OTHER NEWS UNP scoffs at Govt�s claim of grabbing Killinochchi Compensate Slave island dwellers - UNP Media freedom focal point to democracy: Somawansa UNP protests over appointing ministers for COPE    Advertisement Print Version | Email to friend UK transfers Col Karuna bbc 09-05-2008 Former leader of Sri Lanka's Tamil Tiger rebels who was jailed in the UK in January has been transferred to an immigration detention centre. was sent to jail in January for identity fraud after being arrested in London late last year. He was carrying an apparently genuine Sri Lankan diplomatic passport issued under a false name. It is not clear if he will be deported. Human rights groups want him charged with war crimes. The British Home Office refused to give details of Col Karuna's case. A spokeswoman would only tell the BBC that he "remains detained under immigration powers". He had served half of a nine-month sentence after being found guilty of identity fraud. British 'concern' - During his UK court case, Col Karuna said he had received the false diplomatic passport from the Sri Lankan government. He said the defence secretary in Colombo, who is also the brother of President Mahinda Rajapaksa, had arranged the documents for him. Col Karuna, whose real name is V Muralitharan, was arrested on 2 November at a flat in the London district of Kensington. The British Foreign Office said in December that it had told the Sri Lankan government of its "concern" at how Col Karuna had acquired a diplomatic passport under a false name. Sri Lanka's government denies it has any links to Col Karuna. Fighting intensified - Col Karuna is one of the most controversial figures in Sri Lanka's prolonged civil war. He was the commander of the Tamil Tiger rebels in eastern Sri Lanka until 2004, when he changed sides and started fighting alongside government forces. Troops under his command - both before and after he changed sides - are accused of torture, murder and the recruitment of child soldiers. Human rights groups have urged the British government to try him for war crimes. But they say witnesses have been unwilling to come forward to testify against him. Both the Tiger rebels and the Sri Lankan military have faced repeated accusations of gross human rights abuses. Fighting in the north of the island this year has intensified after the army drove the rebels out of their eastern strongholds last year. In January the government formally withdrew from a ceasefire which both sides were supposed to be observing, even though fighting grew steadily worse last year. Print Version | Email to friend

UNP scoffs at Govt�s claim of grabbing Killinochchi Wed, 23-07-2008 21:00:00 UNP in parliament yesterday scoffed at the government�s claim that Killinochchi is within �grabbing distance� of the security forces, saying the war is being used to cover up all its ills today. UNP MP for Puttalam district Palitha Ranga Bandara said that the government had not implemented any project beneficial to the country. MP Bandara said that the government is boasting about war to hoodwink the public who are subjected to undergo a myriad of problems. �Th... |FULL STORY|

Compensate Slave island dwellers - UNP Wed, 23-07-2008 21:00:00 The main Opposition UNP in Parliament yesterday called on the government to pay compensation to those families in Slave island whose houses were demolished recently and to take action against those who demolished those houses neglecting the court order. Chief Opposition Whip and UNP MP Joseph Michael Perera who made a special statement in the House yesterday said the demolition of these houses has created a black mark in the country�s history. He said the people expresse... |FULL STORY|

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Media freedom focal point to democracy: Somawansa Wed, 23-07-2008 21:00:00 JVP leader Somawansa Amarasinghe said media freedom is a focal point when measuring the level of democracy in a country when he met leaders of the Sri Lanka Working Journalists Association (SLWJA) yesterday morning at JVP Headquarters. Mr. Amarasinghe also noted that violence against media is a major blow against democracy and therefore his Party will continue involving in activities against media suppression. The SLWJA representatives noted that the amount of violence and thre... |FULL STORY|

UNP protests over appointing ministers for COPE Wed, 23-07-2008 20:00:00 Sri Lanka’s Opposition, United National Party (UNP) Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe protested against the appointment of government ministers as heads of the Committees on Public Enterprise (COPE) and of Public Accounts (COPA). “These postings amounted to an underestimation of Parliament's right to question financial matters of the state,” Mr. Wickremesinghe told Parliament. The government at a meeting held at the Temple Trees yesterday decided to appoint Ministers John Seneviratne... |FULL STORY|

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