Billions for SAARC

While the masses tighten their belts, staggering in the face of the skyrocketing cost of living, the forthcoming SAARC summit is set to cost Sri Lanka at least a whopping Rs. 3 billion, The Nation learns.According to the initial estimates drawn up on Friday, the summit, which was shifted from Kandy to Colombo due to security and infrastructure related issues, will cost the country a staggering Rs. 2,889,180, 332.The Rs. 2.8 billion estimate includes infrastructure development, accommodation, transport and decorations.

The government will seek to pass the Rs. 2.8 billion as a supplementary budget at the next Parliamentary session.Sources, however, stressed that the final cost is usually much higher than the initial estimate, due to which there was a huge possibility that the total cost of the summit would surpass the Rs. 3 billion mark. Meanwhile, News-Lanka learns that apart from purchasing a large number of luxury vehicles for the use of VVIPs, the government is also spending millions to lease out vehicles for the use of other delegates at the summit. Sri Lanka is expecting around 800 to 900 delegates at the summit, with more than 150 foreign journalists also expected to cover the two-day event.

Police Commandos gun down LTTE cadre

Police Special Task Force (STF) commandos gunned down an LTTE cadre during a confrontation at Kaluthavalai in Batticaloa this evening (June 22). According to the defence sources, the STF personnel have launched a cordoned search operation in the area following the claymore attack that killed 2 police personnel in this morning.

The STF personnel have encountered small arms fire during the search, originated from an abandoned house around 2.45 pm. The STF has retaliated to the attack and subsequently found a body of an LTTE cadre along with 2 hand grenades, and a cyanide capsule. The body of the LTTE cadre has been handed over to General Hospital Kalawanchikudi

Seven Tamil gang members convicted in London

Seven members of a Sri Lankan Tamil gang led by a heinous criminal named Psycho who by using a Samurai type sword left another Tamil man’s profusely bleeding hand hanging from his wrist were convicted by a criminal court of the Old Bailey.

Judge Richard Hawkins QC said sentencing will be done July 18 after deliberations to decide whether the Tamil gang members are so dangerous to be locked up indefinitely.

In this case 21-year-old Senthurrajah "Psycho" Thavapalasingham , a Sri Lankan Tamil with his other gang members of the East Ham Gang were accused of cutting another Tamil named Arulmurugan Sebamalai, 23, and leaving his hand hanging from his wrist, among other crimes like unlawful assembly.

The victims and his other friends, who were members of another Tamil gang named DMX , the court was told , ambushed by Psycho’s East ham Gang while the former were on their way to play cricket, about two years ago in an East London Tamil suburb.

Sabesan Sivaneswaran, 19, a factory worker; jobless Santosh Panthaplavil Sasidharan, 24; Selvarajah Mayuran, 28, a salesman; Arumugan Paratheeban, 24, a student, and Edward Jaganathan, 26, a salesman, were also convicted of crimes of violence in this trial which, started three months ago.

A Black Tiger and the LTTE Handler arrested in Colombo

The Special Police Team arrested on 20th September Sstanisloas Kowananan, a dangerous Black Tiger terrorist operative in Wellawatte, Colombo. He is said to be from Trincomalee. The Special Police team also recovered C4 high power explosives nine and half kilos, one and half kilos of steel balls, detonators, batteries and chargers. These ingredients, the devil-mixed, were used for the manufacture of all types of bombs, such as belt bombs used by suicide cadres, time bombs and other type of bombs exploded by remote controls, said a Sri Lanka Army explosive expert.

After the arrest, the police interrogated the suspected Black Tiger activist and he revealed that he used to manufacture many types of bombs and those bombs were used for exploding in and around Colombo city. According to him, those bombs were manufactured in a shop in the first floor of a super market in Kotahena. He also added that this shop was the secret hideouts and used to give shelter in the night time to suicide cadres who arrived in Colombo on special assignments.

This shop according to the arrested person is owned by an LTTE ‘Master Minder’, who earlier worked as a Director of the Film Corporation. It is said that he rented this shop purely to manufacture bombs and for other clandestine activities.

The arrested LTTE cadre said that he used to go to this shop early morning to take care of the manufacture bombs and other clandestine activities. He said that after entering the shop, he used to keep it closed, so that it would look as if though the shop remains closed to outside world. According to him he used to enter the shop early morning with food and other requirements and leave quietly in the evening. Police spokesperson said that this shop was also the main centre to distribute bombs.

Prabhakaran’s son credited with new devastating chemical bomb

Charles Anthony is proven to be a psychopathic megalomaniac like his father Velupillai Prabhakaran and the senior leaders of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) worry about the meteoritic rise of the son.

According to intelligence reports Charles Anthony has developed a new chemical weapon capable of such a shock wave that could kill, permanently damage vision and hearing and also make women barren.

"Now that the war is in the northern theatre, use of this lethal weapon could make the Tamil women barren and reduce the birth rate in a drastic manner," an analyst said. "Father used to kill the innocent Tamils and other civilians. The son has now gone a step further. He is determined to make the Tamil women – mothers, daughters and sisters barren. - Chip of the old block"

Sources revealed that Charles Anthony developed his crude Improvised Explosive Devise (IED) as answer to LTTE’s plan to stop the troops from marching into Vanni.

Latest military reports revealed that Sri Lankan Government forces have started surrounding the LTTE’s Vanni stronghold, and menacingly advancing into the Tiger power centre. This situation has made them to realize that the 122 MM big guns of theirs has become something of an inappropriate lethal weaponry to rely of, as the enemy is so close and near, unable to fire effectively with a firing range of 25 KM.

When the inability to stop the advancing forces became a life and death issue, heir-apparent Charles Anthony, it is said, has come up with two Improvised Explosive Devises Sandai 500 Kg– (Fight) and Samathanam 500 Kg (Peace).

News-Lanka learnt that these two new Improvised Explosive Devises are not something new, but yet another version of the “Pasilan 2000” of the 1990s, the home made explosive type used to threaten the enemies with a loud explosion. The sound when exploded is heard for a long distance and those in close proximity have been affected with their hearings and also it was told that blood used to ooze out from the ears of the enemies when this crude devise explodes. Pasilan 2000 had a range of 200 meters.

Pasilan 2000 was introduced in the LTTE military hardware, known as a mortar or artillery, like the 122mm canon, successor to the ‘Baba mortar’ used by the LTTE for ground operations in the late 1980s.

However the two newly devised explosives are said to be capable of carrying a war head weighing 500 Kg to a distance roughly to 1 Km against that of 200 meters of Pasilan 2000.

Experts revealed that casing of these two explosives are cast out of aluminium metals and it has a tendency to melt and when it lands it looses force and cracking down is limited against TNT grenades made with the iron casings.

On trial explosions it became apparent that many pregnant women within a radius three kilometres aborted on the on the peculiar loud noise of the explosion, and the doctors in the Vanni have warned that explosion of these two crude explosives - Sandai and Samathanam would cause permanent barrenness in the midst of women.

Though the after-effects of this crude explosive devises are alarming, but the heir-apparent has ordered the field commanders to use this dangerous explosive in the battle field. He also had told that the women cadres in the field to be withdraw to three to three four KM before theses explosives are fired. Though women cadres might have very remote chances of being saved, but the plight of women in Vanni faces the danger of turning barren in the near future.

Sources also revealed that senior leaders of the LTTE have expressed concern over Prabhakaran’s overt and covert strategy of promoting his son over above the seniors who sacrificed the entire youth for the movement. “Soosai, Bhanu, Baby Subramanium, Illantherian and many others are worried about this development,” the source said. “They argue that Charles Anthony lacked experience to take such a senior position and his inhuman methods could be harmful to the image of the LTTE, which is currently trying to whitewash its image keeping in mind the international community.

Even (Intelligence Head) Pottu (Amman) has warned Prabhakaran against giving too many responsibilities to young Charles Anthony,” he said.

Top Indian delegation in Colombo

A high-powered Indian delegation headed by National Security Advisor M.K. Narayanan arrived here Friday, with Indian and Sri Lankan sources giving different accounts of their mission. Accompanying Narayanan were Foreign Secretary Shivshankar Menon and Defence Secretary Vijay Singh. The three officials between them virtually determine India’s policy vis-a-vis Sri Lanka.

The three arrived on a special flight from New Delhi around 11.30 a.m. on a two-day visit, an Indian diplomat told IANS. “Their visit is in connection with the forthcoming SAARC summit.”

The South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) summit is scheduled to open Aug 1 in Colombo. “The delegation is scheduled to meet President Mahinda Rajapaksa and other key government officials”, the source said, declining to give further details about the previously unannounced trip. When contacted, a top official of the Presidential Secretariat played down the importance of the visit, calling it a “regular one”.

“Their visit is a part of the ongoing consultation between Sri Lanka and India on the current developments,” the official said, in an obvious reference to the conflict raging in Sri Lanka. The official pointed out that a Sri Lankan delegation comprising Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa, the president’s secretary Lalith Weeratunga and presidential advisor Basil Rajapaksa went to New Delhi in late 2007.

Source: TheIndian News