Oct 29 (LNP) Speculation is rife in Batticaloa that former LTTE Eastern Commander Karuna Amman is planning to disrupt election activity in the area, both in the run up to the November 17, presidential election and on polling day itself. more..

Oct 29 (NP) The slight man waiting at the bus stop on Airport Road clutching a black computer case could easily pass for another office-bound hi-tech employee. Dressed in loose-fitting blue jeans, shiny black shoes and a hooded winter bomber jacket, he responded politely when approached by a reporter this week. more..

Oct 29 (AP) Government soldiers were on alert in a Tamil village in northern Sri Lanka on Saturday, a day after troops fired on villagers protesting the alleged rape of a girl by a soldier, killing one person and injuring two others, a military spokesman said. more..

Oct 29 (DN) IT IS the responsibility of the state to sponsor cinema industry and to look after the film artistes who dedicate their lives for the uplift of the industry, Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapakse said on Thursday. Addressing the 30th Sarasaviya Film awards night on Thursday at the BMICH, more..

Oct 29 (TN) Selvathurai Mahalingam (58), captain of a Sri Lankan ship, who had been detained by a group of Somalian sea pirates for 101 days was released and returned to Sri Lanka on Friday (October 28th). The ship had been seized close to the waters of Somalia, Mr.Mahalingam told TamilNet. more..

Oct 29 (AP) Sri Lankans left homeless by last year's tsunami will have permanent housing by April, the governor of the country's southern province said Saturday. Governor Kingsley Wickramaratne told a press conference in London that the tsunami destroyed approximately 80,000 houses in the South Asian island nation of 19 million people, leaving 800,000 people homeless. more..

Oct 29 (Reuters) Sri Lanka can forge lasting peace with the Tamil Tigers and propel its economy to double-digit growth if its two main parties join forces, former prime minister and presidential hopeful Ranil Wickremesinghe said on Saturday. more..

Oct 30 (LeN) Presidential candidate Victor Hettigoda, better known as 'Siddhalepa Vedha Mahattaya' is hopeful that he could commence his campaigning in LTTE held areas next week. Hettigoda told 'Lanka e News' that he had made a request from LTTE political wing leader Tamil Selvam to conduct his campaign in Tiger controlled areas and had also sought a meeting with Selvam. more..

Oct 30 (AT) Uduwe Dhammaloka thera who led Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU) on an anti-UNP-LTTE campaign crossed over on Thursday to support the leader of the opposition, Ranil Wickremesinghe. more..

Oct 30 (AT) Where would the Tigers be if the Black July did not happen? Probably still around, but not much more than that. Vellupillai Pirapaharan would certainly not be Surya Thevan and the LTTE would be lots less successful, lots less powerful and barely known outside the shores of Sri Lanka. more..

Oct 30 (AT) The role of the National Chamber of Commerce of Sri Lanka was most significant as it was able to ceylonize when the trade was in the hands of non-nationals through pioneering initiatives, said Mrs Nimali Samaratunga, President, CCCSL more..

Oct 30 (AT) Regarding the population of the Tamils in Sri Lanka, “Asian Tribune” carried a news item based on a recent information in the World Factbook, which revealed that Tamils in Sri Lanka presently constitute only 3.9% of the total population of the country. more..

Oct 30 (BBC) Two men who beat a Sri Lankan man to death in a "vicious and unprovoked" racist attack in broad daylight have had their life sentences reduced. James Rossiter, 22, of Laudon Park, and Tony Pile, 19, of Bailey's Field, both from Ashford, were found guilty of murdering Bapishankar Kathirgamanathan. more..

Oct 30 (BBC) "We are confident of our candidate’s victory" that's what prominent campaigners of the leading presidential candidates say. Rajitha Senaratna says that even last time when the UNP was defeated at parliamentary elections it had about 47% of the votes and more..

Oct 30 (IE) It is being referred to in some quarters as the right shoulder syndrome. And is not the polite topic of conversations either, today around the capital’s pavilions. It is a touchy subject but someone should tell the team management it’s time to rest Sanath Jayasuriya for the next two or three games of what is becoming Sri Lanka’s chaotic limited overs tour. more..

Oct 30 (PTI) The Indian and Sri Lankan cricket teams arrived for the third ODI at Jaipur amid unprecedented security, following serial bomb blasts in Delhi. The teams, escorted by a large security contingent, headed straight to the Rajputana Sheraton hotel after their arrival at the airport. more..

Oct 30 (SLA) An LTTE attempt to abduct two sailors of the Sri Lanka Navy has been made abortive when the two sailors resisted the LTTE act on 29 October 2005 in the general area of KUCHCHAWELI, about 35 km north of TRINCOMALEE. more..

Oct 30 (SLA) Four teenagers who had been abducted and conscripted by Tamil Tigers (LTTE) have run away from the LTTE detention and reached the troops at MAVADIVEMBU, about 19 km northwest of BATTICALOA town, on 29 October 2005 around 10.30 a.m. seeking protection from the Security Forces. more..

Oct 30 (SLA) Military Police and the KIRIBATHGODA Police immediately commenced investigations in to the pre-dawn assassination of a senior Army Officer at KIRIBATHGODA by unknown persons on Sunday (30) morning. more..

Oct 30 (LM) A three-and-half-year-old ceasefire, shaky but standing, has taken away a full fledged war between Government troops and the LTTE though the latter is still engaged in low intensity attacks. But a bigger "guerrilla war" seems to be escalating in the SLFP with just 17 days to go for the presidential elections. more..

Oct 30 (LM) President Chandrika Kumaratunga has blasted Commerce Minister Jeyaraj Fernandopulle and called for his explanation over a statement the minister made naming JVP propaganda secretary Wimal Weerawansa as the prospective Prime Minister under a UPFA government. more..

Oct 30 (LM) UNP presidential candidate Ranil Wickremesinghe has been warned of an imminent threat to his life by the National Intelligence Agency and the police. Wickremesinghe was warned to cut short his campaign programme and public outings with immediate effect due to a clear and present danger to his life. more..

Oct 30 (UNP) UNP presidential candidate Ranil Wickremesinghe said the concept of a United Sri Lanka was not something he created, but President Chandrika Kumaratunga. Addressing a public rally in Mirigama last week, Mr. Ranil Wickremesinghe said that he took Kumaratunga’s concept forward when he became Prime Minister, since it was essential to bring peace to the country. more..

Oct 30 (LT) The UNP, which weakened the Sri Lankan defence forces and made it kneel down in front of the tiger terrorists, trying to become the protector of the same defence forces and shedding crocodile tears is hilarious says National Bhikkhu Front in a press release. more..

Oct 30 (LT) Another hoard of 12 kg of heroin smuggled from India has been captured by S.L. Navy. The value of heroin is said to be about Rs.8 billion. Heroin being transported in a boat from Tamil Nadu to Mannar was detected near Kaththathivu. Navy had been able to arrest two Indian citizens with the heroin. more..

Oct 30 (LT) Creating a dignified peace where manslaughter doesn’t take place was his objective emphasized Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapakse. He said this addressing a rally organized by several political parties supporting him at Nugegoda. more..

Oct 30 (AT) In its latest report, the London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies has confirmed the earlier report (first published in the Asian Tribune) linking the LTTE to al-Qaeda. more..

Oct 30 (ANN) The head of Sri Lanka’s independent police commission says that successive inspectors general of police — including the current one — have rejected commission directives related to police discipline although the constitution decisively bound them to follow these orders. more..

Oct 30 (PIS) The European Union’s Ambassador Designate to Sri Lanka Julian Wilson yesterday categorically denied there was a meeting between LTTE members and members of the EU in Brussels on Monday. ”There was no meeting with the LTTE, and I have clarified that with my headquarters to be 100 per cent clear,” more..

Oct 30 (PIS) The LTTE may be linked to al-Qaeda, the Osama bin Laden led organisation believed to be responsible for the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the US and other atrocities, a prestigious international think-tank revealed last week. The London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) says so in its latest publication launched last Tuesday. more..

Oct 30 (PIS) The Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission yesterday hit out at the LTTE for refusing to release the three policemen being held by it since September 8. SLMM Chief Hagrup Haukland said he had visited the Wanni for talks with LTTE political wing leader S.P. Thamilselvan but his appeal had not been heeded. more..

Oct 30 (SAMN) In a case of unprecedented collaboration, the government recently consulted the LTTE before making a key appointment to the North-East Provincial Council The Sunday Island learns. North-East Governor Tyronne Fernando is believed to have discussed this at a meeting he had with an LTTE delegation about two months ago in Vavuniya. more..

Oct 30 (SAMN) Peace Secretariat chief Ambassador Jayantha Dhanapala has rapped Rupavahini over an erroneous report on the death of a senior LTTE intelligence wing cadre at the Indian-owned Apollo Hospital in Colombo. Dhanapala has raised this with Deputy Minister Dilan Perera who, in turn has called for an explanation from Rupavahini. more..

Oct 30 (LNP) A beleaguered Tamil leader last week declared that the solutions to the ethnic conflict envisaged by both Mahinda Rajapakse and Ranil Wickremesinghe in their manifestos were nothing but daydreams. more..

Oct 30 (LNP) President Chandrika Kumaratunga is believed to have rejected Navy Headquarters recommendation of Rear Admiral Sarath Ratnakeerthi as the Chief of Staff of the Navy. The Sunday Island learns that Kumaratunga recently returned Ratnakeerthi`s file to Navy Chief Admiral Wasantha Karannagoda, more..

Oct 30 (SO) Prime Minister and Highways Minister Mahinda Rajapakse and Second Secretary, Embassy of Japan Yasuhiro Watanabe on behalf of the Ambassador of Japan, unveiled the plaque to mark the commencement of the construction of the new Manampitiya Highway Bridge on October 26, 2005 more..

Oct 30 (TN) Media Director of the Sri Lanka National Peace Council (NPC), Dr.Jehan Perera, Saturday appealed to the Tamil people vote for a candidate who could promote peaceful political solution to the ethnic problem and not to boycott the presidential election. more..

Oct 30 (CP) The Condominium Management Authority (CMA) which conducted an extensive survey has found that there is a huge demand for condominium properties in the Colombo city. About 60 per cent urban housing requirements are from the middle income groups, more..

Oct 30 (GT) The presidential committee which conducted an enquiry into the meningitis deaths at the De Zoysa Maternity and Castle Street Hospitals and a few other hospitals has said that the outbreak of disease was due to contaminated syringes. more..

Oct 30 (AP) Suspected Tamil Tiger rebels fatally shot a senior military intelligence officer in the Sri Lankan capital, the Defense Ministry and police said Sunday. Lt. Col. Rizwi Meedin, 39, who commanded the army's intelligence unit in Colombo, was shot late Saturday night as he drove home, more..

Oct 30 (CI) The Sri Lankans' confidence will have taken a battering after the bruising they received in the first two one-day internationals, but you can be sure their belief in themselves will be intact. Tom Moody has kept a straight face at each of the post-match press conferences, more..

Oct 31 (AT) Eluvan Karayan (Person from the East) is a hunted man in Australia. His crime: he writes a column to the Uthayam (Dawn) Tamil community newspaper, circulated Australia-wide, exposing the horrors and terrors of the LTTE. more..

Oct 31 (AT) A person of Dr. Victor Hettigoda caliber should be the best President of Sri Lanka. His words reverberate when he declared, “I am for peace and not for war,” writes S.Santhirasegera of Canada. more..

Oct 31 (AT) Dr. (Mrs.) Besa, M.D. a most senior consultant of the Biopathy medical system will be visiting Sri-Lanka Japanese Biopathy centre during the first week of November, deputizing Japan and Manila Biopathy council. more..

Oct 31 (AT) Presidential election will be held in Sri Lanka in 17 November 2005. There are thirteen candidates trying to get the top job.It is widely expected, that, two candidates will emerge as strong contenders. This is high time the voters be educated and guided in exercising their franchise. more..

Oct 31 (AT) Though the government announced that it would purchase paddy at the rate of Rs 16.50 and Rs 15.50 per kilo, depending on the quality, but only Rs 500 million was allocated to purchase a quantity of 1.3 million metric tons of paddy last season, which amounted only a meager fraction of 2.4 percent of the paddy harvested in the country. more..

Oct 31 (AT) Sri Lanka Export Development Board (EDB) is making arrangements to launch the National Market Strategy for the professional services sector in Sri Lanka. This is a pioneering attempt initiated by the EDB with the assistance of the Commonwealth Secretariat more..

Oct 31 (LBO) Information technology penetration is rather low in Sri Lanka despite most of the population being able to read and write. The Information Communications Technology Agency or ICTA is trying to change this by helping rural communities adopt technology to improve their lives. more..

Oct 31 (PTI) Indian and Sri Lankan cricket teams today expressed their heartfelt condolence for the victims of the Saturday's bomb blasts in New Delhi. "It is very sad and unfortunate what has happened in Delhi but we have got a job to do. more..

Oct 31 (TN) Residents in Jaffna district observed a day of mourning Sunday called by the Tamil National Resurgence Consortium to pay respect to Nirojan Tharmarajah (20) killed by Sri Lanka Army (SLA) fire and to the several civilians injured during the rape protest at the outside the Puthur East Vaharavathai SLA camp on Friday. more..