Aug 26 (C4) Just three months after the Sri Lankan government declared the country liberated from the Tamil Tigers, video footage has emerged apparently showing government troops summarily executing Tamils. Journalists for Democracy in Sri Lanka, which obtained the material, said it was filmed in January - when the international media were prevented by the Sri Lankan government from covering the conflict zone. more..

Aug 26 (LT) Minister of Textile Development Mahinda Rathnathilaka has broken into Kaluthota police station and taken away a suspect who had been arrested for riding a motorbike indiscriminately states Police spokesman Nimal Mediwaka. The suspect had ridden the motorbike in a careless manner injuring a female police constable and was arrested by the Kaluthota Police. Minister Rathnathilaka who had broken into the police station had more..

Aug 26 (BL) The UNP yesterday dismissed offers from the government to join them and insisted that they would not be party to the corrupt regime. Addressing a media briefing UNP General Secretary Tissa Attanayake insisted that there would be no option of them condoning the corrupt and wasteful rule engaged in by the government and insisted that they would remain true to the mandate given by the people. more..

Aug 26 (TOI) The special crime branch of CBI today arrested a Sri Lankan Tamil, John Prabhakaran, who has been wanted in two fake passport cases. The man with suspected links with LTTE has been absconding for nearly 18 years. The SCB officials, after entering Prabhakaran's name in the wanted list in 1991, arrested him from Chennai on Monday. He was remanded in judicial custody. more..

Aug 26 (AT) Sri Lanka's former Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Prasad Kariyawasam has been named the new High Commissioner to India. A senior career diplomat, Kariyawasam joined the Sri Lanka Foreign Service in 1981 and has held diplomatic assignments at Sri Lanka Missions in Geneva, Riyadh, Washington and New Delhi. In India, he held the post of Deputy High Commissioner at ambassadorial level. more..

Aug 26 (LP) Minister of National Integration and Reconciliation Vinayagamoorthi Muralitharan said the under the leadership of President Rajapaksa people in the eastern Province have been able to lead a fruitful and peaceful life. He made these views at a ceremony of the opening of Tsunami resettlement housing project constructed by the National Housing Development Authority (NHDA) with more..

Aug 26 (LG) The objective of this article is to analyze the mood of the country during the period immediately after the war, that it can be used to change the political, economic and cultural landscape of the country for the better. The war that is over has generated a massive challenge that will test the spirit of Sri Lankans. The history of this country is full of instances of lost opportunities. more..

Aug 26 (GDI) Marking answer scripts of the Year Five Scholarship Examination will begin on the September 5, said the Commissioner General of Examinations, Anura Edirisinghe. Twenty five schools in 23 towns have been selected as centres for marking scripts. 10,000 primary teachers have been called to mark answer scripts. Each script will be examined four times in order to mark them effectively. more..

Aug 26 (GDI) The report of Cuban specialists on the dengue menace will be tabled in parliament shortly. The report has been prepared after a careful study conducted in several districts including Colombo, Kandy and Hambanthota, Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva told a news briefing held at Colombo yesterday. He pointed out that the report has described the manner how the newly introduced bacteria will be used to eliminate the dengue menace. more..

Aug 26 (MoD) Addressing a press briefing held at his office yesterday Minister De Silva said that at present there are 75 doctors (including 10 specialist doctors) and 90 nurses serving the welfare villages. OIC of IDP Healthcare Dr. Isara Kottegoda said that 372 health workers such as PHIs, PHNs and MOHs serve at the welfare villages. Six referral centres and 18 primary health care centres are also in operation. more..

Aug 26 (LT) All Ceylon Bank Employees Union and Lanka petroleum cooperation common union have expressed their support to the strike action taken by employees of the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB). Employees of state banks, Ceylon Petroleum Corporation, Ceylon Electricity Board and Water Resources Board get their salary increments every three years. As such they should get a salary increment from January this year. more..

Aug 26 (LT) Infrastructure and service facilities of the people of the North are being further expanded. The transport of mail along the A-9 Highway to Jaffna commenced today. arliamentarian Basil Rajapaksa said that this programme was launched in the Mannar and Vavuniya Districts. Until now, mail was transported to Jaffna by sea. Land postal services took off along the A-9 Highway from today. more..

Aug 26 (DN) Power and Energy Minister W.D.J. Senevirathne yesterday appealed to CEB employees not to be mislead by the politically motivated power hungry trade unions. Minister Senevirathne addressing the Media on the proposed country-wide token strike called by Lanka Viduly Sevaka Sangamaya (LVSS) said the President has directed to grant the 2009 salary increase to the CEB employees in 2010. more..

Aug 26 (LT) Shyamali Priyadharshanee Perera, wife of SSP Vas Gunawardene remanded as a suspect in the incident where SLIIT student Nipuna Ramanayake was abducted and brutally assaulted is still enjoying the luxuries at Welikade Remand Prison say prison sources. She was ordered by Court to be detained in the women’s wing of Welikada Remand Prison until the 31st when the case will be heard. more..

Aug 26 (LT) The Ministry of Local government and Provincial Councils state Hambatota UC would be elevated to the state of a municipal council. Proposals to promote several urban councils have been received but priority would be given to Hambantota and already a decision has been taken to declare Hambantoita as a municipal council says Minister of Local government and Provincial Councils Janaka Bandara Tennekone. more..

Aug 26 (PSM) “President states that Sri Lanka is one nation and all Sri Lankans are equal and there are no minorities. If that is so, the Muslim community also should be equal to other communities and they should not be discriminated. This is the fair aspiration of the Muslims” said Hon. A.M. Naoshaad MP speaking at an event organized by Dr. N.M. Perera’s trust fund in Colombo recently. more..

Aug 26 (GDI) The Government will not amend the constitution to meet shortsighted needs of political parties. The President has united the country by defeating terrorism, the Minister of Media Lakshman Yapa Abeywardena told a news briefing today. He pointed out that the UNP and the JVP were expressing various views to amend the constitution to avoid defeat at the upcoming southern provincial council polls. more..

Aug 26 (Island) Opposition leader of the Western Provincial Council Rosy Senanayake (UNP) yesterday rejected criticism of their recent visit to China on funds provided by the Council. Responding to The Island queries, the former Sri Lankan High Commissioner to Malaysia said that contrary to press reports the second batch of Councillors would go ahead with the planned visit to China. more..

Aug 26 (LNP) The best apothegmatic description of the peculiar mindset of President's ministerial potentates comes from one of our intelligent readers. According to him, some of the present government ministers are: Dr. Mervyn Silva, Dr. Bandula Gunawardana Silva, Dr. Gamini Lokuge Silva, Dr. Rohitha Bogollagama de Silva. In his short missive, which speaks volumes for arrogance and callousness of the thick-skinned ministerial fraternity, our witty reader has asked who the next Dr. Silva would be. more..

Aug 26 (DN) The Sri Lanka Institute of Information Technology (SLIIT) signed a MoU, making IBM, the Sri Lankan arm of the global giant, the institute’s primary and preferred technology provider for software and IT services. The MoU was signed a few days back at the Institute’s Campus in Malabe with Country Manager, Himanshu Goyal signing on behalf of IBM Software for South Asia and President/CEO, Professor Lalith Gamage representing SLIIT. more..

Aug 26 (DN) Approximately 50 percent of the Colombo population live in 64 settlements within the municipal limits of Colombo, a study conducted by the National Fisheries Solidarity Movement has revealed. These settlements are concentrated on State or private lands and are not owned by the occupants. The areas are characterized by a very high population density, congested housing, lack of infrastructure facilities more..

Aug 26 (Xinhua) At least two former Tamil Tiger rebels were killed in a clash with police, officials said Wednesday. Police's special task force killed the two rebels Tuesday evening in the eastern province location of Kalmunai. The STF raided the area around Thirumunai lagoon and confrontedthe rebels, one of them Kandapody was an eastern leader for the former LTTE rebels. more..

Aug 26 (GDI) Land entitlements are provided to families who have settled down under the Lunugamvehera project. They are receiving these entitlements after four decades. The handing over of land entitlements took place under the patronage of Minister Chamal Rajapaksa. The Southern Provincial Land Ministry coordinated the event. 750 families of 16 Grama Niladhari Divisions received the entitlements. more..

Aug 26 (Dawn) Muttiah Muralitharan, the leading wicket taker in international cricket, is to join Victoria for the upcoming Australian domestic Twenty20 competition. Cricket Victoria chief executive Tony Dodemaide announced the signing Wednesday, saying the Sri Lankan spin great would join West Indies all-rounder Dwayne Bravo as the Bushrangers’ international players for the interstate T20 league. more..

Aug 26 (Island) Worker and employer representatives in the National Labour Advisory Council (NLAC) want the government to exclude EPF and ETF schemes from the tax net which could release millions of rupees that can be channelled into a much needed unemployment benefit insurance scheme. According to the Employment Provident Fund’s accounts, as at December 2008 Rs. 5.4 billion has been paid out as income tax. more..

Aug 26 (PHR) Physicians for Human Rights (PHR) welcomes the conditional release from custody yesterday of four physicians, whom the Sri Lankan government has detained since May 16, 2009. Colombo Chief Magistrate Nishantha Hapuarachchi granted personal bail to each of the four men provided they appear each month before police authorities at the Vavuniya branch of the CID in northern Sri Lanka. more..

Aug 26 (LNP) The country earned half a billion US dollars in exports for the first six months this year. It is expected to pass the one billion dollar mark by the end of the year, said National Exporters Association Chairman Rohan Fernando. `We had a shortfall in the export volume although there was a good demand for our products. There was a 30 - 40 percent shortfall in the volume exported compared to the demand. more..

Aug 26 (LNW) SLFP Propaganda Unit Head, Minister Dullas Alahapperuma who said, “Mr. Ranil Wickremesinghe should know that elections are not beauty pageants where people like Ranjan Ramanayake and Rosy Senanayake take part in,” is now placed in a difficult position, SLFP sources said. Dullas made this statement critical of actors and actresses contesting elections at a UPFA media conference held soon after the dissolution of the Southern Provincial Council. more..

Aug 26 (DM) The free education system of Sri Lanka is in a critical position, with alternative higher education institutes coming into play, luring away millions of rupees out of the country, said Minister of Trade, Commerce, Consumer Affairs and Marketing Development, Bandula Gunawardena. He was speaking at the CMA Annual Graduation Ceremony, held at the BMICH on Monday. more..

Aug 26 (DM) Governor of Sabaragamuwa Province Janaka Priyantha Bandara stressed that he would pass regulations within the next two months to ban tuition classes on Sundays and on full moon poya days in the Sabaragamuwa Province. Addressing a gathering of Buddhist monks of the Sasanarakshaka Balamandalayas in the Ratnapura district yesterday, he said that he had already discussed the proposed regulations with the relevant officials of the Provincial Council. more..

Aug 26 (UPI) The humanitarian crisis in northern Sri Lanka is once again taking center stage in the country’s international relations as heavy rains have flooded sections of the camps in which over a quarter of a million people are currently residing. These are the very people that international human rights organizations and foreign governments were concerned about during the last phase of the war. more..

Aug 26 (DM) The Special Crimes Division of Colombo Police Headquarters produced evidence pertaining to the assaulting of IT student Nipuna Ramanayake before the Kaduwela Chief Magistrate and District Judge Mahanil Prasanna De Silva, yesterday. The productions included the police jeep used and the firearms carried by the police officers who allegedly assaulted and caused serious injuries to the IT student. more..

Aug 26 (UNP) UNP M.P. Lakshman Kiriella said yesterday, that the Govt. has still not given an answer to the issues raised regarding the collection of monies from students by the education authorities of the Central province. Rs. 35 million was collected wrongfully as there is no legal provision for such collection. The authorities have collected fees ranging from Rs. 70/- to Rs. 100/- from each student. more..

Aug 26 (LBO) A 40-member Japanese trade and investment mission is due to visit Sri Lanka in November 2009 following the end of the island's 30-year ethnic war, the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce said. Members of the mission during their visit will take part in the Japan - Sri Lanka Business Co-operation Committee meeting scheduled to be held during November 18-20. Part of the joint meeting would also be devoted to one-to-one business meetings between more..

Aug 26 (DN) An investigation is now on in connection with the death of the beautician at the Colombo South Teaching Hospital, Kalubowila. The Healthcare and Nutrition Ministry will conduct a separate investigation to find out whether State money had been spent over cosmetic surgeries, Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva said. He said State hospitals and resources are there to treat patients and for their diseases and not to carry out cosmetic surgeries on ordinary, healthy people. more..

Aug 26 (CMB) Businesses will have a chance to find out about opportunities in Sri Lanka when the country's trade minister, Professor Gamini Lakshman Peiris, visits Greater Manchester next week. Prof Peiris will be talking about plans to attract investment and British expertise to recently liberated areas of the north and east of Sri Lanka following the defeat of the Tamil Tigers. more..

Aug 26 (Island) Commenting on the inclusion of teledrama actresses Anarkali Akarsha and Susantha Chandramali in the UPFA nomination list to contest the forthcoming Southern Provincial Council elections, General Secretary of the Alliance Minister Susil Premjayantha said the matter posed no problem to the people of the Ruhuna because they were enthusiastically waiting to strengthen the hands of ‘Ruhunu Puthra’ President Mahinda Rajapaksa by voting for the betel symbol. more..

Aug 26 (DM) The Indian De-mining Organization, Sarvatra, said yesterday that it had recovered 14 anti-tank mines planted along the one kilometre stretch of the Mannar Giant tank bund which is now under renovation with Japanese financial assistance. Sarvatra has been engaged in de-mining operations in Sri Lanka since 2003. The organization said that it had expedited the mine clearance work in the ‘Rice Bowl’ area of Mannar so that more..

Aug 26 (CI) For the second Test running, Mahela Jayawardene and Thilan Samaraweera batted with a purity of purpose, which New Zealand have been unable to produce all tour, to help the hosts shade the first day's honours. The truncated first session was shared by both sides, the second saw Kumar Sangakkara try and dominate with a sweep-fuelled 50 before he became Daniel Vettori's 300th Test victim, and more..

Aug 26 (Island) Addressing a hastily called press conference at his ministry, he said that the government had no option but to suspend the pay hike for State sector employees, including semi-government workers, due to massive war expenditure as well as difficulties caused largely by the global economic crisis. Responding to The Island queries, he said that the Cabinet had decided to stop salary increments for the entire state sector until 2010. more..

Aug 26 (TC) This is the text of a Statement in Parliament on 19th Aug, by the UNP deputy leader Karu Jayasuriya: Mr. Speaker, When I talk about IDPs, I can speak only as an ordinary citizen of this country and not as a parliamentarian of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka. As much as opposition MPs are prevented from visiting IDPs, we cannot even go beyond Medawachchiya check point without more..

Aug 26 (AFP) Sri Lanka's military rejected on Wednesday a video clip broadcast in Britain allegedly showing its troops executing prisoners during the final stages of its battle against Tamil Tiger rebels. Sri Lankan army spokesman Brigadier Udaya Nanayakkara said the footage aired by Channel 4 in Britain was a fabrication to discredit security forces who defeated Tamil separatists in mid-May. more..

Aug 27 (TC) I noticed that among many Sri Lankan’s the euphoria of post war has created once again a heady elation that we are headed towards becoming another Singapore. In a time where borders and boundaries are redefined, when cultures and ethnicities have intertwined creating unique individual identities, one might agree that a post war Sri Lanka cannot afford to make the mistakes of post independence Ceylon. more..

Aug 27 (TC) Thesawalamai is a territorial customary law of Sri Lanka, apart from the General Law of Sri Lanka there are three personal customary laws – Kandyan law, Muslim law and Thesawalamai law – and they all operate strictly within limited parameters. The Kandyan law applies to the Kandyan Buddhists, while the Muslim law applies to all Muslims in Sri Lanka. Similarly the Thesawalamai, which is a land and property law, more..

Aug 27 (TC) I join with many comrades and friends, who are saddened by the passing away of Comrade Upali Cooray. He dedicated his life to the protection of human rights of the working people. He always persevered to preserve and enhance those rights against individuals, groups and parties that violated them. He always struck me as a simple man who was always politically conscious. I first heard of Comrade Upali when I was behind bars in the seventies, more..

Aug 27 (LG) It would be pertinent to begin this article with the outcome of the 1977 General Election where voter turnout was 85 percent which is a record in the electoral politics of Sri Lanka. The motive for people to participate in the election could be attributed to the severe economic problems confronted by the population during that dark era. It was merely to protest against the SLFP-led coalition government under late Mrs. Srimavo Bandaranaike. more..

Aug 27 (LG) My party, the EPDP and I are deeply moved and saddened to hear the passing away of comrade Upali Cooray, a leading international figure in the leftist movement of this country. He was a humanist in real sense of the word and worked with dedication and sincerity for democracy, Human Rights and rights of the working class of this country. Upholding Marxism/Leninism, he committed himself for taking the Human race to a higher elevation and more..

Aug 27 (LG) Until recently many people, especially the English speaking variety did not believe that the west would go against Sri Lanka. When the American ambassadors and the UK high commissioners not to mention the others who represent their respective countries in the west began openly to criticise the Sri Lanka government at first they could not believe that the westerners had turned against Sri Lanka. more..

Aug 27 (LG) With the conclusion of the dreaded 30 years war, the focus on IDPs is now top priority, causing immense anxiety to the Government in particular and to the public in general. It seems it will be a long time before the problems goes away and there are continuing banner headlines in the media pointing to the short – comings in the IDP camps. A multitude of vexed questions are being directed at the authorities running these camps. more..