Aug 25 (TN) A Tamil-Muslim peace committee has commenced operating in the Ampara districted, based in Kalumanai, on Sunday, with the goal of addressing problems and apprehensions between the two communities and preventing violence in the future, sources in Ampara said. more..

Aug 25 (AP) Army and special task force troops stood on alert in eastern Sri Lanka as police continued to search for two Muslim men that people fear have been abducted and killed by Tamil Tiger rebels, a senior police official said Sunday. more..

Aug 25 (SLA) Two dumb friends, a Muslim and a Tamil, who were detained by LTTE after they entered the un-cleared area in KOKKADICHOLAI on 22 August 2003, have been badly assaulted by LTTE men, states a complaint made to the Security Forces at BATTICALOA by one of the victims who had been later released. more..

Aug 25 (SLA) A hall of the SETHTHIVARAM Hindu School in the general area of VARANI, about 5 km north of KODIKAMAM has been used by five LTTE members, to conduct an hour long lecture on LTTE for a group of seventeen youths in their twenties on 22 August 2003. more..

Aug 25 (SLA) Armed and uniform clad five LTTE cadres have ended up at the troops on duty in the general area of NAVINNA KANDA, about 4 km northwest of SRI PURA on 22 August 2003 around 7 p.m. more..

Aug 25 (SLA) An LTTE backed protest campaign in the general area of TRINCOMALEE town on Monday (25 August 2003) morning forced a section of government schools, shops, private establishments and business ventures to remain closed, causing inconvenience to the public. more..

Aug 25 (LBO) Taxi fares have been falling rapidly even as associated costs like fuel, telephone and vehicle prices have rocketed. Take look at a typical Colombo wall with posters. Take a closer look at the posters and you start to notice patterns. more..

Aug 25 (AP) Leading power distribution equipment maker, Havell's India (BSE:HVEL) has forayed into Sri Lanka as part of plans to grow its export business by over 3-fold to Rs 600 million (US$12.67 million). more..

Aug 25 (Reuters) Sri Lanka stocks closed lower on Monday, with activity focused on largest-listed stocks Sri Lanka Telecom Ltd and John Keells Holdings Ltd , as investors eyed developments in the island's peace process. more..

Aug 25 (GD) Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe wrapped up a weekend trip to India yesterday with an appeal for the two countries to integrate their economies so the region can catch up with the rest of Asia. more..

Aug 25 (BT) The "Arunalu" programme to create 10,000 jobs in apparel related industries will commence on August 25 under the auspices of Prof. G. L. Peiris, Minister of Enterprise Development, Industrial Policy and Investment Promotion. more..

Aug 25 (OW) The escalation of violence against Muslims by the LTTE in Sri Lanka's Eastern province, has intensified the demand for the de-merger of the Northern and Eastern provinces, with President Chandrika Kumaratunga announcing last week that she is seriously considering this option. more..

Aug 25 (NZPA) Sri Lanka's selectors have picked an experienced squad for the forthcoming A tour of South Africa as they look at their back-up options ahead of England's tour of Sri Lanka later in the year. more..

Aug 25 (TN) The Marxist Sinhala Nationalist party Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) today morning started a four day 116 Kilometres demonstration march against handing over the northeast Interim Administration (IA) to the LTTE. more..

Aug 25 (TN) "This Paris conference is a victory for our liberation struggle. The GOSL proposal falls way short of the aspirations of Tamil People. This conference will define a response that reflects the just aspirations of our people" said Mr. Thamilselvan, more..

Aug 25 (DM) Rejecting a Health Ministry interim committee report, the Health Service Trade Union Alliance yesterday warned it would go ahead with a countrywide sick note campaign tomorrow, but the Ministry in a tough stand cancelled all hospital employee's leave from today. more..

Aug 25 (HT) The one million-odd Tamils of Indian Origin in Sri Lanka may entirely discard the label "Indian" in the years to come. The twin processes of dis-engagement with India and integration with the Sinhalese or the indigenous "Sri Lankan" Tamils, are already underway, says S Muthiah, more..

Aug 25 (Xinhua) The Scandinavian truce monitors said they had received four more reports of disappearance of minority Tamils in the eastern Batticaloa district on Saturday, The Island newspaper reported on Monday. more..

Aug 25 (HT) With the LTTE-Muslim conflict in eastern Sri Lanka increasing in intensity with each passing day, the reported meeting between the SLMC chief, Rauff Hakeem, and the Pakistan Prime Minister, Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali, in Jeddah last weekend, assumes great significance for Sri Lanka and India too. more..

Aug 25 (AFP) A strike by Tamil Tiger guerrillas brought life to a standstill in northeastern Sri Lanka Monday amid mounting inter-communal tensions in the region, officials said. more..

Aug 26 (Island) University non-academic staffers’ strike continued for the fourteenth day yesterday without any sign of an early settlement. As a token of toughening the agitation campaign the non-academics hoisted black flags in 13 universities including the North and East and picketed at the Galaha Junction, Peradeniya yesterday during the lunch hour. more..

Aug 26 (CNW) Emergency Medical Services - A group of Toronto EMS paramedics are collecting donations of equipment from various Toronto hospitals tomorrow to support their trip to Sri Lanka in the fall. This mission will help restore the medical infrastructure to an area devastated by more than 20 years of civil war. more..

Aug 26 (AFP) Sri Lanka's Tamil Tiger rebels have agreed to reconsider their refusal to dismantle a controversial camp that sparked US-led international outrage, Scandinavian truce monitors said Monday. more..

Aug 26 (PSL) President Chandrika Kumaratunga said transparency in peace negotiations, with wide, continuing dialogue is essential in a peace process, at a discussion with former Finland President Martti Ahtisaari on ending civil war at President’s Office today. more..

Aug 26 (TN) Two Muslim arms traders have been arrested and remanded in connection with the disappearance of two other Muslim youths in the south-eastern district of Ampara on August 18. The Kalmunai Magistrate, Mr.M.P.Mohideen, remanded the two suspects, Mr. Mohamed Aliyar Fowzie, a Samurdhi officer, and Mr. Mohideen Bawa Hussein, more..

Aug 26 (TN) The Norwegian head of the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission, Major General (Retd.) Triggve Tellefsen, Monday held discussions with leaders of the LTTE in the Trincomalee district, military commander Colonel Pathuman and district political head Mr.Thilak, at Sampur in the LTTE held Muttur east, more..

Aug 26 (DN) Samurdhi Bank Societies, the key credit facilitator to the poor will grant Rs.3 billion worth credit to Samurdhi beneficiary families this year to commence self-employment ventures and other income generating projects in agriculture, animal husbandry and fisheries sectors. more..

Aug 26 (Hindu) Two sharply conflicting signals on Sri Lanka's latest peace process surfaced across the island today with the eastern Trincomalee district observing a general closure, calling for an interim administration for the northeast and a "long march" protesting the Government's moves for greater power-sharing commencing in southern Sri Lanka. more..

Aug 26 (NSS) SRI Lanka hopes to achieve everlasting peace. Although many are doubtful, the majority seem to have had enough of the 20-yearlong ethnic bloodbath which has killed more than 64,000 people. more..

Aug 26 (LBO) The Tourist Board says visitors need to take away a piece of their experience in Sri Lanka when visiting the vast attractions the island has to offer. Officials say Sri Lankan handicrafts are largely limited to the elephants, masks and beach memorabilia, giving the visitor few options to remember the sites they have visited. more..

Aug 26 (SLA) A civilian was taken into custody due to suspicious behaviour while he was in the general area of NAGARKOVIL BEACH in JAFFNA on 25 August 2003 around 5.00 p.m. more..

Aug 26 (TN) The CAR ("Ther") festival of the historic Nallur Kandasamy Temple in Jaffna town was held Tuesday morning with thousands of devotees from all over the island and from abroad participating, sources attending the festival said. more..

Aug 26 (C365) Sri Lankan middle-order batsman Russel Arnold will lead out an experienced 15-man Sri Lankan 'A' team to tour South Africa in September with the national selectors eyeing out the players ahead of their England tour at the end of the year. more..

Aug 26 (DM) The SLFP yesterday expressed its grave concern over the spate of killings, abductions and intimidation of Muslims by the LTTE in the East, while blaming the SLMM, the government and Minister Rauff Hakeem for failing to take effective action. more..

Aug 26 (HP) The Commander of Sri Lanka Air Force, Air Marshal G D Perera, separately called on Minister of Defence Rao Sikandar Iqbal, Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee General Abdul Aziz Khan and Chief of the Air Staff Air Chief Marshal Kaleem Saadat on Monday. more..

Aug 26 (PSL) President Chandrika Kumaratunga yesterday appointed a Commission of Inquiry in view of the alarming escalation of crime in the country. The three-member Commission is tasked with examining if there has been an increase in crime during the last twenty years, and if so determining the causes for such an increase. more..

Aug 26 (PRIU) Conrad Francis became the first ever Sri Lankan swimmer to win a gold medal in an international meet on Sunday in Macao, China. Francis won the gold in 100 metres butterfly stroke men’s open at the third Asian Age Group Swimming and Diving Championships now in progress in Macao. more..

Aug 26 (AFP) Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe is due to visit Malaysia next month in a bid to boost bilateral trade and secure investments, officials here said Tuesday. Wickremesinghe is due to start his two-day official visit on September 9, they said. more..

Aug 26 (HT) Pakistan has assured Sri Lankan Muslims that it will provide "diplomatic support" to help the community face persecution by the armed Tamil militant group, the LTTE. more..

Aug 26 (AFP) The Sri Lankan government announced it was spending 181 million dollars to build roads and expand the electricity grid, from money saved as a result of a ceasefire with Tamil Tiger rebels. more..

Aug 26 (AFP) Miniature pots stuffed with black tea are still a favourite souvenir among tourists in Sri Lanka, but the pot is losing its charm as the industry woos foreigners with tea bags. more..

Aug 26 (IL) The LTTE has banned the sale of Elephant brand soft drinks, following the company declining to pay a large sum as ‘Tiger tax’ demanded by the LTTE. Furthermore, the LTTE, which has become the sole distributor for Pepsi, Seven-up and Miranda have raised the prices of these soft drinks. more..

Aug 26 (IL) A special meeting will take place on Wednesday evening at the Presidential House regarding the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding on forming a broad national alliance between the SLFP and the JVP. more..

Aug 27 (TN) The second national convention of the the National Bhikku Front (NBF) was held at the BMICH in Colombo today. The NBF is opposed to the establishment of an Interim Adminstration (IA) for the northeast province and had threatened to campaign in Colombo and 50 other cities in the South through the nearly 1500 Buddhist Vihares in the island. more..

Aug 27 (Island) The Cabinet will shortly appoint a Technical Evaluation Committee (TEC) to scrutinise a controversial deal to equip the navy’s Fast Attack Craft (FACs) fleet consisting mainly of Israeli-built vessels with upgraded weapons system, Lands Minister Rajitha Senaratne told The Island yesterday. more..

Aug 27 (TN) The Norwegian head of the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (retd) Major General Triggve Teleffsen is scheduled to visit Batticaloa Thursday to hold discussion with the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) officials and LTTE military and political leaders, SLMM sources said. more..

Aug 27 (TN) A one-day token strike launched by about 50,000 members of the Health Services Trade Union Federation (HSTUF) Tuesday disrupted normal services in about 650 State hospitals in Sri Lanka. more..

Aug 27 (BT) Two of Sri Lanka's leading apparel firms have merged to form a vertically integrated manufacturing group with more than 20 plants and a workforce of nearly 15,000. The amalgamation, which was announced on Monday, brings together Phoenix Ventures and Jewelknit under the new name Brandix Lanka Ltd. more..

Aug 27 (Reuters) A leader of Sri Lanka's Tamil Tigers said on Tuesday the rebel group wanted to keep control of a controversial guerrilla camp that has become a sticking point in reviving stalled peace talks with the Colombo government. more..

Aug 27 (TN) Officials of the German Agency for Technical Cooperation (GTZ) in Sri Lanka met with the leaders of the LTTE in the East at the ‘Thenaham’ Guest House in Karadiyanaru, in the LTTE-controlled area of Batticaloa district, Tuesday morning, LTTE sources said. more..