Mar 26 (ST) Sri Lankan authorities, responding to a recent spate of students dying while taking part in long-distance races, are to introduce a mandatory medical fitness test for school athletes before strenuous competitions. A new circular, in addition to a 2007 circular about marathons, will be issued next week to all schools. In terms of this, any student over 15 years wishing to take part in activities such as over 3,000-metre more..

Mar 26 (DM) The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) came under heavy criticism by the COPE last week for its inaction to control what former chairman Tilak Karunaratne termed as the stock market mafia, sources said. It was revealed at the COPE inquiry that the SEC has not taken any remedial nor legal action following the much publicized investigations on market manipulations and illegal transactions in the more..

Mar 26 (PTI) Voicing concern over increased attacks on Indian fishermen by Sri Lankan Navy, Tamil Nadu govt on Tuesday asked the Centre to initiate diplomatic steps to check it and urged for withdrawal of the 1974 agreement ceding Katchatheevu islet to the island nation. Replying to a special call attention on the issue in the assembly, Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa said her govt will seek legal course if the UPA govt failed to accede more..

Mar 26 (CG) China, Russia and Cuba have slammed the resolution adopted by the UNHRC on Sri Lanka last week. China said that it rejected any attempt to name and shame countries and to exert pressure in this way on States, and pointed out that the resolution on Sri Lanka was a product of politicization. Russia reiterated that it was counterproductive to adopt politicized country resolutions, which discredited the work of more..

Mar 26 (NDTV) Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa has written to the Prime Minister stating categorically that the 13 Sri Lankan cricketers in the Indian Premier League will not be allowed to play matches held in Chennai. She has said she will permit IPL matches to be held in her state only if the organisers give her an undertaking that no Sri Lankan will be involved. She has said that with emotions in her state running high more..

Mar 26 (CT) All politics is local; Tamil Nadu politics is no exception. The primary underpinning of the recent anti-Sri Lanka protests in the Southern Indian State was decidedly local and had more to do with electoral considerations in Tamil Nadu, than whatever the real and perceived grievances of the Sri Lankan Tamils. The Sri Lankan Tamil issue and the allegations that war crimes had been committed during the concluding phase of the war in the Vanni have now evolved to be emotive topics more..

Mar 26 (CT) This story is told by Manjula to an anthropologist in a series of interviews. The anthropologist wishes to remain anonymous. Pseudonyms are used to protect the safety and privacy of the characters. Jan 10th- May 17th 2009 in the region of Vanni in Sri Lanka: The air shuddered with the dull boom of artillery fire as it pounded the earth relentlessly. Huddled inside the bunker, I shielded my two year old with my body as he clutched his little teddy bear for comfort. more..

Mar 26 (Island) The GMOF on Sunday accused the procurement Division of the Health Ministry of offering contracts to only one segment of tender bidders. The Senior Assistant Secretary was a law unto herself and was in the habit of offering tenders to her favourite companies to undertake cleaning services, the Forum alleged. She entertained the performance bids issued by certain insurance companies and did not accept the bids made by certain other insurance companies. more..

Mar 26 (CT) As the rift between the majority Sinhalese and the Sri Lankan Tamil minority in Sri Lanka widened from 1956 onwards the spatial centres of Tamil leadership moved by the 1980s from those who combined roots in Colombo and the Jaffna Peninsula to those firmly positioned within the Peninsula. The LTTE became both agency and master of this process. The exigencies of war led to a further shift in nodality from Jaffna town to the Kilinochchi-Mullaitivu complex from 1996 more..

Mar 26 (CG) The latest travel advice on Sri Lanka issued by the British Foreign and Commonwealth office, maintains that the end of the military conflict in May 2009 has seen an upsurge of nationalism in Sri Lanka. It says as a result, anti-Western (particularly anti-British) rhetoric has increased and this has led to violent protests against the British High Commission and other diplomatic premises. “Although no protests have so far more..

Mar 26 (Island) The GMOA said that all doctors attached to state hospitals would be given an intensive and extensive training in effective communication with patients, empathising with them, writing accurate notes, handling emergency cases, CPR, Mouth–to-mouth resuscitation, ECG readings etc. It had been found that a majority of the doctors in the govt service were lacking proper communication systems, GMOA President Dr. Anurauddha Padeniya told a media more..

Mar 26 (CT) Farmers in the Dewahuwa settlement and in Galewela are facing difficulties in selling their paddy at the govt approved price of Rs 32 for Naadu and Rs 35 for Samba. Prices have now tumbled down to Rs 23 (Naadu) and Rs 25 (Samba). Purchase of paddy in Galewela has been confined to only one purchasing point, whereas there were two such outlets in the past. Even so, purchases have been limited to 100,000 kg. As the Dewahuwa paddy store had remained closed, more..

Mar 26 (LBO) Outgoing head of Securities and Exchange Commission said the watchdog had completed 90% of pending investigations on securities fraud and legal opinion has been sought for the rest. In a statement released by the SEC signed by Hareendra Dissabandara, who was initially appointed acting director general who quit on "principle" last Friday said he was made director general on Sept 1, something which was not more..

Mar 26 (CG) An online campaign has been launched seeking the intervention of of President Mahinda Rajapaksa to protect the liberties of Sri Lanka’s minorities and to defend their interests against hate speech and hate acts such as those committed by Bodu Bala Sena, Sinhala Ravaya and other such hate groups. The online campaign calls on the President to take decisive action by publicly condemning the hate campaign of Buddhist extremists and hate groups. more..

Mar 26 (Island) The Health Ministry expressed hope that it would be able to overcome the dearth of ambulances within the next two months. The spokesman said there had been a shortage of 400 ambulances for the main hospitals in the country, but that had been reduced to 150 with the purchase of 250 vehicles. He said the 250 ambulances had been purchased at a cost of Rs. 2,678 million and President had handed over 24 of them to hospitals in Trincomalee, Batticaloa and Ampara more..

Mar 26 (AP) Sri Lankan cricketers have been warned they're not welcome in Tamil Nadu province during the Indian Premier League starting next week. The southern state is home to the IPL's dominant team, the two-time champion Chennai Super Kings, who feature two Sri Lankan players. But Jayaram Jayalalithaa, the chief minister of Tamil Nadu, has written to Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh saying Sri Lankans more..

Mar 26 (Island) The Indian govt, recognising the quality of the higher training provided by the Sri Lanka Institute of Development Administration (SLIDA), had sent a batch of 36 senior Indian Civil servants to Sri Lanka for training, SLIDA, Director Badullage Wijeratne said. The ceremonial inauguration of the six-day higher-training programme, for the 36 senior members of the Indian Civil Service (ICS), who had completed more than 25 years of service, took place at more..

Mar 26 (Rediff) Cho Ramaswamy, editor of the Tamil political weekly Thuglaq, is the most admired political analyst in Tamil Nadu. In this exclusive interview to Shobha Warrier, he talks about the Sri Lankan Tamil issue, the DMK walking out of the UPA and also his thoughts on the next Lok Sabha elections. Q: When the DMK threatened to pull out of the UPA, many thought they were enacting one more drama. But they eventually did withdraw support. Did you expect them to come out more..

Mar 26 (CG) UNP leader Ranil Wickremesinghe says his party will push for an election in 2014 to remove the govt from power. He says the govt has failed to protect the country and so the time has now come to remove the govt. “The UNP must get ready for an election in 2014. The govt has tarnished the good image of the country and on the other side they have hit the people in their stomach. This regime is not leaving on its own,” more..

Mar 26 (CG) A group of 21 illegal immigrants from Sri Lanka have been rescued by Indonesian authorities after being stranded in the waters of Sendangbiru, Malang, East Java for a week, without food or water. The Indonesian media reported that the Sri Lankan boat, which had faced engine failure, was first spotted by a local fisherman. Residents of the nearby Sendangbiru village helped the Sri Lankans by giving them food after the boat drifted near the shore. more..

Mar 26 (PTI) Opposition leader in the Assembly V Vaithilingam Tuesday urged the government to arrest Sri Lankan naval forces allegedly involved in incidents of firing at fishermen and attacks on them. Participating in the debate on the motion of thanks to the Lt Governor's address, he said the naval forces of the island republic were shooting at fishermen and damaging their vessles and equipment within Indian territorial waters as seen from the GPS equipment in the vessels. more..

Mar 26 (IL) The High Commissioner Chitranganee Wagiswara hosted a Dinner Meeting at the Official Residence to welcome the Members of the reconstituted Canada-Sri Lanka Parliamentary Friendship Group. A Group of Canadian MPs elected a new Committee with Conservative Parliamentarian Corneliu Chisu as the Chair, and Parliamentarian Joe Daniel and Senator Salama Ataullajan as two Vice Chairs. more..

Mar 26 (EAR) The UNHRC passed the U.S. sponsored resolution (A/HRC/22/L.1/Rev.1) on Sri Lanka at its 22nd session at Geneva on March 21, 2013. The text of the resolution is at Annexure. The resolution was passed by 25 votes to 13. Eight nations abstained. Gabon was absent. The result was not unexpected. However, the content and wording of the resolution was stronger than the UNHRC’s 2012 resolution on Sri Lanka. It makes accountability in observing international more..

Mar 26 (OU) In the intention of colonizing the Muslim community in the Mullaitheevu and Mulliyavalai locality, the surveyors attempted to survey the locality, have retreated when a large gathering of Tamils assembled to show their oppose was said. 540 acres of forest area located in Mulliyavalai locality was cleared and activities were processed to colonize one thousand and 445 Muslim families in that locality. Thekkattu region near Mullaiyavalai 6th mile post is still not handed over by more..

Mar 26 (BBC) The BBC’s World Service Director, Peter Horrocks announced the suspension of BBC broadcasts on SLBC following continued interruption and interference of BBC Tamil programming on SLBC. He said: “We regret the disruption in service to our loyal audiences in SL, but such targeted interference in our programmes is a serious breach of trust with those audiences, which the BBC cannot more..

Mar 26 (DN) Stones brought from the moon by US astronauts Neil Armstrong and Edwin Aldrin during their first moon expedition on July 20, 1969, can now be viewed by the public visiting the Deyata Kirula National exhibition in Ampara, a spokesman said. These stones are kept in a special enclosure (at a special mobile vehicle of the National Heritage Ministry) at the exhibition site, he said. This is a special attraction at the Deyata Kirula exhibition, the spokesman said. more..

Mar 26 (CT) Academic activities have commenced for students who entered university from the 2011 A/L batch. According to UGC Chairperson, Professor Kshanika Hirimburegama, 20,000 new students have been absorbed into the university system this year. The date of commencement of lectures varies from university to university and also depends on the courses chosen by students. Some streams have already begun classes, while others are to commence later this week, more..

Mar 26 (TA) This year's monsoon season in Australia's north brought with it a promise of hope for the Gillard govt on asylum-seekers. The rough weather that sets in from late December until early April seemed to guarantee a lull in the spate of boat arrivals after last year's record influx. Some senior govt officials even dared to hope this lull would allow time for the message about tougher policy responses to filter across the region. more..

Mar 27 (NS) Long queues of patients, so astonishingly long that it leaves on lookers wondering are there so many patients suffering from this single disease? A single disease that comes in many forms - it is the dreaded terminal disease -cancer. The large numbers of patients in the queues is indicative of the prevalence of the disease. While the Maharagama Cancer Hospital, attends to the majority of the patients, the Kandy Cancer Ward also contributes in the treatment of more..

Mar 27 (DBS) Our persistent opposition to any kind of international criticism of our mishandling of domestic affairs has much to do with the inflated egos of our foreign policy handlers and politicians, than whatever those lofty claims of sovereign equality, internal sovereignty and non interference of internal affairs, and so forth. Sometimes, when those inflated egos explode, the whole affair takes a very ugly turn, like Minister G.L Peiris’s outburst at the Kadirgamar Institute, turned out to be. more..

Mar 27 (NS) As expected, UNHRC, in its recent Geneva secessions, has passed a US-Britain-EU and India sponsored resolution against Sri Lanka. With the ulterior motive of getting it adopted by the UNHRC, Tamil neo Nazi fronts in the US, UK and Tamil Nadu have been working overtime during the past few months. As an extension to this exercise, many harassment and attacks on SL Bikkus, students, businessmen, pilgrims more..

Mar 27 (NS) Although not scripted by the Bard or directed by likes of Kamardeen and Aloysius- the Pitipana Paasku play can be noted as one of the most watched and longest surviving productions in the country today. Passover or Paasku, derived of the Hebrew term ‘Pesach’ is an annual festival of Christians. According to the Old Testament, this event had been celebrated to mark the exodus of Israelites from slavery in Egypt. At the ‘old’ Passover, people had offered lamb, more..

Mar 27 (ST) That’s the feeling you get when seated inside the conference facility on the topmost, 7th floor of the iconic Heritance Kandalama. The new facility, coming on the back of a marked growth in MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Events) traffic in Sri Lanka, is set to dramatically add to the country’s MICE market potential and breadth of diverse offerings. According to hotel officials, the facility which opened recently is already seeing bookings flowing in for banquets, more..

Mar 27 (DBS) The latest target in the on going anti-Muslim campaign of the Bodhu Bala Sena (BBS) is Ms.Ferial Ashraff, Sri Lanka’s High Commissioner to Singapore. The BBS has demanded that Ms. Ashraff services be terminated immediately and that she be recalled from Singapore. The demand was made publicly by the BBS General Secretary Ven.Galagoda Atthe Gnanasara Thera at the anti-Muslim more..

Mar 27 (CT) This article aims to show that Genocide allegations made against the Rajapaksa Govt are well founded and there is a major cover-up on going that must be exposed. The Indian Govt (UPA) must accede to the demands of the protesting students and support an essentially Indian call for an International Genocide Probe on Sri Lanka. The UPA must come clean and reveal its own involvement in the Eelam war. The Indian govt’s stubborn resistance to bringing out a more..

Mar 27 (CT) Trying to fit a theoretical model on Lanka’s emerging authoritarian project, I came up with rather a mouthful of a definition some weeks ago – Klepto-Nepotistic Corporatist Autocracy. The four key words sought to capture four features of the project, viz: its rootedness in corruption not only of siblings and extended family, but the whole political plutocracy; nepotism and ambition of a well knit family venture; its endeavour to commandeer all state finances and sway the private sector; more..

Mar 27 (AC) He lay in agony on the ground on a tarpaulin sheet in the open, bandaged in rags in the scorching tropical heat after two major surgeries on his leg and hip, but Thevam considered himself extremely lucky. Just the day before he’d been moved out of the school building turned into a makeshift hospital. A day later and he too would have been among the eight dead and many more injured in the shell attack on the more..

Mar 27 (Island) In what has turned out to be a queer turn of events replete with irony India has had to crack down on unruly TN protesters demanding tougher action against Sri Lanka. The Congress-led UPA govt may have though it would be able to kill three birds with one stone in Geneva—appeasing the US, placating its Tamil Nadu allies and taming an ‘obdurate Sri Lanka gravitating towards China’—but its plan has manifestly gone awry. Anti-Sri Lankan protests have spun out of control. more..

Mar 27 (Island) When we commenced our work associated with the Chronic Kidney Disease unidentified etiology (CKDu) it was clear that western medicine did not know the cause of the disease let alone a cure for that. Various substances such as Cadmium, Fluoride, Algae had been mentioned by some researchers as the cause but western medicine had maintained that the etiology was not identified. If Cadmium had been identified as the cause we would have had no reason more..