Mar 11 (BBC) JVP Propaganda Secretary Wimal Weerawansa MP says they are not against the World Bank and do not ask the World Bank to leave Sri Lanka. Clarifying that the protest they organised was an attempt to drive out the Tamil Tiger supporters within the World Bank the JVP MP labelled the World Bank Country Director as a "White Tiger". more..

Mar 11 (Hindu) The Government and the LTTE are reportedly closer to an agreement on a joint mechanism for post-tsunami reconstruction after a meeting between the Norwegian Special Adviser to the peace process, Erik Solheim, and the LTTE's chief negotiator, Anton S. Balasingham, in London on Wednesday. more..

Mar 11 (AT) Hong Kong based Asian Human Rights Commission points out the enormous delay in taking up the murder trial of Gerald Perera,, who was killed just two days after the killing of Judge Ambepitya. more..

Mar 11 (AT) Mahinda Weerasinghe, an official of the Australian based Society for Peace, SPUR based in Toronto, has brought to the notice of the Senators and the Members of Parliament of Canada of the latest killings and atrocities committed by the LTTE. more..

Mar 11 (AFP) Indonesia and Sri Lanka, devastated by the tsunami disaster in late December, have been given a moratorium until December 31 on repayment of their debt owed to Paris Club members, the Paris Club said Thursday. more..

Mar 11 (SLA) Acting Commander of the Army, Major General Sarath Fonseka, accompanied by Senior Officers of the Army on Wednesday (9) accorded a rousing welcome plus a Guard of Honour to the visiting Chief of the Air Staff of the Pakistan Air Force, Air Chief Marshal Kaleem Saadat at Army Headquarters, Colombo. more..

Mar 11 (CI) On the day that England A wrapped up a comprehensive 197-run victory over their Sri Lankan counterparts at the CCC, not many of the city's cricket fans were paying attention. They were instead gathered half-a-mile down the road at the SSC, where Royal College and St Thomas's – were engaged in their annual "Battle of the Blues". more..

Mar 11 (SLRC) A decision has been taken to pass the bill on the 18th amendment to the constitution which was presented in parliament in relation to the establishment of zonal appeal courts. The government plans to set up these appeal courts to clear the backlog 13 thousand cases piled up in all courts in the island. more..

Mar 11 (LNP) The LTTE Peace Secretariat has come out with a detailed report titled `Needs assessment for the North-East which put the overall cost at a staggering US$ 1455.0 million for tsunami reconstruction. more..

Mar 11 (SAMN) People in the coastal areas of Hikkaduwa and Seenigama ran helter-skelter Thursday screaming that another tsunami was coming, as waves swept some 50 metres inland and inundated the main road disrupting the traffic flow. more..

Mar 11 (SAMN) Escalating medicinal drug prices in Sri Lanka may increase by another 30% within weeks or months if the government does not take immediate and effective remedial action, drug price analysts and health action groups warned Thursday. more..

Mar 11 (SAMN) The UNP media spokesman during a media conference at the Opposition leader's office said the party would support the 18th Amendment to the Constitution if the government gave full powers of decision to the Appeal Court president. more..

Mar 11 (ANN) The future of Sri Lanka’s tea industry will be excellent, at least for the next decade or so, only if all concerned concentrate on quality, with any increase in production also on the same lines. more..

Mar 11 (TN) Three PLOTE cadres were wounded when two unidentified men riding a motorbike lobbed a grenade on the group's camp in Batticaloa town Friday afternoon. The condition of two injured PLOTE cadres is serious, Police said. The PLOTE camp is in a high security sector of the eastern town. more..

Mar 11 (TN) Restive crowds pelted Sri Lanka army (SLA) troops and blocked the Nelliyadi-Kodikamam main road with burning tires at Kalikai Junction, Thunnalai in Jaffna demanding the arrest of an SLA soldier who had allegedly attempted to molest a married woman in the area in the early hours of Friday morning. more..

Mar 11 (SLA) Muslim dominated ODDAMAVADI area in the east was plunged into a state of paralysis on Friday (11 March 2005) as transport, business and normalcy ground to a standstill following a massive protest of Muslims against LTTE’s continuing atrocities. more..

Mar 11 (SLA) Four Tamil youths, who make a living by doing labour work, were arrested and detained in LTTE custody in un-cleared areas, but they managed to escape LTTE detention and showed up at the OMANTHAI entry/exit point on 10 March 2005 around 7.00 a.m. without any identification documents. more..

Mar 11 (SLA) Naval troops on duty in TALAIMAMANNAR have arrested seventeen Sri Lankan refugees returning from India on 10 March 2005 around 2. 20 p.m. Preliminary information revealed that an Indian trawler had dropped them at the 5th SAND BANK in TALAIMANNAR sea area after collecting. more..

Mar 11 (SLA) A complaint made at the POINT PEDRO Police claimed that an old father of a civilian had been abducted by LTTE on 2 March 2005 around 10.30 a.m. The complainant, T.SELVARATHNAM of PELAWATTA PROJECT, POINT PEDRO on 05 March 2005 has further stated that his father had been abducted by LTTE when he was at his residence. more..

Mar 11 (PRIU) A group of well-wishers who have volunteered to assist the state in its rebuilding programme met with the President yesterday (March 10). Among the group of around fifty persons, there were clergymen, private sector entrepreneurs and those representing Non Governmental Organizations. more..

Mar 11 (PIS) An LTTE delegation led by the LTTE Political Wing leader were ferried by helicopter from Killinochchi to the Bandaranaike International Airport, Katunayake to leave on a tour of Europe. The group led by S.P. Thamilselvan arrived at the Omanthai Army checkpoint by road on Wednesday evening in vehicles without number plates. more..

Mar 11 (PIS) The EU is likely to take up a gamut of touchy issues, including the conscription of child soldiers and acquisition of an air capability (by the LTTE), when Tiger political wing leader S. P. Thamilselvan meets the EU’s External Affairs Commissioner Ms Benita Ferrero-Waldner, at the EU headquarters in Brussels, during his forthcoming European tour. more..

Mar 11 (Reuters) Tsunami-hit Sri Lanka has accepted a Paris Club offer to freeze its debt payments until the end of 2005, but plans to press lenders to extend the moratorium to the end of 2007, the island's finance minister said on Friday. more..

Mar 11 (SN) The commission appointed by the president of Sri Lanka to inquire in to the cause of Apawathweema of the Ven.Gangodavila Soma Thero is scheduled to commence hearings on 11th Thursday of March 2005 at the BMICH Colombo. more..

Mar 11 (SN) Ven.Rathana Thero said that the ‘PERK’ Commission had made an announcement to sell the Phosphate Deposit at Eppawala,Anuradapura , to local and foreign entrepreneurs,. and it had been given wide publicity in the local papers. more..

Mar 11 (LNP) Leaders need to set aside lofty morals and try to negotiate with suicide bombers and other terrorists, members of the Northern Ireland and Sri Lankan peace processes told the Madrid summit on Wednesday. more..

Mar 11 (DN) UPFA MP Wimal Weerawansa yesterday stressed in Parliament that Security Forces should take swift measures to control the serious situation in the Eastern Province where a number of civilians have been killed by the LTTE. more..

Mar 11 (BBC) The Sri Lankan government has accused Tamil Tiger rebels of using an airstrip in the country's north in violation of the country's ceasefire agreement. A defence ministry spokesman told the BBC that the rebels have misused the ceasefire to acquire air power. more..

Mar 11 (AP) Suspected Tamil Tiger rebels hurled a hand grenade into the office of a rival Tamil group Friday in Sri Lanka's violence-wracked east, wounding four people, officials said. Friday's violence was the latest in a string of attacks in eastern Sri Lanka since a renegade rebel group led a split from the main Tamil Tiger group last year. more..

Mar 12 (TN) Dr Dedo Geinitz, former Team Leader of the Integrated Food Security Programme (IFSP) Trincomalee supported by GTZ and funded by the governments of Germany and Sri Lanka and Mrs Ruth Fode-Geinitz, their friends and family members from Germany have provided Rs 700,000 worth of fishing equipment to fishermen from Ilankaithurai, more..

Mar 12 (TN) Accusing Foreign Minister of "inciting the forces of chauvinism and extremism" in Sri Lanka by rushing to describe World Bank official Mr Peter Harrold's statements on Liberation Tigers, without checking their veracity, as "provocative," more..

Mar 12 (LBO) Taxes have driven Sri Lanka’s gold market underground, with only smuggled gold able to hold down prices, say industry sources. "There is no official gold in the market," says Chanaka Ellawela, vice chairman, Sri Lanka Gem and Jewellery Association. more..

Mar 12 (LBO) Restructuring the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) will reduce cost of electricity production by Rs 2.50, says Finance Minister. "Last week we were looking at performance reports of the CEB. If we restructure the CEB we will be able to reduce a unit cost of electricity by Rs 2.50," more..

Mar 12 (LM) In what could be termed as ‘adding fuel to fire', in the post tsunami scenario, law enforcing authorities have facilitated and settled 25 migrant majority community fishermen in a Muslim predominant area of Pulmudai ‘Sadam Nagar', under the pretext that they are ‘tsunami victims'. more..

Mar 12 (LM) Sri Lanka Islamic Centre Chairman and UNP Parliamentarian M.H. Mohammed have denied allegations leveled against him that he had misappropriated tsunami funds which were sent to the Islamic Centre. more..

Mar 12 (LM) The newly established Muslim Peace Secretariat (MPS) declared that the LTTE should not 'directly or indirectly' attempt to give political leadership to the Muslims in the North-East, without consulting the MPS. more..

Mar 12 (BBC) Sri Lanka is lobbying for an extension of debt relief after the Paris Club confirmed it would freeze payments from tsunami-hit nations this year. The Paris Club of 19 creditor nations on Thursday formally agreed the offer, first made soon after the tsunami. more..

Mar 12 (SLRC) President Chandrika Kumaratunga says that the United People’s Freedom Alliance headed by the SLFP will direct the country towards a correct path and it will take action in a people’s friendly manner. more..

Mar 12 (SLRC) 30 students sustained injuries in a clash between a group of undergraduates of Sri Jayawardenepura university and the police. Several police officers were injured in the incident. This clash took place during a protest demonstration organized by the students’ council of the Sri Jayawardenepura university accusing the authorities for privatisation of university. more..

Mar 12 (SLRC) Pakistani Air force chief air chief marshal Kaleem Sadath and the US ambassador in Sri lanka Jeffry Lunstead visited Kandy this morning. The Pakistani air chief paid homage at Sri Dalada Maligawa in Kandy this morning and inspected several places of historic importance at the temple of the sacred tooth relic. more..

Mar 12 (AT) Over 50 tonnes of goods were received in Colombo from Brazil as donation to the tsunami affected victims in Sri Lanka. The total estimated value of the donations received in the Colombo port amounts to Rs 16 million. more..

Mar 12 (TN) "We told the Norwegians that Sri Lanka Government should without delay extend co-operation to finalize the joint mechanism for aid distribution and should take immediate steps to end the targetting of LTTE political officials and cadres working in the East by paramilitary operatives operating with the backing of the Sri Lanka Army," said S.P Thamilchelvan more..

Mar 12 (LM) Thousands of Muslims from the Oddamavadi town launched today a massive protest against the LTTE atrocities and brought the entire area to a standstill. “Atrocities and harassment being committed by LTTE in their areas by way of murder of Muslim civilians, frequent abduction of Muslim civilians, more..

Mar 12 (Jang) Pakistan and Seri Lanka have signed an agreement to establish direct air links between Islamabad-Colmbo and Lahore-Colombo from 1st of May. The national flag carrier, PIA, would start two flights weekly from Islamabad to Colombo. more..

Mar 12 (SLA) A tense situation continues to prevail since this morning (12 March 2005) In the general township area of CHAVAKKACHCHERI in JAFFNA after mobs suspected to have been incited by LTTE after the traffic accident on Friday in which a motorbike rider over taking an Army track on wrong side struck it. more..

Mar 12 (SLA) An unidentified person had hurled a hand grenade at a civilian house in the general area of KODIKAMAM on 10 March 2005 around 11.50 p.m. The explosion had taken place on the ground beside the house with no injuries to inmates. more..

Mar 12 (SLA) An identified person who came on a motor bicycle has thrown a hand grenade at a businessman house in the general area of MANNAR town near hospital junction on 11 March 2005 around 07.20 p.m. However the hand grenade has fallen on the ground and exploded beside the house causing no injuries to inmates.

Mar 12 (AT) Sri Lanka‘s Police officials assaulted tsunami victims who demonstrated against the government. The victims staged their demo in Mahamodara, Galle and asked immediate permanent shelters. more..

Mar 12 (AT) Buddhists from around the world will come together in Sri Lanka at a two-day conference on March 19-20, to launch an international relief organization. The conference theme will be “Buddhist Humanitarian Services in a Post-Tsunami Context.” more..

Mar 12 (AT) Sri Lanka’s Peace Secretariat said that the government or the security forces do not support or facilitate any armed group. Head of the Peace Secretariat Jayantha Danapala stated that the President Sri Lanka has also emphasized this. more..