Apr 9 (AP) A St. Cloud State University professor wants to do more than send food, medicine and clothes to tsunami victims. Susantha Herath plans to rebuild the Peelegoda Sumanajothi Primary School in Galle, Sri Lanka. The school, about 100 yards from the coastline, was destroyed by the December tsunami. more..

Apr 9 (BBC) Trincomalee district Member of Parliament (MP) Jayantha Wijesekara has been arrested by the police on Friday. Wijesekara, a leading member of government’s coalition partner JVP, was released on bail by the Kantale magistrate after holding him in custody for two hours within the court premises. more..

Apr 9 (UNHCR) Tsunami-displaced families in Ampara district in eastern Sri Lanka started getting new homes on Thursday as the UN refugee agency handed over 42 temporary houses in Kalmunai as part of a pilot housing project. more..

Apr 9 (NZH) Not since the days of oddball South African spinner Paul Adams have we had a more outrageous bowling action in international cricket than Lasith Malinga. But you can't doubt the effectiveness of the young Sri Lankan with the round-arm action after he bagged nine wickets in the drawn first test against New Zealand in Napier. more..

Apr 9 (AT) President of Sri Lanka should come forward to interfere to stop immediately the dead sentences passed on the three Sri Lankan nationals, who according to reliable information are to be executed in Saudi Arabia on 11 April. more..

Apr 9 (AT) The United National Party opposes any move by the President of Sri Lanka to dissolve Parliament and go for a snap election at a time when the country is still trying to recover from the effects of the tsunami devastation. more..

Apr 9 (LT) By producing alternatives for imported food stuffs a large amount of foreign exchange could be saved said Mr. Lal Kanthe, Minister of Small and Rural Industries. In order to achieve this, a proposal has been included in the next budget said the minister. more..

Apr 9 (LT) Just as a commission was appointed to inquire into the attacks by Karuna faction on Wanni tigers the President should appoint another commission to inquire into the atrocities committed by Wanni tiger organization say Patriotic National Movement (PNM). more..

Apr 9 (LT) EPRLF has in a letter requested the SLMM to take steps to prevent Wanni Tigers to harm their members. In the letter of EPRLF it indicate details about 49 members who were abducted, tortured and killed by the Wanni Tigers between 19th February to 5th April of 2005. more..

Apr 9 (LBO) The United Nations office in Sri Lanka is calling for a clear land policy for resettlement of tsunami victims, particularly in areas of land shortage. "A clear policy on relocation is of such national importance, it must not be politicised," said the resident representative of the UNDP, more..

Apr 9 (LNP) Ministers and Deputy Ministers should seek prior approval from of the President before proceeding on foreign trips. The President issued these instructions to the Ministers at the Cabinet Meeting held on Thursday (07). more..

Apr 9 (LNP) Eyebrows were raised in the local business community` over a tender called for the supply of 123,000 insecticide chemical treated mosquito nets, by a body under the Health Ministry, giving local suppliers only ten days time to submit their tenders for these highly specialized goods, which should meet the standards set by the WHO. more..

Apr 9 (Xinhua) Visiting Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao proposed here Friday to build up all-round and cooperative partnership characterized as sincerity, mutual help and long-term friendliness between China and Sri Lanka. more..

Apr 9 (SAMN) President Chandrika Kumaratunga stressed that stern action would be taken against principals who have committed irregularities in school admissions. President said it has been proved beyond doubt that certain principals were engaged in blatant acts of corruption in admitting children to their schools. more..

Apr 9 (SAMN) Coconut cultivation is affected by a disease called ‘myta’ ridding the country of about 25 million nuts per year. To arrest the fast spreading pests in the Kegalle district, the Coconut Growing and Manufacturing Board with the Sabaragamuwa Provincial Council is working on a joint programme. more..

Apr 9 (AT) The Sri Lankan government’s negligence to ratify the Optional Protocol of the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations, will hinder the efforts to save the lives of three Sri Lankan expatriates facing death sentence Saudi Arabia for the charge of theft. more..

Apr 9 (Dawn) A three-member delegation from Sri Lanka, led by tourism secretary Dr P. Ramanujam, is visiting Pakistan to participate in the Joint Working Group meeting on tourism and archaeology being held in the city on Saturday. more..

Apr 9 (TN) A soldier of the Sri Lanka Army (SLA), armed with a rifle and a compass, was arrested Saturday morning around 11 AM by LTTE. The arrest took place in the village of Thanganagar in Muttur east, an LTTE controlled area south of the Trincomalee district. more..

Apr 9 (SLA) The LTTE’s continuing atrocious acts of brutality and fraudulent exploitation of tsunami relief stocks in Mullaittivu areas were laid bare when an affected civilian from the area told the Security Forces at Omanthai that the LTTE does not want to spare even a labourer from imposition of their so-called “taxes.” more..

Apr 9 (SLA) Four soldiers, who went to fetch some logs, needed for construction work inside their camp at NEELAPOLA, TRINCOMALEE, were fired upon Friday (8) at about 2.30 p.m., by four gun-carrying LTTE intruders, inflicting injuries on one of the soldiers. more..

Apr 9 (SLA) IMTAKT AID, a Non Governmental Organization (NGO), engaged in post-tsunami rehabilitation and reconstruction work in affected areas donated a consignment of drugs and medical items to the Military Hospital at Army Headquarters, Colombo on Thursday more..

Apr 9 (SLA) Another LTTE attempt to abduct a civilian in the general area of KARAVEDDI, about 7 k.m southwest of POINT PEDRO, has failed on 08 April 2005 around 12.20 p.m The victim has managed to escape from the LTTE when the LTTE men attempted to take him forcibly to un-cleared area more..

Apr 9 (SLA) A civilian who was being abducted by the LTTE for the second time has been rescued by the Police in the general area of TRINCOMALEE on 08 April 2005 around 7.00 p.m. According to the victim, six unidentified LTTE men had earlier abducted him while he was attending a funeral and kept under LTTE detention more..

Apr 9 (Gulf) The body of a Sri Lankan woman, who died last month is still in a Dubai morgue because of lack of money to repatriate her. Thirty-five-year-old Padma, a mother of three, died of leukaemia on March 22. She had been working as a housemaid for a Pakistani family in Dubai. more..

Apr 9 (AN) The Controller of Immigration and Emigration in Colombo has announced that the backlog of passports submitted for renewal by the Sri Lankan Embassy in Riyadh would be cleared within two weeks. more..

Apr 9 (IANS) A high-level delegation of Tamil Tiger guerrillas is in South Africa to meet the country's leaders. According to TamilNet, a website run by the LTTE, a senior South African government official received the delegation as it flew into Pretoria from Europe. more..

Apr 9 (Asahi) `Both can cook very well. That's why everybody says the best Sri Lankan food you can get is here. It's also because it's all home-cooked.' NANDIKA DILUM AMUNUGAMA Wife of Sri Lankan ambassador. more..

Apr 9 (AT) Battle over the Hindu Temple in London ended when the High Court of London termed the applicants for the injunction - Sivayogam Trust headed by N.Seevaratnam as “ the wrongful Occupiers of the last 3 weeks,” and that they, “should go and the proper tenants return." more..

Apr 9 (CD) Visiting Premier Wen Jiabao proposed on Friday to upgrade Sino-Sri Lankan relations to an all-round co-operative partnership. In his talks with President Chandrika Kumaratunga on Friday night, Wen also pledged that China would donate another US$8.7 million to the tsunami-afflicted country more..

Apr 9 (AP) Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao, today promised to help reconstruct harbours, roads and other infrastructure destroyed by the December tsunami. China will provide US$15 millions to rebuild six of the 10 fisheries harbours destroyed by the tsunami, Wen said as he visited affected families in Panadura on the island's west coast. more..

Apr 9 (SAMN) Colombo Municipal Health Authorities warned Friday that another dengue outbreak in the city is most likely as their inspections revealed that more than 95 percent of premises had the potential for mosquito breeding. more..

Apr 9 (LNP) A herd of 314 cattle worth Rs. 45 lakhs were robbed by an armed gang from a farm at Sevenagala in the Moneragala police division, recently. On a complaint made, the Sevenagala police, after a search operation recovered 14 cattle. more..

Apr 9 (ANN) Sri Lanka is perhaps the only country where the state sponsors a process of producing a future generation of liars, who will be fit only for politics. Lying is reproachable and liars are censured in any society, especially when the culprits happen to be children. more..

Apr 9 (IANS) A group of Sri Lankan Tamil expatriates has urged Sri Lanka to appoint international human rights experts to try ending the continuing killings in the island nation. Blaming the LTTE for most of the murders, the Sri Lanka Democracy Forum said it was time the international community woke up to the dangers of renewed conflict in the country. more..

Apr 9 (Xinhua) A majority Sinhalese nationalist group backed by the main coalition partner of President's government has accused the president of going soft on the Tamil Tigers. In a statement released Saturday, the Patriotic National Movement (PNM) urged President to take action to prevent assassinations carried out by the LTTE rebels. more..

Apr 9 (Xinhua) Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao, known as his kindness to Chinese common people, shows his sympathy and relief to the tsunami-stricken Sri Lankan people here Saturday. "We take your anti-disaster campaign as our own business, and will make all our efforts to help you," said Wen when more..

Apr 9 (Xinhua) Lanka Bell, one of Sri Lanka's leading private fixed telecom operators said Saturday that it has signed a 4 billion rupee (40 million US dollars) equipment supply contract with China's Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd. more..

Apr 10 (TN) Members of the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) in Trincomalee Saturday morning met with Mr.S.Elilan, Trincomalee district political head of the LTTE, and discussed ways to curb events detrimental to peace, such as those which had recently in the district, more..

Apr 10 (TN) President Chandrika Kumaratunga has left for London on Saturday night to spend the forthcoming New Year holidays with her children, Yashoda and Vimukthi. According to reports, the President before undertaking her private trip to UK has appointed Ratnasiri Wickremenayake, as the Minister of Defence more..

Apr 10 (TN) The Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldier, who was arrested by the LTTE on Saturday, was handed over Sunday evening to the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) officials. The handing over event took place at the LTTE Trincomalee Political Secretariat which is located in Sampoor. more..

Apr 10 (SLA) Troops on duty at the Entry/Exit point MUHAMALAI on 09 April 2005 around 3.10 p.m. were compelled to arrest two sixteen-year old girls who claimed that they were ordered to proceed into un-cleared area for conscription to the LTTE. more..

Apr 10 (SLA) A group of armed men who abducted four firewood collectors on 08 April 2005 morning from the general area of WEERA PEDASA, POLONNARUWA have later released on the same day after obtaining Rs. 60,000/= (about US $ 625) as ransoms money, states a Police complaint lodged at POLONNARUWA Police station. more..

Apr 10 (SLA) Thirteen Sri Lankan refugees, dropped by an Indian dhow at the 7th SAND BANK in the general area of TALAIMANNAR have been arrested by naval troops on 09 April 2005 around 7.45 a.m. Later, arrested persons and their belongings were handed over to the TALAIMANNAR Police station.

Apr 10 (LT) The media institutions that use tsunami catastrophe for political advantage will be dealt with says Mr. Mangala Samaraweera, Minister of Media and Information. He made this statement addressing a gathering at a ceremony organized to present aid to build new houses for 1000 families that had lost their houses in the tsunami. more..

Apr 10 (AT) Case No: IHQ 050265 before the High Court of Justice in UK on April 8, 2005 seemed quite simple. It was a case of the landlord of Pavitt Hall, Union Road, Wembley, Middlesex locking out those who claimed to be its tenants. more..

Apr 10 (AT) Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao said that China-Sri Lanka friendship has always been at a sound footing and the main focus of the current visit is to enhance the economic cooperation. more..

Apr 10 (AT) One of the most appalling civilisational disasters this world ever faced was prevented by one of the most unusual alliances this world ever witnessed. The victory of Nazi Germany was prevented 60 years ago through the united action of two camps committed to each other’s destruction. more..

Apr 10 (AT) Leader of Sri Lanka’s oldest democratic political party dismissed the proposal for a joint mechanism for the distribution of welfare assistance to the tsunami affected in the North and East. more..

Apr 10 (AT) The Liberation Tigers Tamil Eelam collects more than one million rupees per day by way of 'taxes' at the LTTE check points from those traveling along the A-9 highway, defence officials said. more..

Apr 10 (AT) The Commissioner of Elections Dayananda Dissanayake said on Saturday that political parties should have more transparency in their dealings. He said, out of 51 registered political parties in the country, 23 have not maintained any connections with the Department for the past three years. more..