Aug 18 (AFP) Sri Lankan troops open a check point at Omanthai, in the northern Sri Lankan district of Vavuniya for the first time in a week after heavy fighting in the northern peninsula of Jaffna. Government warplanes attacked Tamil Tiger targets in northern Sri Lanka more..

Aug 18 (TN) Stranded Tamil civilians in Vavuniya town for about six days were allowed to travel through Omanthai check point to the LTTE held districts of Killinochchi, Mullaitivu and Vavuniya North division in the Vavuniya district Friday. The Sri Lanka Army (SLA) reopened the Vavuniya-Omanthai check point Friday afternoon around 2.30 p.m for limited hours due to combined effort taken by Mr.Kishore Sivanathan, more..

Aug 18 (UN) Aid workers need access to deliver vital humanitarian supplies to thousands of Sri Lankan civilians who are running short of water and food after their communities were cut off by fighting between the Government and separatist Tamil Tigers, the United Nations refugee agency warned today. more..

Aug 19 (AT) Over forty years ago novelist Ian Fleming’s creation, James Bond, inspired a Sri Lankan movie maker to direct a spy thriller titled Jamis Banda, with the late Gamini Fonseka playing the lead role as the Sri Lankan-born British secret agent Banda. more..

Aug 19 (AT) Government has agreed to extend facilities for medical treatment to the injured cadres from the LTTE on humanitarian grounds. This was announced by President Mahinda Rajapakse. The President made it clear that it is the duty and responsibility of the Government to ensure that medical facilities are available to all citizens of the country. more..

Aug 19 (AT) Reports reveal of a low intensity military involvement from the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam for the whole of yesterday - Friday 18 August, while Sri Lanka Defense forces bombed and destroyed an LTTE’s key boat manufacturing centre in Thalaiyadi, Chempianpattu located in the Point Pedro East area. more..

Aug 19 (ISL) A report from Colombo states that the Sri Lankan government has offered to extend medical facilities to injured LTTE cadres. This report comes along with another where the Sri Lankan Monitoring officials have indicated that the LTTE has been responsible for all the attacks taking place in Sri Lanka with the aim of capturing the Jaffna Peninsula. more..

Aug 19 (ISL) Way back in the late seventies following the murders of Mayor Alfred Duryappah and some police officials encouraged by the strident Tamil politicians of that time Velupillai Prabhakaran stepped into the limelight as the potential saviour of the Tamils. Even his bank robberies were considered as acts of great bravery and courage. more..

Aug 19 (AV) The shock waves of the bomb blast a few minutes behind us reverberated through the vehicle we were in. We had left that area moments ago, unaware of a sinister force at work intent on creating its own distorted brand of independence through mayhem. They were the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, or the LTTE. more..

Aug 19 (TOI) A T Ariyaratne stands out among political leaders in Sri Lanka in these times of strife. A Sarvodaya activist, he believes there is hope for peace and that violence can't resolve questions of language and ethnicity. Winner of the Magsaysay award and the Gandhi Peace Prize, Ariyaratne tells Frances Bulathsinghala that he will work to change the mindset of Pirabhakaran, the LTTE leader: more..

Aug 19 (TOI) It's not Lebanon yet in Sri Lanka, but it's getting there. Fierce fighting has broken out between the military and LTTE rebels in the north and east of the country, sending thousands of civilians fleeing. The ceasefire signed in 2002 is in tatters. The war has reached Colombo as well, with a bomb blast targeting the Pakistani ambassador and another frightening the South African cricket team away. more..

Aug 19 (Reuters) Traditional Sri Lankan fire dancers perform during the opening ceremony of the South Asian Games in Colombo, Sri Lanka August 18, 2006. more..

Aug 19 (TW) The Country is going mad with venomous hatred! Highly educated professionals and intellectuals are at each others throats over the internet . The racist gobbledygook put out against each other by those on either side of the ethnic fence makes one want to puke. One is appalled and aghast at the depths of depravity to which members of two cultured races could descend to more..

Aug 19 (AN) “We are heading towards an isolated and silent death”. This is the appeal sent to AsiaNews by a group of Catholic priests from Jaffna in northern Sri Lanka. They beg the international community to come to the rescue of the peninsula’s residents, who have been trapped between curfews and crossfire for a week. more..

Aug 19 (MoD) The Government of Sri Lanka strongly welcomes the decision by the Government of Iceland to increase the Icelandic contingent to the SLMM by more than double its present strength in order to meet the current situation. The Government of Iceland has remained steadfast in its commitment to the Sri Lankan peace process and the decision to increase the contribution by Iceland is a further demonstration and confirmation of its continued support to peace in Sri Lanka. more..

Aug 19 (HT) India and Sri Lanka have agreed on a plan to send emergency humanitarian supplies from India to beleaguered Jaffna by sea, according to the Sri Lankan government's Defence Spokesman, Keheliya Rambukwella. This has been necessitated by the absence of a safe air or sea route between Colombo and Jaffna. more..

Aug 19 (TW) Four Israeli built K-fir bombers appeared suddenly on the skies above a place called "Vallipunam" in Mullaitheevu district in the North - Eastern Province of Sri Lanka. It is believed that the planes piloted by foreign nationals had started out from Trincomalee and flown north over the sea and turned westwards towards Mullaitheevu. more..

Aug 19 (TW) ‘Liberation’ (Viduthalai in Tamil and Vimukthi in Sinhalese) has come to mean many things to many Tamils of Sri Lanka. What the word means to any individual or a group of people under normal circumstances, will depend on what they need to be liberated from. At the level of an individual, liberation may be sought from ignorance, foolishness, poverty, disease, anger, bigotry, ego, arrogance, karmic cycles of birth and death, etc. more..

Aug 19 (ANN) Sri Lanka's Army Commander Lt. Gen. Sarath Fonseka said Friday (Aug 18) the large number of child combatants killed in the recent battle indicated that the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) had become heavily dependent on children for war.Lack of experienced combatants, he said, had resulted in the organisation turning to children out of desperation. more..

Aug 19 (wsws) Sri Lankan president Mahinda Rajapakse held a meeting with editors and heads of media bodies on Wednesday ostensibly to explain the “current situation in the country”. The real purpose of the meeting was to pressure those assembled to faithfully reproduce the government’s propaganda on its widening war against the LTTE. more..

Aug 19 (IANS) A Pakistani newspaper has blamed Indian intelligence for a bomb attack aimed at Islamabad's envoy in Colombo that killed seven people about a week ago. The News quoted unnamed officials as saying that India engineered the Aug 14 attack on its high commissioner to Sri Lanka, Bashri Wali Mohammed, in a bid to sour the burgeoning military and economic ties between Islamabad and Colombo. more..

Aug 19 (IANS) At an anti war press briefing, the leader of the opposition of the Colombo Municipal Council Mr. Vasudewa Nanayakkara said that all those who attacked the anti war rally on the 17th should be arrested and legal proceedings should be instituted. He further said that they have provided the names of these thugs and the war monger bikkus and if the said elements are not arrested they would institute legal action. more..

Aug 19 (LeN) President Mahinda Rajapaksa emphasised to United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan that the Sri Lankan Government is committed to peace in the country and the doors are still open for talks to negotiate a political settlement. The President made this statement during a telephone conversation with the UN Secretary General on August 16, states a press release issued by the Office of the President. more..

Aug 19 (SAMN) With the scheduled departure of the three EU nations Sweden, Denmark and Finland from the truce Monitoring Mission, early next month, the Government said Friday some Asian countries have agreed to come forward to fill the vacuum. Government Defence Spokesman Keheliya Rambukwella said some Asian countries and even some EU counties had agreed to send members for SLMM but refused to name the countries. more..

Aug 19 (SAMN) The left party combine, the Socialist Alliance Friday called on the people to act with restraint and create a peaceful environment that is conducive for the resumption of peace talks. Alliance’s General Secretary Raja Collure also appealed to people to defeat the maneuvers of war mongers and racists to fan the flames of war that can only lead to destruction and disaster for our country and the people. more..

Aug 19 (SAMN) The Jathika Sanga Sammelanaya (JSS) which clashed with the National Anti-War Front (NAF) members at Thursday’s peace rally, insisted Friday that they had no intention of disrupting the rally, but had only wanted to address the gathering. JSS Secretary Venerable Galabodaatte Gnanasara Thera said the JSS had earlier requested that its members be allowed to address the gathering. more..

Aug 19 (SAMN) It was a night to remember for the capacity crowd at the Sugathadasa Stadium and thousands of television viewers in the subcontinent as the tenth edition of the South Asian Games started with a spectacular opening ceremony in Colombo Friday. A new era in Sri Lanka sports began when President Mahinda Rajapaksa declared the Games open before thousands of jubilant and wildly cheering home supporters and nearly 2,500 participants from eight South Asian nations. more..

Aug 19 (LNP) Security information sources indicate that a Sea Tiger leader Rani Mohindas and few other Tiger leaders died by retaliation attacks by the security forces on Thursday early morning at Kilali. It is said that Rani Mohindas is the deputy to Sea Tiger leader Soosai. In addition Tiger leader Muhilan and woman leader Sudanmani have also perished from the attacks. more..

Aug 19 (LNP) The Bribery Commission yesterday arrested the Principal of Wickramasheela National School in Giriulla for allegedly soliciting a bribe of Rs. 40, 000 to admit a grade one student for year 2007. The victim was caught red handed at his office in the school by a special bribery commission investigating team sent from Colombo while accepting money from a parent. more..

Aug 19 (LNP) Sri Lanka Telecom (SLT) will shortly join hands with the Indian Telecommunications sector to carry out future business transactions pertaining to email and overseas calls etc, especially targeting the Asian market. Posts and Telecommunications Minister D.M. Jayaratne told The Island yesterday that through this latest deal with the Asian giants, Sri Lanka would benefit immensely. more..

Aug 19 (DN) The Government through the Agrarian Services Ministry has made arrangements to export 200,000 Metric tons of paddy to India and several other countries by 2007. The Government intends to obtain nearly Rs. 2,500 million in foreign exchange earnings by exporting the 200,000 Metric tons of paddy, Agrarian Services and Farmer Community Development Minister S.M. Chandrasena told the Daily News. more..

Aug 19 (AP) Iceland is boosting its number of observers in a Nordic monitoring mission for Sri Lanka's shaky cease-fire following the pullout of three other countries from the team, an official said Saturday. Iceland's minister for foreign affairs, Valgerdur Sverrisdottir, made the decision Friday to increase the number of Icelandic monitors from six to 10, more..

Aug 19 (Reuters) Tamils carry their belongings as they flee their homes in northern Jaffna August 15, 2006 during the fighting between government troops and Tamil Tiger rebels. Picture taken August 15, 2006. more..

Aug 19 (AP) The peace agency of Tamil Tiger rebels said Saturday that at least 141 civilians have been killed by government bombs and shelling since Aug. 8, in what it called the deadliest period since a 2002 cease-fire was signed. The Peace Secretariat of the LTTE, said the civilians were killed in air force strikes and shelling in the north and east, where fighting between the two sides has intensified in recent weeks. more..

Aug 19 (Reuters) The government-held city of Jaffna, cut off by fighting between Sri Lankan forces and Tamil Tiger rebels, faced dwindling food supplies and soaring prices on Saturday but no real panic, aid workers and witnesses from the beleaguered town say. One city resident told Reuters by telephone that prices for staples were up more than three-fold, with petrol selling for more than four times the going price before the latest fighting began three weeks ago. more..

Aug 19 (AFP) Troops and Tamil Tiger rebels traded fire across a de facto frontline in Sri Lanka's northern Jaffna peninsula amid concern over food supplies for thousands of civilians who fled fighting. A Sri Lankan warplane Friday bombed a boatyard on the peninsula in territory held by the rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam with the military claiming the guerrillas were building attack craft there. more..

Aug 20 (PTI) CPI-M's Tamil Nadu unit today demanded that the Centre make efforts to end the escalating strife between Sri Lankan forces and the LTTE and bring the two parties to the negotiating table. It also condemned the recent killings during hostilities in the island nation. more..

Aug 20 (PTI) MDMK's South Chennai district secretary Manimaran was today arrested on the charge of making "an inflammatory speech, in support of the outlawed LTTE". A police release said Manimaran's speech was in a fashion that could "hinder" the sovereignty and unity of the country. more..

Aug 20 (BBC) The main opposition in Sri Lanka has expressed support to measures taken by the government to provide relief to the displaced. United National Party (UNP) deputy leader Karu Jayasuriya said that the party has no intention of taking political advantage at a time of a national crisis. more..

Aug 20 (Moju) Ketheswaran Loganathan’s assassination fell on the first anniversary of Lakshman Kadirgamar, Neelan Thiruchelvam’s seventh was less than a fortnight earlier. Ketheswaran follows a long list of committed Tamils who desired that their community would enjoy peace with dignity within a united Sri Lanka. more..

Aug 20 (PTI) Sri Lanka Cricket are likely to ask Cricket South Africa to compensate them for the financial damages incurred following the team's pull out from a tri-nation series here citing security concerns. South Africa refused to play in the series that was scheduled from August 14 to 29 against Sri Lanka and India after a bomb exploded in the vicinity of their hotel on Monday. more..

Aug 20 (SS) SURGING violence and a spate of killings of aid workers are stopping charities carrying out urgent humanitarian work in both government and rebel-held areas of Sri Lanka. Twenty months after the tsunami in December 2004 brought the country a rush of charity from abroad, international aid agencies are being subjected to daily suspicion and hostility, as well as the deadly attacks. more..

Aug 20 (AT) The Tigers say that the Vallipunam air raid targeted an orphanage hosting a leadership and first aid training workshop for school girls of Mullaitivu and Killinochchi. The government contends that it was a LTTE training camp for child soldiers. Either way we can be sure that the young participants did not have much of a choice about their presence in Vallipunam at 7 am on 14th August 2006. more..

Aug 20 (AT) Indian Tamil leaders are concerned over the escalating tensions in Sri Lanka. At least an influential section wants Prime Minister Manmohan Singh government to see that the strife ends and Colombo and the LTTE return to the negotiating table. This demand is still muted and has not hit the headlines for reasons as of now but pressure is mounting on Delhi to publicly condemn 'the assault the Sri Lankan Army had been inflicting on innocent Tamils' in the island nation. more..

Aug 20 (AT) The spiralling humanitarian crisis in Sri Lanka, and the global pressure to end fighting, may eventually force the adversaries to return to square one, making the lost lives so far a criminal waste. Still President Rajapaksa’s main advisor the 'Marxist' JVP has not budged from its original position: Continue the war to its logical end; do not give in to foreign pressure. more..

Aug 20 (AT) Sri Lankan Army yesterday arrested the kingpin alleged to be behind the killings of many civilians in Jaffna and the man said to be responsible for disturbing the normal life in the Peninsula. Sri Lanka forces arrested yesterday T. Paherathan 24, a third year arts faculty student in the University of Jaffna for questioning. more..

Aug 20 (AT) Revatha an orphanage survived motor bomb attacks. According to the statement released by Singithi Sarana, on 17th August at 19.30 the LTTE launched an audacious attack on the Revatha orphanage in Trincomalee by firing at the army sentry post. Fifteen mortars were fired of which eight had exploded. The Revatha orphanage is situated at the 5th mile post, in Gemunupura on the Kandy Road is near China Bay in the Trincomalee area. more..

Aug 20 (AT) In the do-or-die battles waged so far to capture Jaffna the early recruits to the "Baby Brigades" of Velupillai Prabhakaran (now reaching their late teenage) have been thrown into the frontlines with disastrous consequences, Analysts believe that their inexperience and immaturity have contributed to the heavy losses of the "Baby Brigades" in the frontlines. more..

Aug 20 (AT) Moves are underway to issue a commemorative stamp in honor of the Tamil United Liberation Front (TULF) leader Late A. Amirthalingam.Douglas Devananda MP and a Cabinet Minister confirmed that the Government has taken the initiative to issue the stamps in honor of Mr. Amirthalingam, the undisputable leader of the Tamil community. more..

Aug 20 (LeN) The Janatha Vimukathi Peramuna has decidedto expel Kalutara district parliamentarian Nandana Gunathilake from its politburo. He led an internal struggle from within the party calling for changes in the party policies to suit the present day needs and is one of the few party senior who is not in favour of the party's policy regarding the national problem. more..