Vol. 26 No. 267 Thursday 16th November, 2006 Rs.15 - 34 Pages Registered in Sri Lanka as a Newspaper - Late City Edition Pushing rail What evidence SPECIAL 10 infrastructure 11 so far H.L. de Silva on underground points to Demerger A unanimous judgment of the Supreme Court of Sri Lanka has with crystal clari- ty and irrefragable logic declared that the Norway welcomes Proclamation issued by President J. R. Jayewardene on 8th September 1988 H. L. de Silva that the Northern and the Eastern Province of Sri Lanka shall form one administrative unit for the purposes of UK peace initiative the Provincial Councils Act, to be null and Fresh effort JVP criticises further void and of no legal effect. See page 8 outside Oslo-led internationalisation peace process of NE issue Joint team to by Shamindra tated peace process. Ferdinando In September, Rajapakse met Norwegian Norwegian Prime study SLFP Ambassador to Sri Minister in New Lanka Hans York where they dis- Brattskar Tuesday cussed the possibili- -UNP MoU left for Oslo after ty of taking the by Franklin .R meeting the visiting peace process for- Satyapalan Chairman of the Hans Brattskar Paul Murphy ward. British Intelligence The Norwegian The UNP and the and Security Committee, Paul Murphy, spokesperson acknowledged that SLFP yesterday appointed a joint- on a three-day mission here, to see how International Development Minister committee to activate Britain could support the Norwegian- Erik Solheim and Peace Envoy Jon and monitor the led peace process. Hanssen Bauer are not scheduled to progress of the The LTTE quit the negotiations in visit Colombo in the near future. recently signed MoU April 2003 during Ranil Political sources said that the British between the two par- Wickremesinghe’s tenure as the Prime initiative would not go hand in hand ties. Minister. The Norwegian efforts backed with the Norwegian effort. The sources UNP Chairman Rukman by the US, EU and Japan failed to con- said that it was not clear whether the Rukman Senanayake, said a six-mem- vince the LTTE. British would differ in their approach. ber joint committee was appointed for A Norwegian embassy spokesperson “There is absolutely no point in repeat- the purpose. “Leaders of the two parties welcomed the British initiative. “Any ing the Norwegian strategy,” an official have agreed to commence the sittings of initiative that can help bring peace is said. The LTTE had resisted all interna- the committee once the President pres- welcome,” the spokesman said. He con- tional efforts to bring them back to the ents the Budget in Parliament,” he said. firmed Tuesday’s meeting while declin- negotiating table for over three years, ing to elaborate. Continued on page 2 he said. If the British wanted to suc- Murphy is accompanied by ceed, they’ll have to apply maximum Christopher MacCabe, the British Joint Budget today Secretary of the British-Irish pressure on the LTTE, he pointed out. Intergovernmental Secretariat. Murphy was the Cabinet Minister President Mahinda Rajapakse will Their visit followed a meeting in responsible for Northern Irish affairs present the Budget for the year 2007 August where British Prime Minister between 2002 and 2005, and was closely today. This is the second Budget that Tony Blair discussed with President involved in the Northern Ireland peace Semini Iddamalgoda and Sumith Ratnayake became this year’s winners of the best stage President Rajapakse will present since Mahinda Rajapakse ways in which the process. actress and actor. The award ceremony was held on Tuesday at the John de Silva Theatre. he was elected to office at the November UK could support the Norwegian facili- Continued on page 2 Pic. by Kamal Bogoda 17, 2006 presidential polls. Raviraj cremated All India bar calls for Indian by Harischandra Gunaratna The last rites for intervention in Sri Lanka the slain TNA parlia- mentarian Nadarajah The Hindu reported yesterday Government had unleashed vio- started coming to India leaving Raviraj were per- that the All-India Bar Association lence in its objective to annihilate their homes and property in the formed according to (AIBA) on Tuesday, expressing the Tamil Tigers. The Sri Lankan island. In this precarious situa- serious concern over continuing Army did not spare even women tion, it is the responsibility of the the Hindu custom hostilities in Sri Lanka, sought the and children and as a result the Indian Government to take efforts yesterday amidst a Raviraj intervention of Prime Minister entire Tamil population in the to stop the ethnic killings immedi- large gathering in his Manmohan Singh to stop the eth- island was panic-stricken and help- ately.” home town of Chavakachcheri. nic killings in the island. less. The AIBA requested the Prime There were no major incidents The report said: “In a memoran- The United Nations Secretary- Minister to take into consideration reported from the North and the dum sent to the Prime Minister, General had called for immediate the sentiments of Tamils across East. AIBA Chairman Adish C. cessation of hostilities, but the Sri the world and use his good offices Aggarwala and Vice Chairman S. In Chenkalady, in the North, Lankan Government had not been to persuade the Sri Lanka Prabakaran said the Sri Lankan heeding the appeal. Government to stop innocents troops yesterday around 8.30 a.m. Government had repeatedly violat- The AIBA said: “We call upon being killed. recovered a haul of arms and ammu- ed international norms and United the international community to nition during a cordon and search Nations guidelines by “resorting to “We request you to consult voice their strong protest to ensure other political parties in sending a operaton. largescale killings.” that the ethnic conflict comes to an parliamentary delegation to Sri According to the army, they have It said that after the peace talks end. It must be noted that the pres- sponsored by the Norwegian dele- Lanka to hold talks with the ent situation resembles what was recovered two T-56 assault rifles, two gation between the Sri Lanka administration in the island to find witnessed during 1983 when such hand grenades, six magazines and 65 Government and the Liberation out ways and means to save inno- mass killings took place. cartridges from the Vinayagamurthy Tigers of Tamil Eelam had not cent Tamils,” the memorandum made any headway, the “Thousands of refugees have said.” Maha Vidyalaya in Chenkalady. Senior army officer said on the pre- vious night the LTTE had fired at the troops and this resulted in the troops UNP talks fail searching the area for Tiger cadres. Landslides in 13 Meanwhile, at Rotunda gardens Yesterday’s talks between UNP leader Ranil Wickremesinghe and in Kollupitiya yesterday morning, the group agitating for reforms with- areas, more due police recovered a hand grenade in a in the party, over a motion by S. B. by Thushari Kalubowila likely to occur in the locality. garbage dump. The STF bomb dis- Dissanayake to be taken up at the At Peradeniya, another earth posal squad defused it. party’s annual convention, ended in slip brought down some rocks a deadlock,sources said. Heavy rains experienced on your from a hill on two shops in the land Joseph Michael Perera, John during the past several days The Is Amaratunga and Tissa Attanayake have resulted in dangerous land- town last Saturday (11) and another landslide took place at MOBILE/PDA opposed Dissanayake’s motion on slides from 13 regions of the GPRS enabled country, the Building Research the same spot two days later the grounds that the party constitu- http://mobile.island.lk tion did not allow it. Division has reported. damaging a building and 13 Dissanayake, Professor G. L. D. Wijewickrama, a geologist shops in the town. All residents Select: Web Web Address Peiris and Gamini Lokuge, had of the division, said earth from of the town were evacuated. He Powerd by Lanka com Type:http://mobile.island.lk argued in favour of the motion but the landslide that took place last said the eastern part of the town could not convince Wickremesinghe Sunday (12) causing a number of had become very dangerous and his group. deaths at Paradeka in even as far back as 2002 and the The sources said it was likely Pussellawa has been cleared, but local authorities were warned, that the reformists would now seek the road was still not safe for but no action was taken. legal redress. travel as more landslides were Continued on page 2.