Mar 12 (TN) Mr.Ted Chaiban, UNICEF resident representative in Sri Lanka, Thursday declared open the refurbished children'd ward in the Muttur district hospital which caters about sixty five thousand people in forty two (village level) Grama Niladhari divisions. more..

Mar 12 (TN) Crowds blocked Sri Lanka army (SLA) camps in Chavakachcheri with burning tires and logs Saturday in protest against the military for tear gassing and damaging property in the northern peninsula’s second largest town. more..

Mar 12 (TN) CONCERN WORLDWIDE, an international non-governmental organization headquartered in Ireland has agreed to donate fishing boats, engines and fishing gear to fishermen of Veeranagar and Manayaveli-Sandycove suburbs in the Trincomalee town. more..

Mar 12 (TN) Three-day procession of Lord Konesar, chief deity of historic Trincomalee Koneswaram Temple with his consort Mathumai Ambal concluded Saturday early morning. The procession commenced Wednesday evening from Koneswaram Temple following Maha Sivarathiri Day celebrations, more..

Mar 12 (PD) A Chinese company on Friday handed over machinery and equipment worth 200,000 US dollars to Sri Lanka for the tsunami-hit country to repair its railway tracks. The machinery and equipment donated by China National Machinery Import and Export Corporation (CMC) include rail drilling machine, more..

Mar 12 (CI) St Thomas College needed just eight overs on the third morning at the Sinhalese Sports Club in Colombo to wrap up a thumping innings-and-28-run victory over their arch-rivals, Royal College, to secure their first victory in the "Battle of the Blues" since 1999. more..

Mar 12 (ANN) Last week’s newspapers reported the sad personal tragedy of a Minister of Christian Affairs who had had an affair and his enraged wife being convicted of murdering his mistress. more..

Mar 12 (Xinhua) Police fired tear gas and rubber bullets Friday to quell a student demonstration in the capital Colombo. The students of the University of Sri Jayewardenapura in the suburb of Gangodawila took to streets to protest an alleged plan by the government to allow private education institutes to offer government degrees. more..

Mar 12 (Xinhua) Minority Tamil civilians in Sri Lanka's northern province clashed with the government troops Friday following a motor accident involving the army, defense officials said. Rioting civilians hurled stones at the police at the Chavakachcheri town in the northern Jaffna peninsula. more..

Mar 12 (IFEX) The Free Media Movement (FMM) is concerned about a reported assault on a journalist, and the damage caused to a motorcycle belonging to another journalist, by state security forces in the city of Jaffna, northern Sri Lanka. more..

Mar 12 (BBC) All local and foreign media were removed by Presidential Security Unit during the 15th annual Conference of the SLFP. The journalists were bundled out of National youth Services centre in Maharagama. President Chandrika Kumaratunge chaired the annual meeting of the party members. more..

Mar 12 (SAMN) The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) warned Friday that a final political solution to the ethnic conflict would not be possible as long as the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) opposed a federal solution. more..

Mar 12 (SAMN) The Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) Friday alleged in parliament that the main opposition United National Party (UNP) was attempting to lure its MPs to UNP side, and said and referred to an incident as 'unethical' and 'disgusting'. more..

Mar 12 (SAMN) President Chandrika Kumaratunga Friday said all coalition partners in the UPFA government are well disciplined except one party. " One party is acting without any discipline. We should discipline them as well. Otherwise it is difficult to work together as a team". more..

Mar 12 (SAMN) The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) in parliament Friday criticized the motives of Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar in attempting to involve India in the peace process in order to hold the LTTE in check. more..

Mar 12 (LNP) The US government was willing to support Sri Lanka's endeavour to achieve peace and also to rebuild, said the Ambassador for the United States of America in Sri Lanka Jeffery Lunstead on Thursday. more..

Mar 12 (LNP) Finance Minister Dr. Sarath Amunugama told Parliament on Thursday the government policy was not to privatise any public sector enterprise but to strengthen them with management inputs and support to make them viable. more..

Mar 12 (LNP) The SLFP Lawyers Association, Galle branch, unanimously passed a resolution condemning the recent statement made by President Chandrika Kumaratunga, at Attangalla, which sought to send away the coalition partners of the UPFA or to get rid of them. more..

Mar 12 (DN) Retired IGP Indra de Silva has been recommended to the President by the Constitutional Council as a member for the appointment of the Bribery Commission. This follows President rejecting the nomination of retired IGP T. E. Anandaraja who was earlier nominated by the Constitutional Council. more..

Mar 12 (PIS) It was the Sri Lanka Freedom Party that rescued the country on every occasion the country fell into an abyss, stated President Chandrika Kumaratunga addressing the 15th National Convention of the SLFP at the Youth Services Centre, Maharagama yesterday. more..

Mar 15 (TN) Fishermen, Mr.Sivaraj Pirabu (24) and Mr.Joseph Iruthayathas (38), who went missing after going out fishing in Kankesanturai (KKS) sea were found in the custody of Sri Lanka Navy (SLN), civil sources said. more..

Mar 15 (TN) The commission appointed by Sri Lanka’s President Chandrika Kumaratunga to inquire into attacks on the Liberation Tigers in the east will record evidence from 28 March to 8 April 2005, according to a media release by the President’s officer in Colombo Monday. more..

Mar 15 (TN) A Japanese Government delegation on Tsunami disaster, Consisting of 32 experts from 12 ministries will visit Sri Lanka this week, according to a press release issued by Embassy of Japan in Colombo, Monday. more..

Mar 15 (TN) Political office of the Liberation Tigers in Batticaloa town was bombed by unidentified persons around 7.25 Monday night Police said.The office was not damaged. A Sri Lanka Police camp is at the Arasady Junction. This is the fourth attack on the office in six months, Police said. more..

Mar 15 (AT) The Liberal Democratic Tamils in Norway (LDTN) has urged Norway to take immediate and effective steps to stop the killing spree unleashed by the LTTE. Recently established LDTN, in a letter to Jan Petersen, Minister of Foreign Affairs, stated that the only way to ensure peace in the North and East is to disarm the LTTE. more..

Mar 15 (AT) The eruption of avian flu in several Asian countries persists to be a cause of great concern. the Director General of the Department of Animal Health and Production, Dr. S. K. R. Amarasekera mentioned that a second epidemic of the infection was reported in Vietnam during an international conference on avian flu held there recently. more..

Mar 15 (AT) Under pressure from Norway and the LTTE, President Chandrika Kumaratunga has appointed a commission of inquiry into the killings of the LTTE cadres in the east. The Judge of the Vavuniya High Court Mr. J. Visvanathan will chair the Commission. more..

Mar 15 (LBO) A senior ADB official due later in March on a tsunami mission, is expected to check up on the state’s commitments to the long overdue Colombo south harbour project. All pre-construction work including a business plan, detailed studies, tender document and a regulatory framework has been completed with ADB funding. more..

Mar 15 (ANN) The problem with putting both feet in the mouth is that one is left with no foot to stand on. This exactly is what World Bank Country Director Peter Harrold did last week. Hence, his pathetic pratfall, from which he has not yet recovered. more..

Mar 15 (TO) The curriculum at the national cricket academy at Loughborough University this winter covered almost every aspect of the game, but it did not equip aspiring England batsmen for the fine art of playing a top-class leg spinner on a baking pitch offering a little turn and a lot of bounce. more..

Mar 15 (LT) The Students’ Council of the University of Sri Jayawardenepura has complained to the National Police Commission demanding a formal inquiry into the incident in which the students were brutally attacked by the personnel of Mirihana police and take proper disciplinary action against those who are found guilty. more..

Mar 15 (HT) Sri Lanka's Tamil-speaking eastern districts are on the boil because of a series of killings and counter killings by rival factions of the LTTE. But resumption of war between the mainstream LTTE led by Velupillai Prabhakaran, and the Sri Lankan armed forces, is not on the cards, knowledgeable residents say. more..

Mar 15 (LT) UNP and Galle Municipality don’t allow the 100 m law to be implemented in Galle complains Urban Development authority. A tense situation was created in Galle town to protest against the removal by the UDA of unauthorized structures that had been built within the buffer zone. more..

Mar 15 (LT) What should be done at a time when the country is at a crisis is not to abolish presidency but to select a suitable person for it says Mr. Ranil Wickremasinghe, leader of the opposition and the UNP. He made this statement at a UNP ‘bala mandala’ meeting held at Keselwaththe. more..

Mar 15 (LM) Canadian High Commissioner for Sri Lanka Valerie Raymond today stressed that her country was very mindful that no permanent settlement will be reached to the Sri Lankan ethnic conflict other than the legitimate Muslim concerns are taken into account and consideration. more..

Mar 15 (BBC) A delegation of Tamil Tigers has been discussing the issue of Tsunami relief to the Tsunami hit Tamil regions in Sri Lanka. SP Tamilselvan told BBC Tamil Service, from Oslo, that they raised the issue of international relief funds not reaching the Tamil speaking regions of Sri Lanka with Norwegian foreign minister Jan Patterson. more..

Mar 15 (BBC) Any new development within the 100m buffer zone will be demolished say the Urban Development Authority (UDA). Chandana Nanayakkara, UDA's District Co-ordinating Officer in Galle told BBC Sandeshaya that the government has a master plan to develop the city. more..

Mar 15 (SAMN) The LTTE may withdraw from the ceasefire agreement and Norway may suspend its role as facilitator if the government fails to set up a joint mechanism with the LTTE before the end of April to handle tsunami rebuilding in the northeast, informed sources said Monday. more..

Mar 15 (SAMN) The United National Party (UNP) Monday questioned the wisdom of the United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) government in going for a referendum on constitutional reforms while the country was still reeling under the devastation caused by the tsunami. more..

Mar 15 (SAMN) Cabinet approved the increase of compensation to those killed by wild elephants to Rs. 100,000 a senior Wildlife official said. Wildlife Director General Dayananda Kariyawasam said that a marked increase of human deaths had been reported in the Human-elephant conflict. more..

Mar 15 (SAMN) The administration of the Media Ministry and institutions under it has been brought under the purview of a committee headed by President Chandrika Kumaratunga, informed sources said Monday. more..

Mar 15 (TN) Three additional temporary model resettlement villages for tsunami affected coastal area residents in Amparai district was ceremonially opened Saturday, civil sources in Amparai said. more..

Mar 15 (TN) Norway Tuesday slammed a Colombo media report that it has conveyed a warning to the Government of Sri Lanka and international donors that it is considering a suspension of its role as facilitator to the Peace Process. The Norwegian embassy in Colombo categorically denied the report. more..

Mar 15 (SLA) LTTE men, who have abducted a teenaged boy from UPPUVELI, TRINCOMALEE have assaulted an uncle of the victim when he went in search of his sister’s abducted son, says a complaint made to the TRINCOMALEE Police on 14 March 2005. more..

Mar 15 (SLA) Two youths, believed to be supporters of the LTTE WANNI faction, have been shot dead in the general area of KARAPOLA, WELIKANDA on 14 March 2005 around 9.30 p.m. The two victims, both resident in KARAPOLA, SEVANAPITIYA areas have been shot dead using a T-56 weapon. more..

Mar 15 (SLA) Three more LTTE cadres after deserting LTTE ranks have showed up at OMANTHAI entry/exit point on 14 March 2005 around 5.00 p.m. seeking protection. They had told after their surrender that they were frustrated with the organization and decided to desert it. more..

Mar 15 (SLA) Naval troops on duty in the general sea areas southeast of PALAITIVU and west of TALAIMANNAR have observed approximately 25 Indian fishing trawlers poaching inside Sri Lankan waters on 14 March 2005 between 1.00 p.m. and 8.00 p.m. more..

Mar 15 (LBO) Tourist arrivals in February saw a 16 percent slump over last year at 36,000, as visiting relief workers go home and holiday makers’ trickle back. India continued to drive the numbers at 7000 arrivals this month, followed by the United Kingdom and Germany. more..

Mar 15 (SLBC) Business activities in Pettah and Fort are being carried out as usual. Secretary of the Pettah Merchant Association in Perimpanayagam told the SLBC that all shops remain open. Businessmen in Pettah were engaged in a agitation yesterday in protest over the delays in clearing imported goods at the harbour. more..

Mar 15 (Reuters) Stocks gained slightly on Tuesday, ending a six-day string of consecutive losses, as small investors continued their buying spree in second-tier shares, brokers said. The key Colombo all-share index ended up by a provisional 0.08 percent, or 1.31 points at 1,725.03 points. more..