Aug 7 (Hindu) The Sri Lanka Presidential Secretariat on Friday morning announced that the self-appointed LTTE leader Shanmugam Kumaran Tharmalingam alias Kumaran Pathmanathan (KP) had been arrested in a foreign country. A report posted on its website on Friday, August 7, at 3.59 GMT under the title ‘The new LTTE leader KP arrested,’ said that KP was accused of arms smuggling and of conspiring the assassinations of VVIPs including former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi in 1991. more..

Aug 7 (TNA) Thailand on Friday denied reports that the new leader of Sri Lanka's recently defeated Tamil Tiger separatists was captured at an undisclosed location in the kingdom, while foreign media said the rebel leader was arrested in the Malaysian capital of Kuala Lumpur. The comments of the Thai government and security agencies came after Sri Lanka's Island newspaper reported that Selvarasa Pathmanathan, who it identified a the foreign-based new leader of the LTTE, and more..

Aug 7 (LNP) This country has over 4,000 elected people`s representatives in Parliament, Provincial Councils and local government bodies. They and their institutions are maintained at a huge cost to the public purse. We are about to set a world record as the only country to have a government of ministers ! The record is only a few ministerial appointments away. Besides parasitic politicians, there is a massive bureaucracy characterised by lethargy, inefficiency, bungling and callousness. more..

Aug 7 (Reuters) Sri Lanka's successful manhunt for the new head of the Tamil Tigers began with the phone of the dead man he succeeded, Tiger founder Vellupillai Prabhakaran. Sri Lankan intelligence officers used the satellite phone, found on the corpse of Prabhakaran after his death in a final battle on May 18, to pick up the trail of a man who dodged authorities for nearly three decades. more..

Aug 7 (MoD) Sri Lankan forces, intelligence units and other defence authorities are capable of defeating LTTE terrorism wherever or whenever it tries to reemerge, says Minister Keheliya Rambukwella. He said that LTTE's self claimed leader after V. Prabhakaran and the outfit's head for international terrorist activities Kumaran Pathmanadan alias KP was arrested outside the island yesterday and brought into the country this morning. more..

Aug 8 (MSF) Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) is running an operating theater and a post-operative care program in Pompaimadhu Ayurvedic Hospital, in northern Sri Lanka. Many of the patients have been referred to the MSF team from the camps and the Vavuniya General Hospital. Tim Pruchnic, an MSF surgeon who has been working in Pompaimadhu hospital since May, describes his experience: more..

Aug 8 (LBO) Sampath Bank said profits for the June quarter went up 20 percent to 449 million rupees from a year ago on higher interest margins, fee-based income and loan recoveries, despite a shrinking loan book. Sampath Bank said in a stock exchange filing that group interest income for the June quarter was up 12.4 percent to 5.49 billion rupees, while interest expenses were up 8.8 percent to 3.58 billion rupees. more..

Aug 8 (CT) An intelligence team from Wellawatta Police arrested two persons believed to be suicide cadres with two suicide jackets and a micro pistol. The raid was conducted last night (August 06) on a house in Althusha Road, Wellawatte. Police say that the suicide jackets that were found concealed in the ceiling, are more modern than the ones found earlier. One suspect has been identified as a person who returned from Malaysia recently.

Aug 8 (CI) Jehan Mubarak's 160 was the cornerstone of a strong batting performance by Sri Lanka A on the first day of their three-day game against Pakistan A in Dambulla. Mubarak was involved in three big partnerships as Sri Lanka piled on the runs at 4.61 an over after choosing to bat. Pakistan's highly rated fast bowler Mohammad Talha struck in the first over, getting rid of Malinda Warnapura for 4. more..

Aug 8 (HT) China and Pakistan supplied fighter jets and automatic rifles to Sri Lanka to fight the LTTE; India could soon send tractors, manure and high-yield seeds to revive Lanka from the ruins of war. M.S. Swaminathan, who helped usher India’s green revolution, presented on Tuesday a roadmap for the revival of agriculture in northern Lankan districts to President Mahinda Rajapaksa. more..

Aug 8 (PTI) Leaders of a Sri Lankan Tamil party today met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and asked him to urge Colombo to implement the 1987 Indo-Sri Lanka accord in full and to take steps to merge the north and eastern provinces there. Eelam National Democratic Liberation Front leaders Rajan alias Gnanasekaran and Vaseegaran along with Congress leader from Tamil Nadu E Anbarasu met Singh and apprised him of the current situation in Sri Lanka. more..

Aug 8 (ET) The Government of Canada is increasing its ongoing support to civilians displaced by the recent conflict in Sri Lanka, announced the Honourable Beverley J. Oda, Minister of International Cooperation, after visiting Menik Farm in Vavuniya, Sri Lanka. "Canada is deeply concerned about the ongoing humanitarian situation in Sri Lanka," said Minister Oda. more..

Aug 8 (AP) The arrest of the Tamil Tigers' new leader has dealt a major blow to the rebels' efforts to regroup and push on with their separatist struggle after being routed by Sri Lankan forces, the government said Friday. It was also a major public relations coup for President Mahinda Rajapaksa ahead of elections Saturday in two northern towns that he billed as the first seeds of democracy along the former war zone. more..

Aug 8 (CI) Umar Akmal's maiden international hundred, a rousing unbeaten 102 from 72 balls, and Younis Khan's first half-century as captain took Pakistan to a large total and set up their first win on tour. Batting first has been distinctly advantageous at the Premadasa and so it proved as Pakistan put up a mammoth score and then pressured the Sri Lankan batsmen into self-destruction. more..

Aug 8 (IPS) Sri Lanka’s vanquished Tamil Tiger rebels suffered another major blow with the arrest of their new leader on August 5. Selvarasa Pathmanathan, an internationally-wanted operative, was reportedly arrested in a South-east Asian capital. His arrest, shrouded in mystery, has further tightened the noose around the remaining rebels of the LTTE, whose supremo, Velupillai Prabhakaran, was killed in a bloody showdown in north-eastern Sri Lanka in mid-May. more..

Aug 8 (ISRIA) Commending the government of Sri Lanka for the steps taken to ensure the welfare of the displaced in the north within a short period of time under challenging circumstances, Minister of International Co-operation of Canada, Beverley J. Oda added that having visited the welfare villages the conditions there were very much better than she had anticipated based on reports, more..

Aug 8 (LNW) Sources from the Presidential Secretariat say that Presidential Coordinator for Parliamentary Affairs, Kumarasiri Hettige, Casino owner and BoI Chairman Dhammika Perera and Central Bank Governor Nivard Cabraal have formed an alliance to fight against moves to bring P.B. Jayasundera back as the Treasury Secretary. Hettige, who is a close confidant of former Chief Justice Sarath N. Silva, more..

Aug 8 (CI) Dilhara Fernando has been ruled out of the remainder of the series against Pakistan after sustaining an arm injury. Sri Lanka manager Brendon Kuruppu said Fernando injured his right arm while fielding in the third one-dayer against Pakistan in Dambulla and will be out for at least two weeks. "Clinical tests and MRF scans confirmed a grade-two tear on his right teres major muscle in the posterior part of his right shoulder," more..

Aug 8 (LG) S.Liyanagama, Secretary to the Chief Government Whip of Parliament was sacked abruptly recently which is the current modus operandi of the Rajapaksa Government - make use and sack ’em all, one by one. Liyanagama started his career as an Asst. Secretary to the Ministry of Fisheries when President Rajapaksa was Labour Minister and was a beneficiary of the Rajapakse Government was appointed as more..

Aug 8 (BBC) A senior police superintendent had been appointed to investigate the claims by a student of Sri Lanka Institute of Information Technology (SLIIT). It was alleged the student was abducted at gunpoint on Tuesday and assaulted for several hours, over a personal feud, by Ravindu Vas Gunewardena and a group of police officers. Ravindu, is a student at the same institution as the son of Director of Colombo Crime Division SSP Vas Gunewardena. more..

Aug 8 (LG) Yesterday, Sri Lankan officials announced the arrest of the new leader of the LTTE, Kumaran Pathmanathan (also known as KP or Selvarasa Pathmanathan). This is a major blow to the organization, especially coming on the heels of the major battlefield defeat that it suffered in May. Of special relevance is a profile of Pathmanathan that Rohan Gunaratna contributed to the Center for Terrorism Research's newly-released report Terrorism in the West 2008. more..

Aug 8 (AT) We in Sri-Lanka are grateful to Asian Tribune for having warned us about the American Master Plan against us under the command of Robert O Blake published on 2nd of August 2009 titled “Delhi-Colombo US Embassies: Robert Blake to decide”. This man Robert Blake spent his entire energy, effort and time to undermine Sri-Lanka by planning, plotting and scheming with the traitors in our land to destabilize our country. more..

Aug 8 (LBO) Sri Lanka's Aitken Spence said it was eyeing tourism projects in the north and east of the island after the end of an internal conflict though group earnings dropped as arrivals slumped both at home and in the Maldives. "We are vigorously looking at opportunities in all sectors to partner in the development of the North and East provinces," managing director J M S Brito said in a statement. more..

Aug 8 (DBS) Selvarasa Pathmanathan alias “KP” a.k.a. Kumaran Pathmanathan is currently in the custody of Sri Lankan officials at a secret location. A team of terrorism investigators is interrogating the man who was designated last month as head of the re-structured LTTE. Earlier Foreign secretary Palitha Kohona confirmed KP’s arrest to the “Daily Mirror”. more..

Aug 8 (Hindu) The Sri Lankan Army on Friday said LTTE chief KP migrated to Thailand in 1991 after undergoing plastic surgery and got married there. In a report, the Army said KP masterminded sale of weapons for terrorist groups for many years and skilfully managed transfer of weapons using trawlers and simultaneously developed most modern procurement systems winning the confidence among major arms dealers. more..

Aug 8 (FT) It’s a nerve-wracking business, deciding what book to pack when travelling. The wrong novel in the wrong place can be a disaster, ruining either the holiday or the book – as I once discovered when I tried, and failed, to immerse myself in the snowy battlefields of War and Peace when baking on a beach in Greece. It was by chance that I happened to be reading JG Ballard’s The Drowned World while travelling in Sri Lanka. more..

Aug 8 (TS) Sri Lankan High Commission Trade Attache D.W. Janathasa called on Indian businessmen to explore trade opportunities in his country, Malaysia Nanban reported. There are ample opportunities in the agriculture, machinery and manufacturing sectors for the Malaysian businessmen to take advantage of, he told reporters after a dialogue session with officials of the Penang Indian Chamber of Commerce on Monday. more..

Aug 8 (Hindu) Janata Party president Subramanian Swamy has called for devolution of powers in Sri Lanka with provincial autonomy, on the lines of what obtains in India. Dr. Swamy, who called on the U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia, Robert Blake, in Washington, said Colombo should look for safeguards and amend its Constitution to implement devolution of power. more..

Aug 8 (AP) Sri Lanka hailed elections Saturday near an area once dominated by the Tamil Tiger rebels as the first seeds of democracy sprouting along the former battlefields of its recently ended civil war. But opposition parties accused the ruling coalition of restricting their campaigns, the government barred most media from the region, and voters appeared apathetic to the first elections in the northern cities of Vavuniya and Jaffna since 1998. more..

Aug 8 (LG) Defence spokesman and Minister Keheliya Rambukwella, yesterday said that if India requests the extradition of K.P. alias Kumaran Pathmanathan, the new LTTE leader in exile, now in the custody of Sri Lankan Defence authorities, the Government is willing to comply once we conclude our preliminary investigations. He will be extradited in compliance with international treaties and conventions. more..

Aug 8 (Reuters) Sri Lanka has indicated it plans to release by the end of August 75,000 of the 280,000 Tamil civilians confined to displacement camps since the close of the country's civil war, a senior U.S. official said on Friday, welcoming the news but urging Colombo to move faster. Eric Schwartz, U.S. assistant secretary at the Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration, visited the camps late last month and said the figures were "encouraging news." more..

Aug 8 (AT) Two major foreign assistance bills now before the United States House and the Senate for Fiscal Years 2010 and 2011 which refer U.S. foreign assistance to Sri Lanka explicitly state that to qualify for any assistance and enhanced aid Sri Lanka needs to bring a political solution to address the legitimate aspirations of the minority ethnic Tamils. One Bill passed by the House in July and now before the Senate states that more..

Aug 8 (wsws) Utilising the military and the police, the Sri Lankan government and its management at the Cancer Hospital in Maharagama have stepped up their efforts to crush a nurses’ campaign for critical safety measures in the chemotherapy unit. The authorities have been assisted by the trade unions, which are working to isolate the campaign and shut down all industrial action in advance of a Court of Appeals challenge to more..

Aug 8 (LG) I returned to Ceylon on Aug. 14, 1971—five years after I left on the WPI fellowship. More than six months later, on Feb. 27, 1972, after collecting all the data I needed, I left Ceylon for the second time to land in America to complete my quest for the degree of doctor of philosophy in a hybrid field yet unfamiliar to many. [N.B.: The dominion of Ceylon became the republic of Sri Lanka on May 22, 1972—less than three months after my departure.] more..

Aug 8 (LG) I was dismayed to hear that GA Killinochchi, Mr.N.Vethanayagam has been arrested under terrorism charges. I have just returned from Puttaparthi in India, after reporting to Swami Sathya Sai Baba about my work in Sri Lanka. I was rarely in communication with outside world during this period and hence did not know of Mr. Vethanayagam’s arrest until the Tamil Diaspora informed me, on my return to Sydney, Australia. more..

Aug 8 (LG) The post-Prabakaran attempts by some never-say-die sections of the Sri Lankan Tamil diaspora across the world to resurrect the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) suffered a blow on August 6,2009, when the Malaysian security agencies handed over to their Sri Lankan counterparts Kumaran Pathmanathan (known as KP), whom they had reportedly picked up from a hotel a few hours earlier. more..

Aug 8 (ATO) A 30-year-old Sri Lankan woman died, while her friend sustained serious injuries, after drowning in the sea in Al-Dubaeiya Friday. Security sources said the Operations Room dispatched a rescue team from the Coast Guard to the location immediately after receiving information about two Sri Lankan women who drowned in the sea. Sources revealed one of the women was already dead when the rescuers arrived at the scene, more..

Aug 8 (LP) The she elephant Hemmathagama Menike, who has been taking part in the Esala Perahera for so many years, died yesterday. The she elephant did not participate in the day perahera as she fell ill. She dies on her way back after participating in the perehera at Kadugannawa. Menike was 75 years and her owner was P.R. Karunarathna of Hemmathagama. It is also reported that with the death of Hemmathagama Menike the number of tamed elephants have been reduced to 117.

Aug 8 (CI) It is unfortunate in some ways that Rangana Herath's career has run parallel with that of world-record holder Muttiah Muralitharan. Herath arrived on the Test scene seven years after Muralitharan had broken into the Test ranks, and by that time he had not only to compete with Murali but also Kumar Dharmasena, Upul Chandana and Sanath Jayasuriya for a spinner's berth in the Sri Lanka team. more..

Aug 8 (KT) Saudi Arabia is enforcing visa regulations to ensure Umrah pilgrims visiting the Kingdom during the holy month of Ramadan do not stay on for Haj, the main annual pilgrimage, and to contain the spread of swine flu. The move follows stepped up surveillance for flu cases after the death of a Saudi physically challenged girl from the virus, pushing the Kingdom’s flu death toll up to seven. more..

Aug 8 (MoD) The police has implemented a special security plan to ensure a peaceful Madhu Feast this year and cater to the safety of vast crowds expected during the festival season, DIG (North) Nimal Leuke told a press conference held in Vavuniya yesterday. He said devotees coming on pilgrimage to Madhu from the South and other parts of the country can proceed to Madhu through Medawachchiya without a hassle. more..

Aug 8 (MoD) The next generation should get rid of the negative attitudes implanted in our society due to 30 years of terrorist influence and think positively towards the development of the country, said Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa addressing students of Richmond College, Galle, yesterday. Delivering the key note address at an event organised by the college to facilitate war heroes who were once students of the college, more..

Aug 8 (CI) Trevor Bayliss, the Sri Lanka coach, has said the turning point in his side's 146-run loss to Pakistan in the fourth ODI was the dismissal of Chamara Kapugedera to a diving, one-handed catch by Naved-ul-Hasan. Sri Lanka were threatening to push Pakistan hard despite facing a mammoth target of 322, reaching 157 for 3 in the 30th over, but their resistance melted away after Kapugedera's exit; the last seven wickets going down for 17 runs. more..

Aug 8 (AT) For the first time, the Tamils in the North are exercising their franchise freely and voluntararily, without any scare and pressure. Also it should be noted that this the first time Tamils have come forward to show their willingness to be a part of the democratic process by eschewing dissension, division, conflict and separation. According to the Returning Officers, voting in Uva, Jaffna and Vavuniya are peaceful. more..

Aug 8 (LT) UNP parliamentarian Lakshman Kiriellla yesterday said he would accept the challenge posed by Minister Bandula Gunawardene for a public debate on the IMF loan issue during the coming week. Mr. Kiriella informed the minister in a letter that the debate should aired via the national channel Rupavahini. Mr. Kiriella said he accepted the challenge as it would be an opportunity for him to expose all underhand deals behind the issue. more..

Aug 8 (LNP) The Pelwatta Dairy plant which was the first project started in Moneragala under the Gamata Karmantha by the Government was commissioned by President Mahinda Rajapakse recently. The Pelwatta Sugar Industries has invested Rs 1.2 billion on this project and it will start manufacturing high quality cattle feed next month. Providing high quality cattle feed to animals will enhance local milk production, said. more..

Aug 8 (LNP) Someone used the first two lines of this famous verse somewhere some time ago to describe the so-called elusive international arms dealer and ace racketeer of the LTTE Selvarajah Pathmanathan alias KP. But, today, KP is very much here in Colombo spilling the beans in captivity! As the man who ran the LTTE`s arms and narcotics smuggling operations, KP must be having really interesting stuff to reveal to his interrogators. more..

Aug 8 (DN) The Aluthgama Police station was one of the best stations I had served. It was situated near the Colombo Galle Road. My bungalow was close to the police station on beach road. The public were very good and above all it was only 15 miles away from my ancestral home, Godahena Ambalangoda. The only English school here was Aluthgama Vidyalaya situated in the heart of the town. The Principal at that time was Douglas Gunawardena, elder brother of Cholomendlay, the veteran LSSPer. more..

Aug 8 (DN) "The reason why the batik industry isn't successful is because artists blamed it on the fact that dyes were expensive but we should think of natural alternatives that are available in plenty courtesy Mother Nature", said renowned fashion guru, Senaka de Silva. The leading fashion designer, choreographer, photographer and master artisan said that in the olden days, our ancestors had used natural vegetable dyes that have lasted for centuries (like the Sigiriya frescoes) and more..

Aug 8 (DN) The Court of Appeal yesterday extended the interim order that had stayed the transfer of 53 nurses from the Cancer Hospital until August 17. Deputy Solicitor General S. Rajaratnam for the respondents submitted that he would ascertain whether these nurses could be allowed to sign the attendance register at the cancer institute. Dr. Jayatissa de Costa for the petitioners submitted that although the Court had stayed the transfers of the nurses to the IDH and more..