Mar 3 (GDI) The President Mahinda Rajapaksa stated that the ambition of the citizens of Sri Lanka by electing his government was to achieve a sustainable development by following a process similar to the one that China exploited to gain a giant development. The President further stressed that the countrymen has accepted the concept of uplifting the country through the development of village by more..

Mar 3 (GDI) Minister of Foreign Affairs Rohitha Bogollagama, met the Diplomatic Corp and International Organizations that visited Batticaloa last Tuesday, 27 February and became the victims of the LTTE mortar attack, at the Ministry premises, today (02) afternoon. Addressing the gathering Minister Bogollagama pointed out that, "This action shows the brazen defiance of the international community. more..

Mar 3 (GDI) It is with great pleasure that I am addressing you all at Shanghai, the Chinese city which is linked with Sri Lanka’s main administrative city Colombo. Many Chinese people who migrated from China to Sri Lanka live in the city of Colombo; where as some of them have been continuing their business in Sri Lanka over generations. more..

Mar 3 (AI) For many in Sri Lanka, home is a concept that has lost its meaning. Uprooted from their communities by conflict, natural disaster or both, people have found themselves trapped in a cycle of displacement, often with no end in sight. Muttiah Canagaratnam and his family fled their home in Kilinochchi, northern Sri Lanka, in 1985 during intensified armed conflict between state security forces and Tamil armed groups seeking a separate state in the north and east of the island. more..

Mar 3 (BBC) This is a really unpredictable team, who could have a great tournament or could be swept away in the Super Eights. For me, Mahela Jayawardene is an outstanding captain. The leadership came by default when Marvan Atapattu picked up a long-term injury but it's been the making of him. He is also a beautiful batsman, and part of an exciting top order featuring the veteran Sanath Jayasuriya - a massively experienced and hugely dangerous player - and the sensible Atapattu. more..

Mar 3 (BBC) A prestigious London university has elected a Sri Lankan student as the General Secretary of the student union. Fadhil Bakir Makar is the first ever South Asian elected to the post by London School of Economics (LSE). "The post has been British-dominated for years," Bakir Makar told bbcsinhala.com. He is also the first Muslim to be elected to the top post by international sudents. more..

Mar 3 (BBC) A veteran Sri Lankan Tamil leader has urged Tamil Nadu government to help solve Sri Lanka's national question. TULF leader V Anandasangaree has sought Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi's help to urge Indian government's assistance in finding a solution for Sri Lanka. Anandasangaree said he suggested Sri Lanka propose a similar model to Indian constitution to solve the long running ethnic conflict. more..

Mar 3 (AT) There is certainly no dearth of production of dilemmas in Sri Lanka—it can inflate the GDP that is already inflated with tsunami flow of monies and the construction of buildings done with capital floating for lack of productive investments. In fact these dilemmas may be the cause of our lagging behind the many countries that started with us after independence—but, of course—are we not a nation proud of our glorious past! more..

Mar 3 (AT) Ms Otara Gunewardene, Founder and CEO of ODEL, the first departmental store, specializing on women’s is also now involved in a new kind of activity of extending love to animals - exceptional Personal Social Responsibility (CSR) programme and as the first step, she has embarked on helping the Sathva Mitra’ (Animal Friends) an animal rights organization and Tsunami Animal-People Alliance to sterilize 500 stray dogs in Colombo. more..

Mar 3 (IJN) Journalists and concerned citizens interested in Sri Lankan affairs can contribute to an experimental Web log, or “blog”, at www.groundviews.org. Billed as the first “citizen journalism initiative” in Sri Lanka, the blog seeks to gather information and voices from a variety of perspectives to address peace, conflict, justice, and other critical issues currently facing Sri Lanka. more..

Mar 3 (AP) At 37 years, Sanath Jayasuriya is still one of the quickest run scorers in world cricket. The ideal player for the one-day game, he is a safe fielder with 111 catches and is still on par with younger players in fitness and quick running between the wickets. Yet he was on the Sri Lankan team that won the World Cup 11 years ago and is still around to chase its second title in the Caribbean. more..

Mar 3 (AP) With a band of experienced and young players in its ranks Sri Lanka embarks on its cricket World Cup campaign confident it will regain the sport's top one-day title after 11 years. The 1996 title winner is led by 29-year-old Mahela Jayawardene for the ninth edition of the tournament to be played in the West Indies from March 13. more..

Mar 3 (LT) Former President Chandrika Bandaranayke Kumaratunga misused the power she had as the executive President said Chief Justice Mr. Sarath N. Silva. He said this when a petition filed by three lawyers requesting the court to annul the privileges she has obtained through the privileges bill was heard. more..

Mar 3 (wsws) The Sri Lankan government has seized on an incident on Tuesday, in which the LTTE fired on military helicopters carrying foreign dignitaries, to push for tougher action against the separatist rebels. The foreign officials, including the US, German, Japanese, Canadian and French ambassadors and the UN head of mission, were visiting the eastern town of Batticaloa, accompanied by the Disaster Management and Human Rights Minister Mahinda Samarasinghe. more..

Mar 3 (LBO) Backbench parliamentarian Mangala Samaraweera says he has no plans to leave the ruling Sri Lanka Freedom Party, while a senior party official denied there were moves to suspend the former foreign minister's membership. "From time to time I have acted to bring back people who left the SLFP," Samaraweera said. more..

Mar 3 (TN) The fishermen of Pashaiyoor, Gurunagar, Kolumbuththurai and Navanthurai in the Jaffna municipal area protested the limited access to fishing authorized by the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) hierarchy and refused to fish Friday, fisheries sources in Jaffna said. The SLA allowed fishermen to fish in shallow waters only up to 500 meters from the shore. more..

Mar 3 (TN) Nimal Punchihewa, the head of Sri Lanka Human Rights Commission (SLHRC) ordered the officials of the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) to furnish details pertaining to the arrest of Tamil woman journalist Paremesawary Munusamy before March 20, when hearings were held Friday morning. The police who arrested Paremeswary, officials of intelligence service, and the parents of the journalist gave evidence before the commission. more..

Mar 3 (GDI) President Mahinda Rajapaksa and the delegation complete the successful six days official tour in China, today (03). During the visit Sri Lankan Government received much assistance from the Chinese Government for many large scale development projects including the Hombanthota Port Project. The President and the delegation will visit the biggest dam in the world located in Yichang area and also the power plant established with it. more..

Mar 3 (GDI) China will build a child welfare centre in Sri Lanka. Apart from providing all the facilities to the proposed centre, China will also provide assistance to the entire child welfare and child education sectors in Sri Lanka. This was announced by the Chinese Minister of Child Welfare during a discussion with the First Lady Shiranthi Rajapaksa and the representatives of Seva Vanitha units of three services. more..

Mar 3 (BT) The 17 passengers who were left stranded on Thursday night had much to cheer yesterday when Sri Lankan Airlines offered them two-way tickets to the Indian continent from any country in the GCC. This offer is valid for a year. The airline office was functioning yesterday to ensure these passengers were placed on the flight yesterday. All the passengers came to the Sri lankan Airlines office yesterday morning. more..

Mar 3 (CI) India should win the World Cup. I have never seen a stronger Indian one-day side: it's well-represented in batting and its bowling crop is very, very impressive. It's so good, I guess, that raising the issue of fielding appears a bit improper. I see a lot of similarity in this side to the one I captained in the World Cup triumph of 1996. It starts at the top and Robin Uthappa showcases the feel-good factor. more..

Mar 3 (TN) After failing to send the accumulating backlog of ordinary letters lying in Trincomalee Main Post Office to Jaffna on the 26th February as planned, due to undisclosed reasons, the Post Master General (PMG) said another attempt will be made Sunday to send about 7 thousand parcels and mailbags by ship, sources in Trincomalee said. more..

Mar 3 (TW) Martin McGuinness of Sinn Fein visited Sri Lanka last year to share with the peace seekers in Colombo and the Tamil Tigers in Kilinochchi their experience in converting the ceasefire into the peace process with political objectives agreed jointly with other political parties in Northern Ireland. more..

Mar 3 (TW) Since the split in the LTTE in the early part of 2003, many observers of the peace process have been continuously concerned with the role of Karuna Amman. His actions immediately after the military confrontation with the LTTE in April 2005 were quite positive, in spite of the fact that some peace analysts were worried about the presence of another actor that would disrupt the so-called bi-laterality of the conflict. more..

Mar 3 (TW) The ethnic problem that had remained unresolved for several decades largely because of the power struggle between the two main rival parties is the cause of the LTTE’s continuing armed struggle for the creation of a separate Tamil state in the North-East not linked politically with the rest of the island. After two decades of fighting the people were desperate for peace that had eluded them despite some hope during the suspension of hostilities for brief periods. more..

Mar 3 (LNP) Adding fuel to fire over this week`s incident in Batticaloa where a foreign diplomatic delegation came under an LTTE attack, Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama yesterday claimed the normal protocol was not followed when the trip to the East was undertaken. Minister Bogollagama, who rushed back to Colombo from China yesterday, said as a result of the attack he had now decided to insist on the implementation of the protocol in future involving aspects more..

Mar 3 (LNP) The UNP yesterday associated itself with the stand taken by sacked Ministers Sripathy Sooriyarachchi and Mangala Samaraweera requesting Speaker W.J.M. Lokubandara to appoint a Parliamentary Select Committee to probe any secret deal allegedly struck with the LTTE before the Presidential Election. UNP MP John Amaratunga told the Daily Mirror the allegation was serious enough to even bring a no-confidence motion against the government, more..

Mar 3 (LNP) Bribery sleuths on Thursday arrested a Grama Niladhari on a charge of bribery. The suspect identified as P.A.George Kulatillake, Grama Niladhari of the Nikawatawana division, Dambulla Divisional Secretariat is alleged to have solicited and obtained a bribe of Rs 8,000 from a man who was cultivating State land without a permit. more..

Mar 3 (LNP) The Defence Ministry hasby a Speical Gazette published on 29.12.2006 prohibited the use of high powered engines/outboard motors on fishing or other vessels as an anti terrorist measure. Boats with outboard engines that exceed 15 horsepower were not permitted. The LTTE Sea Tigers in disguise used such powerful boats mingling among fishermen for their terrorist activities, more..

Mar 3 (SAMN) In the aftermath of the LTTE attack on diplomats in Batticaloa on Tuesday, four Ambassadors have sought increased security in their missions and residences, Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama said Friday. Bogollagama met Colombo based diplomats and Humanitarian Agency Heads at his Ministry where the request for increased security was put forward. more..

Mar 3 (SAMN) The Sri Lanka Working Journalists Association and Muslim Media Forum Thursday honoured five senior journalists and also launched their respective web sites in the presence of a large gathering of media personnel and well wishers at the Russian Centre,Colombo. The journalists honoured for their contributions over the last forty years were D. F. Kariyakarawana, Latheef Farook,Sumana Sapramadu, Annalakshmi Rajadurai and Sri Lal Kodikara. more..

Mar 3 (SAMN) The 28 member Private Health Services Regulating Committee appointed recently by the minister of Health under the Private Medical Institutions Act has been empowered to monitor and regulate activities of private health sector establishments. “The committee, empowered to handle all health sector affairs possesses legal teeth to prosecute unscrupulous private sector health institutions more..

Mar 3 (SAMN) The public will have another electric shock with the increase of electricity unit rates from next month with effect from March 1, Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) trade unions said Friday. Union sources said the new price revision of the CEB will be included after the much discussed Value Added Tax (VAT) is taken off. more..

Mar 3 (DN) Unemployment rate has shown a rapid decline last year from the first quarter of the year to the last quarter, a Sri Lanka Labour Force Survey revealed. The survey is being conducted quarterly since the first quarter of 1990 by the Department of Census and Statistics. “the declining trend of unemployment has continued and there is a significant decrease of unemployment rates in 2006, when compared with the unemployment rates for 2003, 2004 and 2005.” more..

Mar 3 (DN) Investment Promotion Minister Navin Dissanayake, in a letter to UNP leader Ranil Wickremesinghe, said the latter is raising an issue that has no meaning for the people, by launching a campaign to reveal an alleged secret deal with the LTTE and President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s campaign organisers. more..

Mar 3 (DM) A Canadian organisation CASP engaged in agricultural development projects in the Eastern Province recently organised a seminar for dairy farmers of the Trincomale District. Several representative diary farmer organisations attended the seminar presided over by A.S. Mirza of the CASP. A delegate from Tirukkovil DS division pointed out that the tsunami-affected dairy farmers in the area who lost their cattle had not yet received any assistance. more..

Mar 3 (DM) The Government Medical Officers Association has warned that the services in the Anuradhapura Teaching Hospital would collapse soon if steps were not taken to fill the vacancies of doctors. At present the hospital is short of 130 doctors and another 37 doctors already in the service are awaiting transfers to other areas pending their replacements. more..

Mar 3 (PTI) Twentyfour refugees from Trincomalee and Vavuniya in Sri Lanka arrived at Arichalmunai off Dhanushkodi Coast near here today. The refugees, nine men, eight women and seven children, were sent to the Mandapam refugee camp after preliminary inquiry. The refugees said that the cost of rice in their area was Rs 400 a Kg and there was acute shortage of food items, fruits, vegetables and drinking water.

Mar 3 (HT) Following the ugly incident in Batticaloa on Feb 28, when the LTTE greeted a group of visiting foreign envoys with a mortar barrage, Ambassadors of four countries have sought increased security for themselves and their missions. The request was made at a briefing on the incident which the Sri Lankan Foreign Minister, Rohitha Bogollagama, gave to the diplomatic community here on Friday, the state-owned Daily News said. more..

Mar 3 (ST) A Minnesota man arrested in Sri Lanka on suspicion of aiding a militant separatist organization called the Tamil Tigers could be released in a few days, but Sri Lankan police officials offered no guarantees and said the findings of their investigation are not complete. Meanwhile, Evan Balasuriya, who has been coordinating tsunami relief efforts, remains in the Boosa detention camp in Galle, a city in the southern part of the island nation, police said. more..

Mar 3 (AFP) The Netherlands put on hold the deportation of failed ethnic Tamil asylum seekers because of a flare-up in the conflict between the Sri Lankan government and the rebel Tamil Tigers. The decision was taken "because it is not clear what the consequences of the escalated conflict has for the way the Sri Lankan government treats Tamils, including those who return," the Dutch ministry of justice said in a statement on Friday. more..

Mar 3 (GDI) President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s state visit to China has benefited Sri Lanka in numerous ways and the latest joint venture announced is between the Micro Car Company and the China Bus Company to manufacture double decker buses in Sri Lanka. During the visit the Sri Lankan business community and entrepreneurs entered into new ventures with Chinese companies, with two Sri Lankan companies signing MoUs to establish new business ventures in Sri Lanka. more..

Mar 3 (AFP) The bodies of five men shot in the head with their hands tied together and blindfolded were found Saturday by Sri Lankan police, who called the deaths an apparent "execution-style killing". The grisly find in a marsh at Kandana, 15 kilometres (10 miles) north of the capital, was made after a child spied one of the bodies in the marsh, a police spokesman said. more..

Mar 3 (AFP) Sri Lanka is stepping up security for diplomats following a Tamil rebel attack against a helicopter in which envoys were travelling, the foreign ministry said Saturday. The ambassadors of Italy and the United States and a UN coordinator were among more than a dozen people wounded in a shell attack carried out by Tamil Tiger rebels on Tuesday. more..

Mar 4 (AT) ACL Cables has launched their latest Fire Guard Cables – a range of cables designed for the use at homes and offices that are especially equipped to prevent the spread of fire. Fire Guard cables are the first of their kind in Sri Lanka. Fire related accidents are often unavoidable and may take place due to electrical short circuits resulting from human error, rodents attacking the cables or even by the movement of earth that disturbs the cable installations. more..

Mar 4 (AT) Following his trademark habit as displayed in the first article (18.02.2007), Professor Fernando keeps distorting and misrepresenting my writing in his second article published in The Asian Tribune (25.02.2007). In my previous articles in The Asian Tribune (15.02.2007 and 20.02.2007), I did not claim that there was a continuous unitary concept (or a unitary state in reality) in Sri Lanka from the Kandyan Kingdom to the present day. more..

Mar 4 (GDI) President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s visit to China at the historic occasion of commemorating the 50 years of diplomatic relations between the two countries has been a tremendous success. The visit succeeded in achieving its main objectives that include; to commemorate China-Sri Lanka Friendship Year, to expand bilateral cooperation in investment, commerce and tourism, strengthen the strong religious and cultural bonds. more..

Mar 4 (GDI) In the last 50 years since establishing diplomatic ties, the relations between China and Sri Lanka have continued to strengthen despite changes in international environment and enjoyed healthy and smooth growth, serving as a model of good relations among small and big countries. Stating this in the Joint Communique issued at the end of President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s state visit to China, more..

Mar 4 (LT) “Madamulana Mahinda is working without having identified his friends and enemies. The President is working on as king Rajasinghe did without a proper knowledge about his enemies.” General Secretary of the Patriotic National Movement, MP Wimal Weerawanse expressed these views in a lecture at the BMICH in Colombo. more..

Mar 4 (TW) British Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs website says the British government’s political and development efforts in Sri Lanka have a single aim i.e.to help create the conditions in which a lasting peace can be achieved. Dr. Kim Howells, the British Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, visited Sri Lanka from February 13 - 15. more..