The Lanka Academic
 
JANUARY 3, 2009 EST, USA
 
QUAERE VERUM
 
VOL. 9, NO. 272
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Congress tells Lanka to hand over Prabhakaran to India
TOI, 1-3-2009. NEW DELHI: Congress on Saturday demanded that Sri Lanka extradite LTTE chief Prabhakaran, an accused in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case, if he is nabbed in the army offensive, in what signals a strong stand ruling out any intervention under pressure from DMK.

Congress spokesman Veerappa Moily told reporters that the LTTE was a banned outfit and Prabhakaran was wanted for the assassination of former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi. “He is an assassin and we would be very happy if he was extradited to India. We want him to be prosecuted and convicted here for the grave crime he committed,” Moily said.

Before Sri Lanka’s army smashed through LTTE bastion of Kilonichchi, Congress often had to accommodate DMK’s sensitivities. But the demand for Prabhakaran’s extradition as well as the stand that the fight against terror was Lanka’s internal issue signals that in the coming days any pressure by DMK to lean on Lanka may not mean much. More... [Watch] Discuss this story
Published: Sat Jan 3 13:56:16 EST 2009

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 Extradite LTTE chief - Congress  - BBC Sinhala News
Sri Lankan troops in hot pursuit of Tigers
PTI, 01-03-2009. Colombo (PTI): Spurred by the capture of the LTTE's de facto capital Kilinochchi, Sri Lankan troops on Saturday went into a hot pursuit of Tamil Tigers launching a ground and air assault on their last bastion Mullaittivu on the east coast.

Mullaittivu is stated to be the military headquarters of the LTTE and where Sri Lankan military brass suspects that the LTTE leadership including its supremo Velupillai Prabhakaran may be hiding.

"The battle for Mullaittivu has already begun," the Sri Lankan army chief Sarath Fonseka said indicating that his forces were closing on the coastal town, which is also the headquarters of sea tigers.

He said troops had captured 800-yards of a massive defensive bund and the army was just 5 kms south of the town and 3 kms south of the LTTE's main air strip also located there. More...Discuss this story
Published: Sat Jan 3 14:06:47 EST 2009 Back to the top

Three injured in explosion in Sri Lanka s capital
reuters.com, Sat Jan 3, 2009. COLOMBO, Jan 3 (Reuters) - At least three people were injured and several vehicles damaged in an explosion in Sri Lanka capital Colombo on Saturday, officials said.

The cause of the blast was not immediately known. A spokesman for Sri Lanka's army, Brigadier Udaya Nanayakkara, said there had been an explosion inside a van.

The blast came a day after Sri Lankan troops captured the separatist Tamil Tiger rebels' headquarters town of Kilinochchi after months of fighting.

Saturday's explosion in the commercial quarter of Colombo is the second in the capital in two days.

"There has been an explosion in the Pettah area, a few vehicles are aflame, we have teams investigating," a police official said, asking not to be named.

Hospital authorities said three people were admitted with minor injuries. (Reporting by Ranga Sirilal) More...
Published: Sat Jan 3 09:39:48 EST 2009 Back to the top

Related News Stories
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 EXTRA: Another blast rocks Sri Lankan capital  - Associated Press
Sri Lanka military vows to wipe out Tamil Tigers
 abc.net.au, 2 january. The Sri Lankan military says it is continuing its offensive against Tamil Tiger positions in the north, a day after capturing the rebels' administrative headquarters in town of Kilinochchi... Back to the top
Sri Lanka presses on with fight against rebels
 Associated Press, Sat January 3, 2009 12:50 EST . KRISHAN FRANCIS - Associated Press Writer - COLOMBO, Sri Lanka - (AP) Sri Lankan forces launched air strikes and ground assaults on ethnic Tamil rebels in the north Saturday, a day after dealing the separatists' struggle for autonomy a devastating blow by capturing their de facto capital, the military said... Back to the top
Prabhakaran may be hiding in Mullaittivu: Lankan Army Chief
 pti, 1-3-2009. Colombo, Jan 3 (PTI) Elusive LTTE supremo V Prabhakaran, who received a massive blow after the fall of the rebels' political headquarters Kilinochchi, may be hiding in the key Tiger bastion of Mullaittivu, Sri Lankan army chief Sarath Fonseka has said... Back to the top
Kilinochchi captured in devastating blow to LTTE
 hindu, 2-2-2009. COLOMBO: In a major blow to the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, Sri Lankan troops on Friday captured the northern town of Kilinochchi, which has been the Tigers’ administrative and political headquarters... Back to the top
Dilshan rallies Sri Lanka with century
 The Sydney Morning Herald, 3 Jan 2009. Tillakaratne Dilshan smashed a superb 162 off 165 balls to lead Sri Lanka's fightback on the opening day of the second and final Test against Bangladesh in Chittagong on Saturday... Back to the top
US calls for peaceful talks in Sri Lanka after fall of rebel ...
 xinhuanet.com, Jan. 2. WASHINGTON, Jan. 2 (Xinhua) -- The United States on Friday called for peaceful dialogue between Sri Lanka's government and the Tamil Tiger rebels after Colombo announced the conquer of the rebel headquarters in the town of Kilinochchi in the north of the tiny Indian Ocean island country. "The Sri Lankan government now seems to have made a gain through a military gain," State Department spokesman Gordon Duguid told reporters... Back to the top
Sri Lankan Troops Capture Rebel Capital
 TIME, 2 january. Related (COLOMBO, Sri Lanka)—Government forces captured the Tamil Tigers' de facto capital in northern Sri Lanka on Friday, dealing a devastating blow to the rebels' quarter-century fight for an independent state, the president said... Back to the top
Timeline of the violence in Sri Lanka
 iht.com, January 1, 2009 . Major developments in Sri Lanka's conflict: _ 1975: Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam group forms... Back to the top
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