Feb 18 (LBO) The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) is working with the government to draw up a long-term aid plan to rebuild Sri Lanka�s tsunami smashed fisheries sector. The United Nations body is currently working in seven of the countries most affected by the tsunami, including Sri Lanka. more..

Feb 18 (SLBC) Cabinet has approved a proposal to include the subject of indigenous medicine into school curricular. Minister Tissa Karaliyadda has handed over the details of the proposal to the Ministry of Education. Accordingly, indigenous medicine will be a subject from grade six by next year. more..

Feb 18 (SLBC) Government has decided to provide special facilities to the tsunami affected school children in the north and east. This decision was taken following a discussion between the Minister Ferial Ashroff and Secretary to the Ministry Tara de Mel at Isurupaya yesterday. more..

Feb 18 (SLBC) President Chandrika Kumaratunga says that she will not hesitate to take stern action against any political party, organization and individual who attempts to sabotage rehabilitation projects in tsunami hit areas. more..

Feb 18 (DT) A three-member parliamentary delegation led by WJM Lokubandra, the speaker of the Sri Lankan Parliament called on Punjab Governor Lt General (r) Khalid Maqbool at Governor�s House on Thursday. The governor sympathised with the Sri Lankan speaker over the loss of hundreds of people because of the recent tsunami tragedy. more..

Feb 18 (SS) Country the same, missions distinctly different. That was the experience of two Navy medical personnel teams from the U.S. Naval Hospital, Okinawa, recently returned from Sri Lanka. One team of 17 was in the south, in Galle, providing care solely for U.S. servicemembers deployed to the tsunami relief operations in the region. more..

Feb 18 (PIS) The out-going Senior Resident Representative of the IMF Jeremy Carter last week recommended that peace and reforms must go hand in hand if Sri Lanka were to become a successful nation. more..

Feb 18 (CI) Jehan Mubarak's dogged 82 rescued Western Province from a dismal start to their match against North Central at the SSC in Colombo, after a thrilling burst from Gayan Wijekoon had reduced Western to 14 for 3 after five overs. more..

Feb 18 (ANN) Foreign volunteers are beginning to leave the country, having finished their share of relief work and the international media focus is shifting to other trouble spots and disasters in the world. Water is closing in on Sri Lanka�s disaster and soon it will be a thing of the past. more..

Feb 18 (BBC) In the weeks that followed the tsunami, tourists started returning to Sri Lanka - but many were not there for a holiday, they went to help in the relief effort. It did not take long before critical voices were raised. Who were these "aid tourists" and would they help or hinder the reconstruction process? more..

Feb 18 (UK) Sri Lanka has been a failed state for the past 25 odd years mainly because it has been unable to provide a normal life for most of the Tamils and Muslims citizens of the North and Eastern provinces of the island. more..

Feb 18 (SFC) In the minutes following December's catastrophic earthquake off the Indonesian island of Sumatra, a surge of seawater more than 90 feet high inundated stretches of the remote western coast. A wave of such biblical proportions would crest as high as the clock on San Francisco's Ferry Building. more..

Feb 18 (RW) Sri Lanka must immediately stop imposing customs duties and other charges on international relief goods sent for tsunami victims in the country, the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) urged on Friday. more..

Feb 18 (AFP) Sri Lanka's Tamil Tiger rebels said a United Nations report saying that the guerrilla movement had recruited more than 4,700 children since 2001 was false. "We totally reject the accusations levelled against us about recruiting children for war," more..

Feb 18 (AP) About 1,000 Muslims blocked traffic Friday to protest plans by the Buddhist-dominated government to reconstruct tsunami-hit eastern Sri Lanka, saying the effort could wipe out their villages and force them to relocate. more..

Feb 18 (NT) Eight Sri Lankan crew members of a fishing trawler belonging to a Delhi-based businessman were deported to the island nation after their vessel, which was allowed to anchor at the harbour here due to snag despite it not calling at the port officially, failed to set sail even after 20 days. more..

Feb 18 (Reuters) A Greek church charity sent boxes of "inappropriate" aid to victims of the December tsunami in Sri Lanka, including fur coats and carnival wigs, Doctors of the World, the organisation that helped unload the shipment has said. more..

Feb 18 (HT) Norway, whose facilitation of the peace process has been coming under heavy flak from Sinhala nationalists in South Sri Lanka, is trying to woo them now. The Norwegian Peace Envoy, Erik Solheim, will be visiting the tsunami-hit southern districts of Galle and Matara, apart from seeing the damage done in the Tamil-speaking North Eastern districts of Amparai and Jaffna, more..

Feb 19 (WP) I have been spending a lot of time in a little section of Weligama called Sathniwasapura. It's just across the road from the fish market, which is where I ended up when the tsunami interrupted my morning swim on Dec. 26, and swept me toward the beach. more..

Feb 19 (Yahoo) Risuy Ziyar, a displaced Sri Lankan child, collects bricks to rebuild her house, which was destroyed by the Asian tsunami, at Marathamunai village in eastern Sri Lanka February 17, 2005. more..

Feb 19 (AFP) Norway's peace envoy Erik Solheim will visit Sri Lanka next week for talks with the government and rebel Tamil Tigers over tsunami relief distribution, the Norwegian embassy said. An embassy statement termed Solheim's second visit since the December 26 tsunami as a "regular" one, more..

Feb 19 (TN) Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar has officially registered his government�s strong objections with the United Nations over Secretary General Kofi Annan�s condemnation of the assassinations on February 7 of E. Kousalyan, and his team in a Sri Lanka government-controlled area of the Eastern province, more..

Feb 19 (AP) A group of fishermen attacked a Tamil Tiger rebel office in Sri Lanka on Friday, demanding the release of three fishermen allegedly abducted by the guerrillas, the military said. The angry fishermen hurled stones at the rebel office in Mannar, a government-held town more..

Feb 19 (BS) Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy has sought central government's intervention on the import of pepper from Sri Lanka under the Free Trade Agreement, an official release said Friday. The state's farmers are being forced to sell the spice at low prices due to Sri Lankan imports, the release said. more..

Feb 19 (ET) The flow of cheap vanaspati from Sri Lanka has hit a roadblock. Some 1,540 tonnes of vanaspati from Sri Lanka, has got stuck at the Kolkata port after it failed to pass the quality test by the Central Food Laboratory (CFL) in the city. more..

Feb 19 (ICRC) The initial emergency phase of the response to the disaster is winding down. Efforts are now focusing on ensuring adequate mid-term shelter, health care, water, sanitation and food for the people made homeless. Meanwhile, work has begun on planning and coordinating the longer-term reconstruction and rehabilitation of the affected areas. more..

Feb 19 (IPS) At the radio station that dominates the airwaves in this town under Tamil Tiger rebels' control, death gets a special place in the morning. At 8:30 a.m., almost two hours after the 'Voice of Tigers' has crackled to life with its first programme - a song to celebrate the separatist rebellion - a gong goes off, setting into motion a ritual that is observed with religious fervour every day. more..

Feb 19 (CI) Avishka Gunawardene's maiden double-century - actually it was his first hundred in first-class cricket since 2001-02 - put North Central Province in a string position against Western on the second day of their match at the Sinhalese Sports Club. more..

Feb 19 (AT) In Sri Lanka, press has always been a convenient scapegoat. No sooner a controversial statement is made by President Chandrika Kumaratunga; the government back peddles and goes hastily into damage control, flooding the media with clarifications. more..

Feb 19 (AFP) Italy has cancelled an outstanding debt worth 7.2 million euros to Sri Lanka as part of a tsunami relief package, a Sri Lankan finance ministry statement said Friday. more..

Feb 19 (MIT) Today we drove along the coastal highway with many stops to inspect domestic water supply wells and the impact of the saltwater on natural vegetation. Except for coconut trees, most other plants and trees in areas flooded by tsunami waves were dying, more..

Feb 19 (KC) Well, this is my last entry for the week; I can�t believe how quickly it�s gone. I still have another big day of activity, but I�ll be traveling tomorrow night and Sunday. So plan on checking back next week and I�ll try to post another update and share all of my pictures with you. Thanks for following along. more..

Feb 19 (SAMN) Out of the 9,000 pharmacies in Sri Lanka, nearly 7,000 do not have qualified pharmacists who have a knowledge about drugs and pharmaceutical items, a survey reveals. The survey also reveals that out of the 9,000 pharmacies, only 3,500 have been registered. more..

Feb 19 (SAMN) Opposition parties have called on the government to decentralize post tsunami rebuilding programmes. Addressing a forum held at the Jayawardene center to look at best ways of rebuilding the nation, representatives of the UNP, TNA, SLMC, JHU and NLF called on the government to change its policy more..

Feb 19 (SAMN) The government is hopeful of reaching an agreement with the LTTE soon on a joint mechanism for the distribution of tsunami aid in Tiger controlled areas of the northeast, a top official said Friday. more..

Feb 19 (SAMN) In a letter sent to the Bishop of Mannar, Rt. Rev. Dr. Rayappu Joseph, the Jathika Bhikku Peramuna had accused him of expressing solidarity with the Tigers by condoling the death of Kaushalyan and telling the people that the Tiger flag was the flag of the Tamil community. more..

Feb 19 (LT) The tsunami hit Bus Stand of the Galle town was reconstructed temporary and yesterday it was declared open for public use. Ho. Chandrasena Wijesinghe, the Minister of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources was the chief guest of the opening ceremony held yesterday. more..

Feb 19 (LT) Today marks the 15th anniversary of the assassination of Richard de Soyza the journalist, film and dramatic actor who was kidnapped by security personnel under the UNP regime. His body was later found by the seashore and identified by his mother Dr. Manorani Sarawanamuttu. more..

Feb 19 (LT) The United Nations Organization has expressed regrets to the Sri Lankan government about issuing a condolence message to the terrorist leader Kaushalyan. The chief of staff to the cabinet of Kofi Annan, the General Secretary of the United Nations have officially expressed the regrets on behalf of Mr. Annan to Mr. Bernard Gunatilake, more..

Feb 19 (LT) Eastern tiger organization led by Karuna Amman is to demand representation for the Eastern Province if a joint mechanism between the S.L.Govt. and Wanni tiger organization is established to manage reconstruction of tsunami ravaged areas in the North and the East. more..

Feb 19 (AT) �Tamil National Force feels that the defenseless Tamil people have no future under the UN, or its Secretary-General who leaps insensitively to condole the criminals oppressing and denying the Tamils their fundamental rights.� In a letter written Kofi Annan, more..

Feb 19 (LNP) Higher Technology and National Enterprise Development Minister Rohitha Bogollagama said the Supreme Court decision invalidating his expulsion from the UNP has spurred his endeavour to be of service to the country and nation more..

Feb 19 (TN) NorthEast's first physical fitness center for public, built as part of the Kilinochchi Central Sports Ground facilities and named after Vaithiyalingam Sornalingam, was ceremonially opened Saturday 3 pm, sources from Kilinochchi said. more..

Feb 19 (SLA) A group of suspected LTTE cadres had pelted stones at the MYLABAVELLY Army detachment general area of BATTICALOA on 18 February 2005 around 9.30 p.m. Three suspected LTTE cadres on three motorbikes came to the MYLAMBAVELLY Army detachment around 8.15 p.m. and shouted at the troops using abusive language for reason best known only to them. more..

Feb 19 (SLA) Naval troops on 18 February 2005 around 11.00 a.m. arrested 18 refugees after they were found dropped by a fishing trawler close to the 3rd SANAD BANK general sea area OLD PIER, MANNAR. Interrogation revealed that the refugees were returning from India after paying Indian Rs. 3000/= per head to an Indian trawlers. more..

Feb 19 (SLA) One thousand five hundred and twelve (1512) lorry loads of food and other essential items had been dispatched to un-cleared areas in the northern province during the period between 11 February 2005 and 17 February 2005. These consignments had reached areas in KILINOCHCHI and MULLAITTIVU districts via OMANTHAI and UYILANKULAM entry/exit points. more..

Feb 19 (SLA) The Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM), truce monitors that have been mandated to observe the Cease-fire Agreement (CFA) in Sri Lanka, say that LTTE within a matter of nearly three years (1st February 2002-31 December 2004) have violated the CFA fourteen times by denying the SLMM of its free movement. more..

Feb 19 (TP) A 10-year old Sri Lankan girl deported from Malaysia on Wednesday after being discovered with false travel documents, was produced before a Colombo judge on Thursday, court officials said. Chief Magistrate Kusala Sarojini Abeywardena fixed the next date of the case for February 22 and ordered the submission of three reports. more..

Feb 19 (TP) President Chandrika Kumaratunga on Thursday accused an opposition politician of trying to block tsunami aid to Sri Lanka and lashed out at local newspapers claiming they were so outrageous she had stopped reading them, the Daily Mirror reported. more..

Feb 19 (TP) Four Major-Generals are due to retire in the next month the Island newspaper reported. This is the first time that four senior Generals will retire within a short span of time, defence sources were quoted as saying. more..