Apr 15 (LG) In the Sri Lankan conflict, the impact of war and extreme stress on civilian population has been highlighted over the years. However, war traumas experienced by the combatants were not adequately shown. Over the past few decades, some extreme reports had dehumanized the images of the combatants and publicized combatants as perpetrators of violence. more..

Apr 15 (AA) All-rounder Elton Chigumbura believes Sri Lanka could pose the biggest threat to Zimbabwe's aspirations to reach the Super Eight stage at the World Twenty20 cricket tournament. The global T20 cricket showcase will burst into life in Windies Indies on April 30. Chigumbura said that he was comfortable playing New Zealand in the Twenty20 format adding that Sri Lanka could be tricky customers. more..

Apr 15 (LG) There was some thought about titling this presentation as �Fashioning a New Policy Towards Sri Lanka�, till I remembered that there are too many constants levied by geography, history, demography and strategic considerations that one can only think of refining and fine-tuning India�s policy in post-war (and post-election) Sri Lanka and not of really fashioning a new policy. more..

Apr 15 (LG) Q: We talked about the linkage between the collapse of the rule of law, democracy and human rights violations in Sri Lanka and also the relationship to the issue of caste. Can you elaborate on this aspect? A: In a caste based society there is no concept of the equality of the law. What this means is that there is no acceptance of laws common to and binding on all persons on an equal basis. more..

Apr 15 (LNW) BBC World Service is to reinstate its FM programming on the Sri Lankan national broadcaster SLBC from Thursday, April 15. This will be the first BBC programming on the SLBC FM network for 14 months. The BBC suspended its programmes in the English, Sinhala and Tamil languages on 10th February 2009 following deliberate interference in its broadcasts. During the suspension, the BBC�s services in all three languages remained available in Sri Lanka via more..

Apr 15 (DM) The UNP has initiated disciplinary inquiry on Shantha Abeysekera over his involvement over the assault on UNP Puttalam District Member of Parliament elect Range Bandara, UNP Deputy Leader Karu Jayasuriya said. Meanwhile the family of Bandara said that he will undergo two more operations at the Colombo National hospital next week for the injuries he sustained during the assault which included injuries to the head, arm and legs. more..

Apr 15 (DM) The former Presidential candidate and Tamil National Alliance Member of Parliament, M.K.Sivajilingham is to lodge a protest with the Indian High Commission (HC) in Colombo over being deported back to Sri Lanka from Chennai. According to the Asian Tribune website Sivajilingham, who was deported on Tuesday he will be lodging a protest note to the Indian High Commission in Colombo. more..

Apr 15 (CI) Udaya Wickramasinghe, the former Sri Lankan international umpire, has died at the age of 70 following a sudden illness. Wickramasinghe officiated in three home Tests between 1987 and 1997, against New Zealand (1987), Australia (1992) and Pakistan (1997) where he stood with the England umpire David Shepherd, and in 10 ODIs. Wickramasinghe became the first overseas umpire to qualify as an official instructor of more..

Apr 15 (DM) Sri Lanka has expressed surprise at comments made by a Pakistan Minister who had claimed that the Sri Lankan authorities were not co-operating in the investigations on the Lahore attack last year. Sri Lanka�s High Commissioner to Pakistan Air Chief Marshall Jayalath Weerakkody said that he was surprised as to what prompted the Pakistani Minister to make such a statement more..

Apr 15 (NF) A number of deaths occurred during the last few days and police have cautioned the public on the dangers of bathing in unfamiliar waters, especially rivers, tanks, lakes and reservoirs. The most recent incident was reported from Galkiriyagama, Kekirawa, yesterday. A person who went bathing in the Haventhennegama, Galkiriyagama area in the Dambulu Oya went missing and his body was found by police and residents this morning. more..

Apr 15 (LBO) Sri Lanka's state-run timber corporation said it was offering furniture to state workers at steep discounts while charging prices as much as 60 percent higher from ordinary citizens through showroom list prices. The State Timber Corporation is selling a suite including a double bed, a wardrobe, dressing table, dining table, telephone stand and a rack at a discount. "The package is worth around 160,000 rupees but we will sell it for 100,000 rupees," more..

Apr 15 (IRIN) Uthayakumari, 39, lost her husband and a son in fighting between LTTE and government forces in 2009, and is still searching for her daughter who went missing earlier the same year. The girl was aged 16 when she was forcibly recruited by the Tigers in 2007. Uthayakumari and her family made an ill-fated decision to stay in LTTE-controlled areas to remain in contact with her. more..

Apr 15 (NF) Anamaduwa police this morning over the murder of a 19-year-old and the police inaction to arrest the suspect. Kasun Chamara, who had been living with his father, mother and sister in Ihala Biyanwila, had been killed with a sharp weapon and the suspect had fled the area. Parents say that there had been a dispute between their son and another in the area for some time. According to residents, the murder was the result of a long standing dispute between them. more..

Apr 15 (ADB) Sri Lanka is getting a $50 million loan from Asian Development Bank (ADB) to continue with public finance management reforms aimed at paving the way for increased investment in underdeveloped areas, including those severely affected by conflict. The loan for the Fiscal Management Efficiency Project will be used to introduce new tax revenue and treasury management systems which will strengthen public resource management, more..

Apr 15 (LBO) Sri Lanka's state bus service had lost 5,183 million rupees in 2009 despite getting another 4.1 billion rupee handout in peoples' money from the Treasury for operating 'uneconomic routes', the latest official data reveals. But the loss was lower than the 6.2 billion rupee deficit reported in 2008. The Sri Lanka Transport Board (SLTB) has also started new services in the Northern and Eastern provinces, more..

Apr 15 (LP) According to the 'Litha' or the almanac of auspicious times, the anointing of oil in the New Year took place at 10.06 this morning at the historic Raja Maha Vihara in Tissamaharama under the patronage of the President Mahinda Rajapaksa. The national festival has been organised by the Department of Indigenous Medicine. The anointing of oil is done while standing on Kohomba leaves and with Bo leaves on the head of the person being anointed. more..

Apr 15 (NF) Four officers of the Thambuttegama police on night patrol were assaulted yesterday by supporters of a politician. According to police, the mobile patrol had been en route to a house in the Yaya 4 area in Rajanganaya about 10 last night following a phone call received on the Police emergency number119 to the effect that the house had been set on fire. The police officers, on their way to the location in Rajanganaya, more..

Apr 15 (CG) A pensioner has been given the go-ahead to run candidates in the upcoming elections despite his links to a banned terrorist organisation. Nadarajah Balasubramaniam, 69, hopes to persuade people the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam are freedom fighters, despite years of suicide bombing and reports they used child soldiers to fight the Sri Lankan army. more..

Apr 15 (ZN) Working tirelessly, hundreds of people in a village located North Central Sri Lanka pulled out two sinking elephants from an agrarian well even as one of the annoyed jumbos starting attacking the rescuers after walking free. Not willing to give up, the villagers in Galkiriyagama in Kekirawa took turns trying first to pull out the baby elephant which was crying out in distress. more..

Apr 15 (EB) Five Sri Lankan sailors, who were stranded in Kochi for 19 months after the owner abandoned the tug in mid-sea, were deported on Wednesday following a court order. The Kochi Judicial First Class Magistrate Court, which issued the order, has also ordered to pay US Dollar 1,12,277 to the sailors as compensation. The owner abandoned the Panama flagged tug Malakkas after both engines of the vessel were damaged on August 10, 2008. more..

Apr 15 (HRW) The Australian government should reverse its decision to suspend the processing of new asylum applications from Sri Lankan and Afghan nationals, Human Rights Watch said in a letter to Immigration Minister Chris Evans today. Human Rights Watch said that the new policy, announced on April 8, 2010, fails to recognize the serious threats to security for certain groups in Afghanistan and Sri Lanka and more..

Apr 15 (NF) Sanjeew Kumara, a businessman from Nawala, said to have delivered money from the daughter of General Sarath Fonseka to her mother-in-law, Ashoka Thilakaratne, was enlarged on bail today. General Fonseka�s daughter had given her mother-in-law Rs 78 million. When the case was called up before the Mt. Lavinia Chief Magistrate Harsha Sethunga today, he ordered the suspect to be enlarged on two counts of personal bail valued at Rs 1 million each. more..

Apr 15 (DM) Democratic People�s Front Leader Mano Ganeshan claimed that two of his campaign teams had come under attack in Nawalapitiya this evening injuring two people and damaging atleast two vehicles. However when contacted DIG of the Police Elections Desk, Gamini Navaratna said that there were no incidents reported in Nawalapitiya today and that the area in the Kandy District where polling was annulled last week was calm. more..

Apr 15 (Xinhua) China on Thursday congratulated Sri Lanka on the smooth running of last week's parliamentary elections, the first since the defeat of Tamil Tiger rebels last May. The Chinese government will continue to develop friendly cooperation with the South Asian country on the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu told a regular news briefing. more..

Apr 15 (DM) Defeated UPFA candidate from the Galle District Geetha Kumarasingha has denied media reports which claimed that she will file legal action against her own party over her loss at the recent General Elections. �It is a diabolical lie. I never decided to take anyone to court,� a furious Kumarasingha told Daily Mirror online. Kumarasingha's comments came as a surprise as there were more..

Apr 15 (DM) Defeated Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama is aiming for a post in the government despite failing to secure a seat in parliament at the recent General Elections. While the tussle for his former post continues among several key government members who made it into parliament, Bogollagama, according to government sources is keen to remain in politics by either vying for a deputy minister post or one of a lesser authority. more..

Apr 16 (BBC) Police in Sri Lanka say they have released 17 soldiers detained on suspicion of killing or attempting to kill journalists and editors. The men were accused of being involved in the 2009 murder of newspaper editor Lasantha Wickramatunga and for the other attacks on journalists. Police told a court that there was no evidence against the group of soldiers. But police say more soldiers are being questioned over the editor's murder and other attacks on media personnel. more..

Apr 16 (Economist) A Superstitious man, Sri Lanka�s president, Mahinda Rajapaksa, once had a popular astrologer arrested for foretelling his downfall. Such insecurity seems unjustified. After defeating Sarath Fonseka, his former army commander, by 2m votes in a presidential poll in January, Mr Rajapaksa�s ruling alliance swept the general election on April 8th so decisively that its hold on parliament seems unassailable. more..

Apr 16 (BBC) A leading parliamentarian in Sri Lanka�s main opposition has urged a re-organisation of the party after it was once again defeated by the ruling coalition at the general elelctions. Sajith Premadasa, the Hambantota district parliamentarian of UNP says the party needs to be reformed to represent the grassroots, including labourers, farmers and fishermen. more..

Apr 16 (LG) The book �Sri Lanka: Impunity, Criminal Justice and Human Rights� authored by Basil Fernando and published by the Asian human Rights Commission is about Sri Lanka�s descent into utter lawlessness. The book is not a chronicle of events. The book provides us an insight into �abysmal lawlessness and the zero status of the citizens�, the militarisation of the state, the bypassing of the constitution and more..

Apr 16 (AN) After 30 years of war Buddhist Sinhalese and Hindu Tamils started their new year yesterday in a climate of peace. It is especially great celebration for the people and military of the northern and eastern regions, who experienced first hand the horrors of the war between the army and the LTTE until May 2009. The celebrations involved the entire population of the country, also Christians and Muslims, but not the over 83 thousand refugees still more..

Apr 16 (AFP) US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has urged Sri Lanka to respect human rights and heal its communal divisions as the island emerges from decades of ethnic bloodshed. In a message marking Sri Lanka's New Year and released by the US embassy in Colombo on Thursday, Clinton said the government defeat of Tamil Tiger rebels nearly a year ago had paved the way for a new era. more..

Apr 16 (LG) Ever since the LTTE terrorists were crushed by the Government,their apologists and sympathizers both locally and internationally, never seemed to tire of hollering the refrain that the Sinhala people are suffering from an overweening sense of triumphalism,without their being magnanimous and generous towards the crestfallen Tamils in the North and the East. There have been bitter exchanges in the �Island� expressing their individual views based on more..

Apr 16 (LG) That sweet man Robert Blake (we are required to be saccharine-sweet to the powerful, an ex-diplomat advises), US Assistant Secretary of State (no less!) has made an observation (all hail!): �I think one of the noteworthy things about the recent election was that hardline Sinhalese nationalist parties took a severe beating in these elections�. That�s a bit awkward-sounding, grammar-wise, but I must let that pass. The man�s sweet, after all. more..

Apr 16 (IL) The National Festival of Aluth Avurudu Oil Anointing Ceremony was held at historic Tissamaharama Raja Maha Viharaya under the patronage of the President Mahinda Rajapaksa this morning on 15th April at 10.06. Chief Incumbent of the temple, Dr. Ven. Devalegama Dhammasena Mahanayaka Thera anointed traditional herbal oils on President Mahinda Rajapaksa at the auspicious hour more..

Apr 16 (VoA) The Sri Lanka Red Cross and International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies are appealing for nearly $3.5 million to assist 25,000 internally displaced people in the north of Sri Lanka. Many of these people are victims of a long civil war and the Indian Ocean tsunami in 2004. The Red Cross says its new appeal will focus on families returning to northeastern Sri Lanka districts, such as Kilinochchi and more..

Apr 16 (Independent) A year after the defeat of Tamil rebels who had made parts of Sri Lanka a no-go area, the island hopes to entice tens of thousands of tourists to places that appear in one of Asia's most celebrated religious sagas. Tourist officials have identified and collated more than 50 sites said to feature in the Ramayana, a Sanskrit epic more than 2,000 years old. The saga tells the story of Rama, an incarnation of the Hindu deity Vishnu, who more..

Apr 16 (IL) When the whole country celebrates Sinhala and Tamil New Year in a peaceful environment after eliminating three decades of terrorism, President Mahinda Rajapaksa also observed the �Sinhala Aluth Avurudu Sirith� at Carlton House in Medamulana. Locals in hundreds from the President Rajapaksa�s home town, gathered at Carlton House to join with the Head of the state on New Year�s Day to follow the traditions. more..

Apr 16 (TN) Sri Lanka Army (SLA) occupying Vanni without allowing the uprooted civilians from resettling in their homes is busy engaged in constructing big bases in strategic areas in Vanni, sources in Vanni said. Meanwhile, the small numbers of civilians permitted to resettle in some areas in Vanni are subjected to harassment by SLA. Armed group of men forcibly enter their houses in the nights where there are young women, more..