May 13 (SAMN) Unemployed graduates yesterday charged the government of having let down those who placed their trust in the Mahinda Chintanaya by failing to provide them permanent employment in the public service. They deplored the latest circular issued by the Finance Ministry asking that recruitment to the public sector be suspended for two years. more..

May 13 (AFP) The European Union criticised Sri Lankan rebels for staging a deadly sea attack this week and warned that the escalation in violence could wreck any chance of returning to peace talks. The statement came two days after a Tamil Tiger suicide attack on a navy gunboat that killed its 18-man crew, dealing a blow to efforts to preserve a four-year ceasefire agreement now in tatters. more..

May 13 (TW) SLMM chief Lt. Gen Ulf Henricsson was in for an unpleasant surprise when he met LTTE Political commissar Suppiah Paramu Thamilselvan on May 12th in Kilinochchi. The soft - spoken, eversmiling Thamilselvan was in an angry mood. The be- spectacled Selvan had a litany of complaints to relate about SLMM conduct.It was quite an earful for Henricsson. more..

May 13 (TW) Speculation was rife in diplomatic and media circles that activities of the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission in the North - East may be suspended for an indefinite period due to rising levels of violence. Chief among SLMM concerns is the possible threat to monitors serving in the North - East while engaged in field work. more..

May 13 (HT) The LTTE has asked the Nordic truce monitors to give protection to Sea Tiger vessels, in the same way as they protect Sri Lankan Naval vessels. The LTTE's political wing leader, SP Tamilselvan, has demanded that the truce monitors escort Sea Tiger vessels, just as they escort Sri Lankan vessels in the troubled waters of the North East. more..

May 13 (Reuters) Sri Lanka's military and the island's Tamil Tiger rebels are locked in a low intensity war despite a ceasefire that still technically holds on paper, the head of the unarmed Nordic truce monitors said on Saturday. "You could in some definition say we already have a war. We don't have a peace agreement, we have a ceasefire agreement. So there is a war ongoing. more..

May 14 (CI) After two days of being bashed and bossed, Sri Lanka produced a fighting performance during their follow-on, led by Kumar Sangakkara and Upul Tharanga who struck determined half-centuries. However, although it was a vast improvement England remain firmly in control after two strikes from Monty Panesar. more..

May 14 (AT) Yashushi Akashi, one of the four Co-chairs (Norway, EU. USA being the other three), represents Japan's diplomatic arm extended across Asia to make its presence felt in the region as a significant player. Japan's role was made more explicit in the latest editorial of Japan Times (May 9, 2006). more..

May 14 (AT) Scandinavian ceasefire monitors have suspended sea monitoring after Tiger guerillas issued the final warning against sea monitors. "Sea monitoring activities have temporary been stopped," Head of the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission Ulf Henricsson told the "Asian Tribune." more..

May 14 (AT) The war clouds are not devoid of a thin silver lining. Though he retains and exercises the capacity for tactical surprise, in that he decides when and where he strikes next, Velupillai Prabhakaran has lost that most vital resource, namely strategic surprise. No one will really be blindsided if he engages in a full-scale attack. more..

May 14 (AT) The final act of the tragicomedy that was the Third Peace Process commenced with the Tigers making their Unilateral Declaration of Independence (UDI), albeit indirectly. Subsequent to the latest attack on the Lankan Navy by the Black Sea Tigers, the SLMM Chief rushed to Killinochchi to protest against the LTTE’s gross CFA violation, which placed the Nordic truce monitors in grave danger. more..

May 14 (AT) Sri Lanka Chamber of Small Industry has organized a 20 member mission to Chennai in a bid to promote trade and service between South India and Sri Lanka in the beginning of June 2006. The first two days are expected to visit ACMEE 2006 an all India Industrial Exhbition organized by the Ambattur Industrial Estate Manufacturers Association (AIEMA) more..

May 14 (Moju) It’s been very interesting reading the comment threads of political posts on Moju. In the middle of all the garbage, crap and other odious material flying around the place, Moju actually gives insights to the situation in our terribly unfortunate country. Makes you realize how many nutjobs are actually out there. more..

May 14 (TW) D. B. S. Jeyaraj has written about this disgraceful event. His article was in the Tamil Week May 4 and Daily News May 6. Some facts are worth repeating here. The academically brilliant Professor with exceptional track record as a university scholar and teacher was not in the LTTE’s good books for two reasons. more..

May 14 (WS) Sri Lanka is to send a representative for the first comprehensive tsunami warning exercise to be held in the Philippines during May 16-17. This first end-to-end Pacific-wide tsunami exercise for the Pacific Ocean will be conducted by the Intergovernmental Coordination Group for the Pacific Tsunami Warning and Mitigation System (ICG/PTWS). more..

May 14 (WS) Chairman of the Public Performance Board (PPB) Professor Somarathna Balasuriya, says untold pressure brought on his committee by the Cultural Minister resulted in him having to withdraw the approval issued to the film ‘Aksharaya’ (Letter of Fire) while the controversial film’s producer Upul Shantha Sannasgala vowed to free filmmakers from ‘falling victim to egoistic politicians’. more..

May 14 (WS) Banana leaves figured very prominently whenever banquets were held by the King of Kandy to visiting Dutch Ambassadors who called on him now and again. Why banana leaves? Well, they used them as plates. In a country where they ran things very very simply there was no need for elaborate chairs and tables and other paraphernalia when there were simpler substitutes. more..

May 14 (TW) The Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission will suspend all activity relating to naval monitoring with effect from May 14 th 2006 until further notice, it was announced yesterday. SLMM chief Ulf Henricsson as well as its acting spokesperson Robert Nilffom told different sections of the media that naval monitoring had ceased and that it was only a temporary feature. more..

May 14 (TW) Police investigations into the suicide bomber attack in the military headquarters precincts on April 25th thay killed nine persons and seriously injured army commander Sarath Fonseka have discovered that the woman suspect who allegedly blew herself up came on that fateful day from a residence in Kaduwela a Colombo suburb. more..

May 14 (TW) The LTTE have refused permission to the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission to inspect the areas in the Northern mainland Wanni that were affected by the aerial bombardment on May 11th. Two Israeli built K- fir jet bombers inflicted much of the damage on the 11th. More than 25 bombs were dropped in two sorties that began at 5. 40 pm and 6. 25 pm respectively. more..

May 14 (AFP) Sanath Jayasuriya has insisted that the president of Sri Lanka played no role in his decision to end his retirement from Test cricket. Jayasuriya, the 36-year-old former Sri Lanka captain, who arrived in England on Saturday, could only watch from beyond the boundary at Lord's while his erstwhile team-mates followed-on in the first Test after being bowled out for just 192 in reply to England's first innings 551 for 6 declared. more..

May 14 (ANN) The Nordic truce monitoring mission has suspended naval monitoring following Thursday’s (May 11) attack on a navy convoy off Vettilaikerni, Sri Lanka. Two vessels, troop ship Pearl Cruise II and Fast Attack Craft (P 421) of the eight-vessel convoy, carried Ilkka Happlina, the head of the Trincomalee-based naval monitors and Lars Bleymann, the deputy head of Jaffna-based naval monitors. more..

May 14 (AP) Tamil rebels claimed the Sri Lankan navy killed six Tamil civilians in an attack in northern Sri Lanka and threatened to resume war if they are denied access to the sea adjoining areas they control. The threat of renewed warfare by the LTTE is the latest in a steady escalation of tensions that threatens to destroy a 2002 cease-fire agreement with the government. more..

May 14 (AP) President Mahinda Rajapakse has vowed to protect Sri Lanka's sovereignty at any cost and threatened tough action if Tamil Tiger rebels refuse to end a spasm of violence that has left more than 170 people dead since early April. Suspected rebels, meanwhile, fatally shot a member of a breakaway faction late Saturday in eastern Batticaloa, more..

May 14 (ISL) In the local government election held in London on 4 May 2006, London Borough of Harrow became the focal point, as pro-LTTE candidates chose to contest. Many unachievable promises were given to win the tickle of Tamil votes and the candidates went on marathon running to drop leaflets to Tamil houses in the borough two days before the election. more..

May 14 (ISL) The roles played by the former President Chandrika Kumaranatunga and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremasinghe in bringing about a peaceful resolution between their governments and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) are major credits to these two leaders. more..

May 14 (ISL) The founders and activists of newly formed LTTE front ‘Campaign for Truth and Justice’ (CTJ) must soul search to understand the literal meaning for ‘Truth’ and ‘Justice’ and how these two precious words have been misused by them to undermine ‘untruth’ and ‘injustice’ which are established to be their conduct. more..

May 14 (SLA) THE LTTE SUICIDE ATTACK ON NAVY, Thursday (11) in the seas off VETTALAIKERNI, JAFFNA has reportedly claimed a life of an Army soldier who was on board the missing Dovra along with 17 other Naval personnel after a fears gun battle with sea Tigers. more..

May 14 (SLA) TROOPS DEPLOYED NEAR THE CHUNDIKKULI girls school on COLOMBOTHURAI road, JAFFNA were fired upon by LTTE terrorists from a distance location on Saturday (13) around 8.05 a.m.. Private W. L. Dissanayake who sustained severe injuries in his head succumbed to injury on admission to JAFFNA hospital. more..

May 14 (SLA) TAMIL TIGER TERRORISTS FROM LTTE PISTOL GROUP shot and cold bloodedly killed a civilian at the THUMPALAI junction in JAFFNA on 12th May 2006 around 6.00 p.m. Police identified the victim as KANDAIYA SHIVAGHANAM (43) who was the owner of the hair dressing station at the THUMPALAI junction, JAFFNA. more..

May 14 (LBO) Central Bank is likely to maintain its policy rates for the fifth straight month amidst a possible bottoming out of inflation, analysts said Sunday. However, state coffers could come under severe strain to finance unexpected military spending following an escalation of violence between the government and the Tamil Tiger rebels, more..

May 14 (GN) The Government strongly condemns the killing of Tamil civilians by a group of unidentified armed persons in Mandathivu island off Jaffna peninsula last night. Initial investigations have revealed that an informant who worked with a political group and his family members were gunned down brutally. more..

May 14 (PIS) President Mahinda Rajapaksa has declared that the ceasefire is still in place and his Government respected it but warned Tiger guerrillas his patience should not be misconstrued as weakness. He warned that if the LTTE insists on continuing its attacks, he would have to defend the country. more..

May 14 (PIS) Head of the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM), Ulf Henricsson yesterday assured the government that the SLMM was planning 'fresh' arrangements to continue sea monitoring and dismissed reports that there was a total pull out from monitoring sea activity. more..

May 14 (LNP) Sri Lanka yesterday discarded the LTTE`s contention that the organization had sovereign rights over the `adjacent sea and airspace of our homeland`. Colombo also warned that recognising such arguments would have serious regional and international implications. more..

May 14 (LNP) Last Thursday`s sea battle off Vettilaikerni that led to the aerial attack on the LTTE airfield at Iranamadu underscored the urgent need to prepare for any eventuality, military officials said. Although the navy managed to save passenger ferry Pearl Cruise II carrying over 700 unarmed troops to Jaffna peninsula, more..

May 14 (LNP) The government`s top official handling the peace process held talks with Norwegian peace brokers in Spain, as the European Union weighed whether to place the LTTE on a list of banned terrorist organizations, officials said. Peace Secretariat Chief Palitha Kohona flew to Barcelona on Tuesday for meetings with Jon Hanssen-Bauer, Norway`s special envoy to Sri Lanka, more..

May 14 (SAMN) The Government has already begun working towards the first meeting of the Human Rights Council which will be held in Geneva on June 19, a Foreign Ministry source told The Sunday Times. “We have a very high-level body which is called the Permanent Standing Committee on Human Rights, co-chaired by the Foreign Minister and the Human Rights Minister more..

May 14 (SAMN) The police have offered shotguns to Sinhalese villagers to defend themselves against deadly LTTE attacks but the move appears to have deepened the ethnic chasm. Taking aim: Villagers in Ali-Oluwa get lessons on how to use guns in self-defense "I took up the offer purely to protect my family," said Kumara, who declined to disclose his full name for fear of being singled out. more..

May 14 (LNP) A new tsunami housing policy has been finalized by the government and sent to district secretaries in tsunami-affected regions with a clear message: assume full responsibility for work and ensure all affected persons return to or get new homes by end 2006. more..

May 14 (Xinhua) The Sri Lankan embassy in Beijing on Saturday held a ceremony to mark the 2,550th anniversary of the birth of of Sakyamuni, the founder of Buddhism. About 100 diplomats, monks and Buddhists from Sri Lanka, China, India, Nepal and Thailand attended the event. more..

May 14 (Xinhua) The government said here Sunday that the Nordic truce monitoring group in the island will continue to monitor the Naval movements in the northern and eastern seas despite news of a temporary suspension. Keheliya Rambukwella, the minister of policy planning, said that during discussions with the Head of the SLMM Ulf Henricsson on Saturday, the group had assured him the continuity of the operations. more..

May 14 (Reuters) Rebel suicide attacks on land and at sea, assassinations, military aerial bombings in retaliation: Sri Lanka and the Tamil Tigers may both say they honour a 2002 ceasefire, but war has already resumed in all but name. With more than 270 deaths estimated since early April, and the worst military confrontation this week since the truce, more..

May 14 (SO) The government will take all steps to construct a new railway line from Kurunegala to Habarana via Dambulla. This new railway line would be 80 kilometers long and the cost of construction and successful implementation are around Rs 800 Million according to the Railway Line Development officials. more..

May 14 (Reuters) Standing by the bloody dust where he says two of his men were shot dead by Tamil Tiger rebels, Sri Lankan Army Lieutenant-Colonel Kumar Wijenayake knows what he wants to do. He wants to send out his soldiers from their positions some 200 metres (yards) from LTTE territory to flush out rebel fighters he believes crept across no-man's land to kill his men. more..

May 14 (AFP) At least 19 people have been killed in fresh violence in Sri Lanka, officials said, as Tamil Tigers vowed a "war" to deploy their navy even though truce monitors say it violates a ceasefire. Thirteen of the victims were gunned down in separate incidents in the northern islet of Kayts on Saturday night, the military said. more..

May 14 (AP) Tamil rebels on Saturday threatened to resume war if they are denied access to the sea and claimed naval forces killed eight Tamil civilians in an attack in northern Sri Lanka. Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse vowed to protect Sri Lanka's sovereignty at any cost. "If they insist on continuing their attacks, I will have to defend my country," Rajapakse said more..

May 14 (AFP) A taxi drives by a colourful structure depicting the life story of the Buddha to mark the most important Buddhist festival of Wesak which marks the birth, enlightenment and the passing away of the Buddha in Colombo more..

May 14 (AFP) Sri Lanka Police asked for help from the public Sunday to identify a woman suicide bomber who attacked the island's army chief killing 10 people. The police Criminal Investigations Department said in a statement that the bomber had yet to be identified contrary to earlier claims that she was a 21-year-old pregnant woman from the island's north. more..

May 15 (TW) The marine battle over “MV Pearl Cruise II” is over and the troop ship carrying 710 security personnnel has docked safely at Kankesanthurai (KKS). The consequences of the attack launched by the LTTE against the naval vessel are continuing still. One such result is the decision by the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission to suspend all naval monitoring activity until further notice. more..