Apr 26 (SLW) The News of the Tragic death of Rev. Fr. M. X. Karunaratnam comes to me as a great shock. This is not a death that anyone can rejoice at. His demise is a great loss to the country and to the people of Vanni in particular. I know Rev. Karunaratnam for a long time. He was a very good social worker and a Human Rights Activist. I convey my deepest sympathies to all his kith and kin and Members of his congregation and more..

Apr 26 (SLW) The picture is self-explanatory of the devastation that has taken place at the northern frontier on Tuesday. The Sri Lankan army tried a multi-throng attack mobilizing two entire divisions with their �well trained� Special Task Force (STF) in the fore front. But things did not work out as expected by General Sarath Fonseka. To give the devil its due, the former General Janaka Perera only a few days back advised the government that multi-throng attacks would be costly both in personnel and expenses. more..

Apr 26 (SLW) The entire Jaffna Community, including the majority Hindu population, has hailed the gracious act of Rt. Rev. Dr. Daniel S Thiagarajah, the Bishop of the Jaffna Diocese of the Church of South India towards Ms Shiranee Mills, the Principal of the Uduvil Girls College in seeking a pardon on her behalf from Court when she was found to have committed perjury during her evidence against him. more..

Apr 26 (LG) The killing of M.X. Karunaratnam confirms our fear of the systematic attempt of the Government at silencing the leadership of the Catholic Church and debarring her services to the down trodden, the voiceless and those whose rights have been violated or denied, said commission for justice and peace of the Catholic Diocese of Jaffna in a statement. According to the Statement received the Sri Lanka Guardian, �Fr. Jimbrown, who after serving in Mannar for many years, had arrived at Allaipiddy only 2 weeks before he was made to disappear. more..

Apr 26 (LD) President has commuted the death sentence passed on women to life imprisonment at the request of Minister of Public Estate Management Milroy Fernando, whose wife has been on the death row for the past three years. The special presidential order was issued on April 24th, a senior official of the Ministry of Justice told 'Lanka Dissent.' The pardon, which is specifically for women, will apply for women who are awaiting capital punishment passed on or before March 08, 2008, and whose appeal periods have expired. more..

Apr 26 (LD) General Secretary of the United National Party Tissa Attanayake has spoken about the futility of complaining to the authorities regarding state-sponsored violence in the east in the run up to the provincial council polls there. None of the 14 complaints lodged by the party to the IGP and the Elections Commissioner has been investigated so far, Mr. Attanayake told 'Lanka Dissent.' more..

Apr 26 (LD) The human-elephant conflict has claimed the lives of more than 800 humans and over 2,000 elephants in the past decade, 'Ravaya' quoted Nation Building Minister Susantha Punchinilame as saying. The minister has told the newspaper that 2,052 elephants and tuskers had been killed since 1998. Of them, 1,379 are males and 489 are female, while 184 had been decomposed beyond identification. more..

Apr 26 (LD) The Patriotic National Movement has been asked by its Steering Committee member Ven. Dambara Amila Thera to immediately summon a meeting of its Executive Committee to discuss several issues that have arisen after the movement got involved in an internal conflict of the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna. The Thera, in a letter to PNM President Dr. Gunadasa Amarasekara, says that they had become an active national movement in a very short period of four years. more..

Apr 26 (LD) The Mahinda Rajapaksa regime is preparing to bring its so-called federal solutions in a new face, purportedly to resolve the northeast conflict, 'Irida Lanka' published by the JVP has claimed. The newspaper made the revelation in its banner headline story of tomorrow's issue which hit newsstands today. The Tissa Vitarana report handed over to the president after more than two years of deliberation of the APRC failed to materialize, it said. more..

Apr 26 (AT) "The release of 41 children over these two weeks has brought the issue of child soldiers in the east come to an end, says Pilliyan". These were the children who were with this group for various reasons, but commonly known as the child soldiers. However the real child soldiers are still with the LTTE still in the north fighting against the government forces. They are the ones whom we need to focus now and get out of the mess they are in. more..

Apr 26 (AT) Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama apluaded the work done by the United Nations in combating terrorism when he addressed the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce. He said "The indispensable value of the United Nations and its network, covering virtually every human activity has been amply demonstrated in Sri Lanka in times of national crisis whether it be in combating unprecedented challenges of terrorism or natural disasters such as the tsunami of December 2004. more..

Apr 26 (AT) To mark the 60th anniversary of independence, an exhibition of Sri Lankan painting titled �Expressions of Independence� organized by the Mona Bismarck Foundation and the University of Visual and Performing Arts in collaboration with the Sri Lanka Embassy in France is being held at the Mona Bismarck Foundation in Paris. The Exhibition, which displays 60 paintings by Sri Lankan artists will continue until July 12, 2008 more..

Apr 26 (AT) Senior Superintendent of Police Laksman Kaluarachchi an experienced senior officer who has served the police department for over thirty four years has been appointed as Director of the Tourist police Division. In addition the Ministry of Tourism has appointed Mr. Roy Jayasingha as CEO and Director General of the Sri Lanka Institute of Tourism and Hotel Management. Mr. Roy Jayasingha was a senior officer in public service and he has experience in the Government and Private sector. more..

Apr 26 (GDI) President Mahinda Rajapaksa, who extended his condolences to the members of the bereaved families and wished speedy recovery to the injured, said the attack clearly showed the terrorists were not ready to abandon violence and destruction even though the Government had repeatedly pledged its commitment to peace, President's Media Unit said on Saturday (26). more..

Apr 26 (GDI) The action of the TMVP to release 28 children enlisted in their ranks was commended by the UNICEF: "a very encouraging sign that the TMVP intends to comply with their national and international legal obligations." Head of UNICEF in Sri Lanka,Philippe Duamelle said that the government had played an important role in securing the second major release of children by the TMVP in just two weeks. more..

Apr 26 (GDI) Construction on the Iran funded multi-purpose Uma Oya Project will commence on Tuesday when the President of the Islamic Republic of Iran Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and President Mahinda Rajapaksa ceremonially inaugurate the mega development project. President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad will arrive in the island on Monday (28) for a two day official visit. During his visit the President Ahmadinejad will hold talks with President Mahinda Rajapaksa, more..

Apr 26 (LNP) The Catholic Church of Mannar is planning to meet representatives of the government and the LTTE seeking an assurance that they would not enter the Madhu area and refrain from fighting in the church vicinity so that the sacred Madhu statue could be restored in its original shrine. Mannar Bishop Rayappu Joseph told the Daily Mirror the shrine could be called safe only if both parties kept at least two kilometres away from the shrine. more..

Apr 26 (LNP) The much lionized Tigers have lost their first line of defence at Muhamalai despite their bragging that it was impregnable. The army has consolidated its power in a newly gained area encompassing approximately half a kilometre ahead of its FDL from Kilali to Kadolana, thus rendering the LTTE positions in the peninsula and beyond extremely vulnerable. The Tiger defences that fell, it should be noted, had been fortified over several years to prevent a southward thrust by the Jaffna based troops. more..

Apr 26 (LNP) `This person (de Costa) distorts the facts and spreads utterly false stories saying that we have made an organisational blunder in conducting the N Eliya race. But the fact is that Mr. de Costa is acting on his personal egoism and making use of this sorrowful human loss for his own benefit. That is really pathetic,` said present SLMC acting president Mahesh Gammampila yesterday. more..

Apr 26 (SAMN) Two eminent lawyers Friday hit out at President Mahinda Rajapaksa for showing subservience by inviting international monitors to observe the Commission of Inquiry probe into 16 cases of grave human rights violations. S.L. Gunasekara and Gomin Dayasri, counsels for the Special Task Force (STF) and the Army respectively, said Sri Lanka should completely dismiss their suggestions and should stop running behind foreigners. more..

Apr 26 (SAMN) Over 2,000 families in three areas in the Ratnapura district have been affected by Chikungunya, while 500 patients with fever sought treatment at the Eheliyagoda hospital on Thursday, Healthcare and Nutrition Ministry spokesman said adding that the Ministry has also warned of possible outbreaks of diseases like dengue, malaria and filaria following the rains the country is presently experiencing. more..

Apr 26 (SAMN) As part of its attempts to promote economic security for the returnee population in the Batticaloa district, the ICRC has initiated an inland fisheries project aimed at restoring the livelihoods of more than 480 fishermen who earn a living from fresh water and lagoon fishing. The project targets 404 households in Vaharai and 77 households in Pattipalai in Batticaloa West. The majority of families benefiting from the project were displaced due to military operations from more..

Apr 26 (SAMN) The Sri Lanka Export Development Board along with the Sri Lanka National Chamber of Commerce has launched a project to grow Iceberg Lettuce in Poly-green Houses in the Nuwara Eliya District. The objectives of the project are to improve quality and productivity, Sustainable livelihood development of the people in the area, to encourage people for self employment, improve profitability of the venture, and to acquire standards such as GMP&GAP required for the International Market. more..

Apr 26 (DN) The development of Nalanda, the ancient seat of learning in Bihar, will help improve ties between India and China, an expert said. "Nalanda's proper development will help improve India-China ties due to its importance in both countries," said R. Pant, vice chancellor of Nav Nalanda Mahavihar. Pant, who was delivering a talk said Nalanda still attracts the attention of China and other southeast Asian countries for its historical and cultural legacy. more..

Apr 26 (DN) Fully equipped mobile fish stalls set up at a cost of Rs. 1.5 million were distributed by Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Minister Felix Perera among the fishermen of Ambalangoda recently. The Minister also distributed technologically modified sea lamps, drying houses and fishing trade accessories. The project's target is empowering the fishermen of selected fishing villages in Galle district through the Gama Neguma and in keeping with the concept of the Mahinda Chinthana. more..

Apr 26 (DM) The UPFA will hold its May Day rally at the Mahaweli sports grounds at Dehiattakandiya in the Ampara district this year but there will be no processions, it was announced yesterday. �Dehiattakandiya has been picked as the venue for this year�s May Day rally as a sign of gratitude and special tribute to the armed forces for liberating the East and restoring democracy in the province. more..

Apr 26 (DM) Seven vehicles stalled near a petrol station in Kotte yesterday after petrol mixed with water was unknowingly pumped into the tanks, a Ceylon Petroleum Corporation official told Daily Mirror. He said excess rain water from the heavy rains that lashed Colombo on Thursday had seeped into the LP 90 petrol storage tank located underground and had caused four cars and three trishaws that were pumped with the mixture to malfunction. more..

Apr 26 (Island) Dismissing mounting criticism of Wednesday�s bloody army offensive on the Jaffna front, Army Chief Lt. General Sarath Fonseka asserted it wouldn�t impede the ongoing military action to bring the Tigers to their knees. The veteran of some of the bloodiest battles in the northern theatre said the enemy no longer had the wherewithal to regain the upper hand on the battlefield. more..

Apr 26 (Island) Even the UNP parliamentarians who visited the Eastern Province recently were astonished to see the development programmes in the province under the Negenahira Navodaya and other projects implemented by the government during the past few months. They they too might change their party stance in the coming months, Minister of Nation Building Susantha Punchinilame told The Island yesterday (25). more..

Apr 26 (TIL) Three people are being treated for rabies after they were bitten by an infected puppy brought into the UK from Sri Lanka. The dog, which died yesterday, was amongst five dogs believed to be infected with the disease in a quarantine centre in Chingford, Essex. The remaining four puppies from Sri Lanka were euthanised after they began showing possible symptoms of rabies. Tests are being carried to determine whether or not they had the disease. more..

Apr 26 (AFP) The death toll from a bus blast outside Colombo rose to 26 on Saturday as Sri Lanka warned of more indiscriminate attacks against civilians while security forces remained locked in combat against Tamil rebels. President Mahinda Rajapakse said Friday's blast was the work of the rebel LTTE guerrillas who are resisting a major military campaign in the north of the island. The president in a statement warned that the rebels could resort to further indiscriminate attacks and urged residents to exercise more caution. more..

Apr 26 (AP) President Mahinda Rajapaksa said Saturday that a bomb that killed 26 bus passengers showed Tamil Tiger separatist rebels were resorting to desperate measures as they faced growing pressure on the battlefield in the north. The blast tore through a bus filled with rush hour passengers Friday evening in the Colombo suburb of Piliyandala. The dead included a Buddhist monk and a 10-year-old child, the government said. Another 64 people were injured, more..

Apr 27 (LR) The defeated LTTE terrorists have once again revealed their cowardice by targeting civilians in a bomb blast in public transport. This is just two days after they lost their forward defense line in the north front and completely lost their territory of Madu area south of the tiger den. Since terrorists are no longer capable of facing security forces, their only option is to try and inflict physical fear towards the civilians by mass murdering and killing. more..

Apr 27 (UCAN) Recent shelling around a Catholic shrine has spurred Sinhalese Catholics to call on the government and Tamil rebels to spare all worship places from hostilities. More than 300 clergy, laypeople and Religious rallied at Fatima Church in central Colombo on the evening of April 22. Centre for Society and Religion (CSR), a Church-run NGO, had organized the combined protest and prayer service. more..

Apr 27 (SL) Allegations of malpractice, corruption, fraud and inefficiency have shaken Sri Lanka Sumithrayo � a government incorporated charity body created by an Act of Parliament, which aids the depressed, suicidal and alcohol addicted. Three members of Sumithrayo�s Colombo South Branch, namely Maj. Gen. Sathischandra Jayasundara, Surakshi Siriwardena and Udeepa Pieris wrote to Social Services Minister, Douglas Devananda, urging him to appoint an interim council to run the charity. more..

Apr 27 (SL) For those who considered JVP�s sins to be scarlet decades ago, what happens today must appear blasphemous. The party is now split asunder and stinking every inch but the muck gets dredged up by the two groups that have finally posed themselves as opposing camps. Now, the red brethren are keen to contrast their previous militant and bloody image with the new one that is politically mature and prudent. more..

Apr 27 (SL) The incapacity of the government to deal with the impending food crisis with the island�s staple food, rice, becoming scarce due to multiple reasons was best demonstrated when Agriculture Development and Agrarian Services Minister Maithripala Sirisena recently claimed that the government would introduce firmer laws if the prevailing regulations on the current price control prove insufficient to break the rice monopoly in the market. more..

Apr 27 (SL) Soon after the split within the JVP came out in to the open, various parties, individuals and organisations were blamed for causing the rift. However, the individual responsible for causing the split in the party soon emerged. In some instances even The Sunday Leader and its sister paper Irudina were blamed for causing the rift in the JVP because of the exposes on Wimal Weerawansa. more..

Apr 27 (LT) The election of the director board for the Education Department Cooperative Society (EDCS) scheduled to take place today (26th) had to be abandoned due to an injunction order from Colombo District Court. The majority of the representatives elected to EDCS were from All Ceylon Education Service Union (ACESU) affiliated to the JVP which won 198 of the 299 representatives elected. more..

Apr 27 (LG) It is not in good taste to speak uncharitably of someone who was buried only a few days ago - particularly since some of my comments can be misunderstood to be those that belong to the personal domain. But JF was a public figure and my comments in fair intent, are made in the interest of the public good. I count on a media culture that respects plurality and diversity of views to offer expression to my comments. more..

Apr 27 (LD) President Mahinda Rajapaksa has decided to bring political parties that support the government without being in its ranks, under one umbrella and build a wide political front. Soon after the conclusion of the Eastern Provincial Council polls, the president will invite these parties and groups to form the alliance that will primarily target the next general election, a senior government minister told 'Lanka Dissent.' more..

Apr 27 (LD) Former President Chandrika Kumaratunga has nominated a Western Provincial Councilor to the post of Sri Lanka Freedom Party organizer for Attanagalle, that fell vacant following the death of her brother Anura Bandaranaike. Mrs. Kumaratunga, in a letter to her successor Mahinda Rajapaksa, has requested that Ranjith Rupasinghe be appointed to the post. She said that the SLFP's central organization at Attanagalle unanimously proposed her name and that of her sister Sunetra Bandaranaike to fill the vacancy. more..

Apr 27 (LD) The National Education commission has approved the Education Ministry policy proposals for the enrolment of students for the Advanced Level stream in state-run schools. The relevant circular has now been prepared, 'Ravaya' reports. According to the new proposals, a student could apply for another school if the stream is no available in the present school of study. This is also applicable for students at private schools and more..

Apr 27 (AN) The new Saudi Ambassador to Sri Lanka, Abdul Aziz Al-Jammaz, began work at the Saudi Embassy in Colombo. Al-Jammaz succeeds the former Saudi ambassador in Colombo Mohammed Mahmud Al-Ali, who went to Pretoria in December as the Kingdom�s new ambassador to South Africa. Al-Jammaz will also be accredited to the Maldives during his tenure in Colombo. Al-Jammaz said he wants to project a new image of the Kingdom by highlighting the contributions it has made in strengthening bilateral relations. more..

Apr 27 (GDI) People's Action for Free and Fair Elections (PAFFREL), releasing its first supplementary report on the Eastern PC poll yesterday called it largely incident free while noting that violence might raise its head due to heightened competition after the Avurudu break. According to PAFFREL they had received 18 cases so far with all of them being recorded after the Sinhala and Tamil New Year. more..

Apr 27 (GDI) The Sri Lankan delegation participating at the 118th General Assembly of the International Parliamentary Community in Cape Town, South Africa last week explained in detail to the Parliamentarian Group that the implications tabled on Sri Lanka�s human rights situation were far from the truth. Minister Anura Priyadarshana Yapa participating at the event said that LTTE aligned groups have misled the South African Parliamentarians with fabricated stories to disgrace the country in favor of the LTTE terrorists. more..

Apr 27 (AT) In an interview to Asian Tribune Dr. Keheliya Rambukawella, Minister of Foreign Employment Promotion and Welfare & Government Spokesman For Defense and National Security, talks of the atrocities committed by the LTTE and its leader Prabhakaran who is the only obstacle to peace in Sri Lanka. He showed his ruthless disregard for human life when a bus full of civilians was destroyed few days ago at Piliyandala. more..

Apr 27 (AT) Predicting Eastern Provincial Council elections on May 10th may turn out to be less of a hazards judging by the latest reports. If the optimism shown by Sivanesathurai Chanthirakanthan alias Pillaiyan is an indication, a robust civilian administration seemed a predictable scenario for the people who weathered the trauma of LTTE terrorism. Recruited by the Tigers for their own sinister purposes Pillaiyan had turned the tables and now talks of a people�s era. more..

Apr 27 (AT) How many �Charges of the Light Brigade� must happen before we understand the dictum, �know thy enemy�? What is worst about Muhamalai is not the defeat, not even the loss of lives, but the preventable nature of that defeat and those losses. A little retrospection could have prevented that debacle and that carnage. Even if memory failed, given the strategic importance of the Muhamalai FDL, alarm bells should have rung when the Tigers failed to offer any resistance initially. more..

Apr 27 (AT) We refer to an unsigned report claiming to be �A Citizens Report� titled "Sri Lanka and the Breakdown of the Rule of Law � An Action Plan" released in Scarborough, Canada, on April 18, 2008 by the pro-Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) lobby at a fundraiser for a prospective Conservative Party candidate named Chuck Konkel who hopes to run in the federal riding of Scarborough � Guildwood. more..