Explosion in Malwatta Road, 2 injured

Explosion in Malwatta Road, Pettah. Several Vehicles damaged according to Police. Two people have been admitted to the Colombo General Hospital with minor injuries.

Sakvithi scam: Police record 1,023 complaints

The probe on the major financial scam involving English tutor Sakvithi Ranasinghe continued to bare more sordid details with fresh complaints received by yesterday raising the number of duped depositors to 1,000 with deposits alone accounting for more than Rs. 600 million.
Police Spokesman SSP Ranjith Gunesekera told the Daily News that by the end of Saturday, Police had recorded 1,023 complaints with the single biggest loss recorded during the day amounting to Rs.14 million.
Meanwhile, sources said other financial scams linked to the tutor who now believed to have been fled the country has recorded vast amounts putting the total loss beyond Rs.900 million.
Meanwhile, sources said Mirihana Police had to open an exclusive desk to handle complaints as affected people thronged the station to lodge complaints. The public outcry involving bogus financial institutions triggered by the Sakvithi scam continued to have a big impact with depositors throughout the island rushing to withdraw their investments.
Meanwhile, the Central Bank gave a deadline of 30 days for rogue finance companies to get properly registered with the authorities with legal action being initiated if the said institutions fail to meet the deadline.
An institution is expected to maintain a minimum deposit of Rs.200 million with the financial status of companies coming under scrutiny on a monthly basis.(Daily News)

Adequate food supplies for Wanni

COLOMBO: Dismissing certain reports about a shortage of food and other essential items in the Wanni, Essential Services Commissioner S.B.Divarathna said yesterday that there was enough stocks for six months stored in Vavuniya, and these would be delivered continuously to Mullaitivu and Kilinochchi.
According to Divarathna 75 to 80 lorries are already being loaded with stocks amounting to 1,000 tons expected to reach uncleared areas before next Saturday.
This is to be followed by another consignment of 4,000 tons of essential items in the coming weeks. According to Divarathna, UN representatives have been allowed to accompany the convoys to witness the distribution.
Divarathna added that this was the first time that such a large convoy would reach these areas as the normal practice was to send around 20 lorries at a time.
He added that 250 field trucks had been reserved to transport essential items without delay although Government Agents in the areas possessed enough stocks for the time being.
Authorities said moves are underway to make Vavuniya a humanitarian assistance hub to help an exodus of IDPs due to the military operations in Kilinochchi and Mullaitivu.
Strict orders have been relayed to both Security Forces and authorities to make a safe passage for civilians fleeing from uncleared areas and make all arrangements for their safety and wellbeing, authorities said. ( Daily News)

Lanka: AIADMK, Left share platform

N Ravikumar CHENNAI, Sept. 28: In a swift and shrewd political move that will bring the AIADMK and Left leaders on a common platform and lay the foundation for a possible alliance, AIADMK supremo Ms Jayalalitha has conveyed that her party would support the CPI fast to condemn the “Centre's assistance to the Sri Lankan government's genocidal war against Tamils”. As the civil war in the island nation is slowly, but steadily moving to the centre stage of Tamil Nadu politics, after reports that two Indian technocrats were injured during air raids by the LTTE recently, the AIADMK chief in a letter written to CPI State secretary Mr D Pandian has said that she would depute a senior leader and a former minister in the MGR cabinet Mr S Muthusamy to attend the fast in Chennai, while AIADMK district secretaries would participate in the protests throughout the State. Ms Jayalalitha's move would severely embarrass the DMK leader Mr Karunanidhi, who is maintaining a deafening silence on the issue, since his government is relying on Congress support for survival. If Ms Jayalalitha, joins other parties and took up the issue seriously, that would damage Mr Karunanidhi's Tamil nationalist image and challenge his party's claim that he was the `sole leader of the Tamil race'. The AIADMK leader has certainly overtaken actor and DMDK actor Mr Vijaykanth, who is non-committal about an alliance with the Left, even after CPI-M State leaders met him and initiated a dialogue. Mr Vijaykanth, who admitted that the Left leaders had approached him for an alliance, has not come out with a positive response, while Ms Jayalalitha has already shown her keenness, by deciding to share a common platform with the Communists. Ms Jayalalitha's trusted ally and MDMK leader Mr Vaiko will be present in the 2 October 2 fast, keenly watched by the people and political observers, who see a change of current in State politics. The CPI-M leaders, who are often charged with adopting an `anti-Tamil stand’ in the Sri Lankan Tamils’ issue as well as the Mullaiperiyar and Salem railway division row with the neigbouring Kerala, are also attending the fast. Mr D Pandian, disclosed Ms Jayalalitha's decision while speaking at an indoor meeting of Tamil nationalist outfits at a marriage hall here. The CPI leader said that the UPA government was pursuing a `Sinhalese appeasement policy’ and ignoring the killings of Tamils in the island. The Sri Lankan government was not interested in a political settlement to the conflict and not ready to provide equal rights to Tamils. Instead, they had decided to carry out a genocidal war and annihilate the entire Tamil race. The UPA government, instead of pressurising the island government to stop the war, is providing military and economic assistance to the Sri Lankan government, he said.

President’s Speech in Tamil has made all the Sri Lankan Tamils happy and proud

Full text of the press statement released by the Canadian Tamils for Peace and Democracy (CatPad)
(September 28, Toronto, Sri Lanka Guardian) The recent visit by the Sri Lankan President, Mahinda Rajapakse to the United Nations and his speech in Tamil has made all the Sri Lankan Tamils happy and proud. There was a joy among the Tamil citizens of Sri Lanka at the way our President honored the Tamils, and every Sri Lankan Tamil is thankful to the President for the respect and fame he brought to the Tamil language and its people in the International Forum.
But before the President of Sri Lanka arrives back in our soil, there was a wave of shock created by his own higher authority in the Defense establishment Lt-Gen. Sarath Fonseka, saying “I strongly believe that this country belongs to the Sinhalese, but there are minority communities and we treat them like our people.” These words by a higher authority of a President, who honors Tamil Language and is sacrificing our forces to bring democracy to the people of North and East, will not bring honor but disgrace. If these words were said, we urge the Government to clarify and hope it does not reflect the views of the Government nor its Leader, whom the moderate Tamil community highly respect and trust. The Moderate Tamil Community backs the present Government and its Leader Mahinda Rajapakse, and believes that he would eradicate Terrorism and bring not only democracy and peace to the North and East but also a just political solution to the minority community.Lt. General Fonseka also has stated that “We are the majority community and have the right to protect the country” which is totally unacceptable and against the constitution of our country. Being a majority community is not a right to protect the country but every Sri Lankan citizen has the right to protect our Country. For his clarification, we have Douglas Devananda, a Tamil Cabinet Minister from the North, S. Chandrakanthan, the Chief Minister of the Eastern Province and Mr. Karuna Amman and hundreds of his carders who fought against LTTE, do not belong to the majority community. The moderate Tamils who support the Government and long for peace are being killed by the terrorist faction every day. They do not just belong to the majority community.We do accept his words saying “The national leadership basically is determined to solve this problem. The task given to us is to eradicate terrorism.” It is better for the defense forces to take care of the security of the country and eradicate terrorism and leave the rest to the political leadership of the country. We have great respect and honor for our soldiers protecting our Country and for their sacrifices, particularly Lt. Gen. Sarath Fonseka who is bravely leading our soldiers to victory.We the Canadian Democratic Tamil Cultural Association request the Government of Sri Lanka and President Mahinda Rajapakse to request our political and defense personals not to hurt the sentiments of Tamil community in future by issuing such harmful statements