 |
|
Tuesday,
May 20, 2003, Chandigarh, India  
|
Lanka floods toll 200, India
Five killed in suicide bombing PoK premier favours Hindu-Muslim
division |
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Deadline set for Musharraf to quit
army Cop
kills 3
|
|
Lanka floods toll 200, India sends
relief
Colombo, May 19 With about 1,00,000 persons left homeless after the worst downpour in 60 years, the government geared itself for a massive relief effort and sought help from other countries. “We have to be prepared for more landslides and floods. The situation is serious,” Mr Jayalath Jayawardene, Minister for Rehabilitation, Resettlement and Refugees, said. “The government is going to seek assistance from India and international agencies for provisions and maybe air assistance,” he said. The Meteorology Department said more rain was possible in the next few weeks, although the worst-affected region, Ratnapura, about 100 km southeast of Colombo — had seen some respite from the rain since Saturday. The Ratnapura district secretary, Ms Malini Premaratne, said relief workers had been able to reach the people who were stranded, some on rooftops and trees, and provide food and water. Eightyone persons died in Ratnapura due to landslides and drowning. Meanwhile, An Indian navy craft carrying eight inflatable dinghies and medical supplies is on its way to Sri Lanka’s southern port of Galle today while more supplies could be sent, most probably by air, diplomats said. Post-disaster management assistance will be given to Sri Lanka and the authorities in New Delhi were already on the job. Blankets, tents, dry rations, medical equipment and doctors were urgently needed, they said. The Social Services ministry said that over 300,000 people had been rendered homeless in the southern districts of Kalutara, Galle, Matara and Hambantota. Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, who toured the flood-affected areas yesterday, said it was the worst flood since 1947 when more people were killed.
Reuter, PTI |
||
|
Five killed in suicide bombing Jerusalem, May 19 In the latest attack this evening, the woman bomber detonated her explosive belt, after a security guard prevented her entry into the shopping centre, killing herself and four persons, Israel army radio reported. Emergency workers quoted by the Israeli daily Haaretz said 31 persons were also injured in the blast in Emakim mall, which occurred at 1944 IST. The police sealed off the medium-sized town of Afula, which lies about 10 km north of the northern West Bank city of Jenin, immediately following the attack. Reports said the hardline Palestinian group Islamic Jihad claimed the responsibility for the Afula attack. In an earlier attack this morning, a suicide bomber on a bicycle slightly injured three Israeli soldiers when he detonated his explosives near the Kfar Darom settlement in Gaza, official sources said. Izedine al Qassam, the military wing of the Islamic militant group Hamas, claimed the responsibility for the attack.
PTI
|
|
PoK premier favours Hindu-Muslim division Islamabad, May 19 While the Hindu majority areas could go to India, the Muslim majority areas of Kashmir could be amalgamated with Pakistan, he was quoted as saying by the media here. Mr Hayat said he strongly opposed the idea of an independent Kashmir because a tiny state surrounded by India, China and Pakistan could neither defend itself nor guarantee its sovereignty. Mr Hayat endorsed the Chenab formula, which proposed the division of Jammu and Kashmir on the lines of the Hindu and Muslim majority areas from the banks of the river. According to Pakistan’s retired Foreign Secretary, Niaz Naik, the Chenab formula was discussed with Indian leaders in 1998. The formula proposed that the Hindu majority areas of Jammu would go to India and the Muslim majority of Srinagar would be merged with Pakistan. Mr Hayat said Kashmir was important for Pakistan because of its economic and moral stakes in the valley and supported the idea of approaching the Indo-Pak talks in a spirit of give and take. He said every party to the conflict would need to save face by being able to sell to its people the agreed solution. Replying to a question, Mr Hayat admitted that a leadership crisis could emerge if the Kashmiri people were called in tripartite talks with India and Pakistan. He proposed that the representatives of the governments and oppositions of Jammu and Kashmir and Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir, including the Hurriyat Conference, should be given representation.
PTI |
|
Deadline set for Musharraf to quit army Islamabad, May 19 “We are ready to give a concession to President Musharraf that he can retain the office of army chief until August 14 2003,” Islamist MP Hafiz Hussain Ahmed said. The proposal would be presented to an 11-member committee of government and Opposition representatives, who have spent the past three weeks trying to negotiate an agreement on controversial changes to Pakistan’s 1973 constitution.
AFP |
 |
| Punjab | Haryana | Jammu & Kashmir | Himachal Pradesh | Regional Briefs | Nation | Editorial | | Business | Sport | World | Mailbag | Chandigarh Tribune | Ludhiana Tribune 50 years of Independence | Tercentenary Celebrations | | 123 Years of Trust | Calendar | Weather | Archive | Subscribe | Suggestion | E-mail | |
In
video: (
