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Nine soldiers, 40 LTTE'ers killed in fierce
fighting Nine soldiers and over 40 LTTE cadres were killed in fierce fighting when troops manning defences South of Paranthan in the Kilinochchi sector crushed an attempt by hundreds of Tigers to overrun Forward Defence Lines (FDLs) early yesterday, security officials said. Twenty nine security personnel were also injured in the counter action by troops to repulse the assault, security sources said. Tigers had also used heavy arms in their abortive bid to smash through defences. By noon yesterday the situation had returned to normal with search and clear operations in progress, the sources said. Air Force had carried out attacks on fleeing Tigers. Among the dead LTTE cadres were several women, according to these sources. The military believes that a large number of Tigers would have been injured in the counter attack by troops. Sri Lankan working in US given valour award for saving woman's life In town in the next few days will be a peace officer of the Los Angeles Police Department, Kawantissa de Silva better known as Mike to his relatives and friends. Mike and his partner, officer Steen Koeing were recently given the H. Thomas Guerry Award for valour the highest honour given by local law enforcement. This was for preventing a woman from jumping from the ledge of the LaCumbre road overpass. Educated at Nalanda College, Colombo, Mike proceeded in 1983 (age 35 yrs) to the United States to further his studies. While there he met and married Patricia, an American domiciled in Santa Barbara, and have three children. Mike has worked in a Bank and real estate company before joining the police. Mike says his life in the police is interesting especially when he encounters Sri Lankans living in L.A. He is the son of Mr. Asoka de Silva (Chairman Tania & Tamara) and Mrs. Ramyapalee de Silva, Colombo. The following is the report on the rescue operation of Mike and his colleague Steven that appeared in the Los Angeles paper 'New-Press'. As he climbed along the outside ledge of the La Cumbre Road overpass — traffic rushing only 20 feet below on Highway 101 — California Highway Patrol Officer Steven Koenig could think of only one thing: Preventing the woman who clung to the freeway side of the chain-link fence from plunging to her death. It was for this selfless act in late February that Koenig and his partner, Officer Mike De Silva, were recognized with the H. Thomas Guerry Award for Valour, the highest honour given by local law enforcement. The officers shared the award with Sheriff's Department corrections officers Dale Coburn, Charles Powell and Richard Davis, who rescued accident victims Sept. 9, 1997, from a fiery crash on Highway 1. Twenty-four other officers were given awards for conflict resolution and outstanding overall performance. When CHP officers Koenig and De Silva arrived at the La Cumbre overpass in February, the distraught woman was precariously perched between a man on the bridge — who held tightly to her hands through the fence — and another woman who was wrapped around her. Koenig quickly took the place of the woman who was trying to save the one who wanted to jump. "She was resisting, squirming and not answering our questions", Koenig said. "It became difficult to hold her". Koenig's arms began to burn from scraping against concrete as he held the woman who struggled to get away from him. "I then got on the ledge and started walking toward her", De Silva said. "We secured her to the bridge with a rescue strap — so that if we fell, she'd be safe". The officers said they didn't think of the perilous pit of traffic awaiting them below. They thought only about including the distraught woman along the ledge and back to safety. Corrections officers Coburn, Powel and Davis were just as selfless when on their way home from the main jail last September they came across an indistinguishable burning mass of metal — a result of a deadly head-on collision between a pickup and a van in which 11 people were killed. After the three officers were able to free a woman from the front seat of the van and drag her to safety, they heard screams from within the van. "There was no way to go back in", Powell said. "It became a matter of trying to keep everyone already out there away from the flames". The screams haunt them still. "It's the thing we remember the most, but there was nothing we could do", Coburn said. The trio then returned to the intense heat to rescue three surviving men who were ejected from the wreckage and then move two of the dead farther away from the flames. "The explosions kept happening and we had to move them back several times", said Davis, who suffered second-degree burns to his face and arms during the rescues. The 29th annual H. Thomas Guerry Awards recognize excellence in law enforcement for Santa Barbara County. The top valour and leadership awards are given in honour of Santa Barbara City Police Officer H. Thomas Guerry, who died in the line of duty at the age of 29 on Jan. 3, 1970. He died in an exchange of gunfire after finding two armed robbery suspects near State and Ortega streets. CPC to utilise underground hydrant line at BIA for aircraft refuelling The Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC) is finally considering putting into use an underground hydrant line at the Bandaranaike International Airport for the refuelling of aircraft, authoritative airport sources told ‘The Island’. The sources said there is now a proposal to use the hydrant line for its intended purpose and that this may be done "sometime" next year. The line, extending from the CPC fuel farm at Katunayake to the apron (the surfaced area on the airfield where aircraft are parked and refuelled) was built more than ten years ago at a "tremendous cost". It was not immediately able to confirm how long ago it was built as CPC officials were not available for comment. The CPC was at the butt-end of some criticism due to the pipeline not being used despite it having being installed at high cost. Critics say it is "in a bad state". They also allege that a lot of delays due to re-fuelling purposes could be reduced if the pipeline was operational. Sources at the airport said hydrant pumps were purchased years ago and have been lying unused for an extended period of time and have been ‘spoiled’. They pointed out that two mobile refuelling dispensers had also been bought and were now "just going up and down" as they cannot be utilised for their intended purpose. "Usually, dispensers are the last to be bought - after the pumps have been fixed, tanks constructed and the hydrant line is ready to be used," they said, "In this case, however, dispensers were bought first and are being kept till the hydrant system is finished," they alleged. As CPC officials were not available for comment, ‘The Island’, sought answers from the Airport and Aviation Services (Ltd.). An authoritative AASL source told ‘The Island’ that the pipeline was constructed so long ago because if it were to be installed subsequently, the apron would have to be dug up again. It was, therefore, constructed at the time the apron was built. Explaining the delay in putting it to use, "It was not initially installed with the purpose of using it immediately but with the purpose of taking it for future use when the need arose", according to the source. He said also that the entire pipeline had not been completed - "there was no point in doing so till all other equipment required to activate it and to make it fully operational was available". Equipment included mobile dispensers to draw fuel and pump it to the wing tank of the aircraft. The source said that the CPC was now planning to complete the pipeline in stages, to make it operational. "Work is expected to be completed towards next year, according to what the CPC tells us," he added. He pointed out that allegations to the effect that the hydrant line is "in a bad state" were false as it is serviced regularly. Questioned whether putting the line to use would reduce delays in fuelling aircraft, he said it depends on the demand, number and movement of aircraft. "When it was first installed, the demand was not so great as to congest the apron," he explained, "There is still no need to rush into using the line as there is no congestion". (NW) BIDTI to organise programme for
Diplomatic Officers The Bandaranaike International Diplomatic Training Institute is planning to organise a special programme for Diplomatic officers of developing countries in the region on the lines of the International Programme of the Indian Foreign Service Institute. This was disclosed by Dr. Vernon Mendis, Director General of the institute at the ceremony to award certificates at the BMICH last Thursday. Prime Minister Mrs. Sirimavo Bandaranaike, Chairperson of the Governing Council was also present at the ceremony. The Chief Guest was Lakshman Jayakody, Minister of Cultural and Religious Affairs and Buddhasasana. Mr. Jayakody, in his address said that culture and development go hand in hand. We must ensure that our culture is protected. The cultural aspects of our country should be kept intact while having contact with the outer world. Mr. Jayakody addressing the students who received certificates said that they would come across various groups of people with divergent cultures but stressed that it was very important to preserve our culture. Certificates were awarded to participants who had the required attendance level at the Sri Lankan Studies Course and two general courses. Dr. Mendis said that the Institute has received inquiries from a number of countries and that it is hoping that it could work out an arrangement where this could be achieved, the principal question being financing. He said that in future more emphasis will be place on the subject of Conference Diplomacy in view of the crucial importance of multilaterism in modern diplomacy, in its courses. He said that it will be in the form of special exercises conducted by experts on preparation for conferences, conference organization, protocol and other procedures, preparation of briefs, strategies and techniques of negotiation, canvassing and lobbying and drafting of declarations. Dr. Mendis also said that the Institute is at present conducting a special course designated the Foreign Service Training Programme for officers appointed to the Sri Lanka Foreign Service. The latest intake consists of 23 officers and this course is expected to last about 7 months and will focus on professional diplomacy, cultural awareness and familiarization as part of the training, Dr. Mendis said. The programme will further include participation in the General Course, he added. Ex-ASP in custody robbed Rs. 1.2m in a
week says police Police investigating the involvement of a former ASP in last Friday's abortive armed robbery in the Nugegoda police area believes that he was responsible for a series of armed robberies in the past week. Police investigators said that the former ASP had robbed approximately 1.2 million in the past week. They said that these robberies had taken place in the Wellawatte, Peliyagoda and Nugegoda police areas. Police said that he was believed to be involved in a series of other armed robberies too. He was arrested last Friday (25) by Mirihana police in connection with a rupee five lakh robbery which took place at Nugegoda the previous day. He was arrested in a house living with his wife situated on the Negombo - Mirigama Road. According to police a businessman from Maharagama with his wife had encashed a cheque for rupees five hundred thousand at a bank at Nugegoda last Thursday (24) and when the couple was about to take off on their motorcycle a man armed with a revolver rushed at them and snatched the bag of money the woman was carrying and sped away on a motorcycle. The couple gave chase on their motor-cycle, over took the man and blocked his path. When the businessman was grappling with the man, he threw the bag away. A policeman who was walking on the road at that time, soon came to the rescue of the businessman and snatched the firearm and took the man into custody. Police said after the man was extensively grilled they found out the ex-ASP was behind the robbery. The businessman however got back his money but minus about Rs. 25,000 which got flown over the area when the gunman threw away the bag under stress. The currency notes were flying all over the road and some people in the vicinity had picked them up. Later police arrested at Mirihana the brother of the man who snatched the bag of money. Police also seized a hand phone he had in his possession. Further inquiries, have revealed that there are several criminal cases pending against the ex-police officer, police said. Grenade, cartridge, false moustache found in
PS chairman killing Police investigators probing Saturday night’s slaying of Arachchikattuwa Pradeshiya Sabha PA Chairman Kingsley Sarath Hemachandra, have taken into custody two suspects, including an army deserter. Four special police teams have been deployed by Chilaw SSP Gamini Silva to track down the killer who shot Hemachandra at point blank range outside his residence. Police sniffer dogs had led sleuths to a neighbourhood area where an unexploded grenade, a spent cartridge and a false mustache were found, police said. The pin of the grenade had been pulled out but it had failed to explode. It was later defused. The Magisterial inquiry into the death of the 37-year-old PS Chairman was conducted by Chilaw acting Magistrate M. Rupasinghe. Jayantha Navaratne, the late Hemachandra’s driver testifying at the inquiry said that he drove the Chairman home after a wedding reception that fateful night. The Chairman had consumed liquor and when the vehicle stopped near his house, he got down and was about to open the door to go in when a gun shot was heard, witness said. ‘I ran in that direction to find out what had happened when something struck me on my back and its impact hurled me to the ground. I then hid and came out a shortwhile later to assess the situation. I saw the Chairman lying in a pool of blood’, he recalled. Police inquiries had revealed that it was a live hand grenade which had struck the driver, but fortunately it had failed to explode. The gunman, on seeing the driver running in that direction had lobbed the grenade, police said. DMO (Chilaw) Dr. R.M.S.K. Ratnayake who performed the autopsy determined that death had been caused due to profuse bleeding from gunshot injuries to the heart and lungs. Police said a shotgun had been used in the killing. Police said that there were several court cases pending against the slain Chairman. Police investigations are in progress. |
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