News in brief

President lauds public vigilance

President Mahinda Rajapaksa telephoned the women who spotted the bomb in the ill-fated passenger bus at Mt.Lavinia yesterday. The President thanked her for the vigilance that saved several lives and said it's the duty of all citizens to keep a sharp eye on suspected terrorist moves to disrupt civil life and target innocent people.

20 Tigers killed

Scattered battles in the North killed 20 Tiger terrorists and a soldier. Security Forces fired at a group of LTTE men who tried to infiltrate the Welioya region, killing six terrorists, the military said in a statement.

Dynamite blasted 'fishing'

The island's coastal fisheries and coral reefs are being destroyed due to the rapid rise in dynamite blasted 'fishing', with the lucrative practice now exploding into an organised crime involving big money, officials said.

Permanent cure for Leucoderma

'Leucoderma', a skin disease which afflicts over 6,000 patients annually can be permanently cured now with a medicinal herb known as Bakuchi oil, according to the Bandaranaike Ayurveda Research Institute.

Preventing archaeological destruction

A Special Police Unit will be set up at the Department of Archaeology on March 4 to prevent the destruction of archaeological monuments and conserve the archaeological and scientific heritage.

Air Force pounds LTTE military base

Sri Lanka Air Force fighter jets pounded a key LTTE military base, 11 km north east of Oddusudan around 6.35 a.m. yesterday. The pilots confirmed that the LTTE Military base has been accurately hit and the base is completely destroyed.