Hunt for foreign Tigers: Daily Mirror on line

Colombo, July 23: The defence ministry says intelligent agencies together with INTERPOL have launched a coordinated effort to bust the foreign based LTTE international terror network and arrest wanted LTTE terror sleuths.

According to the defence ministry intelligent agencies have already unearthed vital information into the remaining LTTE international terror activists engaged in human trafficking, arms smuggling and financial frauds bases in East Asia, Western Europe, Canada and Africa.

Defence official are monitoring the movements Sivarasa Pirundaban alias Achchudan alias Suresh, Bahitharan alias Bhavi, Narendran Rathnasabapathi alias Naren, Ganeshruban alias Ruban and Ponnaiah Anandarajah alias Aiyya alias Rajah and a few more LTTE activists who are connected to arms procurement, transshipping while poising as businessmen.

A recent recovery made by the Sri Lankan military intelligence at Visuamdu of highly classified documents and diary notes of Castro, a one time head of the LTTE's international wing has provided much light into the terror outfit overseas based operatives and clandestine funding agencies.

This includes a number of documents related to LTTE investments and transactions connected to LTTE shipping operations and business ventures overseas, the defence ministry said.

Information reveals that Ponniah Anandarajah alias Rajah alias Ayyah, operated as the head of the LTTE's international procurements while Anandarajah was reported to be the head of the LTTE's financial, procurement and shipping network since 2002/03.

Born in Jaffna, in 1972 Sivarasa Pirundaban alias Achchudan holds a French passport and is presently living a low profile life while being actively engaged in the LTTE's international terror network.

The authorities are in the process of investigating into involvements of his brothers who are presently residing in Far East and Canada- also engaged in LTTE' international terror network.

Meanwhile, Intel agencies are also in the verge of arresting Narendran operating from Europe, who is married to a Russian woman. Bhavidaran and Rooban are two more high profile LTTE terror activists running LTTE front offices in Indonesia.

In addition authorities are also investigating into millions of LTTE funds been invested into legal and illegal business ventures based on financial data recovered from Castro's hideout at Visuamadu.

It is expected that more red notices to be issued and further arrest to be made with the assistance of Interpol and concerned governments. http://www.dailymirror.lk/index.php/news/5290-hunt-for-foreign-tigers.html

2. Donald ‘ducks’ after uproar
External Ministry Secretary says Lanka respects PalPalestinian people and Israel’s sovereignty.
An Israeli newspaper ‘Yedioth Ahronoth’ said yesterday, quoting Sri Lanka’s Ambassador to Israel Air Chief Marshal (Retd.) Donald Perera, that Sri Lanka was a staunch supporter of Israel's fight against Palestinian terror.
However, hours after the news was published, envoy Donald Perera, in a statement, denied the controversial remarks attributed to him and said that the report was ‘totally erroneous.’
“The contrary view attributed to me in the news item that Sri Lanka is a staunch supporter of Israel's fight against Palestinian terror is a totally erroneous rendering of my comments,” he said in the statement.
The Sri Lankan envoy had stated, in a letter to the newspaper in question, that Sri Lanka always valued her friendship with Israel and this aspect would continue to underpin the bilateral relations between the two countries.
“However,”  he noted, “at the same time the policy of the Sri Lankan Government, which it has followed in consistent consonance with the position of the Non-Aligned Movement, is that the question of Palestine and the pursuit of lasting peace in the Middle East must be resolved through a two state solution.”
The comments attributed to the ambassador in the Israeli newspaper created an uproar in Sri Lanka, with Co-President of the Palestine -- Sri Lanka Friendship Society Athauda Seneviratne telling Daily Mirror online that, no matter what Ambassador Perera had to say, the Sri Lankan government’s stand was to sympathise with the Palestinians and push both sides (Israel and Palestine) for negotiations.
The Palestine – Sri Lanka Friendship Society’s other Co-President Imtiyaz Bakeer Markar had told Daily Mirror online that the government should make its stand clear on whether the comment made by Ambassador Perera echoed the sentiments of the Sri Lankan government.http://www.dailymirror.lk/print/index.php/news/front-page-news/16467-donald-ducks-after-uproar-.html

3. Parties disagree on executive PM’s powers
By Kelum Bandara in The Daily Mirror, July 23
A divergence of opinion has emerged between the Government and the Opposition on replacing the executive presidency with an executive premiership under the proposed Constitutional reforms.
An opposition delegation, led by UNP Deputy Leader Karu Jayasuriya, met External Affairs Minister G.L. Peiris yesterday regarding the proposed l reforms.
SLMC leader Rauff Hakeem, who also participated at this meeting, told Daily Mirror that there were different opinions expressed by the two sides on the power to dissolve Parliament and immunity. Mr. Hakeem said the Opposition had wanted to know the Government’s proposed changes -- especially with regard to the implementation of the 17th Amendment.
“We wanted to know the contours of the proposed Constitutional changes. Prof. Peiris agreed to provide written proposals in this respect at the next meeting,” he said.
The SLMC leader also said that the Opposition had asked the Government not to deviate from the recommendations made by the Select Committee headed by Minister D.E.W. Gunasekara to rectify the shortcomings in the 17th Amendment.
The Opposition had insisted that Mr. Gunasekara be present at the next meeting.
The Opposition delegation also included MPs Mangala Samaraweera, Joseph Michael Perera and Wijeyadasa Rajapakse. http://www.dailymirror.lk/print/index.php/news/front-page-news/16461.html

4. ‘Orphaned children in North forgotten’:  By Lakna Paranamanna in Daily Mirror
Although there are more than 8000 children who have lost both parents in the Northern Province, the government is still not even equipped with accurate statistics of orphaned children in the North, Socialist Youth Union (SYU) National Organizer and former MP Bimal Rathnayake said.
According to Mr. Rathnayake the government has taken little or no measures to look into the welfare of orphaned children and added that as a result many children were stranded without proper care.
"During one of our visits to the North we visited two schools and there alone we found nearly 60 children who had lost both parents. Also, St. John's College in Jaffna has provided scholarships and are accommodating some 200 children who have lost both parents," Mr. Rathnayake said.
However, the Northern Province Probation and Child Care Services Department statistics state that there are only 1309 children who have lost both parents.  According to the statistics 388 of such children are now living in children's homes while the rest of them are living under the care of relatives. http://www.dailymirror.lk/print/index.php/news/front-page-news/16463.html

5. Tamils not discriminated: Daily Mirror online
The police say the process of the registration of persons resident in Colombo is being misinterpreted by certain parties with vested interests attempting to show the entire scheme as a discriminatory practice confined to Tamil citizens.
Police spokesman Prishantha Jayakody, in a statement, said that the claims are baseless and furthest from the truth, and meant to convey to the world that the Security Forces have an ethnic bias and are acting with injustice and discrimination towards the Tamil community living in Colombo.
The Police says they are acting in accordance with the relevant provisions in the Police Ordinance under which officers in charge of police stations are empowered to carry out such registration of persons wherever deemed necessary to ensure maximum possible social security, accountability and safety to all citizenry, regardless of any ethnic considerations.
 “It is necessary to state that in the Wellawatte Police area that has been referred to, registration had been done of Tamil people who are a majority in this are as well as Sinhala and Muslims. The public are therefore advised to cooperate with law-enforcement authorities and make the project a success since such registrations are of high importance for your own security,” police spokesman Prishantha Jayakody said. http://www.dailymirror.lk/index.php/news/5280-tamils-not-discriminated.html