Thursday 8th April, 2010 7 India says it will push on with Maoist offensive The rebels, who have “We are paying the price for tapped into the rural poor’s the neglect of the last 10 to 12 growing anger at being left out years.” of the country’s economic More than 500 Maoists gains, are now present in 20 of launched the attack early the country’s 28 states. About Tuesday morning on a group of 2,000 people - including police, soldiers who set out from a militants and civilians - have temporary base in been killed over the past few Chhattisgarh state’s years. Dantewada forests, said G.K. The solar powered aircraft “Solar Last year, the government Pillai, the federal home secre- Impulse” (HB-SIA prototype) steered by announced its “Operation tary. More soldiers were killed test pilot Markus Scherdel is silhouetted Green Hunt” offensive aimed when they stepped on land by the sun during its maiden flight at the at flushing the militants out of mines the Maoists planted military airport in Payerne, Switzerland, their forest hide-outs. Both the throughout the ambush zone, Wednesday, April 7, 2010. (AP) insurgents and government he said. forces have been accused of Two separate groups of PAYERNE, Switzerland (AP) - using violence and intimida- reinforcements rushed to the Swiss adventurer Bertrand Piccard’s tion against local villagers to area to help but came under team took its round-the-world solar coerce their cooperation. fire as well, Chidambaram plane prototype into the skies for the The government has said it said. The casualties came from first time Wednesday, with four pro- is willing to talk with the bombs, grenades, bullets and pellers lifting the massive craft off rebels if they give up violence, land mines, he said. the ground at near bicycle speed. but the rebels say there should The rebels, who rarely Piccard said the two-hour test be no preconditions for negoti- speak to the media, did not flight will examine if the plane, with ations. issue a statement on the attack. the wingspan of a Boeing 747 and Chidambaram took a hard- Named after Naxalbari, the the weight of a small car, can keep a er line Wednesday. village in West Bengal state straight trajectory. The team plans to “To our offer of talks, they where their movement was fly it around the world next year. have replied by savage and bru- born in 1967, the Naxalites “To fly without fuel, we have to Indian police officers and villagers gather around the bodies of paramilitary police officers killed in an attack by tal acts of violence. To talk of have an estimated 10,000 to make it fly in line,” said Piccard, Maoist rebels in Dantewada, in the eastern Indian state of Chhatisgarh, India, Tuesday, April 6, 2010. Maoist rebels talks now would be to mock the 20,000 fighters. who in 1999 copiloted the first non- launched a series of devastating attacks Tuesday on government forces patrolling the forests of eastern India, killing supreme sacrifice made by the While many are poorly stop round-the-globe balloon flight. scores of troops in the deadliest strike against the state in the 43-year insurgency. (AP (slain troops),” he said. armed - often going into battle “There might be things that go Part of the difficulty with with handmade weapons wrong - maybe a technical problem, PATNA, India (AP) - India highlighted the growing threat would not back down. the offensive is that it is being forged from plumbing pipes - engine failure or a part breakdown.” will push ahead with an offen- posed by the Maoists and “I think we should, while carried out by various state they regularly launch bloody The takeoff appeared smooth, sive against Maoist rebels showed that the rebels we grieve the dead, hold our police agencies and national attacks on government forces. however. despite the death of 76 govern- appeared uncowed by a gov- nerve and continue to do what paramilitary forces loosely In February, they killed at least At a military airport in the Swiss ment troops in an ambush by ernment offensive aimed at we are doing - namely to rid coordinated by the central gov- 24 police officers in West countryside, the “Solar Impulse” insurgents in the east, the crushing them. India of the gravest threat to ernment. Critics have said the Bengal state in an attack on a plane lifted off after only a short country’s top security official Indian Home Minister internal security, which is the troops are poorly trained and police camp. acceleration on the runway, reaching said Wednesday. Palaniappan Chidambaram Naxalite threat,” he said, refer- underequipped and are essen- The government dismisses a speed no faster than 45 kph (28 The ambush in a dense for- flew to the area Wednesday ring to the Maoists by their tially canon fodder for rebels the Naxalites’ claim to speak mph). It slowly gained altitude above est Tuesday was the deadliest and laid a wreath near the nickname. “This is a long, fighting on their home turf in for the country’s poor, arguing the green and beige fields, and disap- single attack on government coffins of the slain security drawn-out struggle. It will take the jungles. they do little but wreak havoc peared eventually into the horizon fighters in the 43-year-old forces. two to three years, perhaps “We can’t expect instant in some of India’s most impov- as villagers watched from the near- insurgency. It stunned Indians, He insisted the government more.” success,” Chidambaram said. erished regions. est hills. From Ranil ... From page1 All set... From page1 Less... Security... page1 “There is no truth in From page1 for the District S. Sudhakaran ed for the internally displaced peo- Secretariat official said that there Up Country People’s Front (49,728 said. ple. the claim that the UNP would be 88 Polling Centres for the votes and one seat), while the EPDP Environment and Natural Vanni comprises the Vavuniya, Arrangements have been made would be denied the lead- IDPs. obtained 24,955 votes and also one Resources Minister Patali Mannar and Mullaitivu elec- to dispatch ballot boxes early in ership in the event of the At the 2004 Parliamentary Elections, seat. Champika Ranawaka said torates. Six MPs will be returned the morning to polling booths in Opposition’s victory at UPFA (SLFP, JVP, MEP, CP, LSSP) Police will deploy 58,700 per- paints used in posters, was to Parliament from there. There remote areas of Welioya and the 2010 General Election. emerged victorious polling 4,223,970 sonnel for election duties, includ- one of the major health haz- are 266,975 registered voters. Kiriibbanwewa. Security has also Shamindra Ferdinando votes to secure 105 seats, while the ing 2,584 for mobile duty. ards. He said the Ministry had Of the 209 polling stations in been tightened in the Vavuniya carried this news item to UNP, which secured 82 seats polled Another 19,500 person- issued permits to Vogue the district, 28 have been designat- town and the District Secretariat. promote the election cam- 3,504,200 votes. TNA polled 633,786 nel from the Army, Navy paign of the UPFA gov- Lanka Industries (Pvt.) Ltd. votes to secure 22 seats, followed by and Air Force will assist ernment. The Island did not contact me and Z. K. Soal and Shoe to JHU (552,724 votes and nine seats), the Police. Ranil calls... From page1 for comment before printing that new SLMC (186,880 votes and five seats), recycle PVC. item. The UNF, which wins this election participating in the polls were also was that a certificate signed by represen- will invite other parties to join it. The duty bound to work towards ensuring the tatives of all the candidates be pasted UNP led by me will be given pride of peoples right to exercise their franchise inside the ballot box to ensure that there place in this regard.” CMEV... From page1 without let or hindrance, he told a news would be no mix up.” News Editor’s Note: We stand by official vehicle had been provided category in the Puttalam District at the 25,582 IDP’s (21,035) for Vanni and conference in Colombo. Jayasuriya said that the Polls Chief our story, which was based on what for a vehicle convoy organised in sup- instigation of Minister Rishard 4547 for Jaffna) have applied and will “I appeal to the public to go early and had also agreed to permit party represen- had transpired in a TV talk show port of Reginald Cooray on April 5 Bathiudeen. Those ‘voters’ were cur- be permitted to vote in centres in cast their ballots. Don’t stay at home. We tatives to be present at the time votes called ‘Satana’, hosted by Chandana evening from Horethuduwa to rently residing in Colombo and Puttalam by the EC, although some have taken precautions to ensure that were counted after they complained of Sooriyabandara on March 30 night. Opposition Leader of the Southern Panadura. Panadura and the rest were either liv- IDP’s stated that they had not applied your franchise cannot be stolen.” irregularities that occurred during The CMEV has also received ing overseas or dead. There are about for voting. Provincial Council Buddhika Wickremesinghe said that the last Presidential Poll. Pathirana and UNF candidate at reports from the Puttalam and 6,000 such ‘voters’ – The Returning Similar incidents have been report- today’s election would be very “We referred to the violation of Batticaloa Districts alleging prepara- Officer for Puttalam, on investigation, ed from Batticaloa District too, and rel- today’s parliamentary polls, made a crucial since it would determine laws during the last Presidential tions for voter impersonation for today’s identified about 37 applications with evant authorities cautioned, CMEV statement to that effect and The elections under the displaced persons forged signatures of Grama Niladaries.