Aug 13 (AP) Scattered battles across northern Sri Lanka killed 15 Tamil Tiger rebels and four government soldiers, the military said Wednesday. The fighting erupted Tuesday when army troops attacked rebel fighters across the front lines in the Vavuniya, Jaffna, Mullaitivu and Welioya regions that surround the rebels' de facto state in the north, said Brig. Udaya Nanayakkara, the military spokesman. more..

Aug 13 (LD) Winning the Sabaragamuwa and North Central provincial polls won’t be a problem, said Minister Mahindananda Aluthgamage. Addressing a rally in Mawanella on August 11th, the minister has thus expressed his support for the UPFA candidates. “We didn’t enter the final game yet. Much will happen on the night of August 21st. We will come to your villages on that night and will only leave on Aug. 23rd after filling the ballot boxes…. , ” he said. more..

Aug 13 (LD) The newly vacant position of chairman of the Sri Lanka Ports Authority is creating differences between members of the Rajapaksa family, a senior official of the Ministry of Civil Aviation told 'Lanka Dissent.' After Saliya Wickramasuriya tendered his resignation as head of SLPA, First Lady Shiranthi Rajapaksa has nominated acting chairman R.M. Priyath Bandu Wickrama to the position. more..

Aug 13 (IANS) The spearhead of Sri Lanka's war against the Tamil Tigers Wednesday made light of India's criticism that Tamils were not with Colombo, saying the government had failed to convince the world about its sincerity to resolve the ethnic conflict. Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa added that Sri Lanka would never talk to the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) because it would be a wasted effort. more..

Aug 14 (MN) The air smells of kerosene and jasmine flower. Young men crack whips as thick as cobras, while others skillfully twirl fire, leaving circular trails of light. There is rhythmic drumming and tribal dancing. It’s what I imagine Burning Man Festival to be, except drugs and drinking are replaced by devotion to deities. This is Kataragama Festival, a two week-long holy event that sees the arrival of some 100,000 Hindu, Buddhist and Muslim pilgrims. more..

Aug 14 (TW) ‘Welfare of the civilian population must not be compromised by military exigencies. They must be safeguarded from collateral damage and not be used as human shields in any circumstance. We call on the government not to use its air and artillery power to attack areas in which civilians are residing’, said National Peace Council [NPC] of Sri Lanka, in a media release issued today. more..

Aug 14 (LBO) Sri Lanka's self-drive car companies hope to better regulate and improve the quality and standards of the rent-a-car businesses with the formation of an umbrella body. The fleet management establishments in the island formed the Rent-A-Car Association (RACA) Tuesday and appointed Kishan Perera of Kings Rent A Car as the president. "We are trying to improve the industry which has been tormented with bad representations, more..

Aug 14 (LG) We as Catholics and Christians living overseas were overjoyed to learn that on instructions given by his Holiness the Pope, to Bishop Rayappu Joseph of Mannar the LTTE terrorists were finally asked to vacate the premises of the Holy Madhu church. The Sri Lanka Army made a magnanimous gesture by agreeing to repair and prepare the premises for the annual Madhu festival. more..

Aug 14 (LG) Awakened by the revelations that INGOs & NGOs are shielding, supporting and strengthening the LTTE terrorists while obstructing the liberation drive of the Armed Forces advancing on the Vanni Front. Surprised by the continued pro-LTTE activities of employees of some UN agencies in spite of Defence Secretary urging them not to provide nourishment to the Tigers. Concerned, about total disregard to GOSL by some diplomatic agencies sending massive quantities of food to more..

Aug 14 (LG) We have information that despite a polite letter of request by Shivanesathurai Chandrakanthan alias Pillayan to meet India's Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh, it was turned down. Even some top Indian ministers and advisers have done the same to him. The Indian premier however had meetings with a number of Tamil politicians including those supportive of the LTTE. There is a general feeling that the Eastern Province's chief minister was gently snubbed by the Indian officials. more..

Aug 14 (LT) The Auditor General S. Swarnajothi has ordered that no official in the department should make available official news to the media. This order has been given by circular No. S/2008/16 of 7th July, 2008 under the heading "Making available official news to the media and the public." According to this order the officials of the department have been barred from making available information directly or indirectly to the media or more..

Aug 14 (LD) For the second time this year, a fire gutted part of the welfare camp at Poonthottam in Vavuniya today (August 13th). No one has been injured, the police add. The blaze had broken out at Section Three of the facility, where 80 houses were reduced to ashes. Police and firefighters of the Vavuniya Urban Council have brought the fire under control. Vavuniya Police say that the cause for the blaze is yet to be determined. more..

Aug 14 (LD) Numbers cannot measure the impact of election violence on democracy, but the mere occurrence of such incidents itself indicates the adverse impact on the democratic system, said Chairman of the advisory panel of the Campaign for Free and Fair Elections, attorney Sudarshana Gunawardena. He was speaking at the first media briefing in Colombo today (August 13th) by CAFFE pertaining to the Sabaragamuwa and North Central Provincial Council polls. more..

Aug 14 (LD) No one can claim that media freedom does not exist in a country where the President is depicted as a dog in cartoons, said President Mahinda Rajapaksa. President Rajapaksa emphasized that he was yet to sink to the low level of a dog’. “Who says that media freedom does not exist in this country? I asked Mr. Ranil Wickremesinghe’s brother, Mr. Shan Wickremesinghe of TNL. Even he says that media freedom exists. I’m even portrayed as a dog wearing a scarf now,” more..

Aug 14 (LD) The International Federation of Journalists, in a statement, has demanded immediate intervention by President Mahinda Rajapaksa to order an end to Labour Minister Mervyn Silva’s anti-media campaign of interrogation and violence against Sirasa TV. According to the Free Media Movement, an IFJ affiliate, Silva reportedly organised a protest by about 100 people outside the Sirasa TV station in Colombo on August 11th to call for a ban on the broadcaster. more..

Aug 14 (CI) This series will always be remembered for the startling effect Ajantha Mendis had on India, starting and ending with his dismissals of Rahul Dravid. Mendis was undoubtedly the story of the summer but this was a Sri Lankan victory founded on consistency, determination and plenty from the supporting act. Cricinfo runs the rule over Sri Lanka's contributors to the 2-1 success. more..

Aug 14 (LNP) Sri Lanka Army (SLA) in Jaffna introduced a new security arrangement since Monday in Vadamaraadchi and Thenmaraadchi areas where SLA troops are posted near electricity transformers besides getting local residents to pile sand bags around the area. The recent damages caused to transformers in the said areas by being fired upon by unknown persons. SLA also made use of help from local traders in securing the electricity transformers. more..

Aug 14 (AT) The Kuwait embassy in Colombo will soon restart stamping visas of Sri Lankan domestic workers, a source told the Arab Times on condition of anonymity. This came after Kuwait last month stopped stamping visas of Sri Lankan workers even as it was not clear what prompted the move. It may be recalled that India and Kuwait were also locked in a visa row and the stand-off came to an end after India adopted a labour contract based on Kuwaiti model. more..

Aug 14 (LNP) AN Edinburgh student has been awarded what is described as the `Asian equivalent of the Nobel Prize` for his work in Sri Lanka. International health PhD student Ananda Galappatti has been awarded this year`s Ramon Magsaysay Award for emergent leadership for his work with victims of war and tsunami in Sri Lanka. Originally from Sri Lanka, the 34-year-old studies on a joint PhD programme run by Queen Margaret University and Edinburgh University. more..

Aug 14 (LNP) The rise of the LTTE as a formidable guerrilla outfit would not have been possible but for the backing it has received from the SLFP and the UNP from time to time. While the UNP was battling terrorism in the 1980s, the SLFP kept throwing a monkey wrench in the works. It was not only the war that the SLFP opposed but also the political solutions that the UNP government attempted. more..

Aug 14 (GT) SRI Lanka, which supplies thousands of maids to several countries, including Qatar, is planning to cut down on the number of housekeepers in the Middle East. According to sources, the decision is prompted mainly by two reasons: rising concerns about the increasing number of abuse cases, and the social impact of the absence of mothers from home back in Sri Lanka. In Qatar, out of the 140,000 Sri Lankan expatriates, 20,000 are estimated to be domestic helpers. more..

Aug 14 (AT) Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama said there is no truth in the statement of the UNP that after the Provincial Council elections in North Central and Sabaragamuwa Provinces the war to eliminate terrorism will be stopped. "We showed that terrorism could be eliminated from the country’s Eastern Province and similarly we will eliminate terrorism in the Northern Province and bring back democracy to the citizens of the area they once enjoyed", more..

Aug 14 (BL) A total of 98 complaints of election violence have been reported from the North Central and Sabaragamuwa Provinces over the course of the campaign leading up to the August 23 election, Peoples’ Action for Free and Fair Elections(PAFFREL) said yesterday. Speaking to The Bottom Line, PAFFREL Executive Director Rohana Hettiarachchi said that 10 cases of threat and intimidation, 23 incidents of damage and 24 instances of abuse of state property had been reported. more..

Aug 14 (BL) They would continue their fight until their demands are met, vowed the Combined Unemployed Undergraduates Association (CUUA) after their violent clash with Police. The CUUA conducted the protest in front of the Fort Railway Station, demanding the government to fulfil promises made to unemployed graduates during the period 2006-2008. The main demands included providing 43,000 jobs, a promise which hasn’t been fullfilled since the 2006 Budget, more..

Aug 14 (CI) Hardly 15 minutes after Mahendra Singh Dhoni arrived at the team hotel in Colombo with his fellow one-day recruits, had he faced a barrage of questions. No surprise that most of them focused around the man who snatched almost half of the Indian wickets in the Test series, Ajantha Mendis. "I'll just ask Mahela [Jayawardene] if he will lend Mendis for a couple of practice sessions. If not, then...," Dhoni said with a laugh when more..

Aug 14 (BL) Sri Lankan political analysts should take note of the mood change taking place in Tamil Nadu. The results of a survey published last week by Tamil Nadu’s prestigious weekly magazine Ananda Vikatan and the expose printed by Kumutham Reporter, an equally influential investigative weekly should be taken as indicators. The Ananda Vikatan survey shows that Tamil Nadu is becoming more sympathetic towards the Sri Lankan Tamils, particularly the LTTE. more..

Aug 14 (BBC) Colombo Magistrate Court ordered police to conduct impartial investigations into the incident where Minister Mervyn Silva is alleged to have attacked Sirasa cameraman in Kelaniya. The court ordered police to conduct investigations on evidence other than the CDs produced in the court. Additional Magistrate Manjula Thilakaratne told police that it is the responsibility of the police to arrest suspects as directed by the court order. more..

Aug 14 (BBC) The two provincial council elections due this month are going to be one of extreme violence, says The Campaign for Free & Fair Election (CaFFE). The CaFFE gave this warning at its first media conference held to brief media on their election monitoring campaign in the North Central and Sabaragamuwa Provinces. The media spokesman for CaFFE, Ranjith Keerthi Thennakoone told Sandesaya that 'violence and how to face it' has become the prime importance for the campaign of the main political parties more..

Aug 14 (GDI) August 13 is designated International Lefthanders Day. It was first observed on the 13th of August 1976. As its name suggests, it is meant to promote awareness of the inconveniences facing left-handers in a predominantly right-handed world. It celebrates the uniqueness and difference of those who are form seven to ten percent of the world's population. People who are left handed use their right brain, which appears to give them an edge in geometry and related subjects. more..

Aug 14 (GDI) Kalvilan, another tiger stronghold located approximately 3kms Southwest of Thunukkai came under troops' control after heavy confrontation with the LTTE terrorists for several days, Ministry of Defence announced this afternoon (13). "The capture of Kalvilan by troops of the 57 Division means that the security forces are now positioned in clear striking distance of Thunukkai a vital terrorist garrison along the Vellankaulam- Mankulam main road," more..

Aug 14 (GDI) First ever “Double Decker” bus assembled in Sri Lanka was introduced by the Micro Cars Ltd, the automobile manufacturer. The first bus assembled was presented to President Mahinda Rajapaksa yesterday (12). Prof,G.L Peiris, Minister Kumara Welgama and several others participated in the ceremony. The Manufactures are expecting to promote the bus both for the local and the foreign market. more..

Aug 14 (LD) Two rival student groups clashed at the University of Ruhuna yesterday (Aug. 12th), leaving 14 injured and 18 remanded. Seven of the wounded, two of them in critical condition, are still receiving treatment at the Matara General Hospital. The Matara Magistrate ordered that the arrested undergraduates be kept in remand custody until August 25th. The six-hour long exchange of blows, using clubs and cycle chains, was between more..

Aug 14 (LG) In the ongoing displacement of people inside Vanni, forced out from their settlements by indiscriminate bombing and shelling of the Sri Lanka military, Kilinochchi district has received greater number of the displaced putting the humanitarian efforts of all agencies in the district under great pressure. People from Mannar, north of Vavuniya and Mullaithivu districts have displaced to Kilinochchi in unprecedented numbers. more..

Aug 14 (LG) I have been reading various arguments, debates and contentions in the Srilanka Guardian about Black July 1983. Much has been said and written about this dark day from various perspectives. From the perspectives of victims and of perpetrators: The Proponents of black July have argued that this was a reactionary incident against LTTE’s atrocities and while the opponents against it, have argued that Black July was indeed well planned programmes against the entire Tamil community in Srilanka. more..

Aug 14 (LG) The Canadians for Peace in Sri Lanka, an open and transparent organization, that believes in democracy and negotiation as the legitimate means to resolve conflicts will hold a public forum Sunday August 17, 2008 at the Community Centre located at Markham and St Clair. East. The key-note speakers on this occasion will be Professor Ratnajeevan Hoole and Mr John Argue, co-coordinator of Amnesty International Canada for Sri Lanka. more..

Aug 14 (LG) Of the assassination of politicians during the past years, the killings of two cabinet ministers Hon. Lakshman Kadirgamar and Jeyaraj Fernandopulle, two outstanding speakers, both clever lawyers, both valiant defenders of the policies of the Present Government, are an irreparable loss to our nation. The intention of writing this article is not to criticise any particular individual or organisation but to high light the failure and the lapses of more..

Aug 14 (LG) The pose of injured innocence by the Tamil lobbyists, apologists and propagandists in the aftermath of “1983” was valid only up to a point. It was valid up to the point where the innocent Tamils civilians, who did not know anything about the machinations of their leaders to sacrifice them on the altar of an elusive Eelam, were forced to face the brunt of the wrath of the lower-level ethnic leadership of the Sinhalese. more..

Aug 14 (DW) Despite an election looming in India and subsequent comments made by Indian National Security Adviser, M K Narayanan, the International Community, including Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh have all backed the military effort in Sri Lanka. During a recent visit to Sri Lanka to attend the SAARC Summit, Singh had confidentially given the go-ahead for the war, officials told this site. more..

Aug 14 (BBC) UNP Chief Ministerial candidate Ranjan Ramanayake was injured in an attack in Rathnapura. Popular star, Ranjan Ramanayake speaking to Sandesaya from the Ratnapura police station said that their convoy came under a mob attack at Gallella. He said they were travelling to Pelmadulla when PA supporters blocked their convoy and attacked. Before the attack Ramanayake was invited by the fans to address them from a stage that UPFA concluded an election rally short while ago. more..

Aug 14 (AT) This is a question, which resonates in the minds of many Sri Lankans, today. There seems to be many propositions about the ultimate end of the LTTE. The most popular one is militarily defeating the LTTE. Perhaps, the less popular notion is ending of the LTTE through a political process at this crucial point in time. However, before talking about a possible end of the LTTE, it is useful to look at ways in which a terrorist organization could reach its end. more..

Aug 14 (AT) The usually low profile National Security Advisor of India, M K Naryanan was on the front pages of Indian and Sri Lanka dailies on Wednesday. His interview to The Straits Times was literally plain speak whether for the home audience or Sri Lankan readers. Even Pakistan audience for that matter. Naryanan is known to be media shy. Unlike his two predecessors, Brajesh Misra during Vajpayee regime and J N Dixit during the early days of Manmohan Singh government, Narayanan rarely gives interviews to the media more..

Aug 14 (LNP) Velupillai Prabhakaran`s terror empire stands on a foundation of myths, the biggest being its so-called invincibility. The LTTE is also being described by some as the most ruthless terrorist outfit in the world as if someone had carried out a global survey to measure ruthlessness of terrorist groups! A prerequisite for countering terrorism is to strike at the roots of such well entrenched myths surrounding terrorist organisations. more..

Aug 14 (TW) Tamil families displaced from Muthur east following military operation launched by the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) in April, 2006, and still being sheltered in welfare centers in Batticaloa district and Trincomalee district, are to hold a one-day prayer on August 16 Saturday, a Full Moon Day (Pooranai), in Amman Temples for their safe return to their traditional Tamil villages, print edition of the Tamil daily Virakesari reported today. more..

Aug 14 (BBC) The claims and counter claims by Sri Lanka's warring parties in the current fighting have overshadowed civilian suffering and misery in the northern region. Trapped between the advancing Sri Lankan military and Tamil Tiger rebels, who are fiercely resisting the offensive, thousands of Tamils living inside rebel-held territory have been made homeless and are wandering from place to place in search of safe havens. more..

Aug 14 (Hindu) When Mahela Jayawardene was translating for Ajantha Mendis in the press conference following the conclusion of the third Test, there occurred the sort of moment that throws light on the natural humours of two men, and the relationship sport binds them in. Jayawardene would incline his head in Mendis’s direction, listen to the reply, which to every question was incredibly brief, and answer in English, looking at his young spinner from time to time to see if he had anything to add. more..

Aug 14 (TW) Aid agencies in Vanni are facing several obstacles to provide adequate aid and care for the internally displaced persons (IDPs), a report in today’s print edition of Sri Lanka’s premier Tamil daily Virakesari said, quoting Gordon Weiss, the spokesman of the United Nations Colombo office. He said there are funding shortages as well as safety of IDPs and humanitarian workers to consider. more..

Aug 14 (GDI) Sri Lankan expatriates numbering more than 80,000 living in Italy, predominantly of the Catholic faith, have expressed their gratitude and sincere thanks to his holiness Pope Benedict XVI for doing everything within his means to bring back the statue of Our Lady of Madhu to the Holy Madhu church. Bishop of Mannar, Rt. Rev Rayappu Joseph had earlier taken it deep behind the LTTE frontline west of the A9 road. more..

Aug 14 (GDI) While emphasizing that all previous negotiations with the LTTE had failed to resolve the problem, Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa said “it is very clear that it is useless talking to the LTTE because it is not genuine or sincere.” The Defence Secretary clarified that although LTTE would have preferred Jaffna peninsula or Trincomalee more, they are now pushed to Wanni and explained that Mullaitivu jungles is not what the LTTE preferes but have been compelled to move to. more..

Aug 14 (LD) The JVP has urged parties in the opposition to make a combined effort, defeat the violent campaign by the ruling party, and safeguard voters' rights at the upcoming polls for the Sabaragamuwa and North Central Provinces. JVP Parliamentary Group leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake alleged the government had unleashed violence and terror in massive proportions on society by using powers of the state and violating all democratic principles. more..

Aug 14 (LD) The top police official in the North Central Province has been ordered by court to beef up security in Anuradhapura town and its environs in view of serious threats to civilian life in the run up to the provincial polls there. Anuradhapura Chief Magistrate Ruchira Wellawatte has noted that armed persons in vehicles without number plates or with garage numbers have become a public menace, leading to an escalation of violence. more..