May 11 (c365) The Malaysian Cricket Association has postponed a one-day international tournament between Pakistan and Sri Lanka scheduled for later this month in Kuala Lumpur. The tournament organisers cited the failure to secure a sponsor as the main reason for the re-scheduling. more..

May 11 (NW) Detectives of the Met Police are investigating the deadly attack on Sri Lankan 41-year-old Vipul Prasanna outside the Wembly Park Station which led to his death. Prasanna has been living in Sudbury and working in Brixton. more..

May 11 (NW) The current Immigration and Emigration Laws are being reviewed as the Government has found that they are being misused by unscrupulous elements to smuggle in drugs, Public Security, Law and Order Ministry Secretary Tilak Ranavirajah said yesterday. more..

May 11 (NW) The Supreme Court yesterday granted leave to proceed with the fundamental rights violation petition filed by a remand prisoner who alleged that he had been infected with tuberculosis due to the direct action of the Police. more..

May 11 (NW) Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar arrived here yesterday afternoon on an official visit that is widely expected to further consolidate the bilateral relations between the two countries. more..

May 11 (UNI) A major coalition partner in President Chandrika Kumaratunga's minority Freedom Alliance government has stymied a possible revival of peace talks by saying "it would not accept the LTTE as the sole representative of the Tamil people". more..

May 11 (LBO) An action plan to clean up the local transport mess is lined up for Cabinet approval but private bus owners, currently paying up over million rupees a month as kickbacks to alleged gangsters that control bus routes, are not convinced of a change. more..

May 11 (LBO) Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapakse, has told the BBC that peace talks with Tamil Tigers rebels will resume before the end of July. Rajapakse told the BBC Sinhala service that the opposition UNP has already said that it will support the negotiations. more..

May 11 (TN) Thousands of hindu devotees from different parts of Northeast are expected to attend the annual Pongal festival at Vattrapalai Kannaki Amman temple in Mullaitivu district on the 31st of this month, local media said quoting temple sources. more..

May 11 (TN) Norway’s Foreign Minister Jan Petersen met Mr. Velupillai Pirapaharan, the leader of the Liberation Tigers and his political advisor, Mr. Anton Balasingham in Kilinochchi Tuesday to discuss issues relating to the resumption of peace talks with the Government of Sri Lanka. more..

May 11 (TN) The Sri Lanka army and the LTTE Tuesday agreed in Batticaloa to “develop mechanisms to ensure information sharing and quick reaction procedures to prevent serious crimes and to ensure proper procedures to apprehend individuals perpetrating serious crimes”. more..

May 11 (LT) UPFA government has decided the reintroduction of History and Literature into the school education. These two important subjects were reintroduced for school syllabus after the Patriotic National Movement's request. more..

May 11 (Bloomberg) Sri Lanka may sell stakes in Sri Lanka Telecom Ltd., SriLankan Airlines and other companies to pare a budget deficit that's threatening economic growth, newly appointed Finance Minister Sarath Amunugama said in an interview. more..

May 11 (IL) “Sri Lanka's ruling United People's Freedom Alliance recognized the LTTE as the sole representative of the Tamil minority in peace talks”, the British Broadcasting Corpration has said quoting President Chandrika Kumaratunge. more..

May 11 (CI) Muttiah Muralitharan, the world's highest Test wicket-taker, has said that he wants to go out of the game on a high note, and cited the 2007 World Cup in the Caribbean as his swan song. more..

May 11 (SLA) A nineteen year old LTTE cadre, who had allegedly been harassed by LTTE leadership and kept behind bars, has managed to flee from LTTE detention and reached troops at THOPPUR roadblock for self-defence on 10 May 2004 around 3.00 p.m. more..

May 11 (SLA) A civilian, being pursued for assassination by LTTE, appeared before the main gate at the MANNAR Naval Base during early hours on 10 May 2004 and pleaded for safety and protection from troops. more..

May 11 (LBO) Government will tap the Indian power sector to develop the proposed 300 MW coal power plant in the south of Sri Lanka. Finance Minister Sarath Amunugama said Indian Authorities had shown interest in developing a 300 MW coal power plant in Hambanthota and would be invited to implement the project. more..

May 11 (AT) The Supreme Court of Sri Lanka has today granted leave to proceed in a fundamental rights case where a police officer forced a tuberculosis patient to spit into the mouth of another detainee, who then contracted the disease, reports Asian Human Rights Commission based in Hong Kong. more..

May 11 (AP) Norway's foreign minister met with the top Tamil Tiger leader Tuesday in efforts to revive peace talks between the Sri Lankan government and the guerrillas that stalled a year ago. more..

May 11 (DN) Minister of Environment and Natural Resources A.H.M. Fowzie has blamed SLMC leader Rauff Hakeem for failing to convince UNP leader Ranil Wickremesinghe of the imperative need for a Muslim delegation at the Peace talks. more..

May 11 (Gulf) Key partner in President Chandrika Kumaratunga's coalition government – the Marxists JVP (People's Liberation Front) has acknowledged that the Tamil guerrillas should be the principal party whom talks should be held with. more..

May 11 (Reuters) Norway's foreign minister met Sri Lanka's Tamil Tiger rebels on Tuesday in an effort to jump-start peace talks with the government amid worries that a spate of killings in the east could threaten a two-year ceasefire. more..

May 11 (Reuters) Sri Lanka's cricket board on Tuesday dropped an investigation into captain Marvan Atapattu after a large sum of money was found in his hotel room. The board said in a statement that investigations by the Anti-Corruption and Security Unit of the ICC had confirmed there was "insufficient evidence to proceed". more..

May 11 (TN) Mr. Anton Balasingham, political advisor to the Liberation Tigers said Tuesday that the LTTE have suggested that their proposal for an Interim Self Governing Authority should be taken up for negotiations first, more..

May 11 (USE) New visa technology designed to enhance security while reducing fraud has been introduced at the U.S. Embassy. This was announced today by U.S. Consul Marc H. Williams. Enhancements in Colombo are part of a global initiative that began in Europe and Central America in September 2003, more..

May 11 (Rupavahini) A group of prisoners on hunger strike at the Welikda prisons today called off their protest. The decision was taken following assurances given by minister of justice and judicial reform John Seneviratne that a committee would be appointed to recommend solutions to their problems and to announce its decisions within a fortnight. more..

May 11 (AFP) Norwegian Foreign Minister Jan Petersen failed to secure an agreement to restart Sri Lanka's peace process after talks with the chief players, including the elusive leader of the Tamil Tiger rebels. more..

May 11 (AP) Sri Lanka's peace process hit another snag Tuesday when Tamil Tiger rebels said President Chandrika Kumaratunga's proposal to negotiate a permanent end to two decades of ethnic conflict was premature. more..

May 12 (AT) Norwegian Foreign Minister Jan Petersen had expressed a high degree of optimism regarding the revival peace talks between the Government of Sri Lanka and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam. more..

May 12 (UNI) The LTTE today favoured India promoting the peace process in Sri Lanka and wanted a discussion on the blue-print proposals for an interim self-rule in the North-East with the newly elected Freedom Alliance government to end the two-decade-old ethnic conflict. more..

May 12 (TN) Jaffna district intelligentsia Tuesday made an appeal to the Japanese government not to grant any aid to Sri Lankan government until a permanent political solution is found for the Tamil national question. more..

May 12 (Reuters) The International Cricket Council (ICC) said on Tuesday it supported the decision of Sri Lankan authorities to instruct off spinner Muttiah Muralitharan not to bowl his doosra delivery. more..

May 12 (NW) Science and Technology Minister Prof. Tissa Witharana said yesterday that he planned to make drastic policy changes in the science and technology sector including a plan to review agreements with international money lending agencies where science institutions were instructed to be self funded. more..

May 12 (NW) As peace efforts gathered momentum the Jathika Hela Urumaya came out strong and hard yesterday accusing the Kumaratunga government of making a complete turn aroud and pursuing the same anti-patriotic peace process that the defeated UNF government followed. more..

May 12 (NW) Norwegain Foreign Minister Jan Petersen yesterday met LTTE leader Velupillai Prabhakaran in Kilinochchi for the highest level negotiations to revive the peace talks - but the LTTE turned down President Chandrika Kumaratunga's request that a permanent settlement of the national question be taken up along with the LTTE's proposal for an Interim Self Governing Authority. more..

May 12 (IL) The EPDP, a Tamil ally of the UPFA Government, yesterday out rightly rejected the concept of ‘sole representation’. “No section has the right to claim to be the legitimate representatives of the people of the North –East,” the party said in a statement yesterday. more..

May 12 (LBO) Travel Agencies in Sri Lanka can now book travel on Jetstar Airways, Australia’s new low-cost domestic carrier, following an agreement between the airline and Galileo International, a leading global distribution services company and subsidiary of Cendant Corporation. more..

May 12 (Reuters) Stocks ended higher on Wednesday as small investors snapped up low-value shares, pushing market turnover to its highest since the national elections in April, brokers said. The key Colombo all-share index ended up 0.87 percent, or 10.89 points, at 1,256.57. more..

May 12 (SLA) An unidentified group of pistol men shot dead two Tamils in the general area of SORUWILA, MANAMPITIYA on 11 May 2004 (Tuesday) around 9.00 p.m. These two Tamils, K. PAKYARAJA (27) of No. 199, SORUWILA, ARALAGANWILA and CHO ILAN (23) of MAIN STREET, KIRAN, BATTICALOA, more..

May 12 (SLA) Two unidentified suspected LTTE cadres relieved a Muslim civilian from SAMMANTHURAI of his motorbike and cash at gunpoint on 10 May 2004, states a complaint made to the SAMMANTHURAI Police by the victim. more..

May 12 (SLA) A Security Forces patrol, which pursued the movement of a group of fleeing people on 11 May 2004, had been able to recover a T-56 weapon with an ammunition round from the general area of VARANY in JAFFNA. more..

May 12 (SLA) A new path ahead of the LTTE defence line has been prepared by some LTTE cadres in the general area of KILALY using a dozer on 11 May 2004 around noon. The Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission was to be kept informed of this violation.

May 12 (TN) Students of resettled families of Kanniya, a traditional Tamil village which is located along Trincomalee-Anuradhapura highway, about eight km off northwest of east port town Tuesday moved into a new school building constructed at a cost of 1.3 million rupees by the NECORD more..

May 12 (LT) Government's existence depends not on the UNP's conduct in the parliament but on the conduct of UPFA JVP General Secretary Tilvin Silva delivering a public lecture said. Mr. Silva said this at Maharagama Youth Center more..

May 12 (LT) Several estate unions have requested the Government to take over the estates that have been privatized. The previous UNP government and the PA government before that sold many large and valuable estates to the private sector. more..

May 12 (LT) 18 Railway Unions have sent a letter to the President requesting for a meeting with her to discuss abolishing of the railway authority bill and making railway an efficient service. more..

May 12 (LT) The Government has decided to re-open Thulhiriya weaving mill that was closed down by the previous UNP government. All necessary steps would be taken regarding this during the next two months and a committee representing the Ministries of Finance and Industries have been already appointed to go into this matter more..

May 12 (SN) Mr Ratnasiri Wickremanayake, Former Prime Minister is scheduled to take oaths as Deputy Minister for Defense today. Mr Janadasa Pieris, the UPFA, national list nominee resigned from the parliament enabling Mr Wickremanayake to be appointed. more..

May 12 (SN) President Chandrika Kumaratunga has discussed with the leaders of the CWC to amend the constitution enabling her to seek the mandate for a third term. The present constitution limits the presidency to two terms for a person. more..