Sri Lanka sets an example by fighting terrorism: PM

Sri Lanka has set an example to the whole world by fighting terrorism and establishing democracy in the war-ravaged Eastern part of the country, Prime Minister Ratnasiri Wickramanayaka has said.

"The Government which overcame terrorism and established democracy (through the local bodies elections) in the East has set an example in this regard to the whole world," Wickramanayaka told a Pakistan delegation on Friday.

The Prime Minister said the people of the East had reposed their faith in the Government repudiating the LTTE's gun culture which was demonstrated in the just concluded elections.

A ten-member Pakistan delegation of the Senate Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs is on a four-day visit to the Island country.

Read more,
http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/001200803151550.htm

Former President attends the SLFP central committee meeting

Sri Lanka's former President Chandrika Kumaratunga last night attended the Central Committee meeting of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party held at the Temple Trees. The meeting was chaired by President Mahinda Rajapaksa.

The committee meeting which started around 7 pm went till around 9 pm, during which time the CC passed two proposals. Among them was the implementation of the 13th Amendment to the Constitution.

Although all the members had agreed to pass the two proposals, former President has reportedly claimed that she was against the 13th amendment.

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Three Arrested In Million Dollar Drug Haul

A Sri Lankan couple and one Maldivian man have been arrested trying to smuggle Rf 12 million (US$1 million) worth of heroin into the country.

Maldives Customs Service says the four kilograms worth seized is the largest amount of narcotics ever intercepted in a single haul.

The two Sri Lankans were caught at Male' International airport after travelling from Colombo, Sri Lanka, according to police, but the narcotics are believed to have come from Pakistan.

Sameen Ummul Faumiyya, 56, and Mohamed Wasood Mohamed Bisthaami, 38, were caught after bags of narcotics, held in plastic bags in a false compartment in their luggage, were uncovered during a security check.

Read more,
http://www.minivannews.com/news/news.php?id=4242

Sri Lanka nears MiG-29 purchase

Sri Lanka is in advanced talks with Russia over the procurement of five MiG-29 fighter aircraft, the head of the country's state-owned procurement agency has said.

Jayantha Wickramasinghe, chief executive officer of Lanka Logistics and Technologies Limited (the company created by the Sri Lankan Ministry of Defence in 2007 to procure equipment for the armed forces), said that the acquisition of four MiG-29SMs and one MiG-29UB was "well under way".

"Negotiations about these aircraft are continuing," Wickramasinghe told Jane's on 13 March. "We are discussing all possibilities."

The procurement follows the emergence of the air division of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), which used Zlin Z 143 light aircraft to bomb the airport and Sri Lankan Air Force (SLAF) base in Colombo in March 2007.

Extracted from,
http://www.janes.com/news/defence/jdw/jdw080314_1_n.shtml
about MiG 29,
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mikoyan_MiG-29
Mig-29 Fulcrum Video Gallery,
http://www.air-attack.com/videos/50/Mig-29-Fulcrum.html


INDIAN AIR FORCE---MiG-29 busting--PAKISTANI BUNKER

LTTE training base destroyed in air raid - Mullaittiuvu

An LTTE training base was destroyed this morning (March 15) in an air raid carried out by SLAF fighter jets, North East of at Vishwamadukulama in Iranamadu, Mullaittiuvu.

According to SLAF sources the enemy target had been under constant surveillance and latest air reconnaissance information has revealed intensified terrorist activity in the area.

The LTTE training facility was left in rubbles as pilots returned following the precision air sortie at around 6.10.a.m.

The LTTE is yet to reveal casualty figures.

Extracted from,
http://defence.lk/new.asp?fname=20080315_03

The Elections in the East: USA Ambassador Robert Blake has had to eat his own words

Recently, US Envoy Robert Blake voiced himself that the local elections to be held in the liberated East could not be free and fair. In fact I wrote a Paper which was published in The Asian Tribune of February 7, : “Our US Ambassador expressing doubts of forthcoming elections in Batticaloa” where I assured him that our Elections Service was far superior to that of the USA and that he could be assured of a free and fair election.

Now the elections to the nine local government councils in Batticaloa are history. Though the polling stations were manned to the hilt with soldiers guarding the precincts, there was not a single incident where anyone was marched to a polling precinct with a revolver held to one’s head.

There was not a single incident reported where anyone threatened a polling precinct presiding officer with a gun and stuffed ballots into the ballot boxes as happened many a time during elections held in the Eighties, under the UNP rule! In fact Professor Sunanda Deshapriya, the Co-convenor of the Center for Monitoring Election Violence has said that the election was peaceful in Batticaloa District except incidents of vote rigging in Valachenai.(Lanka e News 11/3/08).

The incidents of vote rigging were sporadic instances and nowhere near the stolen elections of the US President in both 2000 and 2004.

Read more,
http://www.asiantribune.com/?q=node/10041

How accurate is the Human Rights Report on Sri Lanka?

The Human Rights Watch report has as promised generated vast appeal. Its report titled “Recurring Nightmare – State responsibility for “disappearances” & abductions in Sri Lanka brought with it several other avalanches as well. It was only to be expected.

Having gone through the 498 cases of “abductions / missing” highlighted, there were a few questions that came to mind – would a 5 year old & an 8 year old be involved in terrorist activity to be “abducted” by the Sri Lankan Army & taken for questioning? Most unlikely, but then didn’t the UN file many reports exposing the LTTE of recruiting child soldiers – but reports apart, very little has been done to curb the LTTE’s child recruitment?

Then there were also 20 other such cases of names & it was most surprising that their families didn’t know how old they were (report says “age unknown”). Does this not raise more than a few eyebrows & question the credibility of the said document which should have no faults whatsoever if it is seeking to accuse a State Government & its army of targeted abductions & disappearances?

Read more,
http://www.sinhalaya.com/news/english/wmview.php?ArtID=14975