Nov 3 (SAMN) Chief Opposition Whip Joseph Michael Perera instructed by UNP Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe Thursday requested all UNP MPs to standby party’s policy decisions without creating internal rifts by making unnecessary public statements. Perera’s request came after Deputy Leader Karu Jayasuriya issued a statement to the media on Tuesday criticising the party hierarchy and demanding immediate political reforms in the party. more..

Nov 3 (SAMN) The Jathika Hela Urumaya on Wednesday urged the Government not to hold another round of peace talks with the LTTE saying the exercise was only a waste of public money and only benefited the terrorists. Addressing a news conference JHU Leader Ven. Ellawala Medhananda Thera said three rounds of peace talks were held so far under this Government and the only outcome of them was the LTTE's success in fooling the Government and gaining international recognition. more..

Nov 3 (SAMN) In a stern warning to private bus operators, Transport Minister A.H.M. Fowzie yesterday vowed to take over private buses which fail to provide a quality service to commuters in line with regulations issued by the Government. "We have issued a deadline for bus operators to comply with these regulations and improve the quality of their service. If they fail to do so their buses will be taken over to the Government without compensation," the Minister said. more..

Nov 3 (SAMN) The Colombo District Judge Anura Ranasinghe on Tuesday ordered Sarath Namalgama the producer of film "Susima" to pay prepayment cost of Rs. 42.500/- as cost to Sprint Queen Susanthika Jayasinghe and further ordered that if the prepayment is not made before 10 a.m. on the next date of trial, judgment will be entered in favour of the Plaintiff. more..

Nov 3 (DN) The Government will commence construction work on the mega irrigation scheme, Moragahakanda-Kalu Ganga Reservoir Project next year. This is the last major multi-purpose reservoir project to be implemented under the Mahaweli development scheme. The project has been estimated to cost Rs.38,500 million. It will be built over five years from 2008 to 2012. more..

Nov 3 (IANS) Sri Lankan NGOs have prevented the growth of real society and "become the enemies of open society", a new book published in India says. "Sri Lankan NGOs tended to cut themselves off from the larger population (and) yet insist on imposing their views on them in a way very reminiscent of the ... Stalinist-Leninist states," says "Recolonisation", a book authored by Susantha Goonatilake. more..

Nov 3 (Dawn) The A9 Highway linking the south of Sri Lanka with Jaffna in the north has now become the country’s road to war. The A9 became a bargaining chip between the government and the rebels when the last weekends peace talks deadlocked over the LTTE demand to reopen the strategic route and the nation braced itself for rebels suicide attacks. more..

Nov 3 (Hindu) In a rare humanitarian gesture, the Sri Lankan refugees under the banner of the Organisation for Eelam Refugee Rehabilitation (OfERR) have set up 25 livelihood training centres for the tsunami-affected people in Cuddalore, Nagapattinam and Kanyakumari districts. The OfERR has planned to initiate 504 women into skills that would provide them with alternative sustenance avenues. more..

Nov 3 (BBC) A huge stone pagoda being built on the outskirts of India's financial capital, Mumbai (Bombay), has been opened to the public after Buddha's ashes and bones were enshrined in it. Sponsors say it is the world's largest stone dome to hold his relics. Being constructed at an approximate cost of 1bn rupees (a little over $22m) by the Global Vipassana Foundation, the shrine will promote meditation (or Vipassana) as taught by Buddha. more..

Nov 3 (Reuters) Sri Lanka's Air Force launched air raids for the third consecutive day on Tamil Tiger targets in the island's northwest and east on Friday, the military said, days after the breakdown of talks to halt renewed civil war. "The air force bombed two Tiger targets this morning. One is a Tiger training and transit camp in (the eastern district of) Batticaloa and the other one is a Sea Tiger base in Mannar," more..

Nov 3 (AFP) Sri Lankan war planes have pounded suspected Tamil Tiger targets for a third straight day after the defence ministry charged that the guerrillas were preparing for a major offensive. Sri Lanka's defence ministry said supersonic jets hit two locations of the LTTE in the eastern district of Batticaloa and the northwestern district of Mannar. more..

Nov 3 (AP) Sri Lanka's air force bombed three Tamil rebel naval bases Friday, a military spokesman said, deepening a crisis that risks plunging the island nation back into all-out war. The bombers targeted two Sea Tiger bases in northwestern Mannar and one in eastern Batticaloa, spokesman Brig. Prasad Samarasinghe said. more..

Nov 3 (AP) Indonesia is ready to investigate claims that its waters are being used to ship illegal weapons to the Tamil Tiger rebels in Sri Lanka, but it has so far found no evidence to support the allegations, a Defense Ministry spokesman said Friday. In a visit to Indonesia's capital last month, Sri Lanka's prime minister alleged weapons shipments were taking place and asked the Indonesian government to crack down on the offenders, more..

Nov 3 (BBC) The military in Sri Lanka are accused of threatening a local journalist in the eastern town of Trincomalee. Reuters and Sirasa media network reporter George David was threatened by Sri Lanka Army (SLA) as he asked the soldiers to wait while his daughters get ready for the school before a routine search. Trincomalee Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Nimal Samarakoon was informed of the incident by the journalist. more..

Nov 3 (LeN) An unknown variety of highly powerful bomb was found at Trincomalee this morning (03). According to the DIG Ananda Levengama who is in charge of the area said this comprises of four parts each weighing 10 kilos. All four could be fixed together unlike other bombs and when it explodes it goes off with other three parts blowing everything to smithereens. more..

Nov 3 (LeN) Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva who led the government delegation to Geneva talks has blasted the BBC Sandesaya when he was invited for an interview subsequent to the common news briefing held after talks. He has blasted the Snadeshaya journalists who had gone to Geneva, that he would not give an interview as Sandeshaya is the voice of the Tigers. more..

Nov 3 (AFP) Sri Lankan war planes pounded suspected Tamil Tiger targets for a third straight day after the defence ministry said the guerrillas were preparing for a major offensive. Sri Lanka's key foreign aid donors -- the United States, European Union, Japan and Norway -- in a joint statement asked both the government and the Tamil Tigers to refrain from military action and expressed regret over the bombing of a hospital. more..

Nov 4 (AT) Police have come under severe flak for its alleged lethargic attitude with regard to conducting investigations on the series of abductions, disappearances and the killings of Tamils in Colombo. During a meeting held last week between the Civil Monitoring Committee (CMC) and IGP Victor Perera, the committee representatives had voiced their displeasure over the style in which the investigations were being carried out by the respective police stations. more..

Nov 4 (AT) In the immediate months after 9/11, I needed a webmaster and a net-expert. I logged on to Russian based www.pravda.ru's forum. I knew a contact would soon come along who thought the same as me. I noticed a few postings by some very clever posters. By now I was not required to obtain permission from my ex-bosses any longer as I had already told them of my plans to web-hit on other groups. more..

Nov 4 (AT) The livelihood Unit of the Reconstruction and Development Agency (RADA) is mandated by the President Mahinda Rajapakse to uplift the affected livelihood of the tsunami affected people. RADA Livelihoods Division works closely with Government Agencies, Communities, Development Partners (Donors, INGO/NGOs) and Private Sector to recover local economies devastated by the Tsunami by way of more..

Nov 4 (AT) Nallaratnam Singarasa, a Tamil, was arrested on 16 July 1993 by the Sri Lankan army, along with some 150 others, in a round-up in Batticaloa District and suffered severe torture at the hands of police. His thumb print was forcibly obtained on a prepared confession in Sinhala language which he does not understand. more..

Nov 4 (AT) The talks in Geneva between the LTTE and the Rajapakse government have not disappointed the sceptics of the Sri Lanka scene. The failure of the talks was written in the very script for the face off between the two sides. More over, neither side is keen on getting locked in polemics when reports from the front line offered no room for optimism. more..

Nov 4 (Hindu) Amidst growing international concern, the Sri Lanka Air Force, for the third consecutive day on Friday, conducted three air raids on "well identified" LTTE targets. The raids prompted the Tamil Tigers to accuse the Government of "wanting to drag the whole island into a full scale war". more..

Nov 4 (Hindu) A HUMAN catastrophe is in the making in the Jaffna peninsula in the wake of the closure of the A 9 highway that links it to the outside world. The Sri Lankan Government shut down the highway on August 11 after battles with cadres of the LTTE along the Muhamalai Forward Defence Lines. More than 130 government troops were killed. more..

Nov 4 (Reuters) Sri Lanka skipper Mahela Jayawardene was declared the inaugural captain of the year at the third International Cricket Council (ICC) annual awards on Friday. Jayawardene, standing in for the injured Marvan Atapattu, inspired his side as both batsman and leader to a 5-0 one-day rout over hosts England and subsequently won a test series at home against South Africa. more..

Nov 4 (OI) India has been facing the problem of ideological terrorism from left-wing extremists almost since it became independent in 1947. This terrorism has gone through various mutations and continues to intensify and spread. It is threatening to become the second major internal security problem, after jihadi terrorism. more..

Nov 4 (Hindu) Close on the heels of a meeting between the Sri Lanka Deputy High Commission and representatives of the South India Federation of Fishermen Societies (SIFFS), the Alliance for Release of Innocent Fishermen (ARIF) and leaders of fishing communities in Tamil Nadu on October 28, the island authorities released five Indian vessels on Thursday. more..

Nov 4 (VS) Three B.C. residents with trade skills are flying Saturday to a tsunami-devastated coast to help teach people in Sri Lanka how to build their own homes. One of the Builders Without Borders volunteers is Julia Armstrong, who teaches woodworking skills to women from her own shop in the north Okanagan town of Enderby. more..

Nov 4 (AAH) Three months ago, on 6th August 2006, seventeen employees of Action Against Hunger were found massacred at the organisation's base in Muttur. To ensure that this tragedy is not forgotten, a memorial service will take place in Colombo and a minute's silence will be observed all around the world. more..

Nov 4 (TW) Kilinochchi the interim capital of northern territory controlled by the LTTE was bombed on Thursday November 2nd by the Sri Lankan Air Force. Israeli built K-fir jet bombers flying in pairs conducted two sorties between 2 .15 and 2. 45 pm and dropped sixteen bombs in the east and south - east of Kilinochchi town limits. One of the bombs failed to explode. more..

Nov 4 (TW) “India should lift ban on LTTE. I am of the view that, the ban should be lifted. I am against the ban” said Kudlip Nayar, a well known political analyst, and head of Indian Peace Mission- Mumbai Peace Mission. Mumbai Peace Mission, consists of five members visited Sri Lanka from October 29th 2006 to November 2nd 2006. They met politicians, and civil society members during their stay in Sri Lanka, except the LTTE. more..

Nov 4 (TW) We see the terrorized eyes of children and women living in the conflict zones. Hundreds and thousands are fleeing the areas as aerial bombing continues. We also see the tears of mothers as they watch helplessly as children are shoved into white vans in broad daylight in the Eastern Province. These things are happening in the ‘cleared areas’? more..

Nov 4 (AN) The Kingdom yesterday sent a planeload of relief supplies for displaced Muslims in Muttur, eastern Sri Lanka, who fled their homes due to terrorist attacks. “The donation follows a request made by the Sri Lankan government to the foreign missions based in Colombo,” said Mohamed Mahmoud Al-Ali, Saudi ambassador in Colombo. more..

Nov 4 (EW) "The North - South divide, a direct result of Sri Lanka's ethnic war between the majority Sinhalese and minority Tamils has had an impact on the attitudes of both its southern and northern journalists. Deep scars have been caused by a 23 year old war, that has left nearly 70,000 people dead - Sinhalese ,Tamils and Muslims included. more..

Nov 4 (LP) Mahela Jayawardene will continue as Sri Lanka’s captain until the 2007 Cricket World Cup in the Caribbean. Jayawardene, who temporarily took on the leadership role in the absence of Marvan Atapattu, has been now named Sri Lanka’s full time captain. Despite Atapattu (35) returning to the side, after back surgery, the selectors have decided to persist with Jayawardene, who has got an impressive captaincy record overall. more..

Nov 4 (LP) Rival UNP reformists are prepared for an alliance to break leader Ranil Wickremesinghe’s hold on the party machinery. Rival factions are seeking an understanding ahead of the forthcoming party Convention scheduled to take place at Sirikotha on November 19. The Island learns that MPs who differed on a range of issues are believed to have shed their differences recently. more..

Nov 4 (LBO) The massive fiscal cost and the subsequent body blow delivered to the economy of Sri Lanka by indiscriminate fuel subsidies from early 2004 had received the attention of international economic researchers. A study by researchers at the International Monetary Fund has found that 74.9 percent of the money spent on fuel subsidies by the government of Sri Lanka went to 60 percent of the highest income classes. more..

Nov 4 (AT) Reinhard Rusli (34) and Helmi Soedirja (33) alleged two young Indonesian business partners of illegal arms buyers for the Tamil Tigers of Sri Lanka pleaded not guilty before US District magistrate judge James K. Bredar in Baltimore USA. The two, were among six South Asian men brought to US mainland after certain extradition procedures from the US territory of Guam where more..

Nov 4 (AT) Addressing the UN's Social and Humanitarian Committee, Sri Lanka's Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador Prasad Kariyawasam recently responded to a statement of the European Union (EU) delegation relating to human rights concerns in respect of several countries, including Sri Lanka. more..

Nov 4 (GDI) President Mahinda Rajapaksa reiterated that institutions and individuals should not over-step their powers and act arbitrarily on one's own accord sans accountability and responsibility to its hierarchy. Presiding at a 'Progress Review' meeting of the Railways and Transport Ministry at Temple Trees yesterday, President said: "Boards such as the SLTB, are bestowed with certain powers, which they should not exceed. more..

Nov 4 (GDI) The construction work of Sri Lanka's second international airport at Weerawila in Hambanthota, located in the deep southern part of Sri Lanka, is to be ceremonially commenced by the President Mahinda Rajapaksa, on 19th this month. The initiation of this project coincides with the first year commemoration of Mr. Mahinda Rajapaksa in Presidency. more..

Nov 4 (ISL) Tamil Canadians number around 300,000, most arriving from Sri Lanka following the genocide of July 1983. Tamils are by nature enterprising and hard working and they invest heavily in education. They have swelled the professional and business ranks demonstrating a commitment to Canada's growth and prosperity. more..

Nov 4 (TW) The Geneva conclave has come and gone! As predicted in these columns the parley was a failure. The summit took place without any agenda because both parties could not agree to a common one. Both sides came with their own agenda and spoke at rather than talking to each other. In the end they could not even decide on a date for the next round of talks or even draft a joint communique. more..

Nov 4 (TW) Throughout the past 2550 years and more Buddhist ‘Pancha Seela’ precepts have guided religious leaders philosophers, statesmen, moralists, politicians, social scientists and others. In these principles moral warnings are embedded against injustice to one’s own self and to others. These Buddhist stanzas in Pali though not composed buy the Buddha are the principles that evolved from the teachings of the Buddha as more..

Nov 4 (LT) UNP is on the verge of collapse due to three fractions being formed within the party; It is undergoing a very heavy power struggle due to undemocratic system operating within the party. As a result it has further splitted the party into three fractions reliable sources of the UNP say. According to some reports parliamentary group of the UNP has urged Ranil to call for executive committee meeting immediately in the present context. more..

Nov 4 (PISL) Military Spokesman Brigadier Prasad Samarasinghe yesterday completely denied LTTE charges against the Air Force that the Air Force had aimed at civilian targets in Kilinochchi adding that the target in Kilinochchi was a well identified LTTE target. more..

Nov 4 (PISL) There is no point in coming to power by acting against the country's interests, Opposition Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe said yesterday. Addressing the United National Party Executive Committee meeting in Colombo on the SLFP-UNP pact, Wickremesinghe said the Opposition had to come to an agreement with the Government considering the imperatives of the peace process. more..

Nov 4 (LNP) The Co-Chairs of the Tokyo donors` conference have condemned the aerial bombing of a spot next to the Kilinochchi General Hospital on Thursday in which six civilians were killed and the hospital suffered bad collateral damage. Reacting to this on Friday, the Co-Chairs, namely, Norway, US, EU and Japan, expressed `deep regret` and said that the explosion came `at a delicate time more..

Nov 4 (LNP) The Janata Vimukti Peramuna yesterday (3)said it will not vote for the forthcoming Budget of the Government if it does not contain proposals that would strengthen the National Economy. The JVP politburo, which met recently, took this decision. The following proposals for the budget were being forwarded to the Government by the JVP: more..

Nov 4 (LNP) Deputy Minister Mervyn Silva`s son Malaka Silva and two others, who assaulted a group of Police Narcotics Bureau (PNB) officers in a Colombo night club last year, were ordered by the Colombo High Court on Thursday to pay compensation of Rs. 10,000 each and enter into a bond in Rs. 10,000 each to be of good behaviour for one year. more..