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LTTE ready for talks if UK puts off ban
Times of India,
12 February 2001 .
Sri Lanka's Tamil Tiger rebels
have agreed to hold peace talks in a European
country but warned they would pull out if
Britain banned them under new
anti-terrorism laws.Newspaper reports said Sunday that both the
government and Tamil separatists accepted a
suggestion from peace-broker Norway that
negotiations are held in Europe, with the
venue likely to be Norway, Britain or France.
More...
Published: Sun Feb 11 16:55:13 EST 2001
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ASK THE GOVERNOR!
Q&A WITH THE GOVENOR OF THE CENTRAL BANK OF SRI LANKA
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The Central Bank of Sri Lanka is a semi-autonomous body at the
apex of the financial sector in Sri Lanka today. The objectives of
the Central Bank include the stabilization of domestic monetary values
and the preservation of the external stability of the Sri Lankan
Rupee. It is the advisor to the Government of Sri Lanka on economic
affairs and it is responsible for the implementation of Exchange
Control Regulations. On January 23rd, 2001, the Central Bank
permitted flee float rates for the Sri Lanka Rupee, leading to a
massive 6.62% overnight depreciation of its value. The UNP is seeking
the mediation of the Court of Appeal to quash this controversial
decision. With this backdrop, we invited the Governor of the Central
Bank, Mr. A. S. Jayawardene to be the guest at our current Question
and Answer session. Submit your questions for Mr. Jayawardene between
February 5-19, 2001, and check
answers here.
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Ban on LTTE will not affect peace talks: Kumaratunga
Times of India (Breaking News),
11 February 2001 .
Banning the LTTE by Britain
will not affect the ongoing peace talks between
the government and the Tamil rebel outfit, Sri
Lankan President Chandrika Kumaratunga
said on Sunday. Citing the example of Britain itself engaging
the Irish Republican Army in peace
negotiations after outlawing it, Kumaratunga
refuted LTTE's propaganda that proscribing
the outfit in Britain would affect the
Oslo-backed peace process, state-owned Sri
Lanka Broadcasting Corporation radio said
quoting the president.
More...
Published: Sun Feb 11 16:56:51 EST 2001
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Sri Lankan Airbus makes emergency landing after tyre burst
123India.com,
Feb 11 2001 14:30 IST.
COLOMBO, Feb 11 (AFP) - A Sri Lankan airlines Airbus A-340 aircraft made an emergency landing after one of its nose wheels burst on take off from the country's only international airport Sunday, officials said. The control tower advised the aircraft to return to base while emergency services were placed on maximum alert, airport officials said adding that the cause of the tyre burst was under investigation.
More...
Published: Sun Feb 11 05:32:42 EST 2001
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Balasingham's home in London attacked
Sunday Leader,
11 February 2001.
A detailed investigation has been launched by the British Police into an incident of violence suspected to be an attempt on the life of LTTE Political Adviser and Theoretician Anton Stanislaus Balasingham, now domiciled in London.According to reports from London, a group of unidentified persons had invaded the premises of the Balasingham residence in the Greater London area and attempted to forcibly enter the house by trying to break down the front door on the night of Saturday February 3, at about 2.00 am.
More...
Published: Sun Feb 11 05:58:41 EST 2001
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Pakistan extends $20m loan to Sri Lanka
CNN,
February 11.
Pakistan has extended a 20
million dollar credit line to Sri
Lanka to obtain military
procurements urgently required
for the government's battle
against Tamil Tiger rebels. The latest offer of assistance was conveyed to the government by a
high ranking army delegation Pakistan's military ruler, General
Pervez Musharaff, sent to Colombo last month. Pakistan has been vying with its arch rival, India, to support Sri
Lanka's military campaign against Tamil Tiger rebels.
More...
Published: Sun Feb 11 13:47:17 EST 2001
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CBK gives top job to harassed cop
Island,
Sunday, 11 February.
In a strange twist of events, a senior policeman who was unceremoniously kicked out of a province in December last year for political reasons has been placed in charge of an ambitious country-wide anti-crime drive.Sirisena Herath, the then DIG of the Central Range was transferred to police headquarters as a result of differences with some of PA's bigwigs during the violent parliamentary election campaign in the Central Range particularly the Kandy district. Herath's vacancy was filled by DIG Mahinda Balasuriya who accused his predecessor of failing to provide adequate security to the Dalada Maligawa.Herath has been appointed DIG, Crimes with powers to co-ordinate and monitor the anti-crime drive, police said yesterday adding that president Chandrika Kumaratunga has approved the appointment.
More...
Published: Sun Feb 11 09:48:26 EST 2001
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Dy. Health Minister granted bail
Island,
12 february 2001.
The Kandy High Court Judge Mr. Sisira de Abrew recorded a bail order of Rs. 10,000 with two sureties on the Deputy Health Minister Janaka Bandara Tennakoon who was on remand in connection with the death of Chaminda Dias on the last Parliamentary Election day-October 10, 2000 near the
Kiralagolla polling station, in Dambulla. Senior Counsel for the suspect Mohan Peiris and Shanaka Ranasinghe moving for bail for the suspect last Friday (09) told the High Court Judge that the suspect was receiving further treatment in a hospital after an urgent surgery. The surgery was done in the States and presently he was under intensive care,
the counsel told the Judge.
More...
Published: Sun Feb 11 21:16:13 EST 2001
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ICC to probe new fixing allegations
Age,
12 February 2001.
The International Cricket Council will investigate allegations that four West Indian batsmen took money to throw their wickets away in a one-day match in Australia.
The allegations are revealed in a 13-page document submitted to the ICC and reported by London's Observer newspaper. It is also alleged that:an Australian woman doctor became a top West Indian bowler's mistress and paid players large fees for information that earned her a fortune; that the director of an Australian building society doubled as a bookmaker, recruiting cricketers.
More...
Published: Sun Feb 11 18:40:57 EST 2001
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Norway peace bid hits new snags as Tigers fear British ban
123India.com,
Feb 11 2001 11:17 IST.
Norway's attempt to broker peace in Sri Lanka has hit a new snag with Tamil Tiger rebels threatening to pull out if they are outlawed by Britain this month, reports here said Sunday. The separatist Tamil Tiger guerrillas who maintain their "international secretariat" in London have told Norway they fear proscription under Britain's new anti-terrorism laws, the Sunday Times newspaper said.
More...
Published: Sun Feb 11 02:00:35 EST 2001
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Ban on LTTE will not affect peace talks: Lankan President
The Hindu NUS,
18.00 hrs (IST) on February 11, 2001.
Colombo, Feb. 11. (PTI): Banning the LTTE by Britain would not affect the ongoing peace talks between the Government and the Tamil rebel outfit, Sri Lankan President Chandrika Kumaratunga said today. Citing the example of Britain itself engaging the Irish Republican Army in peace negotiations after outlawing it, Kumaratunga refuted LTTE's propaganda that proscribing the outfit in Britain would affect the Oslo-backed peace process, State- owned Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation radio said quoting the President.
More...
Published: Sun Feb 11 09:32:29 EST 2001
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Solheim back for further talks
CDN,
11 February 2001.
Norwegian peace envoy Erik Solheim is very likely to find his mission at the crossroads when he arrives in Colombo this week. This situation has arisen in the wake of LTTE theoretician Anton Balasingham insisting that the government should reciprocate the LTTE's ceasefire before any talks could begin when he met Mr. Solheim in London last week.
More...
Published: Sun Feb 11 05:43:23 EST 2001
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Buddhism's holiest Temple scouts talent to replace sacred jumbo
123India.com,
Feb 11 2001 09:40 IST.
KANDY, Sri Lanka, Feb 11 (AFP) - Sri Lanka's holiest Buddhist shrine is still searching for an elephant to replace a sacred one that died 12 years ago, and for the right jumbo the job will come with a life of privilege and leisure. At the Temple of the Tooth in this picturesque hill town, the top elephant leads a pageant every August with Buddha relics on its back. The chosen animal can expect to lead the life of a true VIP, and command much respect into the bargain.
More...
Published: Sun Feb 11 00:36:34 EST 2001
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Troubles loom for Kumaratunga as war eases
Times of India,
11 February 2001 .
Opposition parties in Sri
Lanka are flaying President Chandrika
Kumaratunga on domestic issues even as
she gets a brief respite from the protracted
ethnic war and efforts to end it proceed
slowly.A virtual halt to military action in the north
and east in recent weeks and drawn-out
Norwegian attempts to broker peace talks
between Colombo and Tamil Tiger rebels
have seen the separatist war take a back
seat momentarily.
More...
Published: Sat Feb 10 17:52:07 EST 2001
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Maj. Gen. Janaka Perera tipped for high post
cdn,
11 February 2001.
Major General Janaka Perera, who retired from the Army from January 31, is tipped to be posted as Sri Lanka's High Commissioner in Australia. Major General Janaka Perera has been summoned before the Parliamentry Committee which selects Sri Lankans for high posts.
More...
Published: Sun Feb 11 05:49:05 EST 2001
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Fresh Sri Lanka fighting kills at least 18
123India.com,
Feb 10 2001 13:51 IST.
Government forces shot dead at least 17 Tamil Tiger guerrillas in fresh fighting in northern Sri Lanka where a civilian was also shot dead overnight, the defence ministry said Saturday. Security forces shot dead 10 members of the separatist Liberation Tigers of Tamil eelam (LTTE) during a confrontation near Muhamalai in the Jaffna peninsula on Friday, the ministry said.
More...
Published: Sat Feb 10 12:42:18 EST 2001
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Fire in Kelaniya University; Government Accused
Saroj Pathirana in London,
Saturday 10 February 1800 GMT.
Students of The Kelaniya University today accused Sri Lankan authorities
for the fire which destroyed the General Students’ Union (GSU) Complex.
The fire broke out in the early hours of the morning at about 01.20. Computers, documents and the other essential equipment were destroyed as a
result. President of the Kelaniya University’s General Students’ Union
Nakiyadeniye Uditha thero told BBC’s Sandeshaya that while security guards
were away, a group of outside thugs had entered the premises, started the fire and
fled away. He said it was an organised attack by the authorities. He accused
Environment Minister Mahinda Wijesekara of attacking students and
destroying property of the University of Ruhuna.
Minister Mahinda Wijesekara, for his part, refuted the allegations and
accused the JVP of attacking the students who do not support the GSU. He said he
has nothing to do with students while admitting he was given the task of
organising students’ front for the SLFP by the party secretary, Minister S.B.
Dissanayake. Minister Wijesekara stressed it was merely a fight between two
rival students’ groups.
JVP, however refutes the government’s argument and said this was not a fight
but an attack. Gampaha district JVP MP Vijitha Herath told Sandeshaya that
the recent wave of attacks of university students shows the authorities
frustration over the protests against the privatisation of national
universities organised by the JVP and its student activists.
Published: Sat Feb 10 12:57:01 EST 2001
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Fate of Rajiv assassins hangs in the balance
NewIndPress,
February 10.
Though it is nearly 10 years since former
Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi was killed at
Sriperumpudur in Tamil Nadu on May 21, 1991, the fate
of four prisoners _ Nalini, her husband Murugan,
Perarivalan and Chinna Santhan _ who were awarded
death sentence in the case has been hanging in the
balance awaiting President K R Narayanan's decision on
clemency petition.Interestingly, the main accused in the case who are also
proclaimed offenders _ LTTE chief V Prabhakaran, its
intelligence wing chief Pottu Amman _ are yet to be
brought to book and the case against them had already
been split by the designated court under TADA following
a plea from the Special Investigation Team of the CBI.
More...
Published: Sat Feb 10 13:58:59 EST 2001
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Does anyone care to find out John's identity?
Yahoo India,
11 February 2001.
Mark Waugh's testimony before the investigators of the International Cricket Council Anti-Corruption Unit in Melboure on Saturday has confirmed that Mukesh 'MK' Gupta and 'John' are two different Indian bookmakers and raises questions about the authorities seeming lack of interest in finding out 'John's' identity.In Sri Lanka in 1994, an Indian who introduced himself as 'John' told Mark Waugh that he was a bookmaker who wanted information about games during the Singer Cup series and the Australian summer.
More...
Published: Sun Feb 11 05:38:58 EST 2001
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Karunanidhi joins issue with Cho
ChennaiOnline,
february 10.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and DMK president
M Karunanidhi today refuted the remark of noted columnist and
playwright Cho S Ramaswamy that he (Karunanidhi) continued to
extend support to the LTTE even after the assassination of Rajiv
Gandhi in May 1991.Karunanidhi recalled that AIADMK general secretary J
Jayalalitha chose to support the LTTE in the years 1990 and 1991,
arguing in favour of an independent Tamil Eelam if the situation
so warranted.
More...
Published: Sat Feb 10 14:15:21 EST 2001
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Tens of thousands protest against price hikes in Sri Lanka
MSNBC,
10 February 2001.
Tens of thousands of demonstrators led by the main opposition party arrived in the capital Friday, ending a five-day march to protest against spiraling food and utility prices.In one of the largest political protests since Kumaratunga assumed power in 1994, the demonstrators marched into Colombo with banners and placards reading, ''Prices are soaring'' and ''We cannot bear the cost of living.''
More...
Published: Sat Feb 10 01:48:18 EST 2001
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Lanka to free 4 fishermen on Feb 12
Yahoo India,
10 February 2001.
Chennai, Feb 9: Four fishermen from Tamil Nadu, detained in Sri Lanka since January 20, are to be released by the Sri Lankan authorities on February 12.
More...
Published: Sat Feb 10 01:49:49 EST 2001
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Cricket-New Zealand break series duck v Sri Lanka
Yahoo India,
11 February 2001.
New Zealand won the fifth and final one- day international against Sri Lanka in Christchurch by 13 runs on Sunday and ended Sri Lanka's chances of making a clean sweep. The final tally was 4-1 and it was a fitting finale to a low-scoring series, with New Zealand scoring 282 and Sri Lanka falling short on 269.
More...
Published: Sun Feb 11 05:35:12 EST 2001
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