Sep 27 (SLA) Tamil Tigers have once again fired at troops on duty at the Army roadblock in the general area MAHINDAPURA, about 33 km southeast of TRINCOMALEE town, using T-56 weapons on 26 September 2005 around 10.00 p.m. However, rounds fired in short bursts by the Tamil Tigers have gone over the roadblock. more..

Sep 27 (SLA) Representatives of the SLMM with a view to taking stock of the security situation at ground level recently met Major General S.D.Tennakoon, Commander, Security Forces Headquarters, Jaffna (SFHQ-(J)) and north-based senior military officers. more..

Sep 27 (UNP) Mr. Karu Jayasuriya, UNP Deputy Leader wrote a letter to President Kumaratunga last week inquiring whether there were two governments running the country. The letter citing the contradictions within the government, has pointedly asked “whether there are in fact two governments in this country,” more..

Sep 27 (UNP) Leader of the Opposition and presidential candidate of the UNP Ranil Wickremesinghe today launched his manifesto for the upcoming presidential election. The manifesto has two sections. The first section has three themes; end to hunger, jobs for and end to separatism. more..

Sep 27 (CT) It has been reported that the director and the producer of the film The Forsaken Land or Sulanga Enu Pinisa were advised by the army that they would have to face consequences if they continue to produce movies of these nature. more..

Sep 27 (CT) According to the government figures, most houses in the rural sector need electricity to illuminate their houses and crush the darkness. Most villagers are now changing their attitude to face the Internet era from their houses through modern communication devices. more..

Sep 27 (LBO) Sri Lanka's main opposition party plans to ban dowries, smoking in public places, offer year-end bonuses to public servants and splash out billions of rupees by way of welfare subsidies, if it wins the November presidential poll, its leader said Tuesday. more..

Sep 27 (AT) Submitting a report to the Parliament, Auditor General reveals that there has large-scale corruption in the Tsunami rehabilitation and reconstruction activities and the foreign aid has been misused. more..

Sep 27 (LT) The three police officers who had been detained by Wanni Tiger organization have not been released as announced by the Tiger earlier. Since the Tigers had announce that the police officers would be released the relatives of the relevant officers, members of SLMM and the Red Cross had come to Kilinochci this morning. more..

Sep 27 (LT) It is reported that Mr Arular alias Arulpragasam of PLOTE organization, whom is expected to contest the forthcoming presidential election is faced with death threats from Wanni tigers. A favourable response from the masses in Northern and Eastern provinces on his candidature could be expected, the sources said. more..

Sep 27 (LT) What has begun is not a fight between two mere individuals but a contest between a person who understands the aspirations of the people and a person who fails to do so said common presidential candidate and Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapakse. more..

Sep 27 (LT) Once he became the President he would commence peace talks with tiger organization and the JVP too would be invited for those discussions said UNP presidential candidate and Opposition Leader Ranil Wickremasinghe. more..

Sep 27 (GT) Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) presidential election campaign spokesman, Ports and Civil Aviation Minister Mangala Samaraweera, said the party has asked the Commissioner of Elections to appoint a competent authority to ensure balanced reporting by the private media. more..

Sep 27 (PIS) The LTTE has insisted it will return to government controlled areas in the north and east to operate its political offices only when the security of its cadres is guaranteed. The LTTE reiterated its stand when SLMM Chief Hangrup Haukland met the LTTE Jaffna district political head Illamparathi. more..

Sep 27 (SAMN) The Appeals Commissioner of the Education Ministry, investigating Grade One admissions objections tendered by parents, has found a disturbing number of admissions to many popular Colombo schools through forged title deeds. more..

Sep 27 (SAMN) The water level of Udawalawa reservoir has dropped drastically and about 10,000 farmers who cultivated paddy fields utilising water of the Udawalawa reservoir have been left high and dry. more..

Sep 27 (LNP) Even before nominations twelve complaints of pre election violence had been received by the Police Headquarters Election Violence Monitoring centre. Deputy Inspector General Gamini Navaratne said the complaints related to incidents of intimidation and minor assault and posters. more..

Sep 27 (LNP) Three prison guards and a prisoner were killed yesterday (26) in an attack by an armed gang at Udugampola, prison sources said. The Black Maria carrying the prisoners and guards came under attack at around 9.50 a.m. while on its way to the Negombo Court. more..

Sep 27 (DN) The death of Central Province Governor Monty Gopallawa has drawn large crowds to pay their last respects to the former Parliamentarian, Minister and Governor from the hill country. The Governor of the Central Province Gopallawa (64) died yesterday while he was being treated at a private hospital in Colombo. more..

Sep 27 (Xinhua) An educational exhibition and children's carnival to mark the international children's day will be held in Colombo from Sept. 30 to Oct. 3, Daily News reported Tuesday. The event which will be held under the theme "We are the Future" is aimed at providing education and entertainment to the younger generation and creating awareness about children's rights, more..

Sep 27 (AP) A project to shorten the sailing time between ports on either side of India by dredging a channel between the country's southeastern coast and Sri Lanka will not harm the region's rich sea life, an official said Tuesday. more..

Sep 27 (Xinhua) Sri Lankan Tourist Board (SLTB) will spend one million US dollars to launch a special tourism marketing campaign in India early next year, Daily News reported Tuesday. SLTB's Chairman Udaya Nanayakkara was quoted by the paper as saying that the aim of the event is to woo more tourists from India. more..

Sep 27 (AP) Sri Lanka's main opposition presidential candidate launched his election manifesto Tuesday, vowing to combat poverty and unemployment - a shift from his earlier campaigns that focused on making peace with Tamil Tiger rebels. more..

Sep 27 (Reuters) The European Union on Tuesday barred Sri Lanka's Tamil Tiger rebels from visiting its member states and said it was considering listing the group as a terrorist organisation. more..

Sep 27 (AP) A representative of Sri Lanka's Tamil Tiger rebels on Tuesday defended the organization against charges of terrorism, a day after the European Union said the group was no longer welcome in Europe's capitals. more..

Sep 28 (CNA) After almost two decades of civil war, Sri Lanka was battered by the tsunami on Dec 26 last year. Once again, the country had made international headlines for the wrong reasons. Now the country's tourism board is determined to give the country a facelift and attract tourists to its troubled shores — through music. more..

Sep 28 (CI) Malinga Bandara, the 25-year-old legspinner, has been included in a 20-player Sri Lankan pool for the tour of India later this year. The probables list also includes Sajeewa Weerakoon, the left-arm spinner who has been in impressive form with the A team recently, and Upul Tharanga, the left-handed opening batsman. more..

Sep 28 (TN) Government of India is to spend nearly US$450,000 in training up to 400 Sri Lanka police officers in the areas of crime investigation including cyber crimes and bank frauds, a press release issued by the Sri Lanka Information department Tuesday said. more..

Sep 28 (TN) A group of students from Jaffna Technical College on their way to publicize forthcoming Tamil Resurgence event were barred from entering Mandaitivu by the Sri Lanka Navy (SLn) soldiers manning the Mandaitivu Junction sentry Tuesday morning, sources said. more..

Sep 28 (NIP) Butterfly wings, the Sri Lankan film captures life in all its reality — small joys, big woes. Who says dreams do not play favourites? They are definitely more persistent residents in the eyes of those without the resources to fulfil them. Meet Sira, a 10-year-old, who has made friends with his dream of wanting to possess a bicycle. more..

Sep 28 (BBC) Media watchdog Free Media Movement (FMM) has condemned the ideas expressed by Rear Admiral Sarath Weerasekera of the Sri Lanka Navy in a newspaper article targeting the director of the controversial film 'Sulanga Enu Pinisa'. more..

Sep 28 (LBO) Property developer Global Investment Lanka will start work on its new apartment and hotel complex in Colombo, ploughing Rs. 1.6 bn into the project. The group that set up its flagship Global Towers earlier this year has bought up the 73 perch block adjoining the Towers and will add on another 29 perches for the next project. more..

Sep 28 (CI) Habibul Bashar, the Bangladesh captain, has said the recently concluded series against Sri Lanka was the worst tour he has undertaken since assuming the captaincy. Bashar, whose side were swept aside in both the ODI and Test series, told reporters on arrival in Bangladesh, "It is very much part of our life. more..

Sep 28 (CI) South Africa A booked their place in the final of the tri-series with a convincing four-wicket victory over Sri Lanka A at Colombo. Jacques Rudolph, with 66, and Justin Ontong's 60 eased the South Africans to a win with 16 balls to spare. more..

Sep 28 (AT) The three policemen attached to National Child Protection Agency (NCPA) of Sri Lanka, who were arrested and held in captivity by the LTTE are in an uncertain times and they may face the firing squad, as the Tamil Eelam police may slam against them new charges of plotting as well spying. more..

Sep 28 (LM) Well known business magnet, Chairman of Bhairaha Group, donor and social worker Al-Haj M.I.M. Naleem has passed away at the age of 73 at the Apollo Hospital in Colombo this afternoon. Naleem Hajiar was the founder of the "Jamiah Naleemiya" Arabic College which has produced thousands of Islamic scholars for the world. more..

Sep 28 (LM) "There is high likelihood of increased violence during this election. There could be intimidation against voters, especially people of the minority community, even killing of minority party leaders and VVIPS could take place" said SLMC leader Rauff Hakeem more..

Sep 28 (DS) Problems are unexpectedly cropping up between the two most important persons in Sri Lanka, which is already embroiled in the twin crisis of civil war caused by long drawn Tamil militancy and spectre of political instability because of the minority character of the government and also an anticipated tough contest in the coming presidential elections. more..

Sep 28 (LT) President Chandrika Bandaranayake arrived in the Island today after a long tour in the United States of America. During her stay in New York she addressed the United Nations Assembly and the Asian Summit which could be her last appearance in an international summit of this nature as a head of a country. more..

Sep 28 (LT) Election Commissioner’s Office says that delivery of official ballot papers will take place from 25th October till 9th November. A special programme for this purpose will be implemented jointly with the postal department. more..

Sep 28 (LT) A FR petition demanding that special investigations on ‘Helping Hambanthota’ account be ceased has been filed in Supreme Court by Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapakse. Attorney General, IGP and UNP Parliamentarian Kabeer Hasheem have been named as respondents. more..

Sep 28 (TN) Mr. Sultan A.Aziz, Director, Asia and the Pacific Division of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) Tuesday paid an official visit to the Trincomalee district accompanied by Ms. Lubna Baqi, UNFPA's Sri Lanka representative and Country Director for Maldives, and Mr. Rainer Frauenfled, Country Co-ordinator of the Sri Lanka Project Implementation Facility (SLPIF) more..

Sep 28 (TN) Calling the statement from the European Union [EU], which criticised the Liberation Tigers, as "one-sided" and "unfair," the Geneva-based International Federation of Tamils (IFT), a consortium of more than 150 expatriate Tamil organizations, in a press statement issued Tuesday more..

Sep 28 (SLA) A seventy eight year old Tamil civilian from general area ILANDAMODDAI, about 16 km south east of MANNAR, has been hacked to death by a group of unidentified armed persons, suspected to be from LTTE, on 27 September 2005 around 6.30 a.m. more..

Sep 28 (SLA) A motorbike riding unidentified person has shot and killed a civilian in general area NAVALADY, 33 km north west of BATTICALOA, using a 9 mm pistol on 27 September 2005 around 12.35 p.m. more..

Sep 28 (SLA) A provocative attempt by three Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarians and a number of civilians, instigated by the LTTE, to forcibly enter the MANDATHIVU island, about 5 km south west of JAFFNA town, was peacefully dealt by northern Naval authorities on 27 September 2005. more..

Sep 28 (LT) The JVP accused Mr Ranil Wickramasinghe for avoiding any views on the most important factors at this moment in the country at the launching ceremony of his election manifesto. The Propaganda Secretary of the JVP stated that although he did not mention anything conferring an Interim Self Governing Authority to the LTTE, more..

Sep 28 (LT) According to Deputy Inspector General of Police Mr Gamini Navaratne, police have made arrangements to place 1000 barriers all over the island starting from 6th October 2005. The minimum number for each police division would be five while, thirty police divisions where more violence is expected will be provided with more barriers. more..

Sep 28 (LT) A work to rule strategy carried out by the postal workers has paralyzed the postal deliveries. As a result many post offices have refused to dispatch postal vote applications and the postal voters are facing a difficulty since today is the last date for postal vote applications. more..

Sep 28 (wsws) Over past two weeks, senior officers in the Sri Lankan armed forces have issued a series of barely disguised threats against filmmakers who through their works have been critical of the military and the country’s protracted civil war. more..