Mar 10 (TP) The technical staff of SriLankan Airlines at the Bandaranaike International Airport have launched a “go slow” campaign demanding wages in line with international standards, the Daily Mirror reported. more..

Mar 10 (UNI) The LTTE has decided to formally request the Sri Lankan Government "not to have any talks or links with Colonel Karuna," a eastern military leader who was expelled by the rebel outfit on Saturday. more..

Mar 10 (TN) Sri Lanka Army (SLA) announced that it is returning eleven houses back to their owners in Maranvanpulavu area in Thenmaradchy, Jaffna, local media reported. These houses are located close to the Thoppu Vinayagar Temple in Maravanpulavu. more..

Mar 10 (PSL) President Kumaratunga said the Freedom Alliance would implement the Tissa Devendra Salary Commission recommendations within three months of after coming to power. Tthe President said, although the Tissa Devendra Commission report recommended 70 per cent salary increase for Government servants in the year 2001, the UNF Government had increased salaries by only Rs. 1,250. more..

Mar 10 (NW) LTTE Peace Secretariat announced that the British High Commissioner Mr. Mark Evens together with other officials have met the political leader of LTTE Mr. Tamil Chelvam at Kilinochchi this morning. more..

Mar 10 (NW) Sri Chandra Nehru who participated few days ago in a protest rally in Batticaloa against the LTTE leader Prabakaran has been summoned to Kilinochchi by the Vanni leadership. Newswire was unable to contact Mr. Nehru to verify it but a spokesman for Mr. Nehru confirmed the story. more..

Mar 10 (PRIU) The Commissioner of Elections Dayananda Dissanayake yesterday, March 9, issued comprehensive guidelines to be followed by all electronic media - both State and Private - on coverage of the current Parliamentary elections. more..

Mar 10 (DN) President Chandrika Kumaratunga yesterday accused Minister S. B. Dissanayake of plundering Rs. 2 billion from the compulsory savings of Samurdhi beneficiaries and offered to remove her impunity voluntarily for the Minister to take her to courts if he can prove her wrong. more..

Mar 10 (DM) Addressing public rallies in the Hanguranketha and Walapone areas, the Agriculture Minister said that the statement made by the President that action would be taken to convert the Samurdhi Authority to a public corporation is the biggest joke in the twenty first century. more..

Mar 10 (AP) More than two decades of civil war in Sri Lanka between minority Tamils and successive Sinhalese-led governments has taken a potentially explosive ethnic twist: Tamils turning against Tamils. more..

Mar 10 (Reuters) John Keells Holdings Ltd has sold its stake in a plantation management company owned jointly with Richard Peiris and Co Ltd , the companies said on Wednesday. Peiris acquired the stake in RPK Management Services for 465.75 million rupees ($4.81 million) more..

Mar 10 (AFP) Sri Lanka’s renegade Tamil Tigers on Wednesday denied local media reports that India’s external intelligence agency was behind the unprecedented split in the rebel movement. more..

Mar 10 (AFP) A Sri Lankan Tamil rebel commander who split from the separatist outfit has said he would consider a "friendly partnership" to end the internal feud threatening the island's peace process. more..

Mar 10 (ABC) Monitors of a ceasefire between Sri Lankan government forces and Tamil Tiger rebels have halted their patrols in areas held by a renegade rebel faction. The Norwegian-led SLMM says it has stopped routine patrols in the east of the island where the renegade Tamil Tiger leader, Karuna, holds sway. more..

Mar 10 (CI) After two days that belonged emphatically to Sri Lanka, Australia fought back on the third day. Shane Warne was the catalyst, rushing the Sri Lankan innings to a close in the morning as he claimed 5 for 116 on his return to Test cricket, before Matthew Hayden led the batting effort with his 18th Test hundred. more..

Mar 10 (UTHR) The recent split in the LTTE has opened up that organization to unprecedented scrutiny. The press is full of speculation about what Batticaloa/Amparai leader Karuna's breakaway means for the elections, for continuation of the ceasefire and for a political solution. It is certain to complicate all three. more..

Mar 11 (TN) Norway’s special peace envoy Mr. Erik Solheim met the Bishop of Jaffna, Government Agent, Consortium of NGOs and the head of the LTTE’s political division for Jaffna Wednesday in the northern town for discussions on the current situation and the status of the ceasefire agreement between the Liberation Tigers. more..

Mar 11 (TN) EPDP said Wednesday in Jaffna that it supports the alliance between President Chandrika Kumaratunga’s SLFP and the JVP. Addressing press conference in its heavily fortified camp in Jaffna town, the leader of the group, Mr. Douglas Devananda, defended the JVP, saying that it was not a Sinhala chauvinist party. more..

Mar 11 (TN) Norwegian special peace envoy Mr. Eric Solheim is to arrive in Trincomalee Thursday evening from Vanni. He is scheduled to hold talks with the Trincomalee district political head of the LTTE Mr.S.Thilak on Friday morning, SLMM sources said Wednesday. more..

Mar 11 (SN) Karuna, the leader of the breakaway faction, was able to defend the strategically important coastal town Vakarai having fierce fighting with Pirabaharan’s forces led by Swarnam last night. Vakarai is situated in the Southern border of Trincomalee district. more..

Mar 11 (SN) Military intelligence told SinhalaNet that they suspect that Pottu Amman, the head of Intelligence Wing of the LTTE was under the custody of Karuna. This suspicion is based on conversations exchanged by LTTE activists. The army listens to communications between Tiger activists to collect intelligence. more..

Mar 11 (SN) Both Piraba Faction and Karuna Faction of the LTTE have sought the assistance of the government to counter the other group. Piraba Faction has sought government permission to move weapons to the East from Vanni. more..

Mar 11 (SN) IGP, Mr Indra de Silva was praised by secretaries of all political parties for directing the police force to conduct a free and fair election. They praised Mr De Silva at Police Head Quarters today participating a meeting called by the Police Chief to discuss the role of the Police in the ongoing election campaign. more..

Mar 11 (SN) Mr S Thavarasa, Deputy Secretary of the anti-LTTE Tamil party - EPDP, demanded equality at party secretaries’ meeting held today at Police Head Quarters. He told, “all NGOs were making a big noise about voting rights of the citizens in areas held by Tamil Tigers. more..

Mar 11 (BBC) A breakaway Tamil Tiger commander in Sri Lanka, Colonel Karuna, has accused the rebel leadership of preparing for a resumption of hostilities following the country's April elections. more..

Mar 11 (NZH) Professor de Silva, chairman of the National Child Protection Authority of Sri Lanka, responds to the Herald's coverage of the treatment by Sri Lankan authorities of a sexually abused girl expelled from New Zealand last month. His statement is reproduced unedited. more..

Mar 11 (HT) Pro-LTTE Tamils suspect the hand of India and the United States in the revolt of the LTTE's eastern commander, Col.Karuna. While the LTTE's Kilinochchi-based leadership has only thrown hints about the "external hand", at the ground level, rumours mills are churning out theories and stories about an Indian or a US hand in fomenting the trouble with the help of sections of the Sri Lankan polity and the armed forces. more..

Mar 11 (TN) International Women Day celebrations, organized by the Sri Lanka Red Cross Society (SLRCS) in collaboration with the UNHCR, was held in Nilaveli, 16 km off north of Trincomalee town. UNHCR Trincomalee official Mr. Clifford Speck was the chief guest. more..

Mar 11 (TN) Colombo will not exploit the current situation in the east to gain political milage, the spokesman for Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe's care taker government, Prof. G. L Pieris said Wednesday. He said that his government will not interfere in Karuna's matter because it is an internal affair of the LTTE. more..

Mar 11 (CM) There will never be another Sir Donald Bradman with the bat but there is one man who comes close, at least statistically, in bowling terms - Muttiah Muralitharan. The Don amassed 29 centuries in 52 Tests while Murali has bamboozled his opponents to claim 40 five-wicket hauls in 86 Tests. more..

Mar 11 (Reuters) Shane Warne, celebrating a five-wicket haul on his top-flight return, said Australia were confident of snatching an unlikely victory after fighting back in the first test against Sri Lanka on Wednesday. more..

Mar 11 (AFP) Tamil Tiger rebels yesterday denied allegations they are planning to re-launch Sri Lanka’s bloody civil war, as tensions within the guerrilla group threatened to destabilise the island ahead of next month’s elections. more..

Mar 11 (LBO) Ten years of trying and the biggest bargaining tool in the local economy saw the light of day at the Labour Ministry on Wednesday bearing the harmless title ‘The Labour Code of Sri Lanka’. more..

Mar 11 (LBO) Minister G. L. Pieris promised there would be no power cuts, at a United National Front media briefing Wednesday. “We want to state categorically on behalf of the government that there will be no power cuts,” the Minister said. more..

Mar 11 (LBO) Thousands of workers in Sri Lanka’s rubber plantations will see the benefits of booming rubber prices trickle down in their direction this year, thanks to a new agreement between trade unions and plantation companies. more..

Mar 11 (TN) German ambassador for Sri Lanka, Mr. Jueger Elias met Mr. S. P Thamilchelvan Thursday in Kilinochchi for discussions on the April general elections, the status of the ceasefire agreement and the possibility of resuming the peace talks between Colombo and LTTE. more..

Mar 11 (TN) Norway will not interfere in the internal matters of the Liberation Tigers said Mr. Erik Soheim speaking to the press at the conclusion of his meeting with Mr. S. P Thamilchelvan Thursday in Kilinochchi. more..

Mar 11 (SLA) Information received by troops confirmed that a group of about 250 LTTE cadres dressed in civil clothes and uniforms had crossed over towards KURANGUPANJAN LTTE camp from KADAWANA area during early hours on 10 March 2004 for reasons best known only to the LTTE. more..

Mar 11 (SLA) A teenaged youth, who tried to enter the Forward Defence Line (FDL) in the general seaside area close to PUNGUDUTIVU, about 19 km southwest of JAFFNA town was arrested on suspicion on 09 March 2004 by Naval troops. more..

Mar 11 (SLA) Naval troops on duty in the general area south of DELFT ISLAND on 08 March 2004 observed about 200 Indian fishing trawlers engaged in poaching within Sri Lankan waters.

Mar 11 (Xinhua) The breakaway leader of Tamil Tiger rebels Karuna has said that the military wing of the organization is under his control and it has no military power in the east of the country, the official Daily News said on Tuesday. more..

Mar 11 (Reuters) There's no marble in the lobby, no computer on the counter and no air-conditioning for the customers. The risk of robbery is also very small. Welcome to the Bank of Tamileelam, the world's only rebel-held bank, and a symbol of autonomy for the LTTE, who run a semi-independent state in the north and east more..

Mar 11 (DJ) The government is seeking additional power generation capacity to meet a shortfall in hydro generation as a prevailing drought worsens. "The Energy Supply Committee invites proposals from interested parties for the procurement of 50 megawatts of supplementary power generation capacity," more..

Mar 11 (BBC) I travelled 15 hours in a van to territory held by the Tamil Tigers in eastern Sri Lanka only to have Wordsworth quoted at me by the rebels. It ranks as one of the most surreal moments of my life. There we were surrounded by men armed to the teeth in a vast rebel military camp. more..

Mar 11 (AFP) Australian selectors resisted the temptation to rush Glenn McGrath back into Test cricket and named untested youngster Shaun Tait as replacement for the injured Brett Lee on the tour of Sri Lanka. more..

Mar 11 (PPI) Sri Lankan High Commissioner in Islamabad General (Retd) Mr. Weerasooriya and the LCCI Chief in a meeting have expressed the hope that the signing of the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between Pakistan and Sri Lanka and implementation of the SAFTA, would boost existing trade volume. more..

Mar 11 (DN) The Government Medical Officers' Association (GMOA) expressing frustration yesterday, about the feet dragging conduct of health services authorities on the issue of salary anomalies relating to medical officers, announced the launching of a continuous strike from today. more..

Mar 11 (DN) The Government Medical Officers' Association (GMOA) expressing frustration yesterday, about the feet dragging conduct of health services authorities on the issue of salary anomalies relating to medical officers, announced the launching of a continuous strike from today. more..

Mar 11 (DM) The UNF yesterday challenged the SLFP and JVP to outline their stands on the present tension in the East since it was vitally important for the people as President Chandrika Kumaratunga and Somawansa Amarasinghe seem to hold contradictory views on the issue. more..

Mar 11 (AFP) A split in the leadership of Sri Lanka's Tamil Tiger movement has left government forces navigating uncharted waters while trying to hold together a fragile truce with the rebels. more..