May 10 (SO) Opposition and UNP leader Ranil Wickremesinghe is scheduled to make another controversial tour of Europe. Local political sources said the main aim of his European tour is to hold discussions with several Scandinavian officials on the situation in Sri Lanka and a strategy to save the LTTE leadership now trapped in Mullaitivu. more..

May 10 (SO) Former Vavuniya district Parliamentarian and People’s Liberation Organisation Tamil Eelam Leader D. Sitharthan along with the General Secretary of the Eelam People’s Revolutionary Liberation Front (NABA) T. Sritharan who visited the rehabilitation centres set up for former LTTE cadres in Ambepussa and Pallekele have expressed satisfaction over the rehabilitation measures carried out in those centres. more..

May 10 (SO) Subashini Pathmanathan is one of the leading Bharatha Natyam exponents, an excellent guru, and a writer with a unique identity. She started dancing at the age of two and a half when her mother enrolled baby Subashini to a dance class. "I started learning dancing before I started my schooling. I started my initial training in Bharatha Natyam, under Smt. Thripurasunthari Yoganatham in Jaffna," she said. more..

May 10 (SO) A massive fraud perpetrated by a man attached to the Sri Lanka embassy in South Korea has been exposed following an investigation carried out by the Investigation Unit of the Presidential Secretariat recently, sources told the Sunday Observer. A top level investigation has been launched by the Unit to trace the missing suspect who had travelled to London with his diplomatic passport. more..

May 10 (NS) Stiff opposition by the minority political parties to the controversial amendment to the Local Government Act, has prompted President Mahinda Rajapaksa to withdraw it fully. President Rajapaksa who met with Eastern Provincial Council (EPC) Chief Minister Sivanesathurai Chandrakanthan alias Pillaiyan, Opposition Leader M.L.A.M. Hisbullah and the Council Chairman last week gave an assurance that the Bill will not be pushed down the throats of the minorities. more..

May 10 (LG) There are names that some people just don’t want mentioned. David Miliband, for example, would rather die a hundred deaths before Afghanistan is mentioned. Or Bala Boluk. Or Grani. And I suppose one could add Iraq and hundreds of unhappy villages and towns that received ‘liberation from Saddam Hussein’ courtesy the United States of America and Great Britain. The same goes for Robert Blake, the US Ambassador in Sri Lanka, Bernard Kouchner (French Foreign Minister), more..

May 10 (LG) Mahinda clearly said that he has ordered the armed forces to withhold using heavy weapons. At first the reason he gave was that the war is over, hence there was no need of heavy weapons for further action which are basically clearing operations. But nobody believed him as he did not explain what happened to the LTTE leaders including Prabhakaran. It was clear that he was responding to the foreign ministers of the West who more..

May 10 (LG) Everyone loves the sound of their own music. We mean people around the world — not only Sri Lankans — love to tell others, loud and clear, on vital issues, their opinion on what’s going wrong and what’s going right, not giving a damn to others’ views. They love to preach to the convinced and are overjoyed by appreciations and cheers. That’s perhaps the answer to the query that keeps popping up often these days: ‘How did this ‘war’ go on for a quarter century?’ more..

May 10 (LG) There was a time, a time that could be described as the heyday of federalism/separatism, when a vociferous set of shamelessly anglicized writers used the F-word as though its non-utterance would result in asphyxiation. Their writings were dominated by words like grievance, aspirations and traditional homelands. The arguments were full of half-truths, selective reference of history that could be substantiated in some way, and more..

May 10 (NS) With around 10% of the population being disabled, the Social Services and Social Welfare Ministry is pushing to make Sri Lanka a more disabled friendly country, but is constrained by monetary shortages. They have also prepared legislation to recruit 3% of the public service from this group. However, despite the drafting of legal documents and extensive state support the road remains long. more..

May 10 (NS) The battle to take last Tiger fortress at Vellamullivaikkal, where Prabhakaran and his remaining key associates are hiding, reached a decisive stage on Friday May 8. By Friday, 58 and 53 Divisions advancing on either side of the Mullaitivu–Paranthan (A35) road breached all Tiger bunds that were found on the way. The final bund was taken by troops of the 58 Division under the command of Brig. Shavendra Silva. more..

May 10 (NS) When EPDP Leader and Hindu Affairs Minister Douglas Devananda, a very strident critic of the LTTE, said the Tigers could be physically defeated, nobody believed him. Even now, with the near elimination of the LTTE, some are skeptical. But Devananda is firm. The Minister who is a prime target of the LTTE says Velupillai Prabhakaran has to either kill himself or escape. “Otherwise, he will be caught. more..

May 10 (Island) Opposition Leader Ranil Wickremes-inghe will be in Europe later this week on a tour that will taken him to London, Brussels and Oslo where he is due to meet Norway’s International Development Minister Erik Solheim. Wickremesinghe yesterday confirmed this visit which he said he said had been long postponed due to the elections etc. He had informed the foreign ministry in Colombo about it as well as Sri Lanka’s embassy in Oslo. more..

May 10 (Island) President Mahinda Rajapaksa has indicated that the next parliamentary elections could take place in about ten months, well informed sources said. The president has discussed the possibility when he had recently met with Lakbima publisher, Thilanga Sumathipala, at Temple Trees when Sumathipala received the appointment as chief SLFP organizer for Borella electorate. more..

May 10 (Island) Controversy surrounds the decision of Nawagamuwa police not to arrest WPC member Hector Bethmage wanted in connection with a shooting incident in its area in the run up to the recently concluded WPC polls on the basis that Talangama police should make the arrest as the suspect lived at Talangama. Bethmage, a former minister of the WPC, had allegedly shot Dinesh Pushpakumara, a supporter of a rival UPFA candidate, more..

May 10 (Island) Fingers of granite point heavenward in once careful columns, long eroded by wind and rain and neglect, a testimony to the fall of a civilization that once prided itself on building structures and cultures for eternity but who have, less than a thousand years later, spawned progeny who think merely for the day, and that which they can make from it. This is the Chapter House of the Monastery at Pidurangala; the sister rock of the famed Sigiriya that more..

May 10 (ST) It was the 25th of May 1972, the day following Vesak when I left for Jaffna to take up my first appointment as an uncertificated teacher of English at the Kilinochchi Sinhala Vidyalaya on the basic salary of Rs. 220 a month. During this period Kilinochchi, Mullaitivu, Vavuniya and Mannar came under the purview of the Regional Director of Education, Jaffna and the post was held by Vijitha Abeyesekera. more..

May 10 (ST) The Education Ministry has interdicted the principal, the vice principal, two teachers and a security official of Devi Balika Vidyalaya in Colombo, following a Public Service Commission inquiry into allegations ranging from misuse of school funds to seeking unlawful donations. Ministry Secretary Nimal Bandara told The Sunday Times that the interdiction letters had been sent to Principal Sandhya Renuka Malalasekare, more..

May 10 (ST) Troops forged ahead this week, gaining more territory, including an earth bund, despite stiff resistance by the guerrillas who are cornered and desperately trying to cling on to their dwindling terrain. Pitched battles were reported to have broken out this week in Kariyamullivaikkal and Vellamullivaikal in the southern tip of the no-fire zone which was on Friday reduced to an area of two kilometres in length and 1.5 kilometres in width or a total of 2.5 square kilometres. more..

May 10 (LBO) India is one of the world’s most dynamic economies and attractive markets with which Sri Lanka continues to have strong relations by reason of proximity and history. India’s relations with Sri Lanka have, for the most part, been friendly and are probably the best that it enjoys with its non-micro-state neighbors. India’s first bilateral free trade agreement (FTA) was with Sri Lanka and more..

May 10 (ST) Most Sri Lankans or the world outside is still unaware -- the well-protected, secluded life under serene surroundings, with a thick layer of re-inforced concrete overhead, ended for Velupillai Prabhakaran, leader of the LTTE on March 30. Until then, it was from here that he crafted a strong military machine and directed a violent terror campaign even after the Norwegian-brokered Ceasefire Agreement (CFA) of February 2002. more..

May 10 (IANS) Malaysia has set up four health posts in Vavuniya in northern Sri Lanka for the Tamil civilians who have fled the fierce fighting between the troops and the LTTE. A report from Vavuniya said Mercy, a Malaysian body, has begun running the first mobile unit at Menik Farm in Cheddukulam. "There is an urgent need for healthcare in these camps. We were invited by the health ministry of Sri Lanka to run these projects in these camps. more..

May 10 (PTI) Seeking to allay Indian Navy's apprehensions of LTTE using the sea route to get into Tamil Nadu or other areas, Sri Lanka today said it deployed an almost impregnable four-layered Navy defence line to prevent the Tigers from escaping through the Mullaittivu coast. The Sri Lankan Navy is on full alert off the Mullaittivu seas in order to prevent any escape attempt by LTTE leaders or cadres to India, a senior Navy official told PTI. more..

May 10 (AP) Sri Lanka deported three journalists from Channel 4 television on Sunday, a day after they were arrested for alleged false reporting on the civil war. Lakshman Hulugalle, the head of the government security information centre, said the journalists admitted they had "done something wrong" and would not be allowed to come back to Sri Lanka. Nick Paton Walsh, the channel's Asian correspondent, denied giving a statement to police or admitting wrongdoing. more..

May 10 (AFP) Tamil Tiger rebels said on Sunday that shelling by government forces had killed more than 2,000 civilians during a 24-hour period, but the military denied the allegations. The LTTE, in a statement posted on the Tamilnet.com website, said the army had unleashed a devastating offensive on the small coastal patch of land that the rebels still control. "More than 2,000 innocent civilians have been killed in the last 24 hours," more..

May 10 (AP) An overnight artillery barrage in Sri Lanka's northern war zone killed at least 257 civilians, a government doctor said Sunday, calling it the bloodiest day he had seen in the government's offensive against the Tamil Tiger rebels. Dr. V. Shanmugarajah said many more were likely killed in the attack, but they were buried where they fell instead of being brought to the makeshift hospital where he works in the war zone. more..

May 10 (Reuters) The cornered Tamil Tigers on Sunday accused Sri Lanka of killing hundreds in an artillery barrage, which the military said the guerrillas had fired off themselves to win sympathy for a truce to stave off defeat. The reported attack is the latest in a series of accusations and counter-accusations about who is harming civilians, tens of thousands of whom are trapped inside the less than 5 square km of battlefield left in Asia's longest modern war. more..

May 10 (AFP) The X-ray shows a bullet lodged next to the heart of a Tamil man, one of tens of thousands who have flooded out of Sri Lanka's northeast to escape the war with the Tamil Tigers. "He said he was shot in the chest six months ago. But we can't remove it because we'd have to do full open-chest surgery," said Michel Orcel, a doctor working in a French field hospital set up on the island. more..

May 10 (DBS) The unfolding humanitarian catastrophe in Northern Wanni reached tragically high levels today May 10th 2009 as a result of intensive artillery shelling and aerial bombardment by the Sri Lankan Armed forces. According to medical sources at least 378 people were killed and 1122 injured as at 4.00 pm, Sri Lankan time today Sunday. While this figure is based on the number of bodies brought to and more..

May 11 (LT) The renowned musical couple Dayaratne Ranatunga and Amara Ranatunga who participated in a live TV telecast today (10th) morning was suddenly forced out from the Rupavahini Corporation by its Chairman. An employee of the Rupavahini Corporation speaking to ‘Lankatruth’ said the decision to evict the musician couple was taken by the Chairman. All this time the ‘Irida Ayubowan’ program that is telecast from 9.00 to 10.00 a.m. was directed by the ‘special unit’ of the Rupavahini Corporation. more..

May 11 (PTI) Sharing a platform with Chief Minister M Karunanidhi, Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Sunday skirted issues like demands for a separate Eelam in Sri Lanka and sending of Indian Army to enable its creation and strongly stood by the alliance with DMK in Tamil Nadu. With just a day left for the campaigning to the fifth and final phase of polls, Ms. Gandhi addressed the sole election meeting in Tamil Nadu with an ailing Karunanidhi by her side, more..

May 11 (UN) In a message commemorating Vesak Day, which marks the birth, enlightenment and passing of the Buddha, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called on the world to learn from the spiritual leader's sense of compassion. “The financial crisis, climate change, pandemics, terrorism and other international threats prove that the fates of all people are linked,” Mr. Ban wrote in his message. He noted that a problem for one country can quickly turn into a global threat. more..

May 11 (LT) The condition of UPFA MP Sarana Gunwardene, who suddenly got sick and was admitted to hospital immediately after he was remanded for abducting a child, is not serious say hospital sources. Sarana Gunawardene was accused of abducting and detaining a child of a supporter of present Chief Minister of Western Provincial Council Prasanna Ranatunga during the WPC election. He absconded for a while when the judiciary ordered the police to arrest and produce him before the court. more..

May 11 (LBO) Re-building Sri Lanka's war-ravaged north and east should be eventually driven by the private sector, rather than an unsustainable donor-financed state sector, a senior United Nations Development Agency (UNDP) official said. Douglas Keh, head of UNDP in Sri Lanka, also said good governance and a government commitment to devolving adequate power to minority Tamils to ensure a lasting solution to the conflict would be critical in attracting aid and investment. more..

May 11 (AFP) The Foreign Office in London said Sunday it was "deeply disappointing" that a ITN news team was expelled from Sri Lanka after reporting on alleged poor treatment of Tamils in camps there. Channel 4 correspondent Nick Paton-Walsh, producer Bessie Du and cameraman Matt Jasper were arrested and told to get out of Sri Lanka, said ITN -- which produces Channel 4's news bulletins -- on Saturday. They left Sunday. more..

May 11 (C4) Channel 4 News's Nick Paton Walsh explains how he was ordered by the Sri Lankan government to leave the country, after they took exception to his report which was broadcast on Channel 4 News on 5 May. It's not often that the most powerful man in the country rings you. I'd spoken amicably to defence secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa 45 minutes earlier about getting some better access to Sri Lanka's 25 year war. But this time he was calling me, and seemed to have remembered something. more..

May 11 (TC) As the ‘end game’ to the quarter-century old war in the ‘Teardrop Isle’ is being trumpeted, there is a savage premonition from STRATFOR, the US based strategic security organization: “Due to the long history of conflict in Sri Lanka , we do not share the assessment by some in the Sri Lankan government that the Tigers are all but dead. They may be severely damaged as a conventional military force — for a time at least — but the group’s cadre of dedicated, more..

May 11 (PTI) Four Pakistanis, including three women, were arrested by Customs authorities here for smuggling a total of 1.5 kg of heroin into the country by keeping the contraband in their stomach and rectum, an official said on Sunday. "The four Pakistani nationals had arrived here on Thursday and were arrested at the Katunayake international airport," police spokesman Ranjith Gunasekara told PTI. more..

May 11 (TOI) Images of refugees — black skins with raging, red wounds, bones popping out, a mob raising hands and fists for a box of biscuits, while leaving fields of dead — are now the subject of daily contemplation for their cousins abroad, the ones who have made it out. We left the burning island many decades ago, after cataclysms such as attacks on our people, houses and businesses in 1958 and 1983, the dirty war in Sri Lanka’s south in the late 1980s and the tsunami of 2004. more..

May 11 (BBC) Health authorities in Sri Lanka say they have established a separate hospital for chicken pox sufferers among the war displaced in Vavunia. Deputy Director General of Health, Dr. Palitha Maheepala told BBC Sandeshaya that the hospital in Puvarasankulam is demarcated for the chicken pox sufferers under the instructions of an expert panel. The disease has been spreading among the displaced people in camps in Vavuniya, he said. more..

May 11 (LG) AIDMK supremo J. Jayalalithaa has set the cat amongst the pigeons when she declared the other day: “If a government that listens to me is formed at the Centre, I will take action for the dispatch of the Indian Army to the island nation and create a separate Tamil Eelam.” This demand had been raised earlier by her alliance partners, Dr Ramadass of the PMK and Vaiko of the MDMK. Prof K. Anbazhagan, the DMK’s intellectual face, responded: “Tamils are being destroyed in Sri Lanka. more..

May 11 (LG) Wheh speaking of the ‘50s and the ‘60s, the Golden Age of Peradeniya, Brendon Gooneratne, an expatriate domiciled in Australia, wrote: “It was a period that will be remembered as a time that has passed, and will probably never be repeated.” The three of us were contemporaries on the Peradeniya campus from the end of the ‘50s to the beginning of the ‘60s. This is our appreciation of three unforgettable dons who molded us. more..

May 11 (Hindu) The ultimate goal of the Congress with regard to the Sri Lankan Tamils issue is to secure equal rights and status for the Tamils within the framework of the India-Sri Lanka Accord of 1987, party president Sonia Gandhi said on Sunday. Strongly defending the handling of the Sri Lankan Tamils issue by the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance government, Ms. Gandhi told that “it is due to our government’s resolute efforts” that the Sri Lankan government announced the conclusion of combat operations. more..

May 11 (TOI) Five years ago, Anbumani Ramadoss was an awkward debutant, who had abandoned his medical practice and ‘Pasumai Thayagam,’ the PMK’s environment organisation, to take the political plunge. Notwithstanding some controversies while handling the health portfolio, Ramadoss Jr has not only grown in stature but helped the PMK gain proximity to the Congress leadership. Ramadoss is now busy leading his party’s campaign. more..

May 11 (TOI) Ignoring security concerns and keen to showcase the "strong friendship" between the DMK patriarch and herself, Congress president Sonia Gandhi campaigned with chief minister M Karunanidhi in Chennai on Sunday seeking another mandate for the UPA from Tamil Nadu on the plank of development. "Tamil Nadu's mandate of 40 out of 40 in 2004 had helped the UPA form a government at the Centre," she said. more..

May 11 (AT) We would not be too far from the truth if we assume that for almost 3 decades the real thoughts of the Tamil people of Sri Lanka lay suppressed under the vicious presence of the LTTE and its leader. From the inception the people were well aware of the consequences of those that dared to oppose LTTE hegemony whether they lived in Sri Lanka or abroad. It was the comfort of making use of the opportunity to take up residence in foreign shores taking advantage of more..

May 11 (AT) Deaths of senior LTTE operatives Cheliyan, the second in command of the LTTE Sea Tiger wing, and LTTE's military spokesman Illanthirayan are now confirmed. Sri Lanka Amy revealed that the latest report received from Karayamullivakkal area confirmed that a senior LTTE leader identified as Cheliyan was the second in command of the LTTE Sea Tiger wing, was killed during confrontations that occurred when the troops captured a LTTE’s earth bund built in the same area on Thursday (07). more..

May 11 (AT) There is a saying that all are equal, but some are more equal. Sri Lanka’s Environment and Natural Resources Minister Patali Champika Ranawaka echoed this when he told a media briefing late last month that the global war on terror was a farce, calling the Co-Chairs 'Terrorist Chairs'. From the Middle-East through Afghanistan to India and Sri Lanka we are witnessing this duplicity. more..