According to the police, the Magistrate ordered the police last night to ensure that the protestors do not obstruct traffic or incite violence during the protest this morning.

Incidentally the police had recovered several hand grenades in Aluthkade yesterday.

Tamil National Alliance (TNA) leader R Sampanthan and the party’s national list MP M A Sumanthiran held talks with Rapp, the US Ambassador at Large on Global Criminal Justice who is on a 4-day visit to the island nation.

Several matters related to the problems faced by the minority Tamils were discussed at the meeting, a TNA release said.

Rapp’s visit assumes significance against the backdrop of accusations by Colombo that the US was trying to coax governments to support its possible anti-Sri Lanka resolution at the UNHRC session in Geneva later this month..

The proposed resolution is likely to be based on a letter sent to Sri Lankan External Affairs Minister G L Peiris by US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on January 27 emphasising the need for implementing recommendations of the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC).

Two more US officials who would be visiting Colombo over the weekend are Under Secretary for Civilian Security Democracy and Human Rights Marie Otero and Assistant Secretary for Central and South Asian Affairs Robert Blake. (PTI)

The last of the four men was sentenced to 13 months’ imprisonment on 3 February after he pleaded guilty to a charge of conspiracy to facilitate a breach of the UK’s immigration laws.

The men had sourced fake passports and residence permits with the intention of using them to illegally secure employment in the UK. At earlier court hearings, two of the men were jailed for 12 months and one was jailed for six months.

The fraud was first detected when UK Border Agency officers based at Heathrow Airport intercepted a parcel containing fake passports and resident permits addressed to one of the men. Officers visited the property and found other fraudulent documents. The four men were arrested at two addresses in Watford and Harrow.

“One of the men was supplying fake documents to help others stay in the UK illegally and secure work to which they were not entitled. These offenders had only one intention, to take employment opportunities away from genuine jobseekers – clearly, a serious offence,” a UK Border Agency spokesperson said.

Three of the men had overstayed their UK visas. The fourth man had a valid student visa at the time of his arrest, which was subsequently revoked. The UK Border Agency will work to remove them from the UK at the end of their sentences.

The operation involved police officers and UK Border Agency officers working together to investigate organised immigration crime.

Businesses that employ workers who do not have permission to work face fines of up to £10,000 for each illegal worker, unless they can prove that they carried out the correct pre-employment checks.

A spokesman at the High Commission said that the Vice President of the country, Dr. Mohommad Wahid, was now the acting President.

A spokesman for the Maldives opposition Dhivehi Qaumee Party (DQP) told The Sunday Leader earlier that a majority of the police and army were also backing the removal of Nasheed from power.

DQP spokesman Mohamed Maleeh Jamal said that there were now celebrations in Male following the announcement that Nasheed had resigned.

He said that the Male international airport and the State broadcaster were also under the control of the police and army.

Violence broke out on Monday night as the army and police were deployed to break up protestors gathered at Republic Square.

Jamal claimed that a majority of the policemen later supported the protest seeking the removal of Nasheed and this led to a confrontation between the army and police.

“About 800 Police officers gathered at the Republic Square. Several of them are calling for the resignation of President Nasheed. Two Police Officers are issuing commands to these officers separately,” Jamal said.

The country’s Supreme Court was to rule on Tuesday on the legitimacy of Nasheed’s Presidency as pressure mounted for him to step down

The protests began after the President ordered the arrest of a top criminal court judge over allegations of corruption.

Maldives is a top tourist destination in the world made up of several islands.

(Report by Easwaran Rutnam)

He said that the bomb disposal squad has been sent to the location.

UPDATE: The police spokesman later said that several hand grenades were found at the location.

A spokesman for the Maldives Dhivehi Qaumee Party (DQP) told The Sunday Leader this morning that the Maldives Vice President was now running the country following overnight violence,

Mohamed Maleeh Jamal said that a majority of the police and army were also backing the removal of Nasheed from power.

He told The Hub that the Male international airport and the State broadcaster were also under the control of the police and army.

(Report by Easwaran Rutnam)

According to the police, the Americans were heading to Mannar after visiting the Norocholai coal power plant when the accident occurred.

The vehicle they were travelling in had veered off the road and fallen off the bridge and into a river injuring all three of them.

The police said that the Americans were admitted to hospital for treatment.

The vehicle had sunk some 10 feet in the river and attempts are being made to lift the vehicle out.

Investigations into the accident are underway.

(By our Puttalam correspondent)

Earlier the US Embassy in Colombo and the External Affairs remained tight lipped over his visit to Colombo despite details being leaked to the media.

However in a press statement on Monday the State Department confirmed that Blake will visit Sri Lanka between February 12-14.

Under Secretary of State for Civilian Security, Democracy, and Human Rights Maria Otero will also be in Sri Lanka during that period, the State Department said.

In Sri Lanka, Under Secretary Otero and Assistant Secretary Blake will meet with a broad spectrum of Sri Lankan government officials and attend a luncheon hosted by Minister of External Affairs G.L. Peiris. Under Secretary Otero and Assistant Secretary Blake will also meet with civil society representatives, youth groups, and political leaders.

Following her visit to Sri Lanka, Under Secretary Otero will travel to New Delhi, India February 14-15 to meet with senior government officials, civil society representatives and youth leaders.

Assistant Secretary Blake will depart Colombo for Bangladesh, where he will stay from February 14-16 and participate in a series of education and university events.

“The LLRC offers a very promising way forward to help Sri Lanka become again the Island of peace and prosperity,” Blake said. “The U.S. will support reaching those goals.”

He said this at Sri Lanka’s Independence Day celebrations held in the US on Saturday, the Sri Lankan Embassy in the US said in a statement today.

Sri Lanka’s Ambassador to the US Jaliya Wickramasuriya meanwhile recognized the strong relations between the U.S. and Sri Lanka, as well as the positive results of the re-development policies of His Excellency President Mahinda Rajapaksa for Sri Lanka.

“Sri Lankans know that the best solutions will be home-grown,” the ambassador said. “We know our country, we know our people and we know the expectations of our people. We know what works, and, because we are a democracy, we know that the solutions we seek will be adopted by a representative government.

“That is, after all, how the great democracies of the world have settled their internal issues, including the United States. As we look to the United States as an example of self-determination, I am happy to report that our relationship with the U.S. remains strong and is growing stronger.”

The ambassador called upon Sri Lankan-Americans to “tell the correct story of Sri Lanka’s progress,” and on Sri Lankan youth to “remember your roots.”

He was responding to the charge by Tamil parties and the diaspora that army camps flooded the north even after the government won the war over 30 months ago and no civilian activity — not even family celebrations — could happen without the presence of an army officer.

“We have achieved large-scale development and restoration of normalcy within a short span after ending the 30-year war on terror.

It’s sad some people do not recognise this and instead are talking of sanctions against us. Is this fair and justified?” Mr Gotabaya, the influential brother of President Mahinda Rajapaksa, told India’s Deccan Chronicle in an interview at his high-security office in Colombo.

Rajapaksa also pleaded for a “fair assessment” of the development work and restoration of normal life in the northern region “within a short time of ending the 30-year war against terror” instead of summary branding of the government as rights-abuser.

“In these two-and-a-half years since winning the war, we have made great progress but, unfortunately, some people do not recognise that and harp on unnecessary issues, talk of sanctions (against Colombo).

It was not an ordinary insurgency but real war. You cannot compare the LTTE with any other terrorist outfit, not even Al-Qaeda,” Mr Gotabaya said.

Asked about the fate of senior LTTE leader V. Balakumar (ex-EROS), the defence secretary quipped, “I do not know specific cases. Was he in detention? I do not know. Most of the known characters died in the final battle. Some surrendered. There was ICRC and other agencies during the surrender process.”

Stoutly contesting the charge that the surrendered Tigers were killed in cold blood, Mr Gotabaya said international agencies, including the French MSF (Medicines Sans Frontiers) and the Indian medical team, were present in the battle zone to receive survivors and surrendered militants, the Deccan Chronicle reported.