Apr 23 (BBC) Government has offered to fulfil the latest made demand by the LTTE. The LTTE has made a request thru the Norwegian facilitator s to provide them with a helicopter that could accommodate ten people, the head of the government peace secretariat Palitha Kohona said. more..

Apr 23 (AT) "All Muslim Parliamentarians irrespective of the political party they represent should work together shedding their political differences and arrive at a common and united stand vis-�-vis the solution to the ethnic conflict that would safeguard the interest of the Muslims." more..

Apr 23 (AT) President Mahinda Rajapakse's government is struggling, without the obligatory help from the Co-chairs and the "facilitator" Erik Solheim, to put an end either to (1) the escalating violence of the LTTE or (2) the increasing demands of the LTTE � both of which have undermined the peace process and any prospects of holding talks in Geneva. more..

Apr 23 (AT) The government of Sri Lanka, understandably, wants to prevent the outbreak of a full scale war. Thus it is going the extra mile to keep the Tigers from withdrawing from the CFA. Unfortunately this spirit of generosity and accommodation does not extend to the ordinary Tamil people of the North and the East (especially in Trincomalee). more..

Apr 23 (GN) Media and Information Minister Anura Priyadharshana Yapa reiterated that Norway could play a vital role to put pressure on the LTTE. Earlier, the Minister giving a detailed account of the present problem of transporting 32 LTTE leaders from the East to Kilinochchi, said that the Sri Lanka Navy never interfered in their sea travel. more..

Apr 23 (AT) The head office of the World Tamil Movement in Toronto Canada � which is the front organization of LTTE � was raided and sealed off by the police in the early hours of Saturday morning. The Police yellow taped the premises off the World Tamil Movement Head Office located in 39 Cosentino Drive, Scarborough, Toronto in the Canadian province of Ontario. more..

Apr 23 (GN) Despite all the efforts of the Norwegian facilitator and the SLMM, the LTTE continues to remain intransigent on the issue of agreeing to cease its campaign of violence and going to Geneva II. The government in consultation with the SLMM has made numerous offers in order to accede to the requests made by the LTTE for transporting its cadres by land, by sea and by air. more..

Apr 23 (PIS) Diplomats and journalists in Geneva awaiting news of whether Monday�s scheduled meeting here between delegations of the Sri Lanka government and LTTE will be possible, got negative signals following contacts between the SLMM, Norwegian diplomats and LTTE in Kilinochchi on Friday and Saturday. more..

Apr 23 (PIS) Prospects for the resumption of talks between the Government and the LTTE appeared remote yesterday despite frantic persuasive efforts by Norwegian peace facilitators. This grim picture emerged as the new SLMM Chief Ulf Henricsson returned to Colombo empty handed after an overnight stay in Kilinochchi. more..

Apr 23 (TW) Shukria Gul was found HIV positive in 1995. Since then she has been working with the People Living With HIV/AIDS (PLWHAs) in Pakistan. Thirty five year old Shukria Gul is currently the general secretary of Pak plus Society, which is working very closely with the PLWHAs. more..

Apr 23 (TW) How many of those who should, actually recall the founding year of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam? Not many, I suspect. It was 1976. Its precursor the Tamil New Tigers was formed in 1972, but the LTTE, the Liberation Tigers, Viduthalai Puligal, was born in 1976. more..

Apr 23 (TW) Kumar David in his essay last week has done well to take the bull by the horns and pose the question in his own words why the LTTE has a substantial degree of support among Tamils despite the fact that there is no semblance of democratic and human rights in the land of the Tiger. more..

Apr 23 (LeN) Amidst growing insecurity in the country, the security of President Mahinda Rajapaksa and in the Colombo city has been tightened. Since assuming duties President Rajapaksa has not been so concerned about his security and while spending New Year holiday in his ancestral home in Hambantota, the President has breakaway from shackles of security to mingle freely with people. more..

Apr 23 (LBO) Sri Lanka's immigration authorities have closed an internet-based commercial sex service run by foreign nationals, in the first such operation, officials said. The service run by persons of Ukrainian origin, and solicited clients via the website www.bananaescort.net, ended on April 12, after just two months of operations when more..

Apr 23 (SH) Out on the streets of Colombo, it is the similarity that strikes you first. Brown skin, vaguely-familiar names, sarees and salwars, Bajaj autos (or tuk tuks in local parlance), Maruti 800s and Tata Indicas. As our taxi cruises from the airport to the hotel, Aamir Khan stares down at us from a poster of Rang de Basanti that is showing at a local theatre. more..

Apr 23 (SN) Our culture and literature was once famous for highlighting what was truly beautiful and aesthetic in this country. Ancient poets, painters and writers produced master pieces which to this day,are considered marvels. We talk proudly of the ancient irrigation systems, the Dagobas, the Rock Fortress of Sigiriya, more..

Apr 23 (WS) A notable absentee at the oath taking ceremony of Kandy�s Mayor L.B.Aluvihare was the former Mayor Keshara Senanayake, who took his oaths elswhere before an Attorney-at-Law. The Opposition group took its oaths before Governor of the Centeral Province Tikiri Kobbekaduwa. more..

Apr 23 (SLBC) The three train services, Udarata Menike, Yarl Devi and Ruhunu Kumari celebrate the golden jubilee of their commencement. These train services began on 23rd April 1956. Yarl Devi ran for 250 miles while Udarata Menike serves 180 miles to Badulla and Ruhunu Kumarai 100 miles to Matara. more..

Apr 23 (TP) Sri Lanka is seeking to promote migration of professional job categories like IT specialists, nurses and care-givers in addition to the current unskilled labour and domestic workers, officials said yesterday. A new campaign on these lines is to be launched soon after a comprehensive three-day meeting in Dubai recently discussed all these issues. more..

Apr 23 (LNP) The army has failed to recruit the required number of Muslims for a special battalion it intends to raise for deployment, particularly in the eastern theatre. Walk-in-interviews held at Samanthurai, Kalmunai, Nintavur, Akkaraipattu and the Combat Training School at Konduwattuwan from April 5 to 10 did not produce the desired results, a military official said. more..

Apr 23 (LNP) A sex abuse tsunami has hit the Batticaloa district following allegations that women working for local and international NGOs have been forced into appearing in pornographic video films. The crisis has reached such serious proportions that TNA Batticaloa district MPs have requested District Secretary S. Puniyamoorthy to summon an urgent meeting more..

Apr 23 (LNP) The damage caused by the April 12 violence in Trincomalee town has been estimated at over 150 million rupees, a report made by the Chamber of Commerce and Industries of Trincomalee District (CCITD) revealed. Thirty two business establishments had been affected by the violence. more..

Apr 23 (LNP) Chief Justice Sarath N Silva yesterday launched a scathing attack on some police, customs, Registrar of Motor Vehicle officers and some lawyers, saying they were highly corrupt, he had no faith in them and they would die after prolonged agony. Mr. Silva said police officers were a useless lot and as Chief Justice he wanted to protect himself from the police rather than getting their protection. more..

Apr 23 (SAMN) Paddy farmers in the villages near Valaichchenai in the East of Sri Lanka who were looking forward to a bountiful harvest two weeks ago, have been forced to flee into the jungles to avoid being conscripted to a civilian militia by the LTTE. more..

Apr 23 (IANS) Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has written to President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam urging him to ask the central government to reconsider the Sethusamudram canal project, saying it would 'hurt' Hindu feelings. The ship canal project, being built at Dhanushkodi along the Palk Strait on the southern tip of India, more..

Apr 23 (SAMN) Government decision to increase fuel prices is set to trigger a rise in the cost of living with prices of a number of consumer items and services expected to increase sharply. The fuel hike has already triggered price increases in some food products, private bus fares and three-wheeler fares. more..

Apr 23 (SO) The Queen Elizabeth recently conferred the prestigious OBE (Order of the British Empire) award on the Most Venerable Dr. Medagama Vajiragnana Nayake Thera, Chief Sangha Nayake of Great Britain and Head of London Buddhist Vihara, in recognition of the Nayake Thera's outstanding achievements and services to promotion of harmony among different religious faiths in Britain. more..

Apr 23 (ZN) Prime Minister Ratnasiri Wickramanayake today called for firm and decisive action to deal with terrorism, separatism and extremism which have emerged as "dangerous threat" to regional and global security. "Terrorism, separatism and extremism are dangerous threats to regional and global security and those evils need to be dealt with firmly and decisively," more..

Apr 23 (SAMN) The Board of Investment (BOI) have written to BOI firms, requesting them to reduce their expatriate staff and employ locals. �We found that certain companies were employing foreigners in excess of the requirement and we have sent them letters requesting them to reduce the expatriate staff,� Lakshman R. Watawala, Chairman BOI said. more..

Apr 23 (Xinhua) To ensure sustained development and growth for Asia, Asian countries need to complement each others' efforts rather than complicate them through confrontation, said Sri Lanka Prime Minister Ratnasiri Wickramanayake Sunday in Boao. Wickramanayake said while speaking of new models and opportunities for Asia to drive development to higher levels, more..

Apr 23 (Xinhua) Chinese Vice President Zeng Qinghong on Saturday said China would continue cementing ties with Sri Lanka in all fields for win-win progress. At a meeting with Sri Lanka Prime Minister Ratnasiri Wickramanayake on the sidelines of the Boao Forum for Asia annual conference, Zeng said the two countries had enhanced political trust, more..

Apr 23 (LE) The All Island Media Federation headed by veteran provincial journalist Darmaratna Bandara Kandagolla plans to host their May day celebration Up Country to force the authorities to implement a permanent salary structure and some other benefits for rural media men. more..

Apr 23 (Reuters) Chelaiah Sunralachumi fled her home twice and lost her husband and two children in Sri Lanka's two-decade civil war. Then, the 2004 tsunami devastated her refugee camp and she moved once again. Now, the 60-year-old woman is again heading back into the jungles of northeast Sri Lanka, more..

Apr 23 (AP) Sri Lankan government forces on Sunday shot and killed three Tamil rebels in two separate incidents in the country's northeast after the insurgents lobbed hand grenades at the soldiers, the Defense Ministry said. The fighting is part of an upsurge in violence that has left at least 69 people dead this month, 40 of them soldiers more..

Apr 23 (TN) With Sri Lanka�s government refusing to disarm Army-backed paramilitaries whose �shadow war� against the LTTE is spiralling into increasingly cycles of revenge killings, the Ceasefire Agreement is �falling apart,� the Chief Negotiator and Political Strategist, Anton Balasingham, said this week. more..

Apr 23 (TN) Two armed robberies by masked men in Vantharumoolai and motocycle and bicycle thefts in Rameshpuram, Thalavai and Armugathankudiyiruppu in the Eravur police division in Batticaloa have been reported to Eravur police Saturday. An armed, masked gang entering the houses of Pias Rameshkumar and Kanapathipillai Puwanendran in Vantharumoolai on Saturday robbed more..

Apr 23 (AFP) At least two soldiers and three suspected Tamil Tiger rebels were killed in fresh violence, officials said, as Scandinavian peace brokers scrambled to save a fragile ceasefire. Police opened fire and killed two suspected Tamil Tiger rebels who lobbed a grenade at a checkpoint in the eastern Trincomalee district early Sunday, more..

Apr 23 (AP) Villagers of Kanniya evacuate with their belongings to a refugee camp, at Kanniya, near to the northeastern town of Trincomalee. Villagers continued to evacuate the village of Kanniya after the funeral of Pakiyarasa Baskaran, 16, more..

Apr 23 (AFP) Sri Lanka has urged the European Union to designate the Tamil Tiger rebels a terrorist group, saying such a move could nudge the guerrillas into resuming talks on a troubled truce as eight people were killed in weekend violence. The government said it expected the 25-member EU to press ahead with a threatened move to list the LTTE as a "terrorist organisation" and cut off overseas funding. more..

Apr 23 (BBC) The main opposition in Sri Lanka, United National Party (UNP), has supported the government�s attempt to exert diplomatic pressure on the Tamil Tigers. UNP Assistant General Secretary Tissa Attanayake told BBC Sandeshaya that the party supports diplomatic moves to bring the rebels back to the negotiations table. more..

Apr 23 (BBC) Sri Lanka begin their England tour in Cambridge on Monday, with a three-day game against British Universities. Coach Tom Moody will be keen to allow an inexperienced batting line-up to get used to early-season conditions. "It's tough for everyone but it's something that we've discussed and we're all looking forward to the challenge that lies ahead," said Moody. more..

Apr 23 (Reuters) Tamil Tiger rebels kidnapped and killed six ethnic Sinhalese farmers, police and the army said on Sunday, raising fears of communal violence that could lead to renewed civil war. The murders took place in the northeastern district of Trincomalee, where Sinhalese residents attacked Tamil villages last week in anger over claymore mine attacks the army blamed on the LTTE more..

Apr 24 (LeN) Two out of three LTTE cadres scheming to assassinate Agriculture, Irrigation and Mahaweli Development Minister Maithreepala Sirisena at Kaduruwela, Polonnaruwa tried to commit suicide by swallowing cyanide when they were arrested by the Police around 1.30 this afternoon. more..

Apr 24 (LeN) An Inspector, a sub-Inspector and two constables were hurt in when LTTE cadres flung a bomb at the Batticaloa police station around 11.45 his morning. This was the first attack on a police station, though there was a spate of claymore mine and grenade attacks against security forces over the past few days. more..

Apr 24 (AT) LTTE has warned the Sri Lanka Army, that if it continues to attack Tamils in their homeland, then they may be compelled to hand over thousands of coffins with the dead bodies of the Army men to the SLMM. Iniyavan, Political Head of the LTTE in Mannar has extended this warning to the Sri Lanka Army in a statement released to LTTE�s electronic Tamil media. more..

Apr 24 (AT) Political analysts argue that the Upsurging People�s Force, escalating violence since Geneva is the latest paramilitary wing of the LTTE. It is the new militant force that shot its way into the headlines after Geneva 1 by targeting Sri Lankan Security forces and Tamil dissidents. more..

Apr 24 (AT) The Share Market Review for the preceding week on All Share Price Index (ASPI) complied by the research team of the HNB Stockbrokers (Pvt) Ltd indicated though there were hopes on the resumption of peace talks propelled the market and positive sentiment continued throughout the earlier week with both indices showing encouraging gains. more..

Apr 24 (MM) There is more to be captured in Sri Lanka by eyes than mere words. That is how the island nation�s tourist board is campaigning to attract Indian tourists. And now, even the Indian film industry is being invited to shooting at its natural locales. more..

Apr 24 (LT) UNP deputy General Secretary Tissa Attanayake said that UNP�s stand on the peace process has not changed yet and appealed to the government and the Tigers organization to resume talks immediately. UNP condemns violence perpetrated in the North East and demands the Tigers to stop them. more..

Apr 24 (LT) A statement released by Chief of Defence Staff Admiral Daya Sandagiri says that In the recent past, the LTTE with their tactful and organized machination unleashed violence on innocent Sinhalese, Tamil and Muslim civilians in remote hamlets living quite close to the threatened villages in government controlled areas more..