The grievance letters collected from the people before elections by Sashindra Rajapakse found in garbage Bin

(Lanka-e-News, Sep.24, 2009, 7.35PM) The applications for jobs and the grievances letters collected by the Uva Provincial Council Chief Minister, Sashindra Rajapakse in the run up to the recent Uva province elections have been found thrown into a garbage heap near the Tourist Bungalow where he was staying during the election period.. Even a letter sent to him by the SLFP office Committee requesting false legs for a disabled soldier was also found in the garbage heap. Source by : lankaenews

Every match is tough, says Sri Lanka coach

Sri Lanka will be keen to cash in on England’s inconsistent form and boost their hopes of qualifying for the Champions Trophy semi-finals today.

Kumar Sangakkara’s Sri Lankans, having already beaten South Africa by 55 runs in their opening match of the four-team group, are closing in on qualification. In contrast, England go into the tournament after suffering a 6-1 defeat at the hands of defending champions Australiain their last home one-day series. But Sri Lankacoach Trevor Bayliss said Thursday his team needed to put in another impressive all-round performance as there would be no easy matches.

“We are very happy with the win the other day, but also realise that the three games in this group are all difficult,” said Bayliss.

“That series (England v Australia) has gone. I am sure they (England) will try to set the record straight here. They will be coming out as hard as they possibly can.

“We certainly won’t be taking any team lightly. We perform best when we concentrate on what we do best.”

Sri Lankan opener Tillakaratne Dilshan and unorthodox spinner Ajantha Mendis played big roles in their win over the hosts. While Dilshan hammered a century, Mendis grabbed three wickets with clever variations. Mendis will be playing against England for the first time. “Whoever plays him (Mendis) for the first time struggles a little bit and that could be an advantage. It does not matter how much you watch him on video. It’s one thing to pick the ball and another to hit it,” said Bayliss. “We are confident if he plays tomorrow he can bowl well. He has been with us for under two years and he has come a long way in a short time.

“Dilshan has been a big improver over the last couple of years. His promotion to the top where the ball comes on to the bat has helped him a lot. He is very positive and loves a challenge.” England coach Andy Flower expected his batsmen to deliver against Sri Lanka, who field quality spinners in Muttiah Muralitharan and Mendis. “It’s no secret we under-performed badly with the bat (against Australia). The batsmen got starts, but didn’t make big scores. Tomorrow is an opportunity to put that right,” said Flower.

“We all had our frustrations in that one-day series. We didn’t end the summer well. These guys now have an opportunity to play good cricket. I am looking forward to seeing how they perform under pressure.

“There is no team plan on how to play their spinners, but very much individual plans on how to play them. That is a good challenge.” Flower said they were happier playing Sri Lanka here than at Centurion as the pitch had pace and bounce.

“It turned a little here yesterday (in Pakistan-West Indies match), but the bounce and pace would suit us better. We don’t know about tomorrow’s pitch, but it will help the quicks for sure,” said the England coach.

“But we struggled to take wickets against Australia as well. It’s a great opportunity to change that.” New Zealand and South Africaare other teams in the group, with the top two making it to the semi-finals.

AFP

Cabinet reshuffle on the cards: Basil next Foreign Minister?

Speculation is rife in political circles since last evening that there is to be a Cabinet reshuffle shortly. Though when or whether it is to happen is being disputed, Senior Presidential Advisor Basil Rajapaksa is strongly tipped to take over as Foreign Minister, sources told Adaderana. While most favour Basil Rajapaksa taking over the post, a source close to the Foreign Ministry told Adaderana that this matter had come up at a dinner very recently and that the choice of Parliamentarian Rajapaksa, who is also the President’s younger brother, is no surprise. He pointed out the manner in which Basil Rajapaksa handled the delicate situation with our giant neighbour India at a crucial time when the war with the separatist Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) was at its heightand Sri Lanka was facing stiff international pressure to stop the onslaught and opt for negotiations. Ada derana

This country is haunted by a Dracula Govt.- Mangala

(Lanka-e-News, Sep.17, 2009, 8.05PM) SLFP (M) leader and M.P. Mangala Samaraweera addressing the media today (17) at the party Headquarters said , this country is now ruled by a Dracula Govt . which is nourishing and flourishing on blood. Speaking at length on the Govt.’s resuming of the death sentence , he stated ,this will never be implemented against the Govt. sponsored murderers. The govt. is trying to revive the death sentence While the country is raging with crimes in the country ,including murders, abductions, extortions and robberies , the Govt. is contemplating this in order to escape the countless and widespread accusations against the Govt.’s disgraceful incapacity to control them during the last four years. Under the guise of fighting the war and combating LTTE criminals , the Govt . used the infamous white Van to commit crimes on innocents. Showing the LTTE banner the Govt. shed blood of the people claiming that they are LTTE supporters. Giving the impression that the victims are dying at the hands of the underworld criminals , it indulged in crimes to maintain its popularity .In Parliament it was revealed 91 such persons were killed. Thye became victims of Mahinda’s blood shedding culture. Now, when the fragrance of blood is receding , the Dracula wants to introduce the death sentence . This is a Dracula’s Govt. , he pinpointed. To eliminate this dangerous crime wave , a concerted drive and action are needed. In most crimes , henchmen and supporters of govt. politicians are behind. The police and the Attorney General’s Dept . have been made to dance to Govt.’s dirty politics . No wonder all crimes remain unsolved . A case in point is the cold blooded murder of Lasantha Wickremetunge . MPs Raviraj. Maheswaran and Pararajasingham were killed in cold blood , but so far no arrests have been made , he lamented. Source by: lankaenews

Sangakkara okay with not being favourites

Kumar Sangakkara, the Sri Lanka captain, is comfortable with not being counted among the favourites for the Champions Trophy and said it would reduce pressure on them.

“It works in our favour not to be mentioned as favourites because we will be able to operate under the radar and there will not be too much attention given to us,” Sangakkara said. “Playing on such a great stage will automatically mean teams will be out to show and highlight what they can do, and it will be all about the handling of pressure.”

The favourites include the world’s top two ODI sides, South Africa and India, along with defending champions Australia.

However, Sangakkara said form would not be an issue when the teams took to the field. “Everyone in our team is confident, but our recent wins are not going to count for anything,” he said. “Everyone here is a professional unit and whether they have played recently or not won’t matter because you are always in training and up to the challenge of playing. It is nice to have had a bit of cricket, but the only advantage of that is that we have been competing under pressure.”

Sri Lanka, who finished runners-up at the World Twenty20 in June this year, are currently ranked third in ODIs, and with the good mix of fast bowlers and spinners in the squad, Sangakkara was optimistic about their chances in the tournament. “Fast bowling is now one of our main strengths,” he said. “We now have bowlers who can bowl at more than 140 km/h and they have the accuracy and firepower. Coupled with our spinners, Ajantha Mendis and Muttiah Muralitharan, it’s an exciting time for Sri Lankan cricket.”

Sri Lankawill face hosts South Africa,England and New Zealand in Group B of the tournament. Their first match, also the tournament opener, will be against South Africain Centurion on September 22. – (Cricinfo)

India committed to welfare of displaced Tamils in Lanka: PM

CHENNAI: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has said India is committed to working on a ‘priority basis’ for the relief and rehabilitation of internally displaced Tamils in Sri Lanka and New Delhi has conveyed its concerns on the issue to the island government in “no uncertain terms.”

Minister Chandrasiri Gajadeera narrowly escapes

Non Cabinet Minister of Home Affairs Chandrasiri Gajadeera and six others including several Southern Provincial Councilors had a narrow escape when the vehicle they were traveling plunged into the Nilwala River this evening. Source by: Daily mirror

Millions worth Moonshine Seized

Over 5700 liters of illicit spirits (Kasippu) worth over Rs.3.4million which were to be distributed in Colombo and its suburbs during the Poya Day was averted when Wellampitiya Police conducted a raid in Meetotamulla area last night, Police Spokesman Senior DIG Nimal Mediwake said. Source by: Daily mirror

SLIIT student files FR claiming Rs. 100 million compensation

SLIIT student Nipuna Ramanayake has filed a Fundamental Rights petition with the Supreme Court claiming that he was inhumanely assaulted by the police.Nipuna has also claimed a compensation of Rs. 100 million as compensation while naming Senior Superintendent of Police Vass Gunawardena, twelve other police officers and the Inspector General of Police as respondents.

Nipuna Ramanayaka, a student of the Sri Lanka Institute of Information Technology (SLIIT) in Malabe was allegedly abducted and assaulted by officers attached to the CCD while SSP Gunawardena’s son Ravindu and wife Shyamali Priyadarshani were also allegedly involved in the incident. All of them are in remand custody.

Five of the 14 suspects involved in the alleged abduction and assault were identified yesterday (Sept. 2) during an identification parade held at the Kaduwela Magistrate’s court. Source by: ada derana

Wimal raps new US ambassador

NFF leader Wimal Weerawansa yesterday accused the newly appointed US ambassador for Sri Lanka, Patricia Butenis of being a primary figure behind making the Bangladesh political arena unstable. He also added that now Bangladesh has become a puppet of the United States. Source By: Ada derana