Colombo: LTTE free to come to negotiating table but should abdicate arms; LTTE rejects charges of arrest of Pulidevan; Rajapakse moots Global Food Crises Fund; Cairns India Ltd to invest $10 m to develop oil resources in Mannar
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  • Colombo declared that the LTTE was free to come back to the negotiating table, on the condition that it abdicates arms1. Violence continued in the East with the murder of two members of the local council by unidentified gunmen, supposedly belonging to Tamil Makkal Viduthalai Pulikal (TMVP)2. In another incident, many civilians lost their lives in a claymore attack executed by the LTTE. Reports noted that the Tigers were targeting the civilians especially after the military reverses suffered by them in the North3. Following the attacks, the Amnesty International called upon the LTTE to comply with the rules of international law and to respect civilian life4.

    Reports also noted the head of the LTTE peace secretariat, Seevaratnam Prabaharan, alias Pulidevan, had been arrested on charges of treachery against the outfit5. The LTTE however rejected any such claims and charged that the reports were “propaganda” of the Sri Lankan government6. The World Bank meanwhile approved an aid package of $75.6 million for the reconstruction of conflict-torn areas of the North and the East7.

    In other developments, President Mahinda Rajapakse urged the international community to set up a Global Food Crises Fund. He noted that the proposed fund would get contributions from business organizations, financial institutions, arms manufacturers and philanthropists8.

    Reports also noted that Sri Lanka's Ministry of Petroleum and Petroleum Resources Development had accepted the bid of Cairns India Ltd to explore oil in the northwestern Mannar coastal region. The company would be investing over $10 million on exploration purposes9.

    Floods in Colombo, Gamphala and Kalutara districts meanwhile led to the displacement of over 200,000 people10. Navy boats were also employed by the government to evacuate people living alongside the river banks.

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