Feb 1 (LeN) The Colombo Crime Division headed by SSP Sarath Lugoda has interrogated the editor of the 'Irudina' weekend newspaper and recorded a statement for carrying an article titled "What are these claymores?" more..

Feb 1 (LeN) The President has pledged to include a Muslim representative in the government delegation for proposed talks in Geneva on the cease-fire agreement at a discussion held this afternoon with the All Ceylon Muslim Congress at Tempe Trees. more..

Feb 1 (LeN) A member of the nomination board of the SLFP told 'Lanka e News' that a decision whether to contest the local government election in an alliance with the JVP or as a single party will be taken at the party organizers' meeting scheduled for tomorrow (1) at Temple Trees. more..

Feb 1 (TN) People Action for Free and Fair Elections (PAFFREL) Tuesday filed a petition seeking the Court of Appeal (CA) to order the Commissioner of Elections to stop holding elections to three hundred and thirty local government institutions in Sri Lanka based on 2004 Voters' Register, legal sources said. more..

Feb 1 (TN) UNP members of Pradeshya Sabhas from Navalapitiya and other areas obtained membership in the SLFP in a simple ceremony held at the Temple trees, office of the President of Sri Lanka, Mahinda Rajapakse, Tuesday, parliamentary sources in Colombo said. more..

Feb 1 (SLA) COMMANDER OF THE INDIAN AIR FORCE, Air Vice Marshal S.P. Thayegi, who is in Sri Lanka on a five-day visit, took time off to pay a courtesy call on the Commander of the Army, Lieutenant General Sarath Fonseka this morning (31) at his office in the Army Headquarters. more..

Feb 1 (BBC) The government categorically denies that five members of the Tamil Rehabilitation Organization,(TRO) an organization with links to the LTTE, have been abducted on the A11 road on Monday afternoon. Speaking to Sandeshaya defence spokesman Brigadier Prasad Samarasinghe said that this allegation is an attempt to discredit security forcers. more..

Feb 1 (UNI) The United States today expressed concern about the reported kidnapping of five members of the Tamil Rehabilitation Organisation (TRO) at Welikanda in Polonnaruwa District of Sri Lanka. more..

Feb 1 (BBC) The police chief of Sri Lanka has been accused for using powers which do not belong to him. In a petition filed to the Supreme Court the Centre of Policy Alternatives (CPA) points out that the Inspector General of Police (IGP) is using powers designated to the Police Commission. more..

Feb 1 (AT) Ny Tids (Oslo Weekly) exposure of Norwegian funds -- Nkr 25 million up to 2005 -- flowing to the LTTE ("Norsk million støtte til Tamiltigrene" (26-11-05)) created a sensation in Sri Lanka and India. Sri Lankan websites, newspapers and Indian newspapers and wire services picked it and relayed Eraker’s revelations to a stunned world. more..

Feb 1 (ISL) The LTTE remains exposed over publication of false news in its Nitharsanam.com website operating from Norway. At a recent meeting of a Tamil community organisation ‘Pungudu Thivu Welfare Association’, Minister and Harrow West Member of Parliament Mr Gareth Thomas was an invited guest and he addressed the gathering. more..

Feb 1 (ISL) The Janatha Vimuthi Permuna vowed to strengthen Karuna faction had not given up its promises and accepting LTTE agenda of disarming Karuna faction said the opposition leader Ranil Wicramasighe while addressing rally of UNP supporters yesterday(29). more..

Feb 1 (ISL) President Mahinda Rajapakse who spoke with pro-LTTE Sudaroli newspaper claimed that he does not necessarily oppose the LTTE’s claims as the sole representative of Tamils. This meeting with the Sudaroli news staff was organized by the President’s office last Sunday (23). more..

Feb 1 (ISL) EROS Nesan who spoke to The Independent condemned the recent kidnapping of 5 TRO staff members and urged those responsible to release them and ensure their safe return of these persons to their families. “All these individuals were involved with was post-tsunami/post-war humanitarian relief and development work with orphaned children. more..

Feb 1 (AT) The local architects say that the government’s 300 factory programme would increase constructions and designing jobs for contractors and the architects. Chairman of Local Architects Association Rukshan Vidyalankara denied that certain allegations raised by the parties on the decline of foreign direct investments into country. more..

Feb 1 (Hindu) Air Chief Marshal S.P. Tyagi on Tuesday met President Mahinda Rajapakse and senior defence officials as part of his three-day official visit to the island-nation. Officials said the Chief of the Indian Air Force held "cordial and friendly discussions" with Mr. Rajapakse, Prime Minister Ratnasiri Wickremanayake and heads of the armed forces. more..

Feb 1 (TW) The decision by the GOSL and the LTTE to meet in Geneva in February to discuss the CFA under Norwegian facilitation is to be welcomed. It provides at the very least a respite from the heightened tension of the last month and holds out at best a better protected and further strengthened CFA which can also provide the spring board for a resumption of peace talks on a final settlement. more..

Feb 1 (ANN) Bribery Commission sleuths yesterday (Jan 31) two Immigration and Emigration department employees suspected of accepting a bribe of Rs 15,000 (US$147) as an advance to prepare a passport without the relevant documents. more..

Feb 1 (ISL) The Federal System is not a monster that separates, divides and wrenches asunder peoples and nations. In Sri Lanka, partly due to the Federal Party’s visionless and unfortunate Tamil version of the name Ilankai Thamil Arasu Kadchi (the Ceylon Tamil Kingdom Party) when it split from the All Ceylon Tamil Congress and more..

Feb 1 (SLA) MAJOR GENERAL P.S.B. KULATHUNGE, DEPUTY CHIEF OF STAFF in the Army was at the Military Hospital in Colombo this morning (01) to receive a donation of furniture and sanitary ware gifted by the Colombo Royal Institute. more..

Feb 1 (SLA) A CIVILIAN, ALLEGEDLY ABDUCTED BY LTTE (Tamil Tigers) and was threatened to produce his brother-in law after accusing him of his relative’s involvement in the recent bomb attack on the SLMM office at BATTICALOA, has reached the BATTICALOA Police station for formal complaint on Monday (30). more..

Feb 1 (ISL) Canada’s noted street gangster has been deported to Sri Lanka reports nitharsanam.com, the Norwegian-based “Goebbels Corporation of Wanni” evidently founded to perpetuate the memory of the master Nazi propagandist Joseph Goebbels, Hitler’s ever-obedient hit man, who came to grief in 1945. Who else can they be? more..

Feb 1 (LT) Presenting a special statement in Parliament today (01) JVP Parliamentarian Mr Wimal Weerawansa stated that the tiger terrorism is activated not only in North and East. Its ‘mental operational unit’ is established in Colombo, he said. more..

Feb 1 (SLBC) Minister W.D.J. Seneviratne says the government has planned to fulfill Sri Lanka?s electricity requirements through the speedy construction of the Upper Kotmale and Norochcholai Power station. more..

Feb 1 (AT) Jim McDonald, Sri Lanka Country Specialist, Amnesty International (AI) indicated that Soosaithas K Marinthiran (31) labourer, Sebastiampillai P Ruban (24) bus conductor, Balakrishnan Rajeevmohan, (21) labourer and Selvarajah Uthayarajah from Jaffna have not been seen since being arrested in separate incidents more..

Feb 1 (AT) Amidst conflicting reports of the kidnapping of the alleged five Tamil Rehabilitation Organization (TRO) members by unidentified gunmen, the United States has called upon both the Government and the LTTE to exercise restraint and calm, especially in the run-up to the cease-fire talks in Geneva. more..

Feb 1 (KT) THE sensational victory of Hamas in last week’s election to the Palestinian legislative council has shocked the West but not the people who voted for the popular Islamic resistance movement, which exhorts all believers to fight to win back the land Israel had grabbed from the Palestinians. more..

Feb 1 (SAMN) The JVP is likely to go it alone at the forthcoming Local Government elections despite attempts by the SLFP to get it to contest under the UPFA banner, according to well informed party sources. Sources said the JVP membership and the grassroots party organization have been preparing to contest the local polls independently. more..

Feb 1 (SAMN) The government has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with a leading Chinese construction company, Metallurgical Construction (Group) Corporation (MCC) to complete the Colombo-Katunayake Expressway before next year. MCC last week carried out the investigations on the project more..

Feb 1 (SAMN) UNP leader Ranil Wickremesinghe Tuesday expressed confidence that Prof. G.L. Pieris, MP would not quit the party. Referring to recent media reports on the former Constitutional Affairs Minister’s hotly disputed move, Wickremesinghe assured the parliamentary group that the Colombo district MP would not join the government. more..

Feb 1 (LNP) As usual, a large number of prisoners are to be released on Saturday under a special Independence Day amnesty'but the country`s most famous prisoner, S. B. Dissanayake, is not on the list, the Daily Mirror learns. Mr. Dissanayake was jailed for two years from December 2004 for contempt of the Supreme Court more..

Feb 1 (LNP) Parliament meets today (1) at 9.30 a.m. and a number of important Bills, including the Amendments to the Penal Code, Code of Criminal Procedure, Geneva Conventions Bill, and a Motion to appoint 35 Consultative Committees of Parliament for various Ministries, are to be taken up during the sitting today. more..

Feb 1 (LNP) A sum of nearly Rs. 700,000 has accrued to government coffers raids, by way of fines as a result of raids conducted by Bulathsinghala police for the year 2005, said Pragathi Abeysingha, OIC, Bulathsinghala police. Cases were filed against one thousand two hundred and sixty eight (1268) persons more..

Feb 1 (DN) The Japanese Government has provided Rs. 68.5 million for the reconstruction of the Hikkaduwa Police Station damaged by the tsunami. The Hikkaduwa Police Station serves nearly 38,000 people living in 33 Gramasewa Divisions. more..

Feb 1 (Hindu) Two premier research organisations of the subcontinent have joined hands together to accelerate closer collaborative effort for development of agricultural research and education. The work plan for 2006-07 between the Indian Council of Agricultural Research and the Sri Lanka Council for Agricultural Research Policy (SLCARP) was signed in Colombo last week. more..

Feb 1 (wsws) The daily lives of people in the Thoduwawa fishing village near Chilaw in the northwestern province of Sri Lanka provide a picture of the hardships facing much of the island’s rural population. As it is on the west coast, Thoduwawa was not devastated by the December 2004 tsunami that killed tens of thousands and destroyed coastal communities in other parts of the island. more..

Feb 1 (AFP) Tom Moody, Sri Lanka's coach, believes that Sri Lanka have the ingredients to win the 2007 World Cup in the Caribbean if the senior players step up to it. Moody said: "For us to win the World Cup, which I believe we are capable of doing, we've got another year to develop as a team and learn as a team. more..

Feb 1 (TN) If Colombo continued to allow provocative incidents take place in Sri Lanka Army (SLA) controlled areas of the NorthEast, the peace talks planned between the Government and the LTTE would be in jeopardy, Tamil National Alliance (TNA) has warned the Sri Lankan Parliament Wednesday. more..

Feb 1 (PTI) Expressing concern over increase in the influx of refugees from Sri Lanka to Tamil Nadu, Chief Minister Jayalalithaa on Wednesday said it showed that the situation was not conducive in the island republic. "The influx brings back the memory of 1983 situation, when there was a large influx. more..

Feb 1 (Reuters) Two workers from an aid group linked to Tamil Tiger rebels have resurfaced after being reported kidnapped, but eight colleagues were still missing on Wednesday and diplomats said the abductions might hit key peace talks. more..

Feb 1 (AP) Five ethnic Tamil relief agency staff have disappeared in northeastern Sri Lanka while working on post-tsunami rehabilitation projects, the group said Wednesday, two days after five other employees were allegedly kidnapped. more..

Feb 1 (Reuters) Soldiers march during a military exercise in preparation for Independence day celebrations at the Galle Face Green in Colombo, Feb 1. Sri Lanka will celebrate its 58th Independence day on February 4. more..

Feb 1 (AFP) A charity close to the Tamil Tigers said that five more aid workers had been abducted in eastern Sri Lanka, a day after the rebels warned kidnappings were threatening planned truce talks. more..

Feb 2 (IHT) Roshan Buddakorala borrowed 2.5 million Sri Lankan rupees to rebuild his restaurant, which was washed away by the 2004 tsunami. His chances of paying back the loan, which is equivalent to $24,500, hang on peace talks this month after a killing spree caused tourism to slump. more..

Feb 2 (LeN) Western Provincial council Minister for Land Agriculture, Irrigation and Agricultural products Hector Bethmage was assaulted this morning by a group of thugs led by UNP councilor Duminda Silva. Severely wounded Bethmage was rushed to the Colombo National Hospital accident ward along with his driver who too was brutally assaulted by thugs. more..

Feb 2 (LeN) A five pronged battle is underway in the United National Party to become the party's mayoral candidate for Colombo. Those in the fray are former Mayors Sirisena Cooray and Omar Kamil along with Hemasiri Fernando, present Deputy Mayor Azath Sali, Thilanga Sumathipala and Bodhi Ranasinghe. more..

Feb 2 (LT) Parliament became tense today (1st) as Mr. Wimal Weerawansa. Leader of the Parliamentary Group of the JVP asked whether Mr. TNA Member Mavai Senathiraja making a special statement was in order. Mr.Senathiraja was trying to make a statement in the parliament stating that members of LTTE were being subjected to various attacks by Government security forces in the North and the East. more..

Feb 2 (AT) Dew Gunasekera, Minister of Constitutional Affairs and National Integration, speaking at the International Seminar on “Towards a Durable settlement on the way forward,” at the Sri Lanka Economic Summit 2006, organized by the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce held at the Cinnamon Grand Hotel for two days recently, more..

Feb 2 (BBC) Defense Secretary Gotabaya Rajapakse said he was confident that the Sri Lanka Army was not involved in the alleged abduction of aid workers in the east. He said a special police investigation was carried out into the incident based on the information provided by the TRO to ascertain whether there has been any SLA connection. more..

Feb 2 (ISL) The distasteful campaigns which lead to investigations into identifying the operational base of the infamous Nitharsanam.com have revealed that this website in fact is operated from Australia. more..