LTTE suicide bomb blast at Dharmapuram

Many civilians and one female solder were reported killed and scores injured when an LTTE woman suicide bomber detonated herself among thousands of civilians who were arriving at the Dharmapuram IDP center in Kilinochchi,

Troops clear A-34 from Mankulam to Tanniyattu

Troops of Army 57 Division, Task Force 3 and Task Force 4 have opened up the A-34 road (Mankulam- Mullaittivu) road up to Tanniyuttu, following recent counter terrorist operations on the Mullaittivu battlefront, reveal battlefield sources.

Sri Lanka Air Force fighter jets and MI-24 helicopter gunships carried out air strikes at LTTE gatherings in the Mullaittivu area in support of advancing troops this morning (Jan 5). According to the defence sources, the air strikes were carried out between 11 Am to 12.30 PM targeting LTTE cadres withdrawing into jungle areas. The sources citing pilots confirmed that the attacks were successful.

MTV/MBC under seige

The main control room of MTV/MBC in Pannipitiya has been set on fire by goons who stormed the building,And the network is comepletely off air. Unconfirmed sources say that an unidentified group has stormed the building.

Hand over Prabhakaran to India

While some key Tamil Nadu politicians and other LTTE sympathisers are trying to secure India’s help to save the LTTEand its leader Velupillai Prabhakaran trapped in the North, the Congress Party of India has requested Sri Lanka to hand over Prabhakaran, if captured alive, to stand trial for crimes he has committed on the Indian soil.

The Times of India yesterday reported the request of the Congress.

Full text of the report: "Congress on Saturday demanded that Sri Lanka extradite LTTE chief Prabhakaran, an accused in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case, if he is nabbed in the army offensive, in what signals a strong stand ruling out any intervention under pressure from DMK.
Congress spokesman Veerappa Moily told reporters that the LTTE was a banned outfit and Prabhakaran was wanted for the assassination of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi. "He is an assassin and we would be very happy if he was extradited to India. We want him to be prosecuted and convicted here for the grave crime he committed," Moily said.

Before Sri Lanka’s army smashed through LTTE bastion of Kilinochchi, Congress often had to accommodate DMK’s sensitivities. But the demand for Prabhakaran’s extradition as well as the stand that the fight against terror was Lanka’s internal issue signals that in the coming days any pressure by DMK to lean on Lanka may not mean much.

Moily, however, took care to separate the issue of the extradition of Prabhakaran and how Sri Lanka treats the Tigers with the concern for the protection of the rights of Tamil minority in the island nation. He said that Congress was not mixing terrorism and ethnic issue, reiterating that Congress wanted Lanka to ensure the safety of Tamils and a policy of non-discrimination against them.

Troops enter Oddusuddan

Troops of Task Force 4 who have continued their advances further northwards after capturing Nadunkeni have entered Oddusuddan township by this afternoon.

According to the latest information, troops of 14 Sinha Regiment (SR) commanded by Major U.S.N.K Perera under command to 642 Brigade commanded by Lt. Colonel B.T Hathnagoda entered the Oddusuddan town following the days long fighting ensued in the area.

Fetch rting for Sri Lanka Banks

It is imperative for savers to find out from an independent third party the default risk of the fixed income investment prior to investing any money. In the absence of ratings, they will have to make their investment decision purely based on reputation and historical financial information of the borrower that may have little bearing to future financial condition of the borrower. Although various investments are sold using the word “guaranteed”, the borrower itself cannot give a guarantee, only a financially strong third party can give a guarantee.

• National Savings Bank AAA(lka)
• HSBC Sri Lanka Branch AAA(lka)
• Standard Chartered Bank AAA(lka)
• Commercial Bank of Ceylon PLC AA+(lka)
• Bank of Ceylon AA(lka)
• DFCC Bank AA(lka)
• National Development Bank(NDB) PLC AA(lka)
• Sampath Bank PLC AA-(lka)
• DFCC Vardhana Bank AA-(lka)
• Hatton National Bank PLC AA-(lka)
• Central Finance Company PLC A+(lka)
• Sri Lanka Insurance Corporation Ltd A+(lka)
• Abans (Pvt) Limited A(lka)
• Lanka Orix Leasing Company PLC A(lka)
• Nations Trust Bank PLC A(lka)
• People’s Bank A-(lka)
• Seylan Bank PLC BBB+(lka)
• Union Bank of Colombo Limited BB+(lka)
• Edirisinghe Trust Investments Limited B+(lka)
• Vallibel Finance Ltd. B+(lka)