May 15 (CT) “Some of the 1,800 rehabilitated youths supposed to have been released on September 30th last year at the state function held at Temple Trees have not reached home. Contrary to claims of the government, family members of the three youths say that they were not invited to the ceremony nor their detainee sons were handed over to them. Kindly look into the matter and let me know the whereabouts of the youths whose name details I am sending herewith.” said civil monitoring more..

May 15 (CG) Over 250 goats were slaughtered during a Hindu ritual in Pandatharippu, Jaffna over the weekend, reports from the area said. The goats were slaughtered as part of a ceremony held at a Hindu Temple in the area which was attended by hundreds of devotees. It was also reported that around 72 chickens were slaughtered as part of the ceremony at the Temple. Last year a similar ritual was halted following a court order at the Sri Bhadra Kali Amman more..

May 15 (DM) All sugar factories in the country should be handed over to a foreign investor who has experience in the industry as the govt nor any local investor had been able to manage the factories in the past, an expert in the sector said. Mr. P. K. Ranasinghe who had worked as an advisor of Pelawatte Sugar and Sevanagala Sugar Industries Ltd said it had been proven in the past that no government was able to run any sugar factory in the country in an effective manner. more..

May 15 (LT) Parents oppose the circular issued by the Minister of Education Bandula Guanwardene preventing students from getting transfers from one national school to another. An agitation was organized by the ‘Movement to Protect Schools’ opposite Piliyandala Central College yesterday demanding the government to withdraw the relevant circular immediately. The parents participating in the agitation said bringing in such a circular at a time when students more..

May 15 (SM) Students are up in arms against the bringing down of teachers from India. Leader of the Students Union of Kelaniya University Dhammika Munasinghe said the country has 7,000 jobless Tamil graduates, who could be recruited as teachers. He said in a statement, there were secret moves to bring 3,000 teachers from India. At the recent teacher trainee appointments, no Tamil graduate was recruited, said Mr. Munasinghe. He said jobless Tamil graduates should be more..

May 15 (DM) The Sri Lanka police department has introduced a facility to obtain a copy of the original police entry instantly, Police spokesman Ajith Rohana said. The entry copies of the following misplaces items can be obtained in this manner: 1. National Identity card, Driving license, license related to motor vehicles or other important documentaries. 2. Entry copies not regarding serious accidents. These copies will be issued instantly at a charge of Rs.25.

May 15 (GDI) The Boat Show 2012 exhibition organized by the Boat Building Technology Improvement Institute of Lanka will be held from May 18-20 at the BMICH. The Ministry of Industrial Development and the Sri Lanka Export Development Board are supporting this event. Exhibitors from 15 countries over South Asia including the Maldives, China, Indonesia, Malaysia and India are to participate in this exhibition which will also have a forum to exchange ideas. more..

May 15 (Island) Minister S. B. Dissanayake last week thanked the Indian government for granting financial assistance to convert the war-damaged, former LTTE administrative complex in Kilinochchi, into the Agricultural Faculty of the Jaffna University. "I hope that the construction of the agricultural faculty would be completed before the latter part of this year and the construction of the engineering faculty there would be completed before the end of 2013," more..

May 15 (AD) The government supplies 24 hours of uninterrupted electricity to the people whereas other countries in Asia have to endure hours a day without power while factories are closed down for days, Minister Champika Ranawaka stated. The Minister spoke at a programme called “Heta wenuwen ada” aimed at educating the public on the benefits of saving energy. The programme targeted government and private workers as well as schools children, the Ministry stated. more..

May 15 (Reuters) Sri Lanka expects a U.S. waiver of sanctions on imports of Iranian crude after it took steps to cut them by up to 38 percent, switching to alternatives from Oman and Saudi Arabia, the island's oil minister said on Tuesday. Susil Premajayantha said Sri Lanka, which is dependent on crude imports, has taken steps to reduce Iranian purchases to eight cargoes per year from 13, buying four cargoes from Oman and one from Saudi Aramco. more..

May 16 (NS) The proposal made by Most Venerable Aggamahapanditha Kotugoda Dhammawasa Anu Nayaka Thera for the appointment of a presidential commission to investigate the causes for the rise in crime in the country, is very appropriate and deserves the serious attention of the authorities as a matter of highest priority. Ven. Nayaka Thera says, “In commemorating the 2600th Sambuddhatva Jayanthi, major Buddhist countries led by Sri Lanka have been engaged in more..

May 16 (NS) Sri Lanka is currently steaming ahead with multiple development projects in multiple sectors. Infrastructure development, arguably, is a necessary foundation for any economy policy that envisages rapid growth over the long term. The completion of the Second Phase of the Sethsiripaya Administrative Complex, then, is a landmark achievement in the overall plans to develop the commercial capital Colombo and developing Sri Jayawardenapura more..

May 16 (DBS) Writing about his literary career, Robert Frost once wrote: “I have never started a poem yet whose end I know. Writing a poem is a discovery”. I was in the same predicament when I started reviewing Niromi de Soyza’s absorbing account as a Tamil Tigress. I planned a brief review, but then I realized that such an account will not enable the discerning readers of SAAG to understand the twists and turns of more..

May 16 (TC) As Sri Lanka makes its way from a phase of post-war to post-conflict, the potential, the challenges and the successes are worthy of reflection. The time is fitting not only because it is exactly three years since the defeat of the LTTE but also because considerable events and circumstances of significance have transpired for this nation in transition. The engagement of the Govt and the TNA in talks aimed at a political settlement began with considerable interest more..

May 16 (TC) The third anniversary of the end of the war will be celebrated in the coming week. In the past two years this has taken place with victory parades and with public commemorations of war heroes by the Govt although many people would say it was not appropriate after a civil war when citizens of the country were killed in large numbers. It is also necessary to remember that the govt is being accused of war crimes and violations of humanitarian laws. more..

May 16 (GV) Reading through Groundviews especially during the recent past, one would note that most contributions were in fact raising serious concerns over the core issue of governance as it is in Sri Lanka nd the regime’s ideology in finding adequate answers for socio economic ills, the system itself carries as endemic. One could safely assume, though Groundviews exposed and writers to Groundviews condemned the most recent Dambulla incident of insulting and more..

May 16 (GV) In many post-conflict contexts the idea of reconciliation dominates public discussion. This is no different in Sri Lanka. But what exactly is meant by reconciliation? As Susan Dwyer (1999) points out there has been a “global frenzy” on this topic in the post-Apartheid era with the South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission often held up as an exemplary model. Much of this discussion, though, lacks analytical clarity. more..

May 16 (CT) There is a lament that the UPA govt is so weak that it is bowing to pressure from regional parties on foreign policy issues in the neighbourhood. Several former diplomats and commentators are sore that the Trinamool Congress and the DMK have dictated Manmohan Singh’s policies on Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, respectively. Singh had to drop the Teesta water agreement with Dhaka after Mamata showed the red flag, and India voted against Sri Lanka in the UNHRC. more..

May 16 (ST) “Healing is a message that resonates. Those who have faced the brunt of the war are open to it because they know the cost of a war," Brigadier (Retd.) L.C. Perera, founder of the Heal Lanka forum, is thoughtful as he speaks about the forum's cause. “Heal Lanka is a gathering of like-minded people who want to see Sri Lanka move on from a divided past into a united future. For that, we must heal. Not just the victims of the war. more..

May 16 (Island) In our recent history, the gentle and humane culture of our noble land, suffered the worst pangs of war, for thirty long years. During these darkest and most dismal three decades of Sri Lanka’s recent history, the land was held in the relentless throes of the world’s most repugnant and ultra cruel terrorist gang. The unsung gloom of pessimism was so dense and overpowering, that many citizens felt, that the only option left for the land was to await the inevitable more..

May 16 (Island) A state of flux; a continuous drifting in and out of crisis situations - this has been the regrettable fate of Sri Lanka throughout the post independent period. Sri Lanka was just beginning to come to grips with UNHRC Resolution when the country moved bang into the Dambulla confrontational stand between Temple and Mosque, and with Kovil on the fringe, stirring up the majoritarian stand- off with the minorities. This time around there emerges another paradigm in more..

May 16 (DN) The Meteorology Department yesterday said that the warm weather conditions prevailing over the island would recede with the setting in of the South West monsoon by May end. Meteorology Department Director General S H Kariyawasam said heavy showers are expected in the South Western part of the island, including the Colombo, Kalutara, Galle, Matara, Ratnapura, Kegalle, Kandy and Nuwara Eliya districts with the onset of the monsoon. more..

May 16 (DN) Action will be taken to issue titled deeds to a majority of the resettled, said Minister Douglas Devananda at a ceremony recently to mark the opening of a new building for the Co-operative Society and another for the pre- school at Illavalai Vasanthapuram area in the Tellipallai Divisional Secretariat Division. He also handed over renovated houses to the newly resettled. He said action was taken to resettle a large number of displaced families in their own homesteads and soon they will be issued with title deeds more..

May 16 (FT) Stirring a fresh storm in the industry, the Tea Exporters Association (TEA) dismissed claims of substandard imports flooding Sri Lanka under a much-needed hub and liberalised concept and insisted they were equally committed to protecting Pure Ceylon origin. Chairman Niraj de Mel flanked by members said that TEA “categorically denies” statements made by Dilmah that liberalising tea imports would be negative for the overall industry. more..

May 16 (Island) The budget 2011/2012 had provided a gamut of concessions to the Industrialists and entrepreneurs in every field. The concessions regarding tariff on raw material, marketing facilities, both local and foreign, and provision of necessary technology, had been offered to the industrialists in the budget, stated Ministry Secretary Sivagnanasothy, speaking on behalf of minister Douglas Devananda, at the opening of newly constructed more..

May 16 (Island) The CID was continuing its probe into the robbery at the Colombo Museum, Minister Jagath Balasuriya said. He said that the CID had not revealed information on the probe as it would hamper their investigations. Many priceless artifacts, including swords belonging to the Kandyan Period, were stolen from the Colombo National Museum in a break-in by intruders on March 16. It was claimed that the CCTV camera in the section where the theft the theft took place had gone out of order days before the incident. more..

May 16 (UNICEF) It’s the morning rounds of the village mothers’ support group. Today, they’re visiting one of the poorest families in this remote village in eastern Sri Lanka. Their concern is Sujalan, the youngest of Packiyaluxmi’s three children. He’s 2 years old and recovering from severe acute malnutrition. The women want to monitor his progress, check his medical record and give support. At his home, they find good news: Sujalan’s health is improving. more..

May 16 (TT) The Iranian director Mohammadreza Arab is on the jury of the SAARC Film Festival, which is currently underway in Colombo, Sri Lanka. The festival is organized by the SAARC Cultural Centre which is a part of the SAARC. Arab’s “Last Queen of the Earth”, his debut feature film on the tribulations of Afghan refugees, is screening in Out of Competition Section of the festival. The award-winning film tells the story of an Afghan named Alibakhsh who is working in Iran. more..

May 16 (DN) The formal tourism industry in Sri Lanka began with the enactment of Tourist Board Act, No. 10 of 1966. Since then, tourism in Sri Lanka showed a steady progress up to 1983. However, 30 years of civil war which seriously crippled our country had its devastating effect on tourism as well, resulting in a sharp decline in the industry. 2009 marked the end of the conflict reviving the hopes of the nation about a prosperous future. Since then the economic revival of the country has gathered pace and tourism industry too more..

May 16 (Island) A trade union affiliated to UNP Reformists accused an influential section of trade unions of complicity in waste, corruption and irregularities in the public sector. Eksath Kamkaru Satan Madyasthanaya chief Lal Perera alleged that the govt had silenced trade union leaders by offering them a range of perks and privileges. For want of scrutiny on the part of trade unions, particularly those affiliated to leftist political parties, more..

May 16 (Island) A person arrested in connection with the attack on a lawyer by a group of persons including some Buddhist monks outside the Nugegoda Magistrate’s Court was identified yesterday and allowed bail in Rs. 2,500 cash and a surety bond of Rs, 50,000 by the Nugegoda Chief Magistrate, who also ordered the arrest of the chief incumbent of a leading temple alleged to have led the mob. The Counsel appearing for the defence said he unequivocally condemned the attack more..

May 16 (Island) Mulleriyawa police have arrested a cook of one time UNP strongman, Sirisena Cooray, and two others over the recent theft of valuables amounting to several hundred thousand rupees from Cooray’s residence at Salmal Gardens, Himbutana. One of the suspects is an army deserter allegedly addicted to heroin. Among the stolen items recovered are a gem stone, ‘gaja muthu’ studded casket, foreign currency, a valuable camera, nine millimetre bullets and several other items. more..

May 16 (Hindu) Saroja Devi of Mullaitivu last saw her son, Kerbert Morino Leon Roxy, on July 7, 2008. That day, from the Northeastern coastal town, Roxy took a boat out of Tamil Tiger-held territory. His parents, eager to see him leave, had paid for the trip — it was expensive to smuggle out able-bodied youngsters past the LTTE, which was on a constant recruitment drive for fighters. Once earlier, Roxy had been taken away by the LTTE, and more..

May 16 (FT) The Business Software Alliance (BSA) reported yesterday in the 2011 BSA Global Software Piracy Study that Sri Lanka has recorded a further 2% point drop in its PC piracy rate in 2011, bringing the rate down from 86% last year to 84% this year. The only other Asian countries that achieved a similar two point drop over 2011 are Hong Kong and Vietnam. “The two percentage point drop in the software piracy rate is a clear indicator that efforts within more..

May 16 (TN) Tamil villages in the DS divisions of Poththuvil, Chammaa-thu'rai and Akkaraippattu in Ampaa'rai district are still in the state of complete destruction. Out of 427 families uprooted from Thangkavealautha-puram, only 70 have been resettled. 80 families have been resettled in Kagnchi-kudichchaa'ru village out of 424 uprooted families. 60 families of 126 uprooted have been resettled in Kaagnchirankudaa village and only 35 out of 127 uprooted families more..

May 16 (CBC) Two more people have been charged with organizing illegal entry into Canada in connection with a ship that brought hundreds of Tamil migrants to B.C.'s West Coast. According to documents sworn in B.C. provincial court in Vancouver, Kunarobinson Christhurajah and Lesly Jana Emmanuel were charged Monday in connection with the MV Sun Sea, the boat that arrived off the B.C. coast in August 2010, carrying 492 people. more..

May 16 (Island) Two govt servants were arrested yesterday while they were receiving bribes at different locations, an officer of the Bribery Commission said. He said that a Grama Seva Niladari at Gadalla East, in Galle was arrested for asking Rs. 5,000 from a resident of the area to help him get the deed for the new house he got from the govt after the Tsunami disaster in 2004. He said the suspect was arrested by the officers of the Commission to investigate allegations of bribery or corruption at the complainant’s house more..

May 16 (HRB) After an almost three-decade long civil war, the island of Sri Lanka is confronted with the significant political challenge of reintegrating an ethnic minority separatist group, the LTTE back into a coherent society connected by state institutions. However, this is complicated by two issues. First, the govt that successfully ended the war is highly favorable toward the ethnic majority group, the Sinhalese; and second, many in the Tamil community more..