Feb 5 (CI) The Under-19 World Cup in Sri Lanka was officially opened on Sunday and was hailed by the ICC chief executive, Malcolm Speed, as an event which has "truly come of age". The tournament, which comprises 16 teams from around the world, will stage 44 matches in 15 days at five different venues. more..

Feb 5 (AP) A shadowy guerrilla group warned Saturday it would launch attacks on Sri Lanka's military and groups opposing the Tamil Tiger rebels because of a government crackdown on ethnic minority Tamil civilians in the northeast. The People's Army - said by rivals to be a front organization for the LTTE - issued the threat in a statement posted on a pro-rebel Web site. more..

Feb 5 (IL) My criticism about this young boy 22-23 year EROS NESAN has been misstated in a misleading way by the " Independent web site", and recycled by INFOLANKA. Neither have II attacked this boy, who is a son of an old friend of mine. more..

Feb 5 (ISL) Dear Mr Gnanakone: The young boy you refer is much, much older than the children captured and kidnapped for the fighting cadres of the LTTE. 22-23 year EROS Nesan is the same age Prabhakaran was when Mayor Alfred Durayappa was assassinated July 1975. Most of the Tiger suicide bombers were of the same age or even younger. more..

Feb 5 (ISL) The LTTE lackey Jayantha Gnanakone in his letter to the editor had made futile attempts to sling mud at dissenting Tamil voices. Mr. Jayantha Gnanakone, please understand the fact that there is a definite ethnic crisis in Sri Lanka and Tamils had been suffering from the crisis. more..

Feb 5 (ISL) President Mahinda Rajapakse, in his Independence Day address was quite emphatic that by dividing the country the ethic problem would only worsen and that it was his determination to lay the foundation for permanent peace in Sri Lanka. He insisted that the conflict should not pass into another generation. more..

Feb 5 (ISL) The Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna who had been a stanch critic of the peace process criticized the opposition leader for criticizing the peace process in Geneva. The UNP leader addressing a meeting in Matara pointed out that the LTTE will utilize the peace talks in Geneva to disarm the Karuna faction. more..

Feb 5 (AT) A perfect gentleman and a human being, who upheld the noble principle �Man�s Prime Duty is to Serve Man� in serving the disadvantageous throughout his life to make them stand on their feet, a committed socialist and an internationalist bid farewell to this world last week in Las Vegas, Nevada in the United States more..

Feb 5 (AT) V. Anandasangaree, President of the Tamil United Liberation Front in a strongly worded condemnation, demanded from Velupillai Prabakaran, the reclusive leader of the LTTE to withdraw the allegation that clay-more attacks on the Sri Lanka Army was by the civilians and not by them. more..

Feb 5 (LT) Former President Ms. Chandrika Kumaratunga avoided participating in National Independence Day Celebrations held at Gall Face alleging that opportunities for her security men to participate were not adequate. She had requested that more of her security men be allowed to participate at the celebrations and she had been making this request until evening on the 3rd. more..

Feb 5 (TN) The Supreme Court Thursday granted leave to a suspect in the Kadirgamar assassination case to proceed with his Fundamental Rights (FR) application for the alleged infringement of his right to freedom from arbitrary arrest and detention. more..

Feb 5 (TN) President Mahinda Rajapakse, in his address at Galle Face on Sri Lanka's 58th Independence Day on Saturday, avoided mentioning Norwegian peace efforts and the critical talks in Geneva on strengthening implementation of Cease Fire Agreement. more..

Feb 5 (TN) "We are concerned that the continued deterioration of ground situation in the NorthEast and the abduction of TRO staff members by paramilitaries can potentially prevent Liberation Tigers' participation in Geneva talks," said TNA parliamentarians after a meeting with S.P Thamilchelvan more..

Feb 5 (LT) President Mahinda Rajapakse has decided to hold a workshop to give necessary instructions and mentally prepare the delegation that will take part in the talks in Geneva. Mr. MR Narayan Swamy who wrote �Inside an elusive mind, Prabhakaran� too will participate at the workshop which will be held in Colombo on the 8th and 9th of this month. more..

Feb 5 (LT) Both negotiations and war will be used to achieve their national goal says K.V. Balakumar, a top leader of the tiger hierarchy. He said so participating in an interview telecast by �voice of tigers� on the 28th of January. more..

Feb 5 (LeN) The Jathika Hela Urumaya says time is ripe to launch another freedom struggle to regain socio-economic, political and cultural freedom deprived of the nation. This was stated in a message issued by Hela Urumaya leader, Venerable Ellawala Medhananda thera on account of Independence Day. more..

Feb 5 (LeN) President Mahinda Rajapaksa has extended an open invitation to the main opposition and all political parties to support him to overcome major challenges faced by the country as the country should be placed before everything else in the national agenda. more..

Feb 5 (WS) Colombo High Court Judge Upali Abeyratne has issued an order recently directing Lalith Kotelawela, Rohini Nanayakkara, Rajkumar Renganathan, Bandula Ranaweera and Anthony Mendis to stand trial in the Fort Magistrate's court in a case of Criminal Breach of Trust and Criminal Misappropriation more..

Feb 5 (AT) Declaring that his Government will not bow down to any form of intimidation, President Mahinda Rajapakse today vowed to usher in a 'New Sri Lanka'. Addressing the 58th Independence Day celebrations held at the Galle Face Green, the President also stressed that his Government's peace process will be a transparent one. more..

Feb 5 (AT) The original sin belongs to Ranil Wickremesinghe and the unusual undertaking he gave to the Tigers, as part of the ceasefire agreement, to disarm all �paramilitary groups�. This clause rendered many anti-Tiger Tamil activists defenceless against an entity (the LTTE) intent on their annihilation. more..

Feb 5 (ANN) A large, post-tsunami international presence in Sri Lanka�s east has not significantly helped to protect children from recruitment, Amnesty International said last week, stressing that Sri Lanka is internationally obliged to adopt legal measures to prevent and criminalise the practice. more..

Feb 5 (SLA) 09 LORRIES CARRYING STOCKS of cement towards un-cleared areas arrested at the entry/exit point OMANTHAI while trying to cross thought after producing forged documents on 04 February 2006. Fifteen suspects, drivers, assistances with their lorries full of cement were taken into custody by the Police for further investigations. more..

Feb 5 (SLA) CONTINUES SEARCH OPERATIONS carried out by troops, have recovered some more explosives from JAFFNA on 04 February 2006. On an information received from a civilian three hand grenades, two T-56 magazines with 57 rounds of T-56 ammunition were found by troops from KONDAVIL area on Saturday 04 around 8.30 p.m. more..

Feb 5 (SLA) A TAMIL TIGER WHO left the rank in the LTTE organization surrendered to the Naval troops at MUTTUR Naval detachment on 03 February 2006 around 9.15 a.m. He has told the Navy he had been given LTTE training in the SAMPOOR LTTE camp in un-cleared areas. more..

Feb 5 (ISL) Cemetery Bird Nitharsanam.com has begun to stir up the Tamil community that could lead to horrendous bloodshed among the Tamils. Having failed with their determined efforts to provoke the Sri Lankan Armed Forces to retaliate to their sustained assault and several landmine attacks, more..

Feb 5 (ISL) K.N. Douglas Devananda, Secretary General of the EPDP and Minister of Social Services and Social Welfare, in his Independence Day message said that all citizens of north, east, south and west of Sri Lanka unite together and live peacefully in a united Sri Lanka. more..

Feb 5 (TN) Leader of Upcountry Peoples Front (UPF), Periyasamy Chandrasekaran, said in a letter dated 1 February to Dr. Kalaignar M. Karunanithi, President of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhaham of Tamil Nadu, for his early attention to meet India's Prime Minister and Mrs Sonia Ghandi and to release a statement to the media on Sri Lanka Army (SLA) harassment of NorthEast Tamils, more..

Feb 5 (LeN) Two Supreme Court judges Justice Shirani Bandaraanaike and Justice T.B.Weerasuriya have notified the President that they are resigning from the membership of the Judicial Services Commission as they can no longer perform their duties according to their conscience while safeguarding the dignity of law. more..

Feb 5 (LeN) Milinda Moragoda, former Minister of Economics Reform, Science and Technology, has been appointed a member of a High Level Commission on Legal Empowerment of the Poor. The commission, which is operating under the umbrella of the UN Development Programme (UNDP) in New York, consists of several political heavy weights, more..

Feb 5 (NIP) The AIADMK today urged the Central government to restore the supply of rice and other essential commodities at subsidized rates to Sri Lankan refugees which was stopped from August, 2005 and condemned the DMK and its allies for not raising their voice against this decision of the UPA government. more..

Feb 5 (LT) UNP leader Mr. Ranil Wickremasinghe has asked his chosen media people to embark on a media barrage against former UNP minister Milinda Moragoda. Mr. Wickremasinghe has given these instructions to his media men as soon as he heard that Mr. Moragoda had entertained several senior Parliamentarians of the UNP for dinner. more..

Feb 5 (LT) Mr. Sirisena Cooray will be given nomination from the UNP as the candidate for Mayor of Colombo Municipality say sources at �Sirikothe�. Former Mayor of Colombo Municipality, Omar Kamil too had expressed his desire to contest as the Mayoral candidate from the UNP. more..

Feb 5 (ANN) Yesterday�s news that two Supreme Court Judges have resigned from the three-member Judicial Services Commission creates another serious problem in the light of the failure of Sri Lanka�s Political Establishment to ensure that the Constitutional Council (CC), vital to good governance in the country, is up and running. more..

Feb 5 (SAMN) Opposition Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe was conspicuous in his absence Saturday at the state celebration of Sri Lanka�s 58th year of independence. Only two members of the United National Party made an appearance at the grandiose ceremony, held under the patronage of President Mahinda Rajapakse. more..

Feb 5 (SAMN) A Sri Lankan lawyer who is also an international human rights activist, a former judicial officer and a domestic civil rights activist have now added their voices to the public call demanding that the Constitutional Council be immediately constituted in terms of the 17th Amendment. more..

Feb 5 (SAMN) Dr Palitha Kohona, a Sri Lankan-born Australian citizen and chief of the U.N. Treaty Section at the Office of Legal Affairs, has been appointed Special Advisor to President Mahinda Rajapaksa to focus on matters relating to Sri Lanka's peace process with the LTTE. more..

Feb 5 (LNP) A soldier attached to Welikanda Army camp was nabbed with two hand bombs and two Anti-aircraft ammunition by Mahawa Police during a special midnight operation. Investigations directed by Nikaweratiya Senior SP Kithsiri Dayananda revealed that the soldier had brought the ammunition to commit a crime in the Kurunegala division. more..

Feb 5 (BG) Every Sunday, newspapers here are filled with classified ads for marriage partners. But for Americans accustomed to the personals staples "SWF" and "must love cats," the descriptions can be mystifying. "Sinhala Buddhist Govi mother seeks professionally qualified partner for youngest daughter," read a recent ad in the Sri Lankan Sunday Observer. "Reply with caste and religion material, horoscope." more..

Feb 5 (AFP) Wildlife officials and vets are afraid to cross into rebel-held territory to treat three elephants wounded in a landmine blast, reports and an aid has official said. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) escorted one official to trace the wounded animals, but a team of vets was unwilling to make the journey without military protection, more..

Feb 5 (SO) "More than 2500 years ago, it was the Buddha who found the solutions for the problems of the sufferings of humanity and this is enshrined in Buddhist Philosophy" said the Norwegian Development Minister Peace Envoy to Sri Lanka and the Minister of International Development Erik Solheim said recently at Wenamulla, in Hikkaduwa Divisional Secretariat area. more..

Feb 5 (HT) Contrary to the general impression that the LTTE is trying to find excuses to avoid going for talks with the Sri Lankan government, the rebel outfit is actually quite keen on having the talks, says a Tamil MP who met the LTTE's political leadership in Kilinochchi on Saturday. more..

Feb 5 (SMH) SRI Lanka's controversial spinner Muttiah Muralitharan has revealed his deep regret at returning to these shores, accusing Australians of waging a concerted campaign against him this summer out of jealousy and a desire to see Shane Warne finish atop the Test wicket-takers' list. more..

Feb 5 (Reuters) Tamil Tigers have rejected plans for crunch peace talks in Geneva in mid February because of reported abductions of pro-Tiger aid workers, a rebel source said on Sunday. The government said on Friday the talks would start in Switzerland on Feb. 15 for two days. more..

Feb 6 (TN) A regional office of the North East Education Ministry should be opened in Amparai without delay in order to facilitate teachers and principals of the district to fulfill their needs without traveling to Trincomalee and Colombo, said Minister Ms Ferial Ashraff at an event held in Amparai during the weekend, more..

Feb 6 (AN) Sri Lanka is keen on strengthening its bilateral co-operation on trade and investment with the Kingdom. "This year, our focus is to enhance the two-way trade and investment between the two countries." A.M.J. Sadiq, Sri Lankan ambassador, told Arab News. more..

Feb 6 (Xinhua) Tamil Tiger proxy party the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) will contest the forthcoming local polls in the Indian Ocean island country's troubled northern and eastern regions. The TNA officials said Sunday the party would field candidates for all the local councils in the two provinces but are of the opinion that the present climate in the region was not conducive to holding an election. more..

Feb 6 (BBC) A guerrilla group in Sri Lanka has threatened to attack troops because of the government's "crackdown" on Tamil civilians in the north and the east. The People's Army, which has claimed responsibility for a series of attacks in the island in December, made the announcement on a Tamil website. more..

Feb 6 (TN) LTTE appealed to non-governmental organizations working in the Batticaloa district to expedite their tsunami rehabilitation and reconstruction work as large number of affected families are living temporary structures fourteen months after the disaster. more..

Feb 6 (TN) Norway's Minister of International Development, peace envoy, Erik Solheim, is scheduled to meet LTTE's Chief Negotiator and Political Strategist Mr. Anton Balasingham at Balasingham's London residence Monday, sources in London said. more..

Feb 6 (TW) Quite rightly our candidate for Secretary General has been publicized in our columns and Sri Lankans would naturally want to wish him assured success. This brief note is however also to assert that once he becomes Secretary General, as we hope, he would also reflect in true reality the priorities and needs of the Third World, including in our own little country more..