30 SLA Killed arms seized in Mannaar!

30 Sri Lanka Army soldiers were killed, five dead bodies of SLA troops were recovered after heavy fighting at Ka'rukkaaykku'lam Friday morning, according to LTTE's Military Spokesman Irasiah Ilanthirayan. Two PK Light Machine Guns, one AK LMG, five T-56 assault rifles and military hardware including ammunitions were seized by the Tigers. The SLA, while pulling back was towing an Armoured Personnel Carrier that had caught fire, the Tigers said. Ka'rukkaaykku'lam is located 2 km east of Adampan.

Over one billion US$ in grants and subsidized loans to Sri Lanka from European Union!

European Union wants Sri Lanka to receive GSP+ again for coming three years. Sri Lanka will get GSP + again if it meets the eligibility criteria .The government can meet criteria if it wants to and the EU is working closely with Sri Lankan government to that end, said Julian Wilson, EU Charge de Affairs in Colombo.

Speaking at the EU's 51 birthday held on Thursday in Colombo he said that he is not going to bore with Sri Lanka further detail on GSP+ .  "I will only say that a lot of melodramatic rubbish has been written about the renewal of GSP+ in local press. The truth is simple if somewhat banal-the EU wants Sri Lanka to receive GSP+ again for the coming three years, he said.

Thirty two civilians were killed and another eight were disappeared in the Tamil homeland at the hands of the Sri Lanka military and paramilitaries operated by it.

Seven of the civilians were killed inside the LTTE administered area of Vanni due to aerial bombing, artillery fire, and claymore attacks by the Sri Lankan military. Among the victims is the chairperson of NESOHR (North East Secretariat on Human Rights), who was killed on 20 April by a claymore attack very near the church where he carried out his duties.  Some among the disappeared did so after they were arrested by the Sri Lankan military.  A large number of disappearances of Tamils also occurred in Colombo but the above statistics do not include them.

Brigadier Prasad Samarasinghe thanked

  Mr Dushmantha Wijekoon and Mr Amal Weerasinghe for constructing a web site for UK based Api Wenuwen Api(www.apiwenuwenapi.co.uk) ,

 Mr Dash Goonewardene, the Managing Director of Paradise Travels for sponsoring the printing collateral including raffle tickets

 Mr Rohan and Indika Jayasena of Prestige Creations for creating the logo free of charge for the movement

 Mr Sam Chandrasena , the owner of the renown business Sam's Chicken outlets all over London presented his £10,000 cheque (out of the £20,000 he has pledged at the ceremonial inauguration) for the fund to Brigadier Prasad Samarasinghe

Brigadier Prasad Samarasinghe, the Defence Attaché of the London High Commissioner launched the Sri Lanka Ministry of Defence (MoD) sponsored “Api Wenuwen Api” initiative on May 6th.

The official website (apiwenuwenapi.co.uk) says the “Api Wenuwen Api Fund” is collaboration of the Sri Lankan MoD and Central Bank to build 50,000 houses for serving Army, Navy and Air Force personnel. “The gift of housing is one of the best and most tangible ways to demonstrate our gratitude and appreciation,” the website urged expatriates. “This is the time for all Sri Lankans to support our brothers and sisters who are committed to bringing peace to our motherland – Sri Lanka.”

Bigadier Samarasinghe told the gathering at the official launch on Tuesday that 1620 houses of the project are already nearing completion at Ipologama Anuradhapura, according to a report filed by the website of the Sri Lankan Ministry of Defence.

He said the UK raised money will be exclusively spent for the second phase of the project which would include schools, shopping complexes, a gymnasium and health facilities to be built near Horowpatana. Sam Chandrasena, owner of the “Sam’s Chicken” outlets in London, pledged GBP 20,000 and donated half the sum at the event, the defence.lk also said. Mr. Chandrasena said “was extremely happy to be part of a movement to help the soldiers who are ready to lay their lives for the motherland,” the site quoted him as saying.

  http://defence.lk/new.asp?fname=20080508_16

Harrow Council has provided emergency overnight accommodation for 29 people following a gas blast in Stanley Road, South Harrow last night. The site is under the control of the police and is being treated as a crime scene.

There was one fatality. One house has been demolished, two are severely damaged and there is damage throughout the street. There is also some damage to properties in other nearby roads. People in nearby properties were initially evacuated to a Royal British Legion centre in Northmost Road and accommodation was provided at a number of nearby hotels. Harrow Council provided emergency catering. Harrow Council  will be providing emergency accommodation again tonight for a number of those evacuated. Council staff are liaising with hotels and have also provided emergency short term funding and transport for those affected. Harrow Council has a liaison officer on site and Andrew Treherne is acting as local authority Gold.

Harrow Council has set up an emergency Hellene number for residents: 0208 736 6000.

A social worker has been assigned to Access Harrow and will be handling the more sensitive enquiries.

http://www.harrow.gov.uk/site/scripts/news_article.php?newsID=144

At UN, Sri Lanka Serves Quiche for Rights Council Seat, France Missing, UNDP Worker and Gun

• 100 meters to the Colombo side from Eravur police station,
• Next to Valachchanai, Kiran Army camp,
• Near the new police station in Valachchani,
• In front of Markarni Army camp in Chenkaladi
• Close to Arasadi police checkpoint in Batticaloa town.
• There is another camp in the house of engineer Somanandan in Kovindan Road, Batticaloa and Pillaiyan resides 50 meters away from there.
• There are camps near the police checkpoint situated near Shivananda College,
• In front of the shopping complex adjacent to Ariyampathi Special Task Force camp,
• In front of Kokkadicholai Special Task Force camp,
• Near Thoppigala Army camp and at the Post Office junction in Trincomalee. 

UNP further said that an office of the Pillaiyan Group is located in MP Pathmanandan's house which is situated in front of Thambuluvil school in Munnaiadi junction of Thirukkovil town. This school is a polling center. Another office and an armed camp is located in the lane adjacent to Thambuluvil, Kalaimagal school, another polling center.  UNP says that there are armed cadres in Pillaiyan's political offices as well.

Opposition UNP Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe yesterday charged that by proroguing Parliament the Government had taken the first step towards ending democratic rule. Addressing a media conference at the Parliamentary Complex he said the Government had made it clear with this action that it was heading for a dictatorship.

He said all parties had initially agreed to convene Parliament this week. Accordingly, all party leaders agreed to take up the Emergency Debate on Tuesday and the University of Vocational Training Technology Bill yesterday. The Opposition Leader also said the Leader of the House Nimal Siripala De Silva who met him at the book launch of former MP Imitiyaz Bakeer Markar on Tuesday had told him that Parliament was to meet yesterday.  “In this backdrop we came prepared for yesterday’s debate,” he said.

UNP MP Lakshman Kiriella said the Government had, through the prorogation, prevented the disclosure of information on various frauds which had doubled recently. He said this had prevented the Public Accounts Committee Chairman Rauff Hakeem from presenting an interim report to the House.  He claimed that he did not know about the proroguing until he came to Parliament yesterday. Mr. Wickremesinghe said he was about to open the Chamber doors when an employee informed him that the House had been prorogued.

UNP General Secretary Tissa Attanayake charged that one of the objectives of the proroguing was to prevent the Opposition from questioning election malpractices in the East. He said the Government was distributing TMVP leaflets in the East, using helicopters. Mr. Attanayake said there were 14 TMVP camps in Batticaloa District where weapons are in use and child soldiers present.  He also held up a photograph which he said shows a TMVP cadre holding a weapon.  Several UNP Parliamentarians led by Mr. Wickremesinghe later proceeded to the Elections Department to participate in a protest calling the Polls Chief to disarm the TMVP.

Nine soldiers killed in Mannar

Sri Lanka's Tamil Tiger rebels Wednesday claimed they had killed nine soldiers and repulsed an army advance in areas controlled by the guerrillas to the north of the island. army faced stiff resistance when it launched twin attacks to break through guerrilla-held areas in Mannar on Tuesday.  

"An armoured personnel carrier was destroyed by an LTTE (Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam) mine, killing at least nine soldiers and wounding many," the website said, quoting rebel officials. There was no immediate comment from the defence ministry, but the military accused the rebels of setting off a roadside mine in Vavuniya on Tuesday, killing two civilians. Casualty figures cannot be independently verified, as the government prevents journalists and rights groups from travelling into rebel-held areas. Fighting has intensified since the government in January pulled out of a six-year truce with the Tamil Tigers. Tens of thousands have died since the rebels launched an armed struggle in 1972 to carve out an independent homeland for minority Tamils in the island's north and east.

Up to 62,000 people killed and one million left homeless

As the death toll from the Burmese cyclone rose yesterday, with up to 62,000 people now feared dead, witnesses spoke of the homelessness, hunger and disease now threatening the worst-affected areas.

Sri Lanka's president suspends Parliament for one month amid corruption allegations!

Sri Lanka's President Mahinda Rajapaksa has suspended parliament sessions for a month, an official has said. The move was criticised by the opposition as an attempt to disrupt ongoing investigations into corruption allegations. A decree announcing the suspension will be issued early on Wednesday, a government official said. He did not give a reason for the suspension.

Tissa Attanayake, the general secretary of Sri Lanka's main opposition United National Party, said Mr Rajapaksa's action was an attempt to disrupt a parliamentary probe into corruption allegations against his government because all committees appointed for the purpose will be dissolved with the decree. "There is no justification for this. We will protest against it," Mr Attanayake said. In 2001 then President Chandrika Kumaratunga suspended parliament amid opposition threats to bring a no-confidence motion against her government. However, her government lost its parliamentary majority a few months later and also lost the subsequent election.

MDMK takes Indian PM to task

Indian Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh was sent a stinging rejoinder from General Secretary, MDMK, Vaiko over their govern- ment’s move to provide Sri Lanka with a soft loan package of over US$100 million.Referring to a news item in the April 17 issue of the Indian Economic Times about an Indian soft loan for Sri Lanka to buy arms, which Vaiko wrote, has "been confirmed by reliable sources," the party leader said that: "It is so agonising that India is refusing transport of food and medicines to the suffering Tamils, but providing enormous financial assistance, more or less actual donation to the Government of Sri Lanka, to strengthen their military option."

Vaiko also attacked the Indian government for its opposition to an alleged EU backed resolution agai- nst Sri Lanka in the UN Security Council. "With grave concern, I do make the charge that India vehemently opposed the move initiated by European Countries to bring a resolution in the United Nations against the gross violation of human rights by the Government of Sri Lanka."

Militarization and checkpoints - Mannar far from heaven

• Restrictions of road access to Medawachchiya,
• Preventing non Mannar residents entering Mannar,
• People displaced from Wanni,
• People displaced from the Musali Division

At the invitation of the Reconciliation and Peace Desk, the Colombo Diocese of the Anglican Church, a team of religious leaders visited Mannar from 15th – 18th April 2008. The team included a senior Buddhist Monk, several Anglican priests, a Methodist priest, a Catholic Priest, a Catholic nun and two lay Christians. The visit was intended as a solidarity visit to the people and religious leaders in Mannar and to better understand the present situation in Mannar. Below are extracts from an eight page report they submitted after returning to Colombo. The excerpts deal mainly with the group’s observations on the ground. The inter religious solidarity group report was released on Monday.

Mannar town and all outlying areas are heavily militarised. All passengers entering and exiting Mannar through the A30 Vavuniya-Mannar road, or through the A14 road from Medawachchiya (by train or by road) are subjected to intense checking and registration. Security forces personnel were present on the road leading to Mannar and several times, the vehicle we were travelling stopped and pulled aside to let military convoys pass through. Between Medawachchiya and Mannar, our vehicle was stopped and registered six times. Our group was not subjected to intensive checking, but we noticed that at each checkpoint, passengers travelling by bus had to get down, carry their baggage and walk a distance that would range from few metres to half kilometre, as part of the "checking" procedure. There was also heavy presence of security forces in Mannar town and outlying areas we visited.