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Security concerns delay naming of terrorist organisation
The Island,
february 20.
On Monday the British Terrorism Act 2000 came into force.
All major newspapers and television stations in the United
Kingdom on Monday gave coverage to the Act coming into
effect and speculated that the LTTE(Sri Lanka),
GIA(Algeria), FARC(Colombia), Palestinian Islamic
Jihad(Israel), Al-Gamaat al-Isamiyya(Egypt), Hizbollah
(Lebanon), al Qaida(Afghanistan), Revelutionary
Organisation 17 November (Greece), PKK(Turkey),
Revolutionary Peoples Liberation Front (Turkey) among
others terrorist groups which will face expulsion from the
United Kingdom.
More...
Published: Mon Feb 19 20:46:48 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 5-26, 2001, and check
answers here.
We have exptended the Q&A period!
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Sinhala Jathika Sangamaya questions Ranil:
why dont you demand LTTE ban in Britain
CDN ,
february 20.
The Sinhala Jathika Sangamaya (SJS) led by S.L.Gunasekera has emphatically
questioned the leader of the United National Party and Leader of the Opposition
Ranil Wickremesinghe as to why he is not joining many political parties both in
the opposition and the government in their demand from Britain to ban the
Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).
More...
Published: Mon Feb 19 22:46:22 EST 2001
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India denies opposing inclusion of Britain, Japan in Lanka peace panel
Yahoo India,
February 20.
NEW DELHI, FEB 19: India today denied reports that it had opposed the inclusion of Britain and Japan in a
monitoring mechanism proposed by Norway to broker peace between the Sri Lankan government and the LTTE.
A spokesperson for the Ministry of External Affairs said ``there is no basis for these reports''. The Colombo-based Sunday Leader newspaper had reported yesterday that India had opposed the inclusion of
any major power in the panel as it did not want them involved in the Sri Lankan conflict and set a precedent for
``outside'' interference in south asia.
More...
Published: Mon Feb 19 19:52:36 EST 2001
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Lankan civil war increases England security fears
Yahoo India,
February 20,.
England’s cricket team, currently touring Sri Lanka, is finding itself caught up in the
country’s civil war because Britain is about to name London-based militant groups it will ban
under a new anti-terrorist legislation.A Sri Lankan rebel group, the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, is headquartered in London and
the Sri Lankan government has been lobbying for it to be banned. The pending decision has
increased security fears for the England team, ahead of the first Test on Thursday.
More...
Published: Mon Feb 19 16:35:45 EST 2001
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Analysts say there is a strong possibility that the LTTE will be banned in Britain.
Frederica Jansz in Colombo,
2.05 p.m. SLT Monday Februrary 19.
Political analysts were quoted on State radio today saying that there is a
strong possibility that the LTTE would be banned in the UK when the British
Anti Terrorism Act comes into effect today. British Home Affairs Minister,
Jack Straw is expected to announce the list of banned terrorist orginations
later today.
Britain is fully aware that the LTTE has already been banned in the United
States, India and Malayasia. Analysts figure that in this context the UK
could not ignore the requests made by the Sri Lankan Government and a wide
section of Lankan society calling for the LTTE to be proscribed.
Sri Lanka's Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar has avidly stressed the
need to ban the Tigers in the UK, even going so far as to state that
diplomatic relations beween Sri Lanka and the UK will be strained if the
LTTE are not included on a list of British identified terrorist
organizations.
The State maintains that Tamil politicians who have recently being lobbying
hard for the UK to not ban the LTTE, do not represent the majority view of
all Tamils in Sri Lanka. Political analysts assert that if the UK does
ostracize the LTTE it would change international opinion of the rebel force.
Political analyst, Dion Jayatilleke said, it is not enough for the UK to
merely pass an Anti Terrorism Act but that the country should implement the
relevant provisions by which the Act is drawn and that proscribing the LTTE
is an absolute necessity.
Some 70 Sri Lankans living in Virgina and Maryland on February 16, last
week held a peaceful demonstration outside the British High Commission on
Massachutes Avenue in Washington DC hoping to influence the decisions of
British policy makers when the UK ban on terrorist organizations comes into
effect today. Holding huge placards depicting the face of Tiger Chief,
Vellupillai Prabhakaran, the Sri Lankans ended the demonstration after
handing over a letter to high commission officials. The letter was
addressed to British Premier Tony Blair and appealed to him to proscribe
the LTTE as a terrorist organization.
Meanwhile Eric Solheim, Norway's Special peace Envoy will not arrive in Sri
Lanka this week as expected. Solheim's visit has been postponed as both
the government and the LTTE have reached a deadlock over internal and
external issues regarding the Memorandum of Understanding. Norway was
expected this week to indicate the dates on which the first round of
discussions would take place and finalize the location.
Published: Mon Feb 19 07:10:54 EST 2001
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Sri Lankan troops kill 10 rebels
The Hindu NUS,
18.00 hrs (IST) on February 19, 2001.
Colombo, Feb. 19. (UNI): Sri Lankan troops have shot dead 10 LTTE rebels in a fresh wave of fighting in the island's northern region, the Government's Special Media Information Centre (SMIC) said today. Eight members of the LTTE were killed in the Jaffna peninsula yesterday, while another two were shot dead in Weli Oya region, the SMIC said.
More...
Published: Mon Feb 19 13:47:57 EST 2001
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Sri Lanka keep options open
BBC South Asia,
Monday, 19 February, 2001, 10:35 GMT .
The official line-up will be named later today in Galle, but a squad leaked to the media features a number of options should spinner Muttiah Muralitharan be unable to play. Muralitharan, who has claimed 303 wickets in only 59 Tests, was expected to undergo a fitness test in Colombo on Monday.
More...
Published: Mon Feb 19 19:48:17 EST 2001
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Lanka tightens security for touring Englishmen
Times of India (Breaking News),
19 February 2001 .
England's cricket team,
currently touring Sri Lanka, is finding itself
caught up in the country's civil war
because Britain is about to name
London-based militant groups it will ban
under a new anti-terrorist legislation.A Sri Lankan rebel group, the Liberation
Tigers of Tamil Eelam, is headquartered in
London and the Sri Lankan government
has been lobbying for it to be banned. The
Tamil Tigers have been fighting 17 years for
a homeland for the country's 3.2 million
minority Tamils.
More...
Published: Mon Feb 19 13:33:01 EST 2001
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Sri Lanka orders probe into church attack
123India.com,
Feb 20 2001 09:30 IST.
COLOMBO, Feb 20 (AFP) - Sri Lanka President Chandrika Kumaratunga has ordered a probe into an attack against a Christian church in the island's north-central region, the state-run Daily News reported Tuesday. Police have been asked to investigate if an organised group was behind Sunday's attack against the church where some 35 devotees were assaulted and furniture smashed.
More...
Published: Mon Feb 19 23:40:59 EST 2001
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Vanniars in Cong. root for PMK
The Hindu (Southern States),
Tuesday, February 20, 2001.
CHENNAI, FEB. 19. Curious is the way caste influences the Congressmen in Tamil Nadu. While the Congress high command resents the pro-LTTE PMK, strangely, most Vanniars in the TNCC, are vociferously supporting an alliance with the Vanniar-based party. When the Congress emissaries, Mr. Pranab Mukherjee and Mr. Ghulam Nabi Azad met the TNCC functionaries today, several Vanniars are said to have stridently questioned Congress reservations over the PMK. Their arguments: `` Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated 10 years ago. Why should we still harp on it and oppose an alliance with the PMK because it is pro-LTTE.
More...
Published: Mon Feb 19 16:36:49 EST 2001
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India denies reports of opposing UK, Japan in monitoring body
Yahoo India,
February 19.
India Monday denied reports that it had opposed inclusion of Britain and
Japan in a monitoring mechanism proposed by Norway to broker peace between the Sri Lankan
government and the LTTE. ''There is no no basis for the reports'', an External Affairs ministry spokesman told reporters in
response to questions.
More...
Published: Mon Feb 19 13:42:21 EST 2001
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Pak. denies reports on arms deal with Lanka
The Hindu NUS,
16.00 hrs (IST) on February 19, 2001.
Islamabad, Feb. 19. (UNI): Sri Lankan High Commissioner in Pakistan has denied reports that Pakistan and Sri Lanka had reached an agreement on a $ 20 million arms deal during the three-day visit of the Sri Lankan Foreign Minister, Kadirgamar to Pakistan. The High Commissioner said there was no such discussion at any of the meetings held by the Sri Lankan Foreign Minister nor was there any discussion with authorities in Sri Lanka when the Chief of Army Staff of Pakistan visited that country, he added.
More...
Published: Mon Feb 19 13:19:39 EST 2001
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Suspected LTTE cadre dies consuming cyanide
The Hindu NUS,
18.00 hrs (IST) on February 18, 2001.
Colombo, Feb. 18. (PTI): A suspected woman member of the LTTE's suicide squad died after swallowing a cyanide capsule on being arrested by Sri Lankan troops in the northern Vavuniya town yesterday, official reports said today. Immediate medical treatment could not save the life of the girl, who was carrying an identity card with the name Weerasingham Jeyanthi, the report said.
More...
Published: Sun Feb 18 12:10:34 EST 2001
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February 17, 2001
Court ruling could make Canada 'haven' for terrorists, assassins
National Post,
february 16.
Canada will become a "haven" for terrorists and assassins if the Supreme Court of Canada strikes down the
law that allows the federal government to deport dangerous refugees, lawyers representing the
Attorney-General and the Minister of Immigration have claimed in arguments filed before the nation's
highest court.The case involves Manickavasagan Suresh and Monsour Ahani, who fear they will be tortured if they are
returned to their homelands, Sri Lanka and Iran.Mr. Suresh, a high-ranking leader of the Tamil Tigers terrorist group, and Mr. Ahani, an alleged assassin
trained by the Iranian intelligence service, are facing deportation, but are appealing to the Supreme Court on
grounds they face persecution if sent back.
More...
Published: Sun Feb 18 20:27:12 EST 2001
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UK to let LTTE off the hook for now
The Hindustan Times,
Colombo February 18.
THE NEW British anti-terrorism law will be coming into force on Monday but there will be no simultaneous announcement of any list of banned foreign terrorist organisations, London correspondents of Sri Lankan Sunday papers say, quoting British officials. In effect, this means that several foreign terrorist organisations, including the LTTE, are being let off the hook, atleast for the time being.
More...
Published: Sun Feb 18 20:44:35 EST 2001
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Oslo peace bid in Sri Lanka hits new snags over foreign truce team
123India.com,
Feb 18 2001 10:07 IST.
Norway's peace attempts in Sri Lanka have run into fresh trouble over the composition of an international panel to monitor a truce between government troops and Tiger rebels, a press report said Sunday. Oslo assembled the ceasefire monitoring team drawn from nine countries, including Britain and Japan, but the Tigers as well as neighbouring India had objected to some of them, the privately-run Sunday Leader said.
More...
Published: Sun Feb 18 00:20:14 EST 2001
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Lanka battles worsening, set to unveil war budget
Times of India,
19 February 2001 .
Sri Lanka is set to unveil
another war budget amid dwindling foreign
reserves and sharply rising interest rates,
but the Central Bank is banking on better
times as Norway tries to broker peace. President Chandrika Kumaratunga had
already warned public servants not to
expect salary increases in the budget
proposals to be announced on March 8, but
promised better economic prospects in a
couple of months.
More...
Published: Sun Feb 18 20:51:04 EST 2001
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Lanka calls for rights complaints against Army, police
Times of India,
19 February 2001 .
The Sri Lankan government,
concerned about human rights allegations
against the armed forces and police in the
northern Jaffna peninsula, is asking the
public to report disappearances and other
rights abuses.The Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation
(SLBC) was using its Jaffna-based Tamil
service to broadcast appeals to the public to
come forward with complaints, The Sunday
Times newspaper said.
More...
Published: Sun Feb 18 20:49:59 EST 2001
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February 16, 2001
No deportation for those facing execution: expert
National Post,
February 16.
A Supreme Court ruling protecting two Canadians from extradition to face the death penalty in the United
States could have profound implications for the way the federal government deals with deportees and refugee
claimants, legal observers predict."If it 'shocks the conscience' to extradite someone to the death penalty it would equally 'shock the
conscience' to deport somebody to the death penalty," said David Matas, a Winnipeg human rights lawyer,
echoing yesterday's toughly worded judgment from the country's top court. "It's something we're going to have
to take into account from now on."
More...
Published: Sun Feb 18 20:29:24 EST 2001
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European parliamentary delegation arrives in Sri Lanka
Times of India (Breaking News),
18 February 2001 .
A European parliamentary
delegation arrived in the capital Sunday for
a weeklong visit that will include a tour of
the embattled northern Jaffna Peninsula,
an official said Sunday."The delegation will participate in
inter-parliamentary meetings in Colombo
and hold discussions with government
officials, political parties and voluntary
organizations," said Menique Mendis,
spokeswoman for the delegation of the
European Commission in Sri Lanka.
More...
Published: Sun Feb 18 13:10:35 EST 2001
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Return of 'missing' soldiers kindles hope
The Hindu (International),
Monday, February 19, 2001.
COLOMBO, FEB. 18. The remarkable story of two Sri Lankan soldiers, who returned last week after being given up for dead following last year's battles at Elephant Pass, has rekindled hope among the family members of those servicemen who remain ``missing in action'' that there could be more survivors. The soldiers, Devalage Weerasinghe and Mahinda Kumara, walked 11 km. over nine months and 11 days, ducking LTTE cadres and wild animals.
More...
Published: Sun Feb 18 14:13:29 EST 2001
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Lanka, to discuss with India safety of fishermen
Times of India,
19 February 2001 .
Sri Lanka will discuss with
India a "safe sea corridor" for its fishermen
seeking access to international waters in
the Arabian Sea to avoid legal problems
while they are on Indian territorial waters,
officials said. Sri Lanka's deputy foreign minister
Harendra Corea will visit India in May to
discuss the issue of fishermen from its
southern coastal areas often getting
arrested for trespassing into India's
exclusive economic zone, a spokesman for
the foreign ministry said.
More...
Published: Sun Feb 18 20:46:06 EST 2001
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Sri Lanka and Pakistan talks
BBC South Asia,
Sunday, 18 February, 2001, 01:15 GMT .
Sri Lanka and Pakistan have discussed ways to improve trade and economic cooperation. At a meeting in Islamabad, the Sri Lankan foreign minister Lakshman Kadirgamar and his Pakistani counterpart Abdul Sattar also talked about reviving the stalled South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation process, or SAARC.
More...
Published: Sun Feb 18 12:09:09 EST 2001
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Ship 'arrested' after accident in Sri Lanka port
123India.com,
Feb 18 2001 10:17 IST.
An Italian-registered container ship, the M. V. L. T. Greet, was "arrested" after crashing into a berth at Sri Lanka's main port, damaging a gantry crane, port officials said Sunday. Port spokesman Daya Wijesekera said the loss to the Colombo harbor was estimated at 10 million dollars.
More...
Published: Sun Feb 18 00:19:12 EST 2001
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