Sri Lanka in a 198-run win over Bangladesh

 

Sri Lanka complete a 198-run win over Bangladesh to do their chances of a Super Eight spot no harm. They were led by Sanath Jayasuriya’s blitz of a century, Mahela Jayawardene’s plucky 46, and fifties from Kumar Sangakkara and Chamara Silva as they totalled 318 for 4. Bangladesh, in reply, failed to get going as Chaminda Vaas and Lasith Malinga struck early blows and barring Jayasuriya, every bowler used got a wicket.

 

A comprehensive victory for Sri Lanka. All eyes now turn to the crucial Sri Lanka-India game on March 23. -Cricinfo-

Man named ‘Lucky’ snags $18 million lottery prize

TORONTO – A man known to his friends as “Lucky” lived up to his name last weekend when he walked away with $18 million in lottery winnings.

Luckyrajah Paramanathan, 43, cashed in on the lucrative 6-49 St. Patrick’s Day draw held Saturday. Since moving to Canada from Sri Lanka six years ago, Paramanathan had been playing the lottery and working to bring his wife and two sons, ages 10 and 7, to live with him.

He said his wife was shocked to hear of his big win and will soon be arriving to help him celebrate. Paramanathan has been sharing an apartment with a friend, but now plans on buying a house for his family with the winnings. Paramanathan, whose first language is Tamil, landed his lucky ticket on a free play from a previously purchased ticket.

He said he hadn’t decided as yet whether to quit his two jobs. He had been earning about $48,000 a year cleaning swimming pools on contract for the city of Toronto and working as an apartment maintenance worker.

Earthquake near Kandy Sri Lanka 5.8 scale

By Walter Jayawardhana

The US Geological Survey reported 5.8 scale earth quake near kandy Sri Lanka at 6.10.44.90 UTC on march 22,2007. The description has been given as 2185 kilometers SSE of Kandy and 2204 Kilometers SE of Colombo.

Non-promotion to rank of Major General challenged

By Leary Beekmeyer

Daily Mirror – The Supreme Court issued an interim order staying the operations of the decisions of the Army authorities with regard to the promotion of the petitioner to the rank of Major General and restraining the army from promoting any one who is junior to the petitioner over the petitioner until the determination of the application.

The Supreme Court bench comprised Chief Justice Sarath N Silva and Justices Nimal Gamini Ameratunga and Raja Fernando.

The petitioner Major General Nimal Ainsley Jayasuriya of Colombo 4, cited Major General Y.S.A. De Silva Military Secretary of the Sri Lanka Army, Brigadier S.H. Munasinghe Director –Army Medical Services and three others as respondents.

The petitioner presently holds the substantive confirmed rank of Brigadier in the Sri Lanka Army and now serves as the Area Commander of the Weli-oya operational area. The petitioner stated that at the time he completed his training in the Army and was commissioned in 1977, he was the youngest officer in the Army. As the youngest commissioned officer in the army at such time, he was also the youngest officer at the stage of each of his promotions, which was the case even up to the stage of his last promotion to the rank of Major General (Temporary). He represented, inter alia, the Army Rugby Football team until 1980. In 1980, he received a severe spinal injury whilst playing Rugby for the Army and thereafter continued to suffer from a severe backache. Thereafter, it was revealed through medical examination that the petitioner was suffering from ‘Spondylosis’ (Stress fracture) of the spine.

Even after prolonged periods of treatment under various medical specialists in Sri Lanka the backache recurred and he was unable to obtain any satisfactory medical relief. Accordingly, in 1985 with the assistance of Dr.Thurairajah he made the necessary arrangements to seek medical treatment in the U.K. In order to do so, the petitioner applied for overseas leave and volunteered to bear the costs/expenses of this treatment on his own, without imposing any financial burden on the army.

The petitioner stated that, much to his surprise, despite the explanations submitted by him, a formal charge was thereafter framed against him for alleged offence of being absent without leave for a period from November 4, 1985 to January 20, 1986.

He was found guilty and convicted of the offence on March 31, 1986 and was imposed with a punishment of a ‘severe reprimand’ as well as a loss of pay 77 days, save for the solitary conviction, the petitioner has not had any other blemishes in his entire military career up to date.

The petitioner stated that to his shock and surprise, he received a letter on the January 18, 2007 signed by first respondent that he has gone AWOL for 77 days from November 4, 1985 to January 20, 1986.

The petitioner claimed that the decision had been maliciously, deliberately and wilfully designed to bring about a hurried and complete end to the petitioner’s bright career in the army.

Vaikos organizing secretary surrenders in the LTTE bomb case

By Walter Jayawardhana

VAIKO’S PARTY ORGANIZING SECRETARY SURRENDERS TO POLICE Q BANCH IN CONNECTION WITH LTTE CASE

Vaiko led Marumalrch Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (MDMK) Organizing secretary, Seema Basheer has been arrested by the Q branch of the Tamil Nadu police in connection with the case of smuggling bomb making material to the Sri Lankan terrorist group, the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam. (LTTE)Basheer has been suspected of laundering money in this case where several people are suspected of procuring and smuggling bomb making materials to Tamil Tigers in Sri Lanka.

Although Basheer has been giving the slip to the police when they visited his house to question him he voluntarily surrendered to the Q Branch of the Tamil Nadu police who are investigating into the LTTE and other terrorist related cases in the South Indian state.

Meanwhile, Rameshkumar, a suspected LTTE supporter, who had been running a soap factory in Perambalur, from where the aluminium ingots meant for bomb making were to be moved to Sri Lanka, and who has been absconding from the police so far also surrendered before a metropolitan magistrate in Chennai.

But MDMK Secretary Vaiko Gopalaswamy issuing a statement said that his party functionary Basheer has been framed for political reasons by the DMK administration in the South Indian state.

Police said since the arrest of Barakath, a DMK functionary and on the information supplied by him, they have been watching Basheer of Vaiko’s party for several days.

The police took Basheer to a municipal magistrate of Tiruchirappalli to be remanded.

Vaiko accused that Basheer has been framed to demoralize other functionaries of his party. In the last Tamil Nadu assembly elections, Basheer lost to DMK General Secretary K Anbazhagan by a narrow margin of over 400 votes in Chennai Harbour seat. Vaiko said although he has been supporting the LTTE he has never involved his party in any unlawful activity in Tamil Nadu. Describing the arrest as a politically motivated move against his party workers Vaiko said they would never be cowed down by such threats.

The other person, Rameshkumar, the soap factory owner who surrendered to a municipal magistrate has been absconding many days from the police. The magistrate remanded him into judicial custody for fifteen days. But the Q Branch of the police said they would be filing a separate motion to take him to their custody for questioning on the case.
With the surrender of Rameshkumar the number of people in the custody of this case has risen to eight people.