Aug 18 (LG) The era when people in the Eastern Province were living in constant fear is over, said Environment and Natural Resources Minister Patali Champika Ranawaka, when he opened a Range Office on last week in Laugala. Laugala was a LTTE’s high threaten area before army capturing hole land of East, where the Majority are Sinhalese. He said the Range Office was built through the commitment of the Wildlife officers and the cost was much less than the estimated amount. more..

Aug 18 (LG) For many the Hikkaduwa beach festival will be a weekend that is not to be forgotten. Reasons vary, but some of the few highlights caught on camera are shown in the pictures we carry here. It only seems faire to say that Hikkaduwa might have had its fair share of hiccups. What was supposed to be a culture oriented, family weekend get away turned into a show of women half naked, dirty dancing in the night away and a youth festival that spun out of control. more..

Aug 18 (LG) All Sri Lankans – regardless of caste, creed or ethnic group – who have been suffering for more than two decades because of Prabhakaran’s terror are waiting impatiently to see an end to the conflict, as our combined forces enter Kilinochchi – the heartland of the LTTE. At the end of the operations, the people of Sri Lanka want to see a Chief Minister finally appointed to the Northern Province, as was done in the Eastern Province, more..

Aug 18 (LG) I must commence with a self-criticism. I had not thought Batty Weerakoon capable of a demonstrable falsehood in print. I was wrong. He writes: “So much then for DJ’s suggestion that SWRDB led the Hartal…” Even the most cursory reading of my article would show that I suggested no such thing, nor anything that could be even remotely interpreted as such. Indeed I specifically said that SWRD and the SLFP did not participate in the Hartal but supported it, more..

Aug 18 (LG) The ‘international community’ — implying Western nations — helping to build the popularity of President Mahinda Rajapakse may seem ludicrous but unwittingly these nations may be doing so. These nations by opposing military operations against the LTTE and calling for a negotiated settlement with the LTTE have incurred the wrath of a vast proportion of Sinhalese, particularly those identified as hardliners. more..

Aug 18 (GDI) The Stable Environment Unit of the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources has launched an island wide programme named "Haritha Gammana" with the objective of introducing environmental friendly energy sources to villages. The programme will focus on utilizing renewable sources and other natural energy sources such as wind, firewood and solar power to generate energy on demand for villages. more..

Aug 18 (GDI) The Government has taken steps to expedite the work of a new power supply project for the Rathnapura District at a cost of Rs. 4500 million. Upon completion of the project within the course of 2009, all the families in the district will have access to electricity. This project was initiated under the "Electricity for All" programme launched by the Ministry of Power and Energy. more..

Aug 18 (GDI) President Mahinda Rajapaksa witnessing the Sri Lanka's biggest cultural pageant, Kandy Esala Perahera last Sunday (17), said that the Government is committed to protecting the traditional artists and will take every possible effort to uplift their living standards. President Mahinda Rajapaksa was addressing the Diyawadana Nilame and artistes who participated in the premier cultural pageant of Sri Lanka, the Dalada Perahera, at President's House in Kandy. more..

Aug 18 (AT) Last Sunday’s "Island" carried (with an editorial comment) the harrowing story of Maheswari, a Sri Lankan Tamil woman who was detained by the Kesbewa police for no other reason than her Tamil ethnicity. The tale is particularly disturbing because it demonstrates that some members of the Lankan Security Forces resort to a July 83 modus operandi to identify Tigers - buses were stopped and passengers were told to get down; while the non-Tamils were allowed to get on with their journey, more..

Aug 18 (AT) Kumudam a weekly Tamil journal has sent illegally one of its reporter – ‘Pushkin Rajkumar’ to Katchativu – an island belongs to Sri Lanka, without obtaining the necessary clearance from the Sri Lanka’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and visas to enter. Normally anyone entering a foreign country, until otherwise there is a visa waver clearly stated, must have to obtain necessary entry visa to enter into that country or into any territory belonging to that particular country. more..

Aug 18 (AT) India neither could defeat the Tamil Tigers nor get the Tamils on their side when the IPKF was around in the North and East. Defeated on both fronts in despair they left. Can Sri Lanka do both or undo the gallant work of the armed forces who have sacrificed so much? An expression by the National Security Advisor but there is more to it –it reflects more the hopes of India than the thoughts of India. Yet it carries a message which needs to be addressed. more..

Aug 18 (AT) The Sri Lankan government of President Mahinda Rajapaksa takes pride in itself for its opportunity to participate in this celebration of conferring the title of “Sanghanayaka of Great Britain” of the Malwatte Chapter of the Siyam Nikaya, the biggest order of Buddhist monks in Sri Lanka, to Venerable Bogoda Seelawimala said Rohitha Bogollagama, Foreign Minister at the London Buddhist Vihara. more..

Aug 18 (AT) Ulaga Tamilar Peramaipuu - World Tamil Confederation , a proxy LTTE organization in Tamil Nadu headed by P. Nedumaran unanimously resolved in the presence of two TNA Parliamentarians, that Katchativu which was ceded by the Government of India to Sri Lanka Government in 1974, has to be retrieved back immediately and brought under the Tamil Nadu state government’s administration. more..

Aug 18 (AT) A 17 year old party lover and a Tamil gang member of one of a Sri lankan Tamil groups was stabbed to death by a taxi passenger, who passed racial slurs at him , police reports said. "A 17-year-old party lover was stabbed to death by a taxi passenger who in a racist tirade called him a 'f****** Indian'," a report said. Nilanthan became the 50th young person to be murdered on London's streets since the start of 2007 after he was stabbed in the neck, more..

Aug 18 (BBC) Sri Lanka's military says it has captured a Tamil Tiger training complex complete with a hundred underground bunkers. The military said soldiers captured ‘Jeevan Base’ a rebel training complex in Weli-Oya on Saturday, after Tiger fighters fled the area. The military's spokesman Brigadier Udaya Nanayakkara said it contained lecture halls and a hundred underground bunkers. more..

Aug 18 (BBC) Sri Lanka's ruling and opposition parties have been accusing each other of unleashing violence in the run up to Provincial Council (PC) elections. Senior government ministers told journalists in Ratnapura that supporters of UNP and JVP are attacking ruling party supporters. Leader of the House, Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva, Minister John Seneviratne and Minister GL Peiris attended the press briefing. more..

Aug 18 (BBC) The judiciary in Sri Lanka has ordered IGP to arrest a controversial minister in suspicion of assaulting journalists. Colombo additional magistrate Manjula Thilakaratne ordered Head Quarters Inspector (HQI) of Peliyagoda police station to personally hand over the order to IGP Jayantha Wickramaratne. The judiciary made the order after police informed that four suspects including Labour Minister Dr. Mervyn Silva are evading police arrest. more..

Aug 18 (LBO) Sri Lankan tea exporters say banks should be less fearful in lending for shipments to key markets in the volatile Middle East and Russia and adopt new lending methods that use brands as collateral. Exporters say they are being restrained by high borrowing costs and a marked reluctance by banks to give loans for tea shipments to the Middle East and Russia, the main markets for Ceylon tea. more..

Aug 18 (LBO) Solar energy is still too expensive to be used widely without government subsidies, a Sri Lankan expert has told the island's energy-intensive industries which are grappling with the highest electricity costs in Asia. Tilak Siyambalapitiya, managing director, Resource Management Associate, said solar energy cost 60 rupees per kilowatt hour whereas now industrialists are not paying over 13 rupees per kilowatt hour for power from the state utility. more..

Aug 18 (LBO) Sri Lankans need to rethink their investment strategies and take a closer look at what the stock market can do for them, a leading investment advisor said. Alistair Corera of Orion Fund Management says that most people put their hard earned money in savings accounts where they earn anything from 4.5 percent to 12 percent. However, inflation in the country is around 26 percent. more..

Aug 18 (LD) A team from the JVP's Media Unit was threatened by a supporter of Minister T.B. Ekanayake at a police roadblock in Mahawa, Ella last night, the party said. The man, named Hemantha and claimed to be president of the SLFP's Mahawa branch, had come in a tipper without number plates and accosted the JVP vehicle around 11.00 pm. Armed with a long Kris knife, he had abused the rival party activists in the presence of the police and hit the windscreen of their vehicle. more..

Aug 18 (LD) Minister of Health Nimal Siripala de Silva went on state owned ITN channel with two photographs of UNP Sabaragamuwa Chief Ministerial candidate Ramanayake and argued the injuries are fake, as the two photos show injuries had changed from the right hand to the left. "Nimal Siripala does not know that when 'Divamina' published a flipped over photo, the sides change in the photo but not in Ramanayake," said a UNP Media Consultant at the Maitland Crescent office, Colombo. more..

Aug 18 (LD) By appointing teachers according to his fancy for marking G.C. E. A/L exam answer scripts, the Commissioner of Examinations is placing the future of over 223,000 students at risk, charged Chairman of the Ceylon Teachers’ Union, Joseph Stalin. Speaking at a media briefing at the CTU headquarters in Colombo this morning, he said the present situation has arisen as the commissioner has resorted to a ‘shortcut’ without attempting to find a solution to grievances of teachers. more..

Aug 18 (IANS) Nearly 100 caparisoned elephants, dancers and torchbearers walked down the streets of this central city decorated with colourful lights and flags as the annual Buddhist festival of Kandy Perahera (pageant) was celebrated with great enthusiasm. The colourful parade began Saturday night from the sacred Buddhist shrine of Dalada Maligawa, showcasing the temple custodians known as Nilames, who were dressed up like ancient kings. more..

Aug 18 (LNP) The military yesterday called on the LTTE cadres to surrender giving up their arms and said action would be taken to rehabilitate them. We are calling on the LTTE cadres, who were fighting in the northern region to surrender to the military as soon as possible, military Spokesman Brigadier Udaya Nanayakkara said. He said messages had been sent to these cadres through several media already. more..

Aug 18 (LNP) Pakistan has sent to Sri Lanka a large quantity of ammunition from its ordnance factories and reserves to finish off the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in the final phase of Eelam War IV, according to the independent Colombo-based weekly newspaper, The Sunday Leader. Pakistan has promised one ship-load of wherewithal every ten days in the coming months, the paper said in its edition dated August 17. more..

Aug 18 (LNP) Government has suspended postal service to Vanni since 8 August, completely cutting off all communications between Vanni and other districts. The GoSL had already suspended telephone connections with Vanni and the suspension of postal service has effectively isolated the LTTE controlled area in Vanni. People displaced in their thousands are undergoing innumerable hardships due to lack of food, shelter and medicine in Vanni and are unable to contact their relatives or friends outside Vanni. more..

Aug 18 (LNP) If the government had not completed the 300 MW Kerawalapitiya electricity generation plant by 2008, Sri Lanka would have experienced a major power crisis with constant power cuts by 2009. The cost of the plant is around US $ 300 million and the government assures that there would be no power cuts in 2009. The plant is scheduled to be commissioned at the end of this month. more..

Aug 18 (LNP) The SLFP and the JVP, which had a short-lived uneasy political marriage, have graduated from fracas to blows. Their supporters turned an otherwise quiet township of Nivitigala into a mini battlefield the other day. Now, the battle lines are clearly drawn and the two parties are set to fight it out. A coming together of the Blues and the Reds is not likely in the foreseeable future. more..

Aug 18 (SAMN) The Mahanayake Thera of the Asgiriya and Malwatte Chapters, the Most Ven Udugama Sri Buddharakkhitha Thera and the Most. Ven Thibbotuwawe Sri Sumangala Thera Sunday lauded the government’s efforts to eradicate terrorism and bring peace to the country. The Mahanayake Theras made these comments when President Mahinda Rajapaksa called on them and received their blessings at the Asgiriya and Malwatu Viharayas in Kandy. more..

Aug 18 (SAMN) Close on the heels of a simmering controversy over the recent transfer of two Inspectors attached to the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption allegedly for thwarting an investigation on an SLFP Minister, the Commission has received a complaint against Berty Premalal Dissanayake, UPFA’s Chief Ministerial candidate for the North Central Province and Abeysinghe Mudiyanselage Ran Banda Abeysinghe, a leading UNP candidate contesting the NCP. more..

Aug 18 (SAMN) The government is seeking to encourage women migrants to look for jobs in European countries instead of in the Gulf because of persistent complaints of mistreatment and poor working conditions. Over 100,000 women workers go abroad to work as house maids every year, but the government is now looking at ways for women workers to acquire a higher grade of skills to make them eligible for short-term work contracts in a new set of countries. more..

Aug 18 (SAMN) The Board of Investment (BOI) has been severely criticised by the Auditor General (AG) for the waste of public funds in 2006 despite a net increase of Rs.14,375,508 over the previous year. In his report on the BOI financial statement Auditor General P.A. Pematilaka rebuked the BOI for its extravagant transactions and services and said the BOI was occupying nine floors of the World Trade Centre at a massive annual rental of Rs.78,803,408 for a more..

Aug 18 (DN) The Mahanayake Thera of the Asgiriya Chapter, the Most Ven Udugama Sri Buddharakkhitha Thera and the Mahanayake Thera of the Malwatte Chapter the Most.Ven Thibbotuwawe Sri Sumangala Thera yesterday lauded the Government’s efforts to eradicate terrorism and bring peace to the country. The Mahanayake Theras made these comments when President Mahinda Rajapaksa called on them and received their blessings at the Asgiriya and Malwatu Viharayas in Kandy yesterday. more..

Aug 18 (DN) The Court of Appeal has overruled the Preliminary objections tendered by the respondents with regard to the Affidavit with costs, in an application for Revision of an Order of the High Court of Colombo. Plaintiffs Wijsmuller Salvage B.V Sluisplein 34, 1975 AG Ijmuiden, The Netherlands and Sri Lanka Shipping Company Limited. Nawam Mawatha, Colombo 2 cited The Bangladesh Motor Vessel “MV JAMI” currently lying in the Port of Colombo and Midland Shipping Lines Limited, more..

Aug 18 (Island) The army on the Welioya front has brought another LTTE facility under its control. The 59 Division has secured the underground facility situated about 1.5 kilometres km southwest of the western edge of the Nayaru lagoon on Saturday (16) evening as the Task Force I, 57 Division and Task Force II deployed on the other side of the A9 road continued to consolidate their recent territorial gains. more..

Aug 18 (Island) The Chairman of the Road Development Authority (RDA) M. B. S. Fernando has advised heads of government departments and corporations to use public transport and pocket their fuel allowance. He told The Island that officials could spend the fuel allowance to educate their children. Emphasising the urgent need to encourage the use of public transport, Fernando said that he had began using public transport to get to office. more..

Aug 18 (DM) President Mahinda Rajapaksa told the parents of university students not to allow their children to become tools of various political forces. “Parents should be attentive to what their children do after going to university. It’s a duty of the parents to prevent their children from becoming tools of various political forces. Do not allow your children get involved in the whims and fancies of others,” the President said more..

Aug 18 (DM) Indian Security Advisor, R. K. Narayanan, was lucky that he did not end up disappearing. Indian authorities should thank Lord Shiva that no abductors in white vans bothered to abduct the dark skinned security adviser while he was walking on Colombo’s streets without being in the possession of a national identity card or a police registration sheet, said WPF Leader and Civil Monitoring Commission Convener, Mano Ganesan, in a statement yesterday. more..

Aug 18 (PISL) The Peace Secretariat is surprised by a recent release of the National Peace Council in which it seems to suggest firstly that there are insuperable difficulties for citizens in the areas in the North that used to be under the control of the LTTE, and secondly that these are the responsibility of the Sri Lankan government. The statement is replete with misrepresentations, though the tone has a naiveté that suggests more..

Aug 18 (CI) The actors were different from the Test series but the script remained the same. India were injected with fresh blood but couldn't escape the slow poison of M&M. Chaminda Vaas and Nuwan Kulasekara did the initial work before Ajantha Mendis and Muttiah Muralitharan blew away the rest to bowl out India for 146. Without having to contend with the pressure of a high asking rate, a serene Mahela Jayawardene weathered the minor hiccup of the loss of the openers more..

Aug 18 (Reuters) Another 23 Tamil Tiger rebels and eight soldiers were killed in battles in Sri Lanka's north on Sunday, the latest casualties in fierce fighting that has raged for days, the military said on Monday. On Saturday, Sri Lankan troops captured an important training base in the north, including a system of underground bunkers, used by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). more..

Aug 18 (AFP) Thousands of people have been forced to flee their homes in northern Sri Lanka, joining thousands of others displaced by a government push into Tamil rebel-held territory, the UN said Monday. The United Nation's Inter-Agency Standing Committee said they expected more people to flee the ongoing fighting, with security forces attempting to take the Tamil Tigers' political capital of Kilinochchi and key base of Mullaittivu. more..

Aug 18 (AP) A top Sri Lankan official said Monday that civilians displaced by a new wave of fighting in the country's civil war had adequate food and shelter and he vowed to ensure they were cared for as the war intensified. Tens of thousands of Sri Lankans have been forced to flee their homes in the north in recent weeks as government forces seized large chunks of territory that had been controlled by the Tamil Tiger separatists, international aid groups said. more..

Aug 19 (CI) The crisp, cream clothing made way for dazzling blue, but the script read much the same. Watching India clearly weighed down by the finger freak waiting in the wings, unsure about how to tackle tidy medium-pace, anxious about what could be unleashed at any moment, it was hard not to get a sense of déjà vu. The Test specialists were gone, but the one-day recruits suffered a similar fate. more..

Aug 19 (PTI) India ODI skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni on MOnday accepted the blame for a thumping loss to Sri Lanka in the opener, saying he misread the wicket and chose to bat first which put paid to his team chances in the match. "To start off we misread the wicket a bit. We thought it may not seam or swing that much. As the breeze was strong, we expected it to swing throughout the day which it did. But I think there was a fair bit in the wicket to start off," Dhoni told reporters. more..

Aug 19 (IL) Wars, either it be civil or global, always take the lives of more innocents than combatants. This was demonstrated on August 14, 2006 in Sri Lanka, where, while engaged in first aid training, 62 children were wantonly massacred by the Sri Lankan Air Force (SLAF) aerial bombardment at the Senchcholai orphanage in Kilinochchi. The world paid little attention while the people in Eelam shed tears for weeks. more..

Aug 19 (TC) The Eelam War is entering the messy phase. During the last two weeks, in Mannar sector the security forces have progressed up to Mulankavil (southeast of Nachikuda on the Mannar coast) on A32 road to Pooneryn. They are leaning on lineTunukkai-Mallavi, West of Mankulam on A9 highway increasing the threat to Pooneryn and Kilinochchi defences of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). more..

Aug 19 (TC) “Humanitarian catastrophe” was the description given by the so-called international media when the Caucasian conflict began displacing people. Initially it was a humanitarian catastrophe only to Russian and other pro-Moscow media when 34,000 people became Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) due to Georgia’s military adventure. Thereafter, when Moscow commenced military action and the IDP numbers touched six digits, the US and other Western media began focusing on what they termed as a humanitarian catastrophe. more..

Aug 19 (BBC) Major political parties in Sri Lanka are engaged in propaganda in the wake of elections for two Provincial Councils (PCs). Prime Minister Ratnasiri Wickramanayake has predicted that the LTTE’s stronghold might be captured by the military before the PC polls. Elections for the Sabaragamuwa and North Central elections are to be held on 23 August. "Our boys might even take Kilinochchi by 23 August," the PM told a gathering of more..