Aug 28 (LNP) The JVP will field a candidate at the forthcoming presidential election if an ambitious bid to reach consensus on a national plan with Mr. Mahinda Rajapakse failed to materialise. more..

Aug 28 (LNP) The surroundings of the Ratmalana airport were searched in a joint operation conducted by the Air Force and the Police, following reports that the airport could come under LTTE attack, Police said. The operation carried out on Thursday night lasted till Friday morning and 46 Tamil youths were taken in for questioning. more..

Aug 28 (SAMN) Pre-election monitors from 14 European, Asian and American countries will begin arriving here this week to set up monitoring mechanisms for the forthcoming presidential election, Kingsley Rodrigo, Executive Director of the Peoples Action for Free and Fair Elections (PAFFREL), said yesterday. more..

Aug 28 (AP) Sri Lanka`s Tamil Tigers have murdered another military informant of the government, defense officials said Sunday. A 73-year-old man who had served as an informant of the government troops was gunned down at around 2 a.M. local time Sunday (20:00 GMT Saturday) at Thambalagamuva in the eastern port district of Trincomalee. more..

Aug 28 (AFP) Tamil Tiger rebels demanded an end to a state of emergency imposed this month, saying the expanded police powers could derail proposed talks on a fragile ceasefire. The LTTE said talks with the government to strengthen the ceasefire would be meaningless while emergency laws are in operation that give police far broader search and arrest powers. more..

Aug 28 (BBC) Sri Lanka Police Commission (SLPC) says that it is not getting enough support from the Inspector General of Police (IGP) to deal with complaints regarding police officers accused of torture. The IGP who is quick to deny these allegations says that he has cordial relations with the independent police commission. more..

Aug 28 (BBC) Sri Lanka’s police say they have arrested two men suspected to have planned the assassination of the foreign minister, Lakshman Kadirgamar. Police chief (IGP) Chandra Fernanado said the arrest was a major breakthrough in the investigation. more..

Aug 29 (TN) Officials of the Rural Development Societies (RDS) in the Trincomalee Town and Gravets Division Sunday complained that the presence of Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers in large number is disrupting normal lives in their areas. Soldiers are conducting cordon and search operations during nights and walk into the Hindu temples with shoes, they said. more..

Aug 29 (TN) Civil groups in Gurunagar in Jaffna town have requested the Jaffna area command of the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) in writing to release their houses and lands occupied by the soldiers since 1996 as displaced families from the coastal areas are living in state lands without basic facilities, sources said. more..

Aug 29 (LT) “Today we are in a very decisive moment where all of us who really feel for our motherland and its security should forget the petty differences and get together for the purpose of defeating all reactionary and regressive forces and our common enemy”. more..

Aug 29 (LT) Reports from the East reveal that representatives of the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) and some Norwegians have visited local leaders of Karuna faction in a jungle area located at the boundary between Baticcola and Polonnaruwa districts. more..

Aug 29 (LT) It has been disclosed now that the National Intelligence Bureau (NIB) has deliberately submitted false reports to the President and PM. The NIB has created wrong impression on the JVP through its report submitted to the President over a period of time in the past. more..

Aug 29 (LT) France has proposed to the European Union to proscribe the LTTE among its member States after the foreign minister Mr. Laksman Kadiragramer was assassinated by the LTTE. Those efforts taken by France have not yet yielded any result as the United Kingdom and Norway have not shown any interest in that move. more..

Aug 29 (BBC) President Chandrika Kumaratunga will be signing a deal on Norochcholai power plant with China during her six-day state visit to the republic. In addition, the president is to sign deals on southern highway and oil tank farms in Hambantota. more..

Aug 29 (NST) SRI Lanka stunned favourites Bangladesh with a thumping 103-run victory to clinch the Golden Hope Under-17 International Challenge cricket championship at the Bayuemas Oval in Klang yesterday. Sri Lanka, determined to wipe out their seven-wicket defeat to Bangladesh in the group stage, more..

Aug 29 (TP) Sri Lankan Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapakse, also the ruling party’s presidential candidate, on Friday met President Chandrika Kumaratunga and urged her not to dissolve parliament, according to a report in the pro-opposition Sunday Leader newspaper. The more..

Aug 29 (TP) President Chandrika Kumaratunga, whose presidential term ends on December 22, is to be named life president of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party at the party’s 54th anniversary convention in Colombo next Sunday, the Sunday Island newspaper said quoting well informed party sources. more..

Aug 29 (AT) The assassination of the Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Kadirgamar recently in Colombo has exposed the fault lines in India’s policy towards the internationally proclaimed terrorist organization, the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam[LTTE]. more..

Aug 29 (HT) The LTTE will not ask the Tamils of the North East to boycott the forthcoming Sri Lankan Presidential election, but it has no hope of the election doing any good to the Tamils. more..

Aug 29 (ANN) In the wake of the forthcoming presidential election, the LTTE could adopt new methods to assassinate politicians, said army spokesman Brig. Gamini Rathnayake. He urged the public to keep an eye open for suspicious characters at political meetings. more..

Aug 29 (ANN) UNP Presidential Candidate Ranil Wickremesinghe has called for a free and fair presidential election. Given the high incidence of election malpractices and violence in this country, usually resorted to by the ruling party, the concerns of Mr. Wickremesinghe should be appreciated. more..

Aug 29 (ANN) The Sri Lankan government media on Aug 22 said: ‘It has been reported that a total number of around 3,140 ceasefire violations have been reported from both sides since the Ceasefire Agreement (CFA) was signed in February 2002’. more..

Aug 29 (TN) Bodies of two youths with gunshot injuries were found in the shrub jungle close to Arupola Kanda in Thepuwana in Kalutara district, south of Colombo. The victims were about five feet and six inches in height and were wearing denim trousers and colored shirts, more..

Aug 29 (TN) Tamil medium schools in the Trincomalee town did not function Monday when students boycotted their classes in a token protest to the presence of soldiers of the Sri Lanka Army (SLA), Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) and the Sri Lanka Police surrounding their institutions in large number, more..

Aug 29 (SLA) An unknown gunman shot dead a thirty-eight year old man Sunday (28) night at about 8.30 p.m. when he was on BATHIYA Mawatha, SARANANKARA road in KALUBOWILA. The victim, SHIVARATNAM SHIVARUPARASA of KARAVEDDY, JAFFNA was living at No 19, St. PETERS Lane, WELLAWATTE when he fell victim to the gunman. more..

Aug 29 (SLA) An armed LTTE cadre has reportedly threatened and demanded Rs 25,000/= as ransom from a civilian in the general area of KUDAPOKUNA, WELIKANDA on 27 August 2005 around midnight. more..

Aug 29 (SLA) Suspected armed LTTE men have abducted a farmer from the general un-cleared area of MYLAVETTUVAN, BATTICALOA on 28 August 2005 around 9.50 a.m. Information received from a civilian confirmed that two men had reportedly gone to their paddy fields in MYLAVETTUVAN but those armed men for reasons obvious only to them abducted one of them, more..

Aug 29 (SLA) An LTTE cadre, who had trapped a civilian in the general area of KOTTAKALLAR, BATTICALOA and handed him over to LTTE on 20 August 2005, was arrested by the Police on Saturday (27) after a Police complaint was received to that effect. more..

Aug 29 (SLA) A group of four LTTE cadres, who stormed a house in the general area of VELANI, KAYTS on 20 August 2005 around 9.00 p.m. have abducted a civilian, says a Police complaint made to the KAYTS Police on 27 August 2005 around 11.00 hours. more..

Aug 29 (SN) The SinhlaNet has noted with interest the reappearance of the two Gnanakon brothers in Sri Lanka. As the Photographs show, this time, amidst the protesters’ against the Sethu Samudram project. They are working very hard to stall the Sethu Samudram project as it would deeply affect the activities of the LTTE terrorists. more..

Aug 29 (AT) The Elections Commissioner's Office has decided to request funds from the Treasury for the coming Presidential Elections. A senior official of the Elections Commissioner's Office revealed that already the quantum of funds that would be needed for the elections have been estimated and a written requested would be made to the Treasury requesting these funds by next week. more..

Aug 29 (UNB) Presidential elections in Sri Lanka would not affect the holding of the 13th SAARC summit in Dhaka in November, Lanka’s envoy in Bangladesh said on Sunday, says UNB. “As far as our position is concerned, Sri Lanka has agreed on the dates proposed by the Bangladesh government and we will participate in it,” more..

Aug 29 (LM) The JVP today has appointed a high powered three member to committee to discuss with Premier Mahinda Rajapakse on the party's support to him during the forthcoming presidential elections, in response to an open invitation by the Prime Minister yesterday. more..

Aug 29 (LM) Elections Commissioner Dayananda Dissanayake, now very much in the public eye, told reporters that he would issue a gazette notification later this week relating to the presidential election, but remained tight-lipped about the actual polling date. more..

Aug 29 (PRIU) President Chandrika Kumaratunga this morning delivered the keynote address at the Tenth Anniversary Commemoration Meeting of the Beijing Women’s Conference, Fujian Centre of the Great Hall of China. She said the benefits of development should impact, men, women and children in society equally. more..

Aug 29 (PIS) The Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) has warned that the situation in the Nagarkovil belt in the North which divides government and rebel held area could spark serious instability in the cease-fire taking into account the frequent incidents that had occurred at the location. more..

Aug 29 (PIS) LAST week's court ruling clearing the way for a vote before November 21 will give peace process a critical boost, analysts and officials say. The Supreme Court has raised the hopes for a leader who can engage the LTTE. more..

Aug 29 (Hindu) Sri Lanka's new Foreign MinisterAnura Bandaranaikehas no doubts about the role of the LTTE in the August 12 assassination of Lakshman Kadirgamar. In an exclusive interview, Mr. Bandaranaike says election time is also killing time in his country. Excerpts: more..

Aug 29 (Hindu) At least one uncertainty has ended for Sri Lanka with the country's Supreme Court ruling that the presidential elections must be held this year. The duration of President Chandrika Kumaratunga's second and final term in office — she was re-elected in 1999 — has been a subject of political controversy. more..

Aug 29 (CI) Avishka Gunawardene and Upul Tharanga hammered unbeaten centuries and sent Bangladesh crashing to a humiliating defeat by ten wickets against Sri Lanka Cricket XI at Moratuwa. Gunawardene (111) and Tharanga (104) made short work of the target after Sri Lanka Cricket XI had earlier restricted Bangladesh to 238 for 8 in 50 overs. more..

Aug 29 (SAMN) A massive public protest against alleged government moves to resettle tsunami-affected people in lands belonging to the Deeghawapiya sacred site will be held in the Ampara town on September 4. The initial ground work had already been laid by the government to launch a housing project in a land area of about 150-200 acres coming under the sacred site, more..

Aug 29 (SAMN) A massive crowd of devotees from all parts of the country gathered in Anuradhapura yesterday to worship the Uda Maluwa of the Jayasri Maha Bodhi, as the deadline allowing it which falls at 6.00 p.m. today, drew closer. A considerable number of devotees fainted due to overcrowding, more..

Aug 29 (SAMN) Former Minister S. B. Dissanayake who is now serving a two year sentence for contempt of court would be freed by the next Presidential election, a senior government minister said. A close aide of President Chandrika Kumaratunga, National List MP President’s Counsel Wijayadasa Rajapaksha had visited the convicted politician more..

Aug 29 (LNP) A popular tele drama actor has been questioned by the Narahenpita police for allegedly attempting to molest a 15-year-old school girl who was in a parked car at Narahenpita. Narahenpita police Inspector Manoj Ranagala said the police emergency service had received a call about the Friday incident and that they had confronted the suspect. more..

Aug 29 (DN) PRESIDENT Chandrika Kumaratunga arrived here at 2.10 p.m. yesterday on a week-long State visit where several landmark agreements are to be signed for providing development assistance to Sri Lanka. President Kumaratunga was received on arrival at the Beijing International Airport by Chinese Acting Foreign Minister Sheng Juo Fang. more..

Aug 29 (GT) Former Sri Lankan prime minister Ranil Wickremesinghe promised peace, equality and jobs on Saturday to launch his campaign a day after the Supreme Court ordered a presidential election this year. Over 8,000 supporters of the right-wing United National Party, all in traditional green baseball caps and T-shirts, more..

Aug 29 (AFP) Sri Lankan police may seek foreign expertise to track down the assassins of foreign minister Lakshman Kadirgamar following the arrest of two suspects, police chief Chandra Fernando said on Monday. Forensic experts may require the help of foreign experts, Fernando said adding that evidence so far suggested that the August 12 killing was the work of Tamil Tiger rebels. more..

Aug 29 (HT) In the presidential race, Ranil Wickremesinghe of the UNP is off to a better start than his rival, Mahinda Rajapaksa of the SLFP. Rajapaksa has the key advantage of being the candidate of the ruling party, but on a number of other counts, he is the weaker of the two, at least at this point of time. more..

Aug 29 (Reuters) Sri Lanka's hardline Marxists on Monday pledged crucial but conditional support to Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa's bid for the presidency this year, an alliance analysts said would help his campaign. more..

Aug 29 (Reuters) The Tamil Tigers on Monday challenged Sri Lanka's police to identify two suspected rebel cadres arrested in connection with the assassination of Sri Lanka's foreign minister, again denying any involvement. more..