May 29 (AN) The family of a Sri Lankan maid who was murdered by a Saudi sponsor's wife received SR40,000 as compensation for the death, the Sri Lankan Embassy said. The autopsy report of the maid, identified as 36-year-old Pospawalli Selladurai, revealed that she had been murdered. Al-Jouf police arrested the woman, who is still in remand. She will be released as soon as the paper work is completed following the payment of blood money, which amounts to about $10,650. more..

May 29 (ST) In the aftershocks of Minister G.L. Peiris' visit to India last week and the disastrous Joint Statement (disastrous to Sri Lanka), President Mahinda Rajapaksa was grappling with one of the main outcomes of that statement; devolution of power. Most Sri Lankans would have felt that the issue of devolution, something that engaged the attention of political parties and civil society groups for more than two decades, was a by-gone thing. more..

May 29 (SO) Despite a sharp rise in the number of tourist arrivals, the hotel occupancy rate this month has dropped drastically. A official of the Association said that many hotels across the country reported a very low occupancy rate this month. “The reason for the decline is yet to be identified”, he said. He said hotels did well during the first few months of this year recording over 75 percent room occupancy. Hotel occupancy recorded a month-on-month increase more..

May 29 (NS) When the automated teller machine heist suspects’ case was called on Friday 27, Mt. Lavinia Chief Magistrate questioned as to why the CID adopted a double standard in not opposing bail being granted to one suspect while pleading that the other be remanded again due to the ongoing investigations. Questioning the chief investigating officer’s policy she inquired “Why cannot you stick to one standard? After thoroughly reprimanding the CID, the magistrate ordered more..

May 29 (ST) Sri Lanka is not the only country opposing human rights violations reports prepared by the United Nations Secretary General or any agency which had UN blessings. And Sri Lanka is not the only country which has resisted the visit of those in charge of preparing such reports. There appear to be many parallels as well as contrasts in the manner in which both Kyrgyzstan and Sri Lanka have reacted. more..

May 29 (Island) "The death occurred yesterday of poet, veteran teacher, linguist and artist Arisen Ahubudu following a brief illness. He was 93. A much sought after literary personality, Arisen Ahubudu started his career as a teacher and served S. Thomas’ College, Mount Lavinia for a greater part of his teaching career where many leading personalities of the country learnt at his feet. more..

May 29 (Island) Former Army Chief Gen. Sarath Fonseka last week recalled how those involved in the April 25, 2006 suicide attempt on his life had planned the attack with the help of a soldier receiving medical treatment at the Military Hospital. Making a dock statement in the White Flag trial-at-bar at the Colombo High Court, Fonseka said that his soldier-cook had co-operated with the LTTE Intelligence. more..

May 29 (Island) The govt alleges the Marxist JVP is seeking to destabilize liberated areas in the Northern and Eastern Provinces. A senior government official said that the JVP was causing trouble, particularly in the Vanni, where post-war rehabilitation was going on apace. He alleged that destabilizing the Vanni was obviously part of its overall strategy in the wake of humiliating defeat suffered at the last more..

May 29 (Island) The Government Medical Officers’ Association (GMOA) last week expressed concern over a possible free flow of Indian medical personnel opting to practice in Sri Lanka with the implementation of the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement, (CEPA). There are, at present, also drawbacks in the Health Act which permitted an influx of doctors from other countries to practice here. more..

May 29 (Island) In the wake of an unprecedented investigation undertaken by the Netherlands targeting LTTE financial networks in the Netherlands, Norway and the US, those who badger Sri Lanka over alleged war crimes should investigate accountability issues on the part of the Tamil diaspora. Officials of the External Affairs and Defence Ministries and the Intelligence Services say that the Dutch, more..

May 29 (ST) The Government is ready to introduce amendments to the controversial private sector pensions bill to win public support, an official said – but trade unions are insisting that it should be withdrawn. Labour Ministry Secretary Upali Wijeyweera said amendments included provisions for private sector employees to receive a pension after contributing to it for ten years, even if it was done on a staggered basis. more..

May 29 (NS) Sri Lanka is one of the few countries fighting hard to eradicate doping in sports. In recent times the country has been clouded by a series of sports stars being tested positive two of the most noted instances involve Commonwealth medals winning sportsmen boxer Manju Wanniarachchi and weightlifter Chintaka Vidanage. Dr Geethanjana Mendis, Director General, Institute of Sports Medicine, more..

May 29 (ST) Tharmalingam Shanmugam Kumaran better known as Kumaran Pathmanathan (KP) has been re-listed as a wanted person by Interpol. Soon after KP was arrested in August 2009 in Malyasia, his name was taken off the wanted list of Interpol, but after KP in a media interview last week claimed that the LTTE was responsible for the assassination of former Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, his name has reappeared as a wanted person. more..

May 29 (ST) The ICC is due to hold an inquiry shortly into Sri Lanka cricketer Upul Tharanga being tested positive for using a banned substance during the recent World Cup tournament. Lefthander Tharanga who has been in good form in the recent past has been tested positive following a random test for using a banned substance called Prednisolone reportedly prescribed to him by a VVIP’s alternate medical practitioner, more..

May 30 (TC) During the colonial regime the public services at the village or field level were provided through the Kachcheris. There were also the Divisional Revenue Officers and the Village Headmen who had their offices to deal with the public. The registration of births, deaths, marriages as well as land was done in the Kachcheri. The Govt Agent was the head of the civil administration in the district. He even had some police power and was expected to read out the more..

May 30 (TC) At the end of Minister of External Affairs of the Government of Sri Lanka, Prof. G L Peiris’ visit to India from 15-17 May, 2011, a joint press statement was issued by the two governments and it has once again raised critical issues that govern India-Sri Lanka relations. Moreover, as it happened on many an occasion, the India-bashers within the govt coalition and without have decried the press statement by invoking the grand but blurred notions of more..

May 30 (MoD) The grand finale of "Ranaviru Real Star", the first ever reality programme, which showcases hidden and artistic talents of our war heroes will be staged at Sugathadasa Indoor Stadium from 7.00 pm tonight. Two officers from SL Navy and three soldiers from SL Army will compete tonight to become the first ever "Ranaviru Real Star" at the final show. The Ministry of Defence has made all arrangements to stage the final show at the Stadium more..

May 30 (LG) In a miraculous coincidence, just days after the joint statement by India and Sri Lanka following External Affairs Minister GL Peiris’s visit to New Delhi, Sri Lanka’s Attorney General was heard to announce benevolently that the Govt of Sri Lanka was ‘mulling’ review of the Prevention of Terrorism Act and emergency regulations promulgated under the Public Security Ordinance. But to the less naïve among us, the implications of this joint statement, more..

May 30 (LG) Watching the events of the present trade union action by the FUTA unfold, it is commendable that the members have been able to hold onto their cause for almost three weeks now. The govt has tried every tactic from threats, circulars, intimidation, false propaganda and finally coaxing to try to avert the salary increase demanded by the academics. The academics on their part have upheld their stand firmly and stood by their original claim for implementing the 2008 UGC approved salary scale. more..

May 30 (SO) Shanaka Jayasekara, a counter-terrorism expert based in Australia said netting the LTTE's financial controller, who has access to all financial resources stashed away in secret bank accounts worldwide, by the Netherlands government was a huge success for Sri Lanka's counter-terrorism activities internationally. "He used the nom de guerre 'Saana Chandran' and operated from the Netherlands. more..

May 30 (LG) Last Sunday’s editorials and commentaries were pre-occupied with the Joint Statement from Delhi following delegate-level discussions between External Affairs Minister G.L. Peiris and his Indian counterpart, S.M. Krishna. As a visiting dignitary, Peiris also had an audience with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, and met with Foreign Secretary NirupamaRao and National Security Advisor Shivshankar Menon. No one seems to know what transpired with the Prime Minister, but more..

May 30 (TC) In Sri Lanka, the history of the Eelam War is being written (and re-written) by its victors, the Rajapaksa Siblings. This ‘victor’s history’ will be a Sinhala supremacist and a Rajapaksa supremacist narrative, with Sinhala spinelessness and Rajapaksa infallibility as its main axioms. According to this revanchist history, Tiger separatist-terrorism would be the main cause of the Eelam War, with Tamil ultra-nationalism and more..

May 30 (LG) Beautiful ‘attapatam’ lanterns were swaying over streets, in homes and on trees all over. Scents of jasmine, frangipani and lotuses pervaded the thick monsoon air. Devotees in white crowded into temples. Sri Lanka’s Dhamma warriors (Dhamma Vijaya) led by JHU’s Champika Ranawaka had taken the vows of dasa sil days before and their photographs were splashed in newspapers and appeared on TV at prime time capturing their devotion. more..

May 30 (LG) We Tamils in Sri Lanka and in the Diaspora must continue to sing, dance and celebrate if this is how the criminal war was conducted by the President and how our brethrens were spared in the war by his forces. We should have hugged each other, kissed and danced in the streets all over the world for the wonderful work done by the leader of the armed forces for carrying out such a humane war. President Mahinda Rajapakse is repeatedly asserting that his soldiers more..

May 30 (LG) What is particularly horrifying about ethnic wars is that people are brutalised and killed not because of anything they have done, not even because of their politics, but simply because who they are. That is what it is so terrible about the persecution of the Tutsis in Rwanda, the Tamils in Sri Lanka, the Kurds in Iraq, the Muslims in Bosnia and the Albanians in Kosovo. Ethnic wars are quite different; they are about malevolence – not quite like other wars more..

May 30 (TC) Project Noolaham has been ongoing since the year 2005 and is run by respectable and responsible Tamil intellectuals. The main purpose of the Noolaham Foundation, a registered charity, is to collect rare books and manuscripts from across the globe, and digitize and make them freely available to all researchers. In the past year, we added more than 3000 documents to our e-library. We operate on a meager annual budget of about more..

May 30 (Island) Sri Lanka's war on terror came to an end two years ago but unfortunately the rule of law is far from restored in all parts of the country. True, people no longer have to live in fear of terrorists but the Opposition and the media continue to suffer at the hands of goons who are above the law to all intents and purposes. A journalist working with the Jaffna-based Tamil publication, the Uthayan, has come under a goon attack in Jaffna. S. Kavitharan, more..

May 30 (DM) Many years ago Sri Lanka had a very vociferous and active civil society which were very concerned about social and political issues in the country. In fact if we to go back to pre independence days it was to a great extent stalwarts in civil society who clamoured for various rights for the people. Persons such as the late Dr. E. W. Adikaram who spearheaded the Temperance movement, C.W.W. Kannangara though a politician advocated free education. more..

May 30 (SO) The Jaffna Government Agent, Emelda Sukumar said that the Norwegian based LTTE leader, Perinpanayagam Sivaparan alias Nediyavan, who has been arrested and produced before the Oslo Court, used to threaten her through e-mails and phone calls and ask her to resign from the post and stop working for the govt. The former GA of Mullaithivu, who served there for over eight years under LTTE control, Sukumar said she used to get threatening calls from more..

May 30 (NS) ‘Incredible India’ is the tagline or theme of India’s drive to attract tourism. It is a tag that has multiple uses of course. It is a call for pride in nation. It is also made for jingoistic hurrahs. What is ‘incredible’ though and what is incredible (or credible) about India, I wondered. The word is derived from ‘credible’, i.e. ‘capable of being believed’ or ‘plausible’. It refers to things that are worthy of confidence; things that are reliable. more..

May 30 (SL) While I have tried to resist the temptation to analyse the behaviour of a government that appears increasingly irrational, some of the chickens that are now coming home to roost present me with an irresistible urge to do so one more time! While seeking to analyse the behavior of a govt that bears a striking resemblance to that of the Emperor Caligula, with a certain ‘Doctor’ replacing that Emperor’s horse, might well be an exercise in futility, here goes. more..

May 30 (BL) Sri Lanka’s top credit ratings agency, Fitch Ratings Lanka Ltd last week reiterated that the proposed Mobile Number Portability (MNP) regime if implemented could eat into the profits of the already ailing telecommunication firms. According to a Special Report published on the Sri Lankan Telecom Sector 2011 the ratings agency stated that subscriber acquisition and retention costs could increase further if MNP is introduced, more..

May 30 (NS) Parliamentary Committee on Public Enterprises (COPE) that seeks more teeth to take to task ex-administrators has decided to assess not only the books and records of companies but also their performances. The COPE that has decided to conduct follow-up actions on public companies is soon to direct both the Attorney General’s Department and the Treasury to follow suit, COPE Chairman and Senior Minister D.E.W. Gunesekara said. According to the Minister, for the first time in history, more..

May 30 (SO) The saga of refugee-camp life of the Northern Tamils will come to an end next month with the resettlement of the last batch of 15,000 IDPs in the Mullaitivu District. These IDPs are now housed in the Menik Farm Welfare village in Vavuniya. Mullaitivu GA, A. Pathinathan said that the resettlement of these IDPs was being delayed due to the ongoing demining process in their original villages. Considering the inordinate delay in the resettlement process more..

May 30 (Island) The most anticipated show in Sri Lanka – Leo Sayer live in concert is just days away. It is already the talk of the town with fans flocking to get their hands on tickets. Sri Lanka’s top English radio station Gold FM is once again proving to be number 1 in all aspects of entertainment with another international super star. For a channel that’s been around since 1998, presenting world class acts is nothing new. more..

May 30 (SL) The government of Sri Lanka is yet to decide on the conditions and measures presented by the governments of US and India to External Affairs Minister Prof. G.L. Peiris. However, the Rajapaksa administration is under pressure to make its move fast to build its relations with the international community. US Assistant Secretary for South and Central Asian Affairs Robert O Blake during his visit to Sri Lanka recently has informed Peiris along with more..

May 30 (DN) Minister Douglas Devananda addressing the development council meeting at the Jaffna Divisional Secretariat on May 9, instructed officials to take immediate steps necessary, to resettle Muslims unjustifiably chased away from Jaffna peninsula by the LTTE as well as those displaced due to the three decade conflict. The minister said that the allocation of funds for development activities needed to be done meaningfully and with commitment. more..

May 30 (GDI) The Pigeon Island, National Park in Trincomalee was reopened today by Minister Basil Rajapaksa. Pigeon Island National Park is one of the two marine national parks of Sri Lanka, situated 1 km off the coast of Nilaveli a coastal town in Eastern Province. Pigeon Island consists of two islands; large pigeon island and small pigeon island. The large pigeon island contains some of the best trmaining coral reefs of Sri Lanka and more..

May 30 (FT) Cinnamon Lakeside Colombo last night grabbed the coveted Best Five Star City Hotel Award at the Sri Lanka Tourism Awards 2010. Heritance Ahungalle won the best five star resort award whilst best 4 star was Heritance Tea Factory Nuwara Eliya and best Three Star award went to Palm Garden Village Hotel Anuradhapura. Galle Face Hotel won the iconic Heritage Hotel award. Best Host Hotel Spa was won by Cinnamon Lakeside Azmaara Spa and Best Host Hotel Culture was won by more..

May 30 (Island) In spite of repeated warnings, fishermen from India and Sri Lanka continue to cross the Indo-Lanka maritime boundary regularly prompting naval authorities to arrest poachers. The India media say the Indian Coast Guard has arrested ten Sri Lankan fish poachers and seized two vessels. The boats, Chejana and Kulanputha were seized about 120 kms from Kakinada late Thursday night, the Press Trust of India quoted an Indian official as having said. more..