May 27 (AP) Air force helicopters bombed and destroyed a Tamil Tiger rebel explosives storage depot in Sri Lanka's restive north and killed a guerrilla bomb-making expert, the military said Tuesday. The air force targeted the explosives stash in Mannar district's Andankulam village Monday, a military official said on condition of anonymity, citing government rules. He said the raid killed a rebel known as Dora who was an expert on improvised-explosive devices. more..

May 27 (LBO) Sri Lanka has the world's biggest public sector which is too big a burden on the poor, and the public service must do more to drive economic growth, a senior minister has said. "From our population (21 million), there is one public servant for every 17 citizens and that is the world biggest public service sector," public administration minister Karu Jayasuriya said. He was speaking at the annual general meeting of Sri Lanka Administrative Service Association (SLASA). more..

May 27 (NP) Federal officials released more documents yesterday that were seized during a massive RCMP investigation into Tamil Tigers fundraising in Canada, including a guerrilla leader's request for "a huge sum" of money. The police files, unsealed by the Federal Court, are the latest evidence that Tamil Tigers rebels have been bankrolling their civil war with money raised by supporters in Canada. But the newly disclosed documents also suggest the Tamil Tigers may not be getting as much from Canada as they would like more..

May 27 (Reuters) Sri Lanka will press on with a military campaign against Tamil Tiger rebels, President Mahinda Rajapaksa said on Tuesday, vowing not to be intimidated by bombings in the capital blamed on the rebels in recent weeks. At least nine people were killed and 73 wounded when a bomb exploded on a train in Colombo on Monday, an attack blamed on the LTTE fighting for a separate homeland for minority Tamils in the north and east of the island. more..

May 28 (BBC) A man has been charged over an attack on two 19-year-old men near an east London Underground station. One of the men suffered a stab wound to the abdomen and was found collapsed at East Ham Tube station on Sunday night. Officers found the other 19-year-old man in nearby Burgess Road suffering from head injuries. Vijitharan Velupillai, of St James Road, Stratford, is accused of two counts of unlawful wounding with intent to commit grievous bodily harm. more..

May 28 (LD) A group of bullock cart riding United National Party MPs agitated in Colombo today (May 27th) against the latest escalation in fuel prices. The bullock carts wound their way from Colombo Fort Railway Station to Pettah, Maradana and to the Lipton Circus, where a protest rally took place. Speaking to the media here, UNP General Secretary Tissa Attanayake said they would travel to Parliament by bullock cart to protest the unprecedented fuel price hike. more..

May 28 (LD) European Union officials have promised Opposition Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe that they would consider an official request by the Sri Lankan government for the renewal of the GSP+ facility to the country's garments industry. Mr. Wickremesinghe met with EU's Commissioner for Institutional Relations Margot Walstrom, External Relations Commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner and Trade Commissioner Perter Mandelsson in Brussels yesterday (May 26th), more..

May 28 (LBO) Sri Lanka's state-enterprise engineers are starting industrial action after the government denied them tax-slashed cars, with a warning of tougher measures if no notice is taken of their demands within the next two weeks. "We are starting a non-corporation action for a period of two weeks from May 28," Sabina Ratnayake, representing engineers of the Road Development Authority told reporters. more..

May 28 (AT) Somawansa Amarasinghe remains as the leader of the JVP while Tylwin silva was appointed as the General Secretary by the Central Committee of the JVP at their fifth convention held in this evening at the Sugathadasa Indoor Stadium, Colombo. Wijitha Herath was appointed as the Propaganda Secretary by the central committee and Anura Kumara Dissanayake is now holding Parliamentary group leadership. more..

May 28 (AT) Sri Lanka's star batsmen Sanath Jayasuriya and Ms. Shabana Azmi were selected as SAARC Goodwill Ambassadors for the programme " Uniting for HIV AIDS" by the selection committee at a meeting held at the SAARC Secretariat in Kathmandu recently. This prestigious honorary title is for a period of two years and the Goodwill Ambassadors are expected to travel to all SAARC member States. more..

May 28 (AT) The claymore mine attack at Murugandy in Kilinochchi on Friday 23 May and the bomb blast in a crowded train on Monday 26 May, are both condemnable. On the last Friday in the Claymore mine blast, 16 innocent men, women and children were killed and also left 3 seriously injured. Again in the Dehiwela station bomb blast of Monday, left 9 killed, 73 injured. V. Anandasangaree, President – TULF, says in a statement released to the press that he strongly condemns both these atrocious acts. more..

May 28 (LG) JVP leader Somawansa Amarasinghe insists that the party will not allow the UNP, which betrayed the country and the people, to return to power. He stated this addressing the 5th national general assembly of the party held in Colombo this morning. JVP General Secretary Tylvin Silva said it is a responsibility of all party activists to contribute towards the advancement of the party. more..

May 28 (LG) Dr. Colvin R. de Silva studied the politics of his time in the live context of western imperialism spread out between the last two world wars and the four decades thereafter. An exceptionally gifted parliamentarian he served that institution as a representative since the 1940s. The socialist movement in Sri Lanka recognized the valuable contribution he can make to Parliament at a critical time when more..

May 28 (LG) United States Ambassador Robert Blake urged LTTE leader Velupillai Prabharakan to renounce the Tamil quest for statehood in an interview published in the Sunday Observer Newspaper on May 25. With the owlish certainty which earmarks the glitterati, the Ambassador proclaimed that the Tamil people “are not seeking an independent Tamil Eelam which Prabharkan is seeking.” more..

May 28 (LG) We seem not to have learned the lessons of our recent history yet! The terrible events in the last few weeks, especially after Geneva talks held this year, show that the parties involved in the talks are not fully convinced that the path to peace lay in serious and cordial negotiations, rather than tit for tat violence. Both sides seem to have thought that by showing the "muscle of arms" they can convince the other side of their supremacy. more..

May 28 (ML) The repercussions of Pillayan's appointment as Chief Minister of the Eastern Province have insofar been the predicted kaleidoscope of bloodshed, ethnic tensions and political unrest. Even before Pillayan was officially appointed to the post a week and a half ago, police officers who were involved in few and far between attempts to stifle election violence begun to turn up dead, making it crystal clear who was in charge in the province. more..

May 28 (ML) "Some children fainted in schools and the reason was they had not eaten breakfast. The Muslim community in the east has been facing problems after problems. The ban on fishing continues in Muttur. More than 3000 families who depend on fishing are facing a terrible situation as they have no other livelihood. "People are struggling to find out whether this is political revenge or really a security concern. more..

May 28 (ML) President Mahinda Rajapakse yesterday admitted there was considerable agitation in the country over the abduction and torture of The Nation Associate Editor Keith Noyahr and promised the perpetrators will be brought to justice. The President made these observations when he met the editors of newspapers and electronic media heads at Temple Trees yesterday. Associated with the President were Ministers Rohitha Bogollagama, Dulles Alahapperuma, Keheliya Rambukwella, more..

May 28 (ML) Fishing restrictions in Muttur were partially removed from yesterday with fishermen allowed to go out to sea from 6 a.m., fishermen in the area said. The relaxation comes following protests and submission of a petition by a group of around 2000 fishermen on May 26. The fishermen however said that they were not satisfied with the steps taken by the navy to send them out to sea after daybreak. more..

May 28 (BL) PAFFREL has called on President Mahinda Rajapaksa to set up the Constitutional Council (CC) and appoint the relevant commissions forthwith. PAFFREL pointed out that doing so would result in a reduction of the international pressure being mounted on Sri Lanka and the government, facilitate state officials to function more independently and pave way for the people to have a higher level of trust in the government. more..

May 28 (BL) A lecture by the Resident Representative of the UNDP, Neil Buhne was held last evening at the HNB Towers. This lecture was organised by the United Nations Association of Sri Lanka. The United Nations Association of Sri Lanka has existed since 1950, just five years before Sri Lanka joined the UN. The Association was founded under the idea of creating awareness on the values and objectives which the UN has always tried to instill in many countries worldwide. more..

May 28 (BL) Government Medical Officers’ Association (GMOA) has condemned the speech made by Healthcare and Nutrition Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva in Geneva, saying it gave a negative image of Sri Lankan doctors to the world. Minister de Silva who was speaking at the Non-Aligned Health Ministers’ Conference said that developing countries invest enormous amounts of money and resources to train health personnel who then migrate to other countries to practice. more..

May 28 (BL) JVP Leader Somawansa Amarasinghe yesterday defied the rhetoric of the party’s breakaway faction by retaining his position as leader of the party and said that the JVP would work to topple the Government soon. Amarasinghe was speaking at the JVP’s 5th National Convention held at the Sugathadasa Indoor Stadium last afternoon, where he promised that his party would provide fresh leadership for the country. more..

May 28 (EN) Former Sri Lankan president Chandrika Bandranaike Kumaratunge on Tuesday visited the Budshah tomb in Zaina Kadal area of old Srinagar and said that she would impress upon the state government to preserve the cultural heritage of the area. Muhammad Yaqoob Vakil, chairman Shehar-e-Khaas Welfare Coordination Committee (SKWCC) welcomed the former Lanka president and briefed herabout the importance of the area. more..

May 28 (Hindu) The agonising wait for Rajasthan Royals’ last-ball win over Mumbai Indians that booked it a place in the IPL semifinals turned out to be quite enjoyable for the Delhi Daredevils, who found a perfect getaway from the tension at teammate Tillakaratne Dilshan’s wedding here last night. The 31-year-old Dilshan got married at a city hotel last night and the Daredevils came out in full force to wish the Sri Lankan all-rounder and his bride. more..

May 28 (wsws) Around 200 journalists took part in a lunch-hour demonstration at a busy junction in Colombo on May 23 to protest over the abduction and beating of Keith Noyahr, the associate editor of the Nation, an English-language weekly. A heavy security presence of more than 100 police, including several high-ranking officers, had been mobilised to deter demonstrators from marching toward Temple Trees, the president’s official residence. more..

May 28 (LT) The General Convention of the World Peace Council (WPC) held in Caracas in Venezuela between 8th and 13th of April approved the resolution to grant the membership of WPC to Sri Lanka said Mr. Bimal Rathnayake, President of Peace and Solidarity Movement in Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka has been able to gain membership of WPC as a result of a proposal put forward by Mr. Bimal Rathnayake at the Asia-Africa summit of the WPC held in New Delhi in March this year. more..

May 28 (LG) The LTTE’s leading activists and fundraiser Miss Elizabeth Packiyadevi Mann has been elected as Mayor at the London Borough of Southwark council meeting. The Council controlled by Liberal Democratic Party has elected Miss Mann in a determined way as a result of political pressure from the President of the Liberal Democratic Party Simon Hughes MP. Simon Hughes is the Member of Parliament for Southwark and Bermondsey constituency. more..

May 28 (LG) A memorial meeting organised by Mrs Rajes Balasubramaniam at the London Sivan Kovil Hall in Lewisham for Late Maheswari Velautham has been sabotaged by the LTTE activists. The Shiva temple managed by the LTTE agreed to hire their hall for the event and when publicity was reaching all corners of London, the Board of Trustees wholly consisting of LTTE activists cancelled the booking. more..

May 28 (LG) It was quite amusing to read in a weekend English newspaper of May 18 the news item "Mervyn extends liquor ban in Kelaniya by two days." The idea is good especially because Kelaniya is a sacred Buddhist area. But this should have come from a right thinking religious person: not from Mervyn Silva who is just a goon creating problems to many people, specially media people. He is a pretender. Pretenders are worse than murderers. You must preach what you practice. more..

May 28 (LG) The keen mind of my taxi driver friend 'Chummie' seems to have a great perception of world affairs than the Sri Lankan elite who are more concerned with wining and dining in the traditional fun loving way of kaapalla beepalla jolly karapalla. I asked him if he knew the latest Moratuwa baila but he smiled coyly and said the tsunami and the arrival of an increasing number of "body bags" from the north had put paid to it. more..

May 28 (SLW) The 58 Division overran a large section of the LTTE's Forward Defence Line at Nedunkandal North in Mannar today killing 7 LTTE cadres, reliable sources in the Mannar Command told DefenceWire. The operation resulted in the capture of 300 meters of defences including trenches, pill boxes and mounds of earth. In fighting yesterday, MI24 helicopter gunships targeted an explosives dump at Nedunkandal West killing 10 LTTE cadres and an LTTE explosives expert (IED) from the Malathi Unit. more..

May 28 (SLW) Speaking to the Media at the UNP Media unit today, (26May) , UNP Parliamentarian Gayantha Karunatileke said this Govt. since its advent has created a number of unenviable records , and ,the unfortunate thing about these achievements is that none of them was for the benefit of the country or the people. All these record breaking (Negative) performances have only helped the Govt. to deceive and burden the people. more..

May 28 (SLW) Tamils are no more the only victims of dastardly crimes in Sri Lanka; it has now spread to the entire nation and the perpetrators can be the local goondas, no-good hangers on in public places, the police, the army and even people who hold positions of consequence using their chandiya proxies often to wreak revenge. Invasions are far too frequent immaterial whether it is a home, church, temple, school or market place. more..

May 28 (LD) The state-owned media or its personnel cannot criticize government action or the ongoing war, Director General of the Media Centre for National Security (MCNS) Lakshman Hulugalle told the media in Colombo. Mr. Hulugalle's remark came two days after he and Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa summoned two officers of the Sri Lanka Working Journalists Association - who are employees of Lake House - to the Defence Ministry. more..

May 28 (LD) A seven-year-old boy was reportedly abducted from his school in Colombo by an unidentified group this afternoon (May 28th). Subhashi Raveen, a Year Two student at Vivekananda Tamil Vidyalaya at Kotahena, was waiting to be picked up by his mother when the incident occurred. Preliminary police investigations indicate that the abductors had reached the boy and said that his mother was waiting for him in a trishaw, as had been her practice. more..

May 28 (AT) Minister Anura Priyadarshana Yapa observes that the UNP is rejoicing on the suffering of the people caused by rising petroleum prices. At a recent media briefing UNP parliamentarian Thalatha Athukorala said the cause of rising fuel prices is the lack of proper economic management by the government. She had also charged that the government is increasing prices of goods without any compassion for the people. more..

May 28 (LD) According to a proposal now before the government, a person who loses his or her National Identity Card will have to pay Rs. 3,000 to obtain a copy. According to the Prime Minister's Office, the necessary amendment to the Registration of Persons Act will be tabled before Parliament soon. This is said to be yet another strong measure to ensure national security. Meanwhile, Police Spokesman SSP Ranjith Gunasekara has advised the public against giving NICs as security. more..

May 28 (TN) Unidentified gunmen riding a motorbike shot dead a lodge owner in Kathireasan Road in Pettah, Colombo, Tuesday at 8:30 p.m., sources in Colombo said. The victim was standing in front of the lodge facing the road when the gunmen fired at him. The victim identified as S Muththaiyaapillai, 56, was the owner of Balaaji Lodge. The killing took place 50 meters from where Sri Lanka Police and Sri Lanka Army soldiers were stationed on security duty,

May 28 (GDI) The BOI plans to initiate a program to help expand the European market for local exports from the information and telecommunications industry. The programme which is scheduled to commence by the mid of this year will serve organizations that have between 25-500 employees. It is expected that this programme will provide a platform for local exporters seeking to enter the European market which more..

May 28 (GDI) Teleconferencing facilities are to be soon provided to all district and divisional heads in order to save time and curb unnecessary travel, Minister of Public Administration and Home Affairs, Karu Jayasuriya announced yesterday (27). The minister, made this announcement at a gathering to appreciate the service of the Sri Lanka Administrative Service (SLAS) officers who gathered for their 26th Annual General Meeting at Waters Edge. more..

May 28 (GDI) The official website of the Ministry of Defence, Public Security and Law and Order, www.defence.lk has opened an online payment gateway for those who are willing to make contributions for the Api Wenuwen Api fund. The fund is meant for the Api Wenuwen Api housing project aimed at building 50000 houses for the members of the armed forces. The online payment facility has been set up as a result of requests made by Sri Lankan expatriates to more..

May 28 (LNP) The government would not baulk at anything in its efforts to wipe out LTTE terrorism, President Mahinda Rajapaksa said yesterday addressing a group newspaper editors and heads of electronic media institutions at Temple Trees. No amount of terror strikes or any other pressure would stand in his way and the on-going military campaign would be conducted to a successful conclusion, he said asking the LTTE to target him and not innocent civilians. more..

May 28 (GDI) President Mahinda Rajapaksa emphasized that Sri Lanka should look into new energy sources in order to overcome the power crisis that is emerging as a threat to the entire world. President Rajapaksa said that Sri Lanka being a small island nation will suffer directly the effect of power crisis severely if precautionary measures are not taken at this moment to search for new energy sources. more..

May 28 (LNP) Southern Province DIG Jagath Abeysiri Gunawardena has ordered a probe into allegations that certain officers of the Women and Children s Bureau of the Galle Police were suppressing investigations into complaint made by a mother that her 15-year-old daughter had been raped. The mother had complained to the Bureau that she had come to know that her daughter had been subject to rape since May 15. more..

May 28 (SAMN) Hundreds of people from Muslim and Tamil villages in violence hit Eravur, in the Batticaloa district in the East, have begun fleeing the area as communal tension intensified over abductions and tit-for-tat attacks. A police curfew enforced Monday, was maintained right through Tuesday following communal disturbances that left one person dead and several others injured. "The police curfew is on and was extended in the morning," more..

May 28 (SAMN) Proposals aimed at slashing the country’s fuel consumption by 25 per cent will be tabled before the Cabinet today to avoid a possible fuel crisis, President Mahinda Rajapaksa said Tuesday. Addressing editors and media heads at Temple Trees the President said the proposals would include general measures such as reducing the use of private vehicles as well as encouraging natural gas (methane) as an alternative to diesel and petrol. more..

May 28 (SAMN) At a time when the country is desperately in need of a strong opposition to combat the government’s various misdeeds, the country’s main opposition party, the United National Party (UNP) once again failed to prove itself, when its protest against the increase in oil prices ended up as another fiasco with the majority of the UNP MPs walking out when the rains commenced halfway down the protest. more..

May 28 (SAMN) The government is planning to save fuel worth some Rs. 40 billion wasted due to the huge traffic congestion in Colombo City by setting up three new Vehicle Parks in Katubedda, Peliyagoda and Nugegoda for the utilisation of around 175,000 motorists who enter Colombo daily. It is also proposed to deploy super luxury bus services to transport these commuters to Colombo under the Park and Ride concept. more..

May 28 (DN) On the instructions of President Mahinda Rajapaksa, the Resettlement and Disaster Relief Services Ministry will pay compensation to the victims of the Monday's LTTE parcel bomb explosion in a train at Dehiwala. Accordingly Rs. 10,000 was paid as the first instalment of a payment of Rs. 50,000 as medical expenses for each of the 74 injured at the Kalubowila Teaching Hospital by more..