Ministry Of Health To Launch A Special Mental Health Programme For IDP'S

Ministry of Health has decided to launch a Special Programme for uplifting the Mental Health of Internal Displaced Persons(IDP'S) who are escaping from the LTTE held area.The aim of this Programme is to help IDP'S to cope with the Traumatic Situation they underwent after seeing killing of their loved ones due to Gun Fire in the War Zone the Deputy Director General Of Health Services(Medical Services-2) Dr.Wimal Jayantha said .

Under this Program me Psychiatrists and Medical Officers who have special training on Mental Health will be send Batch by Batch to IDP'S Camps In North to conduct Counseling Services.

Security Forces Captured A Hospital In Puthukkuduyirippu

Security Forces who are in LTTE'S last stronghold of Puthukkuduyirippu Area today captured the Main Hospital there.According to the Security Sources there were no Patients and staff inside the Hospital when it captured.

Currently Ground Forces are engaged in heavy fighting with rebels in the area.

Injured Sri Lankan Minister Regains Consciousness

Sri Lankan Minister of Posts and Tellecommunications Mahinda Wijesekera who was Severely Injured with damage to the Brain due to yesterday's Suicide Bomb Blast gained Conciousness today and Life Support Mechine which helped him to breathe was removed thanks to the Miracle four hour surgery performed for him yesterday by a Group of Neuro Surgeons at the Colombo General Hospital.

"Injured Minister who is in the Surgical Intensive Care Unit since yesterday evening now breathe naturally and he responded to the Doctors this morning "Dr.P.Ariyawansha the Director of the Accident Service of Colombo National Hospital told this Correspondent little while ago.

"Even his Life Support machine was removed he will continuously receiving the Oxygen through a special tube "Dr.Ariyawansha said.Minister was also given Liquids this noon he stressed.

The Neuro Surgical Team who performed the surgery to the Minister is headed by the Senior Neuro Surgeon Dr.Sunil Perera and they functioned the dead Brain of the Minister artificially and performed the Surgery for marathon four hours."Bullets dispersed from the Blast were hit Ministers Brain and as a result there was an Internal Bleading" Accident Services Director further added.

Kumar Sangakkara Appointed As New Sri Lankan Cricket Captian

Current Vice Captain of the Sri Lankan Cricket Team Kumar Sangakkara appointed as the new Captain of the Team and Spinner Muththaia Muralideren as his Deputy Sri Lankan Sports Minister Gamini Lokuge announced short while ago.Sangakkara appointed as the Team Captain after former Captain Mahela Jayawardene resigned from his Captaincy.

Meanwhile Sports Ministry today also appointed the Former Sri Lankan Spinner turned Coach D.S De Silva as the new Chairman of the Sri Lankan Interim Cricket Board.The post became vaccant after the Sports Minister removed Former Chairman Arjuna Ranathunge from the post. Arjuna already filed a Court Case against the Sports Ministers Decesion.

Fourteen Killed And Fourty Four Injured In Suicide Blast At Matara

The Death Toll of the LTTE Suicide Bomb Attack occurred in Procession to Jumma Masjid Mosque at Matara of the Southern Sri Lanka now risen to 14 and the Critically Injured Minister Mahinda Wijesekera was admitted to the Intensive Care Unit of the Colombo National Hospital after Performing a Three Hour Surgery Hospital Sources said Short while ago.According to the Sources The Injured Minister had Internal Bleeding and Bullets were removed from his Brain.Another 44 Persons were Injured from the Blast were admitted to the Teaching Hospitals of Matara and Karapitiya in the South.

As soon as the Blast occurred a special team of Doctors headed by the Leading Neuro Surgeons in Sri Lanka Dr.Sunil Perera and Dr.Himash Gunaratna were flown to the Matara Hospital where the injured Minister was admitted.However the Minister was flown back to National Hospital Colombo as the facilities of the Matara Hospital is not enough for a Complexive Surgery.

"The Brain of the Minister Mahinda Wijesekera was not functioning at the time he was taken to the Theater and with the help of the Ventilators Doctors able to Functioning the Brain Artificially "the Director of the Accident Service Dr.P. Ariyawansha told this Correspondent shortwhile ago.

Meanwhile The former Chief Minister of the Southern Province H.D Sirisena and his son who got injured due to this Blast too were flown to Colombo National Hospital but their Conditions are stable according to Dr.Ariyawansha.

Security Forces launched a Special Search Operation in the Area where the blast was occured.

LTTE Breakaway Faction Leader Karuna Amman Appointed As A Minister

Leader of the LTTE breakaway faction TMVP Vinayagamoorthy Muralideran alias Karuna Amman took his oaths as the Non Cabinet Minister of National Integration And Reconcilliation before the President Mahinda Rajapaksha this evening.He is currently serving as a Parlimentarian appointed from the National List of the Governing UPFA Party.

Karuna Amman who was the former leader of the Eastern Command of the LTTE and the Person behind of creating the Suicide Squads split LTTE in 2004 along with large number of LTTE Cadres in the East including the Pillayan the current Chief Minister of the Eastern Provincial Council.Later they formed the party Thamil Makkkal Viduthalai Pukkal(TMVP).

Karuna took his oaths at the Prime Ministers Official Residance the Temple Trees and he along with over 2000 TMVP members joined the Sri Lankan Freedom Party(SLFP) headed by President Mahinda Rajapaksha at this occassion.Karuna said they are no longer used their Party name TMVP which is also have the name Tigers.

LTTE Attacked A Government Ship Carrying Food Items To The North

LTTE to day launched an Artillary attack on the Ship MV Bintan which carried 500 Metric Tonnes of essential food items to the trapped tamil civilians in the Mulativue District .This Ship is carried Food including Rice Dhal and Vegetable oil and Kerosene and Petrol to Puthummattalan in the Mulativue District from Trincomalee.

However the Ship managed to off the Deep Seas according to the Military,