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‘Corrupt Lankan ministers should own up and resign’
The Hindustan Times,
Colombo, March 16.
A LEADING Sri Lankan newspaper has hailed the resignation of George Fernandes and Bangaru Laxman from their high offices after the Tehelka expose and lamented that in Sri Lanka ministers and officials accused of corruption do not consider it necessary to own up and resign. "Indian ministers, true to the Westminster tradition, accept responsibility and tender their resignations, be it even a railway accident. This is something unheard of in this country," the independent daily The Island observed in an edit today.
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Published: Fri Mar 16 21:21:50 EST 2001
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Lankan Muslims protest Taliban's destruction of statues
Times of India,
17 March 2001 .
Hundreds of Muslims
demonstrated Friday against the
destruction of pre-Islamic Buddhist statues
by Afghanistan's Taliban militia and called
for Pakistan's intervention to prevent
further damage.After Friday Muslim prayers in this
Buddhist holy city, 90 kilometres (56 miles)
east of the capital, Colombo, about 700
Muslims marched through the streets
carrying banners and shouting slogans.
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Published: Fri Mar 16 21:34:23 EST 2001
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Tigers step up mortar bomb attacks amid truce: military
123India.com,
Mar 16 2001 14:23 IST.
Sri Lanka's Tamil Tiger guerrillas have stepped up long-range attacks against government forces violating their own unilateral truce, the defence ministry here said Friday. The separatist Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) fired a massive barrage of mortar bombs towards army positions at Kodikamam in the Jaffna peninsula on Thursday, the ministry said.
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Published: Fri Mar 16 23:21:43 EST 2001
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Sri Lanka screens passengers from Europe amid foot-and-mouth fears
123India.com,
Mar 16 2001 15:59 IST.
Sri Lanka Friday began screening passengers arriving from Europe amid fears they could carry the foot-and-mouth disease into the country, the livestock development ministry said. Visitors arriving at Sri Lanka's international airport were being asked to declare if they had visited a farm in Europe in the past three weeks, with potential carriers subjected to quarantine checks.
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Published: Fri Mar 16 21:33:18 EST 2001
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Tamil Tigers free four hostages
123India.com,
Mar 16 2001 16:41 IST.
COLOMBO, March 16 (AFP) - Sri Lanka's Tamil Tiger rebels have freed four farmers they had been holding hostage since December 1999, local officials said Friday. The separatist Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) handed over the four men, all members of the majority Sinhalese community, to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in the island's north Thursday.
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Published: Fri Mar 16 21:36:22 EST 2001
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EU promises more aid to Colombo
BBC South Asia,
Friday, 16 March, 2001, 11:38 GMT .
The European Commission president Romano Prodi has promised substantial aid to rebuild areas of Sri
Lanka damaged by years of conflict, if there is progress in peace talks between the government and
Tamil Tiger rebels. Mr Prodi made the pledge in talks with the visiting Sri Lankan president, Chandrika Kumaratunga.
A BBC correspondent in Brussels quotes EU officials as saying that Mrs Kumaratunga assured the EU
that she was optimistic about the possibility of a peaceful resolution of the conflict.
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Published: Fri Mar 16 21:37:39 EST 2001
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India requests Sweden to assist in the Gandhi assassination case
Frederica Jansz in Colombo,
10 a.m. SLT Friday March 16.
According to a Swedish newspaper today, Indian investigators have requested
the Swedish government to cooperate in arresting a Swedish resident
believed to be involved in the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi. Sweden's
Justice Minister has confirmed that such an appeal had been made in
February this year by India and that Sweden will most likely cooperate.
Twenty six suspects believed to have been involved in the murder of Rajiv
Gandhi were arrested in 1998.
Published: Thu Mar 15 23:07:18 EST 2001
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Estate workers demands met
Frederica Jansz in Colombo,
9.30 a.m. SLT Friday March 16.
The Satyagraha campaign initiated by Minister Arumugam Thondaman demanding
a wage increase of Rs. 400/- for estate workers was amicably settled
yesterday. Soon after the government stepped in to settle the crisis a new
wage package effective from March 15, was worked out within the framework
of the collective agreement.
The settlement finally came to a close following weeks of discussion
between the CWC and other trade unions and EFC. Senior ministers too
intervened. Minister Thondaman threatened to resign from the cabinet if
the workers and the CWC demands were not met by the government.
The estate wrokers have been protesting for the last 23 days before a
settlement was reached. The Satyagraha campaign resulted in a go slow and
nearly crippled the country's tea export sector. The campaign also led to
a breakdown of law and order in the estates.
Published: Thu Mar 15 23:07:17 EST 2001
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Lankan Navy shoots Indian Fishermen
Frederica Jansz in Colombo,
9.15 a.m. SLT Friday March 16.
One Indian fisherman was shot dead by Sri Lanka's Navy on Wednesday March
14, 2001, When the trawler boat they were using for fishing allegedly
strayed into Lanka's territorial waters. Two other fishermen were wounded
in the incident and are being treated at the national hospital in Tamil Nadu.
Published: Thu Mar 15 23:07:17 EST 2001
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Sri Lanka to request West Europe to ban LTTE
Frederica Jansz in Colombo,
8.20 a.m. SLT Friday March 16.
Sri Lanka plans to lobby all West European nations to ban the LTTE. The
announcement was made following President Chandrika Bandaranaike
Kumaratunge's first leg of her tour to West Europe.
The president it is reported, has already made representations to the
German government in this regard, requesting that the Germans follow suit,
similar to the UK and proscribe the Tamil militant group.
The Germans have not made any committment yet, stating only that while the
Germans are committed to fighting international terrorism the state cannot
yet decide if the LTTE should be banned in Germany. Meanwhile, Chancellor
Gerhard Schroeder has stated that such an issue cannot be discussed in a
public forum and can only be addressed after closed door sessions.
Published: Thu Mar 15 23:07:16 EST 2001
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Fresh fighting grips Sri Lanka's Jaffna
123India.com,
Mar 15 2001 17:12 IST.
COLOMBO, March 15 (AFP) - Fresh fighting erupted in Sri Lanka's embattled northern peninsula of Jaffna with troops moving to destroy a Tamil rebel base, the defence ministry here said Thursday. Security forces attacked guerrillas of the separatist Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) at Karadiyankadu on Tuesday night, the defence ministry here said in a statement.
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Published: Thu Mar 15 08:16:44 EST 2001
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Fernandes: Popular but controversial minister
BBC South Asia,
Thursday, 15 March, 2001, 22:50 GMT .
Indian Defence Minister George Fernandes, who resigned on Thursday over a bribery scandal, is a popular figure among the military rank and file. But his outspoken character often caused ripples within the government. Mr Fernandes, aged 70, was first elected to parliament in 1967 and founded his own Samata party in 1994. Controversy hit Mr Fernandes early in his ministerial tenure when he held a convention of organisations supporting Sri Lanka's Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) on the lawns of his official residence.
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Published: Fri Mar 16 02:47:48 EST 2001
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British parliament approves ban on LTTE
Island,
16 March 2001.
The British parliament on Wednesday approved the list of proscribed
organisation listed by Home Secretary Jack Straw as per the provisions of the
British Terrorism Act 2000. The inclusion of the LTTE in that list means that
the British parliament has in effect endorsed the decision of the Home
Secretary Jack Straw to
brand the LTTE as a foreign terrorist organisation.
The debate also highlighted the minuscule level of British parliamentary
support the LTTE has in Britain.The LTTE
who have silenced all alternative political opinion by selective assassinations,
and presented itself fraudulently as the "sole representatives of the Tamil
speaking people" was only able to muster two British MPâs to speak
sympathetically on its behalf.
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Published: Thu Mar 15 20:48:27 EST 2001
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Six dead, 26 injured when bus goes off road
Island,
16 March 2001.
Six passengers were killed on the spot and
twenty-six seriously injured when a bus
from the Peoplised Depot, Ratnapura went
down precipice at Demanhandiya,
Kuruwita yesterday (15), Kuruwita police
said.
The injured have been admitted to
Ratnapura hospital.
Investigations revealed that the bus was plying from Kuruwita to Eratna when
it went down a precipice around 5.30 a.m. Most of the passengers were
pilgrims to Sri Pada.
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Published: Thu Mar 15 20:50:38 EST 2001
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Brutally ragged Lankan student commits suicide
The Hindustan Times,
Colombo, March 15.
A SRI Lankan student, who was hospitalised after being brutally ragged at his college, later committed suicide by hanging because his father insisted that he get back to college. In a front page story today,"The Island" daily said that fresher Sameera Chaturanga Dabare (19) had refused to go back to college after he was treated in hospital for injuries to his sexual organ caused by the application of a strong chemical, methyl-calycilete. But his father, P.P.H. Dabare, insisted that he get back for the sake of his career.
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Published: Thu Mar 15 17:34:02 EST 2001
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Sri Lanka Reports Few Cases Of Foot-And-Mouth Disease
Yahoo India,
15 March 2001.
COLOMBO (AP)--Sri Lankan health officials reported a few cases of foot-and-mouth disease Thursday, saying there was no risk of an epidemic.
A "small percentage" of about 150,000 cattle in north-central Sri Lanka have contracted the virus, said G. Karavita, a government veterinary surgeon.
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Published: Thu Mar 15 08:40:33 EST 2001
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Sri Lankan PM visits Buddhist era ruins in Pakistan
123India.com,
Mar 15 2001 22:29 IST.
ISLAMABAD, March 15 (AFP) - Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ratnasiri Wickremanayake Thursday visited ruins from the Buddhist era in the northern Pakistani town of Taxila, officials said. Wickremanayake visited a Buddhist archaeological site in Sirkup, near Taxila and "appreciated the steps taken by Pakistan for the preservation of the heritage," an official statement said.
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Published: Thu Mar 15 13:55:54 EST 2001
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Sri Lanka parliament seeks acting head of state
123India.com,
Mar 15 2001 12:56 IST.
COLOMBO, March 15 (AFP) - Sri Lanka's parliament was Thursday asked to appoint an acting head of state as both the president and the prime minister had left the country without naming replacements. The main opposition United National party (UNP) proposed that its party member, parliament Speaker Anura Bandaranaike, the estranged brother of President Chandrika Kumaratunga should take over as the acting head of state.
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Published: Thu Mar 15 06:41:00 EST 2001
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Gangster on bail among three killed in shootout with cops
Island,
16 March 2001.
Three members of a notorious gang of armed robbers, believed to be
responsible for last month’s abortive bid to seize the payroll amounting to Rs
850,000 of Tuffline [Pvt] Limited, Meegoda, a subsidiary of the Maharaja
Group, were shot dead by Athurugiriya police on Wednesday night.
DIG Jayantha Wickremaratne yesterday said that the gangsters were killed
during a brief gun battle at Shanthalokagama, Athurugiriya. Police did not
suffer casualties, he said adding that initial investigations have revealed that the
gang had been involved in a series of armed robberies.
One of the dead was identified as Upul Dammika, a resident of Depanama
Pannipitiya, the DIG said revealing that the gangster had been previously
arrested in connection with his alleged involvement in armed robberies but
bailed out.
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Published: Thu Mar 15 21:02:34 EST 2001
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Erik Solheim meets Jaswant
Yahoo India,
15 March 2001.
NEW DELHI, MARCH 15. India today reiterated its support for Sri Lanka's sovereignty and territorial integrity and pointed out that lasting peace in
the island nation was possible only when the aspirations of all elements of its society were respected.
This was stated by the External Affairs Minister, Mr.Jaswant Singh during his talks with the visiting Norwegian Special envoy, Mr.Erik Solheim, who
was engaged in facilitating a dialogue between the Sri Lankan government and the LTTE. Mr. Solheim had earlier met the Foreign Secretary, Ms.
Chokila Iyer.
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Published: Thu Mar 15 17:36:32 EST 2001
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Fighting as mediator leaves Sri Lanka
Yahoo,
Thursday, 15 March.
A military spokesman in Sri Lanka said troops ambushed and killed eight Tamil Tiger rebels in the Peraru jungles, near the eastern port of Trincomalee. The attack came hours after an international peace envoy, Erik Solheim, left the island. The spokesman said that, in a separate incident, rebels killed a soldier near Weli Oya close to the north-eastern front. And he said a rebel committed suicide by swallowing a cyanide capsule when troops tried to arrest him in the northern Mannar district. The reports could not be independently verified.
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Published: Thu Mar 15 06:43:29 EST 2001
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Buddhists from several countries protest in Shravasti
Yahoo India,
15 March 2001.
Bahraich (Uttar Pradesh), Mar 15 (PTI) Buddhists from Sri Lanka, China, Thailand, Bhutan, Myanmar and India took out a procession at Shravasti, an important Buddhist pilgrimage centre, condemning Taliban's destruction of Buddha statues in Bamiyan, Afghanistan.
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Published: Thu Mar 15 08:45:53 EST 2001
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Nurturing a musical legacy
Yahoo India,
16 March 2001.
JANAKI RAMANA..., Mamava...'', the Kulasegaran family of Sri Lanka was captivated by the beauty of Carnatic music. It cast its spell
especially on the eldest of his six children. She migrated to India and achieved name and fame here as Bhushany Kalyanaraman.
``By the age of four I had memorised the Sivapuranam. I also sang the Thevaram and other devotional songs at the local temples. My
father, `Sangeetha Bhushanam' from the Annamalai University, was my first guru and my manaseeka guru is M.S. It was my life's dream to
learn from her. I also admired NCV's music and...,'' began Bhushany Kalyanaraman giving us interesting insights into her past. The little
girl's exceptional talent earned her many gold medals and attracted the attention of the local connoisseurs.
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Published: Thu Mar 15 17:46:34 EST 2001
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Sri Lanka all out for 241
Times of India (Breaking News),
16 March 2001.
COLOMBO: Sri Lanka were dismissed for 241 in their first innings on the second morning of the third and final Test against England on Friday.
Sri Lanka, resuming at 221 for seven wickets, lost their remaining three wickets for the 20 runs in 37 minutes play.
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Published: Fri Mar 16 02:57:40 EST 2001
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Sri Lanka To Seek Free Trade Agreement With Pakistan
Yahoo India,
15 March 2001.
Sri Lanka will seek a free trade agreement with Pakistan, a commerce department official said Thursday.
"The Cabinet has approved it and given the finance ministry the go ahead, but negotiations have not started," Saman Udagedara, deputy director at the commerce department, told Dow Jones Newswires.
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Published: Thu Mar 15 08:35:17 EST 2001
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Sharjah tournament still under consideration: Uma Bharti
Yahoo India,
15 March 2001.
New Delhi, Mar 15 (PTI) India's participation in a triangular one-day cricket series in Sharjah, also involving Pakistan and Sri Lanka scheduled for next month, is still under consideration and a decision on it would be taken soon, according to Federal Sports Minister Uma Bharti.
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Published: Thu Mar 15 08:42:02 EST 2001
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