Aug 29 (PIS) Despite the recent spate of killings the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission Chief Major General Trond Furuhovde declares there is much to be thankful for, for the ‘peaceful environment’ that prevailed during the last two and half years. more..

Aug 29 (TS) Dayani Hemadasa, a Sri Lankan married to a Malaysian, feels like any other Malaysian in celebrating National Day. Since she met her husband, A. Hemadasa, 14 years ago, the couple has joined other Malaysians in commemorating the nation’s independence at the Buddhist Maha Vihara in Jalan Brickfields. more..

Aug 29 (TP) The Sri Lankan embassy has said it will petition local authorities to allow 11 stranded Lankan workers to seek temporary employment so that they are able to meet their expenses until a court case that is filed by them to recover salary arrears from their employers is finalised. more..

Aug 29 (DT) Artist-cum-social worker and peace activist Jimmy Engineer has said that there can be no progress and development in any country unless there is peace and harmony. He was talking to 100 special children at a fun and food programme at the Earl Regency hotel in Kandy, more..

Aug 29 (AFP) Sri Lanka's Tamil Tiger rebels have ignored Colombo's warnings not to test its patience, with both sides now engaged in a dangerous game of brinkmanship, officials and diplomats said. more..

Aug 30 (BS) Sri Lanka Telecom will shortly withdraw its $5 million suit filed against Shipping Corp. of India Ltd (SCI) for allegedly damaging the island’s main submarine telecommunications cable, Sudhir S Rangnekar, director, liner, SCI, said on Friday. more..

Aug 30 (TN) All twenty-two parliamentarians of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) are scheduled to hold talks with Mr. S.P. Thamilchelvan, Political Head of the LTTE Monday morning at the headquarters of the LTTE, Vanni sources said. more..

Aug 30 (AT) If a war breaks out today, Sri Lanka Army would take over the entire Trincomalee, Batticalao, and Amparai districts within 48 hours. Tamils’ resistance in the Eastern region would be completely wiped out. more..

Aug 30 (AT) “Stop the LTTE’s Killings”- A hitherto an unknown organization has started circulating statements via email and internet, with headlines “Stop the LTTE's Campaign to Eliminate Political Dissidents.” Unfortunately for reasons unknown, the organization has not provided any details about it. more..

Aug 30 (SPA) Minister of Labour Amjad Majali discusses on Sunday with a Sri Lankan delegation led by Minister of Labour Athauda Seneviratna ties of cooperation between the two countries especially in the field of labour. more..

Aug 30 (Rupavahini) Five Italians who tried to smuggle out rare mangrove aquatic species concealed in alcohol bottles have been taken into custody by the customs officers at the Bandaranaike international airport, in Katunayaka. more..

Aug 30 (Rupavahini) The minister of public security has decided to take stern action against persons who failed to hand over illegal weapons during the general amnesty period. The period of general amnesty has been extended by two more months from the first of October to the 30th of November. more..

Aug 30 (TP) The Elections Commissioner in a recent report has said that about 3.8 million voters are still without national identity cards. According to his report only 69 per cent of registered voters have received their national identity cards. more..

Aug 30 (TP) A top Buddhist prelate is to hold a meeting with the country’s biggest Buddhist council to draw up an agenda for discussions with an LTTE delegation. more..

Aug 30 (TP) Plans to further privatise Sri Lanka’s state-owned Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC), which fuelled a crippling strike recently, are still swirling in controversy with two top cabinet ministers clashing directly and unions headed by the JVP firing away on their own, more..

Aug 30 (TN) Growing population of young adults within the community of plantation workers in hill country towns of Nuwara Eliya, Hatton, Bandarawela and others see education as their best opportunity to break out of the miserable living conditions their parents endure. More are seeking lower-middle class employment in and out of their estates. more..

Aug 30 (SLA) Six unidentified armed LTTE men on 29 August 2004 at about 6.00 p.m. abducted an Eelam People’s Democratic Party (EPDP) teenaged worker, attached to the EPDP office in CHENKALADY from the general town area of CHENKALADY. more..

Aug 30 (SLA) A group of LTTE men, reportedly from its WANNI faction have abducted a sixteen-year old boy from the general area of PULUPANCHICLE on 26 August 2004 around 1.00 p.m. The victim from KIRAN area has been taken to the LTTE camp at TIHILIWEDDAI in un-cleared areas after he was abducted, according to the victim. more..

Aug 30 (SLA) Unidentified LTTE men, suspected to be from the LTTE WANNI faction, had abducted two teenagers of the LTTE breakaway, KARUNA faction from the general area of SITTANDY on 26 August 2004 around 5.00 p.m. more..

Aug 30 (SLA) A 37-year old civilian from the general area of PALAUTHTHUVA, TRINCOMALEE was abducted by two unidentified self-claimed LTTE men on 27 August 2004 at about 9.00 p.m. claiming that the victim was wanted for an LTTE inquiry. more..

Aug 30 (SLA) A self-claimed member of the Eelam People’s Revolutionary Liberation Front (EPRLF) from the general area of JAFFNA had reached the troops at KOVIL POINT on 28 August 2004 around 8.00 p.m. in search of protection for his life. more..

Aug 30 (SLA) An unidentified person has lobbed a hand grenade at the house of a Home Guard in the general area east of MUTTUR on 28 August 2004 around 11.45 p.m. The residence of the Home Guard, J. JAHANDEER of DICKVANAGAR, New Jetty, MUTTUR however was not affected by its explosion.

Aug 30 (Reuters) The Sri Lanka rupee weakened on Monday on high importer demand for dollars to settle import bills, dealers said. The rupee closed at 103.13 against the dollar, from Friday's closing of 103.08. The rupee has depreciated over 6 percent so far this year. more..

Aug 30 (DJ) The $100 million Sri Lanka Telecom Ltd. bond offering initially planned for this month has been pushed back to the third week of September, a company spokesman said Monday. A roadshow is scheduled for the same week in September, company spokesman Mohan Ratnayake said. more..

Aug 30 (SLBC) The Ceylon Chamber of Commerce has called for an immediate revision of petroleum and electricity rates. The Chamber said that a revision is urgently needed to fully absorb rising international prices. more..

Aug 30 (SLBC) The Wayamba Development Bank has come forward to grant concessions to farmers in the northwestern province who are affected by the prevailing drought. General Manager of the Bank, W.A. Sirisena said the farmers would now be allowed to repay their loans within the next six cultivating seasons. more..

Aug 30 (SLBC) Chinese Ambassador in Colombo Sun Guo Xiang has said that trade between his country and Sri Lanka has improved in the last two years. He said that bilateral trade increased by 49.2 percent to 524 million last year. This record growth in trade had been witnessed after declines in the previous two years. more..

Aug 30 (Gulf) Scandinavians monitoring Sri Lanka's two and a half-year old fragile cease-fire have come under criticism for failing to get the Tamil guerrillas to observe the truce and make rulings against them despite a spate of killings in the eastern districts and the capital. more..

Aug 30 (TP) Authorities responsible for monitoring the travel of Sri Lankans overseas for work were caught napping as a group of 14 labourers landed here from Colombo with no job contracts only to be told that they would have to work for 10 hours a day instead of the eight allowed under local laws. more..

Aug 30 (AT) If a war breaks out today, Sri Lanka Army would take over the entire Trincomalee, Batticalao, and Amparai districts within 48 hours. Tamils’ resistance in the Eastern region would be completely wiped out. more..

Aug 30 (AT) Norwegian facilitators are to take up appropriate measures, as an attempt to diffuse tension looming large, especially with regard to issues threatening the Ceasefire Agreement between Government of Sri Lanka and the LTTE, according a to a report. more..

Aug 30 (CI) Arjuna Ranatunga, the former Sri Lankan captain, has responded to Matthew Hayden's remark of subcontinental batsmen targeting personal landmarks. Ranatunaga said that Australian cricketers were not willing to "absorb" the success of Asian teams more..

Aug 30 (HT) Buddhism, which flourished in South India between 3rd century BC and 4th century AD, was essentially an urban phenomenon closely associated with traders and other urban groups, says Prof Sudharshan Seneviratne, a leading Lankan expert on South Indian Buddhism. more..

Aug 30 (DN) Health authorities will launch an extensive campaign in the fight against HIV/AIDS amidst fresh warnings of a rapid spread of the disease posing a huge health risk. "There is a tendency towards a further spreading of this disease considering observations made over the years," more..

Aug 30 (IANS) Sri Lanka's top police official has suggested reviewing a section of the ceasefire agreement to prevent Tamil Tiger rebels from "misusing" it by killing informants and rivals, reports Xinhua. more..

Aug 30 (IANS) A senior Sri Lankan minister has said the proposal by the Tamil Tiger rebels for an interim administration in the war-torn north and east poses no threat to the country, reports Xinhua. more..

Aug 30 (AP) Norwegian peace brokers will meet a top Tamil Tiger negotiator in London tomorrow in an attempt to revive stalled peace talks with the Sri Lankan Government and prevent a return to civil war, officials said. more..

Aug 30 (LBO) Plantation trade unions have suspended wage talks with the Employers Federation, trying to get Minister of Plantations, to make good on a promise of a Rs. 400 daily wage. more..

Aug 30 (PTI) Nirupama Rao, India's first woman High Commissioner to Sri Lanka, today met Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar. Rao presented to Kadirgamar a copy of the letter of credence, an Indian High Commission statement said here. more..

Aug 30 (CI) Sri Lanka could well be missing Marvan Atapattu, their captain, for the second successive game as they bid to finish on a high against South Africa, and complete a series whitewash on August 31 at the Sinhalese Sports Club. more..

Aug 31 (TN) Sri Lanka Army's Jaffna area commander Major General Sunil Tennekon at a conference held at the Jaffna district secretariat on Monday assured the civil authorities that the SLA would extend its support to renovate major bridges in Jaffna district. These bridges were destroyed in the war, civil sources said. more..

Aug 31 (TN) "We have created three different action groups for the tasks of promoting awareness in the Parliament, awareness in the South and advocacy in the diplomatic circles," Mr. R. Sampanthan, Secretary General of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) told the press in Kilinochchi Monday. more..

Aug 31 (SLBC) The list of the names of the 2nd batch of graduates will be provided employment will be released day-after-tomorrow. This will include 24,000 graduates . The 1st batch consisted of 17,000 graduates. more..

Aug 31 (SLBC) The police headquarters appealed to the general public to strictly comply with the rules and regulations when parking vehicles in the Colombo city. Vehicles should not be parked to obstruct the free movement of other vehicles. more..

Aug 31 (Rupavahini) The Inter-University Trade Union joint committee has announced that non-academic staff attached to all universities in the island will go on strike from next Wednesday. They are resorting to trade union action protesting against the failure to provide a salary revision agreed more..

Aug 31 (Rupavahini) An aborigine language translator has been appointed for the first time to the Sri Lanka judicial service. A request in this regard was made by the justice ministry to the chief of the aborigines in Mahiyanganaya. more..

Aug 31 (Rupavahini) The European Union says the Sri Lanka monitoring mission has to work with a real understanding of the responsibility vested in them. The EU resident representative Wouter Wilton said that they were watching the activities of the SLMM and the roll of Norway as facilitators. more..

Aug 31 (TN) Trincomalee Children Fund (TCF), supported by Trincomalee Tamil expatriates in Canada, last weekend inaugurated a free education project for resettled students in the villages of Sampalthivu, Salli and Aththimoddai, north of Trincomalee town. more..

Aug 31 (AT) President Chandrika Kumaratunga’s recent contradictory statements clearly depict her current dilemma. On one hand she is under tremendous pressure from the international community to proceed with the peace process started by the former UNF government headed by Ranil Wickremsinghe. more..

Aug 31 (AT) A delegation of People’s Liberation Organisation of Tamil Eelam (PLOTE) led by S. Rajan asked the Norwegian mediator Erik Solheim, why he wanted to place the Tamil people of Sri Lanka under the thumb of the ruthless fascist dictator Velupillai Prabhakaran. more..