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කොටි ත‍්‍රස්තවාදීන් විසින් බලහත්කාරයෙන් සිරකැර ගෙන සිටින සාමාන්‍ය වැසියන් තුන්සීයකට වැඩි පිරිසක් රෝගාතුරව මරණාසන්න තත්ත්වයකට පත්ව ඇති අතර ඔවුන් බේරාගැනීමට පුදුකුඩිඉරිප්පු ප‍්‍රදේශයට ගිය අන්තර් ජාතික රතුකුරුස සංවිධානයේ සහ එක්සත් ජාතීන්ගේ සංවිධාන සාමාජිකයන් ත‍්‍රස්තවාදීන් විසින් ඊයේ (27) පලවා හැර ඇති බව වාර්තා වෙයි.

පලා යෑමට උත්සාහ කිරීමේදී ත‍්‍රස්තවාදීන්ගේ ප‍්‍රහාරවලට ලක්ව තුවාල ලැබූ හා මැලේරියාව, උණ හා වෙනත් රෝගවලින් බරපතළ ලෙස මේ පිරිස පීඩා විඳින බව රතුකුරුස සංවිධානය සහ එක්සත් ජාතීන්ගේ සංවිධාන සාමාජිකයන් ආරක්‍ෂක අංශවලට වාර්තා කැර ඇත.

සිංහල භාෂාවෙන් මෙම අඩවිය පවත්වාගෙන යාමට, බොහෝ දෙනාගේ ඉල්ලීම මත ගත් තීරණය තවත් කිහිප දෙනෙකුගේ විවෙචනයට භාජණය විය. ඒ අනුව අප විසින් ගත්තා වූ එම තීරණය ගැන අපට නැවතත් සිතීමට සිදුව ඇත. එබැවින් කරැණාකර මෙම කාරණය ගැන ‍ඔබෙ තීරණයද දැන ගන්නට කැමැත්තෙමු. එබැවින් ඔබගේ වටිනා කාලයෙන් විනාඩියක පමණ කාලයක් ගෙන අප වෙත ඔබේ වටිනා අදහස් එවන මෙන් අප කණ්ඩායම ඔබෙන් කාරැණිකව ඉල්ලා සිටිමු

Sri Lanka Army 59 Division soldiers lead by Brigadier Nandana Udawatta have entered the LTTE's main garrison town Mullaittivu this evening (Jan 25).

According to the battlefield sources, troops of 593 Brigade lead by Lieutenant Colonel Jayantha Gunarathne have made a surprise attack across the Nanthikandal lagoon and entered the Mullaittivu town area this morning. Infantrymen of 7 Gemunu Watch (7 GW) lead by Lieutenant Colonel Chaminda Lamahewa have been in first to enter the town amid heavy terror resistance, the sources said.

The Mullaittivu town is situated in a narrow stretch of a land between Nanthikandal lagoon and the Indian Ocean. The town fell to the terrorists in 1996 and since then LTTE established its main military base there.

Once mop up operation completed the area will be declared liberated, the sources said.

It was over before the thousands of fans at the Gaddafi Stadium could blink. Sri Lanka inflicted one of the biggest annihilations in one-day internationals and trampled over Pakistan to post a 234-run win and take the series 2-1. It was the hosts' largest margin of defeat in ODIs: they were dismissed for 75 in reply to Sri Lanka's 309.

Sri Lanka's struggles against weak sides in recent months seemed a distant memory after the rout. The victory brought back memories of the time their bowlers dismantled India for 54 at Sharjah in 2000, after the batsmen had posted 299. They were not favourites to win this series, primarily due to an out-of-form top order, but the batsmen collectively shrugged off their poor form. Tillakaratne Dilshan set it up with a mature 137, Jayasuriya contributed 45, and Sangakkara made 50.

However, it was the speed at which the new-ball attack scythed through Pakistan that startled. Nuwan Kulasekara and Thilan Thushara used swing and seam movement to make up for the lack of express-pace and proved too difficult to handle for Pakistan's batsmen. Six Pakistan wickets fell before the tenth over, putting an end to the contest.

The conditions were predicted to favour the fast bowlers at the start of play but they got deadlier when Sri Lanka began bowling under lights. Thushara struck in the second over, trapping make-shift opener Younis Khan lbw, before Kulasekara found Salman Butt's edge to hand him a first-ball duck. It got worse for Pakistan when Kamran Akmal was caught in front by a Thushara delivery which cut in, skidded, and hit him low on the pads. The inspired bowling was backed up by superb fielding: Farveez Maharoof pulled off a blinder at short wicket, intercepting a full-blooded pull from Khurram Manzoor.

Even Misbah-ul-Haq had no answers to a delivery from Thushara and he edged to the wicketkeeper. Shahid Afridi fell four balls later, shouldering arms to a delivery that jagged back and had his off-stump flattened. Sections of the crowd that had cheered his entrance moments before began to leave.

Umar Gul walked in and began to time the ball through the gaps on the off side like a genuine batsman while Shoaib Malik stood helpless at the other end. Pakistan were 22 for 6 with no hope of recovery. The spinners wrapped up the tail and Muttiah Muralitharan picked up the final wicket, bowling Sohail Khan, to become the second bowler after Wasim Akram to take 500 ODI wickets. Pakistan's total of 75 was their lowest at home.

Students displaced from LTTE controlled areas arriving in Vauniya on Saturday were able to sit the G.C.E. (O/L) mathematics paper which was held for the second time following complaints about the paper. Here a part of the students seen sitting the exam held at a centre in Vavuniya

Sri Lanka levelled the series 1-1 with a crushing win, thanks to a convincing all-round performance in Karachi. Tillakaratne Dilshan hit a sparkling half-century to take Sri Lanka to a strong total, before Nuwan Kulasekara and Muttiah Muralitharan shot out the hosts cheaply. Salman Butt and Shoaib Malik resisted with a 108-run partnership, but Muralitharan removed Malik to trigger a stunning collapse.

Sri Lanka were much more disciplined today. Though they contrived to lose pole position time and again, someone did put up their hand up to help them tide over the various mini-crises. The attacking Dilshan made good for Sanath Jayasuriya's hit-wicket dismissal and Kumar Sangakkara's suicidal run-out. And after Dilshan's exit, Thilina Kandamby - who replaced Jehan Mubarak from the XI in the first ODI - took charge of the run-making, allowing out-of-form captain Mahela Jayawardene to find his bearing.

A country starved of international cricket for over six months celebrated with a comprehensive eight-wicket victory over Sri Lanka to take a 1-0 lead in the series, thanks to the efforts of Salman Butt and Khurram Manzoor, who made light work of the 220-run target. Pakistan took full advantage of a jaded Sri Lankan side still circumspect with their form after struggling against weak sides in the recent months.

Sri Lanka were outclassed particularly in the batting and the wounds are taking way too long to heal. Their relatively potent bowling attack struggled to script a turnaround for the team's fortunes as a whole and with the first breakthrough coming as late as the 38th over, it was curtains for Sri Lanka.

Pakistan's discipline, impressive for a team denied of opportunities to play as a unit in the last year, carried them through. Save for a poor start with the ball, there were no other signs of rustiness and the positive body language showed they were happy to be back and performing against stronger opposition. - Cric

2 bodies of LTTE terrorists killed during the sea confrontation with Navy, yesterday, were recovered while floating in the seas off Mullaittivu, Tuesday (Jan 20).

According to Naval media sources, an immediate search operation was launched following the fierce gun battle that erupted at around 11.30p.m., on Monday. 4 LTTE attack craft were destroyed by the naval craft on patrol, forcing terrorists to retreat with heavy damages, the sources said. A fast attack craft sustained damages when an LTTE suicide boat exploded during the intense naval gunfire assault, the sources further said.

The Government has planned to initiate an intercity bus service from Colombo to Jaffna shortly.

A spokesman for the Transport Ministry told the Daily News the Government will streamline the passenger bus service in the recaptured areas of the Northern Province with immediate effect for the benefit of commuters.

He said the Government will rehabilitate the A9 road which it had taken full control of after 23 years. The intercity bus service will commence soon after reconstruction work of the A9 road was completed," he noted.

"We have planned to operate five return journeys on the A9 road per day from Colombo to Jaffna," he said.

Meanwhile, a passenger transport service will be initiated from Vanuniya to Jaffna as well. At present, the Vavuniya depot is providing a good service by operating buses on 19 routes for the convenience of those living in these areas.

Pakistan's batsmen have been practising on shorter pitches to try and counter the threat of Ajantha Mendis in the three-match ODI series against Sri Lanka, which begins on Tuesday at the National Stadium in Karachi.

Mendis, the quickest bowler to 50 ODI wickets, has been a dominant theme in Pakistan's thinking ahead of the short series. Pakistan have come across Mendis twice, once in the Asia Cup and then in the final of the four-nation Twenty 20 in Canada. Seven wickets in 14 overs in the two games means Pakistan aren't wrong to focus heavily on him.

One man who has succeeded against him is Misbah-ul-Haq, who made 76 in a losing cause during the Asia Cup and an unbeaten 23 in the Twenty20 final. The Pakistan vice-captain took 27 runs off 24 Mendis deliveries in Karachi last year, including two sixes and a four, before he was bowled slogging. He believes a similarly aggressive approach might help dent his effectiveness.

"Sri Lankan Tamils are being used as human shields by separatist Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE)", former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J.Jayalalithaa said on Saturday (Jan 17).

"In Sri Lanka what happens now, Sri Lankan Tamils captured by the LTTE cannot move anywhere. Tamils were used as shield by LTTE. If LTEE keeps them there then there will be dire situation for Sri Lanka's innocent Tamils..." the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) leader said, addressing a public rally in Chennai.

"Sri Lankan Tamils are being used as human shields by separatist Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE)", former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J.Jayalalithaa said on Saturday (Jan 17).

"In Sri Lanka what happens now, Sri Lankan Tamils captured by the LTTE cannot move anywhere. Tamils were used as shield by LTTE. If LTEE keeps them there then there will be dire situation for Sri Lanka's innocent Tamils..." the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) leader said, addressing a public rally in Chennai. - def. news

Infantrymen of 12 Sri Lanka Light Infantry (12 SLLI) extended their forward boundaries further towards Puthukkudiyiruppu LTTE stronghold amidst intense resistance from the terrorists. Troops following heavy clashes, found 7 bodies of male LTTE cadres along with 7 T-56 riffles with 1000 ammunition and 1 light machine gun (LMG). Troops are now consolidating their positions about 6 km south of Puthukkudiyiruppu.

Sri Lanka batsman Kumar Sangakkara believes Sri Lanka's experience of playing in finals proved decisive as they managed a narrow two-wicket win against Bangladesh in the final of the Tri-Nation Tournament. "It is tough on them [Bangladesh] especially after trying so hard," he said, "but it was not to be. I guess our experience in finals won us the game."

Having shot out Bangladesh for 152, Sri Lanka were tottering at 6 for 5 at one stage during the run-chase, but Sangakkara's gritty 59 off 133 balls, along with a cameo from Muttiah Muralitharan, proved to be crucial as Sri Lanka held on for victory.

"I just wanted to bat as long as possible and try to get as close to the target as possible," said Sangakkara. "We rarely see a collapse like that and it was unexpected because we have some of the best batsmen in the world but that's cricket and we had an off day. The key was to try and fight it out."

Sri Lanka Army 55 Division soldiers this evening (Jan 14) liberated Chundikulam, the landmass that links the Jaffna peninsula with the mainland.

According to the defence sources, Sri Lanka Army has liberated the whole Jaffna peninsula from terrorist clutches with this victory. Heroic troops of 551 Brigade (1 Gemunu Regiment, 1 Sri Lanka Light infantry and Commandos) joined in accomplishing this mission and it is observed that large number of vehicles including dozers, buses, tractors, canters and boats have been destroyed by exploding most of them by the fleeing LTTE terrorists.

Troops have found the fifth runway constructed by the LTTE, east of Iranamadu tank adjoining the old Kandy road which runs via Olumadu on Wednesday evening, the Defence Ministry said. The runway complex is 50m wide and over 1000m long and is situated in the thick jungle with a massive bunker line and a trench line around the runway complex with mine fields and booby traps, the Ministry web site said. A hanger has been found in the complex.

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The dates for the proposed Indian tour are yet to be finalised but N Srinivasan, the BCCI secretary, told reporters in Colombo that the series will be held during the two-week window in Sri Lanka's Pakistan tour itinerary - January 28 to February 14. Duleep Mendis, Sri Lanka Cricket's (SLC) chief executive, stated that the venues will be Dambulla and Colombo. "We are in the process of finalising the venues," Mendis said. "Most probably the Colombo venues will be the R Premadasa Stadium and the SSC."

Australian Foreign Minister Stephen Smith says he is concerned about "systematic efforts" against Sri Lankan media, following the killing of Lasantha Wickramatunga who was an Australian permanent resident. - DM news

The sensational Sri Lankan cricket star / Great spinner "Ajantha Mendis" is now the fastest wicket taker in One-Day Internationals with 50 wickets taken in 19 matches.

Ajantha Mendis achieved this historic attainment breaking the record of Ajith Agarkar of India who took the same number of wickets in 23 matches.

Ajantha took his winning wicket against Zimbabwe in the Grameen Phone tri-nation series, played in Bangladesh on Today (12).

SLAF MI-24 helicopter gunships and fighter jets made precision air assaults at two identified LTTE gathering points located in general area Iranamadu, in support of the advancing TF-3 and 57 Division troops this morning (Jan 12).

According to Air Force Spokesperson Wing Commander Janaka Nanayakkara, MI-24 helicopter gunbships launched air assaults at an LTTE gathering point located 1km Southeast of the Iranamadu tank at around 8.15a.m.

A separate air strike was launched by SLAF jets at an LTTE gathering point located 2km North of the Iranamadu Tank at 9a.m.

The lawyer appearing for the suspect arrested in connection with the Sirasa incident had told Courts today that the supposed anonymous phone call alleging that the suspect was seen loading weapons into his vehicle, was received 16 hours after the incident. - LankaNewZ (D-N)

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The final thrust of the Government's military offensive to deny Tiger guerrillas any domination of territory begins next week in their remaining stronghold of Mullaitivu.

This follows the Army's re-capture on Friday of Elephant Pass, described as the gateway to the Jaffna peninsula and thus securing the entirety of the A-9 Kandy-Jaffna highway. Troops are now consolidating their positions along this highway. Thereafter, troop movements and supplies to the peninsula, now sent by sea and air, will be moved by road. The movement of civilian transport services is to follow. Troops have laid siege on Mullativu from all directions. On the north-eastern coast the Navy has placed a tight cordon, a security source told The Sunday Times. Unlike in previous thrusts, the troops are moving with great caution to avoid civilian casualties, the source added.

An estimated 400,000 or more civilians are said to be in the Mullaitivu area. Besides the indigenous population, around 250,000 are Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) who have fled to guerrilla controlled areas from western Wanni.

The past week has seen the Air Force stepping up attacks on guerrilla targets.

State security forces today (10) captured the fourth LTTE runaway maintained 10 kilometers west of Mullaithivu town, said Army spokesman Brigadier Udaya Nanayakkara. The Army spokesman said that the runaway was 100 meters wide and two and half kilometers in length. Two empty hangers were also recovered in close proximity.

Journalists and media rights activists held a protest against the killing of senior journalist and Editor in Chief of The Sunday Leader Lasantha Wickramatunga in front of the Lake House premises in Fort today. The picture shows several journalists holding placards at the protest. Pic by Berty Mendis

The schedule for the upcoming tour of Pakistan has been released by Sri Lanka Cricket today (Jan. 8).

According to the media release the following are the dates for the games:

January 21: 1^st ODI, January 24: 2^nd ODI and January 27: 3^rd ODI.

February 22 to 26: 1^st Test and March 2 to 6: 2^nd test.

Soldiers of Sri Lanka Army’s 55 Division have liberated Soranpattu village this evening (Jan 8), said defence sources in Jaffna peninsula. Soranpattu is situated 9 Km from Elephant Pass and 5.2 Km from Pallai town along the Jaffna- Kandy A-9 road.

According to the sources, infantrymen of 6 Sri Lanka Light Infantry (6SLLI), 7 Vijayaba Infantry Regiment (7 VIR), 4 Gemunu Watch (4 GW), and 8 VIR have entered the village after destroying terrorist hideouts in the area.

The Government said yesterday that the Cabinet had taken a unanimous decision, in accordance with a memorandum submitted by President Mahinda Rajapaksa, to proscribe the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Ealam (LTTE), which continued to engage in blatant human rights violations.

At a media briefing yesterday evening which was attended by several Cabinet Ministers, Minister Maithripala Sirisena noted that the Cabinet had taken the decision as repeated requests to the aforesaid organization to eschew terrorism and participate in the democratic process had failed.

Minister Nimal Siripala De Silva on the occasion said that the LTTE continued to recruit children and women against their will, and also kept denying free movement to civilians using them as a human shield, leaving no option for the Government but to go for a ban.

Ajantha Mendis finished with seven wickets in the match, as Sri Lanka completed a series win against Bangladesh on the fourth day in Chittagong Dilshan is the Man of the Match as well as the Man of the Series. He said: "I can't forget this Test. I know I am the 4th Sri Lankan to score a hundred in each innings. I stuck to my game plan which was to attack and I won the battle."

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.

The Central Bank (CB) on Wednesday assured the public that there is no risk at Seylan Bank following the crisis at Golden Key, both of which are part of Ceylinco Consolidated, headed by Lalith Kotelawala. CB Governor Ajith Nivard Cabraal told reporters that their move to appoint Bank of Ceylon to manage Seylan was done in a bid to stop the imminent danger of a run on Seylan. “At the right time we managed to step in,” he said. He also said that Central Bank cannot step in with regard to Golden Key as it is not a registered company with the regulator.