Aug 19 (DM) Ravindu Gunawardena, the son of SSP Vas Gunawardena, who was wanted by the police for allegedly abducting and assaulting fellow IT student Nipuna Ramanayake, was remanded till August 31 and transferred to the Welikada Remand Prison last evening. Meanwhile, a special police team deployed to investigate the incident was to arrest the mother of Ravindu Gunawardena yesterday. But no arrest had been made up to last evening, more..

Aug 19 (CI) Having seen Thilan Samaraweera strike a magnificent 159 and take Sri Lanka to 452, New Zealand responded strongly in the final session, with Tim McIntosh leading the resistance to the twin-spin threat. The loss of Daniel Flynn just before stumps changed the complexion somewhat, but New Zealand still deserved plaudits for sticking to the task with the ball and then showing real character with the bat. more..

Aug 19 (MoD) No one should be above the law and the Government is not prepared to protect anybody who is trying to transcend the legal framework of the country, President Mahinda Rajapaksa said. "The people who lack self discipline should not be in the service of either the police or Armed Forces. One or two indisciplined persons even in the police could put the country into disrepute. more..

Aug 20 (AFP) India's cricket chiefs have forced a change in next month's tri-series in Sri Lanka that will leave Mahendra Singh Dhoni's men playing two gruelling back-to-back matches. The Indians were originally scheduled to play New Zealand on September 10 and hosts Sri Lanka two days later on September 12 in the preliminary stage of the series in Colombo. But the Indian board had the New Zealand game pushed back by a day to more..

Aug 20 (HM) POLICE have appealed for a missing mum from Sri Lanka to come home for her daughters' sake. Officers leading the hunt for Jayanthy Joseph, who has been missing since Sunday morning, made a fresh appeal for information yesterday. Chief Inspector Phil Veitch, of Hartlepool Police, said they are concerned for the mum of two's welfare after she went missing without any personal belongings. more..

Aug 20 (LT) As the experiments have proved that BTI bacteria brought from Cuba is effective in eradicating dengue mosquitoes the government has decided to use it in Sri Lanka. However, the Ministry of Health has decided to get the people to bear the cost of using the bacteria in the country. As such, the Ministry of Health has decided to issue the bacteria produced in Sri Lanka as well as that is produced in Cuba to the market. more..

Aug 20 (E4M) Expanding its footprint in South Asia, Turner International has launched a dedicated one-hour programming block of its leading kids’ channel, Cartoon Network, on Art Television, Sri Lanka’s leading terrestrial English channel. Starting August 16 from 4:30 pm to 5:30 pm everyday, kids in Sri Lanka can now enjoy the opportunity to experience Cartoon Network’s popular cartoons, more..

Aug 20 (LT) According to employees of People’s Bank the bank has undertaken the contract of boosting the political image of Colombo District UPFA Provincial Council Member Duminda Silva. The employees say the People’s Bank has made financial contribution to the political project of ‘Duminda Silva foundation’ launched by Duminda Silva. This has been confirmed by a letter sent by a Deputy General Manager to Zonal Asst. Manager. more..

Aug 20 (LT) Four persons in civvies who had come to arrest a person claiming they were police officers have been severely dealt with by the people in the area. The people angered by one of the men assaulting a pregnant woman have assaulted the four persons claiming to be police officers. The pregnant woman has received serious injuries and has been admitted to hospital. more..

Aug 20 (UCAN) Archbishop Malcolm Ranjith of Colombo has called for the immediate resettlement of refugees displaced from their homes around the popular Madhu shrine in the north of the country. “I appeal to all the relevant authorities to expedite the resettlement of these people to their own villages,” Archbishop Ranjith told more than 300,000 pilgrims gathered at the shrine to more..

Aug 20 (GDI) The Board of Investment (BOI) signed two agreements with Rank Container Terminals Limited for a dry port project, an investment agreement worth US $ 6.5 million. The project is to construct and operate a dry port at Orugodawatta. The venture sponsored by Rank Holdings is expected to create employment for a workforce of 250. The venture will provide facilities for the Sri Lanka Customs to examine all inbound cargo from the terminal. more..

Aug 20 (GDI) The first phase in the construction work of the Norochcholai Coal- Power Project, which is expected to add another 300 megawatts to the national grid within the first quarter of the next year, has reached completion now. The successful completion of the project will be declared ceremonially in accordance with traditional Chinese religious observances on the 20th of this month with the participation of 50 Chinese Buddhist monks. more..

Aug 20 (LNW) SLFP (M) Wing Leader Mangala Samaraweera said that people who return after traveling to the Menik Farm and other so called relief camps set up by the government to house the IDPs have described the camps to be similar to those set up by Hitler during World War II to hold the Jews. They have further noted that every locally and internationally accepted human rights have been violated in these camps. more..

Aug 20 (LNW) UNP defector and government minister Navin Dissanayake has invited the three Basil Group members in the UNP, Rukman Senanayake, Johnston Fernando and Lakshman Seneviratne, for his birthday dinner that falls on September 9. Navin Dissanayake has invited 38 politicians including the three UNP members for the dinner scheduled to be held at his Alfred House residence. more..

Aug 20 (LNW) Interviews for the SLFP members hopeful of contesting at the forthcoming Southern Provincial Council elections was held in the past few days. Actress Anarkali Akarsha, who is to contest the elections from the Matara District, had participated in the interview last Sunday. It is learnt that the interviewing committee had immediately summoned Anarkali in to the room as soon as she walked in ignoring the many SLFP loyalists more..

Aug 20 (LNW) The tournament organizing committee has booked 39 rooms at a cost of Rs. 16,000 per day at the Fortress Hotel in Koggala for the Sri Lanka Cricket officials who will be attending the first test match between Sri Lanka and New Zealand in Galle. It is learnt that the rooms at the hotel belonging to BoI Chairman Dhammika Perera have been booked for six days. is also learnt that a sum of Rs. 5 million has been paid to this six start hotel in order to make a prior booking of the rooms. more..

Aug 20 (LNW) A conspiracy has been launched to slash powers vested with the Chief of Defence Staff post, which is currently held by General Sarath Fonseka. Staff and security allocated to Fonseka have already been reduced and the powers and facilities he had been promised when he was appointed to the position have not been given as well. The official gazette announcing the position and its powers has not been published yet. more..

Aug 20 (LNW) Several questions to test the war psyche and patriotism of students were included in the GCE Advanced Level Sinhala question paper that was distributed among students sitting for the 2009 exam today (19). The first question of the second part of the Sinhala paper that was given a time allocation of three hours had requested the students to write an essay on one of the five topics given. more..

Aug 20 (GDI) UNP’s Matara district leader and Opposition leader of the Southern Provincial Council (SPC) Justin Galappatti, today received the membership of the SLFP from President Mahinda Rajapaksa. Recently Mr. Galappatti extended his support to the UPFA Government widely criticizing the opposition party- UNP for its short-sighted decisions. Announcing his decision to leave the UNP and more..

Aug 20 (CT) A certain group had disrupted the public meeting organized in Kurunegala town by Platform for Freedom as UNP deputy leader Karu Jayasuriya and SLFP Mahajana Wing leader Mangala Samaraweera were delivering speeches. The organizers were forced to abandon the meeting halfway through due to the disruptions. Thereafter, Messrs. Jayasuriya and Samaraweera held a media briefing, where the incident was blamed on a group with links with the government. more..

Aug 20 (LP) Local Government Symposium commenced at BMICH today (19) under the patronage of President Mahinda Rajapaksa. The Chief Guest of the Symposium held under the theme “Bonding together for a prosperous tomorrow” was Minister of Local Government and Provincial Councils Janaka Bandara Thennakoon. The Key note address at the inauguration ceremony was delivered Mr Mani Shankar Aiyar former Indian Minister of Panchayati Raj more..

Aug 20 (CI) Thilan Samaraweera has said his unsatisfactory scores in the previous series against Pakistan motivated him to get a big hundred at the start of the series against New Zealand. Samaraweera scored 159 on the second day, his tenth Test hundred and first in Galle. "I got two 30s at Galle (against Pakistan) and I couldn't get runs at the P Sara Stadium," Samaraweera said. "These failures made me determined to score runs in the present series. more..

Aug 20 (UMCOR) Bombed out homes stand empty next to verdant rice paddies throughout the eastern Sri Lankan countryside. It is symbolic of what is happening literally and figuratively in this island nation. New life is springing up in midst of places that once saw death and destruction. As Sri Lanka enters an era of peace after more than 20 years of internal conflict the United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) is there providing a helping hand to those most devastated. more..

Aug 20 (AT) Handicrafts and painting exhibition of had been organized at the Vavuniya Town Hall by the Northern Province Cultural Department. The significance of the exhibition was all handicrafts and paintings had been finished by the people in welfare villages in the Northern Province. Concurrently with the exhibition, National united cultural festival was also held at the Vavuniya Town Hall premises as organized by the Northern Province Cultural Department. more..

Aug 20 (BBC) As a grave in Kallady in Batticaloa of the east was exhumed many relatives who have lost their loved ones flocked to identify the remains. They were anxious to find out whether their disappeared relatives were among the human remains unearthed. Human remains, clothing, spent bullets and keys were unearthed. According to local police authorities the land where the grave was found previously belonged to a police constable who was allegedly shot by the Tamil Tigers. more..

Aug 20 (LG) There are two names I first heard two days ago. Dinesh Tharanga and Danushka Udayakantha Aponsu, aged 26 and 21 respectively. They are dead now. They were killed, allegedly, by a gang of police officers led by T.W. Newton, the Officer in Charge of the Angulana Police. There’s another name I hadn’t heard before: Nipuna Ramanayake. He was abducted and beaten up allegedly by a gang led by one Ravindu Vaas Gunawadenra, the son of SSP Vaas Gunawardena, Director of the Colombo Crime Division. more..

Aug 20 (AFP) The Sri Lankan government plans to keep up record defence spending despite its recent victory over Tamil rebels that ended nearly four decades of fighting, a senior official said. Defence secretary Gotabhaya Rajapakse said the military needed to be modernised and payments made on hardware bought on credit. Sri Lanka raised its defence budget to a record 1.6 billion dollars in 2009, more..

Aug 20 (LG) Rajpal Abeynayake, true to his style, has been able to write another long harangue without even referring to the main argument I raised against him. The argument is that so long as the 1978 constitution exists, nothing can get better in Sri Lanka. The source of all violations of human rights is the country’s paramount law, which Rajpal Abeynayake, sometime back when he was sober, said. more..

Aug 20 (LG) As scandals relating to police became a topic that is discussed nationally, two more such scandals came to light. A group of policemen who went to arrest a suspect allegedly assaulted his pregnant wife, who was pleading with them not to arrest her husband. The police officers are reported to have attacked and kicked her after she fell on the ground. Angry neighbors retaliated against the police and assaulted them. more..

Aug 20 (PTI) Twelve fishermen from Pamban near here were injured when Sri Lankan naval personnel allegedly assaulted them while they were fishing between Dhanushkodi and Katchatheevu today, police said. Katchatheevu was ceded by India to Sri Lanka in 1974. Police said the fishermen told officials on return that they had left Pamban in 50 mechanised boats and that Sri Lankan naval men who came to that area in gas powered boats beat them, more..

Aug 20 (LG) Basil Fernando accuses me of taking a cheap shot at Kishali Pinto Jayawaradene. That’s rich, considering he ends his article with this jaw-dropping offering of wisdom: “I used to read Rajpal Abeynayake's column whenever I saw one. I now have doubt as to whether I should continue that, when the level of reasoning that he has descended to has become so ugly. Well, sometimes one can write absurdities when one is drunk. more..

Aug 20 (LG) Following relative silence for the past three months, section of the United Kingdom based Sri Lankan diaspora has decided to hold a much needed public meeting to discuss about peace, reconciliation and political resolution to the conflict in Sri Lanka. The newly formed Alliance for Peace and Reconciliation in Sri Lanka (APRSL) has planned to hold the meeting on 2nd October on the theme of more..

Aug 20 (CC) Although we didn't recognize it at the time, our formative years learning about beer started in the southeast Asia nearly 20 years ago with brands like Tiger, Chang, Bintang, Anchor (not the San Francisco brewery), Kingfisher and Singha. We heard that Lion stout was making its way to Chicago and it brought back old memories. Getting our hands on the stout was like saying hello to an old friend. more..

Aug 20 (AT) Highly placed sources revealed that C.Romesh Jayasinghe is tipped to be the next Secretary to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Romesh Jayasinghe is the senior most career diplomat is all set to succeed the outgoing Dr. Palitha Kohona. He is the most senior career diplomat and from the 1981 Foreign Service batch. The other 1981 Foreign Service batch diplomats according to seniority are Tissa Wijayaratne, more..

Aug 20 (AT) ‘Sabotaging the Mahinda Chintana’ was the title of a feature article I wrote in the Daily News that was published in three instalments on June 27th, 28th and 30th of 2008. What I exposed there is a horror story which has been stated several times before both in the Daily News and the Island. The purpose of this article is to let the public know about the latest crime the RDA has done but more..

Aug 20 (LBO) Spice exporters and producers said this year's production and exports have been affected by bad weather on which the crops are dependent. Karthik Ramachandran, chairman of the Spices & Allied Products Producers’ & Traders’ Association (SAPPTA) said demand for the island's spices was growing rapidly. "SAPPTA is trying to increase production and encourage stake holders to raise value addition in spice exports so we can earn more," more..

Aug 20 (LBO) India's Puravankara Projects, a Bangalore-based developer is looking to start an upmarket housing project after a civil war ended, an Indian media report said, though the property market in the island is in the doldrums. India's Economic Times newspaper said three year ago Puravankara had picked up some land in Sri Lanka "for a song" and was now seeking planning permission from authorities. more..

Aug 20 (GV) It was one of those phone calls that one would always remember, the shock it generates pervades all through a lifetime. On Monday 17 August 2009, I received a phone call from my mother. In a deeply tormented but extremely strong, poised tone, and keeping her calm to the fullest, she said to me that at around 6.30 pm Sri Lankan time that day, my father, aged sixty-nine, passed away in a hospital in Kandy. more..

Aug 20 (Xinhua) The number of dengue cases has risen to 23,652 while 240 people have died of the disease in Sri Lanka so far, the Epidemiological Unit of the Health Ministry said on Wednesday. The Epidemiological Unit said in its latest statistics that of the 23,652 cases, the highest number of patients was reported from June totaling 7,050. It is followed by July with 6,841 cases being reported. more..

Aug 20 (AFP) The United States on Wednesday renewed its call for Sri Lanka to release more than 250,000 Tamil war refugees from their camps, warning of the potential for disease. Heavy rains this week flooded nearly 2,000 makeshift shelters in the camps, where people displaced by war have been detained since the government in mid-May crushed the leadership of the Tamil Tiger rebels. more..

Aug 20 (TC) The IDP's and the war affected have once again been through another agonising and stinking phase in their recently mauled life. This time, much before the monsoon rains, but due to heavy rains and floods. Though extremely disastrous the situation turned out to be, media in Colombo was not taking the issue as they normally would on Twenty-20 cricket or about a politician saying something stupidly unimportant for any one. more..

Aug 20 (GDI) Nominations are invited from political parties for the forthcoming Southern Provincial Council election beginning tomorrow (21). Acceptance of nominations will end at noon on August 28, Additional Elections Commissioner, W.P.Sumanasiri told www.news.lk today. 23 members for the Galle District, 18 members forthe Matara district and 12 members for the Hambantota district. more..

Aug 20 (wsws) The Sri Lankan government’s use of police state methods against the nurses at the Cancer Hospital in Maharagama, south of Colombo, is a warning to the entire working class. In his “economic war” to “build the nation”, President Mahinda Rajapakse will not hesitate to use the full force of the state apparatus to suppress the struggles of workers to defend their job, working conditions and living standards. more..

Aug 20 (GDI) President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has underscored the importance of enhancing economic and trade ties between his country and Sri Lanka. He made this call at a discussion with the new Sri Lankan Ambassador to Brazil, A.M.J. Sadiq, who presented his credentials to the President in Brasilia last Friday. Immediately following the presentation of his credentials at a ceremony more..

Aug 20 (GDI) The Department of Archeology will launch 51 fresh projects within this year to excavate ancient sites and to preserve sites with archeological values. The Department of Archeology- apex regulatory body in Sri Lanka for the management of its archaeological heritage said that initial steps have been taken to implement these conservation projects with Rs. 10 million allocated for conservation of the Ritigala Banda Pond- more..

Aug 20 (LG) The post war governance in Sri Lanka must transform to reflect transparency, wider engagement, respect for talents and ability and must be free from the rule of bureaucracy, unnecessary political interference and corruption. The President is showing signs of changing the structure of governance in some way and how far he will go in the transformation process is a million dollar question even the poor and frail Simple Simon in the street has to ponder. more..

Aug 20 (MoD) A two-phase project will be implemented to develop the drainage system in welfare centres in the Menik Farm area, said Disaster Management and Human Rights Minister Mahinda Samarasinghe making a statement during the Adjournment Debate in Parliament yesterday on the situation of Internally Displaced Persons' camps in Vavuniya. Under the first phase the drainage system in zones 1, 3 and 4 will be developed while more..

Aug 20 (MoD) The transmission tower at Kokavil, shattered by the LTTE terrorists is being reconstructed under the "Uthuru Wasanthaya" program launched to rebuild the Northern Province after completely liberating the Tamil people from the LTTE clutches. The terrorists took complete control of the Rupavahini transmission tower and it had been ruined by the terrorists when the troops liberated the area. more..

Aug 20 (DN) The Government will not go for piecemeal tinkering with the Constitution but overhaul it with a two third majority secured at a general election. Media Minister Lakshman Yapa Abeywardena said. The government will give effect to whatever changes necessary, including constitutional changes as well after the Presidential election which will be won with a landslide majority, he said. more..