Dec 1 (TN) The mother of Mr. Pakkiyanathan Rajaratnam, 51, the secretary of the ENDLF, a Sri Lankan Tamil paramilitary based in South India, complained to the Human Rights Commission in Jaffna that her son has allegedly been kidnapped by the 'Karuna Group'. more..

Dec 1 (BBC) Chief of Defence Staff and Navy Commander Daya Sandagiri recommended that peace committees in Trincomalee should meet regularly and try to bring about normalcy. Speaking to religious leaders of all faiths and civil leaders representing all communities in Trincomalee town Rear Admiral Sandagiri said “this is not a time to give into emotions.” more..

Dec 1 (AT) Asian Human Rights Commission based in Hong Kong has castigated the Sri Lanka Bar Association reported instructions to the Lawyers not to appear for those persons accused of the murder of the Colombo High Court Judge. more..

Dec 1 (AT) In a statement released, Tamil United Liberation Front has expressed, that a fear has been created among the people, particularly among the Tamils as to whether another war would erupt consequent to the speech delivered by Velupillai Prabakaran, Leader of the LTTE, more..

Dec 1 (LBO) The battle in the lotteries industry to go online will close over the weekend, with US based GTECH Corp.’s Lankan subsidiary launching its first online tickets on October 04. Some 500 agents armed with touch screen computers and little printers have been deployed so far, with close to 400 participating in a real time test on Tuesday. more..

Dec 1 (Rupavahini) The votes of the President were passed in parliament by a majority of 61 votes. 113 members voted in favour of adopting the votes while 52 voted against. Participating in the discussions of the votes of the President in committee stage in parliament, TNA member. R. Sambandan called for a vote and accordingly a division was held. more..

Dec 1 (LT) The JVP has appealed to the people in Trincomalee to be peaceful and act restrain, without letting the terrorist organizations to take advantage of the tense situation prevailing in the area. more..

Dec 1 (LBO) Sri Lanka's currency weakened to more than 200 rupees against the British pound on concern that foreign reserves are shrinking rapidly, the Central Bank of Sri Lanka said Wednesday. more..

Dec 1 (PRIU) Sri Lanka and Pakistan today concluded a Transfer of Offenders Agreement, signed between Secretary Ministry of Foreign Affairs S. Palihakkara and High Commissioner in Sri Lanka for Pakistan Bashir Wali. more..

Dec 1 (PRIU) In a candid interview on National Television on Tuesday 24th November President answered several questions on a range of current issues. Asked if her efforts to resume the peace talks were to secure the foreign aid pledged in Tokyo, Kumaratunga dismissed such notions and said it was the innate need within her to bring peace to the country. more..

Dec 1 (Reuters) The Sri Lankan government's January-September revenues rose to 222.4 billion rupees from 203.1 billion rupees during the same period in 2003, the central bank said on Wednesday -- an increase of 9.5 percent. more..

Dec 1 (Reuters) Doha Bank and Sampath Bank which covers over 400 locations in Sri Lanka concluded a strategic alliance yesterday to launch e- remittances services to the island. A.L.M Yoosuf, Sri lankan Ambassador to Qatar and K.D Somaratne, Second Secretary at the Embassy formally launched the services. more..

Dec 1 (TP) Thousands of teachers from across Sri Lanka are due to assemble in Colombo today to stage a protest march demanding the government rectify salary anomalies. Newspapers said the teachers would march to the BMICH, the main conference hall in Colombo, from Borella junction more..

Dec 1 (TP) A Sri Lankan Provincial Councillor is threatening to mobilise plantation workers to hold a massive protest campaign if the government did not stop a project to expand a tank in Badulla in central Sri Lanka, newspapers said. more..

Dec 1 (AT) The leader of the TULF, V.Anandasangaree pointed out that unfortunately Asylum Giving European governments are not aware of the fact, innocent Sri Lankan Tamil refugees who sought asylum in their countries are not independent and free even after being in an independent and democratic European countries. more..

Dec 1 (LT) The judiciary and the police are totally corrupt today and by arresting the suspects of High Court Judge Sarath Ambepitiya’s murder will not clean the police of their dark patch said Minister Jeyaraj Fernandopulle in the Parliament today. more..

Dec 1 (LT) The Constitution should be amended soon if the country is to be developed and it is the duty of everyone to support such an amemdment said Mr. Mahinda Rajapakse, the Prime Minister. more..

Dec 1 (NT) Tamilnadu and Sri Lanka have maintained close contacts since protohistoric times due to their geographical proximity, Dr Osmund Bopearachchi, Centre de Recherhe Ernest Babelon, Paris, today said. more..

Dec 1 (AN) Sri Lanka is to have the first private nursing school in Colombo with the aid of the Kingdom-based Islamic Development Bank (IDB), according to former speaker of the Sri Lankan Parliament and founder of the Islamic Center in Colombo, Mohamed Haniffa Mohamed. more..

Dec 1 (PIS) The two principal protagonists of our peace process - President Chandrika Kumaratunga and LTTE leader Velupillai Prabhakaran continue to trade charges at each other with no breakthrough in sight. more..

Dec 1 (TN) Hundreds of supporters of United National Party (UNP) and many of its senior parliamentarians held a protest march against the Sri Lanka's budget, the price increases of essential goods and the increase of an hour in the working day, sources from Colombo said. more..

Dec 1 (LN) The four suspects accused of the murder of High Court Judge Sarath Ambepitiya requested to confess when they were brought before the court on the 30th November. Ambepitiya was shot dead as he arrived at his official residence in downtown Colombo along with his police bodyguard on Nov. 19, 2004. more..

Dec 1 (LN) Another death was reported in Trincomalee this morning after police found the body of a driver who arrived yesterday evening from Kandy with a group of tourists. Eastern Province DIG Neville Wijesinghe said the driver had come with a group of tourists to a Trincomalee hotel. more..

Dec 1 (DN) The family of Sri Lankan hostage Dinesh Rajaratnam including his three children who has been abducted by suspected Iraqi militants will send a televised appeal to his abductors pleading for the safe return of their loved one. more..

Dec 1 (IANS) Norwegian peace facilitators are to meet Tamil Tiger theoretician Anton Balasingham in London over the future of the stalled peace process in Sri Lanka, the state radio announced Wednesday. more..

Dec 1 (PTI) Sri Lanka's former minister of transport, environment and womens' affairs, Srimani Athulathmudali died here today after a brief illness. Srimani Athulathmudali, 58, entered politics to lead her late husband Lalith Athulathmudali's DUNF and won election to parliament in August 1994. more..

Dec 1 (AFP) The assassination of a Sri Lankan judge two weeks ago has put pressure on President Chandrika Kumaratunga to consider signing death warrants and start hanging death-row inmates for the first time in 29 years. more..

Dec 1 (AP) The Sri Lankan government is unlikely to accept a Tamil Tiger rebel demand that it resume peace talks immediately or risk the resumption of civil war, officials said on Wednesday. more..

Dec 1 (AAP) ELEVEN Sri Lankan men at the Baxter detention centre had stepped up their hunger strike and were now refusing medication, a refugee advocate said today. The detainees were determined to continue their hunger strike until death, in a last bid to be granted refugee status in Australia, more..

Dec 1 (TN) "Political parties in the South should recognize the "potentially dangerous" situation Sri Lanka is facing. The UNP is ready to support any genuine steps the Government of Sri Lanka takes to resolve critical National issues faced by this country," said Prof G L Peiris Monday more..

Dec 1 (Scoop) The called upon the international community to understand the "fair and reasonable" stand. The annual Great Heroes' Day oration on Saturday, Prabhakaran said: " We urge the government to resume the peace negotiations without conditions, based on our proposal for an Interim Self Governing Authority. more..

Dec 1 (AP) The government on Wednesday rejected a Tamil Tiger demand that it unconditionally resume peace talks under terms set by the rebels or risk the resumption of civil war. The Tigers' chief, Velupillai Prabhakaran, said during his annual policy address over the weekend that negotiations should resume immediately. more..

Dec 1 (AP) Police lifted a curfew in eastern Sri Lanka on Wednesday amid beefed-up security, after violence killed at least two people and strained the fragile cease-fire that has halted the country's brutal two-decade civil war. more..

Dec 1 (AFP) Sri Lanka rejected rebel demands for an unconditional resumption of talks and accused Tiger guerrillas of undermining the Norwegian-backed peace process by using "threatening language." more..

Dec 1 (TN) "The prime need in Sri Lanka, today, is the peaceful resolution of the Tamil question. The Tamil people are confident that India will not act in a manner harmful to Tamil interests. The Tamil people appeal to Indian government that the conclusion of the Indo-Sri Lanka defence co-operation agreement, and the commencement of development activities in the North-East with the military dimension be not proceeded with," more..

Dec 1 (AFP) Dozens of Sri Lankan sex workers Wednesday distributed leaflets and collected money to boost AIDS awareness in a campaign to mark World AIDS day. Organisers said more than 100 women from the Sex Workers' Network helped raise money and also spread the message of safe sex. more..

Nov 2 (UNI) More than 175 athletes from Sri Lanka and about 1200 from the state will be seen in action in the three-day Karnataka State Junior Athletic Championship to be held at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium here from December two. more..

Nov 2 (TN) NorthEast Civil Society Forums appealed to businesses and residents fo districts of Vavuniya and Mannar to observe general shutdown Thursday in protest against the killings of two innocent Tamil youths in Valvettithurai in Jaffna, and assaults on members of public including one TNA parliamentarian during the Heroes Day celebrations, more..

Nov 2 (BS) The government is considering a proposal to split up the dredging contract for different stretches of the Sethusamudram Canal among several companies, rather than awarding the entire dredging work to just one company. This will help in faster completion of the project. more..

Nov 2 (LBO) Trishaw owners have become a privileged lot, first fuel subsidies and tax cuts from the government and now individual attention from Peoples Bank. The bank says there are 200,000 registered three wheelers, with the potential of regular income, making them a viable market segment. more..

Nov 2 (Rupavahini) The votes of the ministries of media and information, posts, telecommunications and upcountry development, public administration and home affairs, local government and provincial councils, regional infrastructure facilities and science and information technology were taken up for discussion and approved by parliament. more..

Nov 2 (LT) “The UPFA pledged to increase the salaries by 70% but today they have increased it by only 40 percent and of that 50% which is 20% is given as the actual salary increase to the public sector. The UPFA is misleading the public sector as they have misled the entire country,” UNP Parliamentarian Rajitha Senaratne said. more..

Nov 2 (LT) If the promises given to them are not fulfilled they will go on a death fast says Jathike Hela Urumaya. Ven. Omalpe Sobitha Thera, deputy leader of JHU stated this at a press meeting held in Colombo today. more..

Nov 2 (LT) A large number of Pradeshiya Sabhas with a UNP majority have expressed their willingness to cooperate with the Alliance Government says Mr. Janaka Bandara Tenekone, Minister of Local Government and Internal Affairs. more..

Nov 2 (LT) The JVP has asked the masses not to get agitated by the provocations by the tigers. It appeals to the masses to act intelligently and with restrain. Speaking further Mr. Weerawanse said it is the tigers who are delaying holding peace talks. more..

Nov 2 (AT) The killing of the High Court Judge Sarath Ambepitya has roused serious concerns about the security of the judicial officers and there is now a new cry for the appointment of a Commission to probe into the security of the judiciary. more..

Nov 2 (AT) Sri Lanka Government in response to the recent statement by Velupillai Prabakaran, Leader of the LTTE has responded stating: “The Government is engaged in a careful study of the statement of the leader of the LTTE made on November 27.” more..

Nov 2 (Hindu) The Sri Lankan Government today said it was carefully studying the recent statement by the leader of the LTTE, and "is in communication" with the facilitators, Norway, "on future steps to be taken in the peace process." more..

Nov 2 (BBC) Sri Lankan health authorities will distribute free anti retroviral drugs to HIV sufferers. The announcement was made at the Aids awareness campaign in Colombo launched to mark the World Aids day. more..

Dec 2 (AT) The government of Sri Lankan refused the resume peace talks with the Tamil militants under intimidation. In a statement, the government rejected the call made by the LTTE to resume talks on the discuss solely its proposal for an ISGA for the Tamil-majority North and East Sri Lanka. more..