Feb 27 (TN) "The Liberation Tigers decided today to campaign for the victory of the TNA. We felt that the 2004 election is a unique opportunity for the Tamil speaking people to express their political aspirations," said Mr. S. Elilan, the head of LTTE's political divison for Vavuniya, more..

Feb 27 (TN) Regional Programme Manager of the USAID Ms.Brenda Barrett Thursday declared open a bi-lingual sewing training centre in the Trincomalee Government Technical College to assist war affected girls of three communities to find gainful employment. more..

Feb 27 (SLA) A vehicle hired by political activists of the EPDP for their political campaign in the northeast of the country has been set on fire by an unidentified group during early hours on Friday while the vehicle was in the general area of PANANKADDAIKODDI, about 2 Km northeast of MANNAR. more..

Feb 27 (SLA) An LTTE cadre’s attempt to hijack a bus with two Tamil civilians was thwarted by alert Policemen near the PADDIRIPPU Bridge on 26 February 2004 around 3.00 p.m. when it was being taken to un-cleared areas in KOKKADICHOLAI for reasons best known to the LTTE. more..

Feb 27 (SLA) A political activist of the EPDP attached to its VALAICHCHNAI office, in a Police complaint made on 26 February 2004, claimed that an armed LTTE cadre with an unidentified man was found roaming outside their office on 25 February 2004 for reasons best known only to them. more..

Feb 27 (SLA) LTTE men, who set up a new guard point in the general area of ZD CANAL, PUNANAI north on 24 February 2004, were compelled to eject from the area by 4.00 p.m. on 25 February 2004 after the LTTE leader among them was asked to do so by authorities. more..

Feb 27 (SLA) About 50-75 fishermen, who tried to force their way into THONDAMANARU lagoon on 26 February 2004 around 7.15 in the night for alleged prawn fishing, were turned away by troops since they had not obtained any prior permission to do so. more..

Feb 27 (PT) Sri Lankan and Pakistani businessmen should launch their products in each others' markets for success of Free Trade Agreement (FTA) which is to be signed between the two countries. Sri Lanka and India did the same thing before signing the FTA, more..

Feb 27 (IANS) A US expert on South Asia has commended India for its low-profile policy towards Sri Lanka but made it clear that New Delhi's support is crucial for the success of the island's stalled peace process. more..

Feb 27 (Kyodo) A senior adviser to President Chandrika Kumaratunga has lashed out at Britain for handing out "unsolicited advice" on how Sri Lanka should conduct its forthcoming parliamentary elections, a news report said Thursday. more..

Feb 27 (Gulf) President Chandrika Kumaratunga has taken over control of a state-run lottery ahead of elections amidst allegations that the President's party was trying to use the lottery funds for the campaign. more..

Feb 27 (TN) The Sri Lanka army’s 52-4 Brigade in Pt. Pedro Friday donated eleven wheelchairs to disabled persons in Jaffna. The SLA held a special function at the Vallipuram Temple near Pt. Pedro on Friday morning to mark the occasion. more..

Feb 27 (NT) The Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA), which will boost economic ties between India and Sri Lanka, will be formalised by March, Arjunna Mahendran, chairman, Board of Investment of Sri Lanka, has said. more..

Feb 27 (DJ) Celltel Lanka Ltd., Friday launched the latest coverage and capacity expansion phase of its digital network that will cost the Sri Lankan private cellular telephone operator $21 million. more..

Feb 27 (UNI) The Norwegian-brokered "peace talks with the Tamil Tiger rebels" has taken the center-stage of the election campaign with both the UPFA and its rival UNF calling for a mandate to continue the presently stalled peace process. more..

Feb 27 (Reuters) Sri Lanka's Tamil Tiger rebels have publicly endorsed a minority Tamil political party, the Tamil National Alliance, which could play a kingmaker role after an April general election. more..

Feb 27 (CI) Naveed Nawaz will lead the 16-member Sri Lanka A team on their New Zealand tour next month. Thilina Kandamby, the 21 year old left-hander from Bloomfield, was named vice-captain. more..

Feb 27 (DN) Post nomination incidents of polls violence reached 114 yesterday according to the Police Elections Secretariat. Of these sixteen we re connected to violation of Election Laws, DIG Jayantha Wickremaratne, who is in charge of dealing with Violation of Election Laws said. more..

Feb 27 (DM) The Tamil National Alliance [TNA] symbol has again run into a storm with the President of the Federal Party writing to the Elections Commissioner objecting to the use of his party symbol- the house - as the election symbol of the TNA. more..

Feb 27 (OW) As nominations for the April 2 general elections ended Tuesday, there is widespread political resentment in Sri Lanka over the government's abuse of state-run media. more..

Feb 27 (HT) The United Peoples' Freedom Alliance (UPFA) has said that as soon as it forms a government, its leader and President Chandrika Kumaratunga will call for the recommencement of peace talks with the LTTE and set a timetable for the resolution of all the problems. more..

Feb 27 (CI) Ricky Ponting and Andrew Symonds continued purple patches, but were outshone by Muttiah Muralitharan and Upul Chandana, who grabbed three wickets apiece to restrict Australia to 233 in the fourth ODI at the Premadasa Stadium in Colombo. more..

Feb 27 (Reuters) Battle lines were drawn in Sri Lanka's election campaign on Friday, with the opposition accusing Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe of war-mongering and the Tamil Tiger rebels endorsing a possible kingmaker party. more..

Feb 27 (AI) In the run up to parliamentary elections called for 2 April, Amnesty International is urging political parties and the LTTE to instruct their members not to assassinate political opponents or their supporters, or carry out other violent attacks on party activists and election monitors during the election period. more..

Feb 27 (CI) On a day of spectacular batting collapses, Australia clinched the five-match series with a 40-run victory. Sri Lanka, set 234, were well set for a famous win, as Kumar Sangakkara scored a thrilling century. However, they suffered a late-innings meltdown, losing their last eight wickets for only 50 runs more..

Feb 27 (TN) “Within a short time of the formation of the Freedom Alliance government President Kumaratunge will call for the recommencement of the peace talks with the LTTE and also propose time frames for solving the problems concerned," said the UPFA in a press release more..

Feb 28 (TN) The head of the SLMM, Major General (retd.) Trond Furuhovde, is to visit Kilinochchi Saturday to meet the political head of the LTTE Mr.S.P.Thamilchelvan. This will be his first visit to Kilinochchi after he assumed office for the second time on Feb 1, more..

Feb 28 (TN) Mr. Chandrasekaran Kamalasuthan, 25, a trader from Ilavalai in Jaffna, is reported to be missing since February 17, according to a complaint made by his wife at the Sri Lanka Human Rights Commission in Jaffna, civil sources said. more..

Feb 28 (TN) The Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka has been conducting a four-day workshop for police personnel in the Jaffna district on protecting human rights since Thursday. Senior police officials and officers in charge of police stations in the peninsula have been participating in the workshop, sources said. more..

Feb 28 (NW) Douglas Devananda leader of the EPDP has requested police protection for its election campaigns in LTTE areas including Kilinochchi and Mulativ. Mr. Devananda has made this request by letter on 26 th. more..

Feb 28 (NW) President of the Tamil United Liberation Front Mr. T. Ananda Sangari who is contesting Jaffna as an independent candidate said that his campaigns will be limited to the media as there is no conducive environment for public campaigns. more..

Feb 28 (HT) The LTTE is keen to impress upon India that the Tamil liberation struggle in Sri Lanka will not threaten India's stability and its multi-ethnic character by inspiring a similar movement in Tamil Nadu, home to nearly 60 million ethnic Tamils. more..

Feb 28 (TN) The head of the SLMM, Trond Furuhovde, is to visit Kilinochchi Saturday to meet the political head of the LTTE, Mr.S.P.Thamilchelvan. This will be his first visit to Kilinochchi after he assumed office for the second time on February 1, SLMM sources said. more..

Feb 28 (TN) Country Director for UNICEF in Sri Lanka, Mr.Ted Chaiban, Friday opened the Isolation Unit of the Paediatric Ward in Vavuniya Hospital, health officials in Vavuniya said. more..

Feb 28 (TN) The Legal Aid Foundation (LAF) of the Bar Association of Sri Lanka organized a one-day symposium for the Grama Niladhari (village level) Officers in the Trincomalee district to create awareness on human rights, human values and humanitarian law, civil society sources in Trincomalee. more..

Feb 28 (TN) 91,864 Tamil voters residing in Vavuniya, Mannar and Mullaitivu adminstrative divisions comprising the Vanni electoral district live in areas controlled by LTTE and face the prospect of being denied their franchise if the Election Commisioner fails to provide a suitable arrangement to locate the polling booths in accessible areas, more..

Feb 28 (TN) One of the main refugee camps in Vavuniya caught fire and is burning, Police in the northern border town said Saturda afternoon. The camp in the outer suburb of Poonthottam houses more than five hundred families that were displaced from villages north of Vavuniya due to Sri Lanka army operations. more..

Feb 28 (TN) "The question of people from areas held by us voting in the elections involves arrangements by the LTTE and the Sri Lankan armed forces. This is a ceasefire related matter. Therefore we feel that the SLMM has a role in working out modalities to help people in our areas vote at the general elections" said Mr. S. P Thamilchelvan, more..

Feb 28 (SLA) A civilian, who was tried to abduct by two LTTE members while he was working along the road towards KUMBURUMULLA junction has managed to escape and surrendered to KUMBURUMULLA Army detachment in the general area of KUMBURUMULLA, about 06 km south of VALACHCHENAI on 26 February 2004. more..

Feb 28 (SLA) Naval troops on duty in the general sea areas of southwest of DELFT ISLAND, POINT PEDRO and KANKASANTHURAI have observed a total number of 61 Indian fishing trawlers engaged in poaching on Sri Lankan waters respectively on 25 and 26 February 2004. more..

Feb 28 (SLA) One thousand five hundred and ninety (1590) lorry loads of food and other essential items had been dispatched to un-cleared areas in the northern province during the period between 20 February 2004 and 26 February 2004. more..

Feb 28 (SN) Mr Tilak Karunaratne, General Secretary of Jatika Hela Urumaya sent a letter to Media Minister Mr Lakshman Kadiragamar yesterday drawing his attention to the biased conduct of the state media. He has alleged this situation as a conspiracy of the Christian fundamentalists. more..

Feb 28 (SN) LTTE has launched a secrete campaign to get polling booths established in the areas held by them after their direct request was turned down by the Election Commissioner, Mr Dayananda Dissanayake. more..

Feb 28 (SN) The LTTE has already warned the government to be elected at the forthcoming general election with regard to granting so called Tamil rights. Thamilselvan yesterday warned the government in waiting that if the government fails to meet demands of Tamils to be endorsed at the election, it will have to face grave repercussions of the failure. more..

Feb 28 (wsws) For anyone who believed that Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe would challenge the undemocratic dismissal of his government by President Chandrika Kumaratunga on February 7, his performance last Sunday would have been a disappointment. more..

Feb 28 (TP) A powerful union of Sri Lankan public administration officers on Thursday said they were disappointed by the United National Party’s decision to nominate to parliament three politicians who are under investigation for alleged threat, intimidation or assault of public service officials. more..

Feb 28 (Reuters) Shane Warne was reunited with the Australia team on Saturday for next month's three-test tour of Sri Lanka after completing a 12-month drugs ban. Warne was suspended last year for taking a diuretic and missed the World Cup but was immediately recalled to the national team after playing just one first-class match. more..

Feb 28 (Reuters) Australian captain Ricky Ponting praised fast bowler Michael Kasprowicz after his match-winning performance against Sri Lanka helped the visitors to a 40-run victory in the fourth one-day international on Friday. more..

Feb 28 (Gulf) Even before the country recovered from President Chandrika Kumaratunga's abrupt announcement calling for parliamentary elections on April 2, which most people do not want, the usual slander campaign began in full swing with major political parties accusing each other of bribery, corruption and mismanagement. more..

Feb 28 (Gulf) Economic issues affecting the day to day life of people have become integral part of the campaign for the forthcoming parliamentary elections due for April 2. Since the deadline for filing nomination papers ended last Tuesday the election campaign has been under way in full swing with political parties raising many economic issues of direct concern to people. more..