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Contest and challenge the polls: LTTE tells TNA
The LTTE yesterday advised the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) to field candidates for the upcoming local elections and then initiate court action through a third party to postpone the polls in the north and east.

The Sunday Times learns the decision was taken at a recent meeting between LTTE political wing leader S. P. Thamilselvan and TNA parliamentarians.
The TNA members were told to file nominations and then challenge the conduct of the elections in the North-East – a move, observers believe, aimed at preventing other groups and parties from contesting the elections and taking control of the councils.

Chemical substance caused bomb scare
A patch of a chemical substance connected with explosives may have caused the sniffer dog that searched the Parliament Chamber to react to it, which led to the bomb scare in Parliament last Thursday, security officials said.

A piece of the carpet on which the gum like substance was found was taken to the Government Analyst’s Department the same afternoon for examination.
However there is still no confirmation as to what the chemical may be, Government Analyst E.G.Somapala said.

A conclusive find on the substance would take several more weeks as it would need careful analysis, he added. The initial laboratory tests have not revealed any dangerous chemical in the sample, Mr.Somapala said. Investigations are also still underway to ascertain how this substance would have got on the carpet.

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