President Mahinda Rajapaksa yesterday met TMVP leader Vinayagamoorthi Muralitharan, who was sworn in as Member of Parliament. Picture by Sudath Silva
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Wednesday, October 8, 2008
President met Karuna Amman
President Mahinda Rajapaksa yesterday met TMVP leader Vinayagamoorthi Muralitharan, who was sworn in as Member of Parliament. Picture by Sudath Silva
Palestine leader here tomorrow for talks with President
President of the State of Palestine Mahmoud Reda Abbas will arrive here tomorrow for talks with President Mahinda Rajapaksa.
Abbas who is also the Chairman of the Executive Committee of the PLO and President of the Palestinian National Authority was born in 1935 in Safad in the Upper North of Palestine.
He was obliged to immigrate to Syria after the occupation of Safad by the Zionist organisations in April 1948.
At the age of 13, he started to work for two years to assist his family. He went back to school and finished his primary level, and start working as a teacher. He continued his studies by distance and obtained the secondary level degree and joined the Damascus University and got his Bachelors Degree in Law in 1958.
From 1957 to 1970, he was appointed as the Director of the employee’s affairs at the Ministry of Education of Qatar, during which he visited the West Bank and Gaza Strip many times to choose teachers to work in Qatar.
In the mid 50s, he established with a group of his colleagues a secret national organisation which founded FATEH (the Palestinian National Freedom Movement) and in 1970 he completely delegated himself for the national work.
Abbas received his PhD Degree from the Oriental Institute of Moscow in 1982.
In recognition of his national leading role, President Abbas assumed many responsibilities such as Member of the Central Committee of FATAH from 1964, Secretary General of the Executive Committee of PLO 1996, Head of the Department of the nationalist and international relations of the PLO 1984-2000 and Head of the Palestinian - Jordanian committee from 1979. He also successfully established the project of twining the Palestinian cities with their Arab cities.
He also proposed to establish contacts with the Israeli peace movements in 1970.
Internationally, President Abbas presented PLO in numerous official occasions:
He signed on behalf of the PLO the Oslo agreement in Washington on September 13, 1993 and also signed on behalf of the PLO the Interim agreement in Washington on September 23, 1995.
Nationally, he assumed many responsibilities: The head of the Negotiations Affairs Department until 2003, established after Gaza-Jericho agreement in 1994; headed the first Palestinian elections committee between 1996 and 2002; the first Prime Minister for the Palestinian National Authority in April 2004; elected chairman of the PLO in 2004 and elected third President of the Palestinian National Authority in 2004 direct free elections.
President Abbas was the author of numerous books and studies including The fall of Netanyahu Government 2000, The religious and ethnic polarisation in Israel 1998, The way to Oslo 1994, The other face 1984, The evilness bridge 1984 and Zionism: beginning and end 1972.
President Abbas is married to Amina Abbas and have three sons, the late Mazen, Yasser and Tarek and several grandsons.(Daily News)
Abbas who is also the Chairman of the Executive Committee of the PLO and President of the Palestinian National Authority was born in 1935 in Safad in the Upper North of Palestine.
He was obliged to immigrate to Syria after the occupation of Safad by the Zionist organisations in April 1948.
At the age of 13, he started to work for two years to assist his family. He went back to school and finished his primary level, and start working as a teacher. He continued his studies by distance and obtained the secondary level degree and joined the Damascus University and got his Bachelors Degree in Law in 1958.
From 1957 to 1970, he was appointed as the Director of the employee’s affairs at the Ministry of Education of Qatar, during which he visited the West Bank and Gaza Strip many times to choose teachers to work in Qatar.
In the mid 50s, he established with a group of his colleagues a secret national organisation which founded FATEH (the Palestinian National Freedom Movement) and in 1970 he completely delegated himself for the national work.
Abbas received his PhD Degree from the Oriental Institute of Moscow in 1982.
In recognition of his national leading role, President Abbas assumed many responsibilities such as Member of the Central Committee of FATAH from 1964, Secretary General of the Executive Committee of PLO 1996, Head of the Department of the nationalist and international relations of the PLO 1984-2000 and Head of the Palestinian - Jordanian committee from 1979. He also successfully established the project of twining the Palestinian cities with their Arab cities.
He also proposed to establish contacts with the Israeli peace movements in 1970.
Internationally, President Abbas presented PLO in numerous official occasions:
He signed on behalf of the PLO the Oslo agreement in Washington on September 13, 1993 and also signed on behalf of the PLO the Interim agreement in Washington on September 23, 1995.
Nationally, he assumed many responsibilities: The head of the Negotiations Affairs Department until 2003, established after Gaza-Jericho agreement in 1994; headed the first Palestinian elections committee between 1996 and 2002; the first Prime Minister for the Palestinian National Authority in April 2004; elected chairman of the PLO in 2004 and elected third President of the Palestinian National Authority in 2004 direct free elections.
President Abbas was the author of numerous books and studies including The fall of Netanyahu Government 2000, The religious and ethnic polarisation in Israel 1998, The way to Oslo 1994, The other face 1984, The evilness bridge 1984 and Zionism: beginning and end 1972.
President Abbas is married to Amina Abbas and have three sons, the late Mazen, Yasser and Tarek and several grandsons.(Daily News)
War brought misery to Easterners - TMVP Leader
TMVP Leader V. Muralitharan popularly known as Karuna Amman in his maiden speech in Parliament yesterday said he warmly welcomes the responsibility entrusted upon him by President Mahinda Rajapaksa on behalf of the Tamil people.
“This will be the beginning of the new era of the local political arena as well as of the Tamil speaking people.”
He said Tamils never endorsed the war. “We all have to travel in the same track as we all are Sri Lankans,” he said.
“This is the time to forget the past and get together for the development of the country,” he said. Muralitharan said he is committed to develop the East.
He urged the international community to cooperate with him to achieve these targets. “We were in the darkness earlier.
The situation has changed now and Tamils have been able to come out from the darkness in the Eastern Province.” He said he will support to implement the Mahinda Chinthanaya.
“I started the TMVP to lead towards the democratic path. Since then, I have been acting according to my consciousness. Tamils were experiencing various grievances for a long time,” he said.
President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s Government was able to establish unity, development and democracy in the East which was not there for the last 22 years in the Province due to terrorism.
The Government was able to eliminate terrorism in the East.
It was also able to stop blood shedding by setting up democracy in the entire Province, he added.(Daily News)
“This will be the beginning of the new era of the local political arena as well as of the Tamil speaking people.”
He said Tamils never endorsed the war. “We all have to travel in the same track as we all are Sri Lankans,” he said.
“This is the time to forget the past and get together for the development of the country,” he said. Muralitharan said he is committed to develop the East.
He urged the international community to cooperate with him to achieve these targets. “We were in the darkness earlier.
The situation has changed now and Tamils have been able to come out from the darkness in the Eastern Province.” He said he will support to implement the Mahinda Chinthanaya.
“I started the TMVP to lead towards the democratic path. Since then, I have been acting according to my consciousness. Tamils were experiencing various grievances for a long time,” he said.
President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s Government was able to establish unity, development and democracy in the East which was not there for the last 22 years in the Province due to terrorism.
The Government was able to eliminate terrorism in the East.
It was also able to stop blood shedding by setting up democracy in the entire Province, he added.(Daily News)
Prabhakaran commands battlefront from underground
At the moment, LTTE leader Velupillai Prabhakaran lives in one of several underground bunkers in Mullaitivu, which are all interconnected via tunnels. Well informed sources said that Prabhakaran pays his last respects to his dead comrades from these bunkers, but pro-LTTE websites claim that he goes to where the bodies are kept. However, this is not true.
Prabhakaran had summoned only a few leaders such as Theepan, Banu, Luxman, Pottu Amman and Soosai to his bunkers.
These leaders meet Prabhakaran in the night between 7:00 p.m. and 10:00 p.m. He has, reportedly, warned his leaders not to travel in the daytime, because the Army Long Range Reconnaissance Patrol teams are monitoring their movements, and to meet him individually.
When these leaders arrive to see Prabhakaran, his personal bodyguards of the Imran Pandian brigade, closely body-check them, before allowing them to see the supreme leader.
At the moment, Prabhakaran is reportedly not using any of his satellite phones, because he knows that Military Intelligence (MI) can intercept his messages. Therefore, he sends messages through his trustworthy members. How long he can do this?
In one of the discussions, Prabhakaran has reportedly given his Sea Wing leader the task of manufacturing boats fitted with 250cc and 500cc outboard motors to use as suicide boats. Prabakaran uses these boats for evacuation, unloading arms and weapons or to attack SL Navy ships anchored at sea.
A senior Sri Lanka Navy officer said that the Navy had implemented an effective naval blockade to ensure that Prabhakaran does not use these boats to leave Sri Lanka.
When Anton Balasingham suffered kidney failure, he was evacuated from the Mullaitivu coast on January 23, 1999, to an LTTE ship anchored in deep sea, which took him to Thailand, from where he flew to Norway for a kidney transplant.
The probability is that Prabhakaran will remain in Sri Lanka to command the battle. If he left Sri Lanka, who would command the LTTE?
Western intelligence agencies are keeping an eye on Prabhakaran, as he is an internationally wanted criminal.
Some powerful western diplomatic missions are, reportedly, sending their Defense attaches for the day-to-day media briefing of the battlefront situation to their respective military organisations and their secret services.
Only a matter of timeAt the moment, troops belonging to 57 Division are positioned east of Akkarayankulam, about 2 km. from Kilinochchi town, an officer from the battlefront said. Once the troops pass the jungle area, they would be able to enter Kilinochchi town.
As I mentioned in my previous column, the LTTE has evacuated from its military installations in Kilinochchi, which looks like a ghost town, but the LTTE doesn’t want to hand over Kilinochchi on a silver platter to the SL troops. The Tigers will offer as much resistance as they can, but the troops would overcome the resistance and advance gradually. Their main obstacles are ‘johnny’ mines and booby traps, while they have to face mortar and artillery fire from the Mullaitivu west area.
Having liberated the western region of the Vavuniya district and the Madhu area in the Mannar district, troops are now moving towards the western borders of the Mullaitivu district.
At present, they are on the outskirts of the strategically important Tunukkai and Mallavi towns located on the Vellankulam-Mankulam road.
57 Division troops commenced their operation opening up the Vavuniya front from the Madhu road, Giant’s Tank east, Pandivirichchan and Thampanai areas and achieved the largest area domination by liberating Madhu, Palampiddi, Mundumurippu and Periyamadhu areas.
Later, they combined with Task Force 1 marching ahead on the Mannar front, making the Mannar-Vavuniya front the largest battlefront ever maintained against the Tigers. Then they entered the Mullaitivu district crossing the southwestern district border and have so far liberated Naddankandal, Chiraddikulam and most recently, the Kalvilan areas in Mullaitivu west.
LTTE intelligenceLTTE intelligence chief Pottu Amman has reportedly ordered his cadres living in Tamil Nadu and other parts of India, to come to Sri Lanka armed with an Indian passport, to carry out comprehensive intelligence surveillance of political leaders and high ranking military officials. And there are many Tamils armed with Muslim Passports to do intelligence work. MI is well aware of his move.
Civilian safe passage to Oddusuddan and VisvamaduSri Lanka Army Commander Lt. Gen. Sarath Fonseka has declared Oddusuddan and Vishvamadu as safe havens for civilians, as, at the moment, there are no civilians coming to government controlled areas but, it is reliably learnt that, there are civilians from the Kokavil area trying to escape from the LTTE’s grip and enter government-controlled areas. They are reportedly being prevented from leaving. Sixteen civilians were reportedly shot and killed brutally, way when they defied orders to remain.
Troops capture Panniwedikulam earth bund in KilinochchiAt least 20 Tigers and four soldiers were killed and 27 Tigers and six soldiers wounded, when troops belonging to 58 Division commanded by Brig Shavindra Silva, captured a section of the bunker line constructed along the Nachchikudah-Akkarayankulam road at Panniwedikulam to the west of Vannerikulam in the Kilinochchi district on October 4. The Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) Mi-24 helicopter gunships also assisted the troops in capturing 10 bunkers constructed on the massive earth bund, military sources said. 58 Division now operates in the Kilinochchi district, having captured a four-kilometre stretch of a massive ditch and earth bund constructed by the LTTE from Nachchikudah to the Akkarayankulam tank area. Troops have also advanced nearly two kilometres from this earth bund and are in control of the Nachchikudah-Akkarayankulam road, depriving the LTTE of a vital supply route to Nachchikudah.
The Army is progressing to clear the Kilinochchi and Pooneryn areas confining the LTTE only to Mullaitivu.
At the moment, 59 Division has advanced 14 km. in the thick jungle at Andankulam and is aiming to dominate the east coast.(The bottom line)
Prabhakaran had summoned only a few leaders such as Theepan, Banu, Luxman, Pottu Amman and Soosai to his bunkers.
These leaders meet Prabhakaran in the night between 7:00 p.m. and 10:00 p.m. He has, reportedly, warned his leaders not to travel in the daytime, because the Army Long Range Reconnaissance Patrol teams are monitoring their movements, and to meet him individually.
When these leaders arrive to see Prabhakaran, his personal bodyguards of the Imran Pandian brigade, closely body-check them, before allowing them to see the supreme leader.
At the moment, Prabhakaran is reportedly not using any of his satellite phones, because he knows that Military Intelligence (MI) can intercept his messages. Therefore, he sends messages through his trustworthy members. How long he can do this?
In one of the discussions, Prabhakaran has reportedly given his Sea Wing leader the task of manufacturing boats fitted with 250cc and 500cc outboard motors to use as suicide boats. Prabakaran uses these boats for evacuation, unloading arms and weapons or to attack SL Navy ships anchored at sea.
A senior Sri Lanka Navy officer said that the Navy had implemented an effective naval blockade to ensure that Prabhakaran does not use these boats to leave Sri Lanka.
When Anton Balasingham suffered kidney failure, he was evacuated from the Mullaitivu coast on January 23, 1999, to an LTTE ship anchored in deep sea, which took him to Thailand, from where he flew to Norway for a kidney transplant.
The probability is that Prabhakaran will remain in Sri Lanka to command the battle. If he left Sri Lanka, who would command the LTTE?
Western intelligence agencies are keeping an eye on Prabhakaran, as he is an internationally wanted criminal.
Some powerful western diplomatic missions are, reportedly, sending their Defense attaches for the day-to-day media briefing of the battlefront situation to their respective military organisations and their secret services.
Only a matter of timeAt the moment, troops belonging to 57 Division are positioned east of Akkarayankulam, about 2 km. from Kilinochchi town, an officer from the battlefront said. Once the troops pass the jungle area, they would be able to enter Kilinochchi town.
As I mentioned in my previous column, the LTTE has evacuated from its military installations in Kilinochchi, which looks like a ghost town, but the LTTE doesn’t want to hand over Kilinochchi on a silver platter to the SL troops. The Tigers will offer as much resistance as they can, but the troops would overcome the resistance and advance gradually. Their main obstacles are ‘johnny’ mines and booby traps, while they have to face mortar and artillery fire from the Mullaitivu west area.
Having liberated the western region of the Vavuniya district and the Madhu area in the Mannar district, troops are now moving towards the western borders of the Mullaitivu district.
At present, they are on the outskirts of the strategically important Tunukkai and Mallavi towns located on the Vellankulam-Mankulam road.
57 Division troops commenced their operation opening up the Vavuniya front from the Madhu road, Giant’s Tank east, Pandivirichchan and Thampanai areas and achieved the largest area domination by liberating Madhu, Palampiddi, Mundumurippu and Periyamadhu areas.
Later, they combined with Task Force 1 marching ahead on the Mannar front, making the Mannar-Vavuniya front the largest battlefront ever maintained against the Tigers. Then they entered the Mullaitivu district crossing the southwestern district border and have so far liberated Naddankandal, Chiraddikulam and most recently, the Kalvilan areas in Mullaitivu west.
LTTE intelligenceLTTE intelligence chief Pottu Amman has reportedly ordered his cadres living in Tamil Nadu and other parts of India, to come to Sri Lanka armed with an Indian passport, to carry out comprehensive intelligence surveillance of political leaders and high ranking military officials. And there are many Tamils armed with Muslim Passports to do intelligence work. MI is well aware of his move.
Civilian safe passage to Oddusuddan and VisvamaduSri Lanka Army Commander Lt. Gen. Sarath Fonseka has declared Oddusuddan and Vishvamadu as safe havens for civilians, as, at the moment, there are no civilians coming to government controlled areas but, it is reliably learnt that, there are civilians from the Kokavil area trying to escape from the LTTE’s grip and enter government-controlled areas. They are reportedly being prevented from leaving. Sixteen civilians were reportedly shot and killed brutally, way when they defied orders to remain.
Troops capture Panniwedikulam earth bund in KilinochchiAt least 20 Tigers and four soldiers were killed and 27 Tigers and six soldiers wounded, when troops belonging to 58 Division commanded by Brig Shavindra Silva, captured a section of the bunker line constructed along the Nachchikudah-Akkarayankulam road at Panniwedikulam to the west of Vannerikulam in the Kilinochchi district on October 4. The Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) Mi-24 helicopter gunships also assisted the troops in capturing 10 bunkers constructed on the massive earth bund, military sources said. 58 Division now operates in the Kilinochchi district, having captured a four-kilometre stretch of a massive ditch and earth bund constructed by the LTTE from Nachchikudah to the Akkarayankulam tank area. Troops have also advanced nearly two kilometres from this earth bund and are in control of the Nachchikudah-Akkarayankulam road, depriving the LTTE of a vital supply route to Nachchikudah.
The Army is progressing to clear the Kilinochchi and Pooneryn areas confining the LTTE only to Mullaitivu.
At the moment, 59 Division has advanced 14 km. in the thick jungle at Andankulam and is aiming to dominate the east coast.(The bottom line)
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