117 arrested in Jaffna & KKS in 'special operation'

 26 April 2013

Sri Lankan police have arrested 117 people in the Jaffna and Kankesanthurai regions over the past week, reports the Jaffna based newspaper, the Uthayan.

The Sri Lankan Superintendent in Jaffna, Mohammed Jiffry said the arrests were part of a 'special operation'.

On Saturday, speaking at a media briefing, Jiffry drew attention to the recent armed attack of the Uthayan office and claimed that as weapons were only possessed by the state's security forces, the attack proves that "armed groups operating in Jaffna".

"We can only arrest if we get information on where they are located," he added. 

175 dengue patients in Colombo within 24 days

SATURDAY, 27 APRIL 2013 

Two dengue patients died and 175 patients were reported during the first 24 days of this month from Colombo Municipal area says Chief Medical Officer at Colombo Municipal Council  Pradeep kariyawasam.

Many patients have been recorded from Borella, Colombo Central, Modara and Matakkuliya areas.

The number of dengue patients reported from Colombo Municipal area during the 117 days of this year is 903

Sri Lanka B&B owner held for molesting French tourists

AFP
Friday, Apr 26, 2013

COLOMBO - A foreign guesthouse operator was arrested in Sri Lanka Friday after two French tourists complained they had been sexually molested at his guest house, police said.

The 44-year-old Olivier Sage, who manages the "French Villa" beach property at Unawatuna, 120 kilometres (75 miles) south of Colombo, would be taken before a magistrate later Friday, said senior superintendent Jayantha Wickremasinghe.

"The two French tourists complained that the guest house owner used criminal force on them two days ago," Wickremasinghe said. "We have sufficient grounds to make the arrest."

The guest house website described him as a "Swiss-French" ex-restaurateur managing a "cosy Sri Lankan style villa", which also offers ayurvedic treatments, yoga and meditation.

It was not immediately clear if he had dual Swiss and French citizenship. The guesthouse could not be reached for comment.

Wickremasinghe said the man carried a French passport at the time of his arrest and had first arrived in Sri Lanka nearly three years ago and later started managing the guest house.

He was arrested under a penal code offence that, on conviction, carries a jail term of five years. Sri Lanka tightened laws in 2006 to protect women and children from sexual harassment.

Wickremasinghe said one of the victims had been subjected to medical tests and a forensic report was being prepared.

The latest complaint came as police earlier this month said there had been an increase in attacks against foreign tourists visiting the Indian Ocean island emerging from nearly four decades of ethnic war