Hard labour for sex assault

The Sri Lanka Navy Petty Officer (Mess Supervisor) who was accused of sexual assault on a lady Officer has been sentenced to nine year's rigorous imprisonment. He will be "discharged with disgrace" from the Navy at the end of serving his term of punishment.

The sentence was handed down after the sailor pleaded guilty to three counts before a Court Martial – unlawful entry into the Cabin of an officer, disobeying the officer's order to leave the Cabin and sexual assault.

The Court Martial was headed by Rear Admiral Daya Dharmapriya, Commander, Western Naval Area and comprised Commodore Upali Ranaweera, Commander, Southern Naval Area and J.C. Hettigama, Deputy Director, Naval Electric and Electronic Engineering.

The sailor was accused of forcibly entering the cabin of a female Duty Staff Officer at Navy Headquarters at pre-dawn on March 3 and sexually assaulting the officer.

A Navy source said the punishment meted out was the minimum under the Penal Code, a move that will prevent the sailor from appealing for mitigation.

And now, the wife of the sailor has declared she would divorce him.

Major fund raiser

A major fund raising event for the LTTE has been planned by one of its acknowledged fronts, the Tamil Refugees Rehabilitation Organisation (or the TRRO) in New York today. The ticket prices for the event have been advertised at $ 25, $50, $500 and $1,000.

Gaspar Raj of Radio Veritas, Philippines has been listed as the keynote speaker.

Included in the cultural events is a dance item by Miss Anitha Sivaraman, grand daughter of one time Tamil Nadu strongman, film idol and Chief Minister, M.G. Ramachandran.

The TRRO and the World Tamil Movement (WTM), which the Canadian Security and Intelligence Service says is a front of the LTTE, share the same address in Canada – 861 Broadview Avenue, Toronto, Ontario M4K 2PG.

Mob attack on stag night

Though it happened amidst all the big match rivalry, the story is only doing the rounds now.

The Russian girls had ended their scintillating performance at a City club.

A high ranking security official, one who is a captain of a group, was spotted in the crowd after an absence of almost four years.

An angry mob set upon him and assaulted him mercilessly. He bled through his nose and was forced to enter hospital with a fractured nose.

Insiders say it was all over an old lover's tryst. The wounds were still fresh in the minds of the angry hubby.

His loyalists led the assault. As one wag remarked, there is now a ceasefire.

That is with the man told not to appear in any place where the hubby is in the congregation.