The spot from where Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar was sniped on Friday night (right). The improvised tripod from which the sniper fired is on left.

Polls chief advised to retain private counsel
Elections Commissioner Dayananda Dissanayake has been advised by Attorney-General (AG) K. C. Kamalasabayson to retain private counsel to present his case before court in actions pending relating to the date of the forthcoming presidential election.

• Kadirgamar, a hero of our times - President
  President Chandrika Kumaratunga was deeply saddened to learn of the assassination of Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar late last night. While condemning this act of terror, the President states that her government will not be bowed by such heinous acts of violence and will spare no effort to bring the perpetrators of this dastardly act to justice.
   

• President speculates...
  ‘Political foes’ behind FM’s assassination
  President Chandrika Kumaratunga yesterday speculated that Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar had been killed by "political foes opposed to the peaceful transformation of conflict and who were determined to undermine attempts towards a negotiated political solution to the ethnic conflict".

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• Kadirgamar killing confounds political confusion
  The assassination on Friday night of Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar has thrown a new element into the legal and constitutional imbroglio regarding the date on which the next presidential election is due. As reported in our news pages today, the Elections Commissioner had, as expected, sought the advice of the Attorney General on the various questions confronting him with political opinion sharply divided on whether the presidential election is due this year or in 2006. Mr. Dayananda Dissanayake has been advised to retain private counsel, possibly because the AG, as law officer to the government, is obliged to advice various parties and may even be called upon by the court to make his submissions.

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• Beyond the Tigers
  In his autobiography Stefan Zweig wrote: "Amidst his political and military victories Hitler’s most diabolic triumph was that he succeeded through progressive excesses in blunting every sense of law and order" (The World of Yesterday). Vellupillai Pirapaharan too has achieved a similar ‘diabolic triumph’, as our collective response to the brutal murder of SSP Charles Wijewardene demonstrated. Obviously after three and a half years of appeasement, to us no crime by the Tigers is of moment - the serial killing of Intelligence officials and anti-Tiger Tamils, child conscription and now the slaying of a senior Police officer - all have become so normal, so much a part of our everyday existence. There is no anger, no outrage; a couple of statements and then it is back to appeasement as usual.

• Lakshman Kadirgamar — A Heroic Sri Lankan
  Lakshman Kadirgamar’s assassination at this juncture of our history is indeed a tragic event. A giant like figure in the world of politics has been cruelly felled by the very forces of evil against whom he battled to the end and his untimely death has left us all the poorer. Unquestionably he was one who in the recent past made an unequalled contribution in seeking to find an acceptable solution to the national problem of internecine ethnic strife that has tortured this country for decades. Although success eluded him to our eternal sense of disappointment, it was nevertheless a unique achievement.

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• Lanka Ventures gets legal opinion in its favour
  Inland Revenue slaps huge assessments & penalties over refund under Tax Amnesty
  The Inland Revenue Department has slapped assessments and penalties of over Rs. 150 million on Lanka Ventures Ltd. (LVL), a subsidiary of the DFCC Bank, over refunds made on the basis of the repealed Tax Amnesty law.
   

• Raj takes tidy capital gain on Commercial Bank stake
  Who is the mystery Saudi Arabian buyer?
  Mr. Raj Rajaratnam, the third biggest shareholder of the Commercial Bank, on Friday sold the majority of his 5.77% stake of what is claimed to be the best privately owned bank in the country bank at a price of Rs.140 a share commanding a 10-rupee premium to the market.
   

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• Kataragama - abode of a benign and powerful God
  Devotees who have not shown sufficient respect to God Skanda commonly called Kataragama Devio or have acted in an improper manner on their way to or from the Devale are reminded of their lapses in various ways. However, God Skanda too, like all Gods is kind, generous and blesses the devout. 

 
• From mansion to remand prison
  A weekend newspaper ran an advertisement calling for owners of luxury vehicle owners who want to lease out their vehicles. Owners of luxury vehicles will be paid well, the advertisement added.
   
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• Devika breaks a 31-year record
  Devika Gunathilaka of Bishop’s College, Colombo erased a 31-year record to win the Girls 200m Free Style Under-15 event on the second day of the 32nd Sri Lanka Schools’ Swimming and Diving Championships held at Sugathadasa Swimming Pool on Friday.  

 

• Sanath pulls out of  Asia-African series
  The Asia XI which will take on Africa XI in a three match One Day International Series next week in South Africa has been further weakened after Sri Lanka’s former captain Sanath Jayasuriya pulled out from the contest. The left-hander, one of the most experienced hands in world cricket and the leading all-rounder is recovering from a shoulder injury and doesn’t want to risk further damage with a packed international schedule at hand for Sri Lanka in the next nine months.
   

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  Tehani Renganathan of Bishop’s College after winning the Girls’ Under-19 200 m Freestyle event recording 2:46:28 second.
  (Pic by Pradeep Nishantha Herath)