Forces capture Sampur,
Tigers on
the run The
Army yesterday (4) seized control of Sampur from the LTTE, after
almost two weeks of intense fighting, President Mahinda
Rajapakse said at the SLFP Convention at the BMICH yesterday.Ground troops entered Sampur destroying a number
of smaller LTTE positions on the way and about 200 LTTE cadres
were killed.
Close to my heart
President
Mahinda Rajapakse addressing the SLFP’s 55th Annivesary
celebration meeting at the BMICH yesterday (4) announces
yesterday’s capture of Sampur from the LTTE by the Army.
Pic by Kamal Wanniarachchi
NEWS
JVP
unions protest against reduction in CoL allowance JVP
trade unions lashed out at the government over cutting down on
the cost of living allowances for public sector workers. They
claimed that the public sector workers cannot meet the sky
rocketing cost of living without further assistance from the
government.
No
intention of toppling Govt. - SB Former
Minister S. B. Dissanayake said Sunday the UNP had no intention
of toppling the government but was only trying to strengthen
itself.
Addressing one of 60 seminars organized
countrywide by the UNP to mark its 60th anniversary, he said if
the people of the North were allowed to vote at the last
Presidential election, the UNP would not have to face its
present problems.
Cricket in the Cyber Age:
Empire strikes back The
passion with which Inzamam and the Pakistan cricket team
incident is scrutinized by the media is reminiscent of the
controversies over Larwood and bodyline bowling in the 1930s,
and more recently Muralis’s ‘chucking’. Again, these cricketing
episodes have reignited nationalist sentiments of various hues
from England across the Indian Ocean to Australia. Before these
nationalists drawn from all segments of society take to the
barricades, it maybe useful to recall that such cricketing
episodes have a long history.
The Iranian ‘Crisis’
The United Nations Security Council deadline for
Iran to stop producing enriched uranium expires on 31 August,
and UN Secretary-General Kofi Annnan arrives in Tehran on 2
September. Washington demands UN sanctions against Iran if it
doesn’t stop, and hints at air strikes against Iranian nuclear
installations if sanctions don’t happen or don’t work. Welcome
to the crisis.
The 60th Commonwealth Finance Ministers meeting
which will commence next week is expected to formulate a common
agenda in addressing the development issues of its member
countries.
Jayantha Dhanapala was instrumental in taking
the peace process where no Sri Lankan had taken it before. It
was a pity his policy initiative was compromised by political
expediency. Could his candidature for the post of
Secretary-General of the United Nations also be subjected to
similar forces, courtesy global politics? In LMD’s latest issue,
Dr. Jehan Perera, Executive Director of the National Peace
Council of Sri Lanka, highlights Dhanapala’s contribution to
peace in Sri Lanka.
It was another feather in the cap for Kandy
Sports Club as they became Cup Champions at the 3rd Singer
Professional Rugby Sevens – 2006, organized by the Sri Lanka
Rugby Football Union in conjunction with the Central Province
Rugby Football Union, when they edged out CH & FC by 20 points
(4 tries) to 19 (2 goals, 1 try) in the finals worked off at the
Race Course grounds in Nuwara Eliya on Sunday.
Some
years ago, they were soldiers fighting for their
motherland in battlefields.
The war has left them lifelong casualties but destiny
hadn’t stopped these gutsy men from fighting for a
certain cause, again for their motherland. These
former army personnel are now active members of the
Sri Lanka Wheelchair Tennis Team bringing credit in
many recent international competitions.
Jithmie
Jayawickrema (L) and Harshana Godamanna receiving
their awards from Jitendra Kumar, First Secretary of
the Indian High Commission, for becoming women’s and
men’s champions respectively at the 91st Sri Lanka
Tennis Nationals ended last week at the Sri Lanka
Tennis Association in Colombo. Also in the picture
is Lionel Almeida, CEO, SLTA.
Pix by Nishan S. Priyantha
INSIDE
