Mar 10 (TC) There is a view that the UN Organization General Secretary Ban Ki Moon appointed a panel of experts to investigate the human rights (HR) violations and the war crimes committed during the Sri Lanka (SL) war was in order to get an extension for his term in office as Gen. Secretary. It is evident that when his first term is about to end , he is resorting to various ploys to get it extended. more..

Mar 10 (TC) The spectre of war crimes will haunt Sri Lanka until the triumvirate consisting of the Diaspora, anti-Sri Lanka NGO�s and the Western Powers abandon their relentless struggle to punish Sri Lanka for defeating terrorism which still continues to torment those countries which did not desire the LTTE to be vanquished. more..

Mar 10 (BL) Phase I of the reconstruction of the Omanthai Railway Station will be completed and Northern railway line, up to Omanthai, will be open for public use by April 5. Deputy Minister of Social Services Lionel Premasiri told TBL that they hope to finish construction of the 200-metre long railway platform within few weeks. Once construction is finished, a special train will set out from Thandikulam to Omantha declaring the station open. more..

Mar 10 (BL) The size of the Sri Lankan cabinet has been a subject of intense discussion and debate in the recent times. It is because of various political reasons that the country has ended up with one of the biggest cabinets in the world. The current cabinet has about 50 members and the President has already promised to bring it down to 35 after the coming elections. It is interesting to note how the number of cabinet ministers increased over the years when more..

Mar 10 (BL) One of Sri Lanka�s leading economists, whose name appeared on the national list of Sri Lanka�s main opposition party, is determined to be vociferous on economic issues if he enters parliament. Dr. Harsha de Silva, who is presently the Lead Economist for Lirneasia, a local think-tank, who has been included in the UNP�s national list for the upcoming general elections, is expected to more..

Mar 10 (BL) Golden Key Depositors Association is to appeal Sri Lanka�s banking watchdog- Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL) to request that shares of the Golden Key ENT Hospital, Rajagiriya, be placed in lieu of their deposits. The Association has called a meeting of its members on March 9 at 2.30 p.m. at the Shalika Ground, Narahenpita to get the sanction of its membership for the request. more..

Mar 10 (MoD) Fishermen are now allowed deep sea fishing during the whole day and to the full extent of the country's territorial waters. This is due to the peaceful atmosphere prevailing in the country. Due to certain security conditions, fishermen were not able to go to the sea during the whole day and were restricted in the distance they could venture out to sea. However the conditions that gave to these restrictions are no more with the LTTE defeated. more..

Mar 10 (GV) Seeing it comin�: Will the Tamils silently celebrate and the Sinhalese secretly curse the day that Prabhakaran died? With his secessionist fundamentalism and ghastly terrorism, he was the biggest obstacle to achievable autonomy for Tamils and the best excuse for the Sinhala establishment�s tardiness in devolving power to the Tamil speaking periphery. more..

Mar 10 (GDI) The former Attorney-General President�s Counsel Shibly Aziz was congratulated by the Sailan Muslim Foundation for been elected as the President of the Bar Association of Sri Lanka (BASL). �Brother Shibly is one of the founder members, a trustee and Vice Chairman of Sailan Muslim Foundation and is heading the editorial section of the website. Sailan Muslim Foundation is grateful to those who obliged to our request in supporting him to be more..

Mar 10 (DN) The forthcoming General election is so far proving to be the most boring in remembered history. Even Mervyn Silva has gone quiet. There are no �issues� being debated. All we see are posters where equally despicable politicians with faces that are equally ugly to behold claiming the same things. Each of them would have us believe that if we don�t mark an X in front of the relevant name we would be shooting ourselves and more..

Mar 10 (GDI) Hambantota District Freedom Alliance candidate Namal Rajapaksa is touring Jaffna. His desire is to provide strength to SLFP candidates who are contesting the elections from that area. Mr. Rajapaksa was accorded a very warm welcome in Jaffna with religious blessings. He first visited the Naga Deepa Vihara and secured blessings of the Maha Sangha. Thereafter, he participated in religious observances at the Naga-Bhushani Amman Kovil. more..

Mar 10 (GDI) President Mahinda Rajapaksa has called on the people to prepare themselves to steer the liberated country towards an indigenous economy. The President expressed his views at a meeting held with the Central Organizations of the SLFP in Tissamaharama electorate. The President said the country faced many crises. Hundreds of thousands of employees were retrenched in the US. Banks collapsed in the UK and in the US. more..

Mar 10 (DN) The world natural rubber products manufacturing industry is a sizeable one with long history, diverse interests and in the more recent past, it has been through some turbulent waters. However, it largely remains a poor member of the family dominated by the end-product giant, the tyre industry. The Sri Lankan rubber industry, both upstream and downstream, has to survive and prosper in the era of rapid globalization, more..

Mar 10 (MoD) The prospects for Sri Lanka's economy is bright and optimistic with much potential for massive scale growth and development, as revealed by various independent economic observations. A panel of professionals headed by National Economic Council (NEC) Member W.D. Lukshman yesterday highlighted Sri Lanka's potential. Kelaniya University Sociology Department Head Professor Sunanda Madduma Bandara, National Economic Council Member and more..

Mar 10 (MoD) Indonesian Defence Attach� calls on the CDS The new Defence Attach� of the Republic of Indonesia, Colonel (Navy) I Putu Arya Angga Suardika paid a visit to Air Force Head Quarters yesterday morning (09 March 2010) to pay a traditional call of courtesy to Acting Chief of Defence Staff and the Commander of the Sri Lanka Air Force Air Chief Marshal Roshan Goonetileke. more..

Mar 10 (MoD) A distribution ceremony was organized by the PEACE Project and held on 09th March 2010 at Governor's Secretariat, Northern Province, Trincomalee under the chairmanship of Hon. Governor, Northern Province Major General GA Chandrasiri. Hon Governor has distributed 13 Nos. of motorbikes with necessary accessories to Department of Irrigation, Department of Agriculture Department, more..

Mar 10 (MoD) Sri Lankan Army Troops engaging search and clearing operations in liberated areas yesterday also recovered some warlike items hidden by LTTE terrorists. Troops of 65 Division recovered 750 x 7.62 x 39mm ammo , two RPG bombs and four 60mm mortar bombs during their search operations in general area Anichiyankulam. The troops of 222 Brigade recovered one Hand Grenade in general area Peraru and more..

Mar 10 (LNP) The Sri Lankan footwear industry can reach higher, similar to the apparel industry with more recognition for young industrialists. The footwear industry in Sri Lanka has greater potential as Sri Lanka is intense with labour, especially trainable labour. Sri Lanka has been considered a place for healthy labour relations and high efficient labour which can be utilized in the footwear industry, more..

Mar 10 (TN) Executive directors of two NGOs, the Center for Policy Alternatives (CPA), a Colombo-based think tank, and Transparency International, Sri Lanka (TISL), have written a protest letter to Sri Lanka's President Mahinda Rajapakse complaining about a news report in a Colombo website which said that "[Sri Lanka] state intelligence agencies have been compiling a list or lists of individuals supportive of the opposition, and more..

Mar 10 (TN) Sri Lanka Army (SLA) Commander Lt. Gen. Jegath Jeyasooriya officially opened the SLA Civil Administration Head Office Tuesday and inaugurated its Website in a public building on Jaffna Hospital road, taken over by SLA for this purpose, sources in Jaffna said. In the past SLA civil administration offices had been used by the government to control and subjugate the people of the peninsula militarily, more..

Mar 10 (LNP) The government is seeking a two-thirds majority to change the basic law of the country. Minister D. E. W. Gunasekara has told BBC that the government intends to `abolish` or `reform` the executive presidency, the be-all and end-all of the present Constitution. There has been a great deal of criticism of that institution whose powers have been grossly abused under successive political dispensations. more..

Mar 10 (LNW) The CaFFE organization in a statement has said that its official website has been barred in Sri Lanka since the 6th and there was no way of accessing the site even through a proxy site. The organization has called for this situation to be rectified immediately in order to establish the people�s right to information. The organization has said in the statement that more..

Mar 10 (PSM) A protest staged by the Mannar Traders� Union over the assault of a Muslim businessman Mohamed Fowzi (37) has been called off after the Mannar District Judge gave them assurance that action will be taken immediately to have the offenders arrested. Mr. Fowzi, the owner of a pharmacy was assaulted by an unidentified group last night when he was returning home after closing business. more..

Mar 10 (LT) We reported yesterday that four members of the Nil Balakaya died in an accident at Angunukolapelassa. They were under the influence of liquor at the time of the accident and were driving a double cab. The double cab belongs to the Department of Land Reclamation and Development and bears registration no HB 5048. It was given to the Nil Balakaya on the instructions of Deeshan Gunasekera a Working Director of the Department. more..

Mar 10 (Island) While two powerful state institutions keep passing the buck, illegal sand mining continues unabated in the Kelani River, right under the Kelani Bridge. Geological Survey and Mines Bureau (GS&MB) senior officials say that the area comes under the Coast Conservation Department, while the latter says it is not responsible for the said area. more..

Mar 10 (UNP) Kandy district JHU M.P Ven. Udawatte Nanda Thero said, the JHU had done nothing towards the growth or development of the Buddha Sasana. The Ven. Thero speaking in Parliament at the emergency extension debate said , because of the selfishness and self centeredness of these JHU leaders, they have digressed from the noble objects for which the party was inaugurated. more..

Mar 10 (LP) St. Anthony�s Church, Kochchikade, will receive a section of St. Anthony�s Holy Relics from St. Anthony�s Basilica, Padua, to mark the 175th anniversary of the Church this year. A member of the organizing committee said that a section St. Anthony�s skeleton would be kept in Colombo. He said St. Anthony�s Church had to be kept open all night on Monday due to a large number of devotees from several parts of the country converging at more..

Mar 10 (Island) The Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) Engineers Union has accused the Sustainable Energy Authority of involving technically unqualified companies in an ambitious project to produce wind power. Engineers told The Island that the CEB had come under heavy pressure to finalise agreements with those companies and carry out necessary changes to �take in� wind power. more..

Mar 10 (LNP) The 5th Commonwealth Boxing Championships will be held at Talkatora Stadium, New Delhi from March 10 to 18, 2010. The Amateur Boxing Association of Sri Lanka, conducted a selection meet from February 13 to 20, 2010 at Royal College and selected five boxers to represent Sri Lanka at this Tournament. The boxers are T.M Thenakoon Light Fly - 49 Kgs (Sri Lanka Army), P.D Suresh - Fly - 52 Kgs (Sri Lanka Air Force), more..

Mar 10 (Island) The Lanka Private Bus Owners Association has decided to take legal action against the Western Province Road Passenger Transport Authority for not issuing bus timetables. LPBOA president Gemunu Wijeratne yesterday said the failure to issue timetables had led to fatal accidents and amounted to a violation of commuters� fundamental rights. Two passengers had died when a Colombo bound Matugama bus collided with another bus recently and more..

Mar 10 (LT) Colombo District UNP candidate Shiral Laktilleke is being questioned by the TID since 9.30 am this morning, concerning his support for General Sarath Fonseka during the Presidential Election. The police have gone to great lengths to question those who extended their support for General Fonseka and those who were closely associated with him. more..

Mar 10 (UCAN) Thousands of Catholics and people of other faiths have venerated a relic of Saint Anthony of Padua days after it was flown into Colombo and placed in a shrine here. Yesterday, the third day of public veneration, Catholics from different parishes including school children queued up in the early morning to catch a glimpse of the relic at St. Anthony�s Shrine in Kochchikade. more..

Mar 10 (DN) The Road Development Authority yesterday said that the construction of the Southern Expressway using cement imported from Thailand has been suspended pending an investigation into the quality of the imported cement stock. The company handling the construction of Southern Expressway from Kottawa to Dodangoda has complained that two out of 7 concrete piers constructed across a river using the cement imported from Thailand failed the 7 day strength test. more..

Mar 10 (LeN) The CID has summoned media personnel Lal Priyantha on the 8th, and questioned him for five hours and elicited answers from him. He had been questioned in regard to the assassinations of Lasantha Wickremetunge, the assault on Rivira newspaper editor Upali Tennekoon, Journalist Keith Noyahr and the tarnishing of the image of the Govt. thereby. Do you know the Journalists Wickremetunga and Tennekoon? more..

Mar 10 (MoD) The police investigating covert LTTE operations in the city and its suburbs have arrested two Customs officers for their alleged involvement with LTTE intelligence chief Shanmugalingam Sivashankar alias Pottu Amman. Acting on information elicited from an LTTE operative, the Terrorist Investigation Division (TID) took them into custody. more..

Mar 10 (DM) Vital documents relating to public utilities, urban development and environment assessments will be open to the general public on request, in a move by the Urban Development Authourity (UDA) and the Sri Lanka Land Reclamation and Development Corporation (SLRDC) aimed at creating transparency in its functions. Under this programme the public will be able to access government documents such as research on water quality, more..

Mar 10 (Island) Western Provincial Councillor Mujibur Rahman (UNP) alleged that the UPFA-run Western Provincial Council and the Colombo Municipal Council had recently renamed Adamjee Lukmanjee Maternity Home, situated at Kotahena, as A.H.M. Fowzie Maternity Home. An irate councillor told The Island that the CMC had brazenly violated a long standing tradition that no building would be named in honour of a living person. more..

Mar 10 (Island) Former UPFA National List MP Wijedasa Rajapakshe says a sharp reduction in the number of ministers in the next Parliament is a necessity as part of the overall measures to bring down the budget deficit. The newly appointed UNP organiser for Maharagama electorate says the country cannot allow ministerial extravagance at the taxpayers� expense. He warned of an unprecedented financial crisis within the next few months unless the government cut down waste. more..

Mar 10 (DM) It has proved to the average public more than once that politicians are the luckiest of the whole lot who walk on the earth and Parliamentarians of Sri Lanka are not an exception. They are to get paid the full salary of an MP including all other perks such as fuel and mobile phone allowance and MSD security for the month of March and April for a few hours of job which was to participate in the emergency debate in Parliament. more..

Mar 10 (DM) The UNP said yesterday that they would request Elections Commissioner Dayananda Dissanayake to deploy foreign election monitors to the counting centres at this general election. UNP General Secretary Tissa Attanayake said that his party was concerned about possible election malpractices at this election, and therefore the presence of foreign monitors would be important. more..

Mar 10 (GDI) A high ranking Sri Lankan delegation will head to Brussels on March 15 for talks with the European Union (EU) on the GSP plus trade concession and other issues, the Minister G.L. Peiris said. He pointed out that the four-man delegation includes Treasury Secretary P.B. Jayasundara, Foreign Ministry Secretary Romesh Jayasinghe, Justice Ministry Secretary Suhada Gamlath and Attorney General Mohan Peiris. more..

Mar 10 (DM) Jathika Nidahas Peramuna (JNP) leader Wimal Weerawansa told parliament yesterday that the JVP should bear in mind how retired General Sarath Fonseka played a role in crushing its insurrection in 1988/89 as the then head of a military camp in Trincomalee. During the debate on the extension of the state of emergency, Mr. Weerawansa said the JVP must be aware of such acts. more..

Mar 10 (GDI) "Although the United Nations Human Rights Commission in Geneva has given a positive response about Sri Lanka, the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's decision to appoint a panel of experts to advice him on Sri Lanka is totally uncalled for and unwarranted. The Government has vehemently condemned that step. The danger of terrorism has not been eliminated completely and the people must realize this fact", more..

Mar 10 (BL) In an interesting turn of events, speculation is rife that the government is gearing up to take over the control of the National Development Bank (NDB) PLC through state owned banks, insurance companies and institutions which already own sizeable share holdings in the listed entity, The Bottom Line reliably learns. This was speculated in the backdrop of NDB�s Chief Executive Officer, Eran Wickramaratne�s name more..

Mar 10 (Island) JVP MP Sunil Handunnetti questioned in parliament yesterday as to why several military installations have been declared as detention centres recently. He said eight military establishments had been gazetted as detention centres after nine months of the decimation of the LTTE and demanded to know with whom the government was going to fill those centres. more..

Mar 10 (DN) Prime Minister Ratnasiri Wickramanayaka told Parliament yesterday that there were international forces unfavourable to us attempting to strengthen the LTTE terrorist organisation abroad. They are assisted by certain local elements that wish to destabilize the Government and arrest the country's rapid economic development drive, he said. more..

Mar 10 (DM) The TMVP has demanded the implementation of the 13th amendment soon after the General Elections and has also rejection of the Oslo Declaration, party officials said today. TMVP Spokesperson Azath Maulana said that the party�s main election policy mentioned in its manifesto was the implementation of the 13th Amendment and the TMVP�s rejection of the Oslo Declaration. more..

Mar 10 (IPS) The war of words between the Sri Lankan government and the United Nations has begun all over again, this time over the creation of an experts� panel on the island�s human rights record. U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon wants to appoint this panel, but Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa says it is "unwarranted and uncalled for". This week�s posturing is the latest episode in a saga that began about two years ago when the United Nations, more..

Mar 10 (DM) In a strange twist of events, Ministers Johnston Fernando and Indika Bandaranaike, who joined the ruling UPFA from the UNP, ceased to hold their MP posts from yesterday in the reconvened Parliament since they had withdrawn a Supreme Court case challenging their expulsion from the UNP. They switched their allegiance to the government and accepted ministerial portfolios during the presidential election period. more..