Eastern province Chief Minister’s secretary gunned down

The secretary of the eastern province Chief Minister and his driver were killed in a shooting incident took place opposite the Steel corporation in Oruwala along the Kaduwela - Athurugiriya road this morning, 14 November.

According to the police sources, the shooting incident took place around 11.30 a.m.

The gunmen shoot at Mr Kumaraswamy Nandagopan, secretary of eastern province Chief Minister while he was traveling on a car with his driver along the Kaduwela - Athurugiriya road police sources said.

Courtesy: Ministry of Defence

Govt reiterates stand on CFA : LTTE must disarm

The Government’s firm stand on the Ceasefire Agreement is unchanged, Minister Keheliya Rambukwella said adding there will not be peace negotiations with the LTTE unless it lays down arms and surrenders.

Addressing the media yesterday on the weekly security situation at the MCNS, Government Defence Affairs spokesman Minister Keheliya Rambukwella said during the last few days certain elements behind the LTTE proposed a CFA with the LTTE. “This was the normal practice of the LTTE when they were defeated militarily and weakened. They call for peace negotiation to halt the offensive and avoid the Security Forces’ humanitarian mission to liberate uncleared areas.

Our leaders experienced this during the last three decades,” he added. “Whenever the LTTE proposes a CFA, it always ends it with destruction and a calamity to the Government, public and sovereignty of the country,” Minister Rambukwella remarked.

Minister Rambukwella reiterated that the Government categorically rejects any peace negotiation settlement with the LTTE unless the Tigers lay down arms and surrender to Security Forces. “When President Mahinda Rajapaksa took office he immediately extended an invitation for peace negotiations with the LTTE. The President called the LTTE to the negotiation table in Geneva. The CFA was abused by the LTTE in many occasions since then,” the Minister said.

Minister Rambukwella said during the CFA the Jet Liner ship carrying unarmed forces on holiday and a Navy medical team had come under LTTE fire.

A vegetable market too was bombed in Jaffna. 17 Commandos were killed in an attack, then an attempt was made to assassinate the Army Commander finally and Mavilaru sluice gate was attacked to disrupt the daily life of people who depend on farming.

Following these abuses of the CFA by the LTTE, the Government had decided to erase terrorism and liberate civilians from the LTTE clutches. “The East was liberated and the democracy had been restored. The Easterners were allowed the franchise and their political rights restored, the Minister said.

Minister Rambukwella stressed that the North will be liberated and the humanitarian mission will be continued by the Security Forces. The Government has no any intention to negotiate with the LTTE unless it lays down arms and surrender. We embarked on an humanitarian mission in the North and troops are successfully marching forward and are now in the victory of Kilinochchi.

The entire North and our brothers and sisters entrapped in the Tigers’ grip will be liberated in near future. Democracy will be restored in the North as in the East,” he added.

Courtesy : Daily News

No LTTE hand in Ragu killing- Pillayan

Eastern Province Chief Minister Pillayan told Daily Mirror the LTTE was not involved in yesterday’s killing of his personal secretary & top TMVP leader Ragu.

The Chief Minister said he was able to draw this conclusion after personally inspecting the crime scene in Athurugiriya yesterday.

Mr. Pillayan, who termed his personal secretary as also being the leader of the TMVP as per the electoral list, urged the authorities to bring the perpetrators to book in order to protect the democracy of the country.

However TMVP leader MP Vinayagamurthy Muralitharan alias Karuna Amman reiterated that the LTTE was behind the murder of his party’s senior member Ragu . He said that Ragu risked his life by traveling alone without his security personnel.

Courtesy: Dailymirror

Secondary investigations to identify those who assaulted Mervyn - CID

The CID told the Colombo Magistrate today that they had initiated secondary investigations into the Rupavahini incident to identify those responsible for damaging property and assaulting Labour Minister Mervyn Silva.

Courtesy: Dailymirror

Prices of powdered milk to be reduced

Prices of powdered milk will be reduced by December 15, as agreed by producers and importers, Minister Bandula Gunawardena said today.

Courtesy: Dailymirror