Dec 17 (SLA) Peace-loving civilians as well as thousands of candidates sitting the ongoing General Certificate of Education (GCE) ordinary level received a shock on 16 December 2004 and began to express their concerns when an LTTE propaganda vehicle paraded streets and pleaded for their support for war. more..

Dec 17 (SLA) LTTE men have beaten six fishermen of KACHCHAI fishing hamlet, about 5 km away from CHAVAKACHCHERI centre causing severe injuries to them on 16 December 2004 around 1.00 p.m. after they left towards PALAI area for fishing on two fishing dinghies. more..

Dec 17 (SLA) A dialogue was held between members of Security Forces and Jaffna Coconut Land Owners� Association at the office of Civil Coordinator for Civil Affairs (CCCA) on 13th December morning in order to design a convenient system for owners of the coconut lands in Ushan area, presently occupied by Security Forces to reap their coconut harvest without being hindered. more..

Dec 17 (LT) Propaganda campaign of the UNP will take high gear next year. Tissa Attanayake says that this programme will commence in the third week of January next year. He said this at a media briefing in Colombo. According to their schedule mass rallies will be held throughout the country with the leadership of Ranil Wickramasinghe. more..

Dec 17 (SLBC) The Lunugamvehera National Park will be open for visitors on December 26 and the Block 2 of the Yala National Park will also be opened for the public on December 27 by Environment and Natural Resources Minister A. H. M. Fowzie, Director General Department of Wildlife Conservation (DWLC) Dayananda Kariyawasam said.

Dec 17 (AFP) A Cathay Pacific flight was diverted to Sri Lanka Friday to seek emergency medical help for a Japanese woman who was declared dead on arrival in hospital after suffering a blood clot, officials said. The 36-year-old woman was rushed to the Negombo base hospital where doctors pronounced her dead, more..

Dec 17 (LBO) Sri Lanka�s ready-made garment industry is setting sail to conquer Europe next year on the good ship GSP+ "We were told by the EC (European Commission) that we will get zero duty access under the GSP+," said Ajith Dias, Chairman, Bilateral and Multilateral Committee of the Joint Apparel Association Forum (JAAF) on Thursday. more..

Dec 17 (LBO) Haphazard reform has saddled Sri Lanka with unequal and skewed growth, the World Bank says in its new country report. �There has been enough growth in Sri Lanka to have already achieved the millennium development goals of halving poverty, but we are very, very far from it,� more..

Dec 17 (PRIU) South Asian Ministers of Information and media have agreed to liberalize the visa system to allow the free movement of media personnel within the region. This was agreed during the fourth conference of the SAARC Ministers of Information and Media held in Islamabad this week. more..

Dec 17 (Reuters) Sri Lanka stocks ended flat on Friday, despite some buying in bluechip counters, after the market opened late due to a technical glitch for the third consecutive session, brokers said. The key Colombo all-share index rose a provisional 0.04 percent, or 0.61 points, to 1,528.20 points. more..

Dec 17 (Reuters) The Sri Lanka rupee strengthened on Friday after slipping to several new life lows in the past week as exporters cashed-in their dollar earnings and on bank dollar sales, dealers said. The rupee closed 0.23 percent stronger at 105.25 rupees against the dollar, compared to Thursday's close of 105.50. more..

Dec 17 (IANS) Has superstar Shah Rukh Khan decided not to perform in public after the explosion at his concert in Colombo? Khan is reported to be heartbroken after the incident last week and has told a friend that he was considering stopping performing in concerts. more..

Dec 17 (Reuters) The Sri Lankan government's January-October revenues rose to 248.9 billion rupees from 225.6 billion rupees during the same period in 2003, the Central Bank said on Friday -- an increase of 10.3 percent. The government has forecast total revenues of 331.6 billion rupees for 2004, with spending projected at 469.5 billion rupees. more..

Dec 17 (AT) Around 10,000 Sri Lankans are languishing in Malaysia's jails or are detained at various places in the country after being arrested on charges of staying illegally in the country. more..

Dec 17 (AT) Informed sources in Colombo reveals that LTTE would shortly issue a statement withdrawing from the Ceasefire Agreement (CFA) signed jointly by Ranil Wickremasinghe, former Prime Minister of the UNF Government and Velupillai Prabakaran, Leader of the LTTE on 22 February 2002. more..

Dec 17 (PIS) Norway assured President Chandrika Kumaratunga yesterday that the LTTE remained committed to maintaining the ceasefire agreement. But also urged that both parties should exercise the maximum restraint and refrain from actions that could be interpreted as provocation especially at a time when peace negotiations were not taking place. more..

Dec 17 (PIS) A 2004 survey to ascertain the perception of Sri Lankans towards peace shows that the support for peace has increased since the previous survey last year. The Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices Survey (KAPS) annual study was conducted by Social Indicator for the second year running and funded by USAID. more..

Dec 17 (SAMN) The SLMC and NUA are in the process of setting up a Muslim Peace Secretariat. Former Ambassador Javid Yusuf yesterday said that the two parties reached an agreement on this on Wednesday. more..

Dec 17 (SAMN) Sri Lankan Muslims consisting about eight per cent of the population have been governed by "our own personal law for centuries and that is reason enough for us to be proud of freedom we enjoy," said Housing Construction Industry and Eastern Province Education and Irrigation Development Minister Ferial Ashraff. more..

Dec 17 (SAMN) The government plans to import flour, big onions, dhal and potatoes worth 10 million US dollars within the next two months in a bid to reduce the escalating cost of living during the festive season, the Trade, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Ministry said Thursday. more..

Dec 17 (SAMN) President Chandrika Kumaratunga, had got tough with the South Asian Games(SAG) organizing committee for their lethargic performance since officially launching the much awaited Games in April this year. The SAG is scheduled for August 15-25 in Colombo. more..

Dec 17 (ANN) For a people who have grown accustomed to protracted violence and injustice, the immediate recent events have been unnerving. Political assassinations and contract killings are clearly uncontrollable and possible at will. Lesser power struggles continue to seriously inhibit the highest priority peace talks. more..

Dec 17 (DN) Panic gripped inmates at the Matara Base Hospital yesterday with the death of three patients who were admitted with yet to be identified symptoms of a similar type. Following the crisis all ward patients of the Matara hospital were evacuated to other hospitals in the area. more..

Dec 17 (Xinhua) Norwegian peace envoy Erik Solheimon Friday ended his fresh tour to Sri Lanka after meeting with President Chandrika Kumaratunga and the rebel's leader, with a commitment to maintaining cease-fire agreement from both sides. more..

Dec 17 (Reuters) At least 120,000 Sri Lankans spent a fourth day sheltering in schools and temples on Friday as monsoon floods spread in the island's east and an eighth person was killed, buried in an earth slip. About 1,200 residents of the small coastal village of Sithanddy, near the eastern town of Batticaloa, were holed up in a school more..

Dec 17 (AFP) A top Norwegian envoy who failed in his latest effort to revive Sri Lanka's peace talks has warned both parties to honour a truce or risk a return to full-scale war, diplomats said. Oslo's envoy, Erik Solheim, ended his mission Friday, a day after talks with President Chandrika Kumaratunga, more..

Dec 18 (TN) The recent flood in the three district of the eastern province, Batticaloa, Amparai and Trincomalee, has affected about 130,000 families. The breakdown is 61,588 in Batticaloa, 69,048 in Amparai, and 1,799 in Trincomalee. Eight persons including two children died till Thursday night in these districts due to heavy rain and flood. more..

Dec 18 (LBO) In a country that touts 'free education', but where its Central Bank estimates over Rs. 5 bn is spent on private tuition at primary and secondary levels, the number of students that master key subjects remain humiliatingly small. more..

Dec 18 (Rupavahini) The election commissioner's department has introduced a new electronic device to prevent vote rigging and malpractices in the elections. The commissioner general of elections Dayananda Dishanayake said that a sum of 25 million rupees could be saved from the expenditure to hold elections by using this electronic device. more..

Dec 18 (Rupavahini) The health ministry announced today that all precautionary measures have been taken to combat the hitherto unknown disease suspected to be a viral infection which is spreading in Matara, Embilipitiya and Padalangala areas. Four people have died from the disease which has Pneumonia symptoms. more..

Dec 18 (Rupavahini) President Chandrika Kumratunge has directed the police authorities to launch comprehensive investigations in to the closure of the Norwegian embassy in Colombo in view of anthrax scare after a letter containing some white powder was detected. more..

Dec 18 (FL) While the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam insists on interim self-rule as the basis for a resumption of talks, the Sri Lankan government maintains that it is willing to discuss the proposal but along with the contours of a final settlement. more..

Dec 18 (FL) ON November 27, the former special commander of the LTTE V. Muralitharan (`Col.' Karuna) did some plain-speaking in his maiden Heroes' Day speech. Be it in attacking LTTE supremo V. Prabakaran or in setting conditions to the Sri Lankan government, `Col.' Karuna sounded firm and direct. more..

Dec 18 (BBC) The top authority in Sri Lankan elections said on Friday that Sri Lanka will not introduce an electronic voting system until the relevant changes are made in the elections law. Commissioner of Elections, Dayananda Dissanayake emphasised the need for change of the legal system to introduce a new automatic system of voting. more..

Dec 18 (NZH) Muttiah Muralitharan is poised to play a full part in the test series against New Zealand after all. The man considered the world's most dangerous bowler is apparently on track to be back in time for both tests in New Zealand - the first in Hamilton from January 15, and the second in Wellington from January 22. more..

Dec 18 (PT) A Pakistani national has sent a fine notice worth Rs 100000 to Sri Lankan Airline's officials, who allegedly labelled him as terrorist. Enumerating his story Zahid Gul said that he left for Bangkok on September 20 in connection of business activities. more..

Dec 18 (AT) Sri Lanka may be a third world poor nation but that does not warrant it to be a puppet and bow down to the diktats of every ruffian who thinks that this nation can be bought over by their military power or by the strength of its economic prowess. more..

Dec 18 (AT) Health Minister Nimal Siripala Silva appealed to the public not to panic following four deaths due to an unidentified disease in the Embilipitiya and Matara government hospitals. Three of the victims were in the Matara hospital. So far there is no indication that the illness is linked to bird fever or SARS. more..

Dec 18 (TN) His Lordship L.R.Antony, Bishop Emeritus of Trincomalee-Batticaloa Diocese was felicitated on the day of his Golden Jubilee of Priesthood. The felicitation event was held in Trincomalee St.Mary's Cathedral on Wednesday. more..

Dec 18 (UNI) The Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (MDMK), an ally of the ruling United Progressive Allaince (UPA) government at the Centre, today said Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had assured the party that India will not sign any defence agreement with Sri Lanka for the time being in the interest of Tamils in the island nation. more..

Dec 18 (AFP) A day after the Norwegian envoy, Erik Solheim, failed in his effort to revive Sri Lanka�s peace talks, he was due to travel to India today to brief New Delhi on Sri Lankan developments. more..

Dec 18 (LT) Rohitha Bogollagama has filed a petition seeking a court order to nullify the decision of the UNP to expel him from the parliamentary membership and the membership of the party. Six UNP top men including the leader of the UNP, Ranil Wickramasinghe, Malik Samarawickrama, and secretary, Weragoda have been cited as respondents in this case. more..

Dec 18 (LT) Summons has been issued for former MP S.B.Dissanayake who is serving a rigorous imprisonment to appear in court on 28th January next. This followed a complaint made to the Bribery Commissioner. The Bribery Commission had ordered him to submit a report on his income and expenses for the period between 1994 and 2004. more..

Dec 18 (DT) Experts from Pakistan and Sri Lanka are expected to finalise lists of items to be traded under the proposed free trade agreement (FTA) during a three-day meeting in Colombo from December 22, a senior government official said. more..

Dec 18 (AT) Indo � Lanka joint Naval Exercise was out of bounds for Sri Lankan Journalists. Naval authorities wondered over the number request came from the Tamil journalist to cover the exercises. They were of the opinion that there must have been intelligence agents of the LTTE masquerading as journalists. more..

Dec 18 (TN) The Tamils Rehabilitation Organization (TRO) has been distributing relief packages to flood victims in the Trincomalee district since Thursday. TRO Trincomalee district secretariat workers Thursday and Friday supplied relief packages to all victims irrespective of any differences in the north of the district. more..

Dec 18 (TN) President, Ms. Chandrika Kumaratunge, told a delegation of the Ceylon Tamil Teachers' Union (CTTU) Friday that the Sri Lankan security forces continue to believe that Liberation Tiger cadres would infiltrate into the high security zones if the internally displaced families were allowed to resettle, more..

Dec 18 (TN) A paramilitary cadre, Vellaikutty Tharmakumar (25), believed to be a member of the paramilitary group led by Karuna, was arrested in Valaichenai, 32 kilometres north of Batticaloa, when he was found in possession of a hand grenade Friday evening, Police sources said. more..

Dec 18 (SLA) A civilian who was threatened to join with LTTE a few weeks ago was shot dead by an unknown pistol man on 17 December 2004 around 8.10 p.m. in the general area of KALUWANKERNI, ERAVUR. The victim, SIVAKUR THIYAGARAJA (24) of RDF road, KALUWANKERNI succumbed to his injuries at the ERAVUR hospital. more..

Dec 18 (SLA) LTTE men on Friday (17) had continued to go on announcing that JAFFNA people should join the LTTE and help them in their war against Security Forces if war breaks out again. (Ref: Situation Reports on 17 December 2004) more..