Child stabbings probe: Man released

A man being questioned in relation to a stabbing attack that killed two children and seriously injured a baby has been released, Scotland Yard said.

The man, 39, believed to be the children's father, will face no further action in relation to the deaths, police said.

He has been bailed to return to a police station at a later date in relation to another matter, details of which police would not release.

A six-month-old girl remains in a "critical but stable" condition after she was operated on by surgeons on Saturday night. Her five-year-old brother and a four-year-old sister died in hospital on Friday after being found injured at their home in Carshalton, south-east London.

A 35-year-old woman, believed to be the children's mother, remains under arrest in hospital, where she is being treated for minor injuries.

A spokesman for the Metropolitan Police said officers were called to the house at 10.30pm on Friday. "Police and London Ambulance attended and found three children suffering serious injuries, believed to be stab wounds," he said. "We believe we know the identity of the deceased. However, we await formal identification and confirmation that all family members have been informed."

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Sri Lankan Troops Assist Flood Victims

Sri Lanka's Navy, Army and police have been placed to provide assistance to people hit by flash floods and landslides caused by torrential rains in different parts of the island, relief officials said Sunday.

"Navy boats were used to rescue people trapped in flooded areas, " Keerthi Ekanayake, the national coordinator of the National Disaster Management Center said.

Rains have lashed the southern districts of Galle and Kalutara, the southeastern districts of Kegalla and Ratnapura, and the central hilly areas since Friday.

Officials said some 5,000 families have been marooned by the floods while four people died.

The threat of flooding has also hit the Western Province with water levels rising in the river Kelani north of the capital Colombo.

"We have warned people living in low lying areas around the Kelani river," Ekanayake said.

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Prabhakaran`s wife attends funeral of top woman LTTE cadre

Elusive LTTE Supremo V Prabhakaran's wife Madhivadhani made a rare public appearance when she attended the funeral of a senior Tiger woman fighter near the rebel stronghold of Killinochchi in the restive Northern Sri Lanka recently.

Madhivadhani led the list of those who gathered at the funeral of Lt Col Selvi, an army training instructor who had spearheaded many attacks for the LTTE, media reports said.

Selvi commanded the deadly "Shothiya Brigade" as its deputy commander and was instrumental in many operations. Prabhakharan's wife simply watched the funeral late last week as some spoke on the occasion.

Selvi joined the LTTE in 1995 and masterminded strategies for the Tigers, the reports said, adding this included a successful armed operation after 34 days of intense battle.

Speaking on the occasion, Sanjana, a senior teacher at the Ladies war training institute of the LTTE said Selvi was a "versatile" personality and had penned poems and songs in honour of the "LTTE war heroes". Selvi had also presented them personally for the people to listen and watch through the tiger radio and television network, Sanjana said.

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APRC to include TMVP JHU, MEP to continue with proceedings

President Mahinda Rajapaksa has responded positively to the inclusion of the Tamil Makkal Viduthalai Pulikal (TMVP) to the All Party Representative Committee (APRC).

With this new development the Mahajana Eksath Peramuna and the Jathika Hela Urumaya, the parties which insisted on the participation of the TMVP at the APRC have withdrawn their boycott and decided to continue with the APRC proceedings from this week, Minister of Science and Technology and Chairman of the All Party Representative Committee Prof. Tissa Vitharana said.

Prof. Vitharana told the Sunday Observer that one-and-a-half months ago the Jathika Hela Urumaya and Mahajana Eksath Peramuna kept away from the All Party Representative Committee (APRC) proceedings for not including the Tamil Makkal Viduthalai Pulikal (TMVP), the breakaway party from the LTTE to the APRC.

“However, I brought this matter to the attention of the President who decides on the parties that represent the APRC.

Following the performance of the TMVP at the local government polls and thereafter at the Provincial Council polls in the eastern province the President took a positive stance with regard to the participation of the TMVP at the APRC sessions.

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http://www.sundayobserver.lk/2008/06/01/pol01.asp

“The JVP has abandoned what they should be doing” — Weerawansa

Controversial ex-JVPer Wimal Weerawansa, in an interview with The Nation recently explained the agenda of his newly formed National Freedom Front. He said, the new party intends to fill the void left by the JVP. “The JVP has abandoned what they should be doing, and are gradually retracting to the days that were left behind a long time ago.

Therefore, the task of the NFF would be to fill that void left by the JVP,” he said. Also, despite the belief that Weerawansa has lost his former fiery wit, since his expulsion from the former rebel group, he displayed ample verbal prowess when charging his former bedfellows of various foul deeds. He pointed out that if the JVP continued to resort to such devious methods of intimidation, it would lead the country’s youth back towards the dark days…

Following are the excerpts:

Q: What is the agenda of the National Freedom Front (NFF)?
A: The foremost expectation in forming the NFF is to fight for the country’s freedom. Although it says that we gained freedom from the British 60 years ago, we never enjoyed real freedom over those 60 years. Each and every leader who was appointed by the people’s sovereignty did not rule according to the people’s wish, but according to the agendas of certain foreign powers.

The tragic situation the country has fallen into at present is a direct result of following foreign agendas. Therefore, even after 60 years since the British left, we still have to strive for national freedom. The NFF, as its name suggests, plans to achieve socio-cultural, economic and political freedom for the country. It is our main agenda.

Q: Do you plan to invite groups with similar sentiments to join hands with you?
A: Definitely. The NFF was formed by the individuals who were ready at that time to form such a movement. The doors are open for those who genuinely want freedom for the country, to join the NFF. I stress that they must genuinely love the motherland.

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http://www.nation.lk/2008/06/01/inter2.htm

Britain moves to deport Karuna

Britain has made its first concrete steps to deport the breakaway LTTE ‘eastern commander’ Vinayagamoorthy Muralitharan, better known as ‘Colonel Karuna’ who arrived in London last September on a Sri Lankan diplomatic passport.

The British authorities have sent deportation papers to the Sri Lanka High Commission in London asking for a travel document to expedite his deportation, highly placed sources told The Sunday Times.

The Sri Lanka High Commission, however, denied any knowledge of the move by British authorities urging a travel document for Karuna who was serving a nine month prison sentence which was prematurely ended early last month when he was moved to an immigration detention centre.

“I don’t know. I have not heard anything,” a High Commission diplomatic officer said. But The Sunday Times is aware that the British authorities, wanting to wash their hands off Karuna who has proved to be a serious embarrassment to Britain because it had issued the visa for Karuna to come to London on the basis of a Third Party Note (TNP) purportedly issued by the Foreign Ministry in Colombo that accompanied the Sri Lankan diplomatic passport.

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http://www.sundaytimes.lk/080601/News/news0024.html

Heroin worth Rs 3 cr seized-KARUR (india)

A consignment of heroin weighing 2.5 kg that reached Karur by rail from Mumbai on its way to Sri Lanka was seized here on Friday. Two Sri Lankans were taken into custody in this connection.

According to sources, the Prohibition Enforcement Wing in Chennai was informed of heroin smuggling operations by train from Mumbai, based on which a special squad comprising six investigating officers led by Superintendent Gunabalan was formed on the orders of Zonal Director Davidson Devasirvadam.

The person, who procured the stuff at Mumbai, had undertaken a journey by Tirunelveli and the police team followed him.

At Karur station, he had alighted and was received by another person. As they made their exit from the station, they were stopped by the police team.

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Two Lankans arrested with fake passport- CHENNAI

Immigration authorities have nabbed two Sri Lankan nationals at the international airport after one of them tried to use a fake passport and visa to leave for Canada.

Police said P P Suryakumar (35), a native of Jaffna in northern Sri Lanka, had come to the airport on Friday night. He was detained by immigration authorities after finding that his documents were fake.

Meanwhile, Ajanthan (22), a resident of Kolathur here, but hailing originally from Jaffna, was picked up by the airport police on suspicion, as he was speaking in a Sri Lankan Tamil accent. Investigation revealed that Ajanthan had come to the airport to see off Suryakumar after arranging for fake documents to facilitate his travel to Canada.

Suryakumar, whose application for a visa to Canada had earlier been rejected, approached Ajanthan for help, who offered it for Rs 10 lakh.

Extracted from,
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/

Sri Lanka Tamil Couple arrested for murder of children in London

A young Sri lankan Tamil couple were arrested by the New Scotland yard police for the suspected murder of their five year old boy , four year old girl and grievous hurt of a six month old baby girl , by cutting their throats the police said.

“The matter is being investigated by our child abuse unit and not by the terrorist unit right at the moment,” a spokesman for the New Scotland Yard said.
He said the woman was also treated for minor injuries and both of them are in the custody of different police stations until the investigations are over and charges are framed. They would be eventually produced in a court of law after that .

The Police refused to divulge the names of the deceased until proper identification and names of the suspects until the charges are framed. But other sources revealed that the couple is Navarajah (39) and Sasikala Navaneethan (35) who moved into the neighbourhood about half an year ago. The attack on the children and the injury of the woman allegedly took place in a house in South London at Park Road in Carshalton, the Police said. The condition of the baby girl who was admitted to a hospital remained in a serious and critical condition the Police added.

The mother and the father are being questioned by the murder squad and the child abuse unit of the new Scotland Yard now, the Police said.

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Tamil to head Sri Lankan CMs’ forum

Sri Lanka’s first Tamil Chief Minister, Sivanesathurai Chandrakanthan of the Eastern Province, on Saturday became the first Tamil chairman of the Chief Ministers’ Forum, an all-Island body.

Pillayan was appointed Chairman of the Forum for the next four months, at its 24th. meeting in Badulla in the Uva Province of South Sri Lanka.

It was agreed that the next meeting would be held in Batticaloa, Pillayan’s pocket borough in the east, signifying confidence that the area had been cleared of the LTTE.

In his speech, Pillayan did not mince words when he spoke of the rights of the provinces enshrined in the Sri Lankan constitution. He said there would be no lasting peace in the country if the powers devolved to the provincial councils under the 13th Amendment continued to be withheld.

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LTTE rejects devolution plan in Sri Lanka

The LTTE has denounced Sri Lankan government's plan for power devolution under which local elections were held recently in the East, saying "Tamil sovereignty and right to self-determination" are key issues for a negotiated settlement to the ethnic problem.

Vowing to continue fighting for a separate state, the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam's (LTTE) political head B Nadesan said the 13th amendment providing for provincial councils in the East and North has never been accepted as the basis for talks by the Tamils.

"The (Sri Lankan) Tamils have rejected the 13th amendment long back. In the last 21-years of its introduction, neither Tamils nor Sinhalese have shown any enthusiasm towards the 13th amendment," Nadesan said, adding "Tamil sovereignty and right to self-determination" are key issues in creating a climate for a negotiated settlement.

"How can one consider it as a basis for settlement when it has been proven that people have no interest in it?," Nadesan told the Pro-LTTE Website Tamilnet in an interview.

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http://www.ptinews.com

Sri Lankan delegation visits Board of Investment

A Twelve-member Sri Lanakan delegation along with V S Sidath Kumar the Consul General (CG) of Sri Lanka in Pakistan led by SPS Ranatunga Chief Operating Officer, Chemical Industries (Colombo) Ltd visited the Investment Division and Board of Investment (BoI) Karachi here on Friday.

During the visit the delegation shown keen interest in various areas such as writing instruments, diary and agriculture products. They also took interest in rice, sugar, yeast, salt, fruits and vegetables sectors. The areas of herbal products and agriculture were also given importance.

The delegation discussed at length about travel, tourism and consultancy as well as bakery products, confectionery, black pepper, betel leaves, betel nuts, management of container terminals, hotels, tyres, tubes for bicycles, rubber tiles and tea.

Mehboob Haq, Junior Investment Advisor, of Board of Invest ment (BoI); Nasreen Ali, Director BoI; Karthik Ramachandran, Commercial Manager, Jayes Trading Company, Sri Lanka; Tariq Jan Allawala, Partner, Jan Textile Mills, SITE, Karachi and Abdul Rauf Tabani, Director, Tabani Corporation Pvt, Ltd, Karachi were attended the meeting.

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http://www.daily.pk/business/business/

Sri Lanka to ban usage of over 75 watts bulbs

Sri Lanka is to ban the importation, distribution and usage of bulbs over 75 watts soon in order to save energy.

The Ministry of Power and Energy said that the proposal has been sent to the Legal Draftsman to prepare a regulation.

“The decision has been taken as a precaution to the current energy crisis, and it has been found out that 20% of power wastage was due to the usage of powerful bulbs,” a spokesman for the Ministry said.

Extracted from,
http://www.colombopage.com/archive_08/May31144048JV.html