Dec 24 (TM) ONE YEAR ON Brave Asha stares out at the sea that took her parents' lives on Boxing Day last year. She is sad, she is scared and she is very angry. She does not understand what turned the sea into a killer that day and she cannot understand why she and thousands like her have received nothing to help rebuild their lives. more..

Dec 24 (Reuters) A Sri Lankan Tamil boy rides a traditional fishing boat on flood water around temporary shelters for tsunami victims at Manalkadu village in Jaffna Peninsula, northern Sri Lanka December 24, 2005. more..

Dec 24 (LT) Mr. Saman Kumara Suraweera, JVP Member of Southern Provincial Council who was abducted on a road running through Yakkalamulla – Kottawa forest reserve while riding his motorbike has been found tied to a tree in the aforesaid forest reserve. more..

Dec 24 (LT) The UNP has appealed to all citizens to be calm in the face of the present situation. The responsibility of safeguarding the ceasefire agreement should be taken by President Mahinda Rajapakse and the tiger organization states the UNP in a communiqué issued on account of the murder of 13 sailors at Mannar yesterday (23rd). more..

Dec 24 (HT) The Scandinavian truce monitors in Sri Lanka have suspended operations in the Jaffna peninsula citing lack of security. The head of the SLMM Hagrup Haukland told foreign correspondents here on Friday that he had asked his team in Jaffna not to intervene until their security was guaranteed. more..

Dec 24 (Reuters) Troops combed Sri Lanka's northwest to root out suspected rebels on Saturday after a series of deadly ambushes raised fears of a return to civil war, as the island's main donors flew to meet the Tamil Tigers for an emergency briefing. more..

Dec 24 (BBC) Representatives of the main foreign backers of Sri Lanka peace process have held an emergency meeting with leaders of the Tamil Tiger rebels. The meeting follows the worst outbreak of violence in Sri Lanka since the two sides agreed a ceasefire in 2002. more..

Dec 24 (HT) The co-chairs of the 2003 Aid Sri Lanka Conference in Tokyo, who represent the international community in the Sri Lankan peace process, have concluded that the current policy of appeasing the LTTE has not worked. According to informed sources, the co-chairs, comprising US, EU, Norway and Japan, now feel that the LTTE will have to be told in no uncertain terms that unless it stops its violent activities forthwith, punitive action may have to be taken. more..

Dec 25 (HT) The LTTE has said that it was not responsible for the recent wave of violence in North Sri Lanka, because its cadres were not even there in the areas where the violent incidents had taken place, according to a report put out by the outfit's Peace Secretariat on Saturday. more..

Dec 25 (TN) In a firefight between unidentified gunmen and Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers near Jaffna Fort area at 6.10 p.m. Saturday 3 SLA soldiers were injured, one of them seriously. The trooper with serious injuries was air lifted to Palaly military hospital, sources said. more..

Dec 25 (LBO) The business of Christmas is sweeping the street again, with an extended monsoon adding the chill factor associated with the postcard yuletide. On the list of musts and the one of the most beloved symbols is the evergreen tradition, representing life and hope. more..

Dec 25 (AFP) At least five people were killed in two gun battles in Sri Lanka on Saturday in the troubled northern Jaffna peninsula, officials said. An army major from the military intelligence corps and another soldier were seriously wounded when gunmen opened fire on them Saturday evening, a defence ministry official said. more..

Dec 25 (Xinhua) The Sri Lankan government was hoping for a positive outcome from a meeting between the Tamil Tigers and the international truce monitors on the country's troubled peace process, Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera said Saturday. more..

Dec 25 (LT) The peace Co-Chairs who went to Kilinochchi on the 24th morning to bring the tiger organization which has escalated terrorist acts to the negotiation table have returned to Colombo empty handed. The Ambassadors of the USA, European Union, Japan and Norway met Thamilselvan and other representatives of the tiger organization more..

Dec 25 (LeN) A trade union called the National Labor Union Federation has requested the closure of government institutions from Monday 26th until there is an improvement in the prevailing insecure situation. The Union has distributed leaflets and put up posters and banners to this effect in Jaffna. more..

Dec 25 (AT) "Peace on earth and good will to all mankind" is the message of this season, when the Christians of the world celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. On this day, my memories are about two true Christians I met in my life. One is Rev. Fr. Paul Caspersz and the other is Rev. Fr.J.E. Jeyaseelan. more..

Dec 25 (AT) As Sri Lanka prepares to remember the Boxing Day tsunami of 2004, another tragedy is unfolding in the North. Thirteen Sri Lankan Navy sailors were killed in a bomb attack on their transport vans two days ago in Mannar, a north-western district of Sri Lanka. more..

Dec 25 (AT) LTTE emphasized with representatives of the co-chairs that talks must be held in Norway, the country which has been accepted as the facilitator by the Tamil and the Sinhala side. This was categorically stated by S.P.Tamilselvan, at the meeting held yesterday with the diplomats of the Co-Chairs of the Sri Lanka Donor Countries. more..

Dec 25 (TP) President appointed former parliamentarian Bennet Cooray as the new chairman of Sri Lanka Tourism (SLT), the main government agency promoting tourism. The President stepped in as the tourism industry reached fever pitch in a long-standing dispute between Tourism Minister Anura Bandaranaike and the industry over current chairman Udaya Nanayakkara’s insistence to continue as chairman. more..

Dec 25 (TP) A long term project for garbage disposal in Colombo and the suburbs is to be implemented shortly by the government and the local authorities, the Daily Mirror reported. It said this was decided by the presidential task force appointed to find solutions to the recurring garbage crisis which had reached breaking point. more..

Dec 25 (TP) An 18 year-old girl was killed inside her residence in Eravur when she tried to stop the abduction of her young brother and a relative by four suspected LTTE cadres. Military sources told the Daily Mirror the victim’s father was also injured in the incident. They said the suspected LTTE cadres had tried to abduct the victim’s 17-year-old brother and a 19-year-old cousin for LTTE conscription. more..

Dec 25 (TN) Mr. Joseph Pararajasingham, a senior Tamil politician and the Batticaloa district Member of Parliament (MP) of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) was shot and killed by two unidentified gunmen at St. Mary's co-cathedral church in Batticaloa town while attending Christmas prayers early morning at 1.20 a.m Sunday. more..

Dec 25 (Hindu) In the wake of escalating violence in Sri Lanka during the last few days, the Indian Navy and Coast Guard based at Rameswaram and Mandapam have intensified patrolling operation on Bay of Bengal along Ramanathapuram, Pudukottai and Nagapattinam districts, following a directive from the Home and Defence Ministries. more..

Dec 25 (AT) December 19 next year marks the 45th anniversary of the liberation of Goa, South Asia’s last Portuguese Colonial stronghold, following a lightening attack by the military forces of our immediate neighbor India. This operation also exposed then as now the West’s utter hypocrisy towards Asia’s developing nations. more..

Dec 25 (AT) The Tsunami disaster could be considered as the worst calamity in the known history of Sri Lanka and it indeed destroyed life, limb and property in unimaginable proportion. It also left behind a legacy of the aftermath that would linger for many more years to come. more..

Dec 25 (GI) Pavithra, age15, (L) says a prayer holding a candle along side her sister Indu Wickramaratne after midnight Christmas mass at St. Mary's Cathedral in the Tsunami effected city of Galle, more..

Dec 25 (Xinhua) A group of Sri Lankan Chinese donated school bags and other items to tsunami orphans in Galle on the eve of the first anniversary of Dec. 26 tsunami. Senior members from Sri Lankan Chinese Association (preparatory committee) donated 20 school bags to a group of children who lost their parents in the tsunami. more..

Dec 25 (AT) The LTTE has a history of speaking in parables. When the Tigers say they are willing to talk about the proper implementation of the ceasefire ‘even this minute’ what they mean is that they want to inform the Sri Lankan government what it should do (and must do) to rid Mr. Pirapaharan of his bête-noire, Col. Karuna. more..

Dec 25 (Reuters) A pro-rebel politician was shot dead at a Christmas service in Sri Lanka's east early on Sunday, police said, the latest in a series of attacks that have raised fears of a return to civil war. Joseph Pararajasingam, an MP for the TNA -- the rebels' proxies in parliament -- was shot dead in the eastern district of Batticaloa, police said. more..

Dec 25 (LS) It is unfortunate that the security situation in Sri Lanka is deteriorating day by day as the country is slowly but steadily slipping in to war. Peace loving and powerless innocent people of Sri Lanka, who are brimming with fear, are waiting for a miracle to happen more..

Dec 25 (ISL) Navy headquarters yesterday claimed that the LTTE reports that sailors went on the rampage immediately after an attack on a Navy convoy at Pesalai were baseless. A senior Navy spokesman said that the Navy arrested several persons during a search operation to apprehend the LTTE culprits who were behind the recent massacre of the Navy sailors. more..

Dec 25 (AFP) Sri Lanka’s celebrated tsunami survivor, ”Baby 81”, was reunited with his parents after a highly publicised court drama, but almost a year later the family says the explosion of media attention has backfired on them. more..

Dec 25 (TN) Condemning the "appalling and vicious murder" of the Tamil National Alliance MP Mr. Joseph Pararajasingham, the Political Wing of the Liberation Tigers, on Sunday, charged the Sri Lankan military intelligence and the paramilitaries working with them for the killing of Mr. Pararajasingham, a Tamil nationalist and human rights activist. more..

Dec 25 (TN) Mr.Weerakody (65), retired employee of the Sri Lanka Port Authority was shot dead Saturday night around 8.30 p.m. by unidentified men close to his house which is located in Orr's Hill area, a suburb in Trincomalee town. more..

Dec 25 (SLA) AN ABORTIVE ATTEMPT OF ARMED LTTE to ambush Security Forces personnel conducting a cordon and search operation in JAFFNA Fort, in the wake of escalating LTTE violence and numerous attacks on service personnel and policemen, was repulsed by the troops on Saturday (24) evening at about 6.15 p.m. after retaliating the LTTE fire. more..

Dec 25 (SLA) Tamil National Alliance (TNA), Member of Parliament (MP) for BATTICALOA district Mr JOSEPH PARARAJASINGHAM (71) was brutally gunned down by LTTE pistol men inside St Mary’s Cathedral in BATTICALOA town around 1.10 a.m. on Sunday (25) early morning while he was attending the midnight Christmas service along with hundreds of fellow-Christians. more..

Dec 25 (LM) President Mahinda Rajapakse has turned down a request by Norway's Special Envoy and Minister for International Development, Erik Solheim, for a meeting during his three-day visit to New Delhi beginning Tuesday. The purpose was to discuss matters relating to the resumption of the peace talks and discussions with the LTTE on the working of the Ceasefire Agreement. more..

Dec 25 (LM) The SLMM has condemned Friday's incident in Mannar in which 13 Navy personnel were killed but declared there "are definitely powers working in the northeast at the moment who do not want peace". However, the statement issued by the Head of Mission did not identity who these powers are except to say "by instigating provocations and violence, they are causing fear and mistrust in the whole of Sri Lanka". more..

Dec 25 (ANN) The military expressed its disappointment over a high level diplomatic mission visiting Killinochchi, north-east of Sri Lanka in the backdrop of the Tiger rebels stepping up attacks on security forces, particularly Friday’s (Dec 23) ambush that killed 13 sailors and wounded three at Pesalai, on the north-west cost of the island. more..

Dec 25 (ANN) While it was inevitable that a sinking feeling would have hit not just the Colombo Stock Exchange and punters who play the share market but the whole country as a result of Friday’s (Dec 23) LTTE atrocity, it is necessary to ensure that there is no panic or a sense that war is inevitable. more..

Dec 25 (AT) Sri Lanka's Joint Operation Headquarters say reports have confirmed that parliamentarian Mr. Joseph Pararajasingham who was gunned down at around 1.10 am Sunday morning at the St. Mary’s cathedral in Batticaloa, has had no plans to attend the mass. However, a telephone caller late last night had insisted his present at the night service. more..

Dec 25 (AT) Who killed Joseph Pararajasingham? Details are still sketchy and no one has come forward to claim responsibility for the killing. Incidentally, LTTE official Peace Secretariat website has so far not made any comments about the killing at the time of posting this news item. Meanwhile pro–LTTE news website alleged that "Srilanka Military intelligent gunmen have shot dead the Tamil legislator." more..

Dec 25 (LT) The killing of Joseph Pararajasingham was the act of wanni tiger organization says Karuna faction of the tiger organization. An official spokesman for Karuna faction said Mr. Joseph Pararajasingham ignored the boycott campaign of presidential election launched by wanni tiger organization and encouraged the Tamil people in Batticaloa to cast their votes. more..

Dec 25 (PIS) A top diplomatic delegation comprising the peace process co-chairs, who rushed to hold emergency talks with the LTTE leadership yesterday, failed to make a breakthrough during the 2½ hour talks in rebel-held Kilinochchi but stressed the need for both the Sri Lankan government and the Tigers to meet at the earliest to prevent the country from sliding back to war. more..

Dec 25 (LNP) Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera has stayed any further action on a planned exchange of the official residence of Sri Lanka`s High Commissioner in Britain, and an investigation is pending on the suitability of the exchange, Mr. Samaraweera told The Sunday Times. more..

Dec 25 (LNP) The Sri Lanka Tourist Board crisis has taken a new turn with President Mahinda Rajapakse dismissing Tourist Board Chief Udaya Nanayakkara. This comes in the backdrop of the tourism industry vehemently opposing Tourism Minister Anura Bandaranaike decision to allow Nanayakkara, his former brother-in-law, to continue. more..

Dec 25 (LNP) Those living in Sri Lanka can see the reality of the `commercial X`mas` and the `real Christmas` being celebrated side by side, despite the hype that anti-Christian elements sharpening their tools to destroy the spirit of Christmas. more..

Dec 25 (ISL) The death of the Batticaloa MP Joseph Pararajasingam remains a mystery as government, LTTE and TNF exchanged accusations at each other for his death. The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam directly blames the government and the army intelligence while certain other sections of the LTTE blame the Karuna led TNF for the assassination. more..

Dec 25 (SO) At this Christmas held in remembrance of the Birth of Jesus Christ, the attention of the Sri Lankan Christian Community as well as the World Christian Community is particularly focused on Peace. We are aware that Lord Jesus Christ had preached thus; "Blessed are the Peace Makers for they shall be called the Children of God". more..

Dec 25 (SI) Last December's tidal wave caused widespread destruction in the coastal town of Batticaloa and its environs. In all, 3,000 people died and a further 56,000 were left homeless. The area is mainly under Sinhalese government control, but there are pockets of Tamil Tiger - the LTTE - resistance. Tensions are simmering. more..