Sri Lanka government troops entered the town of Mullaitivu in the northern part of the country on Sunday morning, prompting the commander of the Army, Lt Gen Sarath Fonseka, to declare that “95 per cent” of the war against the Tigers was now over.

The troops fought stiff resistance from the Tigers to take control of Mullaitivu, recapturing the town for the first time since it fell to the LTTE in 1996. The Tigers were using Mullaitivu as its main military base and now have been forced further into the thick jungles of the area.

The Army commander, who went on national television to announce the capture of Mullaitivu, said that with the capture of the town 95 per cent of the war had come to an end and the next move was to rescue the civilians.

He said now the troops were moving to rescue the estimated 150,000 civilians in the LTTE areas, which have been limited to about 300 square kilometers.

The town is situated in a narrow stretch of land between Nanthikandal lagoon and the Indian Ocean.

Once the mop-up operation is completed, the area will be declared "liberated", the sources said.

The fall of Mullaitivu would mean the rebels had lost the last town under their control. The advancing troops captured the de facto LTTE capital of Kilinochchi and the strategic Elephant Pass earlier this month.

Meanwhile, there was no news on the fate of LTTE leader Velupillai Prabhakaran, as the military made a final push to dislodge the Tigers from the last areas under their control.

Hanoi, January 25
At least 39 people drowned and five were missing after a river boat accident in Vietnam today when a crowded vessel sank while taking people to a market, online news site VnExpress said. The boat sank in strong currents 20 metres from shore on the Gianh river in central Quang Binh province, a survivor and a provincial official were quoted as telling the VnExpress online news portal.

“They have already recovered 39 bodies,” Quang Binh provincial people's committee chairman Phan Lam Phuong was quoted as saying. "Most of them are women and children.

They have saved 36 other people." Five people remained missing hours after the accident that happened at 8 am (0630 IST) on the river south of Vinh city, the online report said.

The accident happened in chilly temperatures when passengers stood up in a rush to get off the boat as it approached a pier on the river, one of the survivors, identified as Cao Thi Huong, 39, was quoted as saying. The boat, carrying about 80 people, had been licensed to carry 40 to 50 people, said the report. Police detained the captain and owner of the boat, 44-year-old Nguyen Xuan Quy, while investigating the accident, VnExpress said. — AFP

Danville (US), January 25
Hundreds of people holding signs and waving American flags cheered wildly as the US Airways pilot who safely landed a jetliner in the Hudson River was honoured.

He told them that he and his crew were only doing their jobs.

Pilot Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger was yesterday given a hero’s homecoming in Danville, the East San Francisco Bay town where he and his family live.

Sullenberger said he was grateful for the outpouring of support since the January 15 emergency landing.

“Circumstance determined that it was this experienced crew that was scheduled to fly that particular flight on that particular day,” he said.

“But I know I can speak for the entire crew when I tell you we were simply doing the job we were trained to do.” Around 3,000 people gathered under drizzly skies in the town square to welcome Sullenberger home. The lawn was festooned with American flags. A marching band played patriotic music. Some people held signs, including, “Way to Go” and “Sully, Danville’s hero.” Sullenberger’s brief comments were his first since he brought Flight 1549 to an emergency river landing in New York City.

Since Sullenberger was identified as the pilot, his home here has been inundated with well-wishers and reporters seeking an interview.

The pilot’s wife, Lorraine Sullenberger, said through tears that she was amazed at the warm treatment the family has received. She said she was not surprised by her husband’s heroism.

“I have always known him to be an exemplary pilot. I knew what the outcome would be that day because I knew my husband,” she added. — AP

Washington, January 25
US first lady Michelle Obama has termed as "inappropriate" the launch of dolls in the name of her daughters, Malia and Sasha, by a manufacturer to cash in on the frenzied American craze for the two kids.

“We feel it is inappropriate to use young, private citizens for marketing purposes,” press secretary of Michelle Obama, said in a statement.

An Illinois-based company has released dolls in their collection as ‘Sweet Sasha’ and ‘Marvellous Malia’. The company, however, said these were not based on Obama's girls and were not a replica of the first couple's daughters.

As Obama entered the White House along with the first lady, Michelle Obama, and their two daughters, there were efforts by companies to cash in on the popular sentiment about them in the masses. In fact, thousands of people have placed orders for the dress worn by Malia and Sasha on the inaugural day on January 20. — PTI

Islamabad, January 25
Pakistan government today took over the sprawling headquarters of the Jamaat-ud-Dawa, a front organisation of the LeT blamed from the Mumbai attacks, near Lahore amid tight security.

Khakan Babar, recently appointed by the government of Pakistan’s Punjab province as the chief administrator, took over the JuD’s Markaz-e-Taiba headquarters at Muridke, about 30 km from Lahore.

The process was completed in the presence of Lahore’s commissioner, the district police chief, an official of the Auqaf or religious affairs department and a police contingent.

Babar will supervise and monitor all activities at the JuD’s headquarters, Dawn news channel reported.

Babar, his eight-member staff and about 12 police-men will be housed in the Markaz-e-Taiba complex that includes a school, a college and a hospital.

A spokesman for the Markaz-e-Taiba described the appointment of the administrator as a “takeover” done under international pressure.

Pakistan’s interior ministry chief Rehman Malik has said the JuD was banned shortly after the UN Security Council declared it a front for the LeT in December last year.

However, diplomatic sources said the Pakistan gover-nment had not yet issued any formal notification banning the group. — PTI 

Pakistan has strongly condemned yesterday’s US missile strikes on tribal villages near the Afghan border that killed 22 persons with residents belying claim that they included five foreign Al-Qaida terrorists.

President Asif Ali Zardari conveyed Islamabad’s concerns to US ambassador Anne W Patterson, who called on him yesterday and asked for halting these air strikes and respect the territorial sovereignty of Pakistan.

The foreign office in a statement said: “With the advent of the new US administration, it is Pakistan’s sincere hope that the United States will review its policy and adopt a more holistic and integrated approach toward dealing with the issue of terrorism and extremism.” The drone strikes came three days after Obama assumed office.