Sri Lanka Defeats LTTE, Time to Win Over Tamils
A FEW years ago nobody would have predicted that the civil war in Sri Lanka would end so dramatically and that LTTE chief V. Prabhakaran would meet his end at the hands of the Lankan military in the area he had lorded over for decades. But a number of miscalculations and factors over the years ultimately led to the demise of the LTTE and Prabhakaran, who by the end lost touch not only with the ground reality in Sri Lanka but also the international mood which after 9/11 was unforgiving of terrorism and terror acts. Many Lanka experts and diplomats believe that the seeds of the rebel outfit’s demise was sown as early 1991 with the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi in 1991.
Commander of the Army Lieutenant General Jagath Jayasuriya during a visit he undertook to the Security Forces Headquarters, East (SFHQ-E) at Welikanda on Friday (6) thanked the troops for their timely assistance, extended to recent flood victims in Polonnaruwa and Batticaloa districts. The visiting Commander of the Army as Chief Guest on the occasion opened the newly-built main archway at the entrance to the SFHQ-E.....
THE BAND MEMBERS are a French Bernard playing the drums, an American Rodham playing the trumpet, a Viennese Legger playing the violin and the bandmaster mini David playing the mouth like a grinding organ. This silly band has only one boring tune that is truly very flat and repetitious. "Ceasefire", "negotiation", "human rights" "humanitarian law", "R2P" are among their constant irritating refrains.
THE GOVERNMENT is to celebrate the Victory against Terrorism in a week long festival islandwide starting tomorrow from schools, said Agriculture Minister Maithripala Sirisena. School Principals have been instructed to get the participation of 3.9 million students for ‘Ranaviru Pranama’ – Hounouring War Heroes -- programmes at schools today. Tomorrow all state institutions, semi-government institutions, local government institutions, provincial councils and district secretariats are to conduct ‘Ranaviru Pranama’ programmes in their respective institutions, he said. On Friday, May 22 there will be a mass ‘National Ranaviru Pranama’ rally at the Parliament grounds in Sri Jayewardenepura. It will be addressed by President Mahinda Rajapaksa.
RUSSIA, IRAN, JAPAN and several other countries have lauded Sri Lanka for its victory over terrorism and have expressed hope that this victory would pave the way for lasting peace. Moscow welcomes reports of the completion by Sri Lankan authorities of their operation against the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) extremist organization, resulting in government forces restoring control over the entire territory of the country and freeing civilians held by LTTE as a “human shield,” said a statement by Russian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Andrei Nesterenko in Moscow on Tuesday.
OUTGOING US Ambassador Robert O’ Blake yesterday commended the Sri Lankan government for defeating LTTE terrorism and evacuating thousands of civilians trapped in the No Fire Zone. Thus, he said the government had abided by its commitment. Responding to a question how the US looked at the manner in which the security forces had engaged in the evacuation of civilians trapped in the No Fire Zone and ended the 30-year-old war Ambassador Blake said, "They have a done a commendable job … the LTTE was using civilians in the No Fire Zone as human shields." However he said, "We couldn’t have first-hand knowledge of what was really going on there since none of us had access to the war torn areas."
TRINCOMALEE: ARMY troops serving the east without taking any further chances for LTTE blood-bath after Wednesday’s (20) decimation of eight Tiger terrorists in PERIYAPILLUMALAI in BATTICALOA and KANCHIKUDICHCHIARU in AMPARA made further gains Thursday (21) afternoon when they knocked out ten terrorists who had been intermittently terrorizing the east. Army confronted a group of LTTE terrorists hiding in KADAWANA jungle area this afternoon (21) around 2.30 p.m. 
