Oct 22 (TW) I write this article with reference to the speech that appeared in the press, reported to have been made recently by Mr K.H.J Wijedasa, former Secretary to the late President R. Premadasa, at a seminar organized by the World Alliance for Peace in Sri Lanka. more..

Oct 22 (TW) The abrogated Bandaranaike-Chelvanayagam Pact of 1957 was based on the federal principle and was a trifle compared to what had been proposed in recent years to devolve powers to the regions. more..

Oct 22 (TW) The killing of two Northern school principals by two different sets of killers on successive days has brought in its wake widespread condemnation. The Eelam Peoples Democratc Party and Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam are the prime suspects. more..

Oct 22 (TW) Killing the high profile Jaffna Central College Principal Kanapathy Rajadurai has caused tremendous problems for the tigers. It was in the first place a betrayal as the principal had been promised "safety" by sections of the tiger hierarchy. more..

Oct 23 (HS) A MELBOURNE man arrested over the assassination of Sri Lanka's foreign minister has vowed to clear his name and said he needs Australian Government help. Charles Gnanakone is in custody in Sri Lanka, accused of involvement in the August 12 murder of high-ranking politician Lakshman Kadiragamar and links to the guerilla terror group LTTE. more..

Oct 23 (TN) Representatives of Jaffna district fishermen unions, Sri Lanka Army (SLA) officers met at the SLMM office in Nallur Jaffna Saturday at 3 p.m. in an effort to resolve the hardships faced by Jaffna fishermen due to the pass system, lack of light house facilities and the restriction on fishing times, more..

Oct 23 (WI) Sri Lanka coach Tom Moody today frankly acknowledged that he had quite a few problems on his plate after his side were humbled by a depleted Mumbai President�s XI at the Wankhede Stadium here today. "We have to go and sort out quite a few shortcoming and we�re already working towards it. more..

Oct 23 (SMH) An Australian citizen arrested in Sri Lanka in connection with the assassination of the foreign minister has been accused of being a debt-ridden entrepreneur who falsely used the Australian Red Cross logo to give himself credibility. more..

Oct 23 (BBC) The Commission appointed by the President to inquire into the circumstances of the death of Ven.Gangodawila Soma Thero has come out with varying conclusions. The three member commission handed over its report to President on Friday, the 22nd. more..

Oct 23 (wsws) The Socialist Equality Party (SEP) calls on workers, young people, intellectuals and housewives to support and participate in our campaign for the November 17 presidential election. Our candidate Wije Dias is the only one advocating a socialist alternative to war and social inequality. more..

Oct 23 (LeN) The passing away of Venerable Gangodawila Soma thera is a result of a conspiracy according to the Presidential Commission appointed to probe the controversial circumstances of the death of the popular Dhamma preacher while in Russia to receive an honorary doctorate. more..

Oct 23 (TW) The eventual announcement that Mahinda Rajapkse would be the SLFP candidate, was not a surprise but, indeed, it was a subject of considerable speculation.At the age of 63, with six adorable grandchildren, and a deep conviction, that we presently live in a 'failing State,' more..

Oct 23 (TW) Once more, the great Presidential battle is joined! In well over 50 years of Independence, once more, we are on to the pastime in which we have excelled most! Before, it was the General Elections, where each party promised the moon - these 50 years to the masses. more..

Oct 23 (LT) A special meeting between President Chandrika Kumaratunga and Leader of the Opposition Ranil Wickremasinghe is to be held on the 24th to prevent the budget proposals being presented to the Parliament say political circles. more..

Oct 23 (LT) �Uthayan�, a pro-LTTE newspaper published in Jaffna has accepted the fact that forces in the South are divided into two clearly defined camps; that of National forces of Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapakse and of forces of foreign influences of Opposition Leader Ranil Wickremasinghe. more..

Oct 23 (AT) Successive governments or any other person or organization failed to bring up schemes or structure that could provide sufficient employment in the country. Since Independence, J R Jayawardene�s Free Trade Zone concept and the Mahaweli Project could be identified as a partial attempt in providing large scale employment. more..

Oct 23 (AT) Given the current polarisation in Lankan politics the centrist option � one that is pro-autonomy and anti-Tiger - is conspicuous by its absence. Ranil Wickremesinghe wants to share power, but only with the LTTE; his is a �solution� that will sound the death knell for Tamil democracy. more..

Oct 23 (AT) Tamil National Alliance Parliamentarian Nadarajah Raviraj in his characteristic outspoken style asked Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapakse: �How the hell on earth could he ensure maximum devolution of powers under a unitary state?� more..

Oct 23 (AFP) A team from Sri Lanka arrived in India on Saturday to inspect a Sri Lankan Airlines plane which was damaged when it was hit by a motorised boarding stairs before take off, the Press Trust of India reported. more..

Oct 23 (TN) Mr.Kyagama, Director of the Foundation for International Development Relief (FIDR) and Mr.K.Ganesh, Jaffna's Government Agent Saturday laid the foundation stone for children medical unit in the Chavakachcheri hospital. The unit is to be constructed at a cost 2 million rupees funded by the FIDR based in Japan, health department sources said. more..

Oct 23 (TN) The Ceylon Tamil Teachers' Union (CTTU) Sunday announced that it has postponed the strike scheduled to commence on Monday 24 October as Dr. Tara de Mel, Secretary of Education, has agreed to meet a four member CTTU delegation at the Colombo Education Ministry on Wednesday 26th October, CTTU General Secretary Mr.T.Mahasivam said. more..

Oct 23 (TN) Frequent outages of electricity supply in Mannar and its suburbs are hurting residents and economic activity in Mannar, and industrialists are complaining that frequent breakdown and fluctuation in the supply are damaging industrial machinery, Mr.Selvam Adaikalanathan, Wanni district TNA parliamentarian said more..

Oct 23 (SLA) TWO SMALL CHILDREN resident at the Internally Displaced Persons� (IDP) center in BATTICALOA town received injuries and one soldier severely injured due to small arms firing by Tamil Tigers today (23) around 9.00 a.m. more..

Oct 23 (SLA) DESPITE THE REQUEST made by the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) officials to remove the LTTE flag hoisted by Tamil Tigers during a ceremony held in the general area of TRINCOMALEE town, the LTTE flag continued to remain hoisted yesterday (22) until the ceremony was over. more..

Oct 23 (UNP) UNP Presidential Candidate Ranil Wickremesinghe said yesterday at Attanagalla that he will get the people�s approval before implementing a final solution to the national problem. Addressing a public meeting he said that he will hold a referendum once a final solution is sought after speaking to the LTTE. more..

Oct 23 (UNP) UNP presidential candidate Ranil in kanthale said that getting the country under one flag can only be done by providing federal solution to the ethnic crisis. It is President Chandrika Kumaratunga who proposed this solution for the north east problem. more..

Oct 23 (LM) He said the SLMC leadership agreed to support Mr. Wickremesinghe's candidacy after they had several rounds of talks with him over six months. "The SLMC central committee is convinced that he is a candidate who respects Muslim's aspirations," he said. more..

Oct 23 (LM) UNP deputy leader Karu Jayasuriya has requested President Chandrika Kumaratunga to defer the presentation of the budget until November 22 to afford an opportunity to the newly-elected President to incorporate in the budget the manifesto endorsed by the people at the poll. more..

Oct 23 (LBO) An estimated 325,956 telephone lines were pending connections by June 2005, with the bulk of the shortage in the western and southern provinces. Data collected by the telecom watchdog point to an under supply of 41,075 phone in Colombo alone. more..

Oct 23 (LT) Steps will be taken to give a large number of benefits to youth who are engaged in foreign employment said Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapakse. He said this addressing a large gathering at a ceremony of a Union of Employees in Middle East Countries held at Viharamahadevi Park in Colombo. more..

Oct 23 (ANN) Several officers at the Registrar of Motor Vehicle (RMV) and Customs Dept are under investigation over a massive racket involving major vehicle importers accused of clearing about 1,000 vehicles without paying taxes. Deputy IGP Pujitha Jayasundera said that he ordered an investigation about two months ago after receiving a tip-off. more..

Oct 23 (ANN) UPFA Presidential candidate Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapakse said that after winning the forthcoming polls, he will directly engage in talks with the LTTE leader Velupillai Prabhakaran and will not seek foreign facilitation in doing so. more..

Oct 23 (AN) In a dramatic turn, an Indian national who sustained severe injuries from gunshots from three Sri Lankans, has pardoned the accused, foregoing the compensation due to him. In a public case in March this year, three Sri Lankans were sentenced to death for armed robbery by High Court Judge Abdul Aziz Al-Musaikri. more..

Oct 23 (Hindu) As the Sri Lankan election caravan winds its way across the island's districts, the Indian model of federalism is cited by the two main contestants, Prime Minister, Mahinda Rajapakse and the Leader of the Opposition, Ranil Wickremesinghe. more..

Oct 23 (SAMN) According to the Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF), the Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV), which went missing in the LTTE held Vanni last week has crashed due to a technical error. SLMM spokeswoman Helen Olattsdoftir, however, stated in a statement that the UAV's mission went against the spirit of the Ceasefire Agreement. more..

Oct 23 (SAMN) Private sector employers who are violating labour laws, implemented by the Labour Department on the remitting of Employees Provident Fund (EPF) deductions to the Central Bank of Sri Lanka will be prosecuted under a special program initiated recently. more..

Oct 23 (PIS) Sri Lanka�s stagnating peace process is worrying with the ceasefire gradually deteriorating, says Reynout van Dijk, the new Netherlands ambassador to Colombo. �Is there one?� he queried when asked for comments on the peace process. more..

Oct 23 (LNP) Asiri Hospitals Group will invest Rs.600 million to put up a new hospital in Kandy by early next year and will be keenly following their backward integration strategy to build more healthcare services in and around the country. more..

Oct 23 (LNP) Ports and Civil Aviation Minister Mangala Samaraweera yesterday admitted that he had used government funds to mount an elevator in his double-storey official residence, but said defiantly that he wasn`t planning to take it home with him. more..

Oct 23 (LNP) Legislation is not the best way to deal with religious conflicts and connected issues, said Dr. Joanella Morales [molecular and human geneticist] from the Foreign Affairs Office of the US Department of Religious Freedom of which John Hanford is the Ambassador at large. more..

Oct 23 (SO) This year's surveys in Gulf of Mannar for hydrocarbon resources has indicated similarities with Gulf of Mexico, Americas highest oil provider, increasing optimism among Sri Lankan authorities in finding petroleum resources here. more..

Oct 23 (JP) Every year in the month of Esala, Buddhists and tourists from around the country and the world stream into the Sri Lankan city of Kandy for the festival of Perahera. Held to honor the Sacred Tooth of Buddha, enshrined in the Temple of the Tooth, the ten-day ceremony draws Buddhists and tourists from all over the world to Kandy's narrow, hilly streets. more..

Oct 23 (AP) Sri Lanka warned its citizens to prepare for possible flooding and mudslides as the tropical island braced Sunday for heavy rains caused by a low-pressure system. "We may have lots of rain and therefore we run the risk of floods and landslides," more..

Oct 23 (LBO) Presidential race is now in full swing with both candidates releasing their manifestoes. Both leading candidates have pledged to achieve economic growth over seven percent but their populist policies may become a barrier in achieving that growth. more..

Oct 23 (AP) A Tamil Tiger rebel opened fire on a tsunami relief camp in eastern Sri Lanka on Sunday, wounding two children and a government soldier, the Defense Ministry said. The man, armed with an automatic rifle, approached the camp in Batticaloa and started shooting at a soldier standing guard, seriously wounding him, more..

Oct 23 (AP) Tamil Tiger rebels will remain neutral in the country's coming presidential election by not backing any candidate, a state-run newspaper reported. The rebels, who started fighting in 1983 for a separate homeland for Sri Lanka's 3.2 million ethnic minority Tamils, do not contest elections, but have supported candidates in the past. more..

Oct 24 (TN) 112 positions out of 147 positions for full time staffing positions for nurses still remain vacant at the Mannar government district hospital, and the hospital is currently functioning with only 35 nurses, hospital officials said. more..

Oct 24 (TN) The controversial Sri Lankan film �Forsaken Land� by Vimukthi Jayasundara won the �Harvest Talent Award for Best Film� at The 3rd World Film Festival of Bangkok, the organisers announced yesterday. The film was widely expected to win, so the announcement came as no surprise for many at the festival�s closing ceremony. more..

Oct 24 (LeN) Voters of the Colombo West electorate are to get a computerized ballot paper at the presidential election, according to the Election Secretariat. This step has been taken as all voters of this electorate have been computerized. more..

Oct 24 (LeN) A thoroughly disgusting incident where political pressure has been employed to cover up a sickening scam involving a Coordinating Secretary of Health Minister Nimal Siripala De Silva has come to light. more..