security spokesman, Keheliya Rambukwella, said President Mahinda Rajapakse told foreign ambassadors on Monday that he had asked the Tamil Tigers to renounce violence and terrorism, and join the peace process and be a party to democracy.Rambukwella said the president wants the peace talks to focus on core-issues, including democracy, allowing a multi-party system, pluralism, human rights, child soldier recruitment, development of the north and east and devolution _rather than discussing the 2002 cease-fire agreement."It is now high time to get into the substantive and core-issues," he said.

Talks on Oct 28 and 29 confirmed

The Norwegian government says it has got the agreement of both the Sri Lankan government and the Tamil Tigers to talks in Switzerland at the end of the month. Norwegian ambassador to Sri Lanka, Hans Brattskar, told the BBC that the LTTE had confirmed it was ready to meet the government on 28th and 29th October in Switzerland.However, he said the Tigers told him they could reconsider their decision if the situation on the ground deteriorated. Mr Brattskar said the Tigers were not presenting conditions for participating in the talks, but were saying that they reserved the right to change their minds depending the situation on the ground.

The Government Defence spokesman Minister Keheliya Rambukwelle is of the view the ICRC was in a way indirectly helping the cause of the LTTE by refusing to fly the ICRC flag on vessels transporting humanitarian aid to Jaffna, after the LTTE refused to guarantee the safety of sea movements.The ICRC said, as part of its policy, it requires security guarantees from both parties but Minister Rambukwelle was of the view if food and humanitarian aid to Jaffna was being blocked because of the LTTE someone has to step in and carry out the operation despite threats.

In this regard the Minister praised the Navy for carrying out the transportation of food and civilians despite LTTE threats and added that with effect from today a passenger vessel will operate between Trincomalee and the KKS harbour in Jaffna.Meanwhile, Minister Rambukwelle also said the President directed authorities in Jaffna to re-open all schools and as of yesterday, 50 percent of students had attended classes despite indirect threats from the LTTE to boycott classes.

An unknown armed youth riding a motorbike shot dead a member of the Karuna paramilitary group Tuesday around 10:30 a.m at Akaraipattu in Amparai district, said Akkaraipattu police. Akkaraipattu district Magistrate Mr. T. L. A. Manab visited the scene to conduct inquest into death, and ordered the police to hand over the dead body to the relatives after post-mortem examinations. The dead youth was identified as K. Jesuthasan, 24, of Kumburumoolai, Kiran in the Batticaloa district. The assailant had followed the victim and his wife on motorcycle from the Regional office of Karuna group in Akaraipattu to the public market. When the couple were about to go shopping the armed youth shot dead Jesuthasan at close range and escaped from the site, said the police. People in the market area fled in panic from the scene of shooting and tension prevailed in Akaraipattu town, said local residents.

Three inmates were killed and 3 more were injured when a claymore bomb went off near a house at Punthottam near Vauniya.A van taken into custody by Vauniya police was released today on court order and was parked near the home of the owner when the bomb went off destroying a three wheeler parked near by completely.It is believed that all three who were killed are members of the same family and their bodies thrown about 20 meters afar.Police believe that the bomb went off when it was being fixed to the van. They are not yet sure whether it was a powerful bomb or a claymore mine.

The UNP charged yesterday that the JVP had resorted to ‘showy political slogans’ again to hoodwink people as in the past, by repeating their demand to abolish the executive presidential system under new electoral reforms.Party’s General Secretary Tissa Attanayake told journalists yesterday they had now repeated this demand for the abolition of the executive presidential system after 13 years.“In 1994, JVP MP Nihal Galappatthi agitated for it. The demand was repeated in their agreements with the SLFP for the probation government, and in Rata Perata programme in 2004 as well,” he said.

He said that they miserably failed to fulfil their promises even despite them being a part of Government in 2004 and 2005.“In fact, they campaigned for the election of an executive President last year,” he said.Commenting on the Common Minimum National Agenda reached with the SLFP, Mr. Attanayake said that the party’s Working Committee and the parliamentary group meeting would take up the matter before agreeing to the proposed mechanism for implementing it. He said they were yet to take a final decision on the methodology of sharing responsibilities with the SLFP in Government.

Mr. Attanayake said that there would be talks beteen President Mahinda Rajapaksa and UNP leader Ranil Wickremesinghe on the matter shortly.“Later, we will refer the matter to the Working Committee and the group meeting for further consideration,” he said. Referring to a statement by Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva who said that the UNP had now accepted ‘Mahinda Chintana’ programme, he said that this type of talk is thoroughly unacceptable’ at this hour because the two parties had reached consensus on six issues confronting the nation today. “There is consensus reached between two parties based on core points in People’s Agenda and the Mahinda Chintana for the good of the country. At the election, nearly 50 percent of people accepted Mahinda Chintana while the remaining percentage voted for People’s Agenda,” he said. He said that such statements would hamper this bi-partisan approach to solve the problems.

Karunanidhi not to intervene in Nalini case

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi today declined to intervene on the issue of securing the release of Nalini, serving a life term in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case."I would be happy if she is released. But I will not exert pressure on anybody," he told reporters here when asked about DPI leader Thirumavalavan's demand in this regard recently.Sharing the platform with Karunanidhi at an election rally in Madurai last week, Thirumavalavan urged the Chief Minister to see if Nalini could be released or her sentence reduced.Nalini, married to LTTE activist Murugan, was previously sentenced to death by the trial court but the President commuted the sentence to life imprisonment at the request of Congress president Sonia Gandhi. Murugan, also an accused in the case, has been sentenced to death.

The President Mahinda Rajapaksa visited the Air force Base at Katunayaka today.Air Force Commander, Air Martial Roshan Gunathilaka warmly welcomed the President and a special guard of honour was held for the President.It is after 20 years time space that a state leader inspected the Air Force Base at Katunayaka.President Rajapaksa also inspected the Air Force hospital, which is situated inside the base. After speaking to the soldiers who were having medical treatment at the hospital, he examined about the necessities and the shortcoming at the hospital.Presidential Secretary, Mr. Lalith Weeratunga, Secretary of the Ministry of Defense, Mr. Ghotabaya Rajapaksa also attended this inspection tour along with the President.

Army Chief Sarath Fonseka yesterday vowed to end violence in the country and defend its territorial integrity.“The Army is well aware of its responsibilities and is fully dedicated to wipe out violence in the country,” Lt. Gen. Fonseka told his men at a ceremony held at the Army Headquarters to mark the 57th anniversary of the Sri Lanka Army.“The Army will defend the country’s territorial integrity and its unitary nature and help create a peaceful and conducive environment where all Sri Lankans of all communities living in any part of the country could co-exist in harmony. That is the most cherished role of the Army,” Lt. Gen. Fonseka said. He asked his men to continue their disciplined and committed service in the defence of the motherland.

“We should work with esprit de corps to achieve this objective. Many measures have already been launched, if not hitherto undertaken, to promote the image of the Army as a professional outfit rich with discipline, lawfulness and technical know-how, free from corruption, deception, wastage of resources and public funds,” he said. He emphasized the need to have adequate training, effective management of resources and troops, the maximum use of weaponry and organizational capabilities that would enormously strengthen the morale of the troops deployed in operational areas. “If we are to reach our goals these should be counted as part of your prime responsibilities as disciplined members of the Army,” he said.

He also paid a tribute to his men for their contribution at all times towards implementation of the provisions of the four-year old ceasefire agreement, despite numerous terrorist violations, harassment and provocations. “This tolerance promoted the Army’s image to a great height in terms of its disciplined nature and commitment to the ceasefire agreement,” the Army Chief said.He extended his regards to Sri Lankan soldiers serving overseas on foreign missions.At yesterday’s ceremony, the Army Chief inspected a guard of honour at the Army Headquarters and hoisted the Army flag. After addressing the troops the Army Chief visited the Military hospital and chatted with the patients.

Fishing hampered

The fighting between government forces and the LTTE has hampered fishing industry in Jaffna, says Fisheries Development Society in Jaffna.Fishermen were not able to obtain fishing permits after the fighting aggravated since August 11, the Society said.The fishermen through the Society have written to Fisheries Department at Gurunagar, District Secretary, Jaffna and Bishop Jaffna to make them aware of the situation they faced.Fishermen are now facing with another problem with the security forces asking for their boats, the Society said.The fishermen are unwilling to give their boats which they have bought after the signing of the ceasefire agreement in 2002.Although security forces have said Rs.17, 000 will be paid per day, they are afraid whether they will get back the boats, the Society added.

They are two different worlds - Sri Lanka's war-torn North and East and peaceful South. –Front Line

ROAD travel on the 300-odd-kilometre Colombo-Trincomalee highway is a sheer joy in normal circumstances. With the undeclared war between the government forces and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in full swing, the situation is far from normal. The only consolation is that at least half the length of the journey is still pure pleasure, notwithstanding the occasional interruption by a friendly policeman, for driving at 55 km an hour. The narrow highway with heavy traffic necessitates speed restrictions. There can be no complaints there, at least not for the tourist. The lush landscape, dotted with high-density villages, provides a visual treat. There is no dearth of restaurants, bars and motels with crooners in attendance to entertain the traveller. The land is geared for the tourist, and geared with the famous Sri Lankan signature - eternal smile.

The setting changes dramatically as one nears Aluthoya, located near the well-known tourist town Habarana. The natural surroundings are the same. However, the olive green uniform of the Sri Lanka military here dazzles, suggesting that one is about to enter the eastern territory, which has been the theatre of intense battles in the past few months. As an indication of how irrelevant the 2002 Cease Fire Agreement (CFA) has become, the zone is dotted with check-posts and sentry points. People in all modes of transport disembark with their baggage and go through the customary security check and identification parade before proceeding on their onward journey. Every moving object is suspect and the process is repeated at umpteen points.

There are special buses that transport forces. They have no seats and are fitted with a metallic buffer on the front and rear to soften effects of a possible claymore attack. A precaution against an invisible enemy. Reasons for the overwhelming military presence on the highway and the extraordinary security drills are further amplified as one enters Kanthale, a small, dusty town of 18,000-odd people. It was inundated with 25,000-odd displaced persons from the nearby Muttur town, which was devastated in the battle between the Tigers and the military in the first week of August. The refugees are all over Kanthale, in schools and religious institutions and in the open fields.

Indeed, they appear to be victims of a sinister game. Each one has a tale of horror to narrate, but makes the same plea. "Please take your battle elsewhere. Leave us in peace. It is a fight started by the LTTE and joined by the government and we are the cannon fodder," says Rajana Ummah. By all accounts, two pamphlets surfaced in the town in July in the name of the LTTE with a stern message. "Leave the town in your own interest" was the cryptic message to the 50,000 citizens of the Muslim-dominated town. "The Army and the authorities told us not to worry. Our ulema [clergy] took up the matter even with the Tigers and they said some one was trying to defame them. So we stayed on, only to be greeted with chaos," Rimozo and her husband, lodged in one of the make-shift camps, bemoan.

The refugees are on tenterhooks, and for different reasons. "The shacks are not water-proof; one sharp shower can herald serious problems. The families have no privacy. Children will lose an academic year, with no certainty on their return. Those lodged in schools have to move out sooner than later. It is a nightmarish situation," says Philip Manuel, programme officer, Oxfam, a non-governmental organisation looking after the water and sanitation needs of the displaced. The administration does not want to give any comfort to the refugees. "After all it is a matter of prestige for the government. Having recaptured Muttur, the authorities would like the people to return to their town. A populated town is the best bet for the military to hold on to Muttur. No wonder little is done by the administration to look after the displaced. They are not happy with the NGOs [non-governmental organisations] as they believe that their work in the camps is prolonging the stay of the refugees," says a social worker, who does not wish to be identified.

In the second week of September, under pressure from the local authorities and the military, most of the displaced poor were escorted back to Muttur. A press party, conducted by the military, witnessed the horror caused by the LTTE's invasion and its aftermath. The damage caused to buildings by the indiscriminate exchange of gunfire is still fresh. The people who have just returned after a great deal of persuasion and liberal use of state power were struck by a second tragedy in end-September. Panic gripped the town and a fresh exodus started after two pamphlets surfaced in the name of an unknown Tamil organisation asking them to leave. The government has blamed the LTTE for the act and the Tigers have replied in the same coin. Whoever is behind the leaflets, they have surely dealt a blow to confidence levels.

In the recently captured Sampur town, the military proudly demonstrates to the media the "liberated territory". It has reasons to celebrate. Sampur had been under direct or indirect control of the Tigers since 1994 and it is from here that the LTTE targeted the vital installations in Trincomalee and wreaked havoc on Muttur. For all the hype about the "fall of Sampur", it is amazing that until the last week of July the last posts of the Tigers and the military were almost facing each other. Literally, minutes after the last post of the Sri Lanka Army, the LTTE had built impressive administrative and obviously military infrastructure.

There was hardly any sign of the fighting that took place in Sampur when journalists visited the place in the second week of September. The military commanders concede that the retreating LTTE cadre dismantled all useful military infrastructure. What fell into the hands of the military was "barren land" though its importance cannot be underestimated in strategic and economic terms. But several questions regarding Sampur remain unanswered. Why did the Tigers vacate the place? Was it the consequence of a military defeat or a case of strategic retreat? Where have the "civilians", estimated to number 10,000, disappeared?

Trincomalee town, which houses one of the world's finest natural harbours, is a ghost town. "We wake up and sleep to sounds of shelling. The LTTE is eyeing the Sri Lanka Navy and Air Force bases and the military is determined to neutralise the Tigers' base, situated 10 miles [16 km] across the naval base. The shell-to-shell confrontation has taken a toll on the social and economic life of this beautiful town," said M. Yogeswaran, who is associated with an international NGO. Business in the town has been hit and the hospitality industry is down in the dumps. Occupancy rates in the hotels and motels along its coast are down to 15 or even 10 per cent. "I have not entertained more than half a dozen customers in a day for over three months now. I am yearning for those good old days," says Tilakaratne, the bar tender at one of the best seaside hotels in the town. "With pleasure," was how he handed over to this correspondent a copy of the bar menu as a memento.

Trinco, as it is popularly called, is no ordinary town. The British, after consolidating their presence in the island's maritime provinces, realised the strategic significance of this eastern port city and decided to fortify it. The fort was constructed to monitor both the land and the sea from a single observation point. By all standards, the geographic location of Trinco is of tactical importance. It lies on an elevated land and can keep a number of ships without being observed by others sailing in the nearby seas. Kallar, Thoppur, Seruwila, Mahindapura, Selvanagar, Pachchanoor, Kattaparichchan, Galkanda, Muttur, Ichchalanpattu and Sampur are some of the scattered habitations that surround Trincomalee township. Of them, Sampur became a major offensive stronghold for Tamil Tigers, post-CFA.

The town houses the Sri Lanka Navy base, the Navy Academy, the Divisional Headquarters of the Security Forces, the Divisional Secretariat and several key installations. The Lanka Indian Oil Corporation (LIOC) draws its supplies from the reserves here. More importantly, Trincomalee remains a major transit point for troops moving from the south to the north. Little wonder then that it became the ground for a major flare-up. In recent weeks, both passenger and cargo vessels sailing in the Trincomalee Sea have come under LTTE attacks. And herein lies the significance of the "recapture" of Sampur and the consequent neutralisation of the Tiger base. Can the military hold on to Sampur and, if yes, at what cost and consequences?

Travel by road from Colombo to Hambantota via Ratnapura, the former parliamentary constituency of President Mahinda Rajapaksa, brings to the fore the contrast between the north and the south. It is almost as if one is in another country. It is the difference between a battle zone and a zone far removed from there. This correspondent travelled to the town, on the southern tip, for the inauguration of a school rebuilt by the Norwegian Refugee Council after the tsunami. It provided a glimpse of the dynamics of play between various layers of Sri Lankan society and Norway, the facilitator of the peace talks.

Just about 20 km away from the capital city towards Ratnapura, the contrast is visible. Throughout the 250-km stretch up to Hambantota, it is difficult to find a person in uniform, leave alone the innumerable check-points and sentry points which have become the hallmark of Colombo and the North and East. One sees no sign of tension. The hospitality industry in the town is facing a slump but it is more because of the "off season factor". "Yes, the overall business is affected owing to the general prevailing tension and the image of the country abroad. However, we expect a good flow of tourists in the next few weeks. People in the area have no idea about the conflict in the rest of the country. They have only heard or read about it but do not know what it means," says a waiter at a hotel.

The Norwegians may be the official facilitators of the Sri Lanka peace process for the rest of the world. For the people of Hambantota, they are just another lot of foreigners flush with funds. Going by various accounts, the Norwegians had a tough time in convincing the school authorities to entrust them with the reconstruction job. "I can never forget the yelling I got from the principal down to the school clerk when I first visited the place to negotiate the project," says a consultant associated with it. Managers of the Mahinda Rajapaksa government view Norway with suspicion, and from time to time Norway has been accused of being soft towards the LTTE. The attitude of the school authorities at Hambantota towards the Norwegians was perhaps a reflection of this school of thought.

The Jathika Hela Urumaya yesterday urged President Mahinda Rajapaksa to reveal the agreement to the public before signing the MoU with the main opposition UNP.JHU General Secretary Ven. Omalpe Sobhitha Thera said though both parties talk about six main points, nobody knows what is really contained in the said agreement.“There is no point in revealing the agreement after signing it. President Rajapaksa was elected to power by the people and he has no right to sign any agreement on his own wish. He does not have any right to enter into any agreement which would violate the mandate he received for the Mahinda Chinthanaya,” Ven. Thera said. JHU General Secretary Omalpe Sobhitha Thera said they will welcome the move only if it works towards stabilizing the country economically as well as politically and bestow everlasting peace.The Ven. Thera pointed out the government should ensure this consensus will not destroy the faith of the people in the government.

Currency	Buying (Rs.)		Selling (Rs.)
US Dollar	104.14		105.37
Sterling Pound	193.94		197.20
Euro	130.65		133.18
Swiss Franc	82.13		83.95
Australian Dollar	77.06		78.97
Singapore Dollar	65.30		66.70
Japanese Yen	0.8699		0.8897
Country		Currency		Indicative Rate(RS.)

Bahrain	Dinar	277.58
Kuwait	Dinar	361.87
Oman	Rial	271.82
Qatar	Riyal	28.75
Saudi Arabian	Riyal	27.90
UAE	Dirham	28.49

Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa on Monday asked the Co-Chairs of the Tokyo Donors Conference, who represent the international community in the Sri Lankan peace process, to persuade the LTTE to come for talks as proposed on October 28 and 29.Rajapaksa conveyed this to the Ambassadors of the US, EU, Japan, Norway and Germany, representing the Co-Chairs of the Tokyo conference.The envoys had sought a meeting with him in an effort to stem the tide towards a full scale war, get the talks process started, and prevent a further deterioration of the humanitarian crisis in the country.The President said the Sri Lankan government was committed to a negotiated settlement and making the forthcoming talks successful. He hoped the Co-Chairs would be able to persuade the LTTE to abandon its violent approach and return to negotiations. But he made it clear that the government would be "compelled to take appropriate counter measures to ensure security if the LTTE were to continue with violent and provocative actions," according to a release from the President's office.

In the light of complaints that NGOs, especially international NGOs, were being prevented from working in the war-affected North East, Rajapaksa said that he was setting up a Consultative Committee to facilitate humanitarian access to the affected areas "keeping in mind security considerations as well." He appreciated the work of the NGOs working in the war-affected areas.The President said that he was keen on international involvement in human rights monitoring in the country and pointed to the establishment of a Commission of Inquiry and a Group of International Observers on human rights issues.

Peace talks between the government and the LTTE have been in jeopardy because of the LTTE's objections to Geneva as the venue, and also to the government's military operations.The government's contention has been that Geneva, and not Oslo, is a universally accepted neutral venue and that its military operations are only "retaliatory" in nature.After the meeting with the President, the Norwegian Ambassador Hans Brattskar is to visit Kilinochchi for discussions with the LTTE. Norway is the accredited facilitator of the peace process in Sri Lanka.

Monday's meeting between the Co-Chairs and the President assumed particular significance in the light of a warning by Tamil parliamentarians that there would be a full scale war if the government intensified its military offensive in the North and East."The Tamil National Alliance is reliably informed that Government of Sri Lanka's military is preparing to launch further operations into LTTE-controlled areas, particularly in the north.""There can be little doubt that such further offensive military operations will almost certainly result in the break out of full scale war and a complete negation of the Ceasefire Agreement," said Mavai Senathiraja, the head of the TNA's parliamentary group in a statement issued on Sunday.Earlier on Saturday, the LTTE's political wing leader SP Tamilselvan said, "We want to ensure that we are not blamed for the outbreak of war as a consequence to any Sri Lankan offensive."

The warnings from the TNA and the LTTE had come in the wake of reports that the Sri Lankan Armed Forces were to launch a multi-pronged air, sea and ground operation to capture Elephant Pass and Pooneryn south of the Jaffna peninsula.The capture of Elephant Pass and Pooneryn would not only safeguard Jaffna in the north, but also threaten the LTTE's political headquarters in Kilinochchi, and its military headquarters in Mullaitivu, military experts say.On Sunday, the army reported that it had taken Mutur West in Trincomalee district. Earlier in the week, the armed forces advanced towards Vaharai, on the border between the Trincomalee and Batticaloa districts in East Sri Lanka. The troops advanced from the Mankerni-Kajuwatte area via Panichchankerni.Both sides claimed victory in the battle for Vaharai. While the LTTE said it had beaten back the attackers who included the breakaway Karuna group, the army said that it had penetrated deep into Tiger-held areas and inflicted scores of casualties.There were artillery and mortar duels in the Muhamalai sector south of Jaffna, right through last week.

The members of the All Party Representative Committee (APRC) will tour India this month to study the Panchayat system of power devolution which is used in India to devolve power to village level.Chairman of the APRC Minister Tissa Vitharana told journalists yesterday the APRC had agreed to a system of power devolution which reaches village level, and as such had been briefed on the topic by Indian Minister of Panchayat affairs Manishankar Aiyar.The APRC would tour Delhi, Pondicherry and other locations in India at the end of this month.The exposure gained in India would be included in the system of devolution currently being worked out by the APRC said Minister Vitharana speaking to the media after the 12th APRC meeting at the Government Peace Secretariat at the World Trade Centre in Colombo yesterday.

The JVP and the CWC did not participate at yesterday’s meeting. The APRC was set up to work out a common agenda to seek a lasting solution to the ethnic conflict through discussions with all stakeholders Minister Vitharana said a final report detailing all the views expressed at the meetings would be released allowing all stakeholders to study its contents.He ruled out reaching a consensus before the October 28 Geneva peace talks between the government and LTTE saying the views expressed at the APRC must be compiled systematically with no definite deadlines. However he expressed the hope that the common position reached by the APRC would be worked out with the LTTE to reach a lasting solution in future talks.He noted that the APRC gave everyone a hearing and views were exchanged in a friendly atmosphere.He added that the stakeholders had each agreed that they had a responsibility to work out a solution and thus had agreed on devolution for the basis for the solution.

The LTTE accused the government of planning to capture elephant pass area before government- LTTE talks.LTTE military spokesman Rasaiyah Illanthirian accuses the government of mounting mortar and artillery attacks at Muhamalai, Palai and Mardaukernmi to enter elephant pass area.While pointing that this is a serious breach of the CFA he said that the LTTE would never allow the recapture of Elephant Pass by government forces.After the capture of Sampur the government wants to show the International community that the LTTE was an ineffective force.When questioned whether LTTE is an ineffective force Illantherian said that the LTTE is avoiding major confrontations as a mark of respect to the request of the co-chairs. He said that the LTTE is only retaliating to the attacks of the government. Once we talk a final decision on talks the might of the LTTE could be seen.

The Sri Lanka Army (SLA) was seen moving truck loads of military hardware from its Palaly main base to Forward Defence Lines in Jaffna Monday. Consignments of artillery ammunition, mortar shells, and rockets were rushed in heavy military vehicles via two routes, Palaly-Jafffna Road leading to the A9 Muhamalai FDL, Ariyalai area and Point Pedro Road towards Nagarkovil FDL in Vadamaradchi East since Saturday night. Meanwhile, Sri Lanka Navy ordered fishermen in Gurunagar to hand over more than 240 outboard motors and fishing boats, according to fisheries union officials in Jaffna.The boats had been rendered inactive for the last 3 months by the SLN ban on fishing imposed in the Gurunagar seas that connect the Pooneryn bay bordering the LTTE territory.The Sri Lankan military has already confiscated outboard motors of fishermen in Vadamaradchi from Pt. Pedro Munai up to Thondaimanaru along the northern coast and instructed the fishermen not to hold their fishing boats near the coast.Earlier, the fishermen in northern coast were forced to fill the mooring points and jetties with stones.

A powerful group of the UNP is getting ready to introduce amendments to the party constitution to remove its leader.A strongman of the party said 'Lanka E News' that the said amendment will be tabled at the party convention scheduled to be held on the 9th of November for the approval of the membership.He further said though the names of Rukman Senanayake as President and Tissa Attanayake as General Secretary were proposed by the Leader, they may not get the approval of the party membership at the convention.Though a powerful group has been agitating for reforms in the party it has fallen on deaf years of the leadership creating disappointment among many party stalwarts.If the Leader does not follow a flexible stance on the SLFP ? UNP understanding, about 20 UNP parliamentarians are planning to cross over to the government he said.

Students attend Jaffna schools

Students attended schools in the northern Sri Lankan city of Jaffna for the first time after the recent spate of violence.Many O/L and A/L students were seen attending the classes despite earlier advice by the Jaffna District Student Association that students should only attend after authorities re-open A9 highway.The Jaffna-Kandy highway has been closed for weeks after violence escalated between government troops and Tamil Tigers in the north on 11 August.Reports from the north say other students are to start their classes from Wednesday.The students have decided to attend the classes after religious leaders, including Jaffna Archbishop Thomas Saundranayagam, appealed the parties not to disrupt children’s education.The religious leaders have also appealed to President Mahinda Rajapaksa to create an atmosphere for the children to attend schools.

Western People’s Front led by Colombo District Parliamentarian Mano Ganesan acclaimed the move of SLFP and UNP to work together and expressed hope that it would strike a lasting solution to the burning national question.Deputy leader Dr N.Kumaraguruparan said this combination was the best to evolve a strong Sinhala consensus on the ethnic question but expressed reservation that it could be neither optimistic nor pessimistic.He said this combination would definitely a healthier one than SLFP, JVP and JHU group. If SLFP and UNP worked together, it would represent more than 90% of Sri Lankan Sinhala community with highly democratic and seasoned right thinking politicians.Mr. Kumaraguruparan recollected that in the past, though late S.W.R.D.Bandaranaike brought Sinhala only as an election promise, he rightly opined to solve the North – East Tamil question with the proposition of District Councils but the hard core Sinhala Buddhist fundamentalists had prevented it.

The government yesterday banned the import of remote controlled toys, fearing they could be used as improvised explosive devices.Defence Ministry Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa announced in a newspaper advertisement that aircraft or any flying devices were totally banned from importation under the new regulations.However the regulations limit the frequency radius of ground and water toys (cars and jeeps) to ten metres.According to the advertisement any such remote controlled toys being imported must be approved by the Defence Ministry and importers have to submit the unit and its operating manual for compliance checks, due to the current security situation in the country. Meanwhile, a senior Defence Ministry official told the Daily Mirror that any person importing such toys to Sri Lanka without proper approval from the Ministry would have to surrender the toy to the Customs at the airport. "The item would be released to the owner after the necessary testing for compliance is done by the Ministry technical team," the official said.He said the decision was taken as these kinds of toys could pose a threat to national security.He also said that in addition to the Ministry approval, the user had to get permission from the Telecommunication Regulatory Commission of Sri Lanka for a frequency band as well.

Currency	Buying (Rs.)		Selling (Rs.)
US Dollar	104.08		105.11
Sterling Pound	194.23		197.19
Euro	130.59		132.92
Swiss Franc	81.95		83.99
Australian Dollar	76.68		78.60
Singapore Dollar	65.24		66.50
Japanese Yen	0.8706		0.8887
Country		Currency		Indicative Rate(RS.)

Bahrain	Dinar	276.24
Kuwait	Dinar	360.12
Oman	Rial	270.51
Qatar	Riyal	28.61
Saudi Arabian	Riyal	27.77
UAE	Dirham	28.35

With the Government and the LTTE agreeing to talks at the end of this month, Japanese special peace envoy Yasushi Akashi will arrive in the country, to add impetus to the expected talks, while the Co-chairs will, today, make a similar push.Ambassadors from the four Co-chairs to the Tokyo donor conference – Norway, Japan, EU and the US – will meet President Mahinda Rajapaksa today and urge for a complete cessation of hostilities and commitment for the talks scheduled for October 28 and 29.“With heavy fighting breaking out last Friday, the Co-chairs, today, are likely to urge for a complete halt to attacks and a reassurance, that they will take part in the talks scheduled for the end of this month,” Japanese diplomatic sources told the Daily Mirror.A delay in finalizing arrangements, following an initial objection by the Government to the announcement of the dates and venue, the Co-chairs, who were to convene at the end of this month, to analyse the outcome of the talks, will now meet sometime next month.

The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) in an urgent press release Sunday appealed to the International Community to prevail upon the Government of Sri Lanka to cease all military operations immediately and actively work towards creating a conducive atmosphere for the resumption of peace talks. Mavai S. Senathirajah MP, on behalf of the TNA Parliamentary Group said: "There can be little doubt that any such further offensive military operations by the GoSL will almost certainly result in the break-out of full scale war and a complete negation of the Ceasefire Agreement."
Full text of the TNA Press Release follows:

On the 12th of September 2006 pursuant to a meeting of the Co-Chairs in Brussels a statement was released by the latter. The Co-Chairs welcomed the expression of willingness of the GOSL and the LTTE to come to talks unconditionally and called on the Parties to “cease all violence immediately”. Further the statement said that talks should take place “urgently in Oslo at the beginning of October”. Whilst reiterating that “The political challenges of the north and east cannot be resolved through war”, more specifically the Co-Chairs requested that “The LTTE must abide by all agreements and renounce terrorism and violence. The LTTE must show that it is willing to make the compromises needed for a political solution within a united Sri Lanka. The Government must ensure its military abides by the Ceasefire Agreement and implements the pledges from the Geneva meeting in February 2006”.

Since the statement of the Co-Chairs, the LTTE has responded positively to the call for an immediate resumption of talks, whilst also reiterating that all violence must cease in order to create an atmosphere conducive for such talks. It is in this background of efforts to resume peace talks that the GOSL’s military offensives in the eastern province’s Vaharai area on Friday the 6th of October and the unabated aerial bombardment of areas under LTTE control have been taking place.The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) is reliably informed that GOSL’s military is preparing to launch further offensive military operations into LTTE controlled areas, particularly in the north. There can be little doubt that any such further offensive military operations by the GOSL will almost certainly result in the break-out of full scale war and a complete negation of the Ceasefire Agreement.The TNA urgently appeals to all responsible members of the International Community that truly desire the resumption of negotiations and the continuation of the peace process, to prevail upon the GOSL to cease all military operations immediately and actively work towards creating a conducive atmosphere for the resumption of peace talks.

Five soldiers killed in Muhamali

Five Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers were killed in fighting in the north between the SLA and the Tamil Tigers.Both parties say that fighting erupted near Muhamalai Forward Defence Line (FDL) early on Sunday.LTTE military spokesman Rasiah Ialnthirayan told BBC Sandeshaya that they launched an attack on a reconnaissance team of the SLA who tired to enter Tiger-held territory through Muhamalai.Ilanthirayan said there were no LTTE casualties.

“We believe the military is gathering intelligence in preparation for a bigger offensive in the north,” he told bbcsinhala.com.But security authorities rejected the LTTE accusation.Military spokesman Brigadier Prasad Samarasinghe told BBC Sandeshaya that the LTTE launched artillery attacks on SLA positions near FDL.“We don’t need to enter LTTE-held territories. We only retaliated when they attacked our position,” Brig. Samarasinghe said.The LTTE spokesman said they are treating a wounded SLA soldier captured on Saturday.“He is now recovering in the hospital. We will decide whether to release him when he recovers”.

Government forces yesterday re-captured areas west of Mutur, where LTTE activities were confined to since the military regained control of Sampur last Month.A senior military official in the area said following yesterday’s military operation, the troops would be able to guarantee the full safety of the civilians living in Kinniya and its suburbs up to Mutur. “Now the road from Kinniya to Mutur is completely secure and people would be able to move freely,” he said.The official said the troops were able to drive away the Tigers, who were operating in Kandalkadu, Gange, Manirasakulam, Ralkuli and Upparu areas as small groups. Military spokesman Prasad Samarasinghe told the Daily Mirror yesterday evening that Army ground troops were compelled to capture these areas to neutralize the threat posed by the LTTE .

He said there were intelligence and other reliable reports that the LTTE had intensified its activities in the last few days west of Mutur.“Tigers were engaged in constructing new bunkers and camps west of Mutur posing a threat to the Trincomalee Harbour. These areas had been right throughout under the control of the Security Forces,” the Brigadier said.Meanwhile, the military yesterday said eleven bodies of the army were handed over to the military through the ICRC.Brigadier Samarasinghe said they were awaiting a response from the SLMM and the ICRC to the request to secure the release of a captured soldier by the LTTE.Denying allegations by LTTE political head S.P. Thamilchelvan that the Army had used ‘paramilitary’ cadres in its offensive against the LTTE, the Brigadier said “troops defended a major attack by the Tigers on the Mankerni FDL on Friday morning.

We never used any outside personnel for the defensive operation.”“This is yet another attempt by the LTTE to cover up their failure to capture the Mankerni area,” he said.The military spokesman also said that the Army had already handed over more than 10 bodies of LTTE cadres to the Valachchenai hospital on Saturday.‘Karuna’ spokesman Thuyavan meanwhile said bodies of 12 LTTE cadres killed on Friday were handed over to the Valachchenai hospital.Mr. Thuyavan said the 12 bodies were some of the LTTE bodies in the possession of the ‘Karuna’ faction, after a major assault by the breakaway LTTE group, allegedly killing more than 40 LTTE cadres while losing eight of its own.Meanwhile, the military said that thousands of civilians in uncleared areas were reportedly waiting to cross into the cleared areas, while yesterday evening alone more than 200 civilians crossed into the cleared area in Welikanda.Brigadier Samarasinghe said action had been taken with the assistance of the Government Agents in the area to provide shelter and food to those who have come to the cleared areas.”

LTTE Trincomalee Political Head Sunday said the Tigers in Vaharai located 3 more bodies, 2 Sri Lankan troopers and a paramilitary cadre, in LTTE controlled Panichchankerni. A Sri Lanka Army Major who led the crack forces and paramilitaries into Tiger territory, identified as Major W.S.A Wijetunge, was among the dead. Nine bodies of Sri Lankan soldiers were dug up, in addition to the 2 bodies recovered later, and handed over to the ICRC by the Tigers in the presence of Trincomalee District SLMM in Vaharai Sunday. Earlier, Sri Lanka had declined to receive the bodies.The slain SLA Major was responsible for military activities in areas Punanai, Valaichenai and north of Valaichenai, according to Sri Lankan military officials in Batticaloa.

The dead soldiers were identified as S. P. Fernando, D. M. Muthubanda, T.M.C. Pushpakumara, C.J.M Ariyaratne, K. Premachandra, R.M.K. Ratnayake, L.G. Bandaranaike, S.M. Silva and E.D.Gunawardene, according to Batticaloa District Assistant Magistrate M.B.M Hussain who inspected the bodies that were received by SLA officials in Navalady in Batticaloa around 5:00 p.m. Sunday.Although Colombo finally urged the ICRC to receive the dead bodies of the Sri Lankan armed forces, they declined to accept the bodies of the 6 paramilitary cadres killed in action. Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission officials also met the wounded Sri Lankan soldier, K.M.S Ratnayake. Meanwhile, medical sources in Polonnaruwa said 53 Sri Lankan troops, including paramilitary cadres, were admitted at Polonnaruwa hospital. At least 6 seriously wounded were airlifted to Colombo for further treatment. A fighting formation of Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) forces under the supervision of LTTE Speicial Commander Col. Sornam, "boxed" an area of 10 square kilometers and defeated Sri Lankan offensive towards Vaharai Friday.

The Sri Lanka Press Institute (SLPI), in collaboration with the Free Media Movement (FMM), Sri Lanka Working Journalists Association (SLWJA), Federation of Media Employees Trade Union (FMETU), Sri Lanka Tamil Media Alliance (SLTMA) and Sri Lanka Muslim Media Forum (SLMMF), is hosting a special visit by the five-member International Mission on Press Freedom, who will arrive in Sri Lanka tomorrow. The mission is comprised of delegates from International Media Support (IMS), International Press Institute (IPI), International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and International News Safety Institute (INSI). The team will assess the media situation in the country, especially threats to media freedom with a focus on intimidation and killings, freedom of expression, censorship and legal reforms, SLPI said in a statement.

The Government yesterday hit out at the European Union (EU) saying that its attempt on a resolution on Sri Lanka at the second session of the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) on Friday was both unwarranted and contradictory to other EU moves.Minister of Human Rights Mahinda Samarasingha told the Daily Mirror that he, together with the Minister of Foreign Affairs Mangala Samaraweera, had taken up the Government’s opposition to the attempt, with EU ambassadors, including its presidency represented in Sri Lanka.On the final day of the second session of the UNHRC on Friday the EU attempted to propose a resolution on Sri Lanka’s poor Human Rights record, citing the abduction and killing of civilians.

The proposal, however, failed to see light, after several Asian and African countries opposed it from being presented to the UNHRC, drawing flak from Human Rights Watch (HRW) who noted that as the premier international human rights body, the Council needs to demonstrate its credibility by taking robust action against violator States.“The EU attempted to do this without consulting us. When the EU came up with the proposal, the Sri Lankan government should have been contacted for a response, before it was put forward to the UNHRC. The EU was also contradicting a move it had earlier taken on Sri Lanka. The EU had decided to submit names to an international group, which will monitor the commission of inquiry set up by President Mahinda Rajapaksa, to follow up on abductions and killings, while on the other hand, they attempt submitting a proposal to the UNHRC,” Minister Samarasingha told the Daily Mirror.

The Minister said that the EU attempt was unwarranted as Sri Lanka was open to investigations on human rights violations in the country and corresponded the moves initiated by the Government to the UNHRC.“President Rajapaksa has appointed a commission to inquire into the abduction of 14 persons and we are also cooperating with the inquiry into the murder of the aid workers of Action Against Hunger (ACF). Considering all this, the EU move was unnecessary. We told them that if they try to take it up again, we will go for a vote.India, and even the Co-chairs, have distanced themselves from the move, as they understand our position and the efforts being made to address the issues,” Minister Samarasingha added.The Government feels that the UNHRC should not be split over this issue, especially, as the Council is in its early stages but, at the same time, Minister Samarasingha said that now it was up to the Government to show its commitment, by ensuring that the commission of inquiry set up by the President, is effective.

A member of the Razik paramilitary group was injured in a sniper attack by unknown gunmen Saturday at 6:00 p.m. at the Vavunativu Sri Lanka Army (SLA) camp in Batticaloa, said civil society sources. S. Ganeshamoorthy, 38, was admitted to the Batticaloa Teaching hospital with serious injuries, hospital sources said.Vavunathivu is located 7 km north west of Batticaloa town.

The resumption of the peace talks later this month was in the balance yesterday with the LTTE declaring that the current military action may force it to re-examin