Jan 22 (GI) Sri Lankan man Syed fazeel Maulana who lost 16 members of his family in the 26 December tsunamis, visits his destroyed house, in Hambantota, 250 km south of Colombo, more..

Jan 22 (IMC) I had the opportunity to visit Sri Lanka twice in 2003. The first was because a friend dragged me along when her intended travel partner cancelled on a two-for-one package deal. The second time I went back on my own steam. I wanted to see more of this country, which had so much to offer, from ancient palace ruins to tea plantations. more..

Jan 22 (TP) Sri Lanka’s Tourism Minister Anura Bandaranaike said that investors who have made commitments to invest here before the tsunami would be allowed to go ahead with their proposals. more..

Jan 22 (TP) Adoption of Sri Lankan children orphaned by the tsunamis by Italians would be considered under extreme circumstances, Italian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Gianfranco Fini was quoted as saying in the Daily Mirror. more..

Jan 22 (AT) Anton Balasingham and his Australian born wife Adele Balasingham arrived yesterday morning from London and were immediately ferried to Kilinochchi by the Air force helicopter. more..

Jan 22 (AT) Norwegian Foreign Minister Jan Peterson and his delegation are expected to visit the ruined town of Mullaithievu today to see for themselves the tragic devastation to the coastal areas caused by tsunami. more..

Jan 22 (KSL) In Colombo, Sri Lanka's seaside capital spared of the tsunami's wrath, life appears normal, until you look up. White banners are everywhere, strung across streets they're traditional signs of mourning. more..

Jan 22 (BP) "Southern Baptists are committed to serving Sri Lankans for the time it takes to make a significant difference in their lives," a Southern Baptist assessment team member assured. more..

Jan 22 (AFP) Temples, mosques and churches which withstood last month's pounding waves with barely a scratch stand like glowing beacons in Sri Lanka's vast tsunami-made wastelands. Religious icons, unharmed and still coloured brightly, more..

Jan 22 (GI) Srilankans cry during funeral ceremony in the town of Hambantota, 250 km south of Colombo, 21 January 2005. more..

Jan 22 (TT) No one doubts that this is one of the biggest challenges my country has ever faced. But what I have realised after travelling nearly 2,000 miles across the tsunami-affected regions this month is that, contrary to what has been reported here, Sri Lanka is getting back on its feet and is ready for tourists to return. more..

Jan 22 (SAMN) Amidst the tsunami catastrophe the medical profession which is playing a life or death role was plunged into turmoil Friday. This came with the government medical officers association warning that some 10,000 of its member-doctors might resign en masse from the Sri Lanka Medical Council protesting the registration of registered medical officers with Russian degrees. more..

Jan 22 (SAMN) A joint US - Canadian investigation busted a ring run by the LTTE, which was involved in smuggling members of the group into Canada and the USA, a report in a Canadian newspaper, The National Post said. more..

Jan 22 (SAMN) Government servants are likely to work less than half of the year in 2005. This year, being a year with 365 days out of which 27 days are been already identified as general holidays by the Ministry of Public Administration and Home Affairs under the Holidays Act 29 of 1971. more..

Jan 22 (SAMN) The government has invited US troops here for relief, rehabilitation and reconstruction work and they will remain till the end of next year, a highly placed government official said Friday. He said 1,657 US troops and other foreign military personnel totalling 2,517 were now on rebuilding operations. more..

Jan 22 (TN) The much awaited visit by Norwegian ministers to meet with the LTTE leadership in Kilinochchi is delayed as the Norwegian team was forced to take A9 land route from Anuradhapura instead of the scheduled helicopter route to Kilinochchi due to cloudy weather conditions, sources in Kilinochchi said. more..

Jan 22 (TN) Mounting an all-out attack against President Chandrika Kumaratunga's leadership, major coalition partner of her Freedom Alliance government, radical JVP has said on Friday that the call by the government leadership for national unity was an "empty ballyhoo" more..

Jan 22 (TN) Leaders of the LTTE Saturday requested the Norwegian government delegation led by its Foreign Minister Mr.Jan Petersen to ensure that the northeast region received equitable proportion of the international aid Sri Lanka is expected to receive in the aftermath of tsunami disaster. more..

Jan 22 (SLA) Four LTTE cadres have abducted two civilians from the general area of ERAVUR on 20 January 2005 around 3.30 p.m., stated a complaint made to the ERAVUR Police by another two civilians. more..

Jan 22 (SLA) Security Forces (SF) and Police personnel on duty at the road block near the BLACK BRIDGE in CHENKALADY have arrested an LTTE cadre with one micro pistol and some ammunition on 21 January 2005 around 6.00 p.m. more..

Jan 22 (SLA) Naval troops on duty have arrested a Sri Lankan refugee who had returned from India and dropped at the second sand bank in the general sea area of THALAIMANNAR on 20 January 2005. more..

Jan 22 (LT) All components necessary to assemble two light air crafts have been sent to an NGO concealed with a load of tsunami aid says sources in the Katunayake International Airport. These components which were packed in thirteen packages have been flown to Sri Lanka by Cathy Pacific and German L.H. air lines. more..

Jan 22 (LT) Security Forces have got information that two light air crafts have landed on the runway built by the Wanni tiger organization in the jungles of Mulaitivu. The air crafts carried the Red Cross logo but the Air Force sources say they are not aware where they had come from. more..

Jan 22 (LBO) Donor countries say they have credited nearly US$ 50 mn, in cash, for immediate rehabilitation work in Sri Lanka, but the government is still picking up the numbers. "At this time the confirmed amount, in cash, from bilateral donors to Sri Lanka, comes to US$ 49.6 mn," said Yan Huesken, more..

Jan 22 (Yahoo) A Sri Lankan man looks at a U.S. military helicopter engaged in relief work in the tsunami-ravaged town of Pottivul, about 85 km (53 miles) south of Kalmunai on Sri Lanka's east coast. more..

Jan 22 (AR) Charitable organizations say the best way to help victims of the Asian tsunami disaster is by donating cash, not material goods. But working on its own outside those charities, the Sri Lankan Student Association at Arizona State University went ahead with a clothing drive. more..

Jan 22 (AFP) US Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage is to travel to Brussels next week for talks with fellow donors on the current status of the peace process in Sri Lanka, the State Department said. more..

Jan 22 (GD) FORMER GDN cartoonist Tissa Hewavitarne has paid tribute to his past through a solo art exhibition staged at the Lionel Wendt Art Gallery in Colombo, Sri Lanka. More than 80 watercolour paintings, as well as several cartoons and caricatures went on show at the event, entitled The Interesting People I Have Met. more..

Jan 22 (Reuters) Sri Lanka plans to use more than half of its $3.5 billion tsunami recovery budget to build new towns, roads and railway and give rebel-held areas a piece of the pie, documents showed today. more..

Jan 22 (NNS) In Sri Lanka, the Tamils live mostly in the northeast, where they have their own schools and worship freely in Hindu temples. They also have their own army. Until recent decades, Tamils kept a peaceful distance from the island's Buddhist Sinhalese majority for centuries. more..

Jan 22 (Reuters) Sri Lanka's Tamil Tiger rebels said on Saturday they had put politics aside to clear up after the Asian tsunami, but added that swifter, fairer government aid distribution could boost peace prospects. more..

Jan 22 (CI) Brilliant hitting by Stephen Fleming took New Zealand to a resounding victory by nine wickets over the FICA World XI at Jade Stadium in Christchurch with nearly 34 overs to spare. Fleming went on a one-man wrecking mission as he raced to a century off 54 balls, with his last 50 runs coming in ust 19 deliveries. more..

Jan 22 (PIS) Norwegian Foreign Minister Jan Petersen arrived in here yesterday on a dual mission to assess the needs of tsunami-hit areas and to try to revive peace talks between the government and the LTTE. more..

Jan 22 (TS) Tamil Tiger rebels have expressed disappointment at Prime Minister Paul Martin's failure to tour tsunami-hit areas under their control, stressing many relatives of Canada's Tamil population had been expecting a visit. more..

Jan 22 (NYT) A dozen Americans walked into a relief camp here, showering bereft parents and traumatized children with gifts, attention and affection. They also quietly offered camp residents something else: Jesus. more..

Jan 22 (Yahoo) As Sri Lanka struggles to recover from the devastating tsunami, some of the rhythms of normal life return: boys playing beach cricket. more..

Jan 22 (SFG) J.K. Perera paced out in the rubble the outline of what used to be his beachfront home. He pointed to a broken pipe poking out of the sand. He was standing here, in the bathroom washing his face, when he looked up and saw the water coming. more..

Jan 22 (SFG) Lam Nona remains in the Hambantota public hospital, her leg freshly amputated above her knee. Three days after the tsunami, a team of doctors from Colombo removed her foot at the ankle. But in the tropical heat, her leg became infected, and more had to go. Her sister, Non Nona, stays by her side. more..

Jan 22 (PTI) The Sri Lankan government has invited Mata Amritanandamayi to visit the island nation and provide "spiritual healing" to those affected by the tsunami and bring peace and prosperity to their lives. "The victims need spiritual healing, solace, succour and blessing," more..

Jan 22 (DN) The Transport Ministry has ruled out the possibility of constructing a new railway line to the South along the Southern expressway. Transport Minister Felix Perera told the Daily News that they were looking at alternative routes for the proposed rail link. more..

Jan 22 (AFP) Tamil Tiger rebels announced they were putting on hold their struggle for greater autonomy for the Tamil minority in order to deal with the aftermath of the tsunami disaster. "The political struggle will continue but we need to put that away now," more..

Jan 22 (BBC) Sri Lanka's Tamil Tiger rebels say they are willing to join the government in setting up a "common mechanism" for distributing foreign tsunami aid. The Tigers accuse the government of withholding relief from their areas - a charge the government has rejected. more..

Jan 22 (LAT) In the aftermath of the tsunami, the restless boys in the crowded classroom play cruel tricks on other refugees: "The water is coming! The water is coming!'' they shout, then laugh as women run in fear. more..

Jan 22 (AP) Norwegian envoys are urging the Sri Lankan government and Tamil Tiger rebels to create a joint body to oversee tsunami aid distribution in an effort to meet demands by Tamil Tiger rebels for greater control of the relief effort in guerrilla-held areas, officials said Saturday. more..

Jan 23 (TN) Emphasizing on the need for wider co-operation between UPFA government and the LTTE visiting Minister of International Development of Norway, Ms. Hilde F. Johnson said on Saturday night in Colombo that the frustration of the tsunami affected people was growing high as a result of their needs not being met by authorities. more..

Jan 23 (TN) An earth tremor in Muthariputhurai village, located 15 km north west of Murungan in Mannar, forced 1800 residents to move to safer areas of Potkerni, Sirukandal and Pariharikandal to spend the night Friday, sources in Mannar said. Offical Sri Lanka Government agencies have not yet acknowledge the incident in Muthariputhurai, sources added. more..

Jan 23 (BBC) Businessmen of Galle took to the streets in protest of the government regulation prohibiting construction within 100 metres from the sea shore. They gathered in front of the divisional secretariat, disrupting traffic. The businessmen are demanding that they must be allowed to reconstruct on locations, where they had their shops before the disaster. more..

Jan 23 (UPI) Members of a fundamentalist Christian group from Texas are raising hackles in tsunami-ravaged Sri Lanka with allegedly pushy evangelistic appeals. Antioch Community Church, an evangelical church based in Waco, has been proselytizing in the predominately Buddhist island nation, to the consternation of local Christian leaders, more..

Jan 23 (AP) Norwegian peace brokers are urging the Sri Lankan government to decentralise distribution of international aid to tsunami survivors, in an effort to meet demands by Tamil Tiger rebels for greater control of the relief effort in guerilla-held areas, officials said yesterday. more..

Jan 23 (BBC) Coral reefs around the coast of Sri Lanka may have suffered much less damage from the Indian Ocean tsunami than was initially feared, early surveys have suggested. As well as causing so much loss of life and devastation on land, it was feared that the giant waves would have destroyed coral reef systems around the affected countries. more..