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| Sunday, 13 March 2005 |
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Welikande shooting hits headlines Tamil Press by S. Selvakumar The Welikande shooting incident in which six people were killed was the main story in all Tamil dailies on Monday. The Thinakaran in a front page story said that moves were afoot to bring a no confidence motion and oust the Administrative Director of the Sri Lanka Islamic Centre at Maligawatte for baring a fraud, involving a large sum of money donated by the Saudi Red Crescent for tsunami relief work. The Sudaroli quoted Jayantha Dhanapala and said he would commence his campaign for the post of Secretary General of the UN, only after the security council endorse his nomination. The Virakesari said Thamilselvan has queried as to why such a hue and cry should be made about the LTTE's Air Force when everybody knew the Tigers had an Air Force and Navy. The Thinakaran on Tuesday quoted Finance Minister Dr. Sarath Amunugama and said the government was in receipt of the proposals sent by the LTTE, to set up a joint mechanism to rehabilitate the tsunami hit Northeast and added that the final estimate on reconstruction work would be revealed on March 15. The Virakesari quoted World Bank Resident Representative Peter Harrold and said the bank would give US $ 75 million for the reconstruction and rehabilitation of Northeast but this would be disbursed through State agencies and would not be given direct to the LTTE. President Kumaratunga has told the visiting European Commissioner for External Relations and Neighbourhood Policy Benito Ferrero-Watner that a joint mechanism would be set up with the LTTE to rebuild the Northeast and peace talks too, would commence soon. The Thinakkural led with the story that some armed men raped women who returned from Tamil Nadu as refugees, abandoned in a small island near Mannar by an Indian boat. The men were bound and all valuables in the group's possession, too, had been robbed. Justice Ministry has instructed the Prisons Department to prepare the list of prisoners in the death row and quoted the Prisons Commissioner and said all arrangements are in place to carry out the death sentence, one the President makes her order, the Sudaroli said in a front page story. All Tamil dailies on Wednesday gave prominence to a speech by the President to mark the International Women's Day where she said the solution to the ethnic issue lies in a federal set up within one country. The Thinakkural led with the story on the press conference given by visiting European Commissioner where she said that unless a joint mechanism is set up with the LTTE, there was danger that aid from international community for tsunami relief would not flow. There was a huge demonstration in Maruthamunai in the East on Tuesday against improper distribution of government aid to tsunami affected people. All shops were closed and people cooked their lunch on the main road blocking traffic, the Sudaroli reported. In another story the paper quoted JVP parliamentarian Wimal Weerawansa and said that the JVP need not comment on a presidential speech where she said the solution to the ethnic problem lies in a federal set up. The Virakesari on Thursday led with a speech by TNA MP R. Sampanthan in the House on Wednesday where he charged that JVP had blocked the government moves to share power with the LTTE in the Northeast. The TNA promised to cooperate with the government if it could sideline the JVP and come forward to share power through federalism. Another story highlighted the speech in Parliament by Rauff Hakeem where he said that the SLMC would oppose any joint mechanism with the LTTE without the consent and concerns of the Muslims. The Sudaroli in its lead story said Erik Solheim who met Anton Balasingham in London has said the LTTE accepted Norway's proposals for a joint mechanism and his country now awaits the government's decision on it. The paper carried pictures of posters that appeared in the city with the photograph of Peter Harrold with the slogan that he is a 'white tiger'. Seven soldiers arrested by the Jaffna police following a shooting incident in Jaffna on March 5 in which an elderly man was killed and several injured were produced in courts and further remanded. The Thinakkural in a front page cartoon carried a poster of an anti Peter Harrold poster and above that drew a moon in dark starry sky and a dog barking at the moon. The Thinakaran led with the story that a group representing the Muslim Peace Secretariat had a secret meeting in a Bambalapitiya hotel with the head of the LTTE peace Secretariat, Pulithevan. The Virakesari and Sudaroli on Friday reported an incident in Neerweli, in Jaffna where hundreds of people burnt tyres on the Point Pedro road from noon till late evening, over an incident where a soldier entered a house and attempted to sexually abuse a 63 year old woman. Police later arrested the soldier. The Sudaroli said the President appointed a ministerial sub committee to report on a suggestion by Minister Mangala Samaraweera to shift the Air Force base at Katunayake to a site in Dambulla. The Thinakaran quoted Norwegian Embassy sources and said Norway was confident of a joint mechanism between the government and the LTTE would be established for tsunami relief work in the Northeast. |
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