Dec 31 (TN) The Sri Lanka Army (SLA) Tuesday handed over six houses to civilians, which are located along the Varani-Vembirai road, close to the Vembirai junction in Manthuvil west in the Thenmaradchchi division in Jaffna district, civil sources said. more..

Dec 31 (TN) In a letter sent to Minister of Rehabilitation, Resettlement and Refugees Jaffna Government Agent (GA) and forwarded to TamilNet "on advise of the Hon. Minister Prof. Jayalath Jeyawardena, MP," the GA, Mr. S. Pathmanathan categorically denied stating that the government of Sri Lanka “had not spent a red cent for rehabilitation and development in Jaffna for the last two years” more..

Dec 31 (TN) Justin Fernando, 24, and Theivendran Thushyanthan, 18, of Nellukulam in Vavuniya were shot dead and their partially burnt bodies recovered from Pampaimadu area 31 December Wednesday morning, security sources in Vavuniya said. more..

Dec 31 (TN) The two-decade old war has destroyed the health infrastructure of the northeast province and there is acute dearth of medical officers and para medical staff because of brain drain. more..

Dec 31 (SLA) Two civilians went for collection of sand in the general area of POMPAMADU, had reportedly gone missing, said, a complaint made by next of kin of those victims to the VAVUNIYA Police on 30 December 2003. more..

Dec 31 (SLA) A group of fifteen men on four bullock carts were arrested by Naval troops in the general area of TRINCOMALEE on 29 December 2003 when they were trying to infiltrate the Naval Head works sanctuary for firewood. more..

Dec 31 (LBO) Shell will increase the price of its 12.5 kilo gram cylinder to Rs. 620 from the current Rs. 595 as it moves from a 10% Value Added Tax (VAT) structure to a 15% band. more..

Dec 31 (LBO) The Central Bank, Wednesday, left growth projections of 5.5 percent for 2003 intact, but warned that key structural reforms had to go ahead to maintain the momentum. more..

Dec 31 (Reuters) Driven by a booming financial sector after a ceasefire in its ethnic war, Sri Lanka's economy grew 5.6 percent in the year through the third quarter -- the fifth quarter of data to show an annual rise above five percent. more..

Dec 31 (Reuters) Indian Oil Corp has finalised a $75 million deal with Sri Lanka's Ceylon Petroleum Corp to sell fuel on the island, Sri Lanka's privatisation agency said on Wednesday. more..

Dec 31 (IANS) Sri Lanka has decided to set up religious unity committees to prevent communal tension and maintain peace, reports Xinhua. The government's decision Wednesday came in the wake of religious tension in the last few days following the death of a prominent monk from a heart attack earlier in December when he was on a visit to Russia. more..

Dec 31 (DN) The Kantale Dam which burst in 1986 causing large-scale destruction to lives, livestock and crops is once more in danger of collapsing due to authorities ignoring warnings against using the road way over the dam for heavy vehicles. more..

Dec 31 (AT) The fast unto death initiated by the scholar monk, the Venerable Dr. Omalpe Sobhitha Thero demanding immediate legislation to ban what he called immoral and unethical conversions of Buddhists by Fundamentalist US based Christian missions ended triumphantly, December 30, more..

Dec 31 (DM) The 40-60 percent train fare hike that comes into effect from Monday is not sufficient to salvage Sri Lanka Railways from the financial precipice it has plunged into, Sri Lanka Railway Authority Chairman T. L. Manatunge said yesterday. more..

Dec 31 (Reuters) Sri Lanka's Tamil Tiger rebels will ring in the New Year with tax cuts and tax exemptions on essential goods, including agricultural inputs, animal feed and books, to take effect from Thursday, pro-rebel media reported. more..

Dec 31 (HT)) With the United States giving the distinct impression that it has thrown its weight behind Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe on the ticklish defence portfolio issue, President Chandrika Kumaratunga is expected to recall past practice to disprove the contention that a peace process cannot be conducted without having control over the defence portfolio. more..

Dec 31 (AFP) Sri Lanka President Chandrika Kumaratunga hinted she may call snap parliamentary elections to end a power struggle with the rival prime minister that has set back the island's peace process. more..

Dec 31 (IL) Chilaw Bishop Dr. Frank Marcus Fernando says that he has never given his consent to Norochcholai coal power project. Reacting to a statement Minister Karu Jayasuriya has reportedly made that he (the Bishop) has given his consent to the project, Bishop Fernando says; "What we are against is the choice of place, and not the use of coal power as such". more..

Dec 31 (IL) What we certainly do not need at the moment is a religious conflict in Sri Lanka. We have had this festering ethnic strife for over 50 years and a resultant civil war that devastated the country for 20 years. more..