By Kelum Bandara in The Daily Mirror online, July 31

A recent survey on ex LTTE combatants had revealed that most preferred to be drivers when they are integrated into mainstream society.

Rehabilitation Commissioner General Sudantha Ranasinghe said 941 former combatants had expressed their desire to work as drivers.

He said among the others 20 of them wanted to work as counsellers, eight as accountants, 51 as hair dressers, two as bakery operators, 50 as beauticians,

262 as businessmen, 280 as carpenters, 48 as goldsmiths and 222 as computer programmers.

Besides, there are 252 persons who wanted to join the mainstream and work as tailors and 107 as teachers. Amazingly, 14 of them had wanted to work as labourers.

Brigadier Ranasinghe said it was important to ensure economic security for these ex combatants after the rehabilitation process is completed.

“If they have an alterative, they will not engage in any anti-social activity. Today, along the A9 road, we hardly find garages and bicycle workshops. If these ex combatants are trained in gaining the necessary vocational skills, they can start such work for their livelihood. I am asking all those critiques to assist us to provide the much needed vocational training programmes. It is the only way out,” he said.

Commenting on the hardcore cadres, Brigadier Ranasinghe said that mentorship counselling was now being conducted for them.

He said most of them are Hindus, and devoted to their religion, and do not eat fish or meat on Tuesdays and Fridays.

“They strictly follow such religious principles,” Brigadier Ranasinghe said. Among the ex LTTE members, are those who had done various odd jobs for the organization. The authorities have identified 157 people who worked as cooks, 585 as drivers, 122 as motor mechanics, 401 as nurses and 48 as beauticians.

He said about 100 of the former members had been released to be trained as drivers and conductors in state transport buses operating in the North. http://www.dailymirror.lk/print/index.php/news/front-page-news/17241.html

2. Sri Lanka TV station firebombed: BBC Online, July 31

An armed gang has attacked a private TV and radio station in Sri Lanka’s capital, Colombo, with firebombs.

Two people were injured in the attack on the independent station, Siyatha.

Witnesses told the BBC that about 12 masked men, most of them armed, stormed Siyatha’s premises in the city centre and went on a rampage early yesterday.

Siyatha’s owner left the country some months ago after reports emerged that he had also funded the opposition presidential candidate, Sarath Fonseka.

The government temporarily prevented Siyatha from covering official events and withdrew advertising from its newspaper, which has now closed down.

However, its broadcasts have not been critical of the government.

They threw petrol-bombs and destroyed much of the broadcasting equipment, forcing staff to kneel at gunpoint and assaulting two of them.

The BBC’s Charles Haviland in Colombo says the attack was reminiscent of an earlier firebombing of another TV station 18 months ago.http://www.thedailystar.net/newDesign/news-details.php?nid=148833

3 .Siyatha to go on air

The Siyatha television station which was attacked earlier today will go on air using its test transmission till it resumes normal broadcasts sometime next week, Roshantha Kariyapperuma Chairman of Voice of Asia, the broadcasting company of Siyatha TV told Daily Mirror online.

More than 40 computers, several air-conditioning units and other electronic equipment have been damaged due to the fire. The Main Control Room (MCR) of the Siyatha television was also damaged so the network is unable to broadcast at the moment. The radio stations also have been interrupted

There were no threats against the radio and TV stations, we have not insured the equipment as well, Kariyapperuma said.

Meanwhile Director General of Government Information, Ariyaratne Athugala stated that usually if a radio or television station did not   broadcast for 24 hours the broadcast license could be revoked and that the station could be taken over by the government.

However he noted that in the case of Siyatha because of the special circumstances such action will not be taken. (Daily Mirror online) http://www.dailymirror.lk/index.php/news/5461-siyatha-to-go-on-air.html 

4. Canada to intercept ship

The Canadian Ministry of Defence says it is prepared to intercept a migrant ship, reportedly carrying about 200 suspected Sri Lankan asylum seekers, that is due to arrive on B.C.’s coast in the next few weeks.

"We’ve been tracking this vessel for some time," Defence Minister Peter MacKay said. "We’ll have ships in Canadian waters as they approach, and then an assessment will be done with information we currently hold and anything we’ll be able to garner from direct contact.

Health Canada will also be prepared to deal with any passengers who are sick after potentially spending months at sea, MacKay added.

Few details about the ship and its passengers have been revealed, though reports suggest it is carrying men, women and children from Sri Lanka.

Earlier this month, a Sri Lankan newspaper warned that a vessel known as the MV Sun Sea had departed carrying several members of the Tamil Tigers, a group banned in Canada as a terrorist organization.

Immigration lawyer Doug Cannon said if the migrants are Sri Lankan, many will likely seek asylum as refugees.

"If you are perceived by security forces in Sri Lanka as being a past or current problem to the government, you can expect to be treated very poorly," he said. "They’re afraid of being jailed, they’re afraid of being tortured, they’re afraid of being presumed guilty instead of presumed innocent."

Cannon represented many of the 76 Sri Lankan men who arrived in B.C. last October aboard the Ocean Lady vessel. They were arrested by the Canadian Border Services Agency, detained for three months and released after investigators determined they had no ties to terrorism.

"They are all doing exactly what they should, following their terms and conditions," he said. "No one has disappeared and they are all in the refugee process." http://www.dailymirror.lk/index.php/news/5472-canada-to-intercept-ship.html

5 UNP suspends Cader

The UNP has decided to suspend its Kandy District MP A. R. M. Abdul Cader from the working committee for voting with the government in parliament.

UNP General Secretary Tissa Attanayake in a letter addressed to Cader has informed him that a decision has been taken to suspend the latter from the working committee for voting with the government.

Attanayake has informed Cader that he will have to go before a disciplinary committee as well in the near future.

The decision to suspend him had been made at the last working committee meeting of the UNP.

Commenting on the matter, Cader said he had not received any letter up to now.http://www.dailymirror.lk/index.php/news/5466-unp-suspends-cader.html