Hon. Mahinda Samarasinghe, MP, Minister of Disaster Management and Human Rights during the debate on the second reading of the 2009 Budget Parliament of Sri Lanka, Sri Jayawardenepura-Kotte, Monday, 10 November 2009

Mr. Speaker, It is an honour and a privilege to address this House this morning on the occasion of the debate on the Budget proposals for 2009, presented four days ago by His Excellency the President in his capacity as the Hon Minister of Finance & Planning. The 4th consecutive Budget, presented by President Mahinda Rakapaksa, marks a significant milestone in the journey towards prosperity and a better tomorrow for all.

It is a journey envisioned in the “Mahinda Chinthana: A vision for a new Sri Lanka” and spelt out in more specific detail in the 10 year horizon development framework, 2006-2016. As His Excellency pointed out, Sri Lanka stands at a major crossroads in our modern history. He stated: “The humanitarian operation to relieve the country from the grips of terrorism has reached its final phase. A democratic environment for a political solution in which the power of all people will be amply strengthened is emerging. A revival of religions, cultural and moral values has taken place. We have reached a decisive juncture in our journey towards peace and development.”

This Budget, therefore Mr. Speaker, is an opportune time for reappraisal of the progress made towards the fundamental transformation in so many facets of our country’s fortunes that the present administration pledged to achieve in 2005. We have a solid base to build on. His Excellency outlined our strengths in terms of our consistent GDP growth since 2006 and rising per capita income. Our Government has ensured that our development priorities are capable of being met with five out of eight Millennium Development Goals and are being on track for achievement, and two more are being designated as achievable by 2015. The eighth does not depend on national factors alone. In terms of Human Development, we are ahead of all other countries in the South Asian sub-region.

COLOMBO (AFP) – Sri Lankan troops were close to capturing a key road to the northern peninsula of Jaffna after months of heavy fighting, the defence ministry said Sunday. Heavily armed units have pushed along the coastal road to Jaffna, which had been cut off from the rest of the island by Tamil Tiger rebels in control of the area to the peninsula's south, the ministry said.

"The military surge continues with strong determination to liberate the strategically important 90-kilometre (56-mile) coastal stretch," the ministry said in a statement. Military sources said fighting raged overnight in the region with both sides suffering casualties, though no details were available. Jaffna, an area of 2,300 square kilometres (900 square miles) was taken from the Tigers in 1995, but the lack of land access meant that it has had to be supplied via expensive sea and air routes.

President Mahinda Rajapakse last week urged the Tigers to surrender, saying they would be brought to their knees unless they stopped fighting.

By: Shanika Sriyananda

She could have breathed her last in few minutes or would have been tucked with other dead bodies of her colleagues. Found among 17 dead bodies, she sustained serious injuries in the stomach and the left arm, yet had the luck to live, thanks to the keen eyes of a soldier, who is fighting a battle to liberate thousands of Tamils from the brutal clutches of LTTE.

The fighting escalated at 5.30 am, as the LTTE was still holding ground at the A 32 Road towards Pooneryn. An eight man team of the Delta Company of the 11th Sri Lanka Light Infantry at the Task Force 1, led by Captain Lalantha Kollurage was taking their maximum effort to capture the LTTE bunkers at Paddaruyal Villu between the 10th and 11th mile posts which is three and half km East of the Ponneryn - Mannar main road. After hours long heavy fighting using RPG attacks, the team managed to gain control of the location in the wee hours of November 1, killing 17 LTTE cadres.

Colombo (PTI): A wary Sri Lankan police has cautioned the public against LTTE female suicide bombers disguised as harmless looking pregnant women, beggars or old people in the Island country. This comes months after the Sri Lankan intelligence warned of LTTE cadres planning to smuggle in explosives by concealing them in the ice-cream boxes fixed to bicycles.

LTTE suicide bombers in the guise of pregnant women, beggars, women carrying children, old persons have been deployed to carry explosions in the Colombo city, Police Intelligence warned the public.