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| Sunday, 8 August 2004 |
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Jayalalitha not for passenger shipping service From the Tamil press by S.Selvakumar The week started with TNA and the SLMC promising support to the government if the latter talks to the LTTE on the ISGA proposals and the midweek saw quotes and misquotes on the ISGA discussed at the UPFA executive committee meeting. The week ended with a report that the government had renewed a contract with a Chinese firm to purchase arms. Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission has said that it will not deliver any judgement on certain incidents that took place in Colombo and Kottawa recently, the Tinakkural said on Monday. The paper quoting SLMM spokesman Hagrup Haukland said these were matters for police to investigate. In another front page story the paper quoting Army and Police sources said the death of Plote Mohan was a big less for military intelligence. Sri Lanka Muslim Congress and the Tamil National Alliance have indicated that they would extend their support to the government if the government talks with the LTTE on the Interim Self Governing Authority proposals the Virakesari reported on Monday. An incident where three Tamil political prisoners were served with dinner laced with poison by another Tamil prisoner has been reported to the authorities in the Kalutara prison. The Sudaroli said that Norway will not be involved in peace negotiations until such time the friction between the government and the LTTE evaporates. The Virakesari on Tuesday quoting JHU adviser Tilak Karunaratne said that whatever opposition is raised the anti-conversion bill be presented to Parliament and invited any party to make acceptable amendments. In another story the paper said the lodge where the main suspect in the Plote Mohan's killing stayed had been found along Duplication Road. The LTTE has announced in Batticaloa that those who are in possession of illegal weapons to hand over same to the Tigers before August 10, the Thinakkural reported. A massive hartal and a protest rally were held in Ampara and Jaffna respectively on Monday to protest against the manner unemployed graduates were recruited to government service, the Sudaroli said. The Thinakaran said that a committee has been appointed by the government to probe any irregularities in the recruitment of unemployed graduates. The Sudaroli in a front page story reporting the UPFA executive committee meeting quoted an agency report and said President Kumaratunga has told the JVP not to oppose discussions based on the ISGA proposals. The Virakesari on the same meeting said that it was decided to consider the ISGA as part of the final solution. The Thinakaran reported the arrival of a South Korean Foreign Ministry official team to Colombo on Wednesday to meet officials of the Foreign Employment Bureau on finding job opportunities to Sri Lankans in that country. The Virakesari in an inside page story quoted JVP Parliamentarian and Minister K.D. Lalkantha as saying that in the event of government deciding to talk only on the ISGA proposals the party would leave the government. The Sudaroli on Thursday published a Chennai datelined story where Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalitha Jayaram has vehemently opposed any move to start passenger shipping service between Tuticorin in South India and Colombo. In a letter written to the Indian Prime Minister she has stated that in the event of such a service LTTE renegade Leader Karuna and his cadres could penetrate into Tamil nadu and create trouble. The Thinakkural reported that a bullet proof vehicle has been provided to Minister Douglas Devananda on the orders of the President. The paper quoted Western Province Chief Minister Reginald Coorey as saying that the provincial council concept was meant as a panacea for the ills of the North and East but only functions in the south where there are no ills. The Virakesari quoting a Tamil website "Nitharsanam" said the culprits who gunned down Eastern Province top Tamil journalist Nadesan a few months ago have been identified as Barathi and Jeyakumar belonging to the Karuna faction. The paper on Friday said the Prime Minister has assured a delegation of TNA MPs who met him that action would be taken through the Sri Lanka Navy to prevent Indian fishermen encroaching into Sri Lanka territorial waters in the North. The Thinakaran highlighted a story where important positions have been allocated to CWC members in the Central, Uva and Sabaragamuwa provincial councils but the Sudaroli in its lead story interpreted these appointments as a prop up by the CWC to a shaky government and added the next move will be their support to the government in Parliament. A Karuna faction cadre G. Subendran was killed in Welikanda on Thursday morning when an unknown person hurled a hand grenade at him. The Thinakkural said the government has renewed a contract for arms supplies with a Chinese based firm and papers were signed on behalf of the government by Defence Secretary Cyril Herath who visited China last week. |
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