by Shamindra Ferdinando

Army closes-in-on last LTTE stronghold

58 Div recovers water scooters

As major battles on the eastern flank came to a rapid end with the last LTTE bastion at Puthukudirippu on the verge of collapse, UN agencies operating in Sri Lanka are planning to raise a staggering USD 155.5 million for relief operations in the northern and eastern provinces.

Appeal to the leaders of Political Parties and the People of Tamil Nadu. 

Dear Leaders and People of Tamil Nadu, 

Of all the countries in this world India more particularly Tamil Nadu one of its 28 States and Union Territories, should be more concerned about Sri Lanka than any other State in India, being its immediate neighbour, separated by the Palk-Strait a distance of only about 30 Kilometers.  Our languages Tamil and Sinhala and our culture have their routes in India.

by Kath Noble 

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown laughs as he talks to children at a day care center during a visit to the Bromley by Bow community center on Monday Feb. 9, 2009 in London.

Gordon Brown is clearly a genius.  While Mahinda Rajapaksa has been providing ammunition to his critics by appointing just about everybody in his ruling coalition to ministerial positions to stop them causing trouble, which costs an awful lot in office expenses and generates equal amounts of confusion as to the demarcation of responsibilities, not to mention all those nincompoops in positions of authority, Gordon Brown has it sorted.  When he needs to keep a parliamentary colleague sweet, he simply despatches them as an envoy, preferably to somewhere remote.  They get an impressive title to add to their visiting cards, several trips to five star resorts, and a lot of papers to shuffle and useless meetings to attend to ensure that they don’t have too much time on their hands, so Gordon Brown can relax for a while.  Mahinda Rajapaksa really ought to pay attention.

The British European MP Robert Evans has engaged in a constant barrage of criticism of Sri Lanka for a period of nearly ten years, when he accused the government of President Kumaratunga of 'implementing an oppressive press-censorship policy and of not allowing essential supplies, including baby food and medicine, to be distributed in areas controlled by the Tamil Tigers... the government has made no progress against the Tamil Tigers on the battlefield... its proposals to end the fighting through constitutional reform will not work'.