UNREST IN SRI LANKA - PLEASE READ THIS PAGE - INNOCENT PEOPLE OF VAHARAI WERE KILLED BY ARTLERY SRIKE -

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka - At least nine vessels were destroyed in a naval clash Thursday between Tamil rebels and Sri Lanka's navy off the northern coast, officials said, as a human rights group denounced the shelling of a school by the military in which at least 23 people were killed and scores injured.

Tamil Tiger rebels said they killed at least 26 Sri Lankan sailors and caught four others alive in a fierce sea battle off the northern Jaffna peninsula.

"We have caught four sailors alive and found one dead body. Our fighters have confirmed that they killed at least another 25 sailors," Tamil Tigers' military spokesman Rasiah Ilanthirayan told The Associated Press.

He said five Sea Tiger fighters also died in the attack.

Ilanthirayan told The Associated Press that fighting broke out when navy vessels disturbed the rebels' "routine naval exercises."

A Defense Ministry official, however, said about 16 rebel boats, including explosive-laden suicide boats, attacked a navy patrol and sank one boat.

The navy, assisted by the air force, retaliated, destroying eight rebel boats, the official said on condition of anonymity due to policy. One naval craft was destroyed in the battle and another was damaged.

There was no independent account of the incident, and no details of casualties were immediately available.

Separately on Thursday, the military said Tamil rebels detonated a roadside bomb, killing two soldiers in northern Jaffna peninsula on Thursday.

Meanwhile, the government said it regretted Wednesday's artillery attack on the school.

"While we regret this whole episode, we say that national security is utmost," chief government spokesman Keheliya Rambukwella told a news conference.

Scores of civilians had taken refuge in the school in Kithiraveli, a rebel-controlled eastern Sri Lankan village from fighting between the army and Tamil Tiger guerrillas in when it was hit, senior rebel official Seevaratnam Puleedevan told The Associated Press.

He said at least 60 civilians were killed and 150 wounded.

Helen Olafsdottir, a spokeswoman for the European cease-fire monitoring mission, said monitors had counted 23 bodies, mostly of women, children and older people, and were still investigating. Another 137 people were admitted to hospitals, she said.

"Our monitors have visited the impact site and they have been told that as many as 40 rounds of artillery fire had hit the area," Olafsdottir said. She said the monitors did not find any sign of a rebel military installation in the impact area.

But Rambukwella said it was likely that the rebels had forced civilians to stay in the area to become human shields — a charge the insurgents denied.

London-based Amnesty International condemned the attack and called for an inquiry by international and independent human rights experts, saying there was an urgent need to "respond to the dramatic deterioration of the human rights and humanitarian situation."

In Colombo, 22 deputies from the Tamil National Alliance — a political party widely believed to be a proxy of the rebels — demonstrated in front of the U.N. refugee agency office, asking it to take action to protect displaced people.

The group said 41,000 Tamil civilians have been displaced in the Batticaloa region, the area of Wednesday's attack.

Rebel official Puleedevan said many villagers are now staying in makeshift tents or in the open, fearing more artillery fire.

"It is a pathetic situation," Puleedevan said. "There are more than 5,000 people there (in the village) and they are living in tremendous fear."

Military spokesman Brig. Prasad Samarasinghe said the military wasn't targeting civilians, but acknowledged that it had fired artillery to silence rebels' guns.

"Tiger shelling and mortar fire on security forces' detachments in the east intensified on Tuesday and Wednesday, compelling the army to retaliate to counter further terrorist shelling," the Defense Ministry said in a statement.

Peace broker Norway, meanwhile, called on the government to explain why troops fired grenades that landed just meters (yards) from chief European cease-fire monitor Lars Soelvberg on Wednesday as he was visiting the village of Pooneryn in the country's volatile north.

Norwegian Aid Minister Erik Solheim called the incident "very worrying."

"We have asked the Sri Lankan government for an immediate explanation," he said in a statement issued in Oslo.

Soelvberg, a Norwegian, was inspecting a road suggested by the government as an alternative to a main highway that has been closed since August because of heavy fighting between government troops and separatist rebels. He escaped unhurt. The military denied knowledge of Soelvberg's presence in the area when they attacked.

The Tigers have been fighting since 1983 for a separate Tamil homeland in the country's north and east, citing discrimination by the majority Sinhalese.

The conflict killed more than 65,000 people before a Norwegian-brokered truce in 2002, but subsequent peace talks failed. Surging violence this year has killed more than 2,000 civilians, soldiers and rebel fighters and threatens a return to all-out civil war.

Associated Press reporters Krishan Francis and Bharatha Mallawarachi contributed to this report.

Anger over Lanka civilian deaths

The Sri Lankan government has been heavily criticised for an artillery bombardment that killed dozens of civilians in the east of the island.

Peace negotiator Erik Solheim said he was "very troubled" by the attack. Human rights group Amnesty International called it "appalling".

Some 2,000 people were in a camp hit by army shells. Clashes between troops and Tamil rebels have trapped thousands.

Meanwhile, a fierce sea battle has been going on off Sri Lanka's north coast.

Both sides accuse the other of starting the clash, in which the navy says it sank 22 rebel craft and lost two of its own. Twenty sailors are missing.

The rebels say they captured four sailors alive and five of their fighters were killed.

'So many dead and wounded'

Mr Solheim accused government forces of an "onslaught" in Vakarai, where the refugee camp was shelled on Wednesday.

A lot of children died... there are thousands of people trying to leave

Survivor Palachchenai Kadiraveli

Sea battle erupts off Jaffna

Civilians' dire plight

Q&A: Sri Lanka conflict

"Yet again it is civilians who are being killed and made to suffer due to military operations," he said in a statement.

"I am extremely disappointed that the parties are not honouring the promises they made in Geneva a week and a half ago to refrain from launching any military offensives."

Thousands have been trying to flee the shelling in the eastern district of Batticaloa.

But the BBC's Dumeetha Luthra in Colombo says they have nowhere to go as the lines from the Tamil Tiger-controlled areas into government territory are closed.

Aid agencies are working on creating a humanitarian corridor, but the government has so far failed to provide any safety assurance to allow supply convoys safe passage, she says.

'Human shields'

The school being used as a makeshift camp shelled on Wednesday was hit by the army in a heavy exchange of fire with the Tamil Tigers in rebel-held territory.

The rebels say at least 45 civilians were killed on the spot - three more died later of their injuries.

Child injured after army shelling in eastern Sri Lanka

A number of children were among the wounded

Government defence spokesman Keheliya Rambukwella told the AFP news agency that the military had targeted two Tamil Tiger artillery positions, but conceded a civilian centre had also been hit.

"While we regret this whole episode, we also must say that national security is uppermost in our minds," he told reporters.

Mr Rambukwella said the government would investigate the incident, but said the army was responding to an earlier Tamil Tiger attack and accused the rebels of using civilians as human shields.

International truce monitors who have visited the scene described total panic as tens of thousands of people try to leave the area.

Two hospitals have received more than 100 casualties, including at least 17 children.

"There were a lot of explosions, so many people dead and wounded," 29-year-old survivor Palachchenai Kadiraveli told the Reuters news agency.

"A lot of children died... there are thousands of people trying to leave."

Call for answers

The Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) estimates that about 35,000 people have been displaced by fighting in the region which flared up in August.

"Our monitors saw there were no military installations in the camp area, so we would certainly like some answers from the military regarding the nature and reasons of this attack," SLMM spokeswoman Helen Olafsdottir said.

The human rights group, Amnesty International, said: "It is appalling that the military should attack a camp for displaced people - these are civilians who have already been forced from their homes because of the conflict."

The government says nearly 3,000 people - troops, rebels and civilians - have been killed in violence since last year. There is no reliable independent confirmation of that figure.

Correspondents say a 2002 ceasefire now exists only in name.

U.N. condemns Sri Lanka 's shelling of school that sheltered displaced people

Associated Press, Thu November 9, 2006 12:42 EST . COLOMBO, Sri Lanka - (AP) The United Nations on Thursday condemned the Sri Lankan military's shelling of a school sheltering displaced people, killing at least 23 Tamils.

``The U.N. condemns in the strongest possible terms the shelling by the security forces of the government of Sri Lanka - on defenseless civilians sheltering in Kathiraveli School in Vaharai yesterday,'' the U.N. said in a statement.

``The killing and wounding of displaced persons is unjustifiable and a violation of the most basic humanitarian norms,'' the statement said

The refugee camp was devastated by artlery srike 

The dead bodies of the civilians in Vaharai Refugees camp.  

The incident in Vaharai - about 65 civilians were killed and 300 wounded by the artlery strike  

Sri Lanka talks end without deal, no new talks set

29 Oct 2006 17:32:15 GMT

Source: Reuters

GENEVA, Oct 29 (Reuters) - Talks between the Sri Lankan government and Tamil rebels ended on Sunday with no agreement on political or humanitarian issues, and no date was set for further discussions, parties to the talks said.

S.P. Thamilselvan, chief negotiator for the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), said the rebels would not participate in new talks until the A9 highway linking the north to the rest of the country was reopened, a demand refused by the government in the weekend session.

"It is regrettable that they have imposed a condition for future talks," Nimal Siripala de Silva, head of the government delegation, told a Geneva news conference after the two-day meetings.

Eirik Solheim, international development minister of mediator Norway, said he would continue to work with both sides "to discuss all possible ideas on how to move the peace process forward."

The government and Tigers reiterated a commitment to Sri Lanka's 2002 ceasefire deal -- which remains officially in place despite a recent escalation of violence -- and promised in the talks not to launch any military offensives, Solheim said.

"The international community has repeatedly expressed that it expects the parties to show restraint and fulfill these commitments," he said.

Suicide attack LTTE's weapon of choice

Satinder Bindra
CNN

Posted Sunday , October 29, 2006 at 19:27

Updated Sunday , October 29, 2006 at 20:03

LTTE THREAT: Sri Lankan army launching an offensive against the LTTE in early 1990s.

Colombo: A violent run-up to peace talks – though a string of suicide attacks by Tamil rebels left scores dead in just the past two weeks.

CNN traces the origins of suicide bombing – now called the island's most famous export.

Another suicide attack an all too common occurrence regularly played out on TV screens around the world.

The recent one took place on the tiny South Asian island nation of Sri Lanka – where a 26 year old ethnic conflict largely forgotten by the rest of the world – rages on.

The Sri Lankan army has been battling a smaller 7,000 strong, but highly motivated, fighting force – the Tamil tigers.

Along with their military skills, the Tigers are adept at spreading their message on the Internet with videos.

The Tigers say they are justified in using military means to establish a homeland for the country's largest minority, the nearly four million strong Tamil community.

But the US and several other countries label them as terrorists.

Experts even credit the tigers with writing the book on suicide bombings – now one of the most frequently used terror techniques around the world.

Terror Analyst Brendan O'Duffy says, “The suicide belt was pioneered by the Tamil Tigers. They also pioneered naval attacks against large ships, which have also been copied by other organisations. And they have a very sophisticated use of vehicle bombs, cars, trucks, even bicycles to deliver explosives.”

The video, which was shot by Sri Lankan state television in 1993, shows the country's then president Ranasinghe Premadasa at a rally. Moments later, he was assassinated by a tiger who blew himself up just a few feet away.

The photo taken in 1991 shows a female Tamil Tiger just inches away from former Indian prime minister Rajiv Gandhi. Seconds later she detonated her bomb, killing him and herself.

More deadly clashes in Sri Lanka with peace talks underway

GENEVA (AFP) - At least five people were killed in clashes in north and east Sri Lanka overnight, police and defence officials said, as the government and rebel Tamil Tigers hold peace talks in Geneva.

Two suspected rebels were found dead after police repulsed an attack on their patrol late Saturday, officials said.

A third Tiger fighter was gunned down when an unidentified man stormed into a hospital ward in northern Anuradhapura town where he had been recovering from stab wounds and opened fire, police said.

Two soldiers were killed by rebel gunfire in a separate skirmish in the northern Jaffna peninsula Saturday, defence officials said.

Tiger rebels said the first day's outcome was "zero" with no agreement on addressing the urgent needs of over half a million people directly affected by recent fighting that claimed over 3,000 lives and displaced more than 200,000.

"I would say there was no progress after day one," Tamil Tiger chief negotiator S. P. Thamilselvan said. "We did not hear of any steps that would indicate progress. The progress was zero."

He said the "core issue" for his Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) was the addressing of needs of Tamils affected by the recent fighting, the opening of a key highway and the lifting of an economic embargo on rebel territory.

Hopes of a breakthrough were raised Saturday when the Sri Lankan government climbed down from its rigid position and agreed to consider power-sharing similar to what exists in neighbouring India.

"A Sri Lankan model of devolution will be devised for an undivided country to address the root causes of this conflict," the Sri Lankan government's chief negotiator Nimal Siripala de Silva said at the start of talks.

"It will also be a model which will be consistent with regional geo-political realities," de Silva added referring to his giant neighbour India.

The government had earlier opposed a federal system although a previous administration in December 2002 agreed with the Tigers to work towards granting extensive devolution of power within a federal constitution.

Those talks remained inconclusive and the Tigers said there was no firm offer on the table by the government during Saturday's closed-door discussions at the Geneva International Conference Centre.

Norwegian peace brokers had not expected a breakthrough during the two days of talks in this international city where the two parties were expected to play to their own audiences by sticking to entrenched positions.

However, diplomats involved with the process said they were trying to get the parties to agree to meet again in December and January to keep the peace hopes alive and save a tottering truce.

Their last meeting eight months ago in Switzerland was to prevent Sri Lanka sliding back to full-scale war after 153 people were killed between December and February. However, after the February meet, over 3,000 people have been killed.

Norway blamed both parties saying they failed to honour pledges.

A Sri Lankan government delegate who declined to be named said that little progress was made Saturday and noted that there was little scope for compromise.

"The government delegation is not in a position to agree to the LTTE demands because of the military implications," the negotiator said. "We cannot have 'normalising' without 'de-escalating.'"

Top peace broker Erik Solheim warned both sides to show progress or risk losing international financial support. The Tigers who have been fighting for independence for minority Tamils run the risk of greater international isolation while the governnent could lose foreign aid.

Solheim said the international community was running out of patience and the South Asian nation was jeopardising millions of dollars in support.

Speaking on behalf of Sri Lanka's key international backers -- the

European Union, Japan and the United States -- Solheim urged the Sri Lankan government and the LTTE to resolve Asia's longest and the bloodiest separatist conflict which has claimed over 60,000 lives since 1972.

The LTTE's Thamilselvan said they were looking for an immediate response from the government to reopen a key highway to the northern peninsula of Jaffna, cut off by road from the rest of the island since August.

For their part, Thamilselvan said the Tigers were willing to fully cooperate with truce monitors and the Norwegians to implement the February 2002 ceasefire which now remains only on paper.

Peace brokers struggled to save Sri Lanka's collapsing ceasefire as critical talks between the warring parties continued into their final day in Geneva with both sides sticking to their guns

Sri Lankan rebels urge government to lift Jaffna blockade; warn against military moves

Associated Press, Sun October 29, 2006 06:58 COLOMBO, Sri Lanka - (AP) Sri Lanka - 's separatist rebels lambasted the government for not agreeing to lift its blockade of an ethnic Tamil stronghold in the north, and warned of ``serious consequences'' if the military steps up its actions during ongoing negotiations.

Rebel and government negotiators attending the talks in Geneva, Switzerland, hope to salvage a 2002 cease-fire and bring a permanent end to 23 years of civil conflict on the South Asian island.

The cease-fire has virtually collapsed this year in a major upsurge of fighting in the Tamil-majority north and east. The United Nations says the renewed violence has caused more than 200,000 people to flee their homes in the area, where the rebels want to establish a separate Tamil state.

The conflict has left more than 65,000 people dead, in addition to more than 2,000 civilians and combatants killed this year.

The first day of talks on Saturday ``concluded without the parties agreeing to any measures to relieve the humanitarian crisis,'' the pro-rebel Web site TamilNet reported.

The rebels say the government has cut the northern Jaffna peninsula off from the rest of the country, and are demanding that it reopens a key road to allow the delivery of humanitarian supplies.

The government denies there is any blockade and insists a sea delivery route is cheaper, more efficient and safer.

``We took up the humanitarian crisis in Jaffna as the urgent priority issue,'' TamilNet quoted Tigers' political chief, S.P. Tamilselvan, as saying after Saturday's talks, the first formal meeting between the two sides since February.

``The Sri Lankan government was not prepared to relieve the population from the unfolding humanitarian catastrophe,'' Tamilselvan said.

Meanwhile, a rebel official attending the peace talks told The Associated Press in Geneva that the government is building troops numbers near a northern line that divides government and rebel-held territories, as peace talks began for a second day Sunday.

``This is usually done in preparation for military operations. We are very disappointed by the actions of the government. Exploitation ... for military advancement can cause serious consequences,'' said rebel military spokesman, Rasiah Ilanthirayan.

The military denied it was increasing the numbers of its troops near the northern line.

``It is completely wrong,'' military spokesman Brig. Prasad Samarasinghe said, accusing the rebels of carrying out false propaganda.

The government has long blamed the rebels of serious human rights abuses including the recruitment of child soldiers and that they stifle democracy in the areas they control. Colombo has said it hoped the talks can move the country forward.

Talks planned for April were canceled after both sides blamed the other for the rising violence.

The rebels want a self-ruled homeland for minority ethnic Tamils, citing discrimination by the majority Sinhalese. The government says it can offer autonomy, but not a separate state.

Norwegian mediator tells Sri Lanka talks that international community impatient for peace

Norwegian mediator tells Sri Lanka talks that international community impatient for peace

Associated Press, Sat October 28, 2006 07:57 EDT . GENEVA (AP) _ The Norwegian mediator leading two days of peace talks between the Sri Lankan government and Tamil Tiger rebels in Switzerland said Saturday it was time to move forward because the nation's people and the international community were growing impatient for peace.

Erik Solheim, Norway's minister for international development, opened the weekend talks with a personal appeal for progress toward an end to the 23-year conflict that has claimed the lives of more than 65,000 people, saying that ``the people of Sri Lanka may feel a lot of impatience in finding a solution now, and there is also an impatience in the broader international community.''

He warned the parties, who were meeting in Geneva for the second time this year, that progress had to be made soon, otherwise the focus would shift to other conflicts around the globe.

``Every political leader in the world tends to focus on one or two (conflicts) at a time,'' Solheim said.

``The only way for you to get the attention of presidents, prime ministers, foreign ministers, those who make decisions globally, is to move forward. If you move forward they will go with you to the last person,'' he said.

Neither of the Sri Lankan delegations spoke to the press at the start of the meeting, but opening statements were posted on government and pro-Tamil Web sites.

Accusing the government of engaging in an ``undeclared war,'' the political chief of the Tamil Tigers, S.P. Tamilselvan, said his group was prepared to engage in ``unconditional direct talks'' because of the dire situation in the country.

The European Union's inclusion of the Tamil Tigers on a list of designated terrorist groups in May also contributed to a worsening of the conflict, he said, by giving the military the chance to act ``with impunity'' against the rebels.

``The best we can hope for from the current talks is therefore, the strengthening of the (cease-fire) agreement that has the potential to lead to a permanent, just peace,'' Tamilselvan said.

The government, which has long maintained that the Tigers are guilty of serious human rights abuses _ including the recruitment of child soldiers _ and stifling democracy in the areas they control, said it hoped the talks would move the country forward.

At the top of the agenda were ``restoration of democracy, political pluralism, meaningful devolution, human rights and economic development,'' said Sri Lanka's health minister, Nimal Siripala de Silva, who led the government delegation.

The government statement did not make any mention of the rebels' demand Friday that a road linking Sri Lanka's northern Jaffna peninsula with the rest of the country be reopened.

Daya Master, a spokesman for the Tigers, had said Friday that the group would not consent to any future meetings with the government if the military did not lift the road blockade.

The Geneva talks are taking place under tight security against a backdrop of mounting violence in the South Asian country, which has claimed the lives of about 2,000 civilians, soldiers and rebels so far this year.

Solheim, who has been involved in the peace negotiations for eight years, said both sides had failed to implement agreements reached at a first round of talks in February intended to revive a 2002 Norwegian-brokered cease-fire.

Fighting that has flared up since last year has displaced about 200,000 people, according to United Nations estimates, and shut off communities in the north and east of the country.

Earlier Saturday, suspected Tamil Tiger rebels fatally shot a government soldier and two bomb blasts blamed on rebels wounded six police officers in the volatile northeast, the military said.

Highlighting the humanitarian suffering of those affected by the war, Solheim said military de-escalation and an end to impunity for those carrying out the killings were important first steps toward a political solution, which he said should occur ``within the unity and sovereignty of one Sri Lankan state.''

He also called on the parties to allow the Nordic-led Sri Lanka monitoring mission access to all conflict areas in order to assess the adherence to any cease-fire agreements.

Last month a group of Sri Lankan lawyers traveled to Geneva to press the U.N. Human Rights Council to take action against human rights violations being carried out by the Sri Lankan military and the Tamil Tiger rebels.

During the run-up to the talks both sides emphasized their willingness to engage in open discussions to salvage the cease-fire and return Sri Lanka to the state of near normalcy it experienced between 2002 and 2005.

Associated Press Writer Eliane Engeler contributed to this report.

1 soldier, 1 civilian killed, 6 police wounded in Sri Lanka as peace talks begin

Associated Press, Sat October 28, 2006 09:59 EDT . COLOMBO, Sri Lanka - (AP) Suspected Tamil Tiger rebels fatally shot a government soldier and wounded six police officers in two bomb attacks Saturday in volatile northeastern Sri Lanka - , as peace talks began in Switzerland between the two sides. Erik Solheim, the Norwegian chief mediator, opened the talks with a personal appeal for progress in ending the 23-year conflict, saying it was time to move forward because Sri Lanka - 's people and the international community are growing impatient for peace.

The Tigers political chief, S.P. Tamilselvan, accused the government of carrying out an undeclared war against the Tamil people, and said his group was prepared to engage in ``unconditional direct talks'' because of the dire situation.

He blamed the European Union's inclusion of the Tamil Tigers on a list of designated terrorist groups for a worsening of the conflict, saying it had allowed the military the chance to act ``with impunity.''

``The best we can hope for from the current talks is therefore, the strengthening of the (cease-fire) agreement that has the potential to lead to a permanent, just peace,'' Tamilselvan said in Geneva, according to TamilNet.

The government, which has long maintained that the Tigers are guilty of serious human rights abuses including the recruitment of child soldiers and stifling democracy in the areas they control, said it hoped the talks would move the country forward.

Talks planned for April were canceled after both sides blamed the other for the rising violence.

Increased fighting in the island country off southern India has killed about 2,000 soldiers, rebels and civilians this year.

The rebels want a self-ruled homeland for minority ethnic Tamils, citing discrimination by the majority Sinhalese.

The government says it can offer autonomy, but not a separate state. About 65,000 people were killed before the 2002 truce

Rains claim four lives, 45,000 displaced

COLOMBO: The prevailing heavy inter-monsoon rains have caused four deaths and 45,000 people from 8,000 families have been displaced. Many areas in several districts were flooded. The four deaths have been reported from Dankotuwa, Neluwa and Yakkalamulla.

Around 500 houses have been destroyed in Gampaha, Kalutara, Colombo and Ratnapura districts.

Residents of Gampaha, Wattala, Katana and Ja-Ela areas were seriously affected by the heavy rain.

Puttalam, Naththandiya, Mahawewa, Dankotuwa, Veyangoda, Galle and Yakkalamulla have been affected by floods. Public transportation has come to a standstill and telephone lines and electricity lines have been seriously damaged.

Landslides have occurred in Deraniyagala due to heavy rain.

Kelani, Kalu, Walawa and Gin rivers are about to overflow. The water level of Ma-Oya has increased.

The present climate will continue till the end of November, Deputy Director of the Meteorological Department S. Kariyawasam said.

The public are warned to take precautions against heavy thunder and lightning activity during this period.

The Government has provided Rs. 4 million relief assistance to those displaced by the torrential rains which began on October 13.

Rs.20,000 will be given as compensation to reconstruct damaged houses.

The Government has already handed over funds to Divisional Secretaries to provide cooked meals and other essential dry rations to flood victims.

Disaster Relief Service Ministry's National Disaster Management Centre Director N.D. Hettiarchchi told the Daily News that the prevailing heavy rains and occasional cyclonic winds were a feature of the inter-monsoon rains.

The heavy rains experienced during the past few days caused floods in a number of Districts. This was one of the homes submerged in the floods on Bund Road, Hendala, Wattala. But for kids like this even the vagaries of weather could be changed to playtime!

Rains claim four lives, 45,000 displaced

COLOMBO: The prevailing heavy inter-monsoon rains have caused four deaths and 45,000 people from 8,000 families have been displaced. Many areas in several districts were flooded. The four deaths have been reported from Dankotuwa, Neluwa and Yakkalamulla.

Around 500 houses have been destroyed in Gampaha, Kalutara, Colombo and Ratnapura districts.

Residents of Gampaha, Wattala, Katana and Ja-Ela areas were seriously affected by the heavy rain.

Puttalam, Naththandiya, Mahawewa, Dankotuwa, Veyangoda, Galle and Yakkalamulla have been affected by floods. Public transportation has come to a standstill and telephone lines and electricity lines have been seriously damaged.

Landslides have occurred in Deraniyagala due to heavy rain.

Kelani, Kalu, Walawa and Gin rivers are about to overflow. The water level of Ma-Oya has increased.

The present climate will continue till the end of November, Deputy Director of the Meteorological Department S. Kariyawasam said.

The public are warned to take precautions against heavy thunder and lightning activity during this period.

The Government has provided Rs. 4 million relief assistance to those displaced by the torrential rains which began on October 13.

Rs.20,000 will be given as compensation to reconstruct damaged houses.

The Government has already handed over funds to Divisional Secretaries to provide cooked meals and other essential dry rations to flood victims.

Disaster Relief Service Ministry's National Disaster Management Centre Director N.D. Hettiarchchi told the Daily News that the prevailing heavy rains and occasional cyclonic winds were a feature of the inter-monsoon rains.

1 soldier, 1 civilian killed, 6 police wounded in Sri Lanka as peace talks begin

Associated Press, Sat October 28, 2006 09:59 EDT . COLOMBO, Sri Lanka - (AP) Suspected Tamil Tiger rebels fatally shot a government soldier and wounded six police officers in two bomb attacks Saturday in volatile northeastern Sri Lanka - , as peace talks began in Switzerland between the two sides. Erik Solheim, the Norwegian chief mediator, opened the talks with a personal appeal for progress in ending the 23-year conflict, saying it was time to move forward because Sri Lanka - 's people and the international community are growing impatient for peace.

The Tigers political chief, S.P. Tamilselvan, accused the government of carrying out an undeclared war against the Tamil people, and said his group was prepared to engage in ``unconditional direct talks'' because of the dire situation.

He blamed the European Union's inclusion of the Tamil Tigers on a list of designated terrorist groups for a worsening of the conflict, saying it had allowed the military the chance to act ``with impunity.''

``The best we can hope for from the current talks is therefore, the strengthening of the (cease-fire) agreement that has the potential to lead to a permanent, just peace,'' Tamilselvan said in Geneva, according to TamilNet.

The government, which has long maintained that the Tigers are guilty of serious human rights abuses including the recruitment of child soldiers and stifling democracy in the areas they control, said it hoped the talks would move the country forward.

Talks planned for April were canceled after both sides blamed the other for the rising violence.

Increased fighting in the island country off southern India has killed about 2,000 soldiers, rebels and civilians this year.

The rebels want a self-ruled homeland for minority ethnic Tamils, citing discrimination by the majority Sinhalese.

The government says it can offer autonomy, but not a separate state. About 65,000 people were killed before the 2002 truce

Govt succeeds in facing terror threats and boosting national security

PEACE: The capability of any Government to usher in peace depends on its capability to defend national security. And it always depends on its ability to identify threats to national security and its ability to get rid of such threats.

For successive Governments, identifying such threats became a tiresome task in the face of threats posed by the Tiger outfit on the country's national security and neglecting those threats after sticking to the blind policy of bringing peace at any cost.

The LTTE for the past few decades used this tactic to boost their bargaining power at peace talks posing terror to national security and thereby hindering any genuine effort by any Government to address the grievances of the Tamil community in the North East.

Soldiers guard the Kandy-Colombo road after the recent discovery of a claymore mine at Kadawatha. AP

Therefore, it was incumbent upon any Government to get rid of such threats on national security to direct the negotiations between the Government and the LTTE towards evolving a solution for the North East issue.

It was under these circumstances that President Mahinda Rajapaksa at a meeting he had with Donor Co-Chair representatives on August 22 stressed that his Government will seriously consider any initiative incorporating a clear commitment to a comprehensive and verifiable Cessation of Hostilities by the LTTE leader.

He further stressed that such a cessation of hostilities should include modalities to ensure that the Sampur area does not pose a military threat to the Trincomalee harbour and its environs due to the LTTE military presence in Sampur violating the CFA.

The line of thinking of President Rajapaksa was very clear as his statement indicates that he was well aware of the unpredictable nature of the Tiger terrorists' commitment to a cessation of hostilities and also LTTE's ability to make use of their presence in Sampur to pose a threat to national security.

Though elimination of threats on the Trincomalee harbour was taken as a political issue no one dared to remove those threats as they did not want to buckle the peace process in the name of national security.

It was under this backdrop and with the change of defence policies the present Government took the initiative to dispel all forms of threats to national security while effectively facing the offensive operations of the LTTE.

The Government always had the good intention of keeping the hopes for peace kicking and alive.

The decision to flush out Tiger threats from Sampur area upto Ilankanthai in the South of Trincomalee was taken following the LTTE's abortive attempt to take control of Muttur in South of Trincomalee when troops engaged in the humanitarian mission of liberating the Mavilaru anicut from the LTTE.

It was patently clear that LTTE used the Mavilaru issue as a launching pad for their military operations to gain control over the strategic Muttur town and Trincomalee harbour and their follow up bid to take control over Jaffna peninsula.

If not for the Security Forces ability to foil the LTTE's August 2 pre-dawn attack on the Kattaparichchan Army detachment the story would have been much more different today.

The LTTE would have taken more advantage in their follow up bids to take control over Jaffna as it could pose a bigger threat to the Trincomalee Naval Base, the harbour and also to Trincomalee town if they succeeded in their effort to overrun Kattaparichan Army camp.

If they could breach the defences at Kattaparichchan and take control over Muttur they could have easily sieged the Trincomalee harbour as Muttur was the only location they did not have any control earlier.

All areas surrounding the Koddyar bay, Sampur and Ilankanthai in the South of Muttur and Ralkuli, Navaladi, Gange, Upparu, Kandalakadu, Kinniya and Manirasakulam in the Western part of Muttur were under Tiger control and Muttur was the only obstacle to keeping their line of contact.

The failure of the LTTE to take control of the Kattaparichchan Army detachment manned by nearly 50 Security Forces personnel inside and outside the detachment using more than 400 LTTE cadres kept Security Forces morale high to face any LTTE threat.

If they succeeded in their bid they could have pushed the Security Forces to Habarana and totally cut off the linkage with the Jaffna peninsula by sea in the aftermath of the closure of A-9 road from Omanthai.

The subsequent attempts by the LTTE on August 12 and 16 to breach Forward Defence Lines in Muhamalai and Kilaly was a clear indication that the Muttur attack was not a diversionary one but was interconnected to their master military plan to take control of Jaffna peninsula.

The foiled attack on the Jet Liner carrying 800 unarmed soldiers and the artillery attack on Trincomalee dockyard on August 1 were also clear evidence that all those plans were interlinked.

The clashes in Muttur and the confrontations at Jaffna FDLs prompted the Government to make the Trincomalee harbour more secure as it is the life line linking the Jaffna peninsula with the South.

The Security Forces ability to gain control over Sampur and Ilankanthai areas in early September flushing out LTTE Sea Tiger squadrons and artillery and mortar threats further South of Trincomalee towards Verugal has pushed the LTTE's capabilities of posing threats to national security to the lowest level.

The deployment of troops under the 222 Brigade coming under the 22nd Division of the Army has strengthened security in 160 square kilometres in Sampur and Ilankanthai. The Security of Trincomalee harbour was further strengthened with the move by the Security Forces to take control of uncleared areas of Navaladi, Upparu, Kandalakadu, Gange, Ralkuli and Manirasakulam in a limited operation conducted in the area in the first week of October.

Now the Security Forces have recommenced dominating these areas destroying the LTTE military training bases in Kandalakadu and a number of LTTE transit camps there.

In addition to this the Security Forces' ability to push the LTTE defences in the Jaffna peninsula further South of Jaffna peninsula has also helped lessen LTTE artillery and mortar threats on Security Forces defences in the Jaffna peninsula specially to the air field in Palaly.

The Security Forces has also been able to paralyse the Sea Tiger capabilities by successfully engaging their Sea Tiger bases in Mullaitivu and in the East through air strikes. Several Naval battles has also further diminished the LTTE hopes for posing bigger threats to national security.

As repeatedly reiterated by the Government it had not moved out of the path of evolving a negotiated settlement to the North-East issue by engaging in such limited operations in its bid to strengthening the national security.

But it seems the LTTE as a terror organisation with a long history of suicide missions, despite expressing their willingness to enter peace talks have not given up their desire to pose a threat to national security.

The LTTE throughout the last few months had clearly demonstrated that they would not hesitate to use their death squads to inflict damage as they failed to effectively face with the Security Forces.

The suicide attacks on unarmed Naval troops at Digampotana, Habarana, on the Dhakshina Naval Base in Galle and the foiled suicide Sea Tiger attack in Nagarkovil in Jaffna within last week clearly indicate that it was the only option they have to resort in the event of their inability to convince their terror capabilities.

So far no legitimate Government in the world has found any mechanism to defend national security from such suicide attacks.

The LTTE delegation in Geneva for the proposed talks on October 28 and 29 will have to answer on which ground they are going to represent the Tamil community as it had held the Tamil community to ransom on gaining their terroristic goals.

Under these circumstances the responsibility lies with the international community to corner them internationally, strengthening the hands of the Government without issuing some ludicrous travel warnings to their citizens to prevent them visiting Sri Lanka in the aftermath of such suicide attacks.

The Presidential Award of Excellence was awarded yesterday by President Mahinda Rajapaksa to each of the four students who topped the GCE Advanced Level Examination 2006 in Arts, Mathematics, Biology and Commerce streams. Here Madhavi Fernando (Arts/Girls High School, Kandy), Manudha Herath (Mathematics/Royal College, Colombo), Rasanga Abhishek (Commerce/Nalanda College, Colombo) and Harsha Dissanayake (Biology/Nalanda College, Colombo) in conversation with the President, who instructed officials to grant Rs.25,000 each from the President�s Fund to the four students for their educational endeavours. The event was organised by ITN and Lakhanda networks. Picture by Saliya Rupasinghe See tomorrow�s Daily News Teen page for interviews with the four A/L stars. 

Suspected Tamil rebels fatally shoot 2 civilians in northeast, military says

Associated Press, Fri October 27, 2006 01:25 EDT . COLOMBO, Sri Lanka - (AP) Suspected Tamil rebels shot dead two civilians in northeast Sri Lanka - , the military said Friday, while it denied a claim that it attacked rebel patrol boats off the island's Jaffa peninsula.

Bodies of the two young men apparently in their mid-20s and with their hands tied behind their back were found near the east port town of Trincomalee, the Defense Ministry said in its Web site.

They were believed to have been killed Thursday night, the report said. Tiger spokesman for the area could not be contacted immediately for comment.

Pro-rebel TamilNet Web site said a sea battle off the northern Jaffna peninsula lasted for five hours on Thursday but gave no casualty figures or report of damage.

The Web site said the army's coastal bases backed the naval attack by giving support artillery fire.

``Our navy was not engaged in any fight,'' navy spokesman, Commander D.K.P. Dassanayake said Friday.

``The LTTE wants to create a false impression that our forces are attacking them when both sides are engaging in (peace) talks,'' defense spokesman, Keheliya Rambukwella said about the weekend talks in Geneva, Switzerland.

Rambukwella was calling the rebels by their formal name, the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam or LTTE.

The talks are aimed at salvaging a 2002 cease-fire that has virtually collapsed amid a major upsurge in fighting.

The navy regularly patrol the sea in the northeast to protect from any attack by the rebels' sea wing called the Sea Tigers and also to prevent smuggling of arms and ammunition. TamilNet, quoting an unidentified navy officer, said the navy had ``mistaken Sea Tiger patrol vessels ... as an LTTE attempt to launch an attack on Jaffna.''

The rebels want a self-ruled homeland for the country's minority Tamils. The government says it can offer autonomy, but not a separate state. The civil war flared up in 1983, and 65,000 people were killed until the Norwegian-brokered truce in 2002.

The renewed fighting this year has seen some 2,000 soldiers, rebels and civilians killed.

Sri Lanka Geneva Talks Aim to Revive Peace Process With Rebels

bloomberg.com, Oct 27 04:00. Oct. 27 (Bloomberg) -- Sri Lanka's government and Tamil rebels meet for the first time in eight months to try to revive a peace process that will end the South Asian island nation's two- decade civil war.

President Mahinda Rajapaksa wants the two-day meeting that begins tomorrow in Geneva to be the start of peace negotiations. The success of the talks depends on halting the heaviest fighting in Sri Lanka since Norway brokered a cease-fire four years ago, Daya Master, a spokesman for the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam said in an Oct. 24 telephone interview.

``We have no faith in the peace talks, but are attending at the request of the international community,'' Master said from the rebels' headquarters in Kilinochchi in northern Sri Lanka. ``The outcome of the talks all depends on how much the government is willing to stop violence.''

Sri Lankan rebels say government must agree to reopen key road to north at Geneva talks

Associated Press, Fri October 27, 2006 04:37 EDT . COLOMBO, Sri Lanka - (AP) Sri Lanka - 's government must agree to reopen a key road to ethnic Tamil-majority areas in the north during weekend peace talks or no negotiations will be possible in the future, a rebel spokesman said Friday.

The Tamil Tiger rebel negotiators participating in the two-day talks starting in Switzerland on Saturday will insist that the road linking northern Jaffna peninsula with the rest of the country be opened, rebel spokesman Daya Master said.

He said the rebels will not consent to any future meetings with the government if the demand is not met.

The road leading to government-controlled Jaffna city, cutting across a vast rebel-held territory, was closed in early August when intense fighting broke out between government troops and Tamil Tiger guerrillas.

Severing the road cut off 500,000 people who now depend on irregular, government-arranged food shipments brought mainly by sea.

The peninsula is facing an acute shortage of food, medicine and other essential items because of a lack of transport facilities and security threats, residents say.

The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam rebels have fought the government since 1983 demanding a self-ruled homeland for minority Tamils in the north and east, citing decades of discrimination by the majority Sinhalese-dominated state.

More than 65,000 people were killed in the conflict before a 2002 Norway-brokered cease-fire. But the truce has virtually collapsed with heavy fighting that has killed another 2,000 soldiers, rebels and civilians this year.

Government and rebel officials are meeting in Switzerland over the weekend to find ways to halt the bloodshed.

Eid Mubarak to all and wish you enjoy every moment of the holy Eid days and may Allah keep peace in every step you go throughout your life and wish you health, happiness and success forever 

Eid Mubarak - skynet wishes for all 

The Hidden Truth behind the Sri Lankan Peace Process

Dominic Whiteman - 10/24/2006

A week after publishing VIGIL Network’s shock-inspiring intelligence report on the activities of the LTTE (Tamil Tigers) in the United Kingdom, it seems a good time – after one successful infiltration - to release the details of another successful infiltration some time ago and the factors behind the initiation of the peace process between the LTTE and the Sri Lankan Government in the late nineties. To tell the world that it took an outsider – just one man with the goal of peace and a shrewd mind – to initiate the peace talks between a country and a terrorist organisation in conflict with that country.

This is an opportune time to reveal this evidence – so that the LTTE right now wakes up to the indisputable fact that it was as easily infiltrated then as it is now (yes, LTTE, London, more evidence is on its way from the latest infiltration of your group by VIGIL). That it ought fast to realise that it is a particularly amateurish, hot-headed crowd. That its members should just grow up, put down their arms and get back to the negotiating table used by real men as soon as possible - unless it wants to seem, increasingly in the world’s eyes, like just another group of gutless, suicide-bombing losers, mentioned in the same breath as those other life-haters Al Qaeda, who, without asking their fellows, have hijacked a whole religion while the LTTE have hijacked all Tamils’ good name.

Go back to the 10th April, 1998. VIGIL intelligence operative Glen Jenvey was sitting in his chair at the LTTE’s London headquarters at 211 Katherine Road. Jenvey had by then infiltrated the LTTE so successfully – working at the time for an SIS (State Intelligence Service) official – that, extraordinarily, he was working as the LTTE’s official press secretary, appointed by the terrorist group’s London leaders. The fax machine next to him rang at some point that afternoon and a fax transmission began to emerge with sender’s details he recognised immediately.

This was a fax from Mr Danaka – from the IRA’s political wing’s press office in Falls Road, Belfast. Danaka was one of many terrorist contacts Jenvey had become connected with through his role at the LTTE – contacts he passed intelligence about onto the SIS on a regular basis, who then shared this intelligence with the security agencies of other countries. It was a fax of the Good Friday Agreement, which had been negotiated only days before between the IRA and the British Government. Jenvey had some time on his hands and so read the faxed document in detail over a cup of tea and some digestive biscuits.

Jenvey was in scheming mood. Fed up with what he called the “forever-arguing Lord of the Flies organisation” that is the LTTE in London, he decided it was about time they were pushed onto the peace-negotiating table, rather than continually arguing amongst themselves and stumbling mindlessly from one terrorist atrocity to the next. Jenvey reached for some LTTE headed paper and compiled a fax to the South African Embassy’s first secretary in London, Sue Singh, with words transferred from the IRA document asking South Africa to hold peace talks with the LTTE and Sri Lankan government. One of the lines lifted from the IRA document Jenvey remembers was “in good faith on all sides”. Much of his transmission was a verbatim copy of the Good Friday Agreement’s terminology – adjusted here and there to seem more applicable and genuine.

A few days later the LTTE press office fax machine whirred to life again. Out came a fax from the South African Embassy saying they would agree to meet the LTTE with the view to holding peace talks between the LTTE and the Sri Lankan government. Jenvey was both surprised (that his scheme had worked) and delighted. To him it made sense to have the South Africans as hosts – their truth and reconciliation committee, reconciliatory governmental manoeuvres and the high profile of Nelson Mandela seemed like a perfect backcloth for a peace deal between the Sri Lankan Government and the Tamil Tigers.

A copy of the South African Embassy’s fax was swiftly passed onto the LTTE London hierarchy and to the Sri Lankan government via the SIS official. Phone calls to the South African Embassy by Jenvey revealed his request for the South African government to hold peace talks went through to the number two of the new ANC government in South Africa, who authorised the hosting of the peace process.

Jenvey remembers the LTTE were at first cautious about the talks and got in quite a fluster. After several free-for-all arguments, the London leaders decided they would have to contact the overall leader of the LTTE who would be the only person sufficiently authorised to agree on peace talks.

The Sri Lankan President’s office were openly asking if the LTTE were ready to stop violence and sit at the peace table for the good of the whole of Sri Lanka. The LTTE eventually responded by saying that they were going to visit the South African embassy in London to “talk about peace talks”.

It was looking as if the civilians on both sides were going to get a chance for peace because of Jenvey’s opportunistic fax.

Alas the LTTE leadership had other ideas. In spite of claiming to be the “ANC of Sri Lanka” the LTTE declared that the South Africans were not suitable hosts. The LTTE wanted to have the talks chaired by Norway – a country where the LTTE had managed to establish themselves sufficiently to engage in direct dialogue with a sympathetic and listening government.

And thus the “peace process” began. Today it teeters on the abyss, though its Norwegian peace envoy Jon Hanssen-Bauer expressed today “cautious optimism” that both sides might sit down shortly for more talks. This against a background this last week of highly-publicised sea battles and scores of yet more pointless deaths.

Jenvey is proud that, from his chair in London, he opportunistically paved the way for the first steps to peace but he is saddened that today the war continues and the LTTE is more inward-looking than it has ever been. “If there is to be a meaningful peace which I worked for many years ago it's not the Sri Lankan Government who are dragging their feet but the LTTE and its mafia style organisation who without war would have no hold over the Tamil people or demand money from them for their own personal gain and extravagant lifestyles,” says Jenvey. “A real hope for peace in Sri Lanka is slipping away and talks have been dragged out by the LTTE leadership for many years in the hope that while peace talks persist, even at a snails pace, the EU and other governments will hold off enforcing anti terror laws against them.”

What is clear, following VIGIL’s intelligence report published last week, is that the LTTE is all about feathering its own nest. Like the IRA in Ireland it has become so dependent on criminal activity that its ideals and goals have been forgotten – relegated by its leadership’s short-termism and the allure of easy wealth from their criminal empire. Real intent for peace talks does not exist while big-bellied LTTE leaders bathe in their jacuzzis and dine in Europe’s finest eateries at the expense of the Tamil people – whether those paying mafia-style payments to the LTTE or those thousands of Tamils who have been homeless for years and forgotten in refugee camps.

If only the Tamil people realised that the LTTE’s dismissal of South African-led talks years ago was in fact a self-preserving gesture on the part of LTTE leaders, who feared a genuine peace and an end to their racketeering. That their acceptance of Norwegian-led talks was the result of a decision by the LTTE leadership, concluding that the Norwegians would be easier to play along than the South Africans, who then seemed to be getting impossible things done in a spirit of fairness, reconciliation and truth. The last thing the LTTE wanted then or wants now is truth – shame for them that VIGIL has to keep printing it.

Last words to Mr Jenvey, whose opportunism is surely worthy of recognition by Nobel:

“The very first approach to the South African ANC Government for peace talks between the LTTE and Sri Lanka was made in good faith in light of the fact that it was the hope of many to see peace in Sri Lanka. The LTTE who try and compare their war to the struggle of the ANC have shown as years go by they are in fact nothing like the ANC – that they will reside permanently in the gutter of history (save a brave volte face now) alongside the lowest of the low of common terrorists as base and depraved as Al Qaeda and the Real IRA.”

Dominic Whiteman is spokesperson for the London-based VIGIL anti-terrorist organization – an international network of terror trackers, including former intelligence officers, military personnel and experts ranging from linguistic to banking experts.

Sri Lanka 's political rivals join to solve separatist conflict as violence kill 2

Associated Press, Mon October 23, 2006 08:11 EDT . COLOMBO, Sri Lanka - (AP) Sri Lanka - 's main opposing political parties on Monday pledged to cooperate to settle renewed conflict with the Tamil Tiger rebels, as two people, including a Hindu priest, were reported killed in the country's volatile north. Meanwhile, officials of the ruling coalition's Sri Lanka - Freedom Party and the main opposition, United National Party, signed an agreement at a ceremony at President Mahinda Rajapakse's official residence. The UNP will support the government ``in the pursuit of a negotiated settlement to the ongoing conflict while opposing terrorism in all its manifestations,'' the agreement said.

The agreement comes as the government and Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam rebels are preparing for peace talks in Switzerland on Oct. 28-29.

The parties also agreed to cooperate in areas such as electoral reforms, good governance and social development.

The parties together control 125 seats in Sri Lanka - 's 225-member Parliament, and their consensus is vital to muster a two-thirds majority to push through any constitutional reforms that would allow power sharing with minority groups.

The LTTE rebels, who have fought against the government since 1983 to create a separate state for ethnic minority Tamils, have long claimed that bickering between the two main parties in Parliament has made a political settlement impossible.

Fighting between the rebels and the government killed 65,000 people before a Norway brokered cease-fire signed in 2002 temporarily halted the bloodshed. But renewed violence has killed 2,000 people this year, even though both the government and the rebels claim that they are honoring the cease-fire.

Galle Atatck

006-10-18 11:30:51
GALLE: THREE LTTE SUICIDE BOATS in the guise of fishing trawlers rammed into the Southern Naval Headquarter (DAKSHINA Naval Base) in GALLE this morning (18) around 7.30.

Naval troops on closely monitoring the three boats that were speeding into the Headquarters premises opened several warning shots but two of them rammed into the jetty causing an explosion. Naval troops acted swiftly and completely destroyed the other suicide boat killing all aboard.

At least one sailor was killed, eleven injured and one sailor went missing in the incident. The injured were admitted to KARAPITIYA hospital.

Security in the area beefed up and immediate search operations in the seas off GALLE are now on to ascertain whether any infiltration of terrorists has occurred.

Curfew was declared in the GALLE Municipal Council area enabling the Security Forces to conduct search and clear operations.

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Contents of this site are the sole property of Sri Lanka Army and any duplication in any media is liable for prosecution.Reproduction of these465 stories/data is possible provided its source is given its recognition.

The bomber rammed a truck laden with explosives into buses carrying sailors starting and ending tours of duty. Civilians were reported to be among the dead and injured. 

Sailors' helmets, boots, bags and other belongings were left scattered around the scene, near the town of Habarana to the south-west of the eastern port of Trincomalee. 

About 100 people have been killed in a suicide attack on a naval convoy in northern Sri Lanka, the military says. The government blames Tamil Tiger rebels. 

About 100 people have been killed in a suicide attack on a naval convoy in northern Sri Lanka, the military says. The government blames Tamil Tiger rebels. 

Security personnel collect the weapons of sailors killed in a suicide bomb attack carried out by suspected Tamil Tiger rebels in the north-eastern Sri lankan town of Habarana, in the Trincomalee district. Sri Lanka has suffered its worst ever suicide attack when suspected Tamil Tiger rebels detonated a truck packed with explosives next to a convoy of sailors, killing at least 102 people and wounding 150 more.(AFP) 

Widespread Health Hazard in Kattankuduy

By: Khalid - Marzook

Currently there is an increase in diseases like cancer and Jaundice in Kattankduy. Specially, the number of children who fall sick in this region is alarmingly high. This sudden increase is causing great fear and panic among the local population of Kattankudy. This grave situation is mainly attributed to the deteriorating living condition worsened by an ultra dense population of the area. As a result of the population increase, the food hygiene and other health habits have been driven to a lower level.

Once instance where the food hygiene is concerned is the take away food sales in the small hotels here. Knowingly or unknowingly these people buy and sell these food items which are hygienically unsuitable. For instance the Samosa (a kind of pastry) is very popular among these people. This item is fried in the oil which is repeatedly used several times for the purpose. As a result, it is said that this oil is a cause for the fatal diseases above mentioned. We learn that the health authorities also warned of this danger. This is only one instance where the unscrupulous hoteliers misuse the innocence of the people. These vendors also profusely use a food taste-adder ( Aji no moto), which is already a prohibited substance.

There is also the danger of contamination of water due to the thickness in population whose waste materials are disposed of beneath their own dwellings. The wells which are shallow with clear water get easily contaminated by these waste materials. With no alternatives these people drink this water highly contaminated. We feel this condition is so severe and fatal that a remedy should be found sooner. If these people are made aware of these dangers, they may at least escape the calamity in the middle. Only possible rectification now, we assume, is that a campaign to educate them on these issues. We hope you would consider these facts and help us draw up a program to implement. For this purpose, we think it is better for people like you in the medical field itself to decide on procedures to start with. Then we can carry on what you have begun.

Concerned citizens in Kattankudy

Suicide bombing kills over 100 in Sri Lanka

by Amal Jayasinghe Mon Oct 17, 10:09 AM ET

COLOMBO (AFP) - Sri Lanka has suffered its worst ever suicide attack when suspected Tamil Tiger rebels detonated a truck packed with explosives next to a convoy of sailors, killing at least 102 people and wounding 150 more.

The government said Monday the "barbaric" act, which coincided with increased international efforts to restore a 2002 truce, meant the rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) was not interested in negotiations scheduled to take place next week in Switzerland.

The bombing occurred about 170 kilometres (105 miles) northeast of Colombo at a transit point for security personnel coming to and from the front line of the drawn-out conflict in the restive northeastern district of Trincomalee.

"Suicide bombers drove a truck packed with explosives into the area where there were about 15 buses," a police official in nearby Sigiriya town told AFP by telephone. "We have two helicopters to evacuate the wounded".

Doctors said that 98 bodies were at the nearby Dambulla hospital while four more people died while being taken by road to a hospital in the major town of Kurunegala.

"This barbaric attack on unarmed sailors shows that the Tigers are not worried about international opinion," said government defence spokesman Keheliya Rambukwella, who is also the minister of policy planning.

"We are keen on negotiations, but the Tigers are not."

The military moved to carry out retaliatory air strikes against the Tigers, but an Israeli-built Kfir war plane crashed shortly after take off from a military base here, officials said.

They said the aircraft crashed into the Negombo lagoon, but the pilot ejected to safety and was rescued by helicopters.

There was no immediate comment from the Tamil Tigers, who last week fiercely resisted a major military onslaught, killing at least 133 soldiers and wounding 500 in two hours of fighting, according to government figures.

The first suicide truck bombing against the security forces was in 1987 when an explosives-laden truck rammed into an army camp on the Jaffna peninsula, killing 40 troops.

Until Monday's attack the worst suicide bombing was against the central bank building in Colombo, killing 91 and wounding 1,400.

Monday's blast came as Sri Lanka's key international backers moved to salvage a 2002 truce and arrange talks later this month.

Top Japanese envoy Yasushi Akashi Monday met with President Mahinda Rajapakse and former chief peace negotiator Nimal Siripala de Silva.

Akashi was also expected to meet top LTTE leaders during his six-day visit, although a sit-down exchange with the Tiger's reclusive commander Velupillai Prabhakaran was unlikely, Japanese officials said.

Norway, the main peace broker in Sri Lanka, was planning to send special envoy Jon Hanssen-Bauer on Tuesday to work out details for the October 28-29 talks in Switzerland.

The Tigers have said they will confirm whether they are participating in the talks when they meet Hanssen-Bauer in the rebel-held town of Kilinochchi on Thursday.

US Assistant Secretary of State Richard Boucher was also expected to meet Thursday with government ministers and civil leaders.

More than 2,300 people have been killed in spiralling violence since December, according to official figures.

Both sides have accused each other of sporadic attacks since major clashes last week, including shelling and airstrikes. The navy also said it had sunk a Tiger trawler loaded with arms Sunday.

More than 60,000 people have been killed in the three-decades-old conflict for a Tamil homeland on the Sinhalese-majority island.

Military says Tamil Tiger suicide attack kills 92 Sri Lankan sailors

Associated Press, Mon October 17, 2006 06:05 EDT . COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) _ Tamil Tiger rebels rammed a truck loaded with explosives into a naval convoy in central Sri Lanka on Monday, killing at least 92 sailors and wounding more than 150, in what the military described as a cold-blooded massacre.

``All these people were without weapons and were going on leave,'' military spokesman Brig. Prasad Samarasinghe said.

Samarasinghe said the attack happened near the town of Dambulla, about 150 kilometers (90 miles) northeast of the capital Colombo, when the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam rammed a small truck loaded with explosives into a convoy of military buses.

The blast killed 92 sailors, while more than 150 were wounded and evacuated to nearby hospitals.

He said the buses were carrying sailors from the port town of Trincomalee.

President Mahinda Rajapakse's office said in a statement that the attack ``was further proof of the LTTE's unmitigated commitment to violence to achieve its ends and was in total disregard of international demands for it to abandon violence and seek peaceful means to achieve its goals.''

The military called the attack, one of the deadliest since a Norwegian-brokered 2002 cease-fire, a ``cold-blooded massacre.''

``This inhuman act is a clear revenge by the terrorists on the navy who inflicted successive defeats for LTTE against their attempts of smuggling arms and explosives,'' a military statement said.

The navy on Sunday destroyed a trawler loaded with arms along the west coast, killing at least five Tamil Tiger separatists.

A witness said that several of the buses attacked had caught fire, while the truck driven by the suicide bomber was destroyed. He said the body of the truck driver was found about 50 meters (yards) from the scene.

The attack comes as a Japanese envoy held talks with the Sri Lankan president Monday amid intensified diplomatic efforts to strengthen the peace process between the government and rebels ahead of scheduled talks between the two sides later this month in Switzerland.

It was not immediately clear what impact the attack would have on those talks. There was no immediate comment from the rebels on the attack, although they routinely deny their involvement.

Yasushi Akashi also planned to travel to the rebel stronghold in the north to talk with the Tiger leadership during his five days in Sri Lanka. A Japanese Embassy spokesman said he had no information yet on whether those plans would change following the attack.

Thorfinnur Omarsson, a spokesman for the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission, urged the government and rebels to keep their commitment to the peace talks despite the deadly attack.

``Obviously this is a brutal attack and a serious threat to the peace process,'' Omarsson said. ``But the people of Sri Lanka deserve that the talks will take place as planned.''

Norwegian peace envoy Jon Hanssen-Bauer was also scheduled to return to the island this week ahead of the planned Oct. 28-29 peace talks, while U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Central and South Asian Affairs Richard Boucher will make a two-day visit to Sri Lanka starting Thursday.

The flurry of diplomatic activity comes after some of the bloodiest fighting since the cease-fire was signed in 2002, temporarily ending nearly two decades of civil war. Heavy battles last Wednesday on the northern Jaffna Peninsula left hundreds of combatants dead, despite commitments by both the government and rebels to return to the negotiating table.

The military controls nearly all of the Jaffna Peninsula, which the ethnic Tamil minority claim as their cultural heartland. The Tigers still hold small pockets in the area.

Fighting has left about 2,000 people dead this year, according to the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission, set up to oversee the cease-fire.

The Tigers have been fighting since 1983 for a separate homeland for the Tamil minority in the north and east, citing decades of discrimination by the majority Sinhalese. About 65,000 people were killed before the 2002 cease-fire