Mar 8 (AFP) Sri Lanka skipper Kumar Sangakkara told Tillakaratne Dilshan to stay angry despite the opener losing out to Australian fast bowler Shaun Tait in an ugly World Cup war of words. Dilshan and Tait were locked in a furious exchange when the Sri Lankan star edged through the slips for a boundary at the start of Saturday's abandoned match in Colombo. He then pulled away from the crease just as Tait went into his delivery stride, more..

Mar 8 (DM) Sri Lanka will share the experiences of its counterinsurgency campaign with 54 countries, including the USA, Russia, China and Britain, and enumerate the factors that contributed to its militarily defeating the LTTE, said Army Commander Jagath Jayasuriya yesterday. He said that the Army would conduct a three-day seminar on ‘Defeating Terrorism: the Sri Lankan Experience,’ scheduled to be held from May 31 to June 2. more..

Mar 8 (DM) Only nine families of thirty three persons were left to be resettled in the Jaffna peninsula, Army Commander Lieutenant General Jagath Jayasuriya said yesterday. He said that the de-mining activities undertaken by the Army field engineers in the peninsula have been completed. A total of 19,468 families have already been resettled in the Jaffna peninsula so far according to the Army. more..

Mar 8 (Island) The police are questioning a Canadian, Selvathurai Kuhadhas, in connection with the alleged abduction and murder of his wife, Kuhadas Shanthini (37) and the abduction of his 15-year-old son Kuhadhas Ruban in Jaffna last Sunday (March 6). A senior military official told The Island that the suspect had used a hired white van bearing the number 253-3852 to carry out the abduction with the help of two killers. more..

Mar 8 (ER) US Ambassador Patricia Butenis reiterated US support for Sri Lanka’s ongoing post-conflict development process and discussed strengthening relations between the two countries on trade and aviation, when she met President Mahinda Rajapaksa Tuesday at Janadhipathi Mandiraya. The statement follows a US Senate resolution last week calling for an independent international mechanism for crimes by more..

Mar 9 (AHRC) The International Women's Day is the opportunity to celebrate women's rights and empowerment. However, it is also the time to reflect on how the rights on paper and the statistics comply with the everyday life of the women. In Sri Lanka the day is officially celebrated at a ceremony convened by President Mahinda Rajapaksa under the theme: 'Women's knowledge and strength to uplift the country'. more..

Mar 9 (NN) The United Nations has termed as “shaky” reports that that the UN panel on Sri Lanka had met a delegation from Sri Lanka recently. UN spokesman Martin Nesirky also said that it is upto the UN panel to decide if to go public with its final report on Sri Lanka. A Sri Lankan delegation led by Attorney General Mohan Peiris, was in New York late last month and had met the UN Secretary General Ban ki-moon for talks on developments in Sri Lanka. more..

Mar 9 (NN) Speaker Chamal Rajapaksa has urged the authorities to probe yesterday’s attack on TNA MP S. Sridharan and submit a report to him. The Speaker made this request after the TNA MP raised a privilege issue in Parliament this afternoon over the grenade attack. The MP said that the attack raises concerns especially since the TNA is a party looking into the issues faced by the Tamil people. more..

Mar 9 (LT) This body was hanging from a tree near the Medical College at Punchi Borella. The small roadside boutiques nearby were removed by the govt yesterday claiming they were unauthorized structures. The person who has committed suicide by hanging from a tree nearby is a person who had been having a business in one of the boutiques demolished yesterday. Colombo city is being cleaned up for tourists. The dollars brought in by tourists will fill the pockets of bigwigs of the govt. more..

Mar 9 (DM) Soldiers of the Special Task Force (STF) will be guarding the Dambulla Economic Centre since a gang of thugs assaulted an administrative official a few weeks ago, Minister Johnston Fernando said. “A few STF personnel have been guarding the Dambulla Economic Centre since Friday,” he said. According to him they will ensure the safety of vendors and keep out unnecessary trouble from erupting. The Ministry detected many shortcomings and underhand dealings that took place at more..

Mar 9 (DM) The UNP lodged a complaint with the Commissioner of Elections (EC) Dayananda Dissanayake, regarding certain incidents that had taken place during the postal voting for the Local Govt election today. UNP General Secretary Tissa Attanayake said that its party agents in some areas have not been allowed to enter the locations where the marking of postal votes were taking place. Daily Mirror learns that the UNP agent had been chased away from the Pallakale Army camp, more..

Mar 9 (NN) The Water Supply and Drainage Board has increased raids carried out on households tapping water from the National water supply pipeline illegally. General Manager of the Water Board Lal Premanath, said that there has been an increase in people illegally tapping water from the National water supply pipelines. However he noted that the existing laws make it difficult at times to prosecute offenders and as a result an amendment to the law has been proposed. more..

Mar 9 (NN) Jayantha Katagoda took oaths in Parliament a short while ago to fill the parliament seat left vacant by the imprisonment of the leader of the DNA Sarath Fonseka. The new Member of Parliament took oaths in front of Speaker Chamal Rajapaksa, our News Now.lk correspondent said. Katagoda’s name had been gazette by the Elections Commissioner Dayananda Dissanayake and the DNA had decided to give the green light for Katagoda to take oaths. more..

Mar 9 (SP) Two Sri Lankan Kfir jet fighters recently collided while practicing formation flying for the upcoming celebration of the Air Force's 60's anniversary. An autopsy of the 28 year old pilot, who failed to eject, found that the young man had suffered a heart attack. That was very unusual, but so is the Sri Lankan Air Force. Sri Lanka, having spent lavishly to recently win a two decade long civil war, is now looking to modernize its air force. more..

Mar 9 (AFP) Sri Lanka cannot afford to be complacent in their World Cup clash against lowly Zimbabwe on Thursday, knowing an upset would leave them in danger of missing out on the knockout phase. The 1996 winners and 2007 runners-up have five points from four games and need a win to ensure they reach the quarter-finals. They face extra pressure because their last match is away against New Zealand in Mumbai. Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara realises the importance of more..

Mar 9 (BN) The criminal trial of Galleon Group LLC co-founder Raj Rajaratnam began in federal court in Manhattan today as more than 100 potential jurors were assembled to be questioned about their views of Wall Street, hedge fund managers and the recession. Rajaratnam, 53, is the central figure in the largest crackdown on hedge-fund insider trading in U.S. history. The Sri Lankan-born money manager is accused of making $45 million from more..

Mar 9 (LG) International Women’s Day grew from women’s struggles starting in the early 1900s when women were deep in the struggle for the right to vote, the right to work for fair and equal pay, shorter working hours, the right to free expression and respect which was often denied them in society. So this is the centenary celebration which is to be held on 8th March, this year. International women’s day was fist celebrated in 1975 by United Nations and more..

Mar 9 (LG) Tamara Kunanayakam, Ambassador of Sri Lanka to Cuba, paid her last respects to Alberto Granado, Argentinean born biochemist, long time friend and companion of Ernesto “Che” Guevara, who passed away on 5 March 2011, at the age of 88. Alberto Granado was a great admirer of Sri Lanka and its unrelenting quest for a just world order through the Non-Alignment Movement. The funeral was attended by Cuban dignitaries, diplomats and personalities from around the world. more..

Mar 9 (TC) Women in Sri Lanka won the right to vote in 1931, seventeen years before independence. In the post independence period, Sri Lankan women made rapid progress in relation to health, education and employment, and their human development indicators are still considered a model for South Asia. However, as in other countries where positive socio-economic indicators have not automatically translated into political empowerment, more..

Mar 9 (LG) The Ides of March for the Foreign Service has come on the 9th of March before the traditional March 15. On this day, a fatal blow is to be struck by the Cabinet of Ministers to the professional Foreign Service. The cabinet is scheduled to approve the recruitment of 12 persons into the permanent cadre, outside the approved scheme of recruitment. They would without doubt be sons and daughters of politicians and other so-called supporters of the government, more..

Mar 9 (LG) The Social Psychologist and Humanistic Philosopher Eric Fromm was vastly influenced by Freud and Karl Heinrich Marx. He became a follower of Neoanalytic tradition. In later years Fromm started reading Zen Buddhism in depth. He saw Buddhism as a philosophical-anthropological system based on observation of facts and their rational explanation. (Buddhism and the Mode of Having vs. Being – Erick Fromm 1975). Fromm believed that Buddhism is a more..

Mar 9 (Cimic) In another phase of government’s project to develop education in Jaffna, foundation stone was laid to a three-storied building at the Thelippalai Mahajana College on Monday (07). The new complex consisting of classrooms, a pavilion and an aesthetic education unit is long-felt requirement of the college which imparts knowledge to about 1400 children. The ceremony commenced with the arrival of General Officer more..

Mar 9 (SL) In 1956, Tamil leaders gathered on Galle Face Green in peaceful protest. They were broken up by violence and thugs. This was attributed to Sinhala chauvinism. Perhaps it was just because there was no al Jazeera. Mediated and socially networked people from Tunisia to Yemen have been able to mount serious challenges to oppressive governments and win. This is largely because nations are more connected globally and people are more connected to each other. more..

Mar 9 (SL) Many moons ago, at the end of 2007 in fact, I did a piece for the now-defunct Montage magazine titled “And Then What?” seeking to deal with prospects for Sri Lankans after the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) were done away with. Even though the prognostications were made about a year and a half before the final annihilation of Prabhakaran’s army, it wasn’t hard to predict accurately what the future had in store for us all. more..

Mar 9 (LB) JVP MP Vijitha Herath charged that the UPFA govt has continued to suppress the protests and demonstrations of the public in the country using force and intimidation. The JVP MP warned that the day won't be far when the suppressed emotions and feelings of the people will be released in all fury, resulting in unprecedented uprisings against ‘a dictatorial regime’ as had been the case in countries such as Libya, Egypt and Tunisia. more..

Mar 9 (DM) The call for devolution, ranging from district development mechanisms through provincial councils, federalist arrangements, confederacy and secession, as far as Sri Lanka is concerned has been predicated on the notion of traditional/historical homelands (i.e. of the Tamils). The assumption has been that the North and East are/were inhabited by Tamils. The question ‘Since when?’ remains fudged by those who make such claims. more..

Mar 9 (DM) U.S. Assist. Secretary of State for South and Central Asian affairs , Robert Blake last week issuing a warning to the Sri Lanka Govt. stated, ‘UN Security Council reporting Libya to the International criminal court last week was a signal of global concern over human rights,’ he added. He was not comparing Sri Lanka with Libya, but the Security Council’s unanimous decision against Libya over the weekend underscored the resolve of the international community more..

Mar 9 (SO) Interview with President Mahinda Rajapaksa published in France’s Entreprendre. Veronique Queffelec: You are the only country in the world which defeated terrorism with a conventional Army. Do you think the world awoke in this respect? Mahinda Rajapaksa: It’s true that we are the only country in the world which defeated terrorism after 35 years of suicide attacks, bomb cars, assassinations, etc.... Even our Central Bank blew up. more..

Mar 9 (Island) A Canadian of Sri Lankan origin was arrested in Jaffna on Sunday for the abduction and murder of his wife, as we reported yesterday. Two other suspects believed to be contract killers hired by him are at large. The military says the suspects deliberately used a white van for committing the crime in a bid to mislead the public into believing that the army had a hand in the killing. For, it is the army which is accused by its detractors of using white vans to carry out abductions. more..

Mar 9 (DM) President Mahinda Rajapaksa speaking at the opening of an eye hospital last Friday again opened the eyes of the people to understand the importance of good health and a people-centered health service. He stressed that if people were not in good health, they would not be able to think clearly or work hard with commitment or conviction to contribute much towards the development of the country and become more productive for the common good of all. more..

Mar 9 (LT) An agitation had been organized by the ‘Women’s Movement for Freedom’ today (8th), the Women’s Day, to protest against the government for not taking measures to find solutions for issues of women. The campaigners protested against the escalating prices of essential commodities, the sky rocketing cost of living, violence against women and issues of women employed in the Middle Eastern countries. more..

Mar 9 (CI) The fans who travelled through the hills to watch the first one-day international in Pallekele witnessed a Pakistan team in shambles: they saw a glut of extras, three dropped catches, the worst possible display of end-over bowling and a batting implosion from a shell-shocked team. They also saw a struggling New Zealand side take advantage of their opponent's extraordinary failings, slowly at first, before Ross Taylor launched an assault so brutal that Pakistan were more..

Mar 9 (DN) The Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Development Ministry plans to introduce a Vessel Monitoring System (VMS) to the Fisheries industry, said Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Development Minister Rajitha Senaratne at a recent press conference. The VMS Project is in operation at present as a pilot project and will be introduced within the next two months. The Minister said this system would be made compulsory to multi-day fishing vessels in the future. more..

Mar 9 (Island) Politicians, bankrupt leaders and their candidates, their electioneering, wild promises, blatant lies, mudslinging, and the ever-more critical level of election-related violence, have disgusted the ordinary, decent, law-abiding folk to such an extent that it is hardly likely that they’ll take the trouble to vote for any candidate of any party. The ordinary, average people, today known as the ‘wretched of the earth’ know very well that more..

Mar 9 (Island) The Kurunegala police are keeping a sharp eye on Internet Cafes in the District and are enforcing laws to control their activities. This follows an order from SSP for Kurunegala, Vass Gunawardene. Children under 18 years of age have been barred from Internet Cafés. However, If they need to enter one, they would have to submit a letter from the principal of their school. The owners of the Internet Cafes have been instructed by the Police not to more..

Mar 9 (DM) Another suspect wanted in connection with the attempt to assassinate Defense Secretary Gothabaya Rajapaksa Kollupitiya was remanded till March 22 by a Colombo Court yesterday. The CID produced suspect Nawarasa Gurudharan in court and informed magistrate Rashmi Singappuli that it had recovered 17 forged national identity cards near the area where the blast took place. It said one of the cards was that of the suspect who was arrested at the BIA when he arrived in the country. more..

Mar 9 (BL) Minister Champika Ranawaka recently emphasised that the government is giving its highest priority to put an end to the use of kerosene oil lamps by some 300,000 poor people in the country. Noting that a total sum of Rs.42 billion is being spent by the government to supply electricity to 20 million of the population, the minister said that two hot line centres had been set up in Galle and Ratmalana to enable the consumers to make their complaints. more..

Mar 9 (TS) Fifth seed Malaysia bounced back from their opening defeat to beat Sri Lanka 3-0 in their second Group A match in the squash World Cup in Chennai yesterday. Malaysia had earlier lost to top seed Egypt 2-1. Despite resting world No. 1 Nicol David, Malaysia still proved too strong for the Sri Lankans. National No. 4 Mohd Asyraf Azan got the ball rolling by recovering from a set down to beat Navin Samarasinghe 9-11, 11-5, 11-2, 9-11, 11-7 in 44 minutes. more..

Mar 9 (IW) Some 50 diplomats, ambassadors and key dignitaries convened at the Sri Lanka Consulate General office here Feb. 24 as its consul general, Jeff Goonewardena, hosted the monthly meeting of the Los Angeles Consular Corps. As the hosting honors generally rotate among the corps’ member nations and dignitaries, Goonewardena hoped to shed some positive light on one of South Asia’s smallest countries. The various countries represented at the monthly meeting more..