News in brief

Fire destroys 20 line rooms
TWENTY line rooms were destroyed in a fire which broke out in New Peacock Estate N.P. division in the Pussellawa Police area on Wednesday night.
An electrical short circuit is believed to have caused the fire, said Inspector T.S. Meedin, OIC Pussellawa Police station.
Nearly 100 persons belonging to 20 families were occupying the line rooms but there were no casualties among them. Pussellawa Police is investigating.

Fathima needs help
FATHIMA Rikasha, three and a half-year-old daughter of A. S. Gafoor, a resident of 64/4, St. Joseph's Street, Grandpass, Colombo 14 is suffering from Leukaemia and has been treated at the Meenakshi Hospital, Madurai, India. She needs to undergo further treatment at the same hospital. Dr. V. W. Rajasekaran has recommended further treatment to save the child's life and the cost is estimated at Rs. 200,000. The child's parents have requested public donations for this purpose saying they are unable to bear the total cost. Those wishing to help could remit their contributions to Account No. 046-040661-7 S/A at the Hatton national Bank, Grandpass Branch, Colombo 14.

She needs help
WALGAMPALAGE Julanji Dithmi Perera, two years and eight months, has a cavity in the heart which has to be treated immediately. The heart surgery to cure her is estimated to cost Rs. 235,000, according to a medical report certified by Dr. Aruna Kapuruge, Consultant Cardio Thoracic Surgeon of Sri Jayewardenapura General Hospital, Nugegoda.
The child's parents are unable to meet this expenditure. Financial contributions to meet the medical expenses can be remitted to the child's mother D. Mallika, C/o W. Aloysius Wickremasinghe Perera, No. 3/F/2, Jayatilaka Watta, Melegama, Wadduwa.

Best Tamil Journalist of the year
Wisu Karunanidhi of the Thinakaran has won the award for best journalist of the year (Tamil) in the journalism award for excellence 2004 organised by Editors Guild of Sri Lanka.
Karunanidhi from Ratnapura and old boy of Ratnapura St. Luke's and Ratnapura Tamil Maha Vidyalaya is also interested in radio play writing, poem and short story writing.
A recipient of Diploma in Journalism from the Colombo University Karunanidhi underwent a training program at The Hindu Newspaper at Chennai last year which was organise by the High Commission of India.

News Today

TNA to lead a hartal in the East today

The Tamil National Alliance is to lead a hartal in the eastern province tomorrow. TNA sources said they would lead the hartal today led by some of their parliamentarians from the eastern province. However, TNA leader R. Sambandan will be in Colombo today.

International donors cancel aid meeting with Tamil Tigers after top military officer slain
International donors have called off a key meeting with Tamil Tiger rebels to protest the assassination of a senior military officer, officials said Thursday.
Chief representatives of the World Bank, Asian Development Bank, U.N. Development Program and the International Monetary Fund in Colombo, were to fly Friday to the rebel-held town of Kilinochchi to meet with the head of the Tigers' political wing, S.P. Thamilselvan.
The meeting has been put off indefinitely as the murder this week of Maj. Nizam Muthalif made it inappropriate to hold the talks, senior officials said on condition of anonymity.
Muthalif was killed by gunmen as he sat in his car in Colombo. The government suspects rebels in the attack.
Residents in Tamil-majority areas controlled by the Tigers have complained that international aid has been slow to reach them since the devastating earthquake and tsunami of Dec. 26 killed more than 31,000 people in the country and affected 1 million others.
International donors, who pledged nearly US$3 billion (euro2.37 billion) to Sri Lanka, have been reluctant to give any funds directly to the guerrillas, who are listed as terrorists by the United States, Britain and India.
But the talks Friday were to discuss a proposed deal between the government and the rebels that will make them partners in distributing aid to the Tamil-dominated north and east.
The Tamil Tigers began fighting in 1983 for a separate homeland for ethnic Tamils in the north and east of the country, claiming discrimination by the majority Sinhalese.
The conflict killed nearly 65,000 people before the cease-fire, which has largely held despite sporadic violations and a breakdown in peace talks in 2003.
Muthalif was the highest ranking intelligence officer to be killed in the 20-year-civil war. His body was riddled with bullets and he died before doctors could operate on him.