Nov 9 (LG) “Tamilselvan joined the LTTE (aka Tamil Tigers) in 1984 and slipped on the Tamil Tiger fatigues with the implicit intention to kill, and he did kill innocents in droves. That initiation certainly did not make him a ‘Dove of Peace’. His initial training as a terrorist was in Indira Gandhi’s India. He established himself as a capable military man by killing his opponents and innocent civilians who had no way to defend themselves as they were fast asleep when more..

Nov 9 (LBO) Sri Lanka's most powerful business chamber welcomed a government commitment to lower the budget deficit next year, but said reaching the targets was important. "We have repeatedly pointed out in the past that implementation is the key to success in achieving the budgetary targets," the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce said in a statement. more..

Nov 9 (LBO) The Commonwealth Games Federation general assembly will vote Friday to decide whether Abuja of Nigeria or Scotland's Glasgow hosts the 2014 games, officials said. Abuja and Glasgow will get a final opportunity to sway voters when they each make a 30-minute presentation and answer questions during a 10-minute period just before voting on Friday evening. more..

Nov 9 (LBO) Sri Lanka's 2008 budget proposals will have a mixed impact on firms listed on the Colombo bourse like motor vehicle importers, liquor manufacturers, sugar producers and ship owners. The increase in excise duties on cigarettes and alcohol would have a direct impact on Distilleries and Ceylon Tobacco Company, stock market analysts said. more..

Nov 9 (LBO) "I, therefore propose to introduce an Environment Conservation Levy Act ensuring environment conservation. Individuals, businesses or items considered as harmful to the environment will be subject to this levy. The Central Environmental Authority will be empowered to register relevant Chief Occupant to enable the process of recovering of this levy. more..

Nov 9 (LT) The masses should rally to stop anyone from making the oil resources that would bring esteem and prosperity to the Nation a thing that would bring disaster and doom to the country said Information Secretary of the JVP Wimal Weerawansa. He said this making a special statement in the Parliament recently. more..

Nov 9 (LD) At the Second Reading of the budget which took place today (November 09th), National List Parliamentarian Basil Rajapaksa delivered a speech of nearly 1 ½ hours. Following his speech, the Propaganda Secretary of the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna Wimal Weerawansa stood up and described Rajapaksa’s statement as a repeat of the presentation of the budget by President Mahinda Rajapaksa. more..

Nov 9 (LD) “This budget is more like a prostitute dressed up in an Osari. Whom are they attempting to deceive? Only they themselves will be deceived. The country is in a stagnant state today. This budget is scandalous,” said Propaganda Secretary of the JVP Wimal Weerawansa. Joining the debate on the Second Reading of the budget in Parliament today The JVP MP commented on a speech made by MP Basil Rajapaksa, saying it was very much the same as to what the President said the day before yesterday. more..

Nov 9 (LD) The UNP Democratic Group has welcomed Budget 2008 as one that encourages more foreign investments into the country, which will in effect increase the Per Capita Income of the nation. The budget for next year is a long-term one that will be the foundation for building a local economy, a member of the group, Minister Naveen Dissanayake told the media in Colombo today (Nov. 09th). more..

Nov 9 (LD) UNP Parliamentarian Kabir Hashim has described Budget 2008 as a complete fiasco and jugglery or figures. The Appropriation Bill tabled before Parliament on October 10th and the actual budget presented by the President as Finance Minister on November 07th had different figures for total income and expenditure of the state, he told the House while taking part in the Second Reading of the budget today (Nov. 09th). more..

Nov 9 (LD) Anuradhapura HQI Sarath Prema told the Anuradhapura Magistrate on November 07th that his report claiming that the recent LTTE attack on the Anuradhapura Air Force Base left ten aircraft destroyed was incorrect. Presenting a report to the Anuradhapura Magistrate and Additional District Court Judge Wasantha Jinadasa, the Anuradhapura HQI has apologized and pleaded to rectify his mistake saying only eight aircraft were destroyed. more..

Nov 9 (AT) Maxwell Keegal, a senior diplomat in the Sri Lankan High Commission, told “Thesam”, a Tamil newspaper based in London, that Karuna had been offered political asylum by another country but he decided to come to London because his family has been given ‘leave to stay’ pending review of their case. Here is the edited version of his interview with “Thesam”: The ethnic and political life of Karuna Amman which started in 1983 in Batticaloa has almost come to an end on November 2, 2007, in an immigration detention centre in Britain. more..

Nov 9 (GDI) It has been decided that 139 new Engineers have been recruited to the Sri Lanka Engineering Service by the Government, following a proposal made by the Minister of Public Administration and Home Affairs, Karu Jayasuriya. The decision was prompted by the shortage of engineers for various development projects that have been launched at district and divisional secretariat level. more..

Nov 9 (GDI) Local media sources disclosed that soon a top level French Intelligence team would be in Sri Lanka to establish a network between the two countries to deal with terrorists funding and smuggling of arms. This team would also have with a series of discussions with the country’s intelligence experts. According to news sources this follows discussions between the French and Sri Lankan officials regarding more..

Nov 9 (GDI) Minister of Resettlement and Disaster Relief Services, Rishad Bathiudeen said that 165,000 displaced people have been resettled in 2006 through his Ministry with the support of the UNHCR office in Sri Lanka. He disclosed this at a meeting held with the Deputy Inspector General, Tahir Ali and Senior Programme Co-ordinating Officer, Nabil Othman of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) today (09). more..

Nov 9 (GDI) Observing that the crucial problem our country faces today is that national expenditure exceeds national revenue, Minister for Public Administration and Home affairs, Karu Jayasuriya, said that this has resulted in a big deficit in the budget and in these circumstances it is creditable that a huge amount of money has been allocated for development projects. more..

Nov 9 (GDI) Sri Lanka continues to score over many developed countries in the Gender Ranking, an index measuring gender disparities, according to the World Economic Forum (WEF). The latest survey done by the WEF places Sri Lanka in the 15th place, well ahead of many European nations. Most Asian countries, apart from Sri Lanka, the Philippines (06th), Vietnam (42th) and Thailand (52rd) were in the lower half of the ranking with scores below 67 percent. more..

Nov 9 (GDI) President Mahinda Rajapaksa has taken serious note of concerns raised by journalists covering the Budget Speech in parliament on Wednesday (7th), according to a media release from the Presidential Media Unit. The President has requested a full report on the matter from DIG S.M. Wickremesinghe of the Presidential Security Division, according to the release. more..

Nov 9 (CI) Trevor Bayliss, the Sri Lanka coach, has asked his batsmen to adopt the same approach as Australian pair Michael Hussey and Michael Clarke when play continues on the third day of the first Test at the Gabba. "It's obviously a very good batting wicket and we should try and take full advantage of it. We need a couple of guys to get their heads together and do what Hussey and Clarke did today," Bayliss said after the second day. more..

Nov 9 (CI) In all the analysis about Australia's new components at the top and bottom, a small group of significant contributors were forgotten. The stomach of the side is growing into a unit that is strong enough to digest any standard of bowling and Sri Lanka have been processed without delivering a ball at Adam Gilchrist. Entering the match, the tourists were unconcerned about the quality of their fast bowlers, but now they have serious troubles with both disciplines more..

Nov 9 (CI) Twin centuries to Michael Clarke and Michael Hussey gave Australia's scorecard a familiar look for their first Test innings of the home summer, which Ricky Ponting finally closed at 4 for 551. In reply Sri Lanka suffered from a Brett Lee double-strike and gratefully accepted an offer of bad light, finishing the second day at 2 for 31 with Marvan Atapattu on 19 and Mahela Jayawardene on 5. more..

Nov 9 (PISL) Recently Mr Prabhakaran has described the late Mr Thamilselvam as his Peace Dove. There have been several claims to the contrary in recent articles even in newspapers critical of the government but, assuming we ignore those and, with the indulgence due to any deceased, accept Prabhakaran’s characterization, we must then wonder at the intransigence which made him clip so firmly the wings of his dove. more..

Nov 9 (TE) THE Sri Lankan government, and the majority ethnic-Sinhalese population that backs it, are gloating over the death of S.P. Tamilselvan, political commissar of the LTTE, in an air raid on November 2nd. To them it is proof that the Sri Lankan army has gained the upper hand under the leadership of Mahinda Rajapaksa, the president, and his brother, Gotabhaya, the defence secretary. They believe the latter's boast that his forces know the whereabouts of the Tigers' leaders, and that they will be killed one by one. more..

Nov 9 (LNP) With the Eastern Province firmly under its control, the security forces are stepping up offensive action in the northern theatre of operations. This would be a critical part of the government`s overall strategy to pressure the LTTE, a senior Defence official said. `We are at a decisive stage. With the recent target killing of a group of senior cadres including S. P. Thamilselvan at a secret hideout in Kilinochchi, the stage is set for us to undermine them further,` he said. more..

Nov 9 (LNP) India yesterday said it would take `appropriate action` after consulting the Sri Lanka government on reports which said Tamil Nadu was used by the LTTE to conduct its activities. `We will discuss the matter with the Sri Lanka Government and take appropriate action based on information provided by Sri Lanka,` Dinkar Asthana, the spokesperson for the Indian High Commission in Colombo told the Daily Mirror yesterday. more..

Nov 9 (LNP) The peace mission to Wanni which was to be organized by the Caritas, the social development arm of the Catholic Bishops Conference has been postponed due to the prevailing situation in the area. Well informed sources told Daily Mirror the peace mission on which several Buddhist prelates were to travel to Wanni has been postponed especially because of the new developments that had taken place after the death of LTTE political wing head S. P. Thamilselvan earlier this month. more..

Nov 9 (LNP) UNP MP Lakshman Seneviratne has said that President Mahinda Rajapaksa invites newspaper editors to Temple Trees, treats them to kiribath and then threatens them not to write anything against his government. Therefore, according to him, the truth doesn`t get reported and the people are now turning to websites to ascertain credible information. We, in fact, wanted to respond to this remark yesterday but the budget distracted us. more..

Nov 9 (TN) The Sri Lanka Army (SLA) and Police have been frequently conducting cordon and search operation at Neeraaviyadi, a Tamil suburb located 6 km away from Anuradhapura military air base. The surveillance has been stepped up since the assumption of Major General Sarath Karunaratne as the Overall Commander of Anuradhapura district following the recent aerial and land attack on the Anuradhapura military air base by the LTTE. more..

Nov 9 (SAMN) One small way the United Nations Secretariat works to reduce its impact on the environment is to donate computers no longer being used at UNHQ. As outlined in an administrative instructions document, the UN’s Information Technology Services Division (ITSD) staff review the stock of computers and peripherals no longer being used at UNHQ to see if they are suitable for donation. more..

Nov 9 (SAMN) Urban Development and Sacred Area Development Minister Dinesh Gunawardane has appointed a special committee to expedite the development work in the Colombo Municipal Council area. The Committee's second meeting was held under the Minister's patronage at the Ministry on Wednesday. The meeting focused on the deteriorating situation pertaining to the common amenities of ratepayers. more..

Nov 9 (SAMN) The Jathika Hela Urumaya has formed a teacher union in order to win the rights of teachers and strengthen relations between teachers and students. The union which has been named “Jathika Hela Guru Saviya” will not levy membership fees but work for the betterment of the teacher community, President of the union Bosen Kalahepathirana said. more..

Nov 9 (SAMN) The New York based Human Rights Watch (HRW) is endorsing a proposal by the US Senate to restrict the sale and transfer of arms to Sri Lanka until the government improves its human rights record and facilitates the creation of a United Nations human rights monitoring mission to help protect civilians threatened by the island’s escalating civil war. more..

Nov 9 (DN) Vandals had broken into the historic Lankatilleke Raja Maha Viharaya premises on Tuesday night and escaped with two valuable bronze statues after breaking several other statues in search of hidden treasures. Viharadhipati Ven. Amunugama Rajaguru Vipassi Thera said among the damage statues is a Samadhi Buddha Statue believed to have been built by King Buvaneikabahu IV of the Gampola era. more..

Nov 9 (DN) Every developing country has a national news agency to bring the country’s good image all over the world and to have a comprehensive sharing of latest and reliable news with the outer world. The re-launching of Lankapuvath; the National News Agency of Sri Lanka will definitely fill that gap in Sri Lanka, Commonwealth Press Union (CPU) Executive Director Lindsay Ross said. more..

Nov 9 (LD) The Court of Appeal today rejected a petition filed by former President Chandrika Kumaratunga, challenging the curtailment of her security, staff, vehicles and other privileges. Chairman of the Court of Appeal K. Sripavan and Justice Rohini Perera said they cannot override an earlier ruling by the Supreme Court. The Secretary to the President has only acted in accordance with that ruling, they said. more..

Nov 9 (LD) The Supreme Court has banned, with immediate effect, the use of loudspeakers between 10 pm and 6 am, and issued related guidelines to the Defence Secretary and the IGP. A panel comprising Chief Justice Sarath N. Silva and Justices Shirani Thilakawardena and Andrew Somawansa gave the order today (Nov. 09th) after considering a petition filed by a group of Muslims of Weligama area. more..

Nov 9 (DM) Over one million are unemployed in the country and over 29 percent children under the age of 5 suffer from malnutrition since the science and technology sector in the country had not advanced to provide solutions to these pressing problems, Science and Tchnology Minister Tissa Vitharana said on Monday. Addressing a ceremony to mark the World Science Day at the BMICH he said that the solution for these problems is to use the latest advanced technology to improve the country. more..

Nov 9 (DM) Transparency and efficiency would be key components in the Public Administration in its effort to make public service an asset to the country, Public Administration and Home Affairs Minister Karu Jayasuriya said. Addressing a group of public servants who had completed a programme titled “Empowerment of Public Officials for an Organized State Service” in Colombo, Minister Jayasuriya declared that every vacancy in the public service would be filled only by employees recruited through a competitive examination followed by a test. more..

Nov 9 (AP) Eight separatist rebels were killed in clashes with government troops across Sri Lanka's volatile north, while a roadside bomb blast killed two village guards, the military said Friday. Suspected ethnic Tamil insurgents set off the blast targeting the two guards as they returned home after duty in the Padaviya village, in northern Anuradhapura district, Friday morning, a defense ministry official said more..

Nov 9 (HT) The devastating ground cum air attack on the Sri Lankan Air Force's base at Anuradhapura in North Central Sri Lanka on October 22, was LTTE chief Velupillai Prabhakaran's brainchild and showed his penchant for meticulous planning, high secrecy, hard training and meticulous execution, a top LTTE official has said. "The Leader was very keen that the operation should not fail. And towards this end, the planning and training for the attack and its execution were kept a top secret. more..

Nov 10 (LBO) Sri Lanka will shortly call for the supply of 200MegaWatts of private power to bridge an energy deficit until a coal plant comes on stream, officials said. Energy Minister John Seneviratne told LBO that the cabinet of ministers had given the nod to call for proposals from existing independent power producers (IPPs) to supply the capacity this week. more..

Nov 10 (BBC) An alleged senior leader of the Tamil Tigers in UK has pleaded not guilty to five terrorism charges at London's Central Criminal Court. Arunachalam Krishanthakumar, widely known as Shanthan, and Goldan Lambert were arrested by Britain's anti-terror authorities earlier this year. The charges included allegedly helping to organise a meeting to support the Tamil Tigers and receiving money that could be used for terrorism. more..

Nov 10 (AFP) A pro-government faction of Tamil Tiger defectors has been hit by major political in-fighting following the arrest in London of its leader, known as Colonel Karuna, military officials said. Vinayagamoorthi Muralitharan, alias Karuna, was detained by immigration authorities in London last week and since then his followers in Sri Lanka have been battling for control over his faction, the officials said. more..

Nov 10 (AAP) Sri Lanka are daring to dream: not only can Muttiah Muralitharan break the world bowling record in Australia but they can also "create history" with an incredible Test comeback win. New coach Trevor Bayliss declared the tourists were still in the first Test despite being bashed from pillar to post on the first two days at the Gabba. Not only can they stave off what looks another Brisbane steamrolling by the Australians, Sri Lanka are 2-31 in reply to 4(dec)-551, more..

Nov 10 (TW) John McKay, MP for Scarborough – Guildwood, in a response to The Globe and Mail has queried the absence of editorials against “state sanctioned assassinations of peace negotiators.” The premier broadsheet in Canada, Globe and Mail - recently wrote an editorial “What were those MPs thinking?,” in critical of Toronto area Liberal MPs attending a vigil held in the town of Markham paying tribute to the slain LTTE Peace Negotiator. more..

Nov 10 (AFP) Glasgow on Friday convincingly clinched the 2014 Commonwealth Games, shattering Nigeria's hopes of being the first African nation to host the event. Scotland's biggest city won by 47 votes to 24 for its only rival, Abuja, at the Commonwealth Games Federation annual assembly in Sri Lanka, president Mike Fennell announced. The result means Scotland will stage its first Commonwealth Games since Edinburgh played host in 1986. more..

Nov 10 (GU) Friday last week was a manic day for Sri Lankans across Britain. We were alerted to two extraordinary events that together have potentially massive consequences for the tiny, war-torn Indian-ocean island. We woke to the shocking news that a top rebel leader had been killed back home. Later, emails, texts and phone calls started whizzing around claiming that a Sri Lankan paramilitary leader had been arrested in London. more..

Nov 10 (LG) We need to remind ourselves that university students, with rare exceptions, have lived off their parents or guardians from birth until they enter university. Thereafter, they receive free education and, in many cases, financial assistance. It is the indirect and direct taxes collected from the poorest citizens to the richest wage earners and other taxpayers of this country that pay for these privileges. more..

Nov 10 (wsws) The Socialist Equality Party (SEP) and the International Students for Social Equality (ISSE) in Sri Lanka call on workers and young people to condemn the threat against the leadership of the Central Bank Employees Union (CBEU) by supporters of the JVP. In response to a political resolution passed at the CBEU annual general meeting in September, the JVP-aligned Sri Lanka Central Bank Employees Union (SLCBEU) issued a scurrilous leaflet branding CBEU president K.B. Mavikumbura and more..

Nov 10 (LD) The government has taken steps to distribute arms among the youth in Tissamaharama to secure the villages following the recent violent events. Though such steps have been taken in the North, this is the first time it will be done in the Southern region of the country. The Police spokesman and DIG Jayantha Wickramaratne officially announced that around 300 fire arms were distributed among the villages bordering the Yala sanctuary. more..