Aug 7 (ST) Targets and objectives are important. This is so in all human endeavours and especially so in economic planning and policy. However mistaking targets for achievements have been a regular feature of the country’s economic experience. Targets could be taken seriously only when strategies to achieve them are designed and consistent policies adopted to ensure their achievements. In as far as the record goes the country has experienced a more..

Aug 7 (ST) My dear Seeni Bola, I thought I must write to you now because you seem to be in the news again-although I am not sure whether any publicity is good publicity in this instance. You did stir up a hornet’s nest first by announcing that you would go ahead with plans to set up private universities in the country. Now, that must have been just the incentive for the rathu sahodarayas to pick up their placards and re-invent their slogans, more..

Aug 7 (TN) Monkeys in Vanni having multiplied in numbers after the war on Vanni invade into the temporary sheds of uprooted families hastily resettled by Sri Lanka government without clearing the area of the overgrown shrubs and jungle, sources in Vanni said. The resettled uprooted families in Vanni left to fend on their own without the needed assistance and subjected to occupying Sri Lanka Army (SLA) harassment are further assailed with the problem and danger of monkeys, more..

Aug 7 (TN) Thamizh Arasuk Kadchi (ITAK) party Jaffna MP N. A. Sumanthiran appeared Friday on behalf of ITAK and filed a petition seeking the withdrawal of the injunction order served by Jaffna District Court on the expulsion of three of its members from the party by ITAK. The three ITAK members had filed a petition 02 August against the decision by ITAK to expel them from the party because they had contested in the last general election on All Ceylon Tamil Congress ticket, more..

Aug 7 (MoD) The Cultural Troupe and the Oriental Music Orchestra of the Sri Lanka Navy Band presented a cultural show at the banquet hosted for the participants of "Galle Dialogue 2010". It was held at the "Cardamom Caf‚" of the Light House Hotel on the evening of 06th August 2010. Minister of External Affairs Hon. Prof. G.L. Peiris graced the occasion as the Chief Guest. Secretary to the President Mr. Lalith Weerathunga was the Guest of Honour. more..

Aug 7 (MoD) The Sri Lanka Army working for the defence of the country and welfare of its citizens has taken steps to build three new houses for three IDP families who are poor. Those three houses built by the 56 Division were handed over to three poor families on 3rd August 2010. The construction of those houses was done by troops in Sinnaparanthan, Mathiyamadu and Kulavisuddan villages under 561 Brigade area. more..

Aug 7 (LP) Sri Lanka has had a long reputation for its sea ports, dating back to the colonial era. Indeed, one of the main reasons Europeans were interested in Sri Lanka was because we happen to be bang-on-the-middle of their shipping routs from the West to the East. Sri Lanka’s position in the world shipping industry will no doubt be lifted to greater hights with the opening of the Hambantota Harbour. more..

Aug 7 (LP) One of the busiest Young and Talented JananatWarakagoda, who has been able to grab the young as well as the young-at-heart with “Fusion” music is a blessed with bounty of abilities to do things. Leading Percussionist, Singer and Composerin Sri Lanka, hails from anartistic family where fame has always found an anchor, he's the son of Wijeratne and ChitraWarakagoda who have been pioneers of Sri Lankan theatre. more..

Aug 7 (LG) What happened to the one that used to be one of the top two leaders of the EROS, and who later became one of the senior political leader of the LTTE, V. Balakumaran? Minister D.W. Gunasekara recently told the media that he had met many Tamils IDPs, including the widows of Blakumaran and Yogi,the senior LTTE leaders. But the Minister refused to disclose what had happened to the leader when the media questionned him. more..

Aug 7 (LG) "Sri Lanka has played a key role among countries of the Third World in their common stand against colonial domination, violent repression and denial of human rights. All those friends of Sri Lanka are duty-bound today to help this country consolidate peace and ensure that the causes of its terrible 30-year civil war are not allowed to lay the foundations for another conflict. "Speaking out is neither unfriendly to the people of Sri Lanka, more..

Aug 7 (LG) The twin epics of ancient Tamil Nadu Silappadikaram (2nd century CE) and Manimekalai (3rd century CE) speaks of Naka Nadu across the sea, and their civilization which was far superior to that of the Cheras, the Cholas and the Pandyas. Manimekalai speaks of the great Naka king Valai Vanan who ruled the prosperous Naka Nadu with great splendour and a rich Tamil Buddhist tradition (Manimekalai Ch.14, 24). more..

Aug 7 (DM) Out of the 78 private educational institutions in the country, about 30 institutions are maintaining some kind of standard, another 30 are below standard and 18 institutions are in bogus places which have no grounds of standard, said Higher Education Minister S. B. Dissanayake. Speaking to the Daily Mirror, Minister said that this was revealed after an inspection conducted by the Ministry. more..

Aug 7 (LT) The convention of the Jaffna Unemployed Graduates organized by the United Unemployed Graduates’ Union to be helt at Navalar Cultural Centre in Jaffna is being obstructed by deploying the police and the Army. The convention was scheduled to commence at 10.00 a.m. today. Our reporter says the unemployed graduates who had arrived to participate at the convention had been not allowed to enter the hall and more..

Aug 7 (NF) Around 20,000 people residing in the North have now received their essential legal documents. Consultant to the project to hand over these legal documents, attorney at law Janaka Ranatunga said that those documents had been handed over through a mobile service. Legal documents such as Birth, Marriage, Death certificates along with the Identity cards have been thus handed over to these people. more..

Aug 7 (NF) The Ministry of Technology and Research has decided to computerize the information on indigenous flora and fauna in the country as they have not been properly documented. The ministry added that as a result various smugglers illegally transport them to foreign countries and get patents. Under the new programme the data of all indigenous flora and fauna will be uploaded on to a computer network. more..

Aug 7 (LNP) It has begun to dawn in the midst of a section of the Tamils, that there is no point in continuing a hostile campaign with the majority community instead it is better to work together with them to find an acceptable solution to issues facing the Tamils and Tamil speaking people of this country. Prabah Ganesan, a Tamil and a member of parliament for Colombo electoral District, more..

Aug 7 (LNP) Selection of students for Year One admissions for next year will begin soon. It is hoped that the process would be smooth and transparent this year. The authorities should ensure that it is so. It is necessary to focus attention of the education authorities and policy makers on what follows after admissions - the teaching and learning processes. For any child the beginning of his or her school life is a turning point in life. more..

Aug 7 (DN) Mirihana Police yesterday arrested ace fraudster Sakvithi Ranasinghe, the main suspect in the country’s largest scam, at Ambagahahandiya in Nawagamuwa yesterday. Ranasinghe through his illegal financial company duped over Rs five billion from unsuspecting investors promising lavish interests for their investments. Thousands of people complained to Mirihana Police over this massive financial fraud. more..

Aug 7 (DN) A Sri Lankan worker was killed by a snatch thief, who stole the victim’s laptop in the heart of the Saudi capital last week. Confirming the murder, a diplomat from the Sri Lankan Embassy told the Daily News yesterday that the deceased was Mohammed Azwer, 39, a domestic aide, who was working for a prince in his palace in the city. The incident took place when Azwer came out of his apartment with his laptop to more..

Aug 7 (DN) The contribution of the Survey Department should be recognized even after the completion of any major development project. The Department's outstanding service are forgotten by every body once the project is completed, Lands and Lands Development Minister Janaka Bandara Tennakoon said. Surveyors are the pioneer shadows of any major development project of this country, he said at the Survey Department's 210th annual ceremony Monday. more..

Aug 7 (DN) Tax evaders will not be allowed to escape from the country hereafter, Finance and Planning Deputy Minister Chandrasiri Gajadheera told Parliament yesterday. He was answering a question raised by UNP MP Ravi Karunanayake. "Tax payers will not be allowed to evade paying their dues, and if they do so, their movable and immovable properties will be seized and sold by the Government," he said. more..

Aug 7 (Island) General (retd) Sarath Fonseka, yesterday, filed, in the Supreme Court, a Special Leave to Appeal application, seeking to set aside an order of the Court of Appeal dated, June 29, 2010, whereby Court of Appeal refused notice on the respondents cited in a Writ Application filed by Fonseka, in the Court of Appeal. Fonseka in the Writ Application had requested the Court of Appeal to more..

Aug 7 (Island) Q. You have now joined the UNP. Is this an admission of defeat? Your earlier strategy was to win over disgruntled SLFPers to the opposition by having a separate party styled SLFP(M). Is your decision to join the UNP because there are no disgruntled SLFPers to win over? A. Yes, that perhaps could be one interpretation. There is an element of truth in what you say because more..

Aug 7 (Island) GR says some of those who question the legality of having a dialogue with ‘KP’ had no qualms about accepting his predecessor Prabhakaran as the sole representative of Tamils. Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa says KP could play a vital role in Sri Lanka’s efforts to patch up differences with the Tamil Diaspora. In a post-war era, nothing could be as important as more..

Aug 7 (Island) The Committee of Chartered Accountants, Chaired by Dr. Laxman R. Watawala, yesterday submitted to the Supreme Court a report recommending the sale of some property owned by the Ceylinco Group of Companies, to credit the consolidated fund, to repay the aggrieved Golden Key credit card depositors. The properties include the ENT Hospital, the Sea Sand Hotel and three floors of the Ceylinco House, Colombo. more..

Aug 7 (DM) Controversy surrounds the closure of the Cuban embassy in Colombo while the health ministry was desperately attempting to get a positive response on the import of the first consignment of BTI bacteria from Cuba even though three weeks had passed since opening the Letter of Credit. Anti Malaria Campaign director Dr. Sarath Deniyage said he had no clue as to when the stock of 10,000 units of BTI from Cuba, more..

Aug 7 (DM) A senior police officer who tried to get a ransom of Rs. 7.5 million from a saw mill owner by using the name of Economic Development Minister Basil Rajapaksa has been arrested. The Superintendent of Police had reportedly asked for this ransom on the promise to give in return empty artillery shells to this Moratuwa businessman. Sources close to Minister Rajapaksa told the Daily Mirror yesterday that the two had approached more..

Aug 7 (DM) UNP Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe yesterday said the government had sent a message through Deputy Minster Mervin Silva’s incident where a public servant was tied to a tree. Addressing a ceremony to welcome SLFP (M) leader Mangala Samaraweera who joined the party yesterday, Mr. Wickremesinghe said the government had indicated that it was the fate of the people who struggled for freedom. more..

Aug 7 (LT) Providing luxuries to leaders of the LTTE such as Kumaran Pathmanathan alias KP while the youth in the North who were conscripted to tiger ranks are being punished is a complete chaotic situation says JVP MP Anura Dissanayake. He said this posing a question in Parliament on Thursday. He further said there are thousands of youths arrested and detained on suspicion of working with the LTTE. more..

Aug 7 (CI) The final day of the Test series lived up to its billing with India emerging victorious in a gripping contest to level the series and confound those who had doubted their depleted line-up. VVS Laxman battled the pressure as well as an injured back and, with support from Sachin Tendulkar and Suresh Raina, countered the probing Suraj Randiv to reach his 16th century and seal a memorable win - India's fourth-highest successful chase in Tests. more..

Aug 7 (DM) The UNP has decided to suspend talks with the government on constitutional reforms claiming that the government was using the talks to draw opposition members to the government side. A top UNP source said that the talks between UNP leader Ranil Wickremesinghe and President Mahinda Rajapaksa held recently on constitutional reforms, though successful, will not continue further. more..

Aug 8 (SL) The two minute unscheduled performance on some of our TV channels on Tuesday by Deputy Minister Mervyn Silva would have left no doubts among foreign observers about the state of human rights in this country, while it also increased growing fears among Sri Lankans that there is no protection for them against marauding ruling party politicians and their officials, if they want to walk over their basic human rights. more..

Aug 8 (SL) A trip down to the “Journalism Awards for Excellence 2009” brought to mind the first part of the phrase that is the title of this piece. For the benefit of the uninitiated, it owes its origin to farmers, ranchers and other rural folk in North America and, essentially, seeks to express regret that the tools to appropriately deal with the opportunity to bag “game” is absent at the time that one encounters something wild and edible. more..

Aug 8 (SL) Despite the central highlands of Sri Lanka recently being named a World Natural Heritage Site, Sri Lanka had to persuade international authorities to consider the nominated area, following reservations expressed by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Deputy Minister for Environment, Faiszer Mustapha explained that the IUCN expressed reservations about more..

Aug 8 (SL) The events of last week confirmed the one thing we did not want to know; Sri Lanka’s degeneration is happening at a rapid pace. In which country today will one find a government minister tying a public official to a tree while a contingent of policemen nonchalantly looked the other way? In which country will one find elected members of parliament telling their voters to go to hell six months after they elected the MPs? more..

Aug 8 (SL) We have been a nation that had been ruled by pink faced colonialists. As a result we have learnt to be submissive. Absolutely. Since the last of the colonialists left (the British in 1948) the locals positioned to take over governance and administration including public service mimicked the colonialists. The people (read most of us) by nature therefore have been submissive and deferential towards the hierarchy. more..

Aug 8 (SL) Treasury Secretary Dr. P.B. Jayasundera has levelled fierce criticism at the heads of the National Lotteries Board, the Development Lotteries Board and State Mortgage Bank for the wastage of public funds and has banned official foreign tours for all politically appointed departmental heads that come under his purview. At the first review meeting Dr. Jayasundera had with the new Boards of Directors of more..

Aug 8 (CI) Sri Lanka have left out left-arm seamer Chanaka Welegedara and batsman Thilina Kandamby for the tri-series, which begins on August 10 in Dambulla. Chamara Silva, who last played in the tri-series also involving India and Zimbabwe in May and June, makes a return, as does fast bowler Dilhara Fernando. Sri Lanka have also picked allrounder Thisara Perera, who was the leading wicket-taker in the one-day games on the A tour of Australia in June and July. more..

Aug 8 (CI) In keeping with the nature of the recent contests between these two sides, England Under-19 were made to work hard in another closely-fought encounter but held their nerve to defeat Sri Lanka Under-19 by three wickets with just four balls to spare at Fenner's and take a 1-0 lead in the five match one-day series. England were well-placed at 190 for 4 in the 44th over, needing just 18 runs to win, but Alex Barrow's dismissal shortly after more..

Aug 8 (SL) Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara has admitted that poor batting on the fourth day cost his team the third and final Test against India at the P Sara Oval. "On the fourth morning I thought in the first session if we had just tried to bat till lunch the ball would have got softer and we could have scored a lot more runs. But unfortunately, we played some poor strokes," Sangakkara said. more..

Aug 8 (TC) Two weeks ago I wrote that “everything is predictable in Sri Lankan politics but nothing bears a positive outcome”. Well, not everything is predictable it turns out from the events of the last two weeks. Who would have predicted a longstanding supporter of the UNP setting himself on fire disgusted by party infighting and its falling support in the country? Who could have predicted the fiasco of a moronic government minister tying a more..

Aug 8 (TC) The ‘Lions and Tigers’ here are not the four-legged animals that live in forests away from human habitats but the two groups of natives in the war-torn island, who opted to embrace the lion and the tiger as their distinct emblems after the British colony, Ceylon, became an independent self-governing State in 1948.The ‘Tigers’ emerged openly as a distinct species after Black July 1983, though there was some indication of their emergence in the 1970s. more..

Aug 8 (TC) After UnitingWorld’s the Rev. John Barr returned from visiting the war-torn north of Sri Lanka in June, he described his journey as one of the most challenging and confronting trips he has ever experienced. Here is his reflection. The island of Sri Lanka is likened to a tear drop in the Indian Ocean. This is, perhaps, a most apt image given the country’s tumultuous history. In 2009, we all cried and opened our hearts to over 280,000 Tamil civilians that more..

Aug 8 (TN) Sri Lanka Department of Geological Survey & Mine Bureau (GSMB) officials who arrived in Jaffna to conduct a survey in Vadamaraadchi East where indiscriminate excavation of sand causes seepage of sea water had to stop their work due to interference by Sri Lanka minister Douglas Devananda, leader of EPDP, sources in Vadamaraadchi said. The EPDP firm called ‘Maheswary Funds’, named after assassinated EPDP organizer Maheswaray Vealautham, has procured exclusive rights to more..

Aug 8 (MoD) An international expert on terrorism, Prof. Rohan Gunaratne commended the Government on its success with KPs complete transformation from an ex-terrorist to a key stakeholder in the post conflict humanitarian activities. "I must congratulate the Sri Lankan Government, first of all for capturing KP and bringing him to Sri Lanka and secondly, for ensuring that he was not put in prison. "If he was (jailed), he would have been just another prisoner," more..

Aug 8 (MoD) Eighteen years have passed since that fateful day, August 8, 1992, when a LTTE laid landmine explosion at Araly point in Jaffna peninsula, took the lives of Maj. Gen. Vijaya Wimalaratne, Lieutenant General Denzil Kobbekaduwa, Northern Naval Commander Vice Admiral Mohan Jayamaha and six other gallant officers with the only survivor being Major General Vijaya Wimalaratne's buddy Sergeant Major Upali who lost both his legs. more..

Aug 8 (LeN) The DNF held a coconut breaking religious ceremony at Seenigama Devale in Galle yesterday (07) to mark the completion of six months incarceration by the Govt. of the former Army Commander, War Hero and Colombo District M P General Sarath Fonseka. Leaders of the DNF, Arjuna Ranatunge, Anoma Fonseka, Sirimasiri Hapuarachchi, P. Shanmganathan and others participated in the ceremony. more..

Aug 8 (LB) An unhealthy situation prevails within the Yala national park as park rangers who were already under pressure due to the shortage of staff were being totally disregarded by poachers. The situation has taken a turn for the worse after park rangers arrested a Civil Defence Force officer for poaching within the premises In a sudden turn of events it has been found that wildlife officers who were already under pressure due to the shortage of staff are more..