Apr 16 (TN) UNICEF Friday called on the LTTE to ensure that released underage cadres are not re-recruited. “The LTTE must commit itself to not re-recruiting any of the children that have left the organization in the wake of last week’s fighting,” the UNICEF said in a press release. more..

Apr 17 (TN) The TNA parliamentary group Friday censured the action of President, Ms. Chandrika Kumaratunge, in appointing a person rejected by the Tamil people in the April 2nd poll in charge of a ministry important to Tamils, more..

Apr 17 (TN) The fleeing renegade Eastern commander Karuna and his associates were seen running into the Mavadivembu camp of the Sri Lanka Army, and from there were escorted in the direction of Polanaruwa, the Thamil Alai newspaper published from the East said Friday, more..

Apr 17 (TN) “We will not punish or victimise or persecute anyone who has been associated with Karuna in his traitorous activities. Our leader has instructed us to take a strictly humanitarian approach in dealing with this issue. Karuna’s colleagues who fled the district four days ago are contacting us now. They are all coming back. more..

Apr 17 (TN) The Jaffna Police Friday evening recovered highly decomposed bodies of two men from the drainage located behind the Windsor Theater in the heart of Jaffna town. One body was identified as that of a jeweler, Nadarajah Sathiyalingam,43, of Vannarponnai; the other body was not identified till Friday night, sources said. more..

Apr 17 (TN) The continuous ban by the Sri Lanka Army on fishing using mechanized boats from the Kilali Sea in Thenmaradchi area in the Jaffna district to the Jaffna lagoon near Colombagam area, which comes under the Jaffna municipal limit, has left more than five hundred fisher families in abject poverty, more..

Apr 17 (Hindu) A mix of psychological operations, planned military manoeuvres, elimination of political rivals and the timing of the launch of the offensive were instrumental in the LTTE wresting control from the rebel military commander, `Col.' Karuna in eastern Sri Lanka. more..

Apr 17 (AP) A political party representing Tamil Tiger rebels slammed President Chandrika Kumaratunga on Friday for not taking steps to restart peace talks after her alliance won parliamentary elections earlier this month. more..

Apr 17 (DN) UNP stalwart and former Foreign Affairs Minister Tyronne Fernando yesterday described himself as a "free bird" being omitted from the UNP National List to Parliament. "I have received an invitation from the Minister of Tourism, Anura Bandaranaike to join the party. If matters turn worse, then I will be compelled to take a decision to join the UPFA", the former Minister told more..

Apr 17 (TN) The Asian Development Bank (ADB)-funded NECORD has formulated a scheme at a cost 10.4 million rupees in collaboration with North East Provincial Department of Co-operatives to strengthen the co-operative rural banks in the war-torn province, thus reviving the rural economy devastated in the two-decade-old war, more..

Apr 17 (SLA) An unidentified group has lobbed a hand grenade at the house of a supporter of Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) causing damages to his house in the general area of ODDAMAVADI, about 2 km south of VALACHCHENAI on 15 April 2004 during early hours. more..

Apr 17 (SLA) Twenty-two Sri Lankan refugees, who had reportedly arrived in Sri Lanka aboard an Indian trawler, were arrested on 16 April 2004 by troops while they were in the general area north of URUMALAI in TALAIMANNAR. more..

Apr 17 (SLA) Seven hundred and ninety three (793) lorry loads of food and other essential items had been dispatched to un-cleared areas in the northern province during the period between 09 April 2004 and 15 April 2004. more..

Apr 17 (LT) The Ambassadors of the USA and Japan have expressed the willingness of their countries to assist to make the economic and other policies of the UPFA Government a success. They expressed this when they met Mr. Sarath Amunugama, Minister of Finance today. more..

Apr 17 (Rupavahini) The postal voting in the North Western Provincial poll began at the government offices in Kurunegala and Puttalam district today. It will be conduced on Monday. Around 30,000 public servants have applied for postal voting in the North Western province. more..

Apr 17 (TT) Downtown-dwelling Indian curry lovers fed up to the back teeth with having to fork out thousands of NT dollars for a run-of-the-mill slap-up meal should take a trip across the "Gulf of Manner," or the Waishuang River and check out the Lanka Restaurant. more..

Apr 17 (TS) What country do you come from?” I’ve lost count of the number of times this question has been posed to me since arriving in Sri Lanka. It’s one country where the locals are more curious about you than vice versa. more..

Apr 17 (OI) Prabhakaran would obviously want to finish off Karuna as soon as possible to establish his claim as the 'sole' representative of Tamils in Sri Lanka. The longer Karuna survives, the greater the loss of credibility for Prabhakaran. more..

Apr 17 (TP) The cabinet portfolios of two ministers are likely to be revised by President Chandrika Kumaratunga on Monday in a bid to allocate the subject of River Basin Development to the Marxist JVP and settle a festering dispute in the new government. more..

Apr 17 (Xinhua) The UNICEF confirmed on Friday that two child soldiers died in fighting between two factions of the Tamil Tiger rebels in the east one week ago. UNICEF said in a statement that the two children were 17 and 18year old girls, of whom the 18 year old had been in the LTTE rebels since August 2001 when she wasjust 16. more..

Apr 17 (AP) A resumption of peace talks with Tamil Tiger rebels is the "top priority'' of President Chandrika Kumaratunga's new administration, despite claims by a pro-rebel party that the hardline president is neglecting the peace process, her spokesman said Saturday. more..

Apr 17 (AFP) Tamil Tiger guerrillas freed another 40 child soldiers, a day after the United Nations agency for children said two underage combatants died in rebel factional fighting. Thirty-one girls and nine boys -- all aged between 12 and 17 more..

Apr 18 (Telegraph) Scientists from the University of Western Australia have concluded that Sri Lanka spinner Muttiah Muralitharan should be allowed to continue bowling his controversial 'doosra' until further research has been completed. more..

Apr 18 (LT) The president has announced that all cabinet ministers and deputy ministers of the UPFA government have to abide by a code of ethics. According to this code of ethics a minister or a deputy minister is allocated only two vehicles officially and two other vehicles for the security team. more..

Apr 18 (SL) The first serious dispute between the People's Alliance (PA) and the JVP over the Marxists' portfolios is likely to be resolved next week, with the JVP managing to twist Kumaratunga's Presidential arm, forcing her to reshuffle the newly appointed cabinet within a week. more..

Apr 18 (SL) The contradictory position adopted by the new government with regard to the battle for supremacy between LTTE Chief, Velupillai Pirapaharan and his renegade Eastern Commander Col. Karuna may cost the wobbly UPFA valuable votes in the House. more..

Apr 18 (SO) The SLFP and the JVP have reached consensus over the issue of portfolios. President Kumaratunga met a delegation of the respective parties at a meeting in Kandy yesterday. Both parties had agreed to continue the UPFA government programmes, Freedom Alliance sources told the Sunday Observer. more..

Apr 18 (TN) Eight Internally Displaced families now resettled in no man zones located beyond 600 meter of the High Security Zones in Pannalai, Valigamam north in the Jaffna district Sunday complained that the soldiers of the Sri Lanka Army manning checkpoints and camps in the area have started harassing them with an intention of ousting them from their dwellings, more..

Apr 18 (LT) The JVP has emphasized to the President that the four ministries promised to them when the MoU was signed between the JVP and the SLFP to form the UPFA should be given to them without any cut backs of the subjects originally assigned to these ministries. This was apprised at the discussion the JVP leaders had with the President on Friday. more..

Apr 18 (Rupavahini) A special exposition of the sacred tooth relic began at the Sri Dalada Maligawa in Kandy today, to seek blessings for peace, harmony and prosperity in Sri Lanka. President Chandrika Bandaranike Kumaratunge visited the Sri Dalada Maligawa in Kandy to pay homage to the sacred tooth relic. more..

Apr 18 (Rupavahini) The Indian Naval Sailing Ship Tarangini is now in Colombo on the last leg of her circumnavigation voyage. This is the first port call of an Indian naval ship since 1983 A ceremony to welcome the ship was held at the Colombo port with the participation of Naval officers. more..

Apr 18 (Geo) Sri Lankan defence university rugby team defeated Karachi rugby foot ball club by 36 to 12 points. Sri Lankan team gripped the match from the beginning in PNS Karsaz Naval physical training and sports centre. more..

Apr 18 (PSL) The 13th Parliament has been summoned to meet on the 22nd of April. The President meanwhile has issued the Ministers and Deputies of her new Government a strict code of ethics. She told her Ministers “The people have given us a very clear mandate and it is our duty to dedicate ourselves to the task of fulfilling their aspirations”. more..

Apr 18 (SLA) Troops have recovered a T 56 weapon and a magazine filled with eight rounds of ammunitions when they conducted a search and clear operation in the general area of MAVADIVEMBO, about 19 km northwest of BATTICALOA town on 17 April 2004 morning. more..

Apr 18 (SLA) Naval troops on duty in the general sea area north of FOUL POINT arrested a suspicious fibre glass dinghy boat moving in the restricted zone from FLAG STAFF POINT to FOUL POINT area on 17 April 2004 evening. more..

Apr 18 (SLA) Police on duty found an unserviceable mortar bomb which was lying on the BAZAAR STREET in the general area of VAVUNIYA town on 16 April 2004 evening. Later the Army Engineer troops defused the bomb. more..

Apr 18 (ST) A delegation of LTTE have given the South African electoral process the thumbs-up. The five-member team, including two women from the organisation's military arm, were in the country as observers. They were hosted by the Independent Electoral Commission. more..

Apr 18 (AFP) Sri Lanka's president was locked in a standoff with her main ally over cabinet portfolios ahead of their minority government's first parliamentary test, party officials said. more..

Apr 18 (AFP) Tamil Tiger rebels said Saturday they would reopen their own police stations and justice system in eastern Sri Lanka after crushing a 40-day mutiny. LTTE said the move would help bring normality to the eastern districts of Batticaloa and Ampara where a renegade commander was defeated Monday. more..

Apr 18 (CI) Sri Lankan cricket authorities have confirmed that they have written to the ICC expressing concern over the conduct of Chris Broad. Broad, who was the match-referee for the series between Sri Lanka and Australia, had reported Muttiah Muralitharan's action to the ICC, claiming that it was suspect. more..

Apr 18 (CI) Bruce Elliott's biomechanics team at the University of Western Australia has concluded that Muttiah Muralitharan should be allowed to continue using his doosra until the completion of further biomechanical research into slow bowling. more..

Apr 18 (HT) A new strike force, secretly raised and trained by the LTTE Supremo Velupillai Prabhakaran, played a key role in routing a much larger army under the renegade Eastern commander Col Karuna, in the Battle for Batticaloa in the beginning of this month. more..

Apr 18 (AFP) Sri Lanka's Tamil Tiger rebels have offered an amnesty to renegade fighters and demanded the return of guerrilla-owned weapons and valuables looted during a revolt, residents said. more..

Apr 18 (TN) Major General (retd) Trond Furuhovde Saturday paid a visit to Trincomalee to assess the ground situation in the east port district following recent military operation by the LTTE ousting its renegade commander from the eastern region, sources said. more..

Apr 19 (AFP) Troubled Zimbabwe open a two-Test, five One-day International series against Sri Lanka here tomorrow with a complete new set of players following the showdown over team selection. more..

Apr 19 (LBO) Leading rubber producers in Sri Lanka signed an Memorandum of Understanding on Monday to initiate commercialisation of Lankaprene - a pure form of natural rubber with a low portion content. more..

Apr 19 (wsws) The Socialist Equality Party (SEP) of Sri Lanka will hold a public lecture in Colombo on Wednesday against the US-led occupation of Iraq. Entitled “Stop the war on the Iraqi people! Withdraw US troops from Iraq!”, more..

Apr 19 (TN) "There is no legal basis for establishing a constituent assembly. In fact, Article 76(1) of the Constitution states that parliament shall not abdicate or alienate its legislative power, and shall not set up any authority with any legislative power. more..

Apr 19 (PSL) Former Prime Minister the late Sirimavo Bandaranaike’s 88th birth anniversary fell Saturday April 17. Mrs. Bandaranaike entered politics in 1960 after the demise of her husband Prime Minister S.W.R.D. Bandaranaike, and remained in the political arena for nearly 35 years. more..

Apr 19 (LT) Mr. Sunil Handunneththi, JVP Member of Parliament for Colombo District has requested the Minister of Trade, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Mr. Jeyaraj Fernandopulle to appoint an independent commission to inquire into corruption and malpractices that had occurred in CWE during the last regime. more..