Sep 22 (CI) Lack of choices can be a blessing in disguise. Hence we have potentially the best event organised by the ICC in a long while. Not entirely by design, though: there was no window for a longer tournament, there isn't even a reserve day for the final. So there was no space for flab or Super Sixes or Eights or whatever. Although Bangladesh can argue they had a better case than West Indies, few could have envisaged the political turmoil in the Caribbean when the tournament was being drawn up. more..

Sep 22 (LT) Deputy Minister of Finance Ranjith Siyambalapitiya, who had come to address a meeting of unemployed graduates of Galle District held at Buddhadaththa Junior School at Polwatta in Ambalangoda today (21st) had made a quick exit when graduates started asking questions from him. The meeting of unemployed graduates at Buddhadaththa Junior School at Polwatta had been arranged by the former Chief Minister for Southern PC Shan Wijelal. more..

Sep 22 (IT) Life in prison has not deterred Nalini Sriharan, convicted in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case, from successfully clearing the Master of Computer Applications (MCA) course. Not only is she the first prisoner in Tamil Nadu to do so, she has also emerged topper among inmates from various jails across the state. Her husband Sriharan alias Murugan and another prisoner A.G. Perarivalan, both sentenced to death, are also pursuing the five-year integrated MCA course. more..

Sep 22 (IANS) S. Nalini, undergoing life imprisonment in the Vellore jail for her involvement in the assassination of former Indian prime minister Rajiv Gandhi, began an indefinite fast Monday to demand her immediate release, officials said. Nalini, 43, said she would continue her protest till she is released from prison. According to the prison authorities, Nalini informed them about her decision to go on fast Sunday but gave it in writing only Monday morning. more..

Sep 22 (SLW) Former President Chandrika Kumaratunge told the Press Trust of India during a private visit to Kerala that there was an overall feeling of fear in Sri Lanka. "I fear for my life, if I speak freely, though my party is in power (as part of a coalition)," she has said. The Government has provided her a security contingent of 82 security personnel and 12 state vehicles are at her disposal. This much more than what she is eligible to have by the constitution as a former president. more..

Sep 22 (CSM) When Sri Lanka's government finally defeated the secessionist LTTE in May, even its harshest critics rejoiced. Here, at last, was a chance to bring peace to an island that had suffered 26 years of war, in which as many as 100,000 people were killed. The end of the war gave Sri Lanka an opportunity to heal the bitter ethnic conflict between the Sinhalese majority and Tamil minority that had fueled it. more..

Sep 22 (BBC) Tamil detainees held under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA), say that they should be treated as political prisoners. 266 detainees, arrested under PTA, handed over a petition following a hunger strike at Welikada Magazine Prison. They said “government should take immediate legal action.” “We should be produced before a court or released,” they added. Deputy Minister of Justice V. Puthirasigamani told BBC Sandeshya more..

Sep 22 (AT) Onehundred and ten new wildlife rangers received appointments from the Minister of Environment and Natural Resources, Champika Ranawaka at the Central Environment Authority at Battaramulla recently. These new rangers who are also called as Wana Jeevi Niyamakas will be deployed to Northern and Eastern Provinces. Before they were recruited there had been 225 vacancies with the Department of Wildlife Conservation more..

Sep 22 (LG) Sigiriya attracts visitors — Sri Lankans and foreigners — for different reasons than other Sri Lankan historical sites. Whereas other historical sites are essentially places of religious worship, emanating peace and tranquillity, Sigiriya perpetuates the memory of a macho Sinhala prince, a parricide who pilloried his father to the bund of a reservoir, drove his brother into exile and fortified himself on top of the massive granite hill. more..

Sep 22 (AT) Robert O Blake who was promoted from ambassador to Sri Lanka to Assistant Secretary for South and Central Asian countries for the untiring services he rendered to save the LTTE to be used by America and her allies to balkanize India by first separating Tamil Nadu and then to de-stabilize the whole of South Asia so that they could rule South Asia and milk her has now dared to tell our ambassador that a report on the conduct of government forces more..

Sep 22 (LG) The other day, a trade unionist commented, “Sri Lanka has no (diplomatic) friends in the West to canvass the GSP+ benefits before the European Parliament.” Absolutely true. In the past 12 to 18 months, under its policy of non-intereference in the war and humanitarian relief, the government of President Mahinda Rajapaksa has isolated itself from the West and relied on a combination of left-leaning and West-detested leaders like Venezuelan strongman Hugo Chávez, more..

Sep 22 (LG) The report of the United Nations Fact Finding Mission on the Gaza Conflict, released last week, resonates deeply with Sri Lanka’s current fixation on war crimes allegations. The UN mandated mission headed by Justice Richard Goldstone concludes that “While the Israeli government has sought to portray its operation as essentially a response to rocket attacks in exercise of its right to self-defence, the Mission considers the plan to have been directed, more..

Sep 22 (LG) The teething problems of teaching journalism at the CIAE arose out of the fear of the administrators that publication of student writing might taint the image of the institute, particularly its administrators. That’s why they scuttled my original attempt to publish student-written news in the Morning Bulletin. CIAE Director Arthur Appleton was an authoritarian administrator. So was the institute’s network of power-holders. more..

Sep 22 (LG) In times of conflict, those who fight the righteous fight are naturally wary of detractors in whatever form they may come. Suspicion, at such times, is not necessarily a bad thing; it is a necessary tool in the overall apparatus of engagement. Naturally, too, it is typically in such time for suspicion to slip into paranoia and a tested Government can and does go overboard. more..

Sep 22 (LG) Batty’s back, batting on, and as batty as ever. In his comment on my 80th anniversary essay on my father, Mervyn de Silva, he tells two fibs, one bigger and one smaller. According to Batty Weerakoon, I have it all wrong, and in fact have some pretty odd notions. Going by his account he is able to decipher with some difficulty, a notion I have that my father’s imminent sacking from Lake House in 1964 and his marginalization, more..

Sep 22 (LG) It’s true that Lakshman Kadirgarmar is not our foreign minister anymore. Therefore we cannot have the cake and eat it with regards the West, or so the argument goes. Kadirgarmar knew how to palaver them, and use his genteel disarming ways to calm their anxieties and reign in any belligerence. So, the argument of newspaper pundits goes, we should now play to the West, particularly because the West can hold the gun at us, that figurative gun, more..

Sep 22 (TN) A participant in a study group that recently met in London cautioned that Colombo with the support of Asian powers is dreaming to follow Malaysian model of ethnic totalitarianism and related development model, ultimately aimed at erasing the territoriality of Eezham Tamil nation, bringing the entire island under Sinhala ethnic hegemony. “The Sri Lankan state has forgotten that even in the case with the 19th century Chinese migrants, more..

Sep 22 (AT) All 21 Indian fishermen detained in Sri Lanka will be released “immediately” Fisheries Minister Felix Perera said today adding: “Indo-Lanka relations mattered most.” In two separate incidents, 21 fishermen were detained by Sri Lanka’s navy last week off Thalaimannar over crossing into Lankan territorial waters. "There have been several requests from India to release the fishermen. We are going to release them immediately, because Indo-Lanka relations mattered most," more..

Sep 22 (AT) A total of 58 inmates at the Chengalpet Sri Lankan refugee camp in Kancheepuram district, Tamil Nadu, India went on an indefinite hunger strike from Sunday morning demanding their immediate release. The inmates who were arrested from Chennai, Ramanathapuram, Rameshwaram, Madurai and Tiruchi have been languishing in the camp for years without the government framing charge sheets, which has prevented them from approaching the court for any sort of relief. more..

Sep 22 (AT) Consumption of alcohol ranges from occasional use, hazardous use and harmful use to dependence. The proportion of different groups varies among different societies and countries and cultures. The World Health Organization indicates that problematic alcohol use leading to significant social, occupational or medical impairment has been called “alcohol abuse”. However in the present day the term “harmful use” is being used more frequently in more..

Sep 22 (Hindu) Pattali Makkal Katchi leader S. Ramadoss on Monday urged political parties in Tamil Nadu to prevail upon the Centre to announce economic sanctions against Sri Lanka, if a solution was not found to the sufferings of the Sri Lankan Tamils. “We should also make the Indian government announce that neither the country nor the entrepreneurs will invest in Sri Lanka,” more..

Sep 22 (Hindu) As chief coach of the Sri Lanka men and women National teams for nearly 10 years, Ajith Kuruppu knows what ails the system. He is clear that a foreign coach will be able to solve some of the problems, if not all, that Sri Lanka basketball facing now. “Administration will listen to a foreign coach if he demands better infrastructure and better facilities. I think that’s the mindset generally in our region,” more..

Sep 22 (LG) Those Sri Lankans who grew up before 1971 have seen, at least in a limited way, some basic freedoms. None of them were used to midnight knocks on their doors. If they went to a courthouse, they could expect certain treatment that, though imperfect, would be relatively fair. If a policeman arrested them, they could ask why. Prolonged detention without the right of bail was not a frequent experience. more..

Sep 22 (LBO) Rent-seeking, the use of one’s time, knowledge and efforts to earn an income which is not directly contributory to the national wealth, has been frowned upon by economists for many decades. Jagdish Bhagwati, Columbia University economist, branded India’s economy as a paradise for rent-seekers when India had everything under control, nicknamed ‘licence raj’, since independence in 1947 to mid 1990s. more..

Sep 22 (LS) North Central Provincial Chief Minister Berty Premlal Tissanayake informed, if President Mahinda Rajapakse intends to process devolution of powers, the Ministers and officials would not grant an opportunity towards this. Such statement was issued by him, while he participated at the 26th Provincial Chief Ministers conference. According to the 13th amendment, President is proceeding to implement devolution of powers, but more..

Sep 22 (LG) According to reliable sources, the pro-LTTE Councillor Daya Idaikadar has met the Sri Lankan High Commissioner Justice Nihal Jayasinghe last week. The sources said that both the Councillor and High Commissioner have expressed satisfaction that it was a fruitful meeting. Both the controversial Councillor and the High Commissioner is said to have come to some understanding on issues and more..

Sep 22 (wsws) The following appeal has been issued by workers at the Balmoral tea estate in Agarapathana to workers throughout Sri Lanka’s tea, rubber and coconut plantations to follow their lead in rejecting the current pay agreement and taking matters into their own hands by forming an action committee independent of all the trade unions. The Balmoral Estate Action Committee was formed last week with the political assistance of the Socialist Equality Party (SEP). more..

Sep 22 (LP) Sri Lanka will take on the host team South Africa in the first ODI of the Champions Trophy 2009 today. Manager of the Sri Lanka National Cricket team, Brendon Kuruppu said that the boys are rolling to go for today’s match. The team is in full gear and ready to take on the world’s number one ICC ODI rankers. Further speaking he said that the weather is favorable for both batting and fielding. more..

Sep 22 (LP) Distribution of official poll cards for the Southern Provincial Council (SPC) Election commenced today (22). The distribution will conclude on the 02nd of October, said the Election Secretariat. Meanwhile the 27th of September is declared as the official day to distribute poll cards. The number of poll cards distributed for the upcoming SPC elections are 1, 761,859. more..

Sep 22 (LP) Troops engaged in clearing and search operations were able to recover a petrol tank of motor cycle filled with explosives from Mullaittivu along with other weapons yesterday. Troops recovered 04 60mm mortar bombs, a RPG bomb, 63 Hand Grenades, a Bar mine, 24 Rangon 99 mines (AP), 41 P4 MK1 mines along with the petrol tank filled with explosives in a search operation conducted in the Sugandipuram area in Mullaittivu. more..

Sep 22 (LP) The Colombo International Book Exhibition at the BMICH, organised by the Book Publishers Society of Sri Lanka witnessed a massive crowd of 300,000 since its opening on Saturday (19). The parking facilities available, unlike in the previous years, had also contributed to the large influx of visitors and a much larger crowd is expected to visit the fair in the coming days. more..

Sep 22 (LP) The era in which children wore cyanide around their necks is over and now it is the time to reunite without betraying in rebuilding the nation said President Mahinda Rajapaksa. President made these observations addressing the gathering at the reopening of the Vakkarai Maha Vidyalaya in Batticaloa this morning, which was destroyed during the Tsunami in 2004. The President also said that the East is now experiencing a development which they did not enjoy for over 30 years. more..

Sep 22 (TC) Issues of Resettlement of the IDPs and Rehabilitation of Ex-Combatants, Issues of the Disappeared and the Detainees are the four major human rights issues concerning the Tamil people of the country today. The national parliamentary opposition is prepared for constructive engagements with the government on above matters. We have called for the appointment of a all party committee. more..

Sep 22 (DN) The 40th death anniversary of Dr. C. W. W. Kannangara, the father of the free education scheme that brought about a social revolution in Sri Lanka falls tomorrow. A great statesman and patriot, he was one of the galaxy of leaders who led the national movement to obtain independence for our country. Christopher William Wijekone Kannangara was born on October 13, 1884 at Randombe in Ambalangoda. more..

Sep 22 (CI) Kumar Sangakkara and Graeme Smith, the two captains who will open the Champions Trophy in Centurion, both believe the tournament will be crucial in directing the future of the ODI as a viable format in international cricket. The issue has swiftly become the pre-tournament theme, amid increasing noise and disquiet about the format's health in the wake of Twenty20's prodigious rise. more..

Sep 22 (MoD) The Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Ministry is to introduce non- traditional fishery development projects to enhance the livelihood of fishermen in the North. The Ministry hopes to spend over Rs. 800 million through four different projects, for this purpose. According to Ministry Secretary G. Piyasena, the project has been planned to fall in line with the "Uthuru Vasanthaya" accelerated development drive. more..

Sep 22 (MoD) Under the Uthuru Vasanthaya resettlement and rehabilitation program the new batch resettled on Sunday comprised 5,320 persons belonging to 1,000 families. They would get free food and electricity for six months. Each family was provided with 25,000 rupees to rebuild their houses, free seed paddy to start their livelihood. Other relief items like kitchen utensils too would be given to these families. more..

Sep 22 (MoD) The UNDP has initiated a programme to provide important legal documents the displaced people lost due to the conflict or the tsunami, a media release said yesterday. It said: 'The programme, as a part of UNDP's Equal Access to Justice Project, conducts mobile clinics where the displaced can come and obtain all their lost documents such as identification cards, birth certificates, and land deeds etc. from one place within a day. more..

Sep 22 (DBS) Twenty years ago on this day (September 21st) Rajani Thiranagama nee Rajini Rajasingham was brutally gunned down at Thirunelvely, as she was cycling back home from the Jaffna University. She was Professor of Anatomy at the Jaffna Varsity medical faculty. The 35 year old mother of two daughters was also a human rights activist, feminist, critic of narrow nationalism and opponent of irresponsible militarism. more..

Sep 22 (FL) SRI LANKA, a country of 20 million-odd people of distinct identities, is witnessing a series of momentous events in the post-Prabakaran period. Michael Roberts’ latest book is a collection of 13 analytical essays, most of them written by him an d others edited by him, on the much-debated issues of collective “Sri Lankan identity” and the cultural roots and ideology of the majority Sinhala and minority Tamil nationalisms, more..

Sep 22 (LNW) President of the All Ceylon Health Services Union, Gamini Kumarasinghe says that the shortage of nurses experienced island wide has posed a great threat to the country’s free health service. “The government has cut down the intake into nurses’ training schools at a time when many state hospitals faced a shortage. There are currently 23,000 nurses in government hospitals when the requirement is for 54,000. more..

Sep 22 (LT) Ven. Dambara Amila Thero, President of the National Patriotic Centre said that the Government is ignoring its obligations and engaged in doing redundant things instead. Ven. Amila added that “some Ministers are roaring about a conspiracy as if they have just got up in a daydream. These Ministers were out of the country doing business when there were conspiracies. more..

Sep 22 (GDI) Construction on what will be the tallest twin tower in Sri Lanka will commence shortly. As first step of presenting the concept, design and drawings relating to the proposed structure for the Urban Development Authority a ceremony was held in Colombo. The project will comprise of a 40 floor commercial complex and a 70 floor Residential Tower at Battaramulla, near the UDA building. more..

Sep 22 (GDI) President Rajapaksa has said that all those who care for the country should organise themselves to defeat local and foreign conspiracies which are designed to reverse military victories. The President said the Government has added to the country not only one third of land, but two thirds of the coastal area as well. This would make a positive contribution towards the economy. more..

Sep 22 (LNW) President of the Inter Company Employees Union (ICEU), Wasantha Samarasinghe said the ICEU central committee that met recently had unanimously decided to take trade union action against the non increase of salaries of private sector employees and the unjust manner in which they are treated through contracts. “Government statistics have shown that the minimum expenditure of a family of four is Rs. 37,000 and more..

Sep 22 (LT) The General Secretary of the JVP, Mr Tilwin Silva said that the candidates of the Southern Provincial Council election have distributed the applications promising jobs in Hambantota Port which will be completed in 2040! He said “the ruling party has started to fill applications saying that they will provide jobs in Hambantota Port. But this Project will be completed only in 2040 i.e. in 31 years. more..

Sep 22 (CT) Police shot dead two men who had been getting away after robbing a store in Kamburupitiya, Matara yesterday (Sept. 21). A gang of three had robbed a store of Rs. 600,000 after shooting and injuring its owner, and was fleeing the scene when the incident occurred. After taking cover at an abandoned house, they exchanged fire with police for more than two hours. Police are searching for the third robber.

Sep 22 (DM) An archaeological site more than 3330 years old has been found in the Udaranchamadama area in Embilipitiya, by a group of local archaeologists. The site had been discovered by Professor Raj Somadeva and his team while excavating an area belonging to the Sri Jayabodharama temple in Udaranchamadama. The ruins of a cemetery had been found earlier in the Pahalaranchamadama school premises and more..