Jun 11 (PTI) Sri Lankan parliament today refused to grant leave to four pro-LTTE Tamil MPs from the house, accusing them of acting against the national interest and constitution by spreading false propaganda against the country abroad. The ruling United People Friend Alliance MPs expressed reservations against a proposal submitted by the four TNA MPs requesting three months leave from the Parliament. more..

Jun 11 (NP) On the evening of June 9, 2009, I arrived on a flight from Delhi to Colombo, Sri Lanka. I had successfully applied to the Sri Lankan High Commission for a visa and had discussed my visit with the Sri Lankan Commissioner, the Canadian High Commissioner to Sri Lanka, and with officials from the Department of Foreign Affairs. more..

Jun 11 (MN) The federal government expressed "dismay and displeasure" to the Sri Lankan government Wednesday after Liberal MP Bob Rae was detained and booted out of the country. Foreign Affairs spokeswoman Emma Welford called it "unacceptable treatment of a Canadian parliamentarian" and said it's absurd for anyone to suggest the former Ontario premier represented a security threat or is a supporter of the Tamil Tigers. more..

Jun 11 (National) At the Swiss Embassy in Colombo, an old Tamil woman fumbles with a flashy mobile phone as it rings. For several seconds, she does not know how to switch it on or off until a younger woman, seated next to her, shows how it is done. The old woman grins sheepishly, flashing a frustrated expression. For many years now, thousands of people, young and old, have crowded in front of European embassies in Colombo, more..

Jun 11 (LG) In our two and half years of solid, unwavering and firm liberation war against thirty years of brutal terrorism, against the worst and ruthless terrorists of the world, so branded as the hyprocratic and double-tongued world�s #1 bandit nation, we were forced to fight not only in the war theatres of the Eastern and Western Provinces but also against the dollar-slavery vultures of more..

Jun 11 (UTHR) This report covers key issues arising from the recently concluded war. It begins by examining current political prospects, and then moves on to a sketch of the last two months of the war primarily from the standpoint of civilians. While being frank about the LTTE�s cynical use of civilians, the report raises questions about the Government�s relentless move to crush the LTTE leadership while placing the civilians it held hostage at unacceptable risk. more..

Jun 11 (ABC) The ABC has seen evidence the Federal Government last year backed away from plans to declare the Tamil Tigers a terrorist organisation. The Sri Lankan Government has all but destroyed the Tamil Tigers but it wants Australia to help deliver the knockout blow by following the US and the UK in banning the group. more..

Jun 11 (BBC) The captain of Sri Lanka women�s team, Chamari Polgampola, says her team will win their first World Twenty20 game against Pakistan. �We have played much against Pakistan before and are aware of their strength. We must and we will win against Pakistan,� she told BBC Sandeshaya. Sri Lanka meets Pakistan on Friday at Taunton and it is Polgampola�s first international game as the Sri Lanka skipper. more..

Jun 11 (ACN) CATHOLIC charity Aid to the Church in Need is providing emergency aid to Sri Lanka after an urgent appeal for help from a bishop acting on behalf of people desperate for clean water, food and clothing. More than 250,000 people pouring out of the areas worst affected by the fighting in the north of the country are in critical need of basic help, with the Government struggling to keep pace with the demand for shelter and medical care. more..

Jun 11 (IANS) Tamil Tigers leader Velupillai Prabhakaran was tortured by the Sri Lankan military before being killed, a leading human rights body said in a report. The University Teachers for Human Rights (UTHR) quoted high-level military sources as saying that Prabhakaran was tortured in the presence of "a Tamil government politician and a general". The torture, it said, took place probably at the headquarters of the army's 53 Division, more..

Jun 11 (GDI) The Central Bank has over the past 3 weeks granted approval to 67 new banking service outlets in the Northern province. Following the liberation of the entire Northern Province, banks have shown a considerable interest in resuming normal banking operations in the Northern Province. This has resulted in many licensed Commercial Banks and Licensed Specialized Banks seeking approval to open new branches and other banking outlets in the Northern Province, more..

Jun 11 (GDI) The railway line leading to Jaffna will help to forge strong economic, social and cultural ties which would strengthen north-south relations and even countries which acted against Sri Lanka have, praised the welfare programme launched by the government for the people in the north. The removal of landmines on the A-9 road and the reconstruction of the A-32 road are taking place. more..

Jun 11 (GDI) The Institute of Personnel Management Sri Lanka (IPM) will hold its annual Human Resource Conference and HR Service Providers' Exhibition from June 23-24 at the BMICH. The theme for 2009 is "People Drive Business"; 700 HR professionals will participate, the organizers said. With an impressive 55 stalls from various services, the exhibition will cover the many facets of HR professionals and service providers. more..

Jun 11 (GDI) The Chinese government has decided to accelerate the development work of the Hambantota harbour and it was a myth that the international community had been hostile to Sri Lanka, Export Development and International Trade Minister G. L. Peiris said. He pointed out that China and Japan showed a keen interest in Sri Lanka at this hour during his meetings with more..

Jun 11 (GDI) �A majority of internally displaced persons are capable in assisting in the redevelopment of the North after resettlement. We would be able to involve them in the redevelopment process�, The Minister of Nation Building and Development S. M. Chandrasena said at a ceremony in the premises of the Government Food Stores, Orugodawtte, to hand over new garments for IDPs. more..

Jun 11 (GDI) The number of patients who have died due to dengue increased to 126 and more than 8,900 dengue patients have been reported so far,hospital reports said. Most of these patients are reported from the Colombo, Gampaha, Kandy, Kurunegala and Kegalle districts. Meanwhile, in addition to the dengue prevention programmes that are being implemented, the Ministry of Health is carrying out raids on dengue mosquito breeding grounds. more..

Jun 11 (GDI) Island's first ever museum depicting beliefs and history of sports in Sri Lanka will be ceremoniously opened on June 15 under the patronage of Minister of Youth Affairs Pavithra Wanniarachchi in Ratnapura, Media Secretary to the Ministry of Youth Affairs Viraj Abesinghe said. The Museum is housed in the Kuruwita, Delgamuwa, area and it is sponsored by National Youth Services Council more..

Jun 11 (GDI) The Government has decided to set up a national institute on health in order to create healthy and a strong labour force in the country. Such a force is essential for the development. National Institute on Vocational Security is to prevent accidents in the working places, Minister of Labour Relations and Manpower Athauda Seneviratne said in Parliament today (11). more..

Jun 11 (GDI) Millions of people around the world owe their lives to individuals they will never meet � people who donate their blood to help others. But millions more still can�t get safe blood when they need it. World Blood Donor Day, celebrated on June 14 every year, provides a unique opportunity to thank those very special people that help and to raise awareness about the need for more support. more..

Jun 11 (LG) Concerns raised and votes cast, this way or that, for or against us, help dispel doubts which linger concerning inter-state relations or affairs between states. If we needed a counter-response to our response on Israel�s recent war in Gaza, we received it during the recently concluded Special Session on Sri Lanka at the UNHRC in Geneva � when Israel called for a human rights probe in Sri Lanka. more..

Jun 11 (wsws) In a speech last Thursday, the leader of the opposition JVP, Somawansa Amarasinghe, stridently warned the Sri Lankan government not to �betray� the army�s victory over the separatist LTTE by making concessions to the island�s Tamil minority. President Mahinda Rajapakse has not the slightest intention of modifying the Sinhala supremacist character of the Sri Lankan state, more..

Jun 11 (LG) The Chairman while introducing me said that I belonged to a party that gave up the armed struggle and joined the democratic mainstream after the Indo-Lanka accord of 1987. But he had failed to mention one important point; in that process the party I belonged to have paid a very high price. More than seventy of our party members, most of them senior members, were assassinated by the LTTE. more..

Jun 11 (LT) Dr. Shirani Bandaranayake, the most senior judge of the Supreme Court, has been appointed as a member of the Judicial Service Commission by President Mahinda Rajapakse. The vacancy created in the presidency of the Judicial Service Commission with the retirement of former Chief Justice Sarath N. Silva has been filled by the present CJ Ashoka de Silva and Dr. Shirani Bandaranayake was appointed to the vacant post in the commission. more..

Jun 11 (LT) The Consumer Affairs Authority has given permission to Prima Company to increase prices of flour. As such the price of a packet of �Stella� type flour would be increased by Rs.2.25. The price of a packet of flour that was Rs.63.75 would now be sold for Rs.66.00. This flour is used for making rotty. The Consumer Affairs Authority has also given permission to Prima Company to increase the price of �Penguin� wheat flour by Rs.3.00. more..

Jun 11 (LG) Tamils visiting Sri Lanka are being selectively taken into custody by the Sri Lankan intelligence officials and put under tormenting interrogation for several hours before they are allowed entry. The Tamils visiting from the European countries, Canada and USA are subject to humiliating investigations by the authorities. According to a victim, 15 Tamils arrived from UK were taken into custody and more..

Jun 11 (LT) Consumers have been greatly inconvenienced due to sky rocketing prices of vegetables, fish and eggs in the market. 500 grams of vegetables such as bean, carrot, beet is sold in the market for about Rs.80.00. Sri Lankan potatoes is Rs110.00 a kilo while B- onions is Rs.70.00. The price of eggs has gone up to Rs.12.00 an egg. Due to poor harvest in the sea around Sri Lanka and this being the beginning of the monsoon more..

Jun 11 (LT) A tense atmosphere exists at University of Kelaniya due to an incident between students and residents in the area. Our reporter states all academic activities in the university have been stopped and residents are seen assembled outside the university premises. After an exchange of words that had occurred yesterday outsiders had entered the university premises and destroyed decorations that had been put up for �Bihidora Abiyasa,� more..

Jun 11 (AT) For decades, I grew up with the Tamil and Sinhala politics. I went through high and low emotions with the political and military events that took place in my country. I experienced people divided Tamils, Sinhalese and Muslims. Finally, I have seen the war, violence, destruction, human loss and loss of the Tamil humanity through the Eelam wars. Always, in my inner mind, I was asking myself a question, that is, more..

Jun 11 (AT) Following the demise of LTTE leader, Velupillai Prabhakaran, LTTE's known Financial Controller, K.Pathmanathan alias KP and the Collector of ransom from Tamils in Canada identified as Thava Eliyathambi have clashed last week over the LTTE's properties and share market investments over there, reports reaching Colombo from Toronto revealed. Eliyathambi is reported to have been a close trusted associate of late Prabhakaran and more..

Jun 11 (AT) The great federal debate began long before Prabhakaran was born. But it was Prabhakaran who committed the Sri Lanka government to accept it as a matter that requires examination as the solution to the problem in the Oslo Declaration We did so in a state of feebleness before the Norwegians just as when we signed the 13th amendment before the Indians. The UNP is more servile and subjugated to international opinion than any other political party except the Communist Party. more..

Jun 11 (AT) The military defeat of the LTTE and the resultant post-war climate have aroused foreign interest in expanding business and investment in Sri Lanka, a Sri Lankan minister said. Prof GL.Peiris, Minister of Export Development and International Trade who was returning from visits to Japan and China said that there was genuine interest to further business opportunities and investment now that earlier uncertainties had ended with the defeat of the LTTE. more..

Jun 11 (AT) Sri Lankan Foreign Minister, Rohitha Bogallagama will today contact his counterpart in Canada to brief him on Sri Lanka's stand to refuse entry to Canadian Liberal Party member Bob Rae, Foreign Ministry disclosed this morning. Rae was briefly detained at the Colombo Airport Katunayake yesterday following information by intelligence authorities that the Canadian MP was a LTTE sympathiser. more..

Jun 11 (CT) Chief justice Joseph Asoka N. Silva is full of praise for his predecessor, from whom he took over just two days ago. The new CJ says he will try to emulate Sarath N. Silva in carrying out his functions as the head of the Sri Lankan judiciary. He was speaking today (June 10) at the Judicial Services Commission in Colombo, Sri Lanka, where a reception was held in his honour. more..

Jun 11 (LNP) Government sources say that the retiring Army Commander Sarath Fonseka is to be appointed the Chief of Defense Staff with additional powers. The Prime Minister yesterday tabled in the parliament a draft act on increasing powers and defining duties of the Chief of Defense Staff. In accordance with the draft act, the President may appoint one of the commanders of the three armed forces as the Chief of Defense Staff and more..

Jun 11 (CT) Supporters of the media gathered in their numbers in Colombo, Sri Lanka yesterday (June 10) to denounce the abduction and assault of Poddala Jayantha, secretary of the Working Journalists Association. Media professionals, journalists, trade unionists and civil society activists held a protest in front of Viharamaha Devi Park and then met for a discussion at J.R. Jayewardene Centre. more..

Jun 11 (LNP) The Tri Star Apparel group, a leading garment manufacturer in the country has taken the initiative to open the first garment factory under the Nagenahira Navodaya concept in Thambalagamuwa in the Trincomalee district. The Tri-Star group stands out in its pioneering efforts to provide employment opportunities and harness the rural talents of the country, by setting up factories across Sri Lanka under the company s Rural Empowerment Concept. more..

Jun 11 (LNP) The UNP has suffered more than any other political party at the hands of the LTTE. Prabhakaran systematically decapitated it within a span of few years beginning from the assassination of de facto Defence Minister of the Premadasa government Gen. Ranjan Wijeratne in 1991, followed by that of President Ranasinghe Premadasa in 1993. In 1994, Prabhakaran, while having talks with the Kumaratunga government, destroyed Gamini Dissanayake and more..

Jun 11 (DN) Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama in a discussion with visiting Japanese Special Envoy Yashushi Akashi yesterday noted that there was a need to revise the role of the Co-Chairs in the light of the current developments in the country. Tracing the history of the Co-Chairs to the Tokyo Conference in June 2003, the Minister stressed the need to broaden the agenda and a shifting the focus to a more development oriented outlook more..

Jun 11 (DN) The people who have been displaced due to the recently concluded North-East Humanitarian Operation are being provided with necessary shelter, medical and other facilities by the Sri Lankan Government. President Mahinda Rajapaksa has appointed a special committee to look into the urgent needs of these IDPs and find out the necessary solutions. Sabaragamuwa Chief Minister Maheepala Herath is also a member of this important committee. more..

Jun 11 (DN) Our nation is facing a situation which requires foresight and determination on the part of our leaders. The forces are wide and varied without any ethical qualms. Attempts have been made before to unleash a wave of unrest but they have not succeeded. Our brave security forces have weathered these attacks with determination and resolution and created through out the country a sense of patriotism which lay dormant after five centuries of foreign domination. more..

Jun 11 (G&M) The decision by Sri Lanka to turn away Liberal Foreign Affairs Critic Bob Rae is more than an insult to a distinguished Canadian who has worked at some personal risk to end violence in that country, but is an affront to Canada itself, a Commonwealth friend that has supported Sri Lankan peace efforts and which in 2006 strengthened the Sri Lankan government's hand by listing, correctly if belatedly, the LTTE as a terrorist organization. more..

Jun 11 (DN) Extracts from an exclusive interview conducted with the Probation and Child Cares Services Commissioner Sarath Abeygunawardana. Here he talks about IDP children, adopting children, children staying in orphanages and the society�s responsibility towards children. Q: What is the latest situation of the internally displaced children staying in welfare villages? more..

Jun 11 (Island) The All Party Representatives Committee (APRC), convened to work out a political solution to the ethnic conflict is in the process of drafting the �final document� of its deliberations, section-by-section, having reached �consensus on all political issues�but a specific date cannot be pinpointed as to when the final document could be brought out, APRC chairman Prof. Tissa Vitarana told more..

Jun 11 (Island) Nihal Sri Ameresekere, former Chairman of the Public Enterprises Reform Commission and the applicant of the two fundamental rights applications before the Supreme Court which resulted in the nullification of the privatization of Lanka Marine Services and Sri Lanka Insurance Corporation, said the President should be bold enough to appoint a special presidential commission to look into all the privatization deals since the economy was opened in 1977. more..

Jun 11 (Island) The government yesterday warned dissident SLFP MP Mangala Samaraweera, MP, that his involvement in several high profile transactions during his tenure as a minister in the CBK administration would be probed. Power Minister Mahindananda Aluthgamage yesterday said that the CID had launched an inquiry. more..

Jun 11 (Island) A massive sum of Rs 6,460,000/= had been spent by Agriculture and Agrarian Service Minister Maitripala Sirisena on eight foreign trips he had gone on during the last two years, Parliament was told yesterday. He had been to China, Vietnam, the UK, Rome, Philippines, Cypress and twice to New Delhi, was an answer tabled by Chief Government Whip, Urban Development and Sacred Area Development Minister Dinesh Gunawardena more..

Jun 11 (DM) The Army Lieutenant Colonel who was alleged to have links with the LTTE and suspected of conspiring and aiding and abetting with the LTTE to assassinate President Mahinda Rajapaksa was remanded till July 30 by Mount Lavinia Additional Magistrate Ms. Dharshika Wimalasiri yesterday. The magistrate ordered the Colombo Crime Division (CCD) to obtain the Government Analyst�s report on the explosives and more..

Jun 11 (DM) Paddy cultivators, administrators and senior politicians in the Matara district expressed concern about the fast spreading wild rice varieties that affect the paddy cultivation in the district. During the recent meeting of the Nilwala Reconstruction Commttee at the District Secretariat they pointed out that more than 4000 acres of paddy fields have been affected by the growth of wild rice varieties. more..