Oct 11 (GDN) SRI Lanka is to launch a vigorous campaign to attract more tourists from the GCC countries, a visiting minister revealed yesterday. An average 10,000 GCC nationals visit Sri Lanka as tourists every year, said Deputy Minister of Tourism Faiszer Musthapha. more..

Oct 11 (AT) A leading Sri Lankan entrepreneur and a Presidential candidate in the fray, Dr.Victor Hettigoda, hopes to introduce representatives of the LTTE also in his cabinet of ministers, if he becomes the President of Sri Lanka in the forthcoming polls. more..

Oct 11 (AT) The fate of Colonel Bhanu (43yrs), LTTE’s Special Commander for Amparai - Batticaloa district is unclear as four inmates in the pick-up he was supposed to be traveling were killed and seven others critically injured in an ambush by the Tamil National Force on Monday evening at 9.45 PM at Vavunathievu in the Batticalao district. more..

Oct 11 (AT) I can recall the massacre of Tamils in 1956, 1958, 1961, 1977, 1979, 1981 and 1983. I lived through the first three of them and left the country and the misery in 1972, writes S. Makenthiran of Canada in response to the criticism by Asoka Weerasinghe also of Canada. more..

Oct 11 (TN) Ms Champa Janaki Rajaratne, Kaduwela Magistrate Tuesday directed the Colombo Crime Division (CCD) of the Sri Lanka Police to submit full report on the investigation held into the murder of popular Journalist and senior editor at TamilNet, Mr Dharmaretnam Sivaram, with out any excuse on the next date, October 25. more..

Oct 11 (TN) A group of men in military fatigues launched an ambush on an LTTE convoy in Vavunathivu, 5 kilometers west of Batticaloa Monday night. LTTE sources in the East said three of their cadres sustained injuries in the counterstrike. The clash took place at the entrance to the LTTE controlled area in Vavunathivu around 10:00 p.m. on Monday. more..

Oct 11 (SLA) A THIRTY-FIVE YEAR OLD Eelam People’s Democratic Party (EPDP) member from TRINCOMALEE area was assassinated by Tamil Tiger pistol men late night on Monday (10) while he was at 6th Post, ADIMOTAI junction at UPPUVELI, TRINCOMALEE. more..

Oct 11 (SLA) EELAM PEOPLE’S DEMOCRATIC PARTY (EPDP) chief organizer for POTTUVIL was another political rival to be slain by Tamil Tiger (LTTE) pistol men on Monday (10) around 5.00 p.m. as he stepped out of a teashop in the general town area of POTTUVIL. more..

Oct 11 (SLA) MUSLIM-DOMINATED POTTUVIL area observed a symbolic shutdown this morning (11) in protest against continuing Tamil Tiger (LTTE) killing spree in the area after Tamil Tigers claimed the lives of a number of Muslim businessmen and civilians in the recent past. more..

Oct 11 (SLA) A HINDU PRIEST (SWAMIGAL), attached to SRI GAYATHREE KAMAKODI PEEDAM Hindu Ashram (monastery) in MEESALAI, about 19 km east of JAFFNA town, who was abducted and badly assaulted by masked Tamil Tigers (LTTE) was airlifted to COLOMBO for immediate medical attention Sunday (09) night. more..

Oct 11 (SLA) One more Tamil teenager abducted by two Tamil Tigers (LTTE) for conscription has managed to flee his detention at KILINOCHCHI and surrendered to the MUHAMALAI Police Post on Monday (10 October 2005) around 9.45 a.m. more..

Oct 11 (UNP) Sri Lanka Rupavahini Corporation (SLRC) last week refused to accept the advertisements of UNP Presidential cadidate Ranil Wickremesinghe. The refusal came despite the Elections Commissioner directing the state media to remain balanced, more..

Oct 11 (UNP) Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapakse has moved to get the probe on the ‘Helping Hambantota’ complaint before the Bribery Commission stopped. The Prime Minister has made this move through his lawyers. more..

Oct 11 (LM) Power Minister and UPFA Secretary General Susil Premjayantha said yesterday that the election manifesto of the UPFA candidate Premier Rajapakse which is in its finalising stages would be out during the week. more..

Oct 11 (CI) Five-wicket hauls from Martins Chris and Bruce, backed up by a strong batting performance from Matthew Sinclair and Peter Fulton took New Zealand A to a three-wicket win against Sri Lanka A at the Asgiriya Stadium in Kandy. more..

Oct 11 (wsws) The candidates of the two main bourgeois parties—the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) and the United National Party (UNP)—have begun campaigning in the November 17 presidential election with a barrage of rosy economic promises aimed at duping voters. more..

Oct 11 (AT) Sri Lanka as a country could never go forward with the implementation of economic policies of the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna, said Anura Bandaranaike, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Tourism in Colombo yesterday (10 October). more..

Oct 11 (LT) Mr Sripathi Suriyarachchi, the Co-propaganda Co-ordinator of Mr Mahinda Rajapakse has forwarded six questions to Mr Ranil Wickramasinghe to provide with solid answers. He states that in his election manifesto Mr Wickramasinghe has mentioned that he will go for a political solution based on a united Sri Lanka. more..

Oct 11 (LT) The three police officers who have been detained by the Wanni tigers will be produced before Wanni tiger courts again this morning. The Wanni tigers have demanded the release of their leader by the name of Rubi who is in the custody of the security forces in connection with the murder of Jaffna Superintendent of Police Mr Charles Wijewardena in exchange of the three police officers’ release. more..

Oct 11 (LT) At an un-cleared area in Vavunathivu a Wanni tiger leader and four others have been killed by Wanni tigers themselves. This incident has taken place when a cab carrying around 20 members including two Wanni tiger district leaders was passing Vavunathivu check point. more..

Oct 11 (Reuters) Central bank kept its benchmark policy rates unchanged on Tuesday at their highest level since January 2003, after inflation dipped in September and excess liquidity in the money market fell. The overnight repurchase rate remains at 8.50 percent and the reverse repurchase rate at 10.00 percent, more..

Oct 11 (PIS) In the wee hours of yesterday, the army, acting on a tip off, arrested Charles Gnanakone in connection with the killing of Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar. The millionare Sri Lankan businessman, domiciled in Singapore, was arrested in a house in Nikape, Dehiwala, more..

Oct 11 (PIS) International Human Rights Advisor to the peace process, Ian Martin during his discussions with Sri Lankan Government Secretariat for Coordinating the Peace Process (SCOPP) Secretary General, stressed the need to address human rights issues and agreed to seek LTTE views, after which he would present proposals for consideration to both parties. more..

Oct 11 (SAMN) The EPDP is seeking the right to put up posters and get more air time for its campaign in the northeast on behalf of UPFA candidate Mahinda Rajapakse, a party official said. The official said they would be writing to the Elections Commissioner seeking concessions as party members faced a serious threat if they campaigned personally in the north and east. more..

Oct 11 (SAMN) The Ministry of Environment and Natural resources has embarked in a task of upgrading the Horton plains which is a major tourist attraction. The Minister A. H. M. Fouzy told "The Island" that the project which was also involved in improving facilities offered to the tourists at present focused on making it an environmental friendly national park. more..

Oct 11 (LNP) Colombo High Court Judge Rohini Perera yesterday acquitted all the accused in Richard de Zoysa murder case. The three accused ASP Lal Priyantha Ranchagoda, OIC Anuradhapura B. G. Devasurendra and Sergeant M. W. Sarachchandra were thus released from all the charges. more..

Oct 11 (LNP) Army Chief Lt. Gen. Shantha Kottegoda yesterday said the army was not interested in politics and assured that the army would not interfere in it. `We are a professional and disciplined force,` he said, emphasising that whoever emerged the winner at the forthcoming presidential elections, should be able to bring peace to the country. more..

Oct 11 (LNP) Unrest prevailing in the CEB took a turn for the worse when its Vice Chairman Chula De Silva resigned yesterday saying he could not continue to work in the present environment. Mr. De Silva reportedly had a confrontation with CEB Director General Ranjith Fonseka on Friday. more..

Oct 11 (HT) Anura Bandaranaike, who is to be Prime Minister if Mahinda Rajapaksa wins the Sri Lankan Presidential election on November 17, has said that he will not be able to campaign in the absence of any clarity about Rajapaksa's stand on key national issues like the ethnic question and economic reform. more..

Oct 11 (DN) Derana, Sri Lanka's newest television channel will be launched today with the biggest ever live variety show, at the Sugathadasa Indoor Stadium. An audience of over 4,000 including the country's best known artistes, industry professionals, academics and members of the business community will participate. more..

Oct 11 Xinhua) Sri Lanka has pledged a sum of 100,000 US dollars in assistance for the earthquake victims of Pakistan, Daily News reported Tuesday. The donation would assist the ongoing relief effort in the aftermath of the October 8th earthquake, according to a foreign ministry press release. more..

Oct 11 (AFP) Tsunami-hit Sri Lanka is still banking on international aid despite donor attention shifting to Pakistan following the devastating earthquake there, the government's aid arm said. A wave of foreign aid after last year's tsunami catastrophe helped Sri Lanka salvage its economy which was troubled by high oil prices and dwindling international reserves. more..

Oct 11 (Xinhua) The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved a grant of two million US dollars to help restore income-generating opportunities to tsunami-affected people in Sri Lanka, according to an ADB report issued on Tuesday. more..

Oct 11 (LBO) Sri Lanka's "Pain Killer" businessman Victor Hettigoda launched his bid for the presidency Tuesday by offering peace talks with Tamil Tigers and balm to journalists. Hettigoda, 68, said he decided to challenge the main contenders -- Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapakse and Opposition leader Ranil Wickremesinghe -- as more..

Oct 11 (AP) Four Tamil Tiger rebels were killed and seven wounded when guerrillas from a breakaway faction attacked their convoy in eastern Sri Lanka, a Web site reported Tuesday. A car, truck and a motorcycle transporting Tamil Tigers were attacked in Vavunathivu, more..

Oct 11 (ICC) The ICC announced its official World ODI Team of the Year, as chosen by a specially-appointed selection panel chaired by Indian batting legend Sunil Gavaskar. The announcement was made at the ICC Awards celebration at the Four Seasons Hotel in Sydney. more..

Oct 11 (AP) Elite commandos armed with automatic rifles patrolled a town in northwestern Sri Lanka on Tuesday to secure it for a speech by President Chandrika Kumaratunga a day after police found a sniper's gun and ammunition in the area. more..

Oct 12 (RW) IOM medical staff collaborating with Sri Lankan health department staff last week, organized a vaccination campaign against chickenpox for 200 children in Kallady, a camp for tsunami survivors near the eastern city of Trincomalee. more..

Oct 12 (RW) AID agencies involved with tsunami-recovery in Sri Lanka will soon be better able to target their resources thanks to a new mapping project from the UN’s Humanitarian Information Centre (HIC) supported by aid agency World Vision. more..

Oct 12 (TN) Parliamentarians Mr.Muthu Sivalingam and Mr.M.S.Sellasamy of the Ceylon Workers Congress (CWC) Monday evening handed over their resignation letters to Mr.W.J.S.Karunaretna, Secretary to the President from the ministry posts. more..

Oct 12 (TN) The group of southern journalists, including three Buddhist monks at the conclusion of their 4-day goodwill mission donated a consignment of goods, including learning and teaching materials, to the Tamil Rehabilitation Organization (TRO) more..

Oct 12 (TN) The principal of Kopay Christian College, Mr. Nadararajah Sivakadadcham, was shot and killed Tuesday night by unidentified gunmen at his residence, civilian sources said. The fifty-nine-years old school principal was a known social activist and the Kopay Division organisor of Tamil Resurgence Task Force. more..

Oct 12 (LBO) Denmark on Tuesday said it would defer some Rs. 80 million (approx US$ 800,000) in bilateral loans to Sri Lanka for one year, in a follow up to an agreement with donors in June this year. more..

Oct 12 (AT) The chief incumbent of the Sri Gayathree Kamakodi Peedam, Ven. Rajkumar Swamigal (34) was kidnapped by ten masked LTTE cadres using force on Friday (7-10-05) night with his vehicle and severely assaulted and thrown on the street thinking he was dead more..

Oct 12 (AT) Sri Lankan expatriates in Florida, USA, have decided to assist Sri Lanka’s schools, especially in tsunami affected areas and the affected students in Sri Lanka. The expatriates say that they have already donated computers, educational materials, music instruments and also cash donations for the needy school children more..

Oct 12 (BBC) President Chandrika Kumaratunge has said that nobody could change the vision of the SLFP, and that she was sure Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapakse would carry it forward. She was addressing an election rally in Wariyapola, Kurunegala in support of UPFA presidential candidate, Premier Mahinda Rajapakse. more..

Oct 12 (LeN) Propaganda Coordinator of presidential candidate Mahinda Rajapakas has made a public allegation that the unholy alliance of Prabhakaran, Ranil, Thondaman and Hakeem would be held responsible if any harm befalls Rajapaksa. more..

Oct 12 (LeN) Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa's campaign spokesman Minister Mangala Samaraweera threatens to lodge a complaint against Hambantota district UNP parliamentarian Sajith Premadasa with the Bribery Commission and the CID unless he issued a detailed statement within 48 hours regarding funds received for his 'Hambantota Janasuwaya' fund. more..

Oct 12 (LeN) Deputy Leader of the National Unity Alliance (NUA) M.L.A.M.Hisbollah has decided to support UNP presidential candidate Ranil Wickremesinghe. NUA is headed by Mrs. Farial Ashroff, the widow of the founder leader of the Muslim Congress A.H.M.Ashroff. more..

Oct 12 (LeN) Minister Mangala Samarawera says there is no need for anybody to entertain doubts or fears about policies of Freedom Alliance candidate Mahinda Rajapaksa. He was responding a query made by a journalist at a media briefing this morning more..