"The large built up of its naval, air force and ground fighters including the suicide cadres was suggestive of the LTTE ambitions," Gotabhaya Rajapaksa, the Defence Secretary and Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa's brother, said.

The advancing Sri Lankan security forces have captured several of the LTTE areas and are looking to seize the rest of the Tiger pockets.

"When we look at the LTTE military equipments and the training ground of the army it is clear they were looking to establish a large Eelam state," he said.

"Maps retrieved from those places confirm this fact as they had hoped to create a eelam from Negombo to Yala including certain parts of the (Buddhist city of ) Anuradhapura," he said yesterday. More... Discuss this story Published: Sun Mar 22 18:06:45 EDT 2009

Kachchativu, situated in the Palk Straits between Sri Lanka and India, has been in the limelight in recent past as fishermen from Tamil Nadu at times are attacked allegedly by the Sri Lankan Navy, causing casualties which has led to protests by political parties in Tamil Nadu.

In a release here, Jayalalithaa recalled the statement of Sri Lankan Minister of Urban Development and Sacred Area Development, Dinesh gunawardena, on the Island government’s proposal on March 20 and said, “ I strongly condemn it. Kachchativu island is to be announced as a sacred area by government, Gunawardena had told Sri Lankan parliament. His reply came in response to a query on the Indian Supreme Court issuing notice to the Centre on January 5, this year on a petition by Jayalalithaa seeking declaring as null and void India ceding Kachchativu to Lanka more than three decades ago on the ground that it was done without parliament’s approval. More...Discuss this story Published: Sun Mar 22 12:40:14 EDT 2009

Prabakaran sighted in Puthukudiyirippu

MP praises government’s welfare measures

Police organising another census near Colombo COLOMBO: First signs of differences among pro-LTTE outfits over the ongoing war surfaced in Sri Lankan Parliament on Friday.

Tamil National Alliance (TNA) MP Vinodharadhalingam surprised everyone with his comments in support of the government efforts towards welfare of the displaced in the areas that had come under military control in recent weeks.

The MP told Parliament he had personally visited the Kadiragamapuram welfare camp and had witnessed the manner in which the government was taking care of the displaced persons.

He maintained that the people in the welfare camp were living free from fear and that they were provided with all necessary amenities under the present conditions. He told the House that vocational training programmes for the youth in the camps “gives them hope of a better future.”

In another report, the Defence Ministry said LTTE chief Velupillai Prabakaran, along with his son Charles Anthony Seelan, was sighted several times in the Puthukudiyiruppu area’s “No Fire Zone”.

It said both had, from time to time, come out from the bunkers and explained to non-cadre the importance of rising up against the government forces.

“Prabakaran and Charles Anthony Seelan come out More... Published: Sun Mar 22 05:48:02 EDT 2009