UK property company Liberty International's subsidiary, Capital & Counties, said on Thursday it was in a joint venture with London-based Great Portland Estates to own, manage and develop central London properties in a deal initially worth #460m.
The venture will see the formation of The Great Capital Partnership, will have a starting value of #460m and consist of more than 80000m? of property space.
This is the second major deal announced by Capital & Counties this week, as it has also acquired the retail part of the Royal Opera House block in London?s Covent Garden for #126,5m to give it "full control" of the retail frontages to the market area.
Capital & Counties owns more than 30 properties in the popular Covent Garden retail precinct.
Capital & Counties executive director Gary Marcuccilli said on Thursday that the rationale for the deal with Great Portland Estates was that it was a specialist central London property company.
"The rationale for doing the deal from our side is to tap into their asset management and development skills," he said.
Liberty International, which has a significant South African shareholding, has a joint listing on the London Stock Exchange (LSE) and JSE.
Its market capitalisation is more than #4bn.
Great Portland Estates, which is listed on the LSE, has a market capitalisation of about #1,1bn.
Marcuccilli said Capital & Counties and Great Portland Estates were looking to work together to grow the #460m property portfolio by acquiring new opportunities, in both the development and investment arenas.
Capital & Counties will bring properties worth about #299m to The Great Capital Partnership.
"It's virtually all our central London properties outside Covent Garden," said Marcuccilli.
He said Great Portland Estates was bringing properties worth about #162m to the joint venture.
Great Portland Estates would also pay Capital & Counties #68m in cash, "so that we end up with a 50-50 jointly owned vehicle", Marcuccilli said.
He said it was a relatively small joint venture in terms of the size of Liberty International.
"We hope it's a mechanism to growing our presence in central London," Marcuccilli said.
Capital & Counties MD Ian Hawksworth said the venture would enable the company to "increase our involvement in London".
It was "complimentary to our significant and expanding wholly owned activities in Covent Garden", Hawksworth said.
Business Day
Barbican property Barbican Flats
Saturday, March 31, 2007
CSE downslide and global democracy on the Gadarene Slope- Island Editorial
Leading national Newspaper in SL "The Island" in its editorial warns the International Community to not to take the LTTE's newly acquired aerial capability for granted. The Island urges IC to reassess the global threat of terrorism with the LTTE aerial attack or their usual hypocrisy over the terrorism in third world countries may implode in the near future. The following is the full text of the Island's editorial (Saturday the 31st of March):
The downturn in the Colombo bourse in the aftermath of terror attacks on Monday, however worrisome that downslide may be to brokers, investors and the public, has led to celebrations in some quarters. While the terror sympathizers are cock-a-hoop about the tumble out in the open, the terror-worshipping southern politicians are deriving some sadistic pleasure from the country's plight, on the sly. The striped doomsday prophets are working overtime on the web to have the world believe that come next month, the Sri Lankan economy will collapse and Eelam will come into being. They are issuing threats of more air raids to drive the economy into the ground to achieve that goal.
It is strange that the world has apparently taken the LTTE's newly acquired air capability for granted. Apart from a few paper missiles fired at the outfit from some countries over the air raid, there are no signs of big nations being galvanized into assessing the latest threat to global peace. The LTTE may not pose a direct threat to big nations but there always exists the grave danger of other terror outfits emulating it and using its modus operandi to further their macabre interests. The LTTE may not have pioneered suicide bombing, contrary to its claims to that effect, but, it may be recalled, its suicide jacket is already in vogue among others of its ilk the world over. Likewise, it has over the years spawned a large number of fans overseas. It is training guerrilla outfits in several countries including India and Nepal.
When steel prices rise in China, pedestrians usually fall into open manholes in other parts of the world. For, the high demand for steel causes manhole covers to turn into scrap metal at the hands of the cash-strapped sections of society. The classical ripple effect at work! If a blockbuster movie is launched in Hollywood today, its pirated version will be available in Maradana tomorrow. Technology for making the Oklahoma bomb was obtained from the Internet!
Now that the LTTE has unveiled its air capability, which has had an adverse impact on the Sri Lankan economy, the turbaned terror mastermind on the run may question his wisdom of having opted for large scale terror attacks without settling for micro terrorism, which has proved to be quite effective. Since fuel laden jumbo jets are hard to come by these days due to stringent security measures at airports, he might start thinking in terms of ultra-light planes, which are a dime a dozen in the developed world. (They are available even on large farms.) Will bin Laden adopt 'small is beautiful' as his motto? If he ever switched over from jets to low-flying small planes packed with lethal material and landed on civilians and economic targets in their numbers simultaneously in a country of his choice-absit omen!-what would be the fallout? Wouldn't there be tumble in the stock market in that country?
Terrorism is like avian flu. The spread of the virus of terror is swift and its mutation unpredictable. Whoever thought Uncle Sam would have his Al Qaeda pets coming home to roost riding jets? India may never have expected Prabhakaran to send a Child of Fire to garland Rajiv. On the other hand, look at the way those outfits are adapting to new situations. It was only a few moons ago that the vigilance of the British police prevented liquid explosives being smuggled into aircraft to cause dozens of mid air explosions over the Atlantic Ocean. Terrorism-especially its flying version-must be dealt in the same manner as avian flue: It must be stopped at the source. As much as it is downright stupidity for a farmer to say the avian flue affected birds are not his and take the threat for granted, it is nothing but sheer asininity for a country to say that the Tigers are not its terrorists and therefore let things slide. But, that exactly is what is happening!
The worthy members of the international community, far and near, might think it is in their interest to keep the pot boiling here. They may be silent as they believe Monday's air raid will further debilitate this country so that it will be dependent on them more. The news of the tumble in the Colombo Stock Market, as was said earlier, may be music to their ears.
They will be sadly mistaken if they think it is only Sri Lanka's economic indicators that are sliding due to terrorism. Their callous disregard to the predicament of small nations battling terrorism almost single-handed has turned out to be as detrimental to democracy as terror strikes. Their duplicity has added to the momentum of global democracy's journey down the Gadarene Slope. How sad!
The downturn in the Colombo bourse in the aftermath of terror attacks on Monday, however worrisome that downslide may be to brokers, investors and the public, has led to celebrations in some quarters. While the terror sympathizers are cock-a-hoop about the tumble out in the open, the terror-worshipping southern politicians are deriving some sadistic pleasure from the country's plight, on the sly. The striped doomsday prophets are working overtime on the web to have the world believe that come next month, the Sri Lankan economy will collapse and Eelam will come into being. They are issuing threats of more air raids to drive the economy into the ground to achieve that goal.
It is strange that the world has apparently taken the LTTE's newly acquired air capability for granted. Apart from a few paper missiles fired at the outfit from some countries over the air raid, there are no signs of big nations being galvanized into assessing the latest threat to global peace. The LTTE may not pose a direct threat to big nations but there always exists the grave danger of other terror outfits emulating it and using its modus operandi to further their macabre interests. The LTTE may not have pioneered suicide bombing, contrary to its claims to that effect, but, it may be recalled, its suicide jacket is already in vogue among others of its ilk the world over. Likewise, it has over the years spawned a large number of fans overseas. It is training guerrilla outfits in several countries including India and Nepal.
When steel prices rise in China, pedestrians usually fall into open manholes in other parts of the world. For, the high demand for steel causes manhole covers to turn into scrap metal at the hands of the cash-strapped sections of society. The classical ripple effect at work! If a blockbuster movie is launched in Hollywood today, its pirated version will be available in Maradana tomorrow. Technology for making the Oklahoma bomb was obtained from the Internet!
Now that the LTTE has unveiled its air capability, which has had an adverse impact on the Sri Lankan economy, the turbaned terror mastermind on the run may question his wisdom of having opted for large scale terror attacks without settling for micro terrorism, which has proved to be quite effective. Since fuel laden jumbo jets are hard to come by these days due to stringent security measures at airports, he might start thinking in terms of ultra-light planes, which are a dime a dozen in the developed world. (They are available even on large farms.) Will bin Laden adopt 'small is beautiful' as his motto? If he ever switched over from jets to low-flying small planes packed with lethal material and landed on civilians and economic targets in their numbers simultaneously in a country of his choice-absit omen!-what would be the fallout? Wouldn't there be tumble in the stock market in that country?
Terrorism is like avian flu. The spread of the virus of terror is swift and its mutation unpredictable. Whoever thought Uncle Sam would have his Al Qaeda pets coming home to roost riding jets? India may never have expected Prabhakaran to send a Child of Fire to garland Rajiv. On the other hand, look at the way those outfits are adapting to new situations. It was only a few moons ago that the vigilance of the British police prevented liquid explosives being smuggled into aircraft to cause dozens of mid air explosions over the Atlantic Ocean. Terrorism-especially its flying version-must be dealt in the same manner as avian flue: It must be stopped at the source. As much as it is downright stupidity for a farmer to say the avian flue affected birds are not his and take the threat for granted, it is nothing but sheer asininity for a country to say that the Tigers are not its terrorists and therefore let things slide. But, that exactly is what is happening!
The worthy members of the international community, far and near, might think it is in their interest to keep the pot boiling here. They may be silent as they believe Monday's air raid will further debilitate this country so that it will be dependent on them more. The news of the tumble in the Colombo Stock Market, as was said earlier, may be music to their ears.
They will be sadly mistaken if they think it is only Sri Lanka's economic indicators that are sliding due to terrorism. Their callous disregard to the predicament of small nations battling terrorism almost single-handed has turned out to be as detrimental to democracy as terror strikes. Their duplicity has added to the momentum of global democracy's journey down the Gadarene Slope. How sad!
LTTE making desperate attempts to strain Indo-Lanka relations - Kohona
Bandula JAYASEKARA in New Delhi
Foreign Secretary Dr. Palitha Kohona said the LTTE is making desperate attempts to create strains in the excellent relationship between India and Sri Lanka prior to President Mahinda Rajapaksa's visit to New Delhi to attend the SAARC summit.
Kohona who arrived here to attend the SAARC Foreign Secretaries meetings told the Daily News. "It is very clear that the LTTE has stage managed the incident which killed four Indian fishermen. It is a familiar pattern on the eve of the SAARC summit in New Delhi. It is a deliberate attempt to discredit Sri Lanka".
Indian media reported yesterday that the Sri Lankan Navy killed four fishermen on March 29.
Kohona said Navy data clearly indicated that the Sri Lanka Navy was nowhere near the area where they are alleged to have attacked the Indian fishermen and it was very clear that at no stage did Sri Lankan Navy vessels go into Indian waters.
"In any event it is inimical to the interest of Sri Lanka and it's Navy to attack Indian fishermen," the Foreign Secretary said.
Courtesy - Daily News
Foreign Secretary Dr. Palitha Kohona said the LTTE is making desperate attempts to create strains in the excellent relationship between India and Sri Lanka prior to President Mahinda Rajapaksa's visit to New Delhi to attend the SAARC summit.
Kohona who arrived here to attend the SAARC Foreign Secretaries meetings told the Daily News. "It is very clear that the LTTE has stage managed the incident which killed four Indian fishermen. It is a familiar pattern on the eve of the SAARC summit in New Delhi. It is a deliberate attempt to discredit Sri Lanka".
Indian media reported yesterday that the Sri Lankan Navy killed four fishermen on March 29.
Kohona said Navy data clearly indicated that the Sri Lanka Navy was nowhere near the area where they are alleged to have attacked the Indian fishermen and it was very clear that at no stage did Sri Lankan Navy vessels go into Indian waters.
"In any event it is inimical to the interest of Sri Lanka and it's Navy to attack Indian fishermen," the Foreign Secretary said.
Courtesy - Daily News
Roadside blast kills policeman in eastern Sri Lanka, military says
COLOMBO, Sri Lanka: Suspected Tamil Tiger rebels detonated a roadside bomb in eastern Sri Lanka on Saturday, killing a police commando, the military said.
The blast occurred in the town of Kaluwanchikudy, in a region where some of the heaviest fighting has taken place as the government seeks to oust the Tamil Tigers from their bases there, the military's media center said.
Kaluwanchikudy is some 220 kilometers (136 miles) east of the capital, Colombo.
Also Saturday, two soldiers and a policeman were wounded in two other separate blasts in the island's north and east, the center said.
In a separate incident, the military said air force planes bombed a position of the Tigers' sea wing in the northern Mullaitivu district on Saturday. Details on damage were not available.
The blasts came a day after suspected rebels blew up a military vehicle near the northern town of Vavuniya killing five soldiers, while eight civilians died in a mortar barrage. Both sides blamed each other for the shelling.
The blasts capped a violent week that saw the rebels' first airstrike in their two-decade conflict Monday, a suicide bombing at a military camp Tuesday and a naval battle off the eastern coast on Thursday.
The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam have fought the government since 1983 to create an independent homeland for Sri Lanka's 3.1 million ethnic Tamil minority who suffered decades of discrimination by the majority Sinhalese-dominated state.
A Norway brokered cease-fire in 2002 scaled down violence, raising hopes for a permanent end to one of Asia's longest civil conflicts that had killed 65,000 people by then.
Violence resumed in late 2005 killing another 4,000 people, according to European monitors.
The blast occurred in the town of Kaluwanchikudy, in a region where some of the heaviest fighting has taken place as the government seeks to oust the Tamil Tigers from their bases there, the military's media center said.
Kaluwanchikudy is some 220 kilometers (136 miles) east of the capital, Colombo.
Also Saturday, two soldiers and a policeman were wounded in two other separate blasts in the island's north and east, the center said.
In a separate incident, the military said air force planes bombed a position of the Tigers' sea wing in the northern Mullaitivu district on Saturday. Details on damage were not available.
The blasts came a day after suspected rebels blew up a military vehicle near the northern town of Vavuniya killing five soldiers, while eight civilians died in a mortar barrage. Both sides blamed each other for the shelling.
The blasts capped a violent week that saw the rebels' first airstrike in their two-decade conflict Monday, a suicide bombing at a military camp Tuesday and a naval battle off the eastern coast on Thursday.
The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam have fought the government since 1983 to create an independent homeland for Sri Lanka's 3.1 million ethnic Tamil minority who suffered decades of discrimination by the majority Sinhalese-dominated state.
A Norway brokered cease-fire in 2002 scaled down violence, raising hopes for a permanent end to one of Asia's longest civil conflicts that had killed 65,000 people by then.
Violence resumed in late 2005 killing another 4,000 people, according to European monitors.
Sri Lankan Troops, Rebels Intensify Violence
The single-engine airplane was smuggled in parts into Sri Lanka, then reassembled and sent Monday to bomb a government air base outside the capital, Colombo. Three military personnel died on the ground in this first rebel airstrike since hostilities broke out on the island in 1983. Rebels released photos of members of their "air wing" waving jauntily from a small plane's cockpit.
The bombing and other dramatic attacks this week helped push Sri Lanka's newly restarted ethnic conflict toward all-out war: A suicide bomber rammed an explosives-laden tractor into an army camp, killing himself and at least six others; the Sri Lankan navy reported sinking three rebel gunboats, with heavy loss of life on the insurgent side.
The heightened violence comes as the government -- which, along with the rebels, is accused by human rights groups of massive human rights violations -- is seeking $590 million in economic aid from Millennium Challenge Corp. Under the rules of the U.S. government organization, recipient countries must meet certain standards regarding the rule of law, human rights and the environment.
A cease-fire signed in 2002 by Tamil rebels and the majority-Sinhalese government, with Norwegian officials mediating, had largely held until last year. Mediators scrambled to restore the truce, but the week's hostilities make that seem more and more unlikely.
The attacks followed a full-throttle push by Sri Lankan army forces in January to root out the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam from strongholds in Vakarai, 200 miles east of Colombo. The Tigers, who have tried to carve out an autonomous state in the northeast, have lost about 230 square miles in the face of military offensives recently.
The government of President Mahinda Rajapakse has justified its escalation as a necessary part of a war on terror.
According to Human Rights Watch, the International Committee of the Red Cross and Catholic relief groups operating in Sri Lanka, the number of displaced people has risen to 150,000 in the northeast in recent weeks, bringing the nation's total to 350,000.
The forced repatriation of civilians to certain devastated areas in a government attempt to accelerate a return to normalcy has drawn criticism from relief workers. Returnees have told them that the fighting and destruction have stripped them of their means of livelihood, such as fishing boats and farming tools.
The Tiger rebels, classified by the State Department as a terrorist organization, have a dismal record concerning respect for human life, rights groups say. They have carried out random bus bombings and suicide attacks and recruited as many as 6,000 child solders. "Both the government and [the Tigers] have shown a brazen disregard for the safety and well-being of civilians," the New York-based advocacy group Human Rights Watch said in a recent report.
The bombing and other dramatic attacks this week helped push Sri Lanka's newly restarted ethnic conflict toward all-out war: A suicide bomber rammed an explosives-laden tractor into an army camp, killing himself and at least six others; the Sri Lankan navy reported sinking three rebel gunboats, with heavy loss of life on the insurgent side.
The heightened violence comes as the government -- which, along with the rebels, is accused by human rights groups of massive human rights violations -- is seeking $590 million in economic aid from Millennium Challenge Corp. Under the rules of the U.S. government organization, recipient countries must meet certain standards regarding the rule of law, human rights and the environment.
A cease-fire signed in 2002 by Tamil rebels and the majority-Sinhalese government, with Norwegian officials mediating, had largely held until last year. Mediators scrambled to restore the truce, but the week's hostilities make that seem more and more unlikely.
The attacks followed a full-throttle push by Sri Lankan army forces in January to root out the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam from strongholds in Vakarai, 200 miles east of Colombo. The Tigers, who have tried to carve out an autonomous state in the northeast, have lost about 230 square miles in the face of military offensives recently.
The government of President Mahinda Rajapakse has justified its escalation as a necessary part of a war on terror.
According to Human Rights Watch, the International Committee of the Red Cross and Catholic relief groups operating in Sri Lanka, the number of displaced people has risen to 150,000 in the northeast in recent weeks, bringing the nation's total to 350,000.
The forced repatriation of civilians to certain devastated areas in a government attempt to accelerate a return to normalcy has drawn criticism from relief workers. Returnees have told them that the fighting and destruction have stripped them of their means of livelihood, such as fishing boats and farming tools.
The Tiger rebels, classified by the State Department as a terrorist organization, have a dismal record concerning respect for human life, rights groups say. They have carried out random bus bombings and suicide attacks and recruited as many as 6,000 child solders. "Both the government and [the Tigers] have shown a brazen disregard for the safety and well-being of civilians," the New York-based advocacy group Human Rights Watch said in a recent report.
LTTE building submarines?
New Delhi, Friday, PTI: The LTTE, which has raised security concerns by becoming the world's first insurgent group to use air power, might be working on acquiring underwater vessels that could pose a threat to merchant shipping in regional waters.
Reports have suggested that the LTTE, which possess a naval wing called the Sea Tigers, is building a mini-submarine as part of its new arsenal.
A top Indian Navy official, who was asked about this issue yesterday, did not discount it entirely and said the LTTE could be "trying its hand" at building "submerged vessels".
To questions about the possibility of the LTTE acquiring a submarine and how big a threat this would pose to India and its neighbourhood, Rear Admiral Pradeep Chuahan said the threat would be as good or bad as threats posed by any terrorist group operating on land.
Rear Admiral Chauhan, the assistant chief of naval staff at naval headquarters here, however, noted that submarine building and operating such vessels are very complicated matters.
"You cannot make or operate submarines by opening manuals," he said, asserting that surveillance and patrolling had been intensified in the Palk Strait and adjoining seas.
Reports have suggested that the LTTE, which possess a naval wing called the Sea Tigers, is building a mini-submarine as part of its new arsenal.
A top Indian Navy official, who was asked about this issue yesterday, did not discount it entirely and said the LTTE could be "trying its hand" at building "submerged vessels".
To questions about the possibility of the LTTE acquiring a submarine and how big a threat this would pose to India and its neighbourhood, Rear Admiral Pradeep Chuahan said the threat would be as good or bad as threats posed by any terrorist group operating on land.
Rear Admiral Chauhan, the assistant chief of naval staff at naval headquarters here, however, noted that submarine building and operating such vessels are very complicated matters.
"You cannot make or operate submarines by opening manuals," he said, asserting that surveillance and patrolling had been intensified in the Palk Strait and adjoining seas.
Sri Lanka Prime Minister visits Thailand
Mar 30, Colombo: Sri Lankan Prime Minister Rathnasiri Wickramanayaka who is on an official visit to Thailand met his Thai counterpart Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont on Friday (30th March).During the meeting the two premiers discussed a variety of bilateral issues and political developments between Thailand and Sri Lanka. The purpose of the meeting is also to strengthen the bilateral ties and to cooperatively suppress arms trading by the LTTE.
The bilateral relations between Thailand and Sri Lanka go back more than 50 years. The main religion of both countries is Buddhism, and they are performing Buddhist activities actively. Thailand also provides academic support to Sri Lanka by offering fifty scholarships per year in fields such as public health, education, environment, agriculture and infrastructures.
LTTE air capability concerns US greatly
Mar 30, Colombo: United States Ambassador to Sri Lanka, Robert Blake said that LTTE’s successful deployment of an offensive air capability is a matter of great concern.
In an interview with a Sri Lankan daily ‘Daily News’, Ambassador Blake said that the United States have worked with the Government of Sri Lanka to stop the flow of arms and terrorist financing to the LTTE since US designated the LTTE as a Foreign Terrorist Organization in 1997.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation arrested 15 suspects in August 2006 for conspiring to buy surface-to-air missiles in the U.S. and trying to bribe U.S. officials to get the Tamil Tigers removed from the U.S. list of terrorist organizations.
When asked whether the US has changed its travel warning, the Ambassador said there was no substantive change as they see no specific threat to Americans who intend to travel to the tourist areas in the Cultural Triangle or those in further south.
The latest travel warning on Sri Lanka by the US State Department was issued in October 2006.
Blake stressed that there can be no military solution to the conflict between the government and the LTTE and urged both sides to cease hostilities so talks can take place on a negotiated settlement.
“The United States believes Sri Lanka now has an important opportunity to achieve peace. We very much hope that the power-sharing proposal that emerges from the APRC process will be a credible one that meets the aspirations of the Tamil, Sinhalese and Muslim people of Sri Lanka. This could then form the basis for talks leading to a negotiated settlement,” he said.
The Ambassador said that the US welcomed Foreign Minister Bogollagama’s remarks during his recent visit to Washington that the government’s peace initiative is on track to seek a broad-based political consensus in the south in favor of political proposals that would lead to a sustainable peace.
In an interview with a Sri Lankan daily ‘Daily News’, Ambassador Blake said that the United States have worked with the Government of Sri Lanka to stop the flow of arms and terrorist financing to the LTTE since US designated the LTTE as a Foreign Terrorist Organization in 1997.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation arrested 15 suspects in August 2006 for conspiring to buy surface-to-air missiles in the U.S. and trying to bribe U.S. officials to get the Tamil Tigers removed from the U.S. list of terrorist organizations.
When asked whether the US has changed its travel warning, the Ambassador said there was no substantive change as they see no specific threat to Americans who intend to travel to the tourist areas in the Cultural Triangle or those in further south.
The latest travel warning on Sri Lanka by the US State Department was issued in October 2006.
Blake stressed that there can be no military solution to the conflict between the government and the LTTE and urged both sides to cease hostilities so talks can take place on a negotiated settlement.
“The United States believes Sri Lanka now has an important opportunity to achieve peace. We very much hope that the power-sharing proposal that emerges from the APRC process will be a credible one that meets the aspirations of the Tamil, Sinhalese and Muslim people of Sri Lanka. This could then form the basis for talks leading to a negotiated settlement,” he said.
The Ambassador said that the US welcomed Foreign Minister Bogollagama’s remarks during his recent visit to Washington that the government’s peace initiative is on track to seek a broad-based political consensus in the south in favor of political proposals that would lead to a sustainable peace.
Friday, March 30, 2007
Mirror to the dance tradition of Sri Lanka
Although dance has been part of the national culture of Sri Lanka for thousands of years,
traditional dance was the strict preserve of the hereditary dancing families and it was confined to the ritual dance halls in village centres. It was only in the 1930s, with the emergence of Chitrasena, a virtuoso in the traditional dance forms of Sri Lanka and the first professional dancer of his country, that this ancient art form was given new life by being adapted to the modern stage.
Founded in 1943, the Chitrasena Dance Company has been the vehicle for this great dance maestro's innovative work both in traditional dance forms and contemporary dance theatre. The uniqueness of Chitrasena's art lies in his ability to extract the essence of the traditional and distil it into a purely theatrical and aesthetic expression without in any way jeopardising the authenticity of the former. In
Chitrasena's own words; ``So rich and varied are the dances of Sri Lanka that I saw no need to invent new movements for stage purposes. I have at all times attempted to fuse existing movements into an ensemble that has a meaning of its own, which is not simply a sterile showcase, ever conscious that the dance is essentially an art and not an exercise."
Since the inception of the Chitrasena Dance Company there have been more than 40 productions, consisting of the national dances and rhythms of Sri Lanka as well as innumerable ballets based on mythological and localised themes. Nala Damayanthi, Karadiya, Kinkini Kolama and Nirthanjali are some of the internationally acclaimed masterpieces of the Chitrasena Dance Company.
traditional dance was the strict preserve of the hereditary dancing families and it was confined to the ritual dance halls in village centres. It was only in the 1930s, with the emergence of Chitrasena, a virtuoso in the traditional dance forms of Sri Lanka and the first professional dancer of his country, that this ancient art form was given new life by being adapted to the modern stage.Founded in 1943, the Chitrasena Dance Company has been the vehicle for this great dance maestro's innovative work both in traditional dance forms and contemporary dance theatre. The uniqueness of Chitrasena's art lies in his ability to extract the essence of the traditional and distil it into a purely theatrical and aesthetic expression without in any way jeopardising the authenticity of the former. In
Chitrasena's own words; ``So rich and varied are the dances of Sri Lanka that I saw no need to invent new movements for stage purposes. I have at all times attempted to fuse existing movements into an ensemble that has a meaning of its own, which is not simply a sterile showcase, ever conscious that the dance is essentially an art and not an exercise."Since the inception of the Chitrasena Dance Company there have been more than 40 productions, consisting of the national dances and rhythms of Sri Lanka as well as innumerable ballets based on mythological and localised themes. Nala Damayanthi, Karadiya, Kinkini Kolama and Nirthanjali are some of the internationally acclaimed masterpieces of the Chitrasena Dance Company.
Between troops and Tigers: refugees caught in Sri Lanka's bloody crossfire
Sitting beneath a palm tree, Loganathan points to his new "house": a brown tent with blankets for a floor just outside Batticaloa, a town on Sri Lanka's east coast straddling a blue lagoon. The 34-year-old Tamil labourer says his family have been sheltering under the tarpaulin since November when a mortar shell landed in his garden, which was about 62 miles away from the refugee camp he now calls home.
His nine-year-old daughter lost her arm in the blast and his five-year-old son's back was scarred by the shrapnel.
"The army was shelling the town and we innocent people were caught in the firing. Now we are stuck here. These tents are too hot, there's too much sickness and no medicine and no jobs for us."
The father of two is typical of Batticaloa's newest residents. Displaced by an increasingly bloody civil war between Tamil Tiger guerrillas and the Sri Lankan army, more than 150,000 live under plastic tents or in hastily converted schools and warehouses.
Most have walked days to reach this sandy stretch of land, not stopping even when darkness fell for fear of being caught in the crossfire. The exodus began last summer after the Tigers and the government fought a war over control of a key dam outside the harbour town of Trincomalee.
Trustee of Tiger charity in London suspended and bank accounts restricted
London, 30 March, (Asiantribune.com): After opening an inquiry into the Sivayogam Trust -- a controversial trust linked to the Tamil Tigers -- the Charity Commission in London has suspended one of the trustees.
It has also restricted certain transactions including the bank accounts of the Trust. This Trust manages the Muttumari Amman Temple in Tooting, which is considered to be on the biggest money-making temples in London.
The Chairman of the Board of Trustees is N. Seevaratnam whose daughter was to marry "Castro", the overseer of overseas operations in Vanni. But the marriage didn't go through because he sustained injuries to the lower part of his body which has confined him to wheel chair. Anti-LTTE parties have been challenging the authority of Seevaratnam and questioning whether the funds collected have been applies properly.
The Charity Commission opened an inquiry into the Sivayogam Trust because it was concerned about
• the conduct and suitability of one of the trustees;
• whether the charity’s funds are being applied properly to further its charitable purposes; and
• decisions taken in the administration of the charity.
The Commission states in a press release that one of the charity’s trustees was suspended "pending consideration of his removal".
The Commission can only exercise its powers where the relevant grounds have been established. These grounds are:
* where there has been any misconduct or mismanagement in the administration of the charity, or
* it is necessary or desirable to act for the purpose of protecting the property of the charity or securing a proper application for the purposes of the charity of that property or of property coming to the charity.
London Zoo opens new gorilla enclosure
LONDON -- Heated waterfalls and a private gym sound like amenities one would expect at a swank hotel, not the new gorilla enclosure at the London Zoo, which opened on Thursday.
Zookeepers are hoping the new luxuries and the mock Gabonese rain forest clearing will encourage two of their residents, Effie and Bongo Junior, to mate.
"Effie's playing it cool," said zookeeper Tracy Lee of the 14-year-old female. "She's so beautiful."
The two hopeful lovebirds will share the 777,000 square yard enclosure with an older female named Zaire, who is no longer fertile.
"He's a bit bemused by it all," said zookeeper Tracy Lee of Bongo Junior, a 23-year-old male known as "Bobby," who has never become a father before. "He's got two women after him and he's feeling the pressure."
Keepers have been speaking to Effie, who came earlier this month from Leipzig Zoo in Germany, to help her settle in, said Daniel Simmonds, one of those caring for her.
Zookeepers are hoping the new luxuries and the mock Gabonese rain forest clearing will encourage two of their residents, Effie and Bongo Junior, to mate.
"Effie's playing it cool," said zookeeper Tracy Lee of the 14-year-old female. "She's so beautiful."
The two hopeful lovebirds will share the 777,000 square yard enclosure with an older female named Zaire, who is no longer fertile.
"He's a bit bemused by it all," said zookeeper Tracy Lee of Bongo Junior, a 23-year-old male known as "Bobby," who has never become a father before. "He's got two women after him and he's feeling the pressure."
Keepers have been speaking to Effie, who came earlier this month from Leipzig Zoo in Germany, to help her settle in, said Daniel Simmonds, one of those caring for her.
Britain appeals to UN in sailors' case
Britain has asked the United Nations Security Council to call for the immediate release of 15 naval personnel seized by Iran.
South Africa's UN Ambassador Dumisani Kumalo, the current council president, said the proposal would be discussed later today.
Ali Larijani, the secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, meanwhile, warned that Iran might pursue a "legal path" in the case.
Iran seized the naval personnel, who were aboard the HMS Cornwall, on March 23. Tehran says the ship was in its territorial waters while Britain says it was in Iraq's waters under a UN mandate.
Iranian Foreign Minister Manuchehr Mottaki demanded on March 28 that London acknowledge it violated Iran's territorial waters before the case of detained sailors and marines can be resolved.
Britain promptly rejected the new Iranian condition, meaning the standoff is likely to continue for some time.
Televised Footage
Mottaki's demand came shortly after Iranian television broadcast footage of some of the detained Britons. The footage included Faye Turney, the only female crew member, who said the sailors and marines had "trespassed" into Iranian waters.
"Obviously we trespassed into their waters. They were very friendly, very hospitable, very thoughtful, nice people," Turney said. "They explained to us why we'd been arrested. There was no aggression, no hurt, no harm. They were very, very compassionate," she added.
The Iranian TV broadcast was shown on one of the country’s Arabic-language stations, with the clear intent of getting maximum regional coverage.
Extensive Media Campaign
British Defense Minister Des Browne condemned the move.
"I've seen the footage, obviously, of Faye Turney and her comrades, and I don't really intend to dwell on the nature of that footage or, indeed, the way in which it was put into the public domain other than to say it is completely unacceptable to parade our people in this way," Browne said.
British officials mounted an extensive media campaign on March 28, using charts and coordinates to prove that the vessel in question, the "HMS Cornwall," had not strayed into Iranian waters.
By demanding an admission of wrongdoing from London, Tehran may be indicating that it sees the conflict as a matter of national pride and honor, rather than a technical matter.
The seizure of the British sailors and marines came as Iran faced defeat in the UN Security Council over its nuclear ambitions and at the same time as the United States Navy conducted its largest exercise in Persian Gulf waters since 2003.
Those maneuvers, involving two U.S. aircraft carriers sailing close to Iran’s shores, but in international waters, are due to end today.
In another development, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon held talks with Iran's foreign minister in the Saudi capital Riyadh today, on the sidelines of a Mideast peace conference.
The two discussed the crisis, but so far, no mediated solution has emerged.
South Africa's UN Ambassador Dumisani Kumalo, the current council president, said the proposal would be discussed later today.
Ali Larijani, the secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, meanwhile, warned that Iran might pursue a "legal path" in the case.
Iran seized the naval personnel, who were aboard the HMS Cornwall, on March 23. Tehran says the ship was in its territorial waters while Britain says it was in Iraq's waters under a UN mandate.
Iranian Foreign Minister Manuchehr Mottaki demanded on March 28 that London acknowledge it violated Iran's territorial waters before the case of detained sailors and marines can be resolved.
Britain promptly rejected the new Iranian condition, meaning the standoff is likely to continue for some time.
Televised Footage
Mottaki's demand came shortly after Iranian television broadcast footage of some of the detained Britons. The footage included Faye Turney, the only female crew member, who said the sailors and marines had "trespassed" into Iranian waters.
"Obviously we trespassed into their waters. They were very friendly, very hospitable, very thoughtful, nice people," Turney said. "They explained to us why we'd been arrested. There was no aggression, no hurt, no harm. They were very, very compassionate," she added.
The Iranian TV broadcast was shown on one of the country’s Arabic-language stations, with the clear intent of getting maximum regional coverage.
Extensive Media Campaign
British Defense Minister Des Browne condemned the move.
"I've seen the footage, obviously, of Faye Turney and her comrades, and I don't really intend to dwell on the nature of that footage or, indeed, the way in which it was put into the public domain other than to say it is completely unacceptable to parade our people in this way," Browne said.
British officials mounted an extensive media campaign on March 28, using charts and coordinates to prove that the vessel in question, the "HMS Cornwall," had not strayed into Iranian waters.
By demanding an admission of wrongdoing from London, Tehran may be indicating that it sees the conflict as a matter of national pride and honor, rather than a technical matter.
The seizure of the British sailors and marines came as Iran faced defeat in the UN Security Council over its nuclear ambitions and at the same time as the United States Navy conducted its largest exercise in Persian Gulf waters since 2003.
Those maneuvers, involving two U.S. aircraft carriers sailing close to Iran’s shores, but in international waters, are due to end today.
In another development, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon held talks with Iran's foreign minister in the Saudi capital Riyadh today, on the sidelines of a Mideast peace conference.
The two discussed the crisis, but so far, no mediated solution has emerged.
Inside Out reports - Property Hotspots
Sumit gets the lowdown on where to buy property in London and he uncovers the capital's hot spots.
He meets two property gurus, Andy Coleman and Carrie Segrave, in an effort to get them to share their secrets with Inside Out.
Carrie, the editor of The London Property Guide, tells Sumit about the best locations.
Her advice is to focus on areas that are experiencing new development such as new housing estates or flat complexes.
Carrie says that you must always "go to the planning department before you move in".
Landlord
Andy is a landlord with an eye for picking up properties in areas with potential to become popular amongst trendy London buyers.
He knows his stuff - dabbling in the property market over the past 15 years has made him a multimillionaire.
Andy says: "You've got to be near the train stations and near the buses."
Sumit consults over 100 of London's top property experts in order to let you know about London's hot property areas.
barbican property | Clerkenwell Property | doughty street property | Sri lankan property
He meets two property gurus, Andy Coleman and Carrie Segrave, in an effort to get them to share their secrets with Inside Out.
Carrie, the editor of The London Property Guide, tells Sumit about the best locations.
Her advice is to focus on areas that are experiencing new development such as new housing estates or flat complexes.
Carrie says that you must always "go to the planning department before you move in".
Landlord
Andy is a landlord with an eye for picking up properties in areas with potential to become popular amongst trendy London buyers.
He knows his stuff - dabbling in the property market over the past 15 years has made him a multimillionaire.
Andy says: "You've got to be near the train stations and near the buses."
Sumit consults over 100 of London's top property experts in order to let you know about London's hot property areas.
barbican property | Clerkenwell Property | doughty street property | Sri lankan property
Malaysian company admits training Jaffna Tamil pilots
Kula Lumpur, 30 March, (Asiantribune.com): Dr.T. Dorai, Principal of Advance Aeronautics Training Centre located in Perak as well as in Ipoh , Malaysia, told the Asian Tribune that his organization is giving training on flying as well as on aircraft maintenance engineering to Tamil students from Jaffna, Sri Lanka.
When asked whether those students who undergo courses in his training centre are from the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam – the separatists Sri Lanka Tamil Tiger organization -- Dr. Dorai said that he is not aware of their political affiliations, but he said they are Tamils from Jaffna.
Dr. Dorai. a Malaysian of Sri Lankan Tamil origin, said that their training centre conduct two types of aeronautical courses – 1. Flying and 2. Aircraft maintenance engineering course.
He said at present there are no Jaffna students undergoing flying training but there are four students undergoing training in aircraft maintenance engineering.
He said more students from Sri Lanka are soon expected to join to undergo flying training in training centre.
Dr. Dorai explained that students can follow one year training in his training centre and go to Scotland for another two years training to obtain the engineering degree. Or else the students can follow the course for two years in his training centre and go for a year to Scotland and complete the aircraft maintenance engineering degree
Dr. Dorai told at one time Sri Lanka High Commission in Kula Lumpur was concerned about why many Tamil students enrolled themselves for training in flying at his centre. Following this inquiry he had taken one student from Jaffna, Dinesh Kumar, who had enrolled himself for flying training, to the Sri Lanka High Commissioner. After interviewing the student the High Commission issued a "No Objection Certificate" for the student to undergo the training in flying.
But Dr. Dorai said that Dinesh Kumar later gave up the idea of undergoing flying and he is now following the aircraft maintenance engineering course.
In the course of the conversation Dr. Dorai said that he met the Political Secretary of the LTTE in 1998 in Paris (most probably Lawrence Tilakar) and discussed matters regarding the smuggling of arms and ammunition to the LTTE in Vanni. He said that at that time he was working in Nigeria, but he did not disclose whether he was involved in the smuggling of arms.
When Asian Tribune contacted Sri Lanka High Commission in Kuala Lumpur and spoke to the Acting High Commissioner, Mrs Dissanayake, she was unwilling to cooperate in the investigations. Asian Tribune explained to her that suspicious characters from Sri Lanka had enrolled in courses for training in flying in Malaysia which can constitute a security threat to Sri Lanka. She, however, refused to cooperate in the investigations.
The competent handling of inquiries concerning security threats to Sri Lanka should be a priority in the Sri Lankan missions abroad. But the bureaucratic attitude of Sri Lankan diplomats who refuse to answer simple questions reflects the incompetence of the Foreign Ministry as a whole. Both the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Rohitha Bogollagama and his Secretary Dr.Palith Kohona, have taken command only recently and they need time to settle down in their respective jobs.
But the security needs of Sri Lanka cannot wait too long. Realizing the need to revamp the Foreign Ministry President Mahinda Rajapakse recently summoned the heads of mission abroad and gave them a pep talk advising them to shape up. But the wheels of the Foreign Ministry haven’t started to move at the pace needed to meet the challenges posed by the agents of the LTTE. A good example is Mrs. Dissanayake who was reluctant to even reveal her full name. Obviously she has not been trained to handle routine questions from the media.
The details of the Malaysian operator is as follows:
T. Dorai Ph. D. (Principal)
Lot 38021, Sultan Azlan Shah Airport
Jalan Lapangan Terbang
31350 Ipoh
Perak Darul Ridzuan
Malaysia.
When asked whether those students who undergo courses in his training centre are from the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam – the separatists Sri Lanka Tamil Tiger organization -- Dr. Dorai said that he is not aware of their political affiliations, but he said they are Tamils from Jaffna.
Dr. Dorai. a Malaysian of Sri Lankan Tamil origin, said that their training centre conduct two types of aeronautical courses – 1. Flying and 2. Aircraft maintenance engineering course.
He said at present there are no Jaffna students undergoing flying training but there are four students undergoing training in aircraft maintenance engineering.
He said more students from Sri Lanka are soon expected to join to undergo flying training in training centre.
Dr. Dorai explained that students can follow one year training in his training centre and go to Scotland for another two years training to obtain the engineering degree. Or else the students can follow the course for two years in his training centre and go for a year to Scotland and complete the aircraft maintenance engineering degree
Dr. Dorai told at one time Sri Lanka High Commission in Kula Lumpur was concerned about why many Tamil students enrolled themselves for training in flying at his centre. Following this inquiry he had taken one student from Jaffna, Dinesh Kumar, who had enrolled himself for flying training, to the Sri Lanka High Commissioner. After interviewing the student the High Commission issued a "No Objection Certificate" for the student to undergo the training in flying.
But Dr. Dorai said that Dinesh Kumar later gave up the idea of undergoing flying and he is now following the aircraft maintenance engineering course.
In the course of the conversation Dr. Dorai said that he met the Political Secretary of the LTTE in 1998 in Paris (most probably Lawrence Tilakar) and discussed matters regarding the smuggling of arms and ammunition to the LTTE in Vanni. He said that at that time he was working in Nigeria, but he did not disclose whether he was involved in the smuggling of arms.
When Asian Tribune contacted Sri Lanka High Commission in Kuala Lumpur and spoke to the Acting High Commissioner, Mrs Dissanayake, she was unwilling to cooperate in the investigations. Asian Tribune explained to her that suspicious characters from Sri Lanka had enrolled in courses for training in flying in Malaysia which can constitute a security threat to Sri Lanka. She, however, refused to cooperate in the investigations.
The competent handling of inquiries concerning security threats to Sri Lanka should be a priority in the Sri Lankan missions abroad. But the bureaucratic attitude of Sri Lankan diplomats who refuse to answer simple questions reflects the incompetence of the Foreign Ministry as a whole. Both the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Rohitha Bogollagama and his Secretary Dr.Palith Kohona, have taken command only recently and they need time to settle down in their respective jobs.
But the security needs of Sri Lanka cannot wait too long. Realizing the need to revamp the Foreign Ministry President Mahinda Rajapakse recently summoned the heads of mission abroad and gave them a pep talk advising them to shape up. But the wheels of the Foreign Ministry haven’t started to move at the pace needed to meet the challenges posed by the agents of the LTTE. A good example is Mrs. Dissanayake who was reluctant to even reveal her full name. Obviously she has not been trained to handle routine questions from the media.
The details of the Malaysian operator is as follows:
T. Dorai Ph. D. (Principal)
Lot 38021, Sultan Azlan Shah Airport
Jalan Lapangan Terbang
31350 Ipoh
Perak Darul Ridzuan
Malaysia.
Sri Lanka President inaugurates a program to uplift 12,000 villages in the country
Mar 29, Colombo: Sri Lanka President Mahinda Rajapaksa today inaugurated a massive development project to uplift 12,000 villages island-wide in 4000 Grama Niladari Divisions under the ‘Jathika Saviya - Gama Neguma’ program at Hindiyawala in Meerigama in the Gampaha district.
Addressing the ceremony the President said that the development should not be based on politics and up to this date Sri Lanka has not received any benefit from development programmes which did not involve its population in it.
“My life has been blessed by the winds of purity and fragrance that sweeps across the fields of kurakkan (millet) in our villages. The village life has also created a deep sense of love, affection, environmental consciousness and a spirit of innovation that had helped nurture the dream such that I have for all village communities of Sri Lanka. I am very keen to realize such a dream through the implementation of the “Gama Neguma”, the village upliftment program,” President said. Under the Jathika Saviya-Gama Neguma programme all villages in the island are scheduled to be developed in three stages. Within three years is a total number of 14,000 Grama Niladari Divisions will be developed.
The program aims to free the poor from the mentality of dependence on subsidies in the course of economic development and involve them actively in the process by convincing them that they are an essential component in development activities of the area.
Five ceremonies organized in connection with the main launching of the programme were held in five provinces. All development projects were launched in 4,000 Grama Niladari Divisions simultaneously.
Addressing the ceremony the President said that the development should not be based on politics and up to this date Sri Lanka has not received any benefit from development programmes which did not involve its population in it.
“My life has been blessed by the winds of purity and fragrance that sweeps across the fields of kurakkan (millet) in our villages. The village life has also created a deep sense of love, affection, environmental consciousness and a spirit of innovation that had helped nurture the dream such that I have for all village communities of Sri Lanka. I am very keen to realize such a dream through the implementation of the “Gama Neguma”, the village upliftment program,” President said. Under the Jathika Saviya-Gama Neguma programme all villages in the island are scheduled to be developed in three stages. Within three years is a total number of 14,000 Grama Niladari Divisions will be developed.
The program aims to free the poor from the mentality of dependence on subsidies in the course of economic development and involve them actively in the process by convincing them that they are an essential component in development activities of the area.
Five ceremonies organized in connection with the main launching of the programme were held in five provinces. All development projects were launched in 4,000 Grama Niladari Divisions simultaneously.
Thursday, March 29, 2007
It's Official: London Property Market Is a Bubble
Property speculators have been saying it for years but at last City financiers can reveal that the London property market is officially just a bubble waiting to burst.
City Speculator Tom Green said, "I can't say I am totally surprised to see that the property market is just a bubble. I've been saying it for years. The steady rise of property prices has soared over the past ten years and is now ripe to pop."
When asked what caused this bubble and what it was made of he replied, "it is not quite clear what the bubble is made of. It has a sticky opaque consistency. Like a mixture of fairy washing up liquid and bubblegum."
Millions of first-time buyers who have invested all their equity in property will feel the pinch when it transpires the properties they have invested in is nothing more than Hubba Bubba which could turn to a gloopy mix at any time.
City Speculator Tom Green said, "I can't say I am totally surprised to see that the property market is just a bubble. I've been saying it for years. The steady rise of property prices has soared over the past ten years and is now ripe to pop."
When asked what caused this bubble and what it was made of he replied, "it is not quite clear what the bubble is made of. It has a sticky opaque consistency. Like a mixture of fairy washing up liquid and bubblegum."
Millions of first-time buyers who have invested all their equity in property will feel the pinch when it transpires the properties they have invested in is nothing more than Hubba Bubba which could turn to a gloopy mix at any time.
Leading Tamil Nationalism Activist in Australia passes away in melbourne
T Jeyakumar, Leading Tamil Nationalism Activist in Australia passes away in melbourne today ( 29th March 2007 ). Tamil Australians salute for his decades of great contribution to the betterment of Tamil Community. He was an Information and Communication Technology (ICT) lecturer attached to Melbourne's Chisholm Institute of TAFE.
He is soft spoken and kind hearted but is determined and courageous in his activities against any form of oppression directed against the Tamil Community by racial fanatics, a close friend said.
He has correctly understood that the basic aim of the Sinhala Chauvenists in Sri Lanka is to eliminate the entire Tamil Community there through systemic genocide of Tamils.His service to the oppressed Tamils in this respect is something unforgettable. Tamils all over the world pay their humble respects and thankful remembrance for his dedicated services, a Community leader in Sydney said.
To this day he stood for the prevention of cruelty against Tamils by the State machinery of Sri Lanka representing the majority Sinhalese. His untimely death has not taken away the cause he stood for.
We dedicate ourselves to continue his peaceful strugle against ethnic clensing until Tamils live in Peace in their homeland unfettered by the shackles imposed by the Sri Lankan state, another Tamil Nationalism Activist in Melbourne said.
He is soft spoken and kind hearted but is determined and courageous in his activities against any form of oppression directed against the Tamil Community by racial fanatics, a close friend said.
He has correctly understood that the basic aim of the Sinhala Chauvenists in Sri Lanka is to eliminate the entire Tamil Community there through systemic genocide of Tamils.His service to the oppressed Tamils in this respect is something unforgettable. Tamils all over the world pay their humble respects and thankful remembrance for his dedicated services, a Community leader in Sydney said.
To this day he stood for the prevention of cruelty against Tamils by the State machinery of Sri Lanka representing the majority Sinhalese. His untimely death has not taken away the cause he stood for.
We dedicate ourselves to continue his peaceful strugle against ethnic clensing until Tamils live in Peace in their homeland unfettered by the shackles imposed by the Sri Lankan state, another Tamil Nationalism Activist in Melbourne said.
Sri Lanka Navy destroys three Tiger boats
Mar 29, Colombo: Sri Lanka naval fast attack crafts attacked and destroyed three Tiger boats off Alampil in the eastern coast on Wednesday night, the Navy said.
Sri Lanka Navy Fast Attack Crafts patrolling along the coast last night have detected a suspicious LTTE flotilla of about 10 boats moving southward and intercepted the Tiger boats after positive identification. The Tiger boats fired upon the naval vessels and the Navy retaliated, a Navy spokesman said.
The sea battle, which lasted for four hours completely destroyed three Tiger boats and damaged another. At least 12 Tigers are believed to be killed during the battle. One sailor received minor injuries and admitted to the Naval Hospital in Trincomalee.
The remaining LTTE boats have managed to escape moving further towards the coastal waters.
Sri Lanka Navy Fast Attack Crafts patrolling along the coast last night have detected a suspicious LTTE flotilla of about 10 boats moving southward and intercepted the Tiger boats after positive identification. The Tiger boats fired upon the naval vessels and the Navy retaliated, a Navy spokesman said.
The sea battle, which lasted for four hours completely destroyed three Tiger boats and damaged another. At least 12 Tigers are believed to be killed during the battle. One sailor received minor injuries and admitted to the Naval Hospital in Trincomalee.
The remaining LTTE boats have managed to escape moving further towards the coastal waters.
Sri Lanka President inaugurates a program to uplift 12,000 villages in the country
Mar 29, Colombo: Sri Lanka President Mahinda Rajapaksa today inaugurated a massive development project to uplift 12,000 villages island-wide in 4000 Grama Niladari Divisions under the ‘Jathika Saviya - Gama Neguma’ program at Hindiyawala in Meerigama in the Gampaha district.
Addressing the ceremony the President said that the development should not be based on politics and up to this date Sri Lanka has not received any benefit from development programmes which did not involve its population in it.
“My life has been blessed by the winds of purity and fragrance that sweeps across the fields of kurakkan (millet) in our villages. The village life has also created a deep sense of love, affection, environmental consciousness and a spirit of innovation that had helped nurture the dream such that I have for all village communities of Sri Lanka. I am very keen to realize such a dream through the implementation of the “Gama Neguma”, the village upliftment program,” President said. Under the Jathika Saviya-Gama Neguma programme all villages in the island are scheduled to be developed in three stages. Within three years is a total number of 14,000 Grama Niladari Divisions will be developed.
The program aims to free the poor from the mentality of dependence on subsidies in the course of economic development and involve them actively in the process by convincing them that they are an essential component in development activities of the area.
Five ceremonies organized in connection with the main launching of the programme were held in five provinces. All development projects were launched in 4,000 Grama Niladari Divisions simultaneously.
Addressing the ceremony the President said that the development should not be based on politics and up to this date Sri Lanka has not received any benefit from development programmes which did not involve its population in it.
“My life has been blessed by the winds of purity and fragrance that sweeps across the fields of kurakkan (millet) in our villages. The village life has also created a deep sense of love, affection, environmental consciousness and a spirit of innovation that had helped nurture the dream such that I have for all village communities of Sri Lanka. I am very keen to realize such a dream through the implementation of the “Gama Neguma”, the village upliftment program,” President said. Under the Jathika Saviya-Gama Neguma programme all villages in the island are scheduled to be developed in three stages. Within three years is a total number of 14,000 Grama Niladari Divisions will be developed.
The program aims to free the poor from the mentality of dependence on subsidies in the course of economic development and involve them actively in the process by convincing them that they are an essential component in development activities of the area.
Five ceremonies organized in connection with the main launching of the programme were held in five provinces. All development projects were launched in 4,000 Grama Niladari Divisions simultaneously.
Foreign buyers push up London property prices
LONDON: Central London properties that were worth £1mn at the beginning of this year have soared in value by £900 a day.
Owners of properties worth £5mn have seen a daily increase of £6,500, while for those in the £10mn-plus bracket the figure is £15,000 a day.
An analysis by agents Savills found that the prices of central London properties sold for £5mn or more have risen by 50% in the past year. It confirms the enormous pressure on property prices in the best locations, stimulated by record City bonuses and an influx of wealthy foreign buyers.
Prices in the key areas - Kensington, Chelsea, Belgravia and St John’s Wood - have gone up by almost a third since the New Year and Savills forecasts that prices in central London will rise 20% this year.
The firm identified five London streets where houses were sold for an average of £10mn or more last year and a further nine addresses where they averaged over £5mn.
Top of the list is Upper Phillimore Gardens, home to the ambassador of Jordan and Sir Evelyn de Rothschild, and the former stamping ground of Sir Mick Jagger.
It is followed by Eaton Square, home to Charles Saatchi and Nigella Lawson, billionairess Lily Safra and Jimmy Choo boss Tamara Mellon.
Chelsea Square, where Jemima Khan paid £18mn for a house in June, is also on the list, as is Cottesmore Gardens, following the forced sale of the house once owned by Conrad Black and Barbara Amiel.
Savills research director Yolande Barnes said: “London is now the real estate capital of the world, with an increasingly footloose international community of the super-rich competing to buy rare properties.
“Demand at this end of the market is coming from a wide range of sources with the Chinese and Indians now vying with western Europeans, British and Russian buyers.”
Four of the 15 most expensive streets are in the SW3 postcode and there are three each in W8 and NW8.
Barnes said: “The evidence shows that the demand for houses in the most desirable, central areas of the capital outweigh the intense urban nature of these streets.” Meanwhile rising interest rates have put the brakes on the housing market this month as potential buyers were put off by more expensive mortgages.
Building society Nationwide said house prices were up just 0.4% compared with a 0.6% rise in February. The average house in Britain now costs £177,083, although prices are higher in London and the South-East. – London Evening Standard
Owners of properties worth £5mn have seen a daily increase of £6,500, while for those in the £10mn-plus bracket the figure is £15,000 a day.
An analysis by agents Savills found that the prices of central London properties sold for £5mn or more have risen by 50% in the past year. It confirms the enormous pressure on property prices in the best locations, stimulated by record City bonuses and an influx of wealthy foreign buyers.
Prices in the key areas - Kensington, Chelsea, Belgravia and St John’s Wood - have gone up by almost a third since the New Year and Savills forecasts that prices in central London will rise 20% this year.
The firm identified five London streets where houses were sold for an average of £10mn or more last year and a further nine addresses where they averaged over £5mn.
Top of the list is Upper Phillimore Gardens, home to the ambassador of Jordan and Sir Evelyn de Rothschild, and the former stamping ground of Sir Mick Jagger.
It is followed by Eaton Square, home to Charles Saatchi and Nigella Lawson, billionairess Lily Safra and Jimmy Choo boss Tamara Mellon.
Chelsea Square, where Jemima Khan paid £18mn for a house in June, is also on the list, as is Cottesmore Gardens, following the forced sale of the house once owned by Conrad Black and Barbara Amiel.
Savills research director Yolande Barnes said: “London is now the real estate capital of the world, with an increasingly footloose international community of the super-rich competing to buy rare properties.
“Demand at this end of the market is coming from a wide range of sources with the Chinese and Indians now vying with western Europeans, British and Russian buyers.”
Four of the 15 most expensive streets are in the SW3 postcode and there are three each in W8 and NW8.
Barnes said: “The evidence shows that the demand for houses in the most desirable, central areas of the capital outweigh the intense urban nature of these streets.” Meanwhile rising interest rates have put the brakes on the housing market this month as potential buyers were put off by more expensive mortgages.
Building society Nationwide said house prices were up just 0.4% compared with a 0.6% rise in February. The average house in Britain now costs £177,083, although prices are higher in London and the South-East. – London Evening Standard
Kallis knock beats Sri Lanka - Cricket News
South Africa's batsmen capitalised on a good bowling performance as they defeated Sri Lanka by one wicket to claim their first points of the Super Eight stage of the tournament.
Jacques Kallis' score of 86 was the best of the match and helped his side claim a crucial victory which looked in jeopardy after a stunning fight back by the Sri Lankan bowlers.
Sri Lanka struggled to a score of 209 all out which looked to be a low score at one stage but the Proteas reached the target with only one wicket remaining in a tense finish.
Lasith Malinga claimed a hat-trick towards the end of the South African innings just as they looked to be cruising to victory. Earlier Muttiah Muralitharan had taken two wickets in two balls but their efforts proved to be in vain.
Chaminda Vaas took the wicket of AB de Villiers in his first over but Graeme Smith and Kallis came together and steadied the innings.
The pair put on a partnership of 94 before Smith departed for 59. Herchelle Gibbs made 31 before the Proteas eventually limped to the required total.
Earlier Charl Langeveldt and Makhaya Ntini had reduced South-east Asian side to 65-3 as the South African bowlers restrict the dangerous Sri Lankan top order.
But Tillekeratne Dilshan (58) and Russell Arnold (50) re-built the Sri Lankan innings, each reaching their half-centuries in a partnership worth 97.
Some strong bowling at the death meant that Sri Lanka struggled to find the boundaries late in their innings that would have given them the impetus they required having fought back so well, eventually finishing on 209 all out.
However, it was Kallis' stoic 86 from 107 balls that proved to be the difference between the sides as they got home with ten deliveries remaining.
Jacques Kallis' score of 86 was the best of the match and helped his side claim a crucial victory which looked in jeopardy after a stunning fight back by the Sri Lankan bowlers.
Sri Lanka struggled to a score of 209 all out which looked to be a low score at one stage but the Proteas reached the target with only one wicket remaining in a tense finish.
Lasith Malinga claimed a hat-trick towards the end of the South African innings just as they looked to be cruising to victory. Earlier Muttiah Muralitharan had taken two wickets in two balls but their efforts proved to be in vain.
Chaminda Vaas took the wicket of AB de Villiers in his first over but Graeme Smith and Kallis came together and steadied the innings.
The pair put on a partnership of 94 before Smith departed for 59. Herchelle Gibbs made 31 before the Proteas eventually limped to the required total.
Earlier Charl Langeveldt and Makhaya Ntini had reduced South-east Asian side to 65-3 as the South African bowlers restrict the dangerous Sri Lankan top order.
But Tillekeratne Dilshan (58) and Russell Arnold (50) re-built the Sri Lankan innings, each reaching their half-centuries in a partnership worth 97.
Some strong bowling at the death meant that Sri Lanka struggled to find the boundaries late in their innings that would have given them the impetus they required having fought back so well, eventually finishing on 209 all out.
However, it was Kallis' stoic 86 from 107 balls that proved to be the difference between the sides as they got home with ten deliveries remaining.
S. Lankan navy attack on Tiger boats
The Sri Lankan navy destroyed three boats carrying Tamil rebels off the island's north-eastern coast, killing at least 16 rebels in a fierce clash, a military source said Thursday.
Fighting broke out late Wednesday when navy intercepted 16 boats transporting rebel cadres and confronted the flotilla off Mullaithivu, 380 kilometers north-east of the capital Colombo, according to Associated Press.
All 16 rebels were believed to have been killed during the battle that lasted about three hours, said Lt. Col. Upali Rajapakse, a senior officer at the military's information center. One Sri Lanka navy sailor was wounded and hospitalized, he added.
The remaining rebel boats retreated following the battle, about 60 nautical miles off the port of Trincomalee.
The incident occurred two days after Tamil rebels used airplanes for the first time in the decades-old conflict to drop bombs on a Sri Lankan military air base, killing three people.
Military sources later said that the Tigers used two Czech-built Zlin-143 single-engine four-seater aircraft from an airfield in the island's north to carry out the attack on Monday.
Fighting broke out late Wednesday when navy intercepted 16 boats transporting rebel cadres and confronted the flotilla off Mullaithivu, 380 kilometers north-east of the capital Colombo, according to Associated Press.
All 16 rebels were believed to have been killed during the battle that lasted about three hours, said Lt. Col. Upali Rajapakse, a senior officer at the military's information center. One Sri Lanka navy sailor was wounded and hospitalized, he added.
The remaining rebel boats retreated following the battle, about 60 nautical miles off the port of Trincomalee.
The incident occurred two days after Tamil rebels used airplanes for the first time in the decades-old conflict to drop bombs on a Sri Lankan military air base, killing three people.
Military sources later said that the Tigers used two Czech-built Zlin-143 single-engine four-seater aircraft from an airfield in the island's north to carry out the attack on Monday.
Sri Lankan bowler makes cricket history
Sri Lankan paceman Lasith Malinga has become the first player in the history of international cricket to take four wickets in four balls.
He achieved the double hat-trick in this morning's one-wicket loss to South Africa at the World Cup in Guyana.
South Africa reached the victory target of 210 with 10 balls to spare.
Malinga told Fox Sports he had mixed emotions after the match.
"I am feeling bad we have lost the match, but I'm a little bit happy at taking my first hat-trick," he said.
"Always our team is a fighting team, always we try to defend the runs. Always."
He achieved the double hat-trick in this morning's one-wicket loss to South Africa at the World Cup in Guyana.
South Africa reached the victory target of 210 with 10 balls to spare.
Malinga told Fox Sports he had mixed emotions after the match.
"I am feeling bad we have lost the match, but I'm a little bit happy at taking my first hat-trick," he said.
"Always our team is a fighting team, always we try to defend the runs. Always."
Karuna Group and LTTE Continue Abducting and Recruiting Children
HRW via BBSNews - New York, March 29, 2007 -- Despite promises to investigate abductions of children by the pro-government Karuna group, Sri Lankan authorities have taken no effective action and abductions continue, Human Rights Watch said today. The armed opposition Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) also continue to recruit children in Sri Lanka and use them as soldiers.
In Sri Lanka's eastern Batticaloa district, Human Rights Watch in February witnessed children clearly under the age of 17, some armed with assault rifles, performing guard duty at various offices of the Karuna group's political party, the Thamil Makkal Viduthalai Pulikal (TMVP). Sri Lankan soldiers and police routinely walked and drove by the children without taking any visible action.
Human Rights Watch saw a child with an assault rifle guarding the TMVP office in Kiran, home town of the group's leader, V. Muralitharan, also known as Colonel Karuna. Other children, some of them armed, were seen in and around TMVP offices in the district, including in Valaichchenai and Morakkottanchenai, where the office is across the road from a Sri Lankan army base.
"When government troops at a military base look across the street at children standing guard at a Karuna office and do nothing, it's hard to believe the government is taking any meaningful steps to end this abuse," said Brad Adams, Asia director at Human Rights Watch. "The Karuna group's use of child soldiers with state complicity is more blatant today than ever before."
President Mahinda Rajapakse and other Sri Lankan officials have repeatedly said that the government would investigate the allegations of state complicity in Karuna abductions and hold accountable any member of the security forces found to have violated the law. To date, however, the government has taken no effective steps.
According to UNICEF, there were 45 reported cases of Karuna child abductions in three months – 10 in December, 24 in January, and 11 in February. Among these were three children abducted by Karuna cadre from camps for internally displaced persons in Batticaloa district. The actual number is likely to be higher because many parents are afraid to report cases, and these numbers do not reflect the forced recruitment by the Karuna group of young men over 17.
The Karuna group has released at least a dozen children since December. According to UNICEF, however, at least three of the released children were subsequently re-recruited.
In February, parents of one abducted child and two abducted young men told Human Rights Watch how Karuna cadre had abducted their sons in recent weeks. In the first case, Karuna group members first abducted the child in July, allowed him home for a family visit, and about one week later came and took him back. In the second, Karuna cadre abducted two young men on the A11 road between Welikanda and Valaichchenai. When relatives of the two complained at the nearby Karuna camp in Karapola, Karuna cadre told them not to report the case – or to say the LTTE took their sons.
At the same time, the LTTE has continued to abduct and forcibly recruit children and young adults, including women and girls, Human Rights Watch said. UNICEF documented 19 cases of LTTE child recruitment in January and nine in February. The LTTE has also abducted at least four people from camps for the internally displaced.
Access to LTTE-controlled areas remains difficult, but credible reports indicate that the group is increasingly recruiting and deploying girls as frontline soldiers in the East. In the recent fighting in the Thoppigala region of Batticaloa district, at least three girls fighting with the LTTE were reportedly killed.
Human Rights Watch has repeatedly documented and condemned the use of child soldiers by the LTTE, and it has called on the United Nations to impose targeted sanctions on the LTTE because of its long history of recruiting children in violation of international law.
"The LTTE is a notorious repeat offender of child recruitment," Adams said. "It's a shame that government forces complicit with the Karuna group are now involved in the same ugly practice."
There is strong evidence that government forces are now openly cooperating with the Karuna group despite its illegal activities, Human Rights Watch said. Armed Karuna members regularly walk or ride throughout Batticaloa district in plain view of government forces.
In February, Human Rights Watch saw a Karuna commander named Jeyam riding atop a Sri Lankan armored personnel vehicle outside Valaichchenai. In Batticaloa town, residents have seen Karuna cadre patrolling jointly with the police.
The Karuna group maintains at least five camps in the jungle about 10 kilometers northwest of Welikanda town in the Polonnaruwa district, about 50 kilometers northwest of Batticaloa town. Welikanda is where the Sri Lankan Army's 23rd division has its base. The area is firmly under government control, as is the main A11 road from the eastern districts to the Welikanda area. The Karuna camp at Mutugalla village is near a Sri Lankan army post.
Independent sources have provided detailed information on abductions and recruitment of children by the Karuna group and the LTTE. In February the UN special advisor on children and armed conflict, Allan Rock, reported to the Security Council on Karuna abductions of children with state complicity and on child recruitment by the LTTE, based on his visit to Sri Lanka in November. Human Rights Watch has provided the government with its 100-page report on Karuna abductions, "Complicit in Crime: State Collusion in Abductions and Child Recruitment by the Karuna Group," published in January. With case studies, maps and photographs, the report shows how Karuna cadres operate with impunity in government-controlled areas, abducting boys and young men, training them in camps, and deploying them for combat.
"The government says it needs evidence to start an investigation, but it already has ample information," Adams said. "In addition to UN documentation and testimonies in our report, many families have made formal complaints to the police."
Last year President Rajapakse created a one-man commission to look at abductions and enforced disappearances across the country. The commissioner came to Batticaloa in January, two months after canceling his first scheduled visit without warning. Families with abducted children were informed in a haphazard manner and then could not find the meeting place, which was changed at the last minute. Some of them did meet the commissioner, but his staff prevented others from providing information.
In December the military summoned the mothers of some children abducted by the Karuna group to an army base and asked them to provide information about their cases. The military pressured the mothers to say that their children were taken by "an unidentified group."
Karuna has denied allegations that his forces are abducting or recruiting children. He told Human Rights Watch in a telephone communication on February 9 that his forces had no members under age 18, and that they would discipline any commander who tried to recruit a person under that age.
In January the TMVP released regulations for its military wing, stating that 18 was the minimum age for recruitment, and specifying penalties for members who conscript children. Karuna said he was willing to discuss ways that the regulations could be improved, but said that unscheduled visits to his camps were not possible due to security concerns.
On March 19, Human Rights Watch wrote to the TMVP, requesting a response to the recent allegations of continued child abductions in Batticaloa district. As of March 28, the TMVP had not replied.
"The Karuna group is doing the government's dirty work," Adams said. "It's time for authorities in Colombo to stop this group from using children in its forces."
The January 2007 Human Rights Watch report, "Complicit in Crime: State Collusion in Abductions and Child Recruitment by the Karuna Group," is available online.
Audio commentary and a photo essay that accompanied the report is available online.
Background on the LTTE's use of child soldiers, please see the February 2004 Human Rights Watch report, "Living in Fear: Child Soldiers and the Tamil Tigers in Sri Lanka".
In Sri Lanka's eastern Batticaloa district, Human Rights Watch in February witnessed children clearly under the age of 17, some armed with assault rifles, performing guard duty at various offices of the Karuna group's political party, the Thamil Makkal Viduthalai Pulikal (TMVP). Sri Lankan soldiers and police routinely walked and drove by the children without taking any visible action.
Human Rights Watch saw a child with an assault rifle guarding the TMVP office in Kiran, home town of the group's leader, V. Muralitharan, also known as Colonel Karuna. Other children, some of them armed, were seen in and around TMVP offices in the district, including in Valaichchenai and Morakkottanchenai, where the office is across the road from a Sri Lankan army base.
"When government troops at a military base look across the street at children standing guard at a Karuna office and do nothing, it's hard to believe the government is taking any meaningful steps to end this abuse," said Brad Adams, Asia director at Human Rights Watch. "The Karuna group's use of child soldiers with state complicity is more blatant today than ever before."
President Mahinda Rajapakse and other Sri Lankan officials have repeatedly said that the government would investigate the allegations of state complicity in Karuna abductions and hold accountable any member of the security forces found to have violated the law. To date, however, the government has taken no effective steps.
According to UNICEF, there were 45 reported cases of Karuna child abductions in three months – 10 in December, 24 in January, and 11 in February. Among these were three children abducted by Karuna cadre from camps for internally displaced persons in Batticaloa district. The actual number is likely to be higher because many parents are afraid to report cases, and these numbers do not reflect the forced recruitment by the Karuna group of young men over 17.
The Karuna group has released at least a dozen children since December. According to UNICEF, however, at least three of the released children were subsequently re-recruited.
In February, parents of one abducted child and two abducted young men told Human Rights Watch how Karuna cadre had abducted their sons in recent weeks. In the first case, Karuna group members first abducted the child in July, allowed him home for a family visit, and about one week later came and took him back. In the second, Karuna cadre abducted two young men on the A11 road between Welikanda and Valaichchenai. When relatives of the two complained at the nearby Karuna camp in Karapola, Karuna cadre told them not to report the case – or to say the LTTE took their sons.
At the same time, the LTTE has continued to abduct and forcibly recruit children and young adults, including women and girls, Human Rights Watch said. UNICEF documented 19 cases of LTTE child recruitment in January and nine in February. The LTTE has also abducted at least four people from camps for the internally displaced.
Access to LTTE-controlled areas remains difficult, but credible reports indicate that the group is increasingly recruiting and deploying girls as frontline soldiers in the East. In the recent fighting in the Thoppigala region of Batticaloa district, at least three girls fighting with the LTTE were reportedly killed.
Human Rights Watch has repeatedly documented and condemned the use of child soldiers by the LTTE, and it has called on the United Nations to impose targeted sanctions on the LTTE because of its long history of recruiting children in violation of international law.
"The LTTE is a notorious repeat offender of child recruitment," Adams said. "It's a shame that government forces complicit with the Karuna group are now involved in the same ugly practice."
There is strong evidence that government forces are now openly cooperating with the Karuna group despite its illegal activities, Human Rights Watch said. Armed Karuna members regularly walk or ride throughout Batticaloa district in plain view of government forces.
In February, Human Rights Watch saw a Karuna commander named Jeyam riding atop a Sri Lankan armored personnel vehicle outside Valaichchenai. In Batticaloa town, residents have seen Karuna cadre patrolling jointly with the police.
The Karuna group maintains at least five camps in the jungle about 10 kilometers northwest of Welikanda town in the Polonnaruwa district, about 50 kilometers northwest of Batticaloa town. Welikanda is where the Sri Lankan Army's 23rd division has its base. The area is firmly under government control, as is the main A11 road from the eastern districts to the Welikanda area. The Karuna camp at Mutugalla village is near a Sri Lankan army post.
Independent sources have provided detailed information on abductions and recruitment of children by the Karuna group and the LTTE. In February the UN special advisor on children and armed conflict, Allan Rock, reported to the Security Council on Karuna abductions of children with state complicity and on child recruitment by the LTTE, based on his visit to Sri Lanka in November. Human Rights Watch has provided the government with its 100-page report on Karuna abductions, "Complicit in Crime: State Collusion in Abductions and Child Recruitment by the Karuna Group," published in January. With case studies, maps and photographs, the report shows how Karuna cadres operate with impunity in government-controlled areas, abducting boys and young men, training them in camps, and deploying them for combat.
"The government says it needs evidence to start an investigation, but it already has ample information," Adams said. "In addition to UN documentation and testimonies in our report, many families have made formal complaints to the police."
Last year President Rajapakse created a one-man commission to look at abductions and enforced disappearances across the country. The commissioner came to Batticaloa in January, two months after canceling his first scheduled visit without warning. Families with abducted children were informed in a haphazard manner and then could not find the meeting place, which was changed at the last minute. Some of them did meet the commissioner, but his staff prevented others from providing information.
In December the military summoned the mothers of some children abducted by the Karuna group to an army base and asked them to provide information about their cases. The military pressured the mothers to say that their children were taken by "an unidentified group."
Karuna has denied allegations that his forces are abducting or recruiting children. He told Human Rights Watch in a telephone communication on February 9 that his forces had no members under age 18, and that they would discipline any commander who tried to recruit a person under that age.
In January the TMVP released regulations for its military wing, stating that 18 was the minimum age for recruitment, and specifying penalties for members who conscript children. Karuna said he was willing to discuss ways that the regulations could be improved, but said that unscheduled visits to his camps were not possible due to security concerns.
On March 19, Human Rights Watch wrote to the TMVP, requesting a response to the recent allegations of continued child abductions in Batticaloa district. As of March 28, the TMVP had not replied.
"The Karuna group is doing the government's dirty work," Adams said. "It's time for authorities in Colombo to stop this group from using children in its forces."
The January 2007 Human Rights Watch report, "Complicit in Crime: State Collusion in Abductions and Child Recruitment by the Karuna Group," is available online.
Audio commentary and a photo essay that accompanied the report is available online.
Background on the LTTE's use of child soldiers, please see the February 2004 Human Rights Watch report, "Living in Fear: Child Soldiers and the Tamil Tigers in Sri Lanka".
Wednesday, March 28, 2007
India to monitor Sri Lankan skies
The Indian Air Force (IAF) has set up eight radars, as a precautionary measure, to monitor the skies after Tamil Tiger rebels launched their first aerial strike in Sri Lanka.
A senior IAF official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the radars are located near the Seeniappa Darga Casurina jungle, Press Trust of India reported.
A team of 50 Air Force personnel have been deployed to the location, under supervision of a commander, to monitor the skies.
Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse warned that air strike capability of the Tigers is a threat to the entire South Asian region, particularly India.
Sri Lankan military sources said that the Rebels used two Czech-built Zlin-143 single-engine aircraft from an airfield in the island's north to carry out the attack which killed 3 people and injured 16.
A senior IAF official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the radars are located near the Seeniappa Darga Casurina jungle, Press Trust of India reported.
A team of 50 Air Force personnel have been deployed to the location, under supervision of a commander, to monitor the skies.
Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse warned that air strike capability of the Tigers is a threat to the entire South Asian region, particularly India.
Sri Lankan military sources said that the Rebels used two Czech-built Zlin-143 single-engine aircraft from an airfield in the island's north to carry out the attack which killed 3 people and injured 16.
British apply 'ridicule' tactic
By revealing the evidence backing up its claim that British naval personnel held by Iran did not violate Iranian waters, the British government is trying to put the Iranian government on the defensive.
And by revealing that Iran changed its own claim about where the incident took place, the British are also trying to ridicule the Iranian position.
The British decision to go public with what they had previously presented to the Iranians in private came after the 15 captured sailors and marines remained in Iranian captivity.
British diplomats based in Tehran have been denied a consular visit so far. However, Britain has been assured that the prisoners are well.
In addition, Britain is to freeze contacts with Iran to this single issue.
The first tactic was to offer Iran an easy way out. The Foreign Secretary Margaret Beckett gave the co-ordinates of the British sailors to the Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki and suggested that there might have been a "mistake".
Iranian switch
Iran at first offered a different co-ordinate and then, when it was pointed out that even this was in Iraqi waters, another reading was given, this time on the Iranian side.
However the initial quiet and discreet effort led nowhere, so a decision to escalate the issue was taken.
UK Prime Minister Tony Blair told the House of Commons on Wednesday that it was "now time to ratchet up the diplomatic and international pressure" to show the Iranians that they were isolated.
Mr Blair has worked in particular through the Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and is marshalling support from the EU, allies in the Gulf, the UN security council and from Iraq itself.
The United States is adopting a relatively quiet attitude, perhaps by agreement with London that a strong US position against Iran might not help.
And by revealing that Iran changed its own claim about where the incident took place, the British are also trying to ridicule the Iranian position.
The British decision to go public with what they had previously presented to the Iranians in private came after the 15 captured sailors and marines remained in Iranian captivity.
British diplomats based in Tehran have been denied a consular visit so far. However, Britain has been assured that the prisoners are well.
In addition, Britain is to freeze contacts with Iran to this single issue.
The first tactic was to offer Iran an easy way out. The Foreign Secretary Margaret Beckett gave the co-ordinates of the British sailors to the Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki and suggested that there might have been a "mistake".
Iranian switch
Iran at first offered a different co-ordinate and then, when it was pointed out that even this was in Iraqi waters, another reading was given, this time on the Iranian side.
However the initial quiet and discreet effort led nowhere, so a decision to escalate the issue was taken.
UK Prime Minister Tony Blair told the House of Commons on Wednesday that it was "now time to ratchet up the diplomatic and international pressure" to show the Iranians that they were isolated.
Mr Blair has worked in particular through the Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and is marshalling support from the EU, allies in the Gulf, the UN security council and from Iraq itself.
The United States is adopting a relatively quiet attitude, perhaps by agreement with London that a strong US position against Iran might not help.
Co-Chair of the UK All-Party Parliamentary Group on Sri Lanka urges for a full ban of LTTE in the UK
Mar 27, Colombo: Co-Chair of the United Kingdom’s All-Party Parliamentary Group on Sri Lanka today condemned the LTTE air raid on Sri Lanka Air Force Base in Katunayake and urged the British government to fully implement the LTTE proscription.
In a statement issued by the Lord Naseby of Sandy, Co-Chair of the group said this provocative action really undermines the peace process.
“This attack demonstrates the offensive air capability of the LTTE which undoubtedly poses a threat not only to the security of Sri Lanka, but to the entire South Asia region. It also exemplifies the LTTE’s steady expansion of its military capabilities with the objective of carrying out terrorist attacks,” he said.
The UK All Party Parliamentary Group on Sri Lanka, through its Co-chair Lord Naseby of Sandy requests the British Government to fully implement the LTTE proscription, bearing in mind the close nexus between its fund raising in UK and its acquisition of further military strike capabilities.
“The British Government therefore must bring concerted pressure upon the LTTE to return to the negotiating table, by pro-actively curbing its fund raising activities in the UK, which are undoubtedly a major contributory factor to its present intransigence,” he added.
In a statement issued by the Lord Naseby of Sandy, Co-Chair of the group said this provocative action really undermines the peace process.
“This attack demonstrates the offensive air capability of the LTTE which undoubtedly poses a threat not only to the security of Sri Lanka, but to the entire South Asia region. It also exemplifies the LTTE’s steady expansion of its military capabilities with the objective of carrying out terrorist attacks,” he said.
The UK All Party Parliamentary Group on Sri Lanka, through its Co-chair Lord Naseby of Sandy requests the British Government to fully implement the LTTE proscription, bearing in mind the close nexus between its fund raising in UK and its acquisition of further military strike capabilities.
“The British Government therefore must bring concerted pressure upon the LTTE to return to the negotiating table, by pro-actively curbing its fund raising activities in the UK, which are undoubtedly a major contributory factor to its present intransigence,” he added.
Sri Lanka economy grew at its fastest last year, ADB says
Mar 28, Colombo: Sri Lanka’s economy grew at its fastest in 2006 amid rising oil prices despite the escalated ethnic conflict and the devastating 2004 tsunami, a report released by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) said.
In its report on 'Asian Development Outlook 2007' ADB said the Sri Lankan economy grew at 7.2% in 2006 due to the unexpectedly high outturn in agriculture sector spurred by post-tsunami recovery of the fisheries sub-sector and strong performance of the services sector.
Tourism, in contrast, failed to do well in 2006 with profit margins falling by up to 50% as hoteliers dropped prices to attract tourists.
Budget deficit rose to 8.7% of GDP as the government spending increased partly due to post-tsunami reconstruction. Demand pressures and rising food and fuel prices pushed the Colombo consumer price inflation rate up to 13.7% in 2006.
ADB predicts a growth of 6.1% and 6.0%, for for 2007 and 2008 respectively, given the conflict, slow pace of structural reform, and need to cool the economy. ADB outlook assumes that tighter fiscal and monetary policies gradually curtail aggregate demand by 2008, and that the conflict will continue to curtail tourism growth.
In the long term ADB says significantly higher public investment planned by the government will increase economic growth. The current policy focus of the government on infrastructure development to improve electricity supply and roads will achieve higher economic growth in the long run.
ADB stressed that to achieve the desired growth, Sri Lanka needs to achieve income equality by employing a well-educated labor force and providing better access for the underprivileged to high-quality education.
In its report on 'Asian Development Outlook 2007' ADB said the Sri Lankan economy grew at 7.2% in 2006 due to the unexpectedly high outturn in agriculture sector spurred by post-tsunami recovery of the fisheries sub-sector and strong performance of the services sector.
Tourism, in contrast, failed to do well in 2006 with profit margins falling by up to 50% as hoteliers dropped prices to attract tourists.
Budget deficit rose to 8.7% of GDP as the government spending increased partly due to post-tsunami reconstruction. Demand pressures and rising food and fuel prices pushed the Colombo consumer price inflation rate up to 13.7% in 2006.
ADB predicts a growth of 6.1% and 6.0%, for for 2007 and 2008 respectively, given the conflict, slow pace of structural reform, and need to cool the economy. ADB outlook assumes that tighter fiscal and monetary policies gradually curtail aggregate demand by 2008, and that the conflict will continue to curtail tourism growth.
In the long term ADB says significantly higher public investment planned by the government will increase economic growth. The current policy focus of the government on infrastructure development to improve electricity supply and roads will achieve higher economic growth in the long run.
ADB stressed that to achieve the desired growth, Sri Lanka needs to achieve income equality by employing a well-educated labor force and providing better access for the underprivileged to high-quality education.
British MPs express concern over LTTE airpower
While 'unequivocally', condemning the aerial bombing by the LTTE on the Sri Lanka Air Force base in Katunayake, the members of the UK All Party Parliamentary Group (UKAPG) on Sri Lanka yesterday urged the British Government to fully implement the LTTE proscription in the country. "This provocative action really undermines the peace process and demonstrates the offensive air capability of the LTTE which undoubtedly poses a threat not only to the security of Sri Lanka, but to the entire South Asia region," it said in a statement.
The group said the use of ultra light aircraft which were difficult to detect on radar for carrying out bombings and possible suicide missions was a development which the international community should take note of.
"Undoubtedly international terrorist groups constantly adopt each others' tactics and this incident sets a dangerous precedent, which the UKAPG urges the British Government to take notice of," the statement said.
Courtesy - Daily Mirror
The group said the use of ultra light aircraft which were difficult to detect on radar for carrying out bombings and possible suicide missions was a development which the international community should take note of.
"Undoubtedly international terrorist groups constantly adopt each others' tactics and this incident sets a dangerous precedent, which the UKAPG urges the British Government to take notice of," the statement said.
Courtesy - Daily Mirror
THE UK’S TOP TEN COMMERCIAL PROPERTY HOTSPOTS
Barbican property Docklands Property Clerkenwell Property
[ClickPress, Tue Mar 27 2007] While London, the Home Counties and major conurbations such as Birmingham and Manchester remain, understandably, among the most popular commercial property locations, research by officebroker.com has revealed a number of surprise serviced office hotspots across the UK.
Darlington, Falkirk and Newport are among a number of smaller towns and cities which are seeing a high demand for serviced office space, according to the UK’s largest online provider of commercial office space, officebroker.com.
Launched five years ago by entrepreneurs Jim Venables and Andy Haywood, officebroker.com has grown into a multi-million pound enterprise with offices in the UK and US, and plans to launch a division in Hong Kong in 2007.
Research by the company, which works with more than 90% of the UK’s serviced office space providers and landlords, has revealed that Sheffield, Aberdeen, Stockport, Coventry and Derby are also proving to be among the most desirable locations as far as office space is concerned.
officebroker.com carried out the research based on its own brokerage data from the past 12 months. Group turnover during the period April 2006 to April 2007 is expected to be in excess of £3.5 million.
The company looked at the top ten serviced office space hotspots by number of offices let, percentage revenue achieved and the percentage number of total deals.
As expected, in terms of total number of offices let, London (W1 and EC), Birmingham and Manchester made it into the top five along with Reading, which remains desirable because of its location on the M4 silicon corridor. Edinburgh, Guildford and Coventry also made it into the officebroker.com top ten based on total offices let during the 12- month period.
As far as percentage revenue was concerned Reading took the number one spot, followed by West London (W1), the City (EC), Central London (WC), Uxbridge and Birmingham.
As a percentage of total deals, Birmingham took the number one spot.
However, it is when calculating revenue against total number of deals done that an interesting picture begins to emerge. This reveals a number of perhaps unexpected yet highly desirable office locations including Darlington, Aberdeen, Derby, Stockport, Falkirk and Newport.
According to Daniel Baldwin, North East Sales Manager for officebroker.com, the demand for office space in the Darlington area can be attributed to a number of factors including its location on the A1 corridor and the natural beauty of the surrounding area. There is also a strong call centre culture in the area and staff recruitment and retention levels are high when compared to national averages.
His comments are backed up by Trudy Hind of Evans Easyspace who manages a business centre on the outskirts of the city in Newton Aycliffe and oversees enquiries for a business centre in Lingfield Way, Darlington.
She said: “As well as being highly accessible, Darlington is a popular because it is in the north east - an area which is renowned for supporting new business start-up’s. Evans Easypace is popular here because we attract companies looking for flexible office solutions with low start-up costs and easy in – easy out terms.”
“Both of our office sites are very popular and officebroker.com’s pro-active marketing and sales support provides us with a steady stream of prospective tenants from all over the UK.”
Falkirk in Scotland emerged as another high revenue, high demand location. Willie Ferguson who owns the Haypark Business Centre explains that a combination of Falkirks highly accessible central Scotland location and the areas shortage of smaller conventional leases in the area both contribute to its success.
He said: “Falkirk is in the centre of Scotland and a major thoroughfare between its main cities - Glasgow and Edinburgh. The area boasts direct rail links and is only one mile from the M9 motorway and 20 minutes from Edinburgh airport. There seems to be a shortage of quality smaller, leased office accommodation in this area so people looking for space from 150 – 1000 sq ft tend to come to us or other serviced office providers in the area.”
Reading’s popularity as an office space location shows no signs of waning and is the UK’s number one office space destination as a percentage of total revenue.
Shirley Sheppard, Centre Manager at serviced office provider Business Environment Reading, says: “officebroker.com’s results come as no surprise to us. Reading is
the heartbeat for business in the Thames Valley and offers a great source of skilled people especially in high tech and IT roles. It’s all here – the transport links to London and Heathrow, good quality accommodation, great shops, popular bars, busy nightlife, lots of hotels – anything a business could want from a location.”
She adds: “Our company in particular benefits from a high number of ‘business start-up’s’ looking to take accessible, quality serviced office space with no hassle or long term obligation.”
Managing Director Jim Venables said: “Landlords looking to let space in these or any other area in the UK can contact officebroker.com for national and regional sales and marketing support.”
ENDS
For further information or to set up an interview please contact:
Caroline Barnes or Anssah Hussain
Powell Communication Consultants
T: 0161 8285400
E: caroline.barnes@powell-pr.co.uk
[ClickPress, Tue Mar 27 2007] While London, the Home Counties and major conurbations such as Birmingham and Manchester remain, understandably, among the most popular commercial property locations, research by officebroker.com has revealed a number of surprise serviced office hotspots across the UK.
Darlington, Falkirk and Newport are among a number of smaller towns and cities which are seeing a high demand for serviced office space, according to the UK’s largest online provider of commercial office space, officebroker.com.
Launched five years ago by entrepreneurs Jim Venables and Andy Haywood, officebroker.com has grown into a multi-million pound enterprise with offices in the UK and US, and plans to launch a division in Hong Kong in 2007.
Research by the company, which works with more than 90% of the UK’s serviced office space providers and landlords, has revealed that Sheffield, Aberdeen, Stockport, Coventry and Derby are also proving to be among the most desirable locations as far as office space is concerned.
officebroker.com carried out the research based on its own brokerage data from the past 12 months. Group turnover during the period April 2006 to April 2007 is expected to be in excess of £3.5 million.
The company looked at the top ten serviced office space hotspots by number of offices let, percentage revenue achieved and the percentage number of total deals.
As expected, in terms of total number of offices let, London (W1 and EC), Birmingham and Manchester made it into the top five along with Reading, which remains desirable because of its location on the M4 silicon corridor. Edinburgh, Guildford and Coventry also made it into the officebroker.com top ten based on total offices let during the 12- month period.
As far as percentage revenue was concerned Reading took the number one spot, followed by West London (W1), the City (EC), Central London (WC), Uxbridge and Birmingham.
As a percentage of total deals, Birmingham took the number one spot.
However, it is when calculating revenue against total number of deals done that an interesting picture begins to emerge. This reveals a number of perhaps unexpected yet highly desirable office locations including Darlington, Aberdeen, Derby, Stockport, Falkirk and Newport.
According to Daniel Baldwin, North East Sales Manager for officebroker.com, the demand for office space in the Darlington area can be attributed to a number of factors including its location on the A1 corridor and the natural beauty of the surrounding area. There is also a strong call centre culture in the area and staff recruitment and retention levels are high when compared to national averages.
His comments are backed up by Trudy Hind of Evans Easyspace who manages a business centre on the outskirts of the city in Newton Aycliffe and oversees enquiries for a business centre in Lingfield Way, Darlington.
She said: “As well as being highly accessible, Darlington is a popular because it is in the north east - an area which is renowned for supporting new business start-up’s. Evans Easypace is popular here because we attract companies looking for flexible office solutions with low start-up costs and easy in – easy out terms.”
“Both of our office sites are very popular and officebroker.com’s pro-active marketing and sales support provides us with a steady stream of prospective tenants from all over the UK.”
Falkirk in Scotland emerged as another high revenue, high demand location. Willie Ferguson who owns the Haypark Business Centre explains that a combination of Falkirks highly accessible central Scotland location and the areas shortage of smaller conventional leases in the area both contribute to its success.
He said: “Falkirk is in the centre of Scotland and a major thoroughfare between its main cities - Glasgow and Edinburgh. The area boasts direct rail links and is only one mile from the M9 motorway and 20 minutes from Edinburgh airport. There seems to be a shortage of quality smaller, leased office accommodation in this area so people looking for space from 150 – 1000 sq ft tend to come to us or other serviced office providers in the area.”
Reading’s popularity as an office space location shows no signs of waning and is the UK’s number one office space destination as a percentage of total revenue.
Shirley Sheppard, Centre Manager at serviced office provider Business Environment Reading, says: “officebroker.com’s results come as no surprise to us. Reading is
the heartbeat for business in the Thames Valley and offers a great source of skilled people especially in high tech and IT roles. It’s all here – the transport links to London and Heathrow, good quality accommodation, great shops, popular bars, busy nightlife, lots of hotels – anything a business could want from a location.”
She adds: “Our company in particular benefits from a high number of ‘business start-up’s’ looking to take accessible, quality serviced office space with no hassle or long term obligation.”
Managing Director Jim Venables said: “Landlords looking to let space in these or any other area in the UK can contact officebroker.com for national and regional sales and marketing support.”
ENDS
For further information or to set up an interview please contact:
Caroline Barnes or Anssah Hussain
Powell Communication Consultants
T: 0161 8285400
E: caroline.barnes@powell-pr.co.uk
Tuesday, March 27, 2007
Sri Lanka central bank chief seeks to reassure markets after air raid by rebels
COLOMBO (XFN-ASIA) - Central bank governor Nivard Cabraal said he expects Sri Lanka's financial markets to stabilize quickly and recover after yesterday's audacious air attack by Tamil Tiger rebels on a military base near Colombo.
Terming the incident as a 'minor setback', he said he is hopeful that the country can bounce back.
'There is no crisis of confidence after Monday's attack,' Cabraal said. 'People who invest in Sri Lanka have already factored that in, and put their money for the long term. We expect our growth momentum to continue.'
Tamil Tiger rebels carried out their first air raid early Monday, bombing Sri Lanka's main military air base in a daring night-time mission that halted international air traffic into the island for three hours.
The attack spooked punters at Colombo's stock market, with the main index shedding 37.89 points or 1.32 pct to close at 2,824.85 on paltry turnover of 228 mln Sri Lankan rupees.
Private analysts fear tourism and foreign capital inflows could slow down in the short term.
'The latest attack is also a psychological blow (for the government and investors). I am not bullish on the short-term,' noted Murtaza Jafferjee, managing director at J B Stockbrokers.
Alastair Corera, director of Orion Fund Management, said the rebel attack has revived fears of more violence outside the embattled northern and eastern regions.
'When there are no events (outside the northeast) people seem to underestimate the risks that prevail, and incidents like this remind us of the risks,' Corera said.
The Sri Lanka Tourist Board was quick to calm holidaymakers and rushed journalists to the international airport to show that things were 'normal.'
'It is bad, (but) it could have been worse if the airport was attacked,' top tourism official Renton de Alwis said. 'We hope our partners (tour operators) will be with us.'
Yesterday's attack, which killed at least three air force men and wounded another 16, was a sequel to a suicide bombing of the same air base and the adjoining Bandaranaike international airport in July 2001.
After the 2001 attack insurance firms slapped war-risk surcharges on airlines and ships calling at Colombo.
An analyst said that yesterday's incident may not trigger a similar reaction.
'I don't see a need for insurance firms to come rushing in and raise war risk premiums, as the attack was limited to a military base, not an economic target like the airport,' economist Muttukrishna Sarvananthan said.
Earlier this month, Fitch Ratings warned that Sri Lanka's international credit assessment could take a further beating if it fails to make tangible progress in settling its decades-long separatist conflict.
SEO SRI LANKA
Terming the incident as a 'minor setback', he said he is hopeful that the country can bounce back.
'There is no crisis of confidence after Monday's attack,' Cabraal said. 'People who invest in Sri Lanka have already factored that in, and put their money for the long term. We expect our growth momentum to continue.'
Tamil Tiger rebels carried out their first air raid early Monday, bombing Sri Lanka's main military air base in a daring night-time mission that halted international air traffic into the island for three hours.
The attack spooked punters at Colombo's stock market, with the main index shedding 37.89 points or 1.32 pct to close at 2,824.85 on paltry turnover of 228 mln Sri Lankan rupees.
Private analysts fear tourism and foreign capital inflows could slow down in the short term.
'The latest attack is also a psychological blow (for the government and investors). I am not bullish on the short-term,' noted Murtaza Jafferjee, managing director at J B Stockbrokers.
Alastair Corera, director of Orion Fund Management, said the rebel attack has revived fears of more violence outside the embattled northern and eastern regions.
'When there are no events (outside the northeast) people seem to underestimate the risks that prevail, and incidents like this remind us of the risks,' Corera said.
The Sri Lanka Tourist Board was quick to calm holidaymakers and rushed journalists to the international airport to show that things were 'normal.'
'It is bad, (but) it could have been worse if the airport was attacked,' top tourism official Renton de Alwis said. 'We hope our partners (tour operators) will be with us.'
Yesterday's attack, which killed at least three air force men and wounded another 16, was a sequel to a suicide bombing of the same air base and the adjoining Bandaranaike international airport in July 2001.
After the 2001 attack insurance firms slapped war-risk surcharges on airlines and ships calling at Colombo.
An analyst said that yesterday's incident may not trigger a similar reaction.
'I don't see a need for insurance firms to come rushing in and raise war risk premiums, as the attack was limited to a military base, not an economic target like the airport,' economist Muttukrishna Sarvananthan said.
Earlier this month, Fitch Ratings warned that Sri Lanka's international credit assessment could take a further beating if it fails to make tangible progress in settling its decades-long separatist conflict.
SEO SRI LANKA
London Company Buys $250M in NY Property
London Property | Estate Agents Clerkenwell | Limehouse flats | Doughty Street
A privately owned London-based investment group said Monday it was making its first major property acquisition in the United States: dozens of buildings for $250 million.
Dawnay, Day Group said it bought a portfolio of buildings in Manhattan: 47 buildings in East Harlem and seven condominium units in the East Village.
Dawnay, Day US Real Estate Management LLC of New York will manage the properties, which include 1,137 residential apartment units and 55 commercial units in East Harlem.
Dawnay, Day Group, established in 1928, operates in markets around the world, specializing in property investment and financial services among other things. It has approximately $10 billion of properties under management or ownership in countries across the world.
There has been a spate of big real estate deals in the city recently.
Late last year, the massive Stuyvesant Town and Peter Cooper Village apartment complex in Manhattan was sold for $5.4 billion. The complex has 11,000 apartments.
Earlier this year, a real estate developer tried to buy one of the country's largest federally subsidized housing complexes, the 6,000-apartment Brooklyn property known as Starrett City, for $1.3 billion. But the deal was blocked this month by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
HUD said the prospective buyer had not provided sufficient information to demonstrate its financial and managerial capabilities for preserving Starrett City as affordable housing on a long-term basis.
Copyright 2007 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed
A privately owned London-based investment group said Monday it was making its first major property acquisition in the United States: dozens of buildings for $250 million.
Dawnay, Day Group said it bought a portfolio of buildings in Manhattan: 47 buildings in East Harlem and seven condominium units in the East Village.
Dawnay, Day US Real Estate Management LLC of New York will manage the properties, which include 1,137 residential apartment units and 55 commercial units in East Harlem.
Dawnay, Day Group, established in 1928, operates in markets around the world, specializing in property investment and financial services among other things. It has approximately $10 billion of properties under management or ownership in countries across the world.
There has been a spate of big real estate deals in the city recently.
Late last year, the massive Stuyvesant Town and Peter Cooper Village apartment complex in Manhattan was sold for $5.4 billion. The complex has 11,000 apartments.
Earlier this year, a real estate developer tried to buy one of the country's largest federally subsidized housing complexes, the 6,000-apartment Brooklyn property known as Starrett City, for $1.3 billion. But the deal was blocked this month by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
HUD said the prospective buyer had not provided sufficient information to demonstrate its financial and managerial capabilities for preserving Starrett City as affordable housing on a long-term basis.
Copyright 2007 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed
Lanka beat Malaysia 2-1 to level series
SOCCER: Sri Lanka under the leadership of Chathura Maduranga with 2 goals to one win over fancied Malaysia managed to level the series one all. On Saturday Malaysia defeated the hosts four goals to nil when E.B. Channa skippered the national team. Both matches were played at the Sugathadasa stadium under lights.
Yesterday Malaysians were in full control of the first session. They never allowed the local front liners to make inroads in to their territory. But were always seen on the attack with the sole intention of moving ahead to maintain their winning streak.
Their attempts brought results only in the sixteenth minute when their skipper opened scoring. He was the man who initiated the earlier victory too by scoring the opening goal, which was a morale booster.
Yesterday too the Malaysians were with the same morale and were expecting to score as much as possible, but failed in all their attempts. The Lemons were taken with the visitors in the lead 1-0.
The second session began with a bang Sri Lanka making a change in the line up bringing in Fazal Mohamed Fauzan in place of M.N.M. Izadeen. This change proved vital as Fauzan joined Kasun Jayasuriya and E.B. Channa to take the attack to the opposition. Fauzan made quick inroads and was successful in scoring the equaliser in the 47th minute. It was a morale booster for the Lankans and changed the pattern of the game.
Eight minutes later Lankans received a free kick few meters away from the box on to the left. Fanzan took a brilliant kick at he goal which sailed smoothly for Azmeer Ali for the header.
Sri Lanka 2 Malaysia 1.
The game took a different turn with referee having lot of ground to cover with rough play coming into the game and had to pull out the yellow card on few occasion to both parties.
Referee also had to send off Lanka's midfielder Azmeer Ali 20 minutes into the second session of play, Sri Lanka had to defend their lead with only ten players for the balance period of time.
This they did well and cruised to victory. Chathura Maduranga will be a happy man as this was a test for his leadership which brought in good results. Anura de Silva refereed with the assistance of M.C. Jamaldeen and J.L.M. Miranda. The fourth referee was M.A. Ranjith.
Yesterday Malaysians were in full control of the first session. They never allowed the local front liners to make inroads in to their territory. But were always seen on the attack with the sole intention of moving ahead to maintain their winning streak.
Their attempts brought results only in the sixteenth minute when their skipper opened scoring. He was the man who initiated the earlier victory too by scoring the opening goal, which was a morale booster.
Yesterday too the Malaysians were with the same morale and were expecting to score as much as possible, but failed in all their attempts. The Lemons were taken with the visitors in the lead 1-0.
The second session began with a bang Sri Lanka making a change in the line up bringing in Fazal Mohamed Fauzan in place of M.N.M. Izadeen. This change proved vital as Fauzan joined Kasun Jayasuriya and E.B. Channa to take the attack to the opposition. Fauzan made quick inroads and was successful in scoring the equaliser in the 47th minute. It was a morale booster for the Lankans and changed the pattern of the game.
Eight minutes later Lankans received a free kick few meters away from the box on to the left. Fanzan took a brilliant kick at he goal which sailed smoothly for Azmeer Ali for the header.
Sri Lanka 2 Malaysia 1.
The game took a different turn with referee having lot of ground to cover with rough play coming into the game and had to pull out the yellow card on few occasion to both parties.
Referee also had to send off Lanka's midfielder Azmeer Ali 20 minutes into the second session of play, Sri Lanka had to defend their lead with only ten players for the balance period of time.
This they did well and cruised to victory. Chathura Maduranga will be a happy man as this was a test for his leadership which brought in good results. Anura de Silva refereed with the assistance of M.C. Jamaldeen and J.L.M. Miranda. The fourth referee was M.A. Ranjith.
Flying with wax wings (Island Editorial)
This time round, Prabhakaran has pulled a different rabbit out of his camouflaged hat. Two LTTE aircraft flew over the Katunayake Airbase yesterday morning and dropped improvised explosive devices, which evoked one's memories of the crude bombs that the Sri Lanka Air Force used to drop on LTTE targets in days of yore. Three airmen died and sixteen more sustained injuries in the blast.
That Prabhakaran was in possession of light aircraft was no secret. Acquiring new military capabilities was his mission during the first few years of the truce. On the false pretext of taking part in overseas negotiations, his delegates brought in huge bundles of goods sans security checks through the very airport they had once devastated, and transported them to Kilinochchi-courtesy the SLAF. Karuna vouches for the fact that between the signing of the CFA and his breakaway, Prabhakaran took delivery of several arms shipments. The LTTE also built airstrips and trained pilots abroad for its air wing during that respite. Evidence has also surfaced of LTTE test flights in the northern skies. So, an LTTE air raid on a vital military target was something to be expected.
It was first thought that the LTTE would use its aircraft for Kamikaze type attacks but Prabhakran apparently doesn't want to send his air wing on suicidal missions. Or, yesterday's attack could have been only a ballon d'essai or a dry run. Why did he finally decide to flaunt his new capability? He has sought to kill two birds with one stone. First, he wanted to destroy at least some of the SLAF fighter jets, which are wreaking havoc on his military positions. Secondly, he was desperate for muscle flexing to boost the sagging morale of his combatants and activists and attract international media attention. Prabhakaran has achieved the second objective. BBC is gaga over the attack and calls the LTTE an innovative outfit. At home, the detractors of President Rajapakse are dancing in the streets in a fit of euphoria, thinking that the beginning of his downfall has begun with the LTTE air attacks.
The LTTE air raids executed with relative ease, in spite of all elaborate precautions that the SLAF claims to have taken, raise a number of serious questions that the government needs to answer. What if the LTTE had taken some other target, say the residence of a VVIP? The SLAF claims it had prior information of the attack and responded to the threat by opening fire before the bombs were dropped. If so, how did the enemy aircraft manage to disappear into thin air after the abortive raid? The attack has also given the lie to the government's claim that the SLAF has over the past few months weakened the LTTE air capability through continual pounding of its airstrips etc. Prabhakaran has proved his air wing is far from debilitated. Now, the government will have to rise to the new challenge. It must acquire the necessary capabilities to intercept enemy aircraft without trying to take refuge in rhetoric.
Meanwhile, the LTTE and its allies may expect insurance premiums to skyrocket and the tourist arrivals to plummet to zero and the economy to come to a grinding halt overnight. But, this country has amply demonstrated its resilience vis-…-vis terrorism. It has survived far worse attacks. The Airport has been devastated with a number of aircraft being reduced to rubble; the Central Bank has been bombed; the Kolonnawa Oil Installations have been attacked; a President has been assassinated and, in short, the LTTE has nothing new to do to hurt the economy. But for the ultra light aircraft, which even an average mudalali in this country can afford, Prabhakaran has nothing new to flaunt by way of achievements after twenty years of fighting.
Prabhakaran may resort to all sorts of gimmicks to prove his presence but the fact remains that, instead of carving out Eelam and ruling supreme therein, he has now had to confine himself to just only three districts. The King of Three Districts ought to realise that one swallow does not make a summer. He may recall that Osama bin Laden, who landed a jet on the Pentagon, razed the US economic icon, Twin Towers to the ground with fuel laden jets, has got nowhere near his goal.
With the ground shifting under his dictatorial feet, it is high time he woke up to the need to resolve the conflict peacefully. He should remember the fate that befell Icarus, who tried to fly too high with a pair wax wings, got too close to the sun in the process and went tumbling to a tragic end. The closer a candle gets to its end, the brighter its flame shines
Courtesy: The Island
That Prabhakaran was in possession of light aircraft was no secret. Acquiring new military capabilities was his mission during the first few years of the truce. On the false pretext of taking part in overseas negotiations, his delegates brought in huge bundles of goods sans security checks through the very airport they had once devastated, and transported them to Kilinochchi-courtesy the SLAF. Karuna vouches for the fact that between the signing of the CFA and his breakaway, Prabhakaran took delivery of several arms shipments. The LTTE also built airstrips and trained pilots abroad for its air wing during that respite. Evidence has also surfaced of LTTE test flights in the northern skies. So, an LTTE air raid on a vital military target was something to be expected.
It was first thought that the LTTE would use its aircraft for Kamikaze type attacks but Prabhakran apparently doesn't want to send his air wing on suicidal missions. Or, yesterday's attack could have been only a ballon d'essai or a dry run. Why did he finally decide to flaunt his new capability? He has sought to kill two birds with one stone. First, he wanted to destroy at least some of the SLAF fighter jets, which are wreaking havoc on his military positions. Secondly, he was desperate for muscle flexing to boost the sagging morale of his combatants and activists and attract international media attention. Prabhakaran has achieved the second objective. BBC is gaga over the attack and calls the LTTE an innovative outfit. At home, the detractors of President Rajapakse are dancing in the streets in a fit of euphoria, thinking that the beginning of his downfall has begun with the LTTE air attacks.
The LTTE air raids executed with relative ease, in spite of all elaborate precautions that the SLAF claims to have taken, raise a number of serious questions that the government needs to answer. What if the LTTE had taken some other target, say the residence of a VVIP? The SLAF claims it had prior information of the attack and responded to the threat by opening fire before the bombs were dropped. If so, how did the enemy aircraft manage to disappear into thin air after the abortive raid? The attack has also given the lie to the government's claim that the SLAF has over the past few months weakened the LTTE air capability through continual pounding of its airstrips etc. Prabhakaran has proved his air wing is far from debilitated. Now, the government will have to rise to the new challenge. It must acquire the necessary capabilities to intercept enemy aircraft without trying to take refuge in rhetoric.
Meanwhile, the LTTE and its allies may expect insurance premiums to skyrocket and the tourist arrivals to plummet to zero and the economy to come to a grinding halt overnight. But, this country has amply demonstrated its resilience vis-…-vis terrorism. It has survived far worse attacks. The Airport has been devastated with a number of aircraft being reduced to rubble; the Central Bank has been bombed; the Kolonnawa Oil Installations have been attacked; a President has been assassinated and, in short, the LTTE has nothing new to do to hurt the economy. But for the ultra light aircraft, which even an average mudalali in this country can afford, Prabhakaran has nothing new to flaunt by way of achievements after twenty years of fighting.
Prabhakaran may resort to all sorts of gimmicks to prove his presence but the fact remains that, instead of carving out Eelam and ruling supreme therein, he has now had to confine himself to just only three districts. The King of Three Districts ought to realise that one swallow does not make a summer. He may recall that Osama bin Laden, who landed a jet on the Pentagon, razed the US economic icon, Twin Towers to the ground with fuel laden jets, has got nowhere near his goal.
With the ground shifting under his dictatorial feet, it is high time he woke up to the need to resolve the conflict peacefully. He should remember the fate that befell Icarus, who tried to fly too high with a pair wax wings, got too close to the sun in the process and went tumbling to a tragic end. The closer a candle gets to its end, the brighter its flame shines
Courtesy: The Island
LTTE suicide attack in Eastern Sri Lanka kills four civilians and two soldiers
Mar 27, Colombo: An explosive laden tractor with a trailer was detonated when a suspected Tamil Tiger attempted to brake through the barriers of the Army main base at Chenkalady in Batticaloa killing two soldiers and four civilians, the military said.
The troops shot the suicide bomber as he tried to drive the tractor into the army camp setting off the explosion avoiding a major disaster.
The attack in the early morning today injured another eight people. The injured including four army personnel and two police personnel were immediately transferred to the General Hospital at Batticaloa.
Meanwhile, military sources said that the troops are retaliating to a LTTE mortar shell attack towards the base from Mavadiwembu in un-cleared area, north of Chenkalady.
The suicide attack comes at the heels of an air attack by the Tigers yesterday. Their first ever air attack on the Katunayake Air Force base killed three airmen and injured sixteen.
The troops shot the suicide bomber as he tried to drive the tractor into the army camp setting off the explosion avoiding a major disaster.
The attack in the early morning today injured another eight people. The injured including four army personnel and two police personnel were immediately transferred to the General Hospital at Batticaloa.
Meanwhile, military sources said that the troops are retaliating to a LTTE mortar shell attack towards the base from Mavadiwembu in un-cleared area, north of Chenkalady.
The suicide attack comes at the heels of an air attack by the Tigers yesterday. Their first ever air attack on the Katunayake Air Force base killed three airmen and injured sixteen.
Monday, March 26, 2007
Wimpey and Woodrow agree to merge
Properties Barbican | Barbican Estate Agents
Construction companies George Wimpey and Taylor Woodrow have agreed to merge in a deal that will create the UK's biggest homebuilder, worth about £5bn.
The new company will be called Taylor Wimpey and will be large enough in terms of market value to merit a place on London's main FTSE 100 stock index.
The new company will have a combined workforce of about 14,000.
According to the firms, less than 5% of the workforce, about 700 workers, will lose their jobs because of the merger.
'Good sense'
George Wimpey chief executive Peter Redfern said that most of the job losses would be in the UK.
Ian Morris, a spokesman for Taylor Woodrow, said the job cuts would result from the companies creating a single UK corporate headquarters, and one operations head office for homebuilding.
Job cuts would probably be in the "hundreds, rather than going over 1,000", Mr Morris said, although he added that "nothing is cast in stone".
Analysts responded enthusiastically to the proposed deal.
Woodrow shares closed up 13% at 475 pence on the news, while Wimpey shares were up nearly 3% at 653p.
"The Wimpey-Taylor Woodrow deal makes good sense," said Colette Ord, an analyst at Numis. "It's a good strategic fit and the synergies they're targeting look realistic."
Market dips
The firms said the merger would allow them to cut costs by £70m a year and boost business in both the UK and US.
Mr Morris said that joining forces with Wimpey and its efficient house building team would allow Taylor Woodrow to better exploit its UK land bank.
At the same time, in the US the new company would be a bigger player in a market where at present the two firms were successful, but smaller, than many of their rivals.
The housing market in the US is experiencing a slowdown as higher interest rates dampen consumer demand and increase repayment costs.
Many observers are predicting that the UK housing market also will stop growing as quickly as in past years, mainly because of an increase in interest rates.
However, Taylor Woodrow's Mr Morris said that the underlying market in both the UK and US was stable and there was a steady demand for new houses.
He explained that the UK currently needs about 200,000 new houses a year, though only about 150,000 are being built.
Construction companies George Wimpey and Taylor Woodrow have agreed to merge in a deal that will create the UK's biggest homebuilder, worth about £5bn.
The new company will be called Taylor Wimpey and will be large enough in terms of market value to merit a place on London's main FTSE 100 stock index.
The new company will have a combined workforce of about 14,000.
According to the firms, less than 5% of the workforce, about 700 workers, will lose their jobs because of the merger.
'Good sense'
George Wimpey chief executive Peter Redfern said that most of the job losses would be in the UK.
Ian Morris, a spokesman for Taylor Woodrow, said the job cuts would result from the companies creating a single UK corporate headquarters, and one operations head office for homebuilding.
Job cuts would probably be in the "hundreds, rather than going over 1,000", Mr Morris said, although he added that "nothing is cast in stone".
Analysts responded enthusiastically to the proposed deal.
Woodrow shares closed up 13% at 475 pence on the news, while Wimpey shares were up nearly 3% at 653p.
"The Wimpey-Taylor Woodrow deal makes good sense," said Colette Ord, an analyst at Numis. "It's a good strategic fit and the synergies they're targeting look realistic."
Market dips
The firms said the merger would allow them to cut costs by £70m a year and boost business in both the UK and US.
Mr Morris said that joining forces with Wimpey and its efficient house building team would allow Taylor Woodrow to better exploit its UK land bank.
At the same time, in the US the new company would be a bigger player in a market where at present the two firms were successful, but smaller, than many of their rivals.
The housing market in the US is experiencing a slowdown as higher interest rates dampen consumer demand and increase repayment costs.
Many observers are predicting that the UK housing market also will stop growing as quickly as in past years, mainly because of an increase in interest rates.
However, Taylor Woodrow's Mr Morris said that the underlying market in both the UK and US was stable and there was a steady demand for new houses.
He explained that the UK currently needs about 200,000 new houses a year, though only about 150,000 are being built.
Air Force attack: Sri Lanka launches two inquiries
Mar 26, Colombo: Sri Lanka today launched two investigations into possible security lapses that have led Tigers to carry out its first air raid against the Sri Lanka Air Force Base, adjoining the Bandaranaike International Air Port, killing at least three airmen and injuring sixteen others.
“Five member inquiry board of the Sri Lanka Air Force has been appointed to investigate into the incident, while Criminal Investigation Department also is tasked to inquiry into the incident,” government spokesman Minister Anura Priyadharsana Yapa told the media.
However he declined to reveal further information until the ongoing investigation is over.
Air Force Spokesman Group Captain Ajantha Silva said that when enemy air craft sighted over the Air Base sky, the Air Force personnel retaliated forcing the enemy craft to withdraw form the area.
A news agency report quoting a top police source said that the police also has launched an investigation because they were the first to inform the Air Force about the sighting of two unidentified aircrafts an hour before the attack when the rebel crafts passed Ganeshapuram, in Vavuniya district.
Sri Lanka government strongly condemning the attack said the unsuccessful mission is a cowardly act in response to LTTE’s major defeats in the East.
Defense officials said that the Tigers miserably missed their target of parked Air Force fighter aircraft fleet and only caused minor damages to three Air Force buildings.
“Five member inquiry board of the Sri Lanka Air Force has been appointed to investigate into the incident, while Criminal Investigation Department also is tasked to inquiry into the incident,” government spokesman Minister Anura Priyadharsana Yapa told the media.
However he declined to reveal further information until the ongoing investigation is over.
Air Force Spokesman Group Captain Ajantha Silva said that when enemy air craft sighted over the Air Base sky, the Air Force personnel retaliated forcing the enemy craft to withdraw form the area.
A news agency report quoting a top police source said that the police also has launched an investigation because they were the first to inform the Air Force about the sighting of two unidentified aircrafts an hour before the attack when the rebel crafts passed Ganeshapuram, in Vavuniya district.
Sri Lanka government strongly condemning the attack said the unsuccessful mission is a cowardly act in response to LTTE’s major defeats in the East.
Defense officials said that the Tigers miserably missed their target of parked Air Force fighter aircraft fleet and only caused minor damages to three Air Force buildings.
Government Condemns LTTE Attempt on Katunayake Air Force Camp & Appeals for Unity to Fight Menace of Terrorism
KATUNAYAKE: THE GOVERNMENT VEHEMENTLY condemns Monday's cowardly attempt to attack the Katunayake Air Force Camp in the aftermath of major defeats suffered by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in the North and East. Although the LTTE attack failed to achieve its objective of destroying fighter aircraft at the base, three Air Force personnel died and 16 others suffered injuries. The Government offers condolences to the next of kin of the victims.
A light aircraft has dropped three bombs on the hangars at the Engineering section of the air base and two of them exploded while the third bomb failed to explode.
The attack came at 12.45 a.m. on Monday (26) and the Air Force defence system was immediately activated preventing the enemy plane from making further attempts. Neither the fighter aircraft at the hangers of the Air Force Camp nor the runaway was damaged.
The Bandaranaike International Airport is in full operation for all incoming and outgoing flights as scheduled.
The LTTE terrorists suffered major defeats in the East as the security forces succeeded in rescuing the civilian population from the clutches of the terrorists in recent weeks. It is the common practice of terrorist organizations to resort to cowardly attacks elsewhere and cause maximum damage in the face of defeats in the battlefront. Such attempts to disrupt civilian life in the face of humiliating defeat could continue and the forces have been placed on full alert.
It is the time to rise above narrow political differences and refrain from unduly discrediting the security forces as such campaigns could result in strengthening the LTTE terrorists and demoralising the security forces. The Government wishes to emphasise that the nation is supreme and no political ambitions should supercede the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Sri Lanka.
The Government is determined to face any challenge in its fight against terrorism and appeals to all section of the Sri Lankan society to extend the fullest cooperation in this national endeavour. It is the responsibility of all concerned to cast aside petty political differences and stand by the Government to safeguard unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity of the nation and to eradicate the menace of terrorism.(Courtesy : Government Information Department )
A light aircraft has dropped three bombs on the hangars at the Engineering section of the air base and two of them exploded while the third bomb failed to explode.
The attack came at 12.45 a.m. on Monday (26) and the Air Force defence system was immediately activated preventing the enemy plane from making further attempts. Neither the fighter aircraft at the hangers of the Air Force Camp nor the runaway was damaged.
The Bandaranaike International Airport is in full operation for all incoming and outgoing flights as scheduled.
The LTTE terrorists suffered major defeats in the East as the security forces succeeded in rescuing the civilian population from the clutches of the terrorists in recent weeks. It is the common practice of terrorist organizations to resort to cowardly attacks elsewhere and cause maximum damage in the face of defeats in the battlefront. Such attempts to disrupt civilian life in the face of humiliating defeat could continue and the forces have been placed on full alert.
It is the time to rise above narrow political differences and refrain from unduly discrediting the security forces as such campaigns could result in strengthening the LTTE terrorists and demoralising the security forces. The Government wishes to emphasise that the nation is supreme and no political ambitions should supercede the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Sri Lanka.
The Government is determined to face any challenge in its fight against terrorism and appeals to all section of the Sri Lankan society to extend the fullest cooperation in this national endeavour. It is the responsibility of all concerned to cast aside petty political differences and stand by the Government to safeguard unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity of the nation and to eradicate the menace of terrorism.(Courtesy : Government Information Department )
Civilians flee artillery barrage east of Madu, 1 killed
Sri Lanka Army launched heavy artillery and Multi Barrel Rocket Launcher fire on Periya Pandivirichchan 2 km east of Madu church. An MPCS worker attached to the Madu Multi Purpose Co-Operative Society (MPCS) secretariat was killed in the artillery fire, initial reports said. Civilians are caught in tension as they couldn't determine where to flee. Artillery shells exploded near the Central Dispensary in Periya Pandivirichchan village.
The civilian victim was identified as Joseph Manuelpillai, 51, a watcher at the MPCS.
Heavy artillery and MBRL rocket fire was stepped up on the settlement near Madu church since Thursday midnight from the SLA camp in Piramanalankulam Junction on Mannar - Vavuniya Road and Madu Road Junction on Mannar Madawachchi Road.
The wounded were rushed to dispensary in Pallamadu.
Madu is situated 36 km east of Mannar and 35 km west of Vavuniya.
The civilian victim was identified as Joseph Manuelpillai, 51, a watcher at the MPCS.
Heavy artillery and MBRL rocket fire was stepped up on the settlement near Madu church since Thursday midnight from the SLA camp in Piramanalankulam Junction on Mannar - Vavuniya Road and Madu Road Junction on Mannar Madawachchi Road.
The wounded were rushed to dispensary in Pallamadu.
Madu is situated 36 km east of Mannar and 35 km west of Vavuniya.
ir-Tigers attack Katunayake military airbase
Two attack air-crafts belonging to Liberation Tigers carried out bombing raids at the Sri Lanka Air Force airbase at Katunayake at 12:45 a.m. early morning Monday and returned safely to Vanni, military spokesperson of the LTTE, Rasaiah Ilanthiraiyan told TamilNet. The targets for the air attack were the SLAF's Kfir and MiG-27 hangers at the military base located adjoining the Katunayake International Airport (KIA), Ilanthiraiyan said.
Two SLAF personnel were killed and 17 wounded in the attacks according to SLAF spokesperson in Colombo. The injured have been rushed to Negombo hospital from the military airbase, medical sources said.
Katunayake International Airport (KIA) did not suffer any damages, according to military sources.
Sandana de Silva, Communication's Director for Sri Lankan, Sri Lanka's flagship passenger air-liner, said that the International Airport is shut and all Sri Lankan flights have been diverted to an air-port in a South Indian state.
Immediate areas surrounding the air-port and the adjoining SLAF airbase have been cordoned off, according to local residents.
Ilanthiraiyan further said following the first major aerial attack by the Tigers, other Sri Lanka military installations will also be targets of future attacks.
Unconfirmed reports from Colombo said Air-port taxi drivers have seen at least two men on parachutes above the airbase.
The attack occurs amid speculations of an imminent offensive of Sri Lankan military into the northern theatre.
In a similar predawn attack on the Katunayake air base, about 35 km. north of Colombo on 24 July 2001, Tigers destroyed thirteen air crafts including two Kfir jet fighters, one MI-24 Helicopter gun ship and one MIG-27- jet fighter.
No civilians were injured or killed in the 2001 attack.
Military offensives by Sri Lanka Security Forces in the NorthEast in Eelam War-IV have been dominated by air-attacks by SLAF. Attack air-crafts carrying unguided ammunition have been inflicting heavy civilian casualties and damages to civilian property.
Two SLAF personnel were killed and 17 wounded in the attacks according to SLAF spokesperson in Colombo. The injured have been rushed to Negombo hospital from the military airbase, medical sources said.
Katunayake International Airport (KIA) did not suffer any damages, according to military sources.
Sandana de Silva, Communication's Director for Sri Lankan, Sri Lanka's flagship passenger air-liner, said that the International Airport is shut and all Sri Lankan flights have been diverted to an air-port in a South Indian state.
Immediate areas surrounding the air-port and the adjoining SLAF airbase have been cordoned off, according to local residents.
Ilanthiraiyan further said following the first major aerial attack by the Tigers, other Sri Lanka military installations will also be targets of future attacks.
Unconfirmed reports from Colombo said Air-port taxi drivers have seen at least two men on parachutes above the airbase.
The attack occurs amid speculations of an imminent offensive of Sri Lankan military into the northern theatre.
In a similar predawn attack on the Katunayake air base, about 35 km. north of Colombo on 24 July 2001, Tigers destroyed thirteen air crafts including two Kfir jet fighters, one MI-24 Helicopter gun ship and one MIG-27- jet fighter.
No civilians were injured or killed in the 2001 attack.
Military offensives by Sri Lanka Security Forces in the NorthEast in Eelam War-IV have been dominated by air-attacks by SLAF. Attack air-crafts carrying unguided ammunition have been inflicting heavy civilian casualties and damages to civilian property.
Sunday, March 25, 2007
Sri Lankan Troops Move Into Rebel Area
COLOMBO, March 25 - A new theater opened over the weekend in Sri Lanka’s escalating ethnic conflict, as government troops advanced into rebel-controlled territory in the island’s northwest over the last three days in a drive that they described as “neutralizing” guerrilla positions.
The latest clashes, in which the military and rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam traded mortar and artillery fire, took place in the Mannar district, about 186 miles north of the capital. Rebels accused the troops of advancing Thursday into an area they controlled, taking with them some 120 villagers as a human shield, a claim the military denied. The military for its part said it retaliated after rebels fired at its positions.
The trading of blame is commonplace in this conflict. And casualties were, as usual, impossible to verify. According to an Agence France-Presse report today, the government claimed that it lost 10 soldiers and killed nearly 50 rebels. The Tamil Tigers claimed it killed 60 soldiers and lost 13 of its troops. Both sides routinely downplay their own casualties.
The Sri Lankan military has steadily gained ground on rebel positions in the east, driving an estimated 100,000 people from their homes in the last two months alone. The latest fighting signaled that the fighting had spread to a different part of the island. A 2002 cease-fire agreement, which demarcates forward defense lines of government and rebel forces, has been shattered.
The rebels today also accused the government of planting a roadside bomb that killed an aid worker with the Tamil Rehabilitation Organization, a charity sympathetic to the Tamil Tigers.
Civilians fled their homes, but the scope of displacement was contested: The government estimated their numbers at about 300, while the rebel group said the fighting prompted an exodus of 2,000 people.
The latest clashes, in which the military and rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam traded mortar and artillery fire, took place in the Mannar district, about 186 miles north of the capital. Rebels accused the troops of advancing Thursday into an area they controlled, taking with them some 120 villagers as a human shield, a claim the military denied. The military for its part said it retaliated after rebels fired at its positions.
The trading of blame is commonplace in this conflict. And casualties were, as usual, impossible to verify. According to an Agence France-Presse report today, the government claimed that it lost 10 soldiers and killed nearly 50 rebels. The Tamil Tigers claimed it killed 60 soldiers and lost 13 of its troops. Both sides routinely downplay their own casualties.
The Sri Lankan military has steadily gained ground on rebel positions in the east, driving an estimated 100,000 people from their homes in the last two months alone. The latest fighting signaled that the fighting had spread to a different part of the island. A 2002 cease-fire agreement, which demarcates forward defense lines of government and rebel forces, has been shattered.
The rebels today also accused the government of planting a roadside bomb that killed an aid worker with the Tamil Rehabilitation Organization, a charity sympathetic to the Tamil Tigers.
Civilians fled their homes, but the scope of displacement was contested: The government estimated their numbers at about 300, while the rebel group said the fighting prompted an exodus of 2,000 people.
Sailors' seizure 'very serious'
The seizure by Iran of 15 Royal Navy personnel is "very serious", Northern Ireland minister Peter Hain has said.
Mr Hain said their holding was of "tremendous concern" and that every negotiating option was being pursued.
The eight sailors and seven marines, from HMS Cornwall, were held on Friday after boarding a boat in the Gulf.
Tehran has accused the group of "blatant trespassing" into Iranian waters, but the Foreign Office is adamant they were in Iraqi waters.
British diplomats hope they will have another meeting with the Iranian Foreign Ministry on Sunday, to ask for their release or, failing that, at the very least consular access.
Foreign Office junior minister Lord Triesman met the Iranian ambassador Rasoul Movahedian on Saturday to demand their immediate release, and other diplomatic meetings have also been held.
Northern Ireland Secretary Mr Hain said: "It is a very serious situation, and of tremendous concern, and that's why we're pursuing every negotiating option to try and bring our soldiers back and make sure that they're safe.
"It's essential that this occurs and it's essential not just for the well-being of our soldiers but also for stability in the region."
HMS Cornwall's area of operations
Students belonging to the paramilitary Basij group, which is close to Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, have called for the Britons to be put on trial.
However, Professor Sadaq Ziba-Kalam, of Tehran University, told BBC News 24 he did not think they would be charged with spying.
"That part of the water between Iran and Iraq where the incident happened has been disputed for decades," he said.
"So it is very difficult to draw the line and say this is the Iranian side of the border and this is the Iraqi side of the border."
BBC News correspondent in Tehran, Frances Harrison, said: "All the signs are Iran hasn't yet decided what it's going to do with the British.
"But the crisis runs the risk of intensifying if more groups inside Iran insist this case should be linked to Iranians in detention in Iraq or with the nuclear issue."
The Cornwall is the flagship of the coalition-Iraqi force which patrols Iraqi territorial waters in the northern Gulf to combat smuggling.
The Britons, who include one woman, had inspected an Iraqi boat before returning to their two small boats where they were seized.
They were taken at gunpoint by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard naval forces.
They were then moved along the Shatt al-Arab waterway to Iranian bases, Royal Navy officials said.
Further sanctions
Iranian armed forces spokesman Gen Ali Reza Afshar told Iranian media on Saturday that the 15 personnel were being interrogated, but were in good health.
Germany - which holds the EU presidency - called for the immediate release of the Britons.
Meanwhile, the UN Security Council has voted unanimously in favour of further sanctions against Iran for its refusal to suspend its nuclear enrichment programme.
The seizure of the boarding party carries echoes of an incident in June 2004 when a group of eight marines and sailors were held for three days after being seized by the Iranians in the Shatt al-Arab waterway.
On that occasion the hostages were paraded blindfolded on television, and later freed.
Mr Hain said their holding was of "tremendous concern" and that every negotiating option was being pursued.
The eight sailors and seven marines, from HMS Cornwall, were held on Friday after boarding a boat in the Gulf.
Tehran has accused the group of "blatant trespassing" into Iranian waters, but the Foreign Office is adamant they were in Iraqi waters.
British diplomats hope they will have another meeting with the Iranian Foreign Ministry on Sunday, to ask for their release or, failing that, at the very least consular access.
Foreign Office junior minister Lord Triesman met the Iranian ambassador Rasoul Movahedian on Saturday to demand their immediate release, and other diplomatic meetings have also been held.
Northern Ireland Secretary Mr Hain said: "It is a very serious situation, and of tremendous concern, and that's why we're pursuing every negotiating option to try and bring our soldiers back and make sure that they're safe.
"It's essential that this occurs and it's essential not just for the well-being of our soldiers but also for stability in the region."
HMS Cornwall's area of operations
Students belonging to the paramilitary Basij group, which is close to Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, have called for the Britons to be put on trial.
However, Professor Sadaq Ziba-Kalam, of Tehran University, told BBC News 24 he did not think they would be charged with spying.
"That part of the water between Iran and Iraq where the incident happened has been disputed for decades," he said.
"So it is very difficult to draw the line and say this is the Iranian side of the border and this is the Iraqi side of the border."
BBC News correspondent in Tehran, Frances Harrison, said: "All the signs are Iran hasn't yet decided what it's going to do with the British.
"But the crisis runs the risk of intensifying if more groups inside Iran insist this case should be linked to Iranians in detention in Iraq or with the nuclear issue."
The Cornwall is the flagship of the coalition-Iraqi force which patrols Iraqi territorial waters in the northern Gulf to combat smuggling.
The Britons, who include one woman, had inspected an Iraqi boat before returning to their two small boats where they were seized.
They were taken at gunpoint by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard naval forces.
They were then moved along the Shatt al-Arab waterway to Iranian bases, Royal Navy officials said.
Further sanctions
Iranian armed forces spokesman Gen Ali Reza Afshar told Iranian media on Saturday that the 15 personnel were being interrogated, but were in good health.
Germany - which holds the EU presidency - called for the immediate release of the Britons.
Meanwhile, the UN Security Council has voted unanimously in favour of further sanctions against Iran for its refusal to suspend its nuclear enrichment programme.
The seizure of the boarding party carries echoes of an incident in June 2004 when a group of eight marines and sailors were held for three days after being seized by the Iranians in the Shatt al-Arab waterway.
On that occasion the hostages were paraded blindfolded on television, and later freed.
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