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‘Little Tiger’ a 9-year-old winner

Tiger Woods may not be having a great season but Canada's Little Tiger, Gajan Sivabalasingham, is off to a great start on the golf links, reports the Toronto Star.

The 9-year-old golfing wonder from Markham, Toronto, became the first Canadian to win a title at the Exxon-BFI Future Tour Championship in Greenville, Mississauga, when he captured the boys' 8- and 9-year-old division with a sizzling four-under-par 68 during the two-day, 18-hole event. Gajan, whose score equalled two tournament records, won the title by three strokes.

Gajan's score of 33 for the first nine holes of the tournament equalled a mark set the previous year by American Curtis Thompson and his 68 equalled a tournament record set by another American, Matt Ceravalo.

The youngster, who has been representing Canada in international competitions since he was 6, started off the tournament with a birdie on the very first hole - a par-four, 260-yard test - and never looked back.

Tied with two other golfers for the lead after the first round at one under par, Gajan set the tone for things to come on the first hole when he fired a birdie on the 360-yard par four 10th hole, to remain ahead for good.

In winning the tournament, Exxon, one of the tournament sponsors, set up a scholarship for Gajan. The tournament victory for Gajan, who plays out of the Mandarin Golf and Country Club, was also the second in as many events that he's been entered in this year.

Gajan began his obsession with golf at the tender age of one when his sister, Sinduja, gave him a set of toy clubs to play with. Unlike most kids, who usually become disinterested in any toy after a short while, Gajan got the bug and it has stayed with him. At two, he was using one of his dads clubs to hit real balls.

By the time he was three, his dad, Marimuthu, was taking him on the links where he really began to soar. Last year, he got a set of custom fitted clubs scaled to his size and enabling him to play even better.

He is sponsored by Cybermation, whose Chairman and founder, Ray Nissan, told the Toronto Star recently, "Gajans just a really nice young man. Its really exciting for us to help in the development of a promising young talent like Gajan."

Police search after gang murders

Late on a warm Saturday night earlier this month, Partheepan Balasingham was drinking with friends outside a popular Sri Lankan restaurant in north-west London when he met a savage death, reported London's Independent newspaper.

A car pulled up and about five men rushed at the 23-year-old Sri Lankan Tamil. Using a machete, a sword and bottles, they hacked him around the back of the head and neck. The force of the blows fractured his skull and he died from his injuries five days later. His assailants fled and sped off towards the east of the city.

An hour later, at 2am on Sunday, 8 June, a second attack also ended in murder. In this assault about a dozen young men, whom police believe to be Tamils, confronted six friends outside the Icon Bar in Ilford, east London. A row broke out and two of the six were bundled into two cars. One of those abducted was Kishokumar Balachandiran, an 18-year-old student, also a Tamil from Sri Lanka, living in London.

The teenager was found 10 hours later in a semi-conscious state, slumped in the Roding river in nearby Wanstead. He had wounds on his face, neck, shoulder and stomach, and was suffering from hypothermia. Police say he had been beaten for several hours. He died six days later.

A post-mortem examination found that the cut marks on the back of the victims' heads were very similar and were probably inflicted with a similar weapon - a machete, sword or meat cleaver. The police have yet to establish whether the victims knew each other and are investigating the possibility that Mr Balachandiran was a victim of mistaken identity.

On the night of Mr Balasingham's death, he was taking a rare break from his two jobs as a factory packer and working in a bakery. It was 1am and he was enjoying a drink outside the Palm Beach restaurant on Ealing Road, Wembley, with friends. The pavement meeting point was a popular one with young Tamils in the area and a nearby car park is often used by the Sri Lankans to play all- night cricket.

The second murder victim lived with his mother and three young sisters in rented rooms in Stanmore, north-west London, while his father remained in Sri Lanka. A second Tamil, in his late teens, was kidnapped and bundled into a green Rover at the same time. He was released an hour later after being punched in the face.

Detective Chief Inspector Colin Sutton, the officer in charge of the double murder inquiry, said: "The level of violence in these cases was quite savage. The first victim had been quite deliberately singled out. He had been standing with a group of friends doing nothing more than enjoying a warm evening and having a drink."

DCI Sutton told the Harrow Times: "We are still trying to establish a possible motive for the attacks.”

"We have had a positive response from the Tamil community and are thankful for their help so far. But we are anxious to speak to anyone with information about the murders." A date for the inquests in-to the killings has yet to be set. Anyone with information should call the police on 020 8247 7911.

Australian refugee loses court battle

A Tamil man who claims to have been persecuted after offering accommodation to members of the Tamil Tigers, has lost a high court bid to stay in Australia, reported ABC Radio Australia News.

The man first travelled to Australia in 1995. Just before his temporary resident visa ran out he applied for a protection visa.

The man claims he was arrested and tortured for two months in his homeland, after accommodating two members of the Tamil Tigers.

He asked the high court to overrule a Refugee Review Tribunal finding against him, which he described as irrational, illogical and not based on facts. The tribunal had dismissed claims by the man that his whole family had been arrested and killed as implausible, and dismissed evidence about injuries he suffered from three witnesses.

The high court has upheld the tribunal decision saying it is possible to dismiss corroborative evidence if an applicant's credibility is weakened significantly under cross examination.

Tamil men cleared over disturbance

Two Sri Lankan Tamil men have been cleared of violent disorder at a Norfolk beach after a jury failed to reach a verdict at their trial, reported BBC. Nimalrajah Thambithurarai, 23, of Tooting, and Seeuaratham Mayuran, also 23, of Mitcham, were bailed after their trial two weeks ago at Norwich Crown Court.

It was alleged the men were involved in violence on the beach at Wells on July 15, 2001, after they had attended a religious festival at the Shrine at Walsingham in Norfolk. Last Tuesday, Jonathan Seely, prosecuting, said: "We consider it would not be in the public interest to have a retrial."

Judge Paul Downes entered verdicts of not guilty to a charge of conspiring to commit violent disorder, which both men had denied. The judge also commended Norfolk Police detectives Mandy Webster and Russell Wilkinson for their work on the case.

Five men had originally been charged in the case, but two were discharged on the direction of the judge and another was found not guilty by a jury.