Jun 4 (GDI) The funeral of the late Minister of Justice and Law Reforms Amarasiri Dodangoda will take place this afternoon at Samanala Grounds, Galle, South of Sri Lanka. The cortege which lies at late Minister�s residence will leave to Richmond junction in a procession at 1.00 pm. He was born on the 18th October 1942, and served as the Cabinet Minister of Public Administration and Home Affairs since 2004. more..

Jun 4 (GDI) Sri Lanka has worked out a US dollar one billion direct foreign investment by the year end as foreign investment proposals have begun to pour in with the restoration of peace, Media Minister, Anura Priyadharshana Yapa told the weekly cabinet briefing. He said the Government last year had an investment of US & 865 million that included the telecom sector investment with new ventures like Airtel coming into Sri Lanka. more..

Jun 4 (GDI) The government has strengthened the relief assistance process to the displaced persons in the North with six ministries effectively working on the directives of the Ministry of Social Welfare, minister Anura Priyadharshana Yapa said. He said 26 social welfare centres have been set up by six ministries to cater to the needs of 272,000 displaced persons in the North now taking shelter in temporary camps. more..

Jun 4 (GDI) The Ministry of Livestock Development will take steps to establish Dairy Farmer Committees in the Eastern Province under the Negenahira Navodaya program and two new milk chilling centers will open in the Trincomalee and Batticaloa districts this week. These centers will be opened under the patronage of the Livestock Development Minister C.B.Rathnayake. more..

Jun 4 (LG) The Rajapaksa regime succeeded in gaining international favour and capitalised on the mistakes the Tigers committed Sri Lanka had the support of China that opposed any formal resolution by the UNSC. Most of the agencies limited their role to making appeals to the government with no serious intent to follow up with sanctions of any kind. If the LTTE expected the international community to come to their rescue, they were disappointed. more..

Jun 4 (GDI) The National Drugs Control Authority (NDCA) warned it would grab any vehicle transporting medical drugs without a medical permit under the cosmetics device and drugs act. The vehicles should meet necessary standards to transport medical drugs and those which don�t possess necessary requirements will be fined and the drugs in the vehicle will be seized. Private companies should renew the permit to transport drugs annually. more..

Jun 4 (CT) The government is to initiate legal proceedings against a young British woman identified as Thamilvany Gnanakumar on the charge of supplying incorrect information from Mullaitivu's 'no fire zone' to Britain and other countries, 'Divaina' reports. An article filed by defence correspondent Keerthi Warnakulasuriya says the government has found that this woman, under the pseudonym 'Vanikumar', more..

Jun 4 (GDI) All liquor and meat outlets in the Anuradhapura district, North Central Sri Lanka will be closed during the Poson week beginning tomorrow and will remain closed till June 10. The Police has launched a special programme to raid liquor and meat outlets that violate the directive during the Poson week, the Department of Excise revealed. more..

Jun 4 (GDI) A special transport service is in place to facilitate pilgrims who travel to worship Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi to commemorate Poson Poya Day, the Ministry of Transport said. Accordingly a special train starts at 1.25 pm from Colombo Fort tomorrow (05) will reach Anuradhapura at 6.00 pm. Also another five special train services will be operated at 3.00 and 5.55 pm respectively. more..

Jun 4 (LT) India is considering various options to pressurize Sri Lanka to accept its terms. India has been concerned regarding interest many other countries, specially China, have shown in Sri Lanka and has considered appointing a special envoy to �stop foreign powers trying to fish in Sri Lanka's troubled waters.� India has in very strong terms expressed its concern regarding more..

Jun 4 (LT) An agitation organized by the Binthennapaththu United farmers Association affiliated to All Ceylon Farmers� Federation demanding solutions for the critical issues confronted by the famer community in Mahaweli �C� zone was held with the participation of a large number of farmers at Dehiaththakandiya yesterday (3rd). The main demands of the agitation were supply of adequate water for cultivations, more..

Jun 4 (GDI) An Anuradhapura bound fuel train jumped rails at Talawa this morning causing the engine to catch fire and three fuel tanks. The engine was damaged by the derailment that occurred close to the Talawa railway station and subsequently the engine caught fire, the Media Head of the Railway Department Vijaya Samarasinghe told www.news.lk today(04). He pointed out that the fire brigade was called in to douse the fire. more..

Jun 4 (LT) There are 350 children under the age of 10 years living in IDP camps without any parents or guardians. Their nutrition and security is being looked after by the officers of District Secretariat and supervised by relief service officers in the camps said the minister. Meanwhile, there are 250 university students said the Minister adding arrangements have been made to send them to other universities.

Jun 4 (LeN) UNP Kurunegala district MP Dayasiri Jayasekara says that the government that ended the terrorism in north has launched state terror in south to abduct media persons and to break their limbs. He said that Sri Lanka is the country where the most unfortunate media persons live as some state media personnel write the death warrants to other journalists. more..

Jun 4 (CT) Minister of Posts Mahinda Wijesekara has now fully recovered from the injuries he had suffered in a suicide bomb attack in Akuressa in March. After undergoing treatment at Sri Jayewardenepura Hospital and Colombo, Sri Lanka National Hospital, he has now retuned home, said a statement issued by his ministry. Mr. Wijesekara is expected to resume his official functions after a short vacation, it added.

Jun 4 (CT) The Terrorist Investigation Division is conducting an extensive probe into the activities of one Gunasundaram Jayasundaram, considered a key fundraiser and operative of the LTTE's international intelligence wing. The TID informed Colombo, Sri Lanka chief magistrate Praharsha Ranasinghe yesterday that the suspect was being detained for further interrogation in connection with his international connections. more..

Jun 4 (GDI) The second school term of Sinhala and Tamil schools will end on August 7, the latest schedules of Education Ministry revealed. Accordingly, the third term of Sinhala and Tamil schools will begin September 7 and end on December 9. Earlier, the Education Ministry had scheduled to end the second term on July 31, while the third term was to start on August 31.

Jun 4 (AT) There is still no official word about the proposed visit of Sri Lanka President Mahinda Rajapaksa to India. He was to be the first foreign dignitary Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was expected to receive at the beginning of his second term. External Affairs Minister S M Krishna had said that Sri Lanka president would be coming to Delhi when the dialogue initiated by National Security Advisor M K Narayan and Foreign Secretary Shiv Shankar Menon would be carried forward. more..

Jun 4 (LeN) The secretary of the Working Journalists� Association Poddala Jayantha says that manipulating his abduction case to intimidate more journalists instead of bringing the culprits into books is very distressing. He mentions thus in a letter he wrote to the Inspector General of Police. The complete letter is as follows: �I write this letter to bring to your notice a shocking incident that I came to know while more..

Jun 4 (BBC) Education authorities in Vavuniya are trying hard to give the best education possible to about fifty five thousand displaced children within limited facilities, says the Zonal Director for Education for Vavuniya South, Ranjani Oswald. "This is a hard job but we do what we can", she said. Up to now fifty five thousand students from Grade 1 to 13 have been registered as displaced, and they are now in Transitional Relief Villages and Transitional Camp Schools. more..

Jun 4 (AT) Media Minister Lakshman Yapa Abeywardene in an interview with the� Asian Tribune� said that the Government will not be merely carried away by the confession made by LTTE's Daya Master now in custody, who is reported to have alleged that some journalists has had transactions with the LTTE. He added that the interrogators were intelligent enough to arrive at justifiable conclusions to investigations. more..

Jun 4 (CNA) The Singapore Red Cross will launch a month-long public donation drive to raise funds for humanitarian relief efforts in Sri Lanka. To kick start the public appeal, the Singapore government will contribute US$20,000 as seed money. The government had in April contributed US$30,000 to the United Nations Children's Fund for humanitarian relief in Sri Lanka. According to Singapore's Foreign Ministry and the Red Cross, more..

Jun 4 (Hindu) Nineteen Sri Lankan Tamil refugees, including five women and five children, reached the Rameswaram shore on Wednesday. Among them were five of a family from a camp for internally displaced persons in the island nation. According to the police, the family left the Mannar shore on May 31 in a hired boat. It was abandoned on an islet on seeing a vessel of the Sri Lankan Navy. more..

Jun 4 (Hindu) Two Sri Lanka nationals - Navaratnam Latisan, 25, and Vasudevan Ravi, 24,- who allegedly tried to board a Frankfurt-bound flight with passports obtained from Tamil Nadu on fictitious names, were arrested by the police here at the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport on Wednesday. Another Tamilian, Raghupati Elumulai, 55, who was accompanying them, was also held on charge of abetting them. more..

Jun 4 (LNP) The Institute of Certified Management Accountants of Sri Lanka (ICMA) was launched with the objective of opening a professional opportunity for students who are unable to enter a university or an employee seeking higher prospects in his/her respective field, said the founder and President of Institute of Certified Management Accountants of Sri Lanka, Prof. Lakshman R. Watawala. more..

Jun 4 (LNP) Threats to Sri Lanka`s territorial integrity have been neutralised militarily. But, much more needs to be done to protect her sovereignty and independence, as evident from a plethora of indignities and contemptible harassment she is suffering at the hands of some aid donors and other international bullies who are smarting from their failure to save the LTTE leadership. more..

Jun 4 (PISL) In response to comments by NGOs in the dialogue on the reports of Special Rapporteurs, Prof. Rajiva Wijesinha intervened at the Human Rights Council in Geneva yesterday. He was speaking as Secretary to the Ministry of Disaster Management and Human Rights. His statement is carried below. Mr President, having been summoned to Geneva last week to pay our ever increasing tribute to the Swiss hotel industry, more..

Jun 4 (Island) Sri Lankan Armed Forces� yesterday marked their unprecedented triumph over the LTTE with a striking show of fighting forces and military assets ranging from Czechoslovakian-built RM 70 mobile multiple launch rocket systems, movable Indian radar (Indra Mark II) to a fleet of Israeli, US and locally made Fast Attack Craft (FACs) built with Japanese collaboration. more..

Jun 4 (PISL) As Secretary to the Ministry of Disaster Management and Human Rights, Secretary General of the Peace Secretariat Prof. Rajiva Wijesinha made another intervention at the Human Rights Council in Geneva yesterday. These remarks were made in response to the reports by Special Rapporteurs Alston and Ertuk. Sri Lanka welcomes the reports of Prof Alston and Prof Erturk. more..

Jun 4 (DN) It was a sight to behold when the Security Forces and the Police, in full ceremonial dress marched past the dais saluting the Commander-in-Chief, with precision, timing and coordination that would be the envy of all. In a synchronized display the Sri Lanka Air Force and the Sri Lanka Navy joined the fiesta in the sky and the sea blending the whole into a majestic pageant of colour and valour. more..

Jun 4 (DN) The development of the North and East should be fast tracked along with the rest of the country to ensure that the benefits of the victory against the LTTE filter down to the people. The process should be reconciliation, rehabilitation and reconstruction, Chairman Hatton National Bank (HNB) Rienzie Wijetilleke said. He outlined certain proposals which can be implemented utilizing the internal resources which will yield quick results. more..

Jun 4 (DN) The decisive defeat of terrorism now removes the factor which slowed down the country�s economic progress and makes it possible to harness Sri Lanka�s natural advantages and the creative energies of her people to accelerate development in the economic and social sectors, said Export Development and International Trade Minister Professor G.L. Peiris, addressing the plenary session of the Confederation of Asia-Pacific Chambers of Commerce more..

Jun 4 (Island) With the war over, a senior Minister said Sri Lanka must spend more on science and technology, particularly in research and development, if the country is to achieve higher levels of economic growth and eradicate poverty. "Sadly, governments have not spent as much as they should have on science and technology and this is most unfortunate," Prof. Tissa Vitharana, Minister of Science and technology said. more..

Jun 4 (Island) Rs 680,000 locked in a cupboard at the Agrarian Services Centre at Lunama in Hungama has been stolen while another sum of Rs 1,080,000 kept in another cupboard had remained untouched. A complaint in this regard was lodged with the Hungama Police on Monday by the Agrarian Services Development Officer of the Centre. He said the watcher of the Centre had been gagged and tied up before the robbers forced their way into the Centre. more..

Jun 4 (DM) The military has found Rs. 13 million in the possession of the manager of �Eelam Bank� run by the LTTE in Kilinochchi , and is now looking for the depositors to hand over these monies to them. Quoting military officers based in Vavuniya overlooking the welfare of the displaced civilians, Minister Dr.Rajitha Senaratne told the Daily Mirror yesterday this manager had arrived in Vavuniya along with other people. more..

Jun 4 (DM) Colombo Additional Magistrate Ms. G. Punarsha S. Ranasinghe yesterday further detained an LTTE intelligence unit head till June 9 in the Terrorist Investigation Division (TID) for allegedly supplying firearms and ammunition on a large scale to the LTTE movement. The TID officer said the suspect Gunasundaram Jayasundaram who owned business establishments in more..

Jun 4 (DM) The British High Commission yesterday refuted allegations by the general public accusing it of a corrupt and inconvenient Visa processing service through its commercial partner VFS. The Daily Mirror received complaints from the General Public regarding the British High Commission�s Visa processing system. We were informed that persons had to go through much difficulty in order to obtain a visa. more..

Jun 4 (SP) The UN, and many European nations, are very angry at Sri Lanka for defeating the separatist Tamil rebels, after nearly 30 years of fighting. The UN, and particularly Norway, were trying hard to work out a peace deal. The Tamils, represented by the LTTE (an organization eventually recognized as an international terrorist group) refused to budge on their demand for partition of the island. more..

Jun 4 (PTI) Two prominent media associations of South Asia on Thursday expressed shock at the kidnapping and beating of a prominent Sri Lankan journalist and asked Colombo to resolve issues relating to freedom of the media. Condeming the incident, the South Asia Media Commission (SAMC) and South Asian Free Media Association (SAFMA) said it was a "blatant violation of freedom of expression and independence" of media. more..

Jun 4 (BN) Sri Lanka aims to increase tourist arrivals by at least 20 percent each year, using a $20 million worldwide advertising campaign to promote the island�s attractions after the end of almost three decades of civil war. �The main task we have is that of image building,� Dileep Mudadeniya, managing director of the Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau said in an interview in the capital Colombo. more..

Jun 4 (LBO) Sri Lanka's Supreme Court said a 2003 privatization of Sri Lanka Insurance Corporation (SLIC) to listed Distilleries group was illegal and ordered the firm to be returned to the government and the purchase price refunded. Court ordered the government to repay 6.0 billion rupees originally paid by the private firm to gain control of SLIC. more..

Jun 4 (PTI) As Sri Lanka works out ways to accelerate development after defeating the rebel LTTE, China has pledged its full cooperation in reconstruction of the Island nation's economy after 30 years of ethnic war. "Prevalence of peace will strengthen the economy of Sri Lanka and China will continue to be a part of the economic reconstruction of the Island country," Deputy Director General of the Asian Affairs, Commerce Ministry, China Liang Wentao said. more..

June 4 (AFP) Sri Lanka has identified six foreign nationals, including Australians, among tens of thousands of war displaced civilians held in state-run camps in the island's north, a minister said on Thursday. Three Australians and one each from Britain, the Netherlands and Norway had crossed over to government-held areas after escaping from the war zone in the island's northeast after the defeat of the Tamil Tiger rebels last month. more..

Jun 4 (AFP) Sri Lanka's navy Thursday seized a foreign-owned ship loaded with medical, food and other supplies for war-hit civilians, saying the vessel had entered its territorial waters illegally. The supplies, arranged by supporters of the Tamil rebel cause, were loaded onto a ship in the English port of Ipswich in April -- just weeks before the government declared victory in the ethnic conflict, a navy spokesman said. more..

Jun 5 (GDI) Purchase of 20 ambulances: Cabinet approved a Memorandum submitted by the Minister of Healthcare and Nutrition Nimal Siripala de Silva to purchase 20 ambulances from the Micro Cars, a local industry at the rate of Rs.4,950,000.00 including VAT per unit to meet the present requirement of ambulances services of this country. It is essential that these vehicles are purchased deploy services immediately. more..

Jun 5 (LeN) Opposition Leader Ranil Wickramasinghe says that abduction and assault of Working Journalists� Association secretary Poddala Jayantha is an attack against the media freedom that is considered a basic requirement for national unity. Addressing a special media briefing held in official residence, Wickramasinghe said, �Poddala Jayantha is a journalist that never shared our political views. more..

Jun 5 (GDI) The ministry of Plantation Industries has drawn up a number of schemes to promote coconut cultivation in the North. The Minister D.M.Jayarathne said that this will be introduced parallel to the other development plans that have being undertaken in North. Hence the north is blessed with a better soil that suits the coconut cultivation, the LTTE terrorism prevented coconut cultivation in the north for the past 30 years. more..

Jun 5 (MSF) Ramachandra was wounded in January during fighting in the Vanni, the former conflict zone in northeastern Sri Lanka. The 18-year-old underwent amputations at a hospital there, and eight days later, was evacuated by an International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) ambulance to the main hospital in Vavuniya, about 50 miles south. The young woman is missing her left hand and left leg, and half of her right foot. more..

Jun 5 (BBC) A group of doctors who worked in Sri Lanka's rebel-held war zone are being held on suspicion of collaborating with Tamil rebels, the government says. The doctors could be in detention for a year or more before being tried. With journalists banned from the conflict zone, they became an important source of news about the fighting during the final bloody months of war. Last month the Sri Lankan government defeated Tamil Tiger rebels fighting for a separate homeland. more..