Vol. 31 No. 73 Saturday 11th February, 2012, 24 pages Rs. 20 Registered in Sri Lanka as a Newspaper - City Edition PORN FULL IMPLEMENTATION OF ARROGANCE AND GAVASKAR POLITICS THE 13TH AMENDMENT IS RECONCILIATION JOINS HALL 6 ON THE MOVE 8 A NON-STARTER 13 GO ILL TOGETHER 16 OF FAME Devolution essential for resolution of national issue – UNP Govt. mulls fuel price hike BY ZACKI JABBAR BY SAMAN INDRAJITH tions in the LLRC report and The government said yesterday that if Devolution of power is essen- hadn’t been UNP’s standpoint on finding a America enforces economic sanctions on Iran, tial for reaching a settlement handed over solution to the national problem. there could be an increase in fuel prices. between the ethnic groups and the to the Making a special statement in Environment Minister Anura government must take the initia- Secretary Parliament the Opposition Leader said: Priyadharshana Yapa, addressing the weekly tive by placing a set of proposals General of Cabinet press briefing in Colombo said that a for discussion based on the exist- Parliament. “The Government tabled the Lessons Learnt and “reasonable decision” with regard to fuel ing constitutional arrangements, Later it was prices would have to be taken, if the world’s the UNP says. released to Reconciliation Commission Report on 16.12.2011. Yesterday I superpower carried out its “dollar threat” Speaker Chamal Rajapaksa yes- media by the against Iran, which was the fifth largest oil Anura terday prevented UNP leader Opposition Ranil wrote to President Mahinda Rajapaksa informing him of producing country. Pakistan court rejects Ranil Wickremesinghe from pre- Leader’s office “If international prices go up, then we would be forced to senting a document, which dealt in Parliament. UNP’s detailed responses to this Report. take a reasonable decision,” he said adding that diesel and PM’s plea with the Lessons Learnt and Wickremesinghe told kerosene were being sold at a loss of Rs.26 and Rs.36 per litre Pakistan’s top court rejected Reconciliation Commission Parliament that there were simi- respectively. Friday a last-ditch appeal filed (LLRC) report as an advance copy larities between the recommenda- by the prime minister against a looming contempt charge, paving the way for a case that could plunge the nuclear-armed country into political turmoil. Devolve police powers and face Russian lawmakers back Assad Russian lawmakers voiced strong support Friday for the Kremlin’s a situation as in Maldives – Gomin action to shield Syrian President Bashar Assad’s regime from international sanctions BY SHAMINDRA FERDINANDO over its crackdown on a 11-month old uprising. enior lawyer Gomin Dayasri Island, Dayasri urged the govern- yesterday warned that the role ment to closely study the circum- Splayed by the Maldivian police stances that led to the removal of in ousting democratically elected Nasheed at gunpoint by a small but Maldivian President Mohamed influential group of police and mili- Nasheed, early this week, had high- tary officers. In fact, the UPFA had ‘Somalia’s al-Shabab lighted the danger of giving in to the no right to pursue negotiations with joins al-Qaeda’ TNA’s demand for devolution of the TNA or any other party leading police powers. to devolution of police powers, The Somali militant “Vesting the Northern and which could jeopardise post-war sta- group al-Shabab has Eastern Provinces with police pow- Gomin bility, he said. formally joined al- ers will cause unprecedented chaos “The Unilateral Declaration of Qaida, according to a video translation and such powers in the hands of the TNA Independence (UDI) by the first and the released of a message may place the centre in an extremely vul- only Chief Minister of the temporarily- from al-Qaida’s leader. nerable situation,” Dayasri told The Island merged Northern and Eastern Province, yesterday. Varatharaja Perumal, in the run-up to the Referring to TNA MP M. A. withdrawal of the IPKF in March 1990, Sumanthiran’s article captioned Devolution highlighted the risk in placing armed units of Police Powers, in the Feb. 10 issue of The UN official, Maldives leaders meet A top U.N. official was GoSL concerned over external meeting Friday with the cur- Maldivians living in Sri Lanka protesting opposite the Maldivian HC in Colombo rent and former presidents demanding reinstatement of Mohamed Nasheed as the Maldivian leader. of the Maldives, trying to interference in Maldives – Neomal Pic by Dharmasena Welipitiya end the political stalemate that has gripped this Indian Acting Foreign Minister tionship, Sri Lanka has been closely Ocean nation. Neomal Perera, MP, yesterday told observing the developments in that The Island that external interfer- country, following the resignation of ence in the Maldives could destabi- former President Mohamed lize the country. Nasheed.” Nasheed says his family safe in C’bo Parliamentarian Perera alleged a “This is an internal issue of the section of the international com- Maldives and must be resolved by the The international media quoted ousted Maldivian President Marines logo munity and the media were bent on Maldivian people, in a peaceful and Mohamed Nasheed as having said that in Sri Lanka, everyone resembling Nazi symbol destabilizing the Maldives. The MP democratic manner, within the would be safe. Nasheed was responding to a query why Nasheed said: “As the closest neighbour in framework of the country’s had sent his family to Sri lanka. Asked whether he was worried The Marine Corps once geographic proximity to the Neomal Constitution. again did damage control about his safety, Nasheed said he was, but his family would be Maldives and as a country with safe in Colombo. after a photograph sur- which we share a strong traditional rela- Nasheed faced of a sniper team in Afghanistan posing in front of a flag with a logo resembling that of the notorious Nazi SS — a special unit that mur- dered millions of Jews, gypsies and others. Amitabh to undergo surgery for abdominal pain Group facilitating illegal BY S. VENKAT NARAYAN Our Special Correspondent immigrants from SL into Malaysia detains Saudi NEW DELHI, February 9: assured fans that the procedure is journalist on the run Bollywood megastar Amitabh “not too complicated,” but has not Bachchan is to undergo surgery for disclosed the nature of the surgery. the EU uncovered Malaysian police say abdominal pain on Saturday morn- He wrote on his blog: “A surgery An active organised crime group that they have detained a ing. that I shall be undergoing on was facilitating illegal immigrants from Saudi journalist who The 69-year-old star, however, has apparently fled his Amitabh Sri Lanka into the EU has been uncov- country after being ered, following more than a year of joint accused of insulting international the Prophet Muhammad on Twitter. efforts at police Keheliya undergoes fourth operation and judicial level ! ‘13 plus or minus’, govt. supported by Media and Information Minister Keheliya The Minister sustained serious injuries to will do what it wants. Ramubkwella yesterday underwent a fourth his legs when he fell from his third floor room Eurojust and Ban on endless, operation on his legs at the Albert Hospital in balcony of the Como hotel, at South Yarra, Europol. The net- ! But isn’t ‘13’ an unlucky Melbourne, his Media Secretary Sarath Melbourne on Tuesday night and work is suspected dull speeches number? Dambawinna disclosed last night. of facilitating the Long-winded politicians in illegal entry of peo- the Chinese city of ple from Sri Lanka to France, frequently Guangzhou may soon using a route through the United Arab find themselves having to mince their words as city Emirates, Kenya, Tanzania, Turkey and officials consider restrict- Norwegians trot out lame excuse Finland. ing the length of interminable speeches. In a press release issued today (10 February 2012) the Europol said, “on 6 BY SHAMINDRA FERDINANDO February 2012, judicial authorities and Regretting the issue of personal- Hilde Haraldstad in the wake of The officers from the Finnish Border Guard, ized LTTE stamps following an order Island report, which dealt with the SL French Police (O.C.R.I.E.S.T) and Belgian placed by a customer, Posten Norge mission in Oslo taking it up with the Federal Police, ran a joint operation Spain judge convicted has categorized them offensive, Norwegian Ministry of Foreign of misusing authority while assuring the Sri Lankan gov- Affairs, Posts and ernment the controversial set of Telecommunications Authority and The superstar Spanish judge who won global stamps wouldn’t be released again. Posten Norge no sooner France issued fame for aggressively tak- Authoritative sources told The the controversial LTTE stamps. ing on international human Island that the Sri Lankan mission The government expressed concern rights cases has been convicted of overstep- in Oslo had received an assurance from said that they had blocked the user that Posten Norge had issued personal- ping his jurisdiction in a domestic corruption Posten Norge that the customer was told account to prevent him from ordering ized stamps in spite of Sri Lanka expos- probe and barred from the bench for 11 years. he violated the terms for ordering per- anymore copies. ing the LTTE propaganda stamp printing sonalized stamps. Sources quoted a sen- The External Affairs Ministry raised campaign late last year. ior official of Posten Norge as having the issue with Norwegian Ambassador.