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Afghans smash ancient statues, defy world appeals
Yahoo India,
March 1.
The radical Taliban movement began smashing all statues from
Afghanistan's rich cultural past on Thursday, turning its back on urgent international
appeals to save the ancient artefacts. n Kabul, Mullah Qudratullah Jamal, the ruling Taliban's information and culture minister,
said centres where the campaign had been unleashed included Bamiyan Province - site of
two soaring statues of the Buddha hewn from a solid cliff that are the most famous relics of
Afghanistan's history. "All statues will be destroyed," he told reporters. "Whatever means of destruction are needed to demolish the
statues will be used.
More...
Published: Thu Mar 1 11:38:24 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.
Your questions to date are here.
We have closed this
session now and
have sent all the questions to the governor and awaiting his response.
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Sinhala hardliners favour war
The Hindu (International),
Friday, March 02, 2001.
COLOMBO, MARCH. 1. Hardline Sinhala opinion today called on the Sri Lankan state to seize the opportunity provided by the British ban on the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, to break off the peace process, but moderates said the onus was now on the Government to demonstrate its seriousness in finding a political solution to the conflict. `
More...
Published: Thu Mar 1 21:04:30 EST 2001
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Bamian could have saved if we listed- World Heritage chief
Saroj Pathirana in London,
Thursday 01 March 1800 GMT.
Bamian Buddhist statues are not included in the UNESCO’s list of World
Heritage Monuments and Sites, chief of UN’s Natural Heritage Centre, Dr.
Natarajah Ishwaran said today. Talking with BBC’s Sandeshaya, Dr. Ishwaran
said that although former Afghanistan government accepted to inscribe
them in the World Heritage list in 1970’s, practical problems arose as there
has been a long running war.
According to UN convention Dr. Ishwaran said that it was the duty of
individual countries to name any site as a World Heritage site. He accepted
that relying on Nation States to nominate World Heritage is a matter which
is controversial.
He said, however, this sort of a problem did not arise in the past and the
UNESCO will have to look into the matter in the future.
Published: Thu Mar 1 12:54:19 EST 2001
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Rent-a-suicide-bomber threat triggered British ban on Tigers: minister
123India.com,
Mar 01 2001 12:36 IST.
COLOMBO, March 1 (AFP) - Britain banned Sri Lanka's Tamil Tigers because of a possible rent-a-suicide-bomber threat against world leaders, Media Minister Anura Priyadharshana Yapa said here Thursday. Sri Lanka's separatist Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) could have offered the services of their elite band of suicide bombers for other terrorist organisations to carry out attacks, Yapa said.
More...
Published: Thu Mar 1 03:58:01 EST 2001
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Lanka hails banning of LTTE, Kadirgamar to visit London
Yahoo India,
March 1.
In a euphoric response to the proscription of the LTTE in Britain, Sri Lanka Thursday
said its Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar would travel to London this weekend to personally thank the
British government, while the main opposition party asked the government to redouble its peace efforts in
aftermath of the ban. It is no surprise to us. We always knew they will ban the LTTE," a government spokesman said, even as the
Sri Lankan air force sent its Israeli jets to pound an LTTE base at Iyakachchi, close to Elephant Pass in the
northern Jaffna peninsula.
More...
Published: Thu Mar 1 14:38:25 EST 2001
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Cricket: England Should Stop Mourning and Play Good Cricket- Graham Thorpe
Saroj Pathirana in London,
Thursday 01 March 1800 GMT.
Veteran English batsman Graham Thorpe urged his team to concentrate on the
next test in Kandy and stop whingeing over umpiring of the first test in
Galle. "The umpiring was not the reason we lost the last test. The reason
we lost in Galle was because, apart from two batsmen, we simply did not play
to the standard required" Thorpe was quoted in London’s freely distributed
Metro.
England lost the opening test in Galle by an innings and 28 runs. London’s
papers were full of criticism over poor umpiring as well as over-zealous
appealing and running over the wicket by the Sri Lankan cricketers. ICC
match referee decided to fine four SL cricketers.
Commentators in Colombo believe that those happened are human errors and
some decisions went against Sri Lanka, too.
Published: Thu Mar 1 12:54:18 EST 2001
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ATD keeping close watch on LTTE activities in Los Angeles
Bandula Jayasekara in Los Angeles,
LA Time 8.25 p.m. Thursday 1 March.
By Bandula Jayasekara in Los Angeles: Anti Terrorism Division (ATD) and the
Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) is keeping a close watch on the LTTE
and other terrorist organizations in the area, a senior official told the
Lanka Academic yesterday. The official said that The Anti Terrorism Division
is responsible for intelligence gathering functions related to terrorism in
the United States. The division also investigates individuals and
organizations that posses the potentials to commit terrorist acts or cause a
significant disruption of the public order.
The official said , that that the officials of the unit had been present at
the Monrovia high school in Los Angeles last year, when the LTTE screened
one of their movies. The sources also revealed that Liberation Tigers of
Tamil Eelam is more active in the Lancaster where few of their members
have made attempts to establish close contacts with the politicians in the
area.
Published: Thu Mar 1 11:26:57 EST 2001
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TULF deplores ban on Tigers, hardline Sinhalese rejoice
India Abroad,
march 1.
SRI LANKA'S moderate Tamil party Wednesday deplored the British ban on the
separatist Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) while a hardline nationalist
Sinhalese party said it was "thrilled to bits" by London's action.
"It is very unfortunate that this law has become
applicable when the prospect of a serious peace
process is commencing," said R. Sampanthan,
general secretary of the Tamil United Liberation
Front (TULF).
More...
Published: Thu Mar 1 09:05:31 EST 2001
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Sri Lanka Bombs Tamil Tigers; Foreign Min To Visit UK
Yahoo India,
march 1.
The Sri Lankan air force claimed a victory after bombing Tamil rebel bases near a
strategic causeway Thursday, hours after Britain classified the separatist group fighting for a Tamil homeland
as terrorists."Pilots have confirmed destruction of all buildings. It is believed that the terrorists have suffered heavy losses
in terms of manpower and equipment in this raid," a defense ministry statement said. The base was a key rebel
supply point.State-run radio said Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar would visit Britain over the weekend to follow
up the British decision. The ban still requires Parliament's approval.
More...
Published: Thu Mar 1 09:09:32 EST 2001
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Singapore-born Indians make vegetarian fare trendy in Lanka
India Abroad,
March 01, 2001 18:30 Hrs (IST) .
A SRI Lankan with a craving in his stomach
but a hole in his purse usually heads for the
nearest "thosai kaday," eateries dishing out
low-priced traditional Indian food like
"dosa," "idli" and "paratha." But vegetarian fare just moved up a notch among
non-vegetarian loving Sri Lankans with Komalas, a
Singapore-based fast food chain, opening a
restaurant here. The bright lights, air-conditioning
and McDonald's-style of service might pad up the
bill a tad, but the Singapore-born Indian owners, R.T. Sekar and R.C. Sekar, are
counting on ambience to bring the crowds in.
More...
Published: Thu Mar 1 13:58:18 EST 2001
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Only 10,000 Americans visited Lanka in 1999
Bandula Jayasekara in Los Angeles,
LA Time 8.00 a.m. March 1.
Tissa Wijeratne, Consul General for
Sri Lanka in Los Angeles told ?The Lanka Academic? today that he requested
the tourism authorities in Sri Lanka to begin a campaign to create a greater
awareness among American nationals and encourage more Americans to visit
Sri Lanka in the future. The Consul General said that in 1999 only 10,000
Americans visited Sri Lanka when compared to 400,000 to Thailand, 280,000 to
India, 300,000 to Singapore, 40,000 to Maldives and 30,000 to Nepal.
Wijeratne said ? Most Americans don?t know where Sri Lanka is located and we
have to tell them that there is a country by the name of Sri Lanka?
The new Consul General office, which opened in Los Angeles one and a half
years ago, was established primarily to promote trade and tourism between
the two countries. The state of California is the richest state in the
United States of America.
Published: Thu Mar 1 10:59:21 EST 2001
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Draft orders of organizations to be proscribed under the new terrosism act 2000 published today
UK Home Office,
february 28.
A total of 21 international organisations, recommended for proscription
under the new Terrorism Act 2000, are listed in a draft Order laid before
Parliament today by the Home Secretary Jack Straw. The draft Order will be subject to debates in and approval by both Houses of
Parliament.Specific offences relating to membership, support for and funding of a
proscribed organisation are included in the Act.
History: The LTTE has been fighting since 1983. More than 60,000 people
on all sides have been killed in the conflict.
Attacks: The LTTE has mounted both a military assault and a terrorist
campaign, the latter mainly in Colombo. Attacks are mostly targeted against
Sri Lankan military and leading politicians using suicide bombers. Attempts
to assassinate the Sri Lankan President in late 1999 and early 2000 were
attributed to the LTTE by the media and the Sri Lankan authorities.
Attacks on UK or Western interests: The LTTE has never targeted
Western interests directly, though Westerners have been injured as a result
of LTTE attacks in Sri Lanka. The LTTE's only attack outside Sri Lanka
was the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi in 1991 in response to India's military
support for Sri Lanka.
Representation/activities in the UK: The LTTE's International
Secretariat is based in the UK, and is responsible for the group's press
releases. The UK is also a source of funds for the LTTE.
More...
Published: Wed Feb 28 12:36:38 EST 2001
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Lanka bombs rebel bases after Britain brands Tigers
Times of India (Breaking News),
march 1.
The air force bombed Tamil
rebel bases on Thursday, hours after Britain
classified the separatist group fighting for a
Tamil homeland as terrorists.Several MiG-27 and Israeli-built Kfir jets
bombed rebel positions on the Jaffna
Peninsula, a stronghold of the Liberation
Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in the north.
More...
Published: Thu Mar 1 09:07:42 EST 2001
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Tamil Tigers on banned list
BBC South Asia,
Wednesday, 28 February, 2001, 22:50 GMT .
The Tamil Tigers are among foreign organisations that the British Government intends to ban under new anti-terrorist legislation.British Home Secretary Jack Straw announced the list of organisations on Wednesday, saying he was satisfied that they were involved in terrorism. The Tigers said the decision to include them on the list would impose severe restraints on the Norwegian-backed Sri Lankan peace process. But the Sri Lankan Government welcomed the ban as a move that would promote peace efforts, and said it hoped Britain would take it to its "logical conclusion".The Tigers' chief negotiator Anton Balasingham, who is himself based in London, is likely to be affected by the ban. A press release by the Tamil Tigers quoted him as saying:It is a sad day for Anglo-Tamil relations.
More...
Published: Wed Feb 28 19:42:21 EST 2001
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LTTE Banned in London
Saroj Pathirana in London,
Wednesday 28 February 1600 GMT.
Sri Lanka's Liberation Tigers of Tamil Ealam (LTTE) have been included in a
list 21 "international terrorist organisations" recommended for banning in
Britain by the Ministry of Home Affairs (Home Office), AFP reports.The recomendation should be ratified by the Westminster parliament, before
come into effect.
Published: Wed Feb 28 11:13:53 EST 2001
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UK ban imposes restraints on peace process - LTTE
TamilNet,
February 28.
The British decision to include the LTTE on the list of proscribed terrorist
organisations will impose severe restraints on the current peace initiatives undertaken
by the Norwegian Government to resolve the civil war in Sri Lanka. So declared Mr.
Anton Balasingham, chief negotiator and political advisor of the Liberation Tigers of
Tamil Eelam (LTTE) commenting on the inclusion of his political movement on the
list of proscribed organisations announced by the Home Secretary Jack Straw in the
British Parliament this afternoon.
More...
Published: Wed Feb 28 11:46:26 EST 2001
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CAFOD Calls LTTE to Stay in Peace Process
Saroj Pathirana in London,
Wednesday 28 February 1815 GMT.
The Catholic aid agency CAFOD today urged the Tamil Tigers (LTTE) to remain
fully engaged in Sri Lanka's peace process after they were today banned by
the British government.
The ban means that LTTE will not be able to raise funds and outlaws
membership in Britain.
"My recent visit to the north indicate a yearning by the people for a just
and lasting peace to enable them to get on with re-building their shattered
lives. CAFOD strongly believes that the current peace process facilitated by
Norway and supported by the United Kingdom and India offers the best
opportunity for securing a just and lasting peace."said CAFOD's Sri Lanka
Programme Officer Steve Alston.
Published: Wed Feb 28 13:23:25 EST 2001
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Prof. G. L. Peiris and Dr. Sarath Amungama possible negotiators
Frederica Jansz in Colombo,
4 p.m. SLT Wednesday February 28.
President Chandrika Kumaratunge has chosen two ministers, Prof. G. L.
Peiris and Dr. Sarath Amunugama to be part of a government delegation that
will hold the first round of talks with the LTTE.
Reliable sources said that negotiations between the Government and the LTTE
are definitely on the cards and that while the LTTE have not yet divulged
the names of possible negotiators the president has already identified
five, including Peiris and Amunugama to play a role.
Published: Wed Feb 28 09:27:52 EST 2001
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S. Lanka, England Test venue declared `high-security zone'
Yahoo India,
01 March 2001.
Colombo, Feb 28 (ANI): The Asgiriya Stadium in Kandy, venue for the second cricket Test between hosts Sri Lanka and England, has
been declared a `high-security zone' to prevent demonstrations by nationalists demanding a British ban on the Liberation Tigers of Tamil
Eelam (LTTE).
According to local cricket officials, around 450 policemen would seal off a 300-metre area around the stadium for the Test, beginning
March 7.
"We want to prevent incidents like what happened in Galle," Janaka Pathirana, secretary of the Central Province Cricket Association, said.
More...
Published: Wed Feb 28 19:19:22 EST 2001
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Muslim party to urge Taliban against
destroying statues
IndiaAbroad,
february 28.
SRI Lanka's main Muslim party is to launch an international campaign to urge
Afghanistan's Taliban regime not to destroy the centuries-old statues of the
Buddha in that country. Trade Minister Rauf Hakeem, who is also the co-leader of the Sri Lanka Muslim
Congress (SLMC), said his party would join the government in appealing to the
Taliban to desist from carrying out the order issued by the group's supreme leader,
Mullah Mohammad Omar. "This decree is wrong and has been taken without the proper understanding of Islamic
tolerance," said Hakeem. He appealed to all governments to join in pressuring the
Afghan authorities from carrying out the order.
More...
Published: Wed Feb 28 09:59:42 EST 2001
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SRI LANKA PRESS: New Mobile Phone Tariff Decision By May
Yahoo India,
01 March 2001.
Sri Lanka's Telecommunications Regulatory Commission will make a final decision on introducing a "calling
party pays" system for mobile phone operators by May this year, the Daily Mirror reports, quoting the minister of telecommunications.
If the system is adopted, all mobile operators will let subscribers receive calls free of charge. Currently, both caller and receiver pay.
More...
Published: Wed Feb 28 23:55:35 EST 2001
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A weak cuppa
Yahoo India,
01 March 2001.
THE tea industry might not be totally elated by the Budget proposals. While the valuation of tea majors such as Tata Tea and Goodricke may show
some gains in the near term, with imports becoming more expensive, the prices in the domestic market may soon improve, and be reflected in the
performance of the companies.The tea industry may be relieved that some measure has been taken to protect it from the WTO provisions that take effect from April 1.
More...
Published: Wed Feb 28 19:24:21 EST 2001
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ADB Pledges Funds To Spur Invest In Sri Lanka Oil Efforts
Yahoo India,
01 March 2001.
COLOMBO (AP)--The Asian Development Bank has pledged a $325,000 credit line as part of efforts to promote foreign investment in offshore oil production in Sri Lanka, officials said. The money will be used to fund a study that will suggest updating the current Sri Lankan laws on oil exploration and discuss possible profit-sharing arrangements and financial incentives that can be given to new investors. It will also aim to update the existing seismic data, said Anil Obeysekera, head of the state-run Ceylon Petroleum Corp.
More...
Published: Wed Feb 28 19:09:19 EST 2001
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Wet blankets for streakers at Sri Lanka-England Test
Yahoo,
february 28.
Police will be armed with blankets to cover potential streakers at the second cricket Test between England and Sri Lanka
in the hill capital of Kandy next week.An inner ring of policemen at the Asgiriya International Stadium will be given blankets to quickly tackle any streaker
before making a splash in front of television cameras and the crowds, local officials said.It comes after two foreign spectators were fined 50 US cents for streaking during a rugby match in Kandy last year, 112
kilometres (72 miles) north-east of the capital Colombo, police said.
More...
Published: Wed Feb 28 12:01:16 EST 2001
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We Condemn Taleban Order to Destroy Buddha Statues- Rauff Hakeem
Saroj Pathirana in London,
Wednesday 28 February 1130 GMT.
A leading Muslim cabinet minister strongly criticized the Taleban regime of
Afghanistan for its decision to demolish two unique statues of the Buddha.
Leader of the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) and the Minister for Trade,
Muslim affairs and Shipping Development Rauff Hakeem told BBC’s Sandeshaya
that the move, which he said was a demonstration of the ignorance of the
Taleban about the tolerant teachings of Islam, should be condemned by all
Muslims and he would launch an International campaign to stop the demolition
of the statues.
The historical statues near the town of Bamian are to be destroyed
according to a decree issued by Taleban leader Mullah Mohammed Omar. " All
we breaking are stones" he was quoted as saying.
Many international leaders and organisations including UN Secretary-General
Kofi Annan have called for the preservation of the statues. There are,
however, obstacles to intervene directly to this matter, says Piyasiri
Wijayasekara, Sri Lanka’s deputy permanent delegate to UNESCO; Bamyan
statues are not inscribed in UNESCO’s World Heritage Monuments and Sites and
the Taleban regime is not recognized as a government by many countries and
organisations.
Published: Wed Feb 28 06:27:34 EST 2001
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Britain refused to meet the Sri Lankan Tamil political parties
eelamnation,
february 27.
The British High Commissioner in Colombo, Ms. Linda Dufield, said in a
letter to the ten political parties on Monday that their request for a
meeting with the British Prime Minister Hon. Tony Blair is not
granted. The Tamil political parties requested the High Commissioner
early this month to make arrangements to see the Prime Minister of Great Britain to urge him not to proscribe the Liberation Tigers as a
terrorist organization.
More...
Published: Wed Feb 28 12:12:08 EST 2001
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Sri Lanka pays compensation for killings
BBC South Asia,
Wednesday, 28 February, 2001, 15:49 GMT .
The Sri Lankan government has paid compensation to the families of nineteen people killed at a rehabilitation camp for Tamil detainees. President Chandrika Kumaratunga, who handed the money to the families, said she believed that groups such as the Tamil Tigers and hardline Sinhala nationalist parties were behind the incident at Bandarawela camp last October in which twenty-six people died.
More...
Published: Wed Feb 28 11:33:23 EST 2001
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Hakeem condemns Taliban Movement bad moves against Buddhism
Frederica Jansz in Colombo,
11.10 a.m. SLT Wednesday February 28.
Minister for Trade Rauf Hakeem today condemned a decision by the Taliban
Movement in Afghanistan to remove all statues of the Buddha. Hakeem said
this was an insult against all Muslims around the world as Islam taught
tolerance, respect and understanding of other religions. Hakeem made these
observations just before leaving on a Haj pilgrimage to Mecca.
Published: Wed Feb 28 09:27:51 EST 2001
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Lanka minister on hunger strike to demand better pay for Tamilians
India Abroad,
february 25.
SRI Lankan minister has threatened to go on a
hunger strike, imbibing only rice porridge and
water till some 100,000 Indian Tamil workers are
given a pay hike, press reports said. Arumugam Thondaman, minister for estate infrastructure
and a trade union leader, told the state-run Sunday
Observer he would be on the restricted diet till laborers on tea plantations are given an
increase of Sri Lankan Rs. 400.
More...
Published: Wed Feb 28 11:35:35 EST 2001
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Sri Lanka moves to save Bamiyan Buddhas from Taliban
123India.com,
Feb 28 2001 17:47 IST.
Sri Lanka, which is a seat of Theravada Buddhism, Wednesday launched a major diplomatic offensive aimed saving the historic Buddha statues threatened by the Taliban authorities in Afghanistan. Sri Lanka's Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar asked his envoys in India, Thailand, Myanmar and Nepal to have urgent consultations to work out a common international strategy to deal with the threat, a statement said.
More...
Published: Wed Feb 28 09:08:50 EST 2001
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Courtroom ordeals for Lankan pedophilia victims
India Abroad,
february 27.
More pedophiles are being hauled up before courts in Sri Lanka, but long
courtroom ordeals and callousness among court officials may be leaving the
young victims even more traumatized. Judicial officials say that 1,200 cases of pedophilia were reported last year alone,
more than the nearly 1,000 reported cases of both murder and rape put together.
Professor Harendra de Silva, chairman of the National Child Protection Authority,
described the number of child abuse cases as the highest ever to be registered in a
single year.
More...
Published: Wed Feb 28 11:34:45 EST 2001
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Sri Lankan bishops join peace moves
India Abroad,
february 25.
Three Sri Lankan Roman Catholic bishops from the war-torn north and east
will urge President Chandrika Kumaratunga to reciprocate the truce
currently being observed by Tamil Tiger separatists. Newspaper reports said clergymen from northern Jaffna, northwestern Mannar and
eastern Trincomalee provinces will meet Kumaratunga this week to ask for an early
start to peace negotiations with the separatist rebels.
More...
Published: Wed Feb 28 11:36:40 EST 2001
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SLFP party office at Bulathsinhala attacked
Frederica Jansz in Colombo,
5 p.m. SLT Wednesday February 28.
The party head office in the Kalutara district of the Sri Lanka Freedom
Party (SLFP) was attacked at around 1.30 a.m. this morning at
Bulathsinhala. The attackers are believed to have used either a shot gun
or 'gal kattas' to cause damage to the office. A door and the glass pane
on a window was damaged. No suspects have been arrested as yet.
Published: Wed Feb 28 09:27:53 EST 2001
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Sri Lanka's partially-blind president to donate eye
123India.com,
Feb 28 2001 09:40 IST.
COLOMBO, Feb 28 (AFP) - Sri Lankan President Chandrika Kumaratunga, who lost an eye in an assassination bid, was Wednesday to pledge her remaining eye for transplant after her death, officials said. Kumaratunga would sign papers donating her left eye as part of a campaign to encourage the donation of 100,000 eyes, said Ariya Rubasinghe, the director general of her secretariat.
More...
Published: Wed Feb 28 00:26:33 EST 2001
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