Dec 6 (SLA) THREE MUSLIM CIVILIANS were the latest victims that fell prey to continuing Tamil Tiger atrocities in the eastern town of THOPPUR, about 17 km southeast of TRINCOMALEE town. Four Muslim civilians all of them from HARIYANAGAR, MUTTUR area were in un-cleared areas to fetch their cattle when they were taken into LTTE custody more..

Dec 6 (SLA) A GROUP OF IRATE MUSLIMS had assaulted three Tamil civilians in retaliation against a fire attack carried out on a fellow Muslim in the general area of PAHALATHOPPUR on 03 December 2005 around 11.15 a.m. Three Tamil men were traveling in a three-wheeler when they were assaulted by an irate group of Muslims. more..

Dec 6 (LBO) Trading screens in Colombo turned red on Tuesday, not for the holiday season but in response to the latest spat of suspected terrorist attacks in the North and East. Three days of military unrest between the government and Tamil separatist rebels, which killed 22 people, wiped off US$ 600 million in value from the Colombo Stock Exchange by the end of Tuesday trading. more..

Dec 6 (LBO) The mother of one of the three Sri Lankans facing execution in Saudi Arabia has appealed to the newly elected Sri Lankan President to intervene to obtain clemency, after learning that the sentences may be carried out at any time. more..

Dec 6 (TN) Six Sri Lanka Army soldiers and an SLA official were killed in a Claymore mine attack on a SLA tractor in Irupalai, 5 km North east of Jaffna town Tuesday at 10:00 a.m., police said. The explosion took place 200 meters west of Irupalai junction on Jaffna - Point Pedro road. more..

Dec 6 (Hindu) A Norwegian newspaper has disclosed that the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs bankrolled the LTTE between 2002 and 2004, and continues to finance the group banned as a terrorist organisation in India, the United States and Britain. The report also quotes the Norwegian Foreign Ministry as saying that it gave this money to the LTTE at the request of the Sri Lankan Government. more..

Dec 6 (ANN) Seven Sri Lankan soldiers have been killed in a landmine attack in the northern town of Jaffna, the second major attack blamed on Tamil Tiger rebels in three days, as the new army chief vowed to take on terrorism. more..

Dec 6 (LeN) Even though the Jathika Hela Urumaya has refused to accept ministerial portfolios, the party has requested high posts for party members in the government sector and corporations. Reportedly JHU is exerting pressure on the President to appoint party's legal advisor Udaya Gammanpila as Chairman of Bank of Ceylon and SANASA Chairman Kiriwandeniy as the head of Peoples' Bank. more..

Dec 6 (GT) THE editor of the London Evening Standard newspaper has stood by his paper’s recent exposure that former president Chandrika Kumaratunga has purchased Prince Andrew’s famous Southyork Mansion. President Kumaratunga vehemently denied the newspaper article. However, the editor had emphasised that the story was true and it was obtained from a most reliable source. more..

Dec 6 (SAMN) Ranil Wickremesinghe yesterday condemned outright Sunday’s killing of seven soldiers in Jaffna and insisted it was the duty of the government to restore normalcy in the country. “The fact that nine soldiers have been killed in the past few days is a dangerous trend. Moreover it recorded the most number of deaths in a single incident since the ceasefire agreement was signed”, more..

Dec 6 (SAMN) President Mahinda Rajapakse who is now residing at Temple Trees might move into President’s House early next month, political sources said. Meanwhile former President Chandrika Kumaratunga who shifted to her Horagolla residence on Saturday is unlikely to move into the official residence of late Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar which is now being occupied by his widow. more..

Dec 6 (SAMN) A special Bench of five Supreme Court Judges yesterday reserved the judgement in the Revision Application seeking the release of the LTTE cadre who had been convicted and sentenced by the High Court in connection with attacking four army camps. more..

Dec 6 (LNP) The Transport Ministry is drawing up plans to set up a railway workshop for manufacturing carriages required for the train service locally. For many years there was a proposal to set up a factory exclusively for manufacturing rail carriages so that the Government will not have to spend money to import carriages. more..

Dec 6 (LNP) Outgoing Army Commander Shantha Kottegoda yesterday accused the LTTE of trying to provoke the military with a series of truce-breaking attacks that killed 12 people over the weekend. General Kottegoda warned the LTTE that the army could now defeat it, despite repeated failures in the past. more..

Dec 6 (LNP) The Attorney General yesterday gave an undertaking to the Court of Appeal that Charles Gnanakone will be released from police custody. The Deputy Solicitor General, Jayantha Jayasuriya, told the Court that having considered the representations made by Faiz Mustapha PC, the AG had decided to direct the release of Gnanakone. more..

Dec 6 (DN) The Most Ven. Udugama Sri Buddarakkhita Mahanayake Thera of the Asgiriya Chapter said President Mahinda Rajapakse's policies and actions have created renewed hopes for a new Sri Lanka where people of all communities and religions could live in peace and amity. more..

Dec 6 (CI) On a day whose events were purely of academic interest, thanks to cyclone-induced rain washing out the first three-and-a-half days of play, Sri Lanka dominated, grabbing a bit of the psychological advantage for the rest of the series. more..

Dec 6 (Xinhua) Sarath Fonseka, Sri Lanka's new Army commander, said Tuesday that a dialogue must be established with the Tamil Tigers in order to push the rebel group to continue honoring the ongoing cease-fire. Fonseka told reporters that his troops were ready to face any threats from the LTTE. more..

Dec 6 (KUNA) Kuwait's Ambassador to Sri Lanka Abdullah Naser Al-Sanousi handed the Sri Lankan government 50 fully equipped fishing boats as a contribution to lessen the suffering of the fishermen after their boats were washed away by the devastating tsunami. more..

Dec 6 (HT) Seriously violating the Ceasefire Agreement, the LTTE has attacked the Sri Lankan Army in the northern district of Jaffna, killing 13 soldiers over the last 48 hours. It has also attacked the dissident Karuna group in the Eastern district of Amparai, killing a top commander, Iniyabharathy. more..

Dec 6 (BBC) Pasinthu Malintha, a Sri Lankan baby is crying in his cot. He is only two weeks old. His mother is 14, and his father is also his grandfather. He is one of the many victims suffering the consequences of Sri Lanka's heavy reliance on sending maids to work abroad. more..

Dec 6 (AP) A car carrying three Swiss nationals was hit by the same land mine blast in northern Sri Lanka Tuesday that killed six soldiers, the defense ministry and Swiss Embassy said. They were not injured. Two of the Swiss nationals work for the Swiss Agency For Development and Cooperation, more..

Dec 6 (AFP) Seven Sri Lankan troops were killed in a mine blast, the second major attack blamed on Tamil Tiger rebels in three days, as the island nation's new army chief vowed to take on terrorism. Six soldiers and one officer were riding in a tractor-trailer near a landmark Hindu temple outside the town of Jaffna, more..

Dec 6 (AP) The Sri Lankan government on Tuesday accused the Tamil Tigers of carrying out a "stealth war," as the country's newly appointed top military general said his forces are ready to meet any threats from the rebels. more..

Dec 7 (wsws) New Delhi has responded to last month’s election of Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse by stepping up pressure on Colombo to revive the island’s so-called peace process. Amid fears of a breakdown of the current ceasefire, the Indian government is concerned that any return to armed conflict will have a destabilising impact throughout the region. more..

Dec 7 (TN) Embassy of Japan in Colombo said in a press release issued Tuesday that Mr. Yasushi Akashi, representative of the Government of Japan for Peace-building, Rehabilitation and Reconstruction in Sri Lanka, will visit Sri Lanka from Wednesday to Sunday to discuss the current situation with the Sri Lankan government and other parties concerned. more..

Dec 7 (TN) Tension griped Vadamaradchy area as students protests condemning attacks against the students by the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) yesterday, and calling for removal of checkpoints near the High Security Zone (HSZ) encompassing Hartley College and Methodist Girls High School, continued for a second day Tuesday, sources in Point Pedro said. more..

Dec 7 (TN) British Cabinet Minister, Ms. Tessa Jowell MP, Minister for Culture, Media and Sport, will visit Sri Lanka on 8 and 9 December as part of a five-day visit which also included India and Thailand. Ms Jowell will be the first British Minister to visit Sri Lanka since President Rajapakse was elected. more..

Dec 7 (AFX) Global banking giant HSBC formally launched a 31 mln usd call centre in Sri Lanka as violence flared in the north of the island, officials said. Sri Lanka beat contenders such as neighbouring India to secure HSBC's 11th call centre, a company official told reporters, more..

Dec 7 (CI) England's miserable time on the subcontinent continued with their fourth successive defeat in the triangular tournament, this time to Sri Lanka. They now need unlikely victories with bonus points in their remaining two matches - and for Bangladesh to win tomorrow - to make the final. more..

Dec 7 (RC) On most days, the residents of Hambantota could be found fishing in the Indian Ocean, playing cricket in the hot sun or chatting with neighbors under a coconut tree. For the past two months, many of those living in this small fishing village – located 230 kilometers south of Colombo – have been picking up garbage in the Karagan Lagoon. more..

Dec 7 (TN) Sri Lanka Navy (SLAN) Tuesday evening around 4.30 p.m.arrested five LTTE cadres including two women traveling in fibre glass boat in Pallimunai sea area in Mannar district. One political cadre, Miss Gunaratnam Puvaneswary alias Uthaya, (20), took cyanide and was immediately taken to Mannar hospital. more..

Dec 7 (RW) While their lives have taken many similar turns, it took a natural disaster for Rosinda, 11, and Ashar, 14, to become friends. The two - who met at after school activities organised by UNICEF and local non-governmental organizations (NGOs) for children impacted by the 2004 tsunami more..

Dec 7 (AT) Dialog Telekom, Sri Lanka’s leading telecommunications company and Gargills (Ceylon) Ltd, leading consumer marketing agency signed an agreement that would enable the mobile telephone customers to pay their bills at any of the 71 Cargills Food City outlets throughout the island, an innovative convenient system. more..

Dec 7 (Hindu) Secretary-General of Amnesty International, Irene Khan, on Monday described the current Sri Lankan situation as "grim, volatile and ready to implode." She called upon "all sides" to the conflict — the Sri Lankan Government and the LTTE — to "take responsibility" as the situation was "extremely fragile." more..

Dec 7 (AT) Anton Balasingham states that media reports of Prabakaran giving one month’s ultimatum are distorted. He states: "Prabakaran has not said that. Prabakaran has not given one month ultimatum. He says a brief period will be given till next year. He has not fixed a date. But has also told that cannot tolerate for a long period of time." more..

Dec 7 (AT) It's official. Former President Chandrika Kumaratunga announced in her farewell that "under no circumstances (would she) continue to hold political office after a second term." She added: "I stood and watched with great amusement, while I was abused by many in the media and others, that I was attempting to carve out another position for myself, in order to hang on to power forever. more..

Dec 7 (UN) Strongly condemning the recent violence in Sri Lanka, United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan today voiced hope that it will not hamper the commitment of the Government or rebels to the peace process. The Secretary-General’s statement, issued by his spokesman in New York, came in response to clashes in Jaffna and the northeast of Sri Lanka, more..

Dec 7 (LeN) A group of Ministers is to make queries from the President as to how the former President would be allocated an official residence. Under the provisions of Presidential Liabilities Act of 1986, a retired President is entitled to pension, official residence, maintenance allowance, payments for water and electricity, official vehicle, more..

Dec 7 (LeN) New Army commander Lieutenant General Sarath Fonseka left for Palali army base today in the company of Chief of Defense Staff Vice Admiral Daya Sandagiri to oversee security arrangements in Jaffna amidst mounting attacks on the security forces and to look into Tamil-Muslim clashes in the East. more..

Dec 7 (LeN) Addressing the first UNP parliamentary group meting after the Presidential Election this evening, Opposition Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe warned the government could not expect foreign aid, if it failed to come out with a solution to the national problem that would be acceptable to the international community. more..

Dec 7 (LT) An open economy that is destructive has no benefit to a country says Mr. Ronnie de Mel, a former finance minister. Speaking to a private TV channel Mr. de Mel said the country needs an economy which brings benefits to all the people. more..

Dec 7 (LT) Sinhalese and Muslims students of Jaffna University have quit the University. The group which consists of 46 are residents of places outside Jaffna District. They have decided to quit the University as a result of the hostilities in Jaffna and threats from students sympathetic to tiger organization. more..

Dec 7 (ANN) New Army Commander Lt. Gen Sarath Fonseka yesterday asserted that the LTTE does not have the capability to launch a full scale conventional war as they had been weakend considerably. He said the strength of the LTTE hardcore members was around 4,000 to 5,000 while the rest were child soldiers and inexperienced cadres. more..

Dec 7 (AT) Tamil Eela Makkal Viduthalai Pulikal emphasized that Akkaraipattu mosque grenade attack was done by the LTTE assailants, and none of their cadres surrendered to the LTTE. They also confirmed that one of their commanders Inniyabarathy is not dead. more..

Dec 7 (IFEX) The Centre for Policy Alternatives, a Sri Lankan think tank, and International Media Support of Denmark have published the second volume of their series assessing the state of media and press freedom in the country. A Study of Media in Sri Lanka (April 2005) examines the challenges facing media more..

Dec 7 (TN) Jaffna Student Consortium said Tuesday evening that they have decided to expand the protests across Jaffna district schools Wednesday since the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) has not met the demands by the protesting Hartley College students and has continued to use force to suppress student actions the last two days, more..

Dec 7 (PIS) New Army Commander Sarath Fonseka yesterday called for the immediate resumption of field level talks between the military and the LTTE to defuse tension following the two major attacks — but he also vowed he would take every step to protect his troops and fight terrorism. more..

Dec 7 (TN) SLMM on Tuesday urged the Government of Sri Lanka and the LTTE to reopen the channels for direct dialogue at the local level to diffuse the situation in the NorthEast. The attacks that have taken place over the last few days must stop immediately if the peace process is to move forward, more..

Dec 7 (LBO) Sri Lankan importers pay up millions of rupees in penalties every month by not knowing about import regulations, says Customs Department. “Sometimes importers pay around Rs 2 million a month on penalties, due to lack of basic knowledge about import regulations,” said Superintendent of Customs, M R Rajmohan, more..