Nov 2 (Island) The Police will seek the Attorney General’s advice to take into custody three more Policemen allegedly involved in last Thursday’s attack a man near the Bambalapitiya Railway Station. Senior DIG Nimal Mediwaka said that they would not hesitate to take action against police personnel involved in the incident. The Policeman, who is alleged to have attacked Bala Sivakumar near the Bambalapitiya on Thursday afternoon, surrendered to the Bambalapitiya police. more..

Nov 2 (Hindu) DMK Rajya Sabha member Kanimozhi on Monday said there was ‘some improvement’ in the condition of internally displaced Tamils in Sri Lanka after delegation comprising MPs of DMK, Congress and VCK visited the island nation last month. After the visit of the Indian MPs’ delegation in Sri Lanka there was ‘some improvement’ in the situation, Ms. Kanimozhi told reporters here. more..

Nov 2 (Reuters) Sri Lanka is heading into election mode, after President Mahinda Rajapaksa's government said early presidential and parliamentary polls will be held by April. Following is a summary of five key risks in Sri Lanka, which won a 25-year war against the Tamil Tigers in May: * ELECTION FEVER: Expecting Rajapaksa to win re-election to a second six-year term is still a safe political bet, in spite of growing union threats and and more..

Nov 2 (GDI) Parliamentarian Wimal Weerawansa said the Sri Lankans were fortunate today to have a leader of the calibre of President Mahinda Rajapaksa who could inject vigor and courage to the people. He emphasized that the country was liberated from terrorism with supreme sacrifices made by the soldiers, political leaders and the defence hierarchy risking their lives. more..

Nov 2 (DN) The Government is reviewing the entire tax structure to afford relief to the people in the aftermath of the war. Treasury Secretary Dr. P.B. Jayasundara told the Daily News that the whole tax system will be reconsidered on instructions by President Mahinda Rajapaksa as the Finance and Planning Minister to fit into the current pattern of consumption and taking into account the on-going development activities of the country after eradicating LTTE terrorism. more..

Nov 2 (DM) As officers from the US Department of Homeland Security are preparing to quiz Chief of Defence Staff General Sarath Fonseka on November 04 regarding alleged war crimes that had taken place in the country, the government of Sri Lanka had officially objected and protested such moves and the Foreign Ministry had already summoned the US ambassador in Sri Lanka for an urgent meeting today morning. General Sarath Fonseka was on an official visit to the USA and carried a diplomatic passport. more..

Nov 2 (DM) Sri Lankan judges and magistrates who are expected to arrive in Fiji today were denied transit visas through Australia, Fiji Times reported. At a press conference in his judicial chambers in Suva yesterday, Fiji Chief Justice Anthony Gates said the Sri Lankan judges were not allowed to transit Australia and had to come through Korea. He said the judges applied to the Australian High Commission in Colombo for transit visas and more..

Nov 2 (DM) It is unfortunate that this country which has just emerged from several decades of an unprecedented terrorist menace is presently being pushed into a state of confusion, tension and turmoil. While government parties persistently warn the public of a conspiracy, the opposition parties trivialize and dismiss them as a figment of government parties’ imagination. However, it is clear to discerning observers that a combination of forces are operating to more..

Nov 2 (Hindu) The State government has decided to spend Rs. 12 crore immediately for improving the basic amenities in Sri Lankan Tamils refugees’ camps. Ministers and District Collectors will visit 115 camps in the State and present their findings to Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi by November 10 on the condition of the camps. On the basis of their feedback, the government will work out the modalities for the expenditure of Rs. 12 crore. more..

Nov 2 (Island) Criticizing a US to move ‘interview’ Chief of Defence Staff General Sarath Fonseka, now on a short visit to the US, the Sri Lanka government says an attempt is being made to target Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa. Highly placed officials say the government is aware of a US move to use General Fonseka as a ‘source’ against the Defence Secretary, in their investigations targeting more..

Nov 3 (Xinhua) Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd on Monday rejected calls for a more humane approach to asylum seekers, saying the government's current policy is the responsible course of action. Unions have called on Rudd to order a customs vessel carrying 78 Sri Lankan asylum seekers to go to Christmas Island so they can be processed in Australia. The Australian Council of Trade Unions took out a newspaper advertisement on Monday, more..

Nov 3 (NST) Police rescued two more Sri Lankans who were abducted and kept in a house in Setapak here with the help of the French police and Interpol. The men aged 57 and 63 were freed last Thursday following the arrest of six suspects after the police rescued a kidnapped 16-year-old Sri Lankan boy nearby a day earlier, said Bukit Aman CID director Datuk Seri Mohd Bakri Zinin. more..

Nov 3 (ZN) Having spent months in refugee camps, the homecoming to northern Sri Lanka is turning bitter for nearly 1,500 war-displaced Tamil families as their houses have been unlawfully occupied allegedly by Sinhalese people. This ordeal was faced by Tamil families who returned to their homes in Trincomalee, Vavuniya and Batticaloa, under the government's resettlement programme. more..

Nov 3 (HO) A Maldivian man in Sri Lanka is in desperate need of money to pay for a heart surgery operation, the man’s family has said. The man had gone to Sri Lanka for treatment with aid from the Government after he had been diagnosed with a heart problem. On 12 October, doctors at Colombo’s Durdan’s Hospital performed an angioplasty on Ahmed Riza, 39, of Dhandikosheege / Fuvahmulah. more..

Nov 3 (AFP) Sri Lanka protested Monday against plans by US officials to quiz its top military commander over alleged war crimes committed during the final months of the war with Tamil Tiger rebels. Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama said the US Department of Homeland Security had requested that General Sarath Fonseka, who is currently visiting his daughters in Oklahoma, make himself available for questioning on Wednesday. more..

Nov 3 (TA) A Dozen Sri Lankan asylum-seekers are feared dead after their vessel capsized in heavy seas as they sailed direct from Sri Lanka, apparently in an attempt to avoid the Rudd government's "Indonesian solution". As aircraft from the Royal Australian Air Force and the Royal Flying Doctor Service scoured the Indian Ocean for any trace of those still unaccounted for, a Newspoll taken for The Australian showed support for the Rudd government had more..

Nov 3 (NYT) For Raj Rajaratnam, the billionaire hedge fund manager charged with trading on inside information, legal problems are nothing new. In 2005, he paid $20 million in back taxes, penalties and interest to settle a federal investigation into a sham tax shelter that he used, according to a previously undisclosed lawsuit. His Galleon Group funds were entangled in an earlier fraud case, and more..

Nov 3 (AT) Students from faraway schools in Sri Lanka mesmerized the French audience at the prestigious UNESCO auditorium when they performed traditional dances at a colourful concert aptly named ‘Varna’ held on October 29 to mark the 60th anniversary of UNESCO-Sri Lanka relations. 35 Tamil and Sinhala students from the schools in Gampaha, Kirindiwela, Vavuniya, Ingiriya and Horana kept the spectators spell-bound for nearly two and a half hours when more..

Nov 3 (GV) The killing of the leader of the LTTE, Velupillai Pirapaharan, has brought an end to a stage in the development of the Tamil National Liberation Struggle. There are many crucial lessons to be learned from this experience;- Lessons Paid in Blood! It is imperative that we learn from these lessons with a deep scientific perspective, if we are to charter the path of liberation for the people of Lanka. more..

Nov 3 (AT) The ITN cameraman who recorded the inhuman brutality of the murder of the mentally retarded young man on a beach at Bambalapitiya has done a great service to the country in having shown vividly to the nation what police brutality is really like that people have never been aware of. To anyone who saw the man wielding a massive club and aiming it at the victim with his entire energy as shown by the splash in the water more..

Nov 3 (AT) The day was January 24, 2006. The place was Patiala in the Northwestern Indian State of Punjab. A person by the name of Gopal Krishan Kashyap was up to a deadly mission. The garlanded man who stood defiantly amongst a large crowd of onlookers had a death wish. A large number of media personnel armed with TV Cameras and other equipment came to the scene in a jiffy and started to beam a live telecast of the incident. more..

Nov 3 (National) Sri Lanka’s top army general, touted as a possible presidential candidate against Mahinda Rajapaksa but who has studiously avoided the media, has been thrust into the limelight once again, this time over attempts by US authorities to question him over possible war crimes in Sri Lanka. Yesterday, the government appeared to confirm newspaper reports that Sarath Fonseka, Sri Lanka’s chief of defence staff who is more..

Nov 3 (AT) National Film Corporation says it has already discussed with the Secretary of the Cultural Affairs Ministry to amend the Film Corporation Act to facilitate the digital film projection system in local film halls. Acting General Manager of the Corporation Nadeeka Gunasekara said the Secretary to the Ministry has agreed to provide assistance to introduce the new concept-digital cinema projection system, more..

Nov 3 (AFP) The United States was tightlipped Monday about Sri Lanka's visiting top military commander, after the island said US authorities planned to grill him over alleged war crimes. Sri Lanka summoned the US ambassador to demand the Department of Homeland Security drop what the island's government said were plans to question General Sarath Fonseka over the campaign that crushed Tamil Tiger rebels. more..

Nov 3 (LG) Mr Balavarnam Sivakumar was killed in a horrific manner in the shallow waters of Bambalapitiya. The whole nation is in shock over this because Sri Lankans are not used to this type of excesses regularly by the police although it is a more common occurrence in the US, Australia, etc. There is nothing racial or racist about the event. When the video first emerged, no one knew of the race of the attackers and the victim; no one cared. more..

Nov 3 (LG) Without a doubt the end of the war has brought great relief to the general population who do not have to fear bomb attacks in public places and to read and listen to media reports of dozens of casualties on a daily basis. Even Tamil people on whose behalf the LTTE lay claim to be the sole representative, and on whose behalf they sought to fight, are relieved at the enhancement of their personal security. more..

Nov 3 (TP) “Sonduru Atheethayata” (down memory lane), a musical programme featuring T M Jayaratne and Sirasa Super Star contestant Manjula Niwanthi will be held at the Doha Cinema on November 6 at 7pm. Doha-based Sri Lankan music band “Strangers” will back Jayaratne and Niwanthi while students of Seraphs academy will join with dance items. Popularly known as T M among Sri Lankans, Jayaratne began his singing career in the 70s more..

Nov 3 (EB) “Don’t see those staying in camps here as refugees, see them as Tamils…the amenities available to the Tamils living in the other parts of the State should be made available to those living in the camps too". This was the strong message of Chief Minister M Karunanidhi to the Ministers and officials who attended the emergency meeting convened by him on Monday to discuss the ways to improve the basic amenities in the camps of Lankan Tamil refugees. more..

Nov 3 (LG) “Her voice is calm but the words in her vocabulary are the strongest in the world.” This is my assessment on Arundhati Roy, a well known author and social activist in India whom I met recently. In an exclusive interview with the Sri Lankan Guardian, Ms. Roy has shared her views on the present situation in Sri Lanka. “The situation sounds in Sri Lanka absolutely grim, she exclaimed. more..

Nov 3 (LBO) Sri Lanka's Munchee biscuit brand won top place as brand of the year, while Panadol, a paracetamol product, bagged the gold for the international brand at the eighth annual Sri Lanka Institute of Marketing (SLIM) brand awards. Ceylon's Biscuits Limited's Munchee also walked away with the award for the top export brand. Diva won silver and Tiara bagged bronze in the local category. more..

Nov 3 (NP) Immigration officials are alleging that trace amounts of explosives were found aboard a cargo ship that smuggled 76 Sri Lankans to Canada's West Coast last month, a lawyer representing some of the men said on Monday. Lee Rankin said the "slight bit of residue found on a couple of items," together with news clippings linking the vessel to the Tamil Tigers rebels, were being used by the Canadian Border Services Agency to justify detaining the men. more..

Nov 3 (TA) FIJI'S Australian-led judiciary has persuaded seven Sri Lankan judges to ignore Australia's warnings and accept judicial office in the military-dominated republic. All seven judges had been contacted by Australian consular staff in Sri Lanka and warned they would be subject to travel bans if they joined the Fiji bench. Australian authorities had earlier made a low-key approach to Sri Lanka's judicial authorities, more..

Nov 3 (SLW) Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksha is one of the most loved and respected human beings is Sri Lanka. He is a man with a deep rooted love and concern for the soldier in the frontlines. His authoritative but disciplined and immaculate actions brought a most callous 30 year war in Sri Lanka, to an end. He left nothing to chance, and nothing escaped this great man’s attention. He never engaged in petty talk or actions, and more..

Nov 3 (GDI) The President and the Government of Sri Lanka stand firmly behind the Office of the Chief of Defence Staff of Sri Lanka. We will not allow that high post to be denigrated or made vulnerable, said Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama addressing the media on the moves by the USD Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to question the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) Gen. Sarath Fonseka, who is now in the USA. more..

Nov 3 (GDI) The vote of account for the first four months of next year was presented to parliament this morning. The estimated amount is 36.2 billion rupees. The highest amount has been reserved for the defence ministry. Funds for the ministries of health and education have also been increased. Minister Dr. Sarath Amunugama presenting the vote of account said the new parliament to be convened in April will be able to present a new budget. more..

Nov 3 (GDI) Colombo’s biggest food festival is due to be held for the 4th consecutive year from the 6th - 14th of November. The World Spice Food Festival offers food enthusiasts a wide variety of culinary delights. Under the patronage of the SLTDA, the festival will be officially opened on November 5, at the Waters Edge and the grand finale is to be held at the BMICH on November 15. more..

Nov 3 (CI) Providence Stadium wasn't a patch on the dear old Bourda, we decided as we stewed in the former's glassed in press box. On South Africa's 2005 tour, for instance, a stark white face glowed out of the deep darkness of the verandah opposite the Bourda's airy, open press box. A gander through the binocs confirmed the stupendous: Mick bloody Jagger himself! And here we are two years later, suffering the stupidity of this half-built, half-baked sterile new stadium. more..

Nov 3 (GDI) Centre for Science, Development and Media Studies (CSDMS) in India and Information and Communication Technology Agency (ICTA) in Sri Lanka have joined hands to organize 4th annual eAsia 2009 conference and exhibition in Colombo, Sri Lanka to celebrate the year 2009 as the year of ICT and English as declared by President Mahinda Rajapaksa and to promote growth of ICT4D, through more..

Nov 3 (MoD) It is necessary to protect the independence of the judiciary, to build a nation that upholds justice. In our country we had experienced the rule of law for a considerable time but during the past three decades terrorism prevented carrying out the decisions made by Courts, President Mahinda Rajapaksa said yesterday. The President was speaking after laying the foundation stone for a new lawyers office complex at Hulftsdorp, Colombo. more..

Nov 3 (GDI) German businessmen are exploring the possibility of investing in Sri Lanka with the dawn of peace. A high level delegation of German investors is now on a visit to the island. They arrived recently at the invitation of the Western Provincial Tourism Minister with the mediation of the German Consul General. The delegation on arrival at the Airport was received by Deputy Minister Sarath Kumara Gunaratne and more..