Another cricket TV scam? Minister Lokuge in OPA Seminar on hot water Managing the In an unprecedented ‘New perspectives move, Sports Minister Gamini refugee crisis Lokuge entered into a televi- in education’ sion deal with Taj TV Ltd. Worth 67 million US$ Page11 Page 7 recently. The deal signed through Minister’s secretary for a period of four years at a time when there was no Cricket Board has raised many an eyebrow. See page 16 for more… `Vol. 28 No. 151 Wednesday 13th May, 2009. 32 Pages Rs. 20 Registered in Sri Lanka as a Newspaper - Late City Edition To cut or not Security Council to cut: CEB Two-pronged assault refuses to swallow in dilemma LTTE bait Top diplomats from Britain and France were rebuffed on Monday (May 11), when UN to decimate Tigers Security Council mem- bers refused their request to discuss the on- Karuna turns ‘deep blue’ ! Tiger chief trapped in 5 sq. km going hostage rescue operations in Sri Lanka, despite the extensive and Miliband relentless LTTE propa- ganda efforts to spin tables in its favour, expecting a breather, the government said in a statement posted on the Defence Ministry web- site. The council members by Ifham Nizam that opposed taking up Kouchner the issue were not named. Despite assurances from the Foreign Ministers of Britain and Ceylon Electricity Board France David Miliband and Bernard Management that there would be Kouchner were joined by Austria’s no power cuts in the near future, Michael Spindelegger, the Federal some top officials believe that the Minister for European and management could be wrong. International Affairs, to protest against Some senior CEB officials are by Shamindra Ferdinando inaction by the 15-nation council. of the view that if the prevailing When asked which council members weather pattern continues, power midst LTTE’s attempts to force the UN to opposed their request, Miliband said, cuts will have be imposed, at least intervene in Sri Lanka, the Army has carried ‘We can only speak for ourselves. Others one hour a day. Aout a two-pronged assault to tighten its grip can speak for themselves!’ Due to the on going severe on the LTTE trapped on the Mullaitivu coast. “We are clear, this is an issue that the UN Security Council should address; it Continued on page 4 Army Chief, Lt. General Sarath Fonseka has involves major civilian loss of lives and ordered the 59 Division, deployed south of the newly distress,” Miliband said. “It does have established no fire zone, to advance northward while ramifications for the region. We as the 58 Division fought its way into the safety zone European members of the UN Security Ellawala dead The SLFP yesterday issued a letter of appointment to LTTE military commander amidst heavy LTTE resistance. The ground opera- Council, we believe that the issues turned Minister Karuna Amman as Vice President of the SLFP. Karuna told The tions conducted in the past 48 hours had brought the belong here,” he said. Governor of the Island that he would make every effort to strengthen the SLFP in the Eastern war against the LTTE closer to an end, Defence As a rule and unless a crisis is Sabaragamuwa Province as well as in the North. Karuna displays his appointment letter from Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa told The Island. already on the council’s agenda, a Province Mohan Well informed sources said that the government majority of nine council members have SLFP General Secretary Minister Maithripala Sirisena. Pic Jude Denzil Pathiraja. Saliya Ellawala wanted to bring the offensive to an immediate end. to approve a new issue if it is to be put passed away at a pri- An attempt would be made to finish off the LTTE on the agenda. Some council members vate hospital yester- units trapped in the safety zone within 48 hours, have opposed discussion over matters day morning follow- sources said. they consider domestic. ing a brief illness. UNP action against Yapa stayed China in the past opposed discussion of Myanmar’s political crisis and Ellawala, who by Priyalal Sirisena Yapa crossed over to the Continued on page 4 Ellawala Russia opposed discussion of Chechnya. entered active poli- government with 18 dissident ‘Thousands of Sri Lankans have tics in 1974 earlier served as a Colombo District Judge members of UNP in 2007. He Parliamentarian, Minister and already died in the past several months Sampath Wijerathne yester- was later appointed non- later as Chief Minister of the due to the conflict, and more still day issued a stay order pre- Cabinet Minister of Media. remain in grave danger,’ UN Secretary Sabaragamuwa Province. Now, SL mission in venting UNP General The Working Committee of General Ban Ki-Moon said, adding that Secretary Tissa Attanayake the UNP decided that the the Hague targeted he was appalled at the killing. from suspending the party activities of Abeywardena ‘The reckless disrespect shown by the membership of UNP dissi- had violated article 3.4 of the The Foreign Ministry yesterday said that LTTE Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam Yapa (LTTE) for the safety of civilians has led dent and Minister UNP party constitution activists had thrown missiles at the Sri Lankan Janashakthi to to thousands of people remaining Lakshman Yapa Abeywardena. necessitating disciplinary action. Embassy in the Hague, Netherlands on Monday night. trapped in the area,’ he said. Minister Abeywardena had When the case filed by The Netherlands police were investigating the inci- appeal against complained to the Court that the Abeywardena against the UNP and dent, a spokesman said. UNP Working Committee was tak- its party secretary Tissa He said that the international community should suspension ing steps to suspend his party Attanayake was called yesterday, take immediate action to neutralise the threat posed membership and ask the Speaker the District Judge ordered Tissa by LTTE operatives in their country. He pointed out Says will honour all claims of the Parliament to remove his that the LTTE had also targeted the Indian HC and the name from the list of MPs. Continued on page 4 Chinese Embassy in London. Janashakthi Insurance PLC yes- terday said that it would continue to honour all claims that may arise during a 3-week suspension imposed by the Insurance Board of Sri Lanka (IBSL). Siyambalapitiya locks horns with The following is a statement issued by Janashakthi. “Janashakthi Insurance PLC has been informed by the Insurance Maheepala ‘on the road’ Board of Sri Lanka of an imposition ease traffic congestion in the Kegalle town. Responding to media queries, the Kegalle of a temporary suspension of the by Shamindra Ferdinando A furious Siyambalapitiya on Monday District MP vowed that the CM wouldn’t be trading license, effective from 12 noon today for a period of 3 weeks. Chief Minister of the publicly accused Herath of interfering with allowed to scuttle the project. “We’ll launch The company is in the process of Sabaragamuwa Province the project as it would force him to give up this project soon,” he said, Maheepala Herath and some valuable property situated in the adding that such interference Continued on page 4 Minister of Finance and town. Addressing a meeting organised in wasn’t uncommon. “I have Government Revenue Kegalle to coincide with Monday’s launch, been in Parliament since Ranjith Siyambalapitiya he said that the CM had requested 1994 and this sort of inter- are on a collision course President Mahinda Rajapaksa to put off the ference is nothing new,” he over the latter’s accusation project. said. that the CM had The President has directed the suspen- He said that their thwarted the launch sion of the project until the issue is efforts to ease traffic of an alternative resolved. road construc- “It is a priority project that needs to be Continued on tion project to completed as quickly as possible,” he said. page 4 Ranjith Maheepala.