Sep 27 (TP) Soon every Sri Lankan will be asked to place their fingerprints on new passports under a new proposal by the immigration and emigration department. The move to include the fingerprint in the passport was proposed to the ministry of law and order and public security for implementation as part of the plan to prevent the misuse of passports.

Sep 27 (TP) The ruling UPFA government has barred ministers from foreign travel and holding negotiations with overseas partners unless they obtain prior foreign ministry clearance, according to a decision by President Chandrika Kumaratunga. more..

Sep 27 (PIS) Fears of a major Tiger guerrilla crackdown on renegade Karuna cadres, voiced in these columns only last week, have now become a reality. Tiger guerrillas killed the main man who has been spearheading an armed struggle against them in the Batticaloa - Ampara districts - Vinayagamoorthy Sivanesathurai alias Reggie. more..

Sep 27 (HT) Leader of the Opposition, Ranil Wickremesinghe, has told President Chandrika Kumaratunga that her government should begin talks with the LTTE straightaway, and seek the advice of the opposition only when substantive issues arise at the talks. more..

Sep 27 (DN) Transport Minister Felix Perera yesterday condemned the unilateral decision by private bus operators and their threat to strike from tomorrow saying it was "totally unreasonable" to harass commuters by such arbitrary action. more..

Sep 27 (AFP) For a second time in a week, protesters have placed the coffin of another Tamil politician killed by suspected Tamil Tiger rebels outside the Norwegian embassy in Colombo. The EPDP, a member of the ruling coalition, dumped the corpse of Somasundaram Warnakulasingham. more..

Sep 27 (HT) There has been an alarming increase in the smuggling of heroin and other dangerous drugs from India into Sri Lanka since 1997. A more recent spurt, since 2001, is particularly disturbing, because India now accounts for 97% of the dangerous drugs seized in the Island. more..

Sep 27 (LBO) A campaign to re-route Galle Road traffic has hit a red light, with the Colombo Traffic Police Div., looking for more time to shape up its plans. The Colombo Traffic Police Division postponed plans for unidirectional traffic on the Galle Road and R A de Mel Mawatha until further notice. more..

Sep 28 (TN) Universities opened Monday after a month long closure due to the strike by non-academic staff. The non-academic staff struck work from 1st September demanding the University authorities to rectify salary anomalies. more..

Sep 28 (Rupavahini) President Chandrika Kumaratunge will inaugurate the national advisory council on peace and reconciliation on 4th October. All political parties represented in parliament, religious dignitaries and prominent members of civil society have been invited to attend the inaugural meeting. more..

Sep 28 (Rupavahini) The UNP has begun a disciplinary inquiry against parliamentarians Naveen Dissanayake, Sajith Premadasa, Dileep Wedaarachchi and Mary Larrine Perera. The disciplinary inquiry commenced at the party headquarters Sirikotha presided over by party leader Ranil Wickremasinghe. more..

Sep 28 (Rupavahini) The private bus strike scheduled to be launched at midnight tomorrow has been suspended. The secretary of the all Ceylon Private Bus Owners Association, Anjana Priyanjith said that the decision to suspend the strike was reached during talks held by them with the minister of transport this afternoon. more..

Sep 28 (LBO) Private bus fares will go up by around 15 percent from October 1, in response to the government's decision to raise diesel prices by Rs. 8.00 last Friday. Operators had threatened to pull out their busses from Wednesday, if the government failed to raise fares. more..

Sep 28 (NW) The management of Lake House has sent two JSS officials on compulsory leave with immediate effect for participating in the UNP sponsored campaign held last Friday to protest the rising cost of living and unfulfilled election promises of the UPFA, a union official said. more..

Sep 28 (NW) The Norwegian government yesterday assured the EPDP that last Thursday's killing of an EPDP member would be the last. Condemning the killing of Somasundaram Varnakulasingham who was allegedly gunned down by the LTTE, Norwegian Ambassador Hans Brattskar assured that he would take steps to ensure such killings would not take place in future. more..

Sep 28 (NW) The preliminary discussions on setting up of the National Advisory Council on Peace and Reconciliation will go ahead as scheduled on October 4, despite Opposition Leader Ranil Wickremesinghes refusal to participate, sources close to President Chandrika Kumaratunga said yesterday. more..

Sep 28 (NW) The government yesterday officially demanded the release of two Home Guards abducted by the LTTE on August 10, a top Defence official said. The government made the demand through the SLMM yesterday after Defence Secretary Cyril Herath met SLMM Chief Trond Furhovde at the Ministry. more..

Sep 28 (AT) Valli Sundaram aged 61 years old, a senior member of the EPRLF-V was shot and killed yesterday afternoon around 2.15 pm while he was riding a motorcycle on the Kankesanthurai – Jaffna Road in between Maruthanamadam and Inuvil by tow unidentified gunmen also riding a motorcycle. more..

Sep 28 (LBO) Creative book publishing may be one way to take the ‘heavy conceptual stuff’ out of conservation, possibly even creating 1 mn avid birders by 2025. “A birdwatcher,” wildlife enthusiast and CEO of Jetwing Eco Holidays, Gehan De Silva Wijeyeratne says, “is someone who can identify a 100 birds on sight.” more..

Sep 28 (TN) The Tamil Rehabilitation Organization (TRO) in collaboration with Pre-School Educational Development Council (PSEDC) has declared week beginning Monday, 27 September, as Children's Week in all eight districts of the North-East province, to mark the International Children's' Day that falls on October 1st, more..

Sep 28 (TN) "We are meeting in Geneva to discuss further matters related to our current political situation and to explore ways to take forward the currently stalled peace process," said S.P.Thamilchelvan, Leader of the Political Wing of Liberation Tigers, more..

Sep 28 (BBC) A woman has died of head injuries after an incident near the eastern town of Batticaloa. The 45 year old woman died in the Batticaloa hospital on Tuesday after she and another woman were injured on Monday in an LTTE-held area at Panichankerny, where there are border checkpoints. more..

Sep 28 (SLA) Students of Government School in NALLUR were forced to attend a commemorative ceremony organized by the LTTE in the general area of NALLUR in the JAFFNA PENINSULA on 26 September 2004. This incident was to be informed to the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM). more..

Sep 28 (SLA) A civilian from the general area of SEVANAPITIYA in WELIKANDA has been shot and injured by an unidentified pistol man, suspected to be from LTTE, on 27 September 2004 around 9.45 p.m. The victim had earlier received death threat from LTTE for his alleged connection with another rival LTTE faction. more..

Sep 28 (SLA) The sit-on past, started in the TRINCOMALEE TOWN to protest against the detention of two Home Guards who were abducted by the LTTE reached its fifteenth (15) day on 28 September 2004. Nearly Seven persons are taking part in the fasting campaign. more..

Sep 28 (SLBC) The social services department has already released Rs. 800,000 to provide cooked meals or dry rations for 3,515 flood affected families, Director Social Services Yamuna Chithrangani said. It is clear now that blockage of natural watercourses by unplanned constructions and lack of proper rainwater drainage has contributed to most of these floods. more..

Sep 28 (LT) Walapone Magistrate has ordered to issue notice to Thamara Dissanayake, wife of the UNP parliamentarian S.B. Dissanayake to report to the court. It was reported that the wife of former minister of Agriculture and the coordinating secretary Dhammika Edirisooriya were also issued notices by the courts earlier which they might have ignored. more..

Sep 28 (LT) “National Movement of our country has faced with challenges and the patriotic people shall have to work hard to overcome those challenges” the JVP parliamentarian Wimal Weerawansa pointed out addressing the crowd at the “Permbara Dekma” special Convention of the Patriotic National Movement held at Sugathadasa indoor stadium. more..

Sep 28 (AP) THE Cambodian government has lodged a complaint with the US embassy about a Hollywood movie promotional poster depicting a man sitting on the head of a Buddha statue. Religious Affairs Minister Khun Haing presented a letter of complaint to US Ambassador Charles Ray, saying many in the predominantly Buddhist country found the advertisement offensive. more..

Sep 28 (AFP) Stock market regulatory authority on Monday fined its former boss 3.3 million rupees (32,000 dollars) in the country`s first high-profile case involving alleged insider trading. However, the SEC said in a statement that Michael Mack had maintained his innocence of any wrongdoing. more..

Sep 28 (IANS) The ambitious Sethusamudram ship canal project between India and Sri Lanka will get under way after the union cabinet vets it next month and ecological concerns are addressed, says Shipping Minister T.R. Baalu. more..

Sep 28 (TP) Highways Ministry has decided to extend the Marine Drive, a new road being constructed to run parallel to the coastal railway line on Galle Road, to reduce traffic congestion in the capital. Highways Ministry Secretary S Amarasekere told the Daily News they have already commenced work on the road with state funds. more..

Sep 28 (TP) The government has banned import of animals and animal products from 24 countries including the US with a view to prevent the mad cow disease entering the country. A special gazette enforcing the ban says this would apply to the import of animal, animal products and animal tissues from 24 countries. more..

Sep 28 (TP) Teachers in state schools across the island will launch a protest on October 6 and 7 against the failure of the government to solve their long-standing problems. Secretary of the Association of Educational Professionals told that they decided on this action due to the reluctance of the authorities concerning their grievances existing since 1997. more..

Sep 28 (BBC) Totally contradictory views within the ruling coalition with regard to the LTTE's proposals for a Interim Self Government Authority (ISGA) is the biggest hindrance to restart the peace talks, says the former leader of the government's peace negotiating team. more..

Sep 28 (BBC) The Senior Superintendent of Police in Jaffna said he had started an investigation on an incident where the Jaffna Police had severely assaulted human rights officials. more..

Sep 28 (Gulf) Main opposition party led by former Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe has formally rejected an offer by President Chandrika Kumaratunga to serve on an Advisory Council to open fresh consultations aimed at pushing through the stalled Norwegian backed peace process. more..

Sep 28 (NP) It is bad enough that on Saturday the Ontario legislature became the scene of a so-called Tamil "peace" rally -- at which flags of the Tamil Tigers, a terrorist group based in Sri Lanka, were proudly waved. But far more disturbing was the presence of federal NDP leader Jack Layton at the event. more..

Sep 28 (Hindu) The Eelam People's Democratic Party (EPDP) today warned that "turning a blind eye" to the "terrorism of the LTTE" could only usher in the "peace of the graveyard" in Sri Lanka at the cost of democracy, pluralism and human rights of the island nation's Tamils. more..

Sep 28 (DN) The Advisory Committee on Crime will soon formulate a national policy to prevent Army deserters and those resigning from the Armed Forces joining underworld gangs, in a bid to combat the mounting crime rate. more..

Sep 28 (IANS) Sri Lankan President Chandrika Kumaratunga will inaugurate the National Advisory Council on Peace and Reconciliation (NAC) next week to push for the political settlement of the island's two-decade long ethnic conflict, her office said. more..

Sep 28 (AP) Tamil Tiger rebel leaders were set to travel to Europe on Wednesday for talks on Sri Lanka's stalled peace process, as fears that the island nation could slide back into war fester, a senior guerrilla official said. more..

Sep 28 (AFP) Sri Lanka raised bus fares, electricity and food prices on the back of a steep rise in diesel costs as the Central Bank reported a worse than expected balance of payments deficit. more..

Sep 28 (AT) Denmark Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen has urged that LTTE should have been included in the terrorist list maintained by the European Union, however he said initially action would be taken to investigate the activities of the LTTE before Denmark urging for the ban. more..

Sep 28 (AFP) Tamil Tiger guerrillas and a breakaway faction have clashed again in Sri Lanka's embattled east leaving at least seven people dead, residents and military sources said. At least six rebels from the main LTTE were killed in the overnight clash in Batticaloa district where a civilian died in cross-fire, more..

Sep 28 (HT) There is a suspicion that Tuesday's shelling of a village in the LTTE-controlled part of Batticaloa district, may have been carried out by the anti-Prabhakaran faction led by Col Karuna. Significantly, the LTTE is non-committal on the identity of the attackers. more..

Sep 28 (HT) The LTTE has said that the international community should deny development aid to Sri Lanka to force it to begin peace talks to end the ethnic conflict in the island country. more..

Sep 29 (USE) Several hundred policemen throughout Sri Lanka will soon benefit from new equipment and training offered by the United States under a program aimed to improve the performance of local community policemen. more..

Sep 29 (TN) TNA parliamentarian Mr.R.Sampanthan complained in a letter to the Goverment's Peace Secretariat officials that they should take immediate steps to stop the encroachment of paddy lands belonging to displaced Tamil families located in Thennamaravadi village in Trincomalee district, more..

Sep 29 (BL) In a step that could be a precursor to greater economic co-operation among the seven countriesunder the SAARC umbrella, SriLankan, the national airlines of Sri Lanka, is exploring possibilities of launching flights which will provide the first direct air links through three countries in the region. more..