Sep 22 (DM) The TNA submitted names of seven MPs to monitor the resettlement work and development work carried out in the North and East. The seven members are R Sampanthan, Mavai Senathirajah, Suresh Premachnadran, Selvam Adaikalnathan, S Shritharan, P Selvarasa and M.A. Sumanthiran. Mr. Sumanthiran said these names were sent to presidential secretary Lalith Weeratunga and an acknowledgement had been already received. more..

Sep 22 (Island) UNP MP Harsha de Silva, who has been mentioned as one of 25 UNP MPs, who are planning to sit as an independent group, when parliament meets on Thursday, said yesterday that there was absolutely no truth in such reports. He said that a written request by 20 odd UNP MPs, including himself, to party leader Ranil Wickremesinghe on September 8, 2010, seeking a meeting more..

Sep 22 (Island) The villagers of Siribopura, Polonnaruwa yesterday thwarted an attempted by an armed gang, including policemen, to retrieve treasure buried at the Sooriyadeva Sri Rajamahaviharaya. Alerted by villagers, the Aralaganwila police arrested the gang following a high speed chase in the early hours of yesterday. Among the arrested was an ASP attached to Vakarai police area. more..

Sep 22 (IRIN) More than two years after she fled her home and 16 months after the decades-long Sri Lankan civil war was declared over, Chandra Jayakumar has one wish. "A house. That's all I want," the 31-year-old mother said from her family's makeshift shelter under a tarp. "We have been uprooted so many times. Nothing feels permanent. We have survived the worst. Now we want to live in peace." more..

Sep 22 (DM) A total of 3023 former LTTE combatants had been released from August 2009 to date following a three pronged approach of rehabilitating, prosecuting or releasing, said Minister D.E.W.Gunasekara. Those released comprised university students, children, sick and disabled cadres,court ordered releases, expectant mothers with infants and youths with minor involvement with the LTTE, said Mr. Gunasekara. more..

Sep 23 (HT) Sri Lanka has the lowest maternal mortality rate (MMR) in south east Asia and its infant mortality rate (MMR) is better than many wealthier countries, the United Nation�s second report on Millennium Development Goal (MDG) progress has said. "At its current level of 11.3 infant deaths per 1,000 live births, IMR (infant mortality rate) is lower than that achieved by countries considerably wealthier than Sri Lanka," more..

Sep 23 (DM) Sanuja Kalhan Edirisinghe of Dharmapala Vidayalaya-Pannipitiya has topped the Grade 5 Scholarship Examination with 196 marks. The names of the students who gained highest four marks at the Examination, were released by the Department of Examinations today. The other top three students are Navin Yasanka Premarathna of Horagahamulla Primary School-Minuwangoda, J.G. Kalani Pabasara of Meehagatanna Prathamika Vidyalaya-Kalutara and more..

Sep 23 (GDI) Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa this morning held fruitful talks with his Iranian counterpart President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in New York at 4.00 am Sri Lanka time. Presidential sources said that President Mahinda Rajapaksa on the side line of the UN summit met Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad at his suite in New York and held bilateral talks this morning. more..

Sep 23 (GDI) The Acting Minister of Transport Mr. Rohana Dissanayake said that the demands being made by the private bus operators to permit them to increase the initial bus fare by Rs. 1/= and make the initial bus fare from Rs. 6/- to Rs. 7/- is totally unacceptable and baseless. He said that the normal practice of allowing the bus operators is if the cost of operation has increased over 6%, which includes more..

Sep 23 (DPA) Sri Lanka's president has asked Norway for development assistance, a year after the end of the war with separatist Tamil rebels, the government said Wednesday. Norway was involved in mediating between the government and the rebels, brokering a truce in 2002 that fell apart in 2008 when Rajapaksa took up arms again before crushing the rebels the following year. President Mahinda Rajapaksa made the request for development aid during bilateral talks with more..

Sep 23 (SL) UNP Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe held a meeting at Cambridge Terrace today. Wickremesinghe met with representatives of the National Youth Front, which is an initiative by the UNP. During the meeting, Wickremesinghe apologised to the general public for those UNP MPs who had voted in favour of the controversial 18th amendment to the constitution. Wickremesinghe earlier engaged in negotiations with President Rajapaksa on the 18th amendment. more..

Sep 23 (DM) They say childhood is the best time of ones life; it�s supposed to be all rainbows and flowers and fairies in the air. Sadly though an increasing number of young children are being robbed of their childhood owing to the undue pressure they face at examinations. Examinations and education are undeniably integral aspects of a child�s life, yet making a child who is barely in the double digits sit a pressuring government exam is more..

Sep 23 (MoD) Dr. Radhika Coomaraswamy, Under-Secretary General and Special Representative of the Secretary General for Children & Armed Conflict, said she was impressed and pleased with the current situation regarding children who had been forcibly drawn into the armed conflict by the LTTE. She made this observation during bi-lateral discussions with President Mahinda Rajapaksa at the United Nations in New York yesterday (21). more..

Sep 23 (DM) Friends of Sri Lanka, both inside and outside the country, upset if they are with the likes of 18-A, have only to look at the more identifiable GoP to diagnose what is wrong with the nation as is with the party � and prescribe hard choices that neither seems willing to make. In the throes of an eternal dilemma for long, the UNP expends all energy and time, talking about reforms ad infinitum but coming up with schematic and calibrated half-hearted measures that more..

Sep 23 (DM) Suddenly, and surprisingly, Colombo has become the preferred destination for India�s top policy honchos. Foreign secretary Nirupama Rao visited Sri Lanka and went around the North holding what may be called street corner meetings with the local Tamil leaders; by the time she returned to Delhi, the gossip mills were in over drive saying that Rao�s visit cemented her claim for a post-retirement sinecure, as special envoy to Sri Lanka. more..

Sep 23 (DM) UNP MP Thalatha Atukorale spoke to Daily Mirror on the legacy of her late brother Gamini Atukorale and the leadership crisis within the UNP. She also explains how the UNP was effectively caught unawares by the 18th Amendment. Q: You entered politics to carry forward the legacy of your brother, the late, Gamini Athukorale. How far do you think you have succeeded in this endeavour? more..

Sep 23 (SL) Menika has been submerged in an ocean of despair. Wish it were a sea of G&T. She felt inclined to drown herself in these two liquids, but even they palled on her. TV made her more mis�rable seeing the mass rabble devour kiribath and whoop it up, celebrating the death of democracy in this Kuveni-cursed island home. If it is not poverty and war, it is other curses that descend on Sri Lanker, more..

Sep 23 (SL) Sri Lanka was very good in �diplomacy� in the past. Many government supporters holding citizenship in Western countries were hired � for instance Palitha Kohana, Rohitha Bogollagama, Shirani Gunatilleke and Rajapaksa brothers were involved in fooling the international community. Even though Norway stated last June that both parties wanted war, Sri Lanka successfully convinced the International community that more..

Sep 23 (SL) The Ministry of Defence has been taking over many authorities of late. The Urban Development Authority and the Land Reclamation and Development Corporation are just two of them. However, it appears that plans are afoot to add one more � the Colombo Municipal Council (CMC). The CMC found itself struggling in the throes of a severe crisis with the dengue epidemic. more..

Sep 23 (NS) G L Peiris is a politician. He�s also a professor of law. He ought to know constitutions. He ought to be able to study and assess the costs and benefits of legislation, proposed and enacted. We can�t be faulted for thinking that he�s studied constitutions and constitutional history and as such is able to make intelligent comments by comparing and contrasting constitutions across time and space. more..

Sep 23 (NS) Sudil Nilupul was preparing to celebrate his seventh birthday which ideally would have fallen this Sunday; and not even once it crossed his mind or his parents� that their visit to Beruwala town last Wednesday morning (September 15) would end an innocent life by an irresponsible bullet. Sudil, a Grade two student of Massala Primary School, went to the town with his parents to give measurements for a uniform for his Dhamma School. more..

Sep 23 (NS) Bomb blasts, civil casualties or explosions are not completely alien to Sri Lanka which fought a nearly three decade long war against the most ruthless terrorist organisation in the world, LTTE. Yet ever since the May 19, 2009 the day the country saw an end to LTTE terrorism, Sri Lankan government as well the military forces along with police were able to maintain remarkably peaceful and safe environment. more..

Sep 23 (TN) One hundred houses in the military occupation scheme consisting twelve thousand houses by the Sri Lanka government in Ki�linochchi district to colonize the Tamil land of Vanni with Sinhala families of Sri Lanka Army (SLA) are being hurriedly prepared for occupation. Families of one hundred SLA officers will take possession of them in an event to be held shortly, informed sources in Ki�linochchi said. more..

Sep 23 (TN) Sri Lanka Army (SLA) Jaffna Commander Major Gen. Mahinda Kathurusinghe for the first time commented on the issue of resettling families uprooted by SLA in Valikaamam North saying that it is possible to resettle them in areas excluding Palaali High Security Zone (HSZ). The SLA commander admitted this Tuesday in Maanippaay Piratheasa chapai hall while participating as Chief guest in an event for school children organized by SLA. more..

Sep 23 (TN) All highway construction work in Batticaloa district by State-run China Overseas Holdings limited company has been suspended following the explosion of stored dynamites in Karadiyan-aa�ru police station 17 September. The deaths of two Chinese engineers in the explosion, shortage of explosives and the additional expense incurred in transporting granite from other places are said to be the reasons for the suspension. more..

Sep 23 (LB) The excuses trotted by Socialist Alliance MP�s for voting in favour of the 18th Amendment (18A) have appeared in articles and interviews; their utterances in parliament have been published. They err on three counts; defiance of instructions issued by their parties, misleading the public on the nature and direction of the threats to democracy, and thirdly lacking the foggiest notion of how to resist the trend to dictatorship. more..

Sep 23 (LB) There are two kinds of people who are upset by the infighting within the UNP. First there are those who are die-hard loyalists, the kepuwath kola UNPers (�we are green and will remain green whatever happens�). Then there are those who although they might not agree with the UNP and indeed may have voted for the UPFA and/or Mahinda Rajapaksa (Presidential Election), believe that a strong and effective opposition is a necessary ingredient to more..

Sep 23 (LB) For the exceedingly dull and dim-witted amongst us who had expected Ranil Wickremesinghe to whip up a wave of enraged protest against the 18th Amendment, let us � even at this terribly late stage � stop kidding ourselves. Would a man that patently rejects democracy within his own party give a rat�s tail about democracy in Sri Lanka? Analysed from that angle, it becomes easier to understand why more..

Sep 23 (MoD) The "Mega Musical Night" which was organized by Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation (SLBC) coordination of Security Forces Headquarters-Jaffna (SFHQ-J) held at the Duraiappa Stadium, Jaffna on 18th September. The musical extravaganza organized by "Thendral FM" of the SLBC presented a range of popular Tamil and Sinhalese songs for the entertainment of thousands of Jaffna people gathered at the stadium. more..

Sep 23 (UCAN) Buddhists, Hindus and Muslims have joined Catholics in honoring a theologian who spent most of his life serving various ethnic groups and bridging religious divides. More than 50 people attended a recent thanksgiving Mass in Colombo for Oblate Father Tissa Balasuriya, 86, who founded the Ecumenical Association of Third World Theologians and Center for Society and Religion (CSR). more..

Sep 23 (DN) Sri Lanka has incorporated Millennium Development Goals key performance indicators in our national budget policies, President Mahinda Rajapaksa said. Speaking at the Summit of the Millennium Development Goals in New York, he pointed out that as a result Sri Lanka has already attained or is on track to attain the MDGs, despite formidable odds, including the almost thirty years of a violent terrorist movement and more..

Sep 23 (UCAN) In a move to prevent fundamentalist sects from attracting Catholics, Colombo archdiocese has organized a Press Week for the first time since 1970. �One of the causes of Catholics joining fundamentalist sects is precisely the low level of their faith,� explained Archbishop Malcolm Ranjith of Colombo as he launched the Sept. 19-26 event. Greater faith awareness should also stimulate Catholics �to find answers to contemporary problems,� more..

Sep 23 (AP) Isuru Udana took the first hat trick at a Champions League Twenty20 cricket tournament as Wayamba Elevens saved their best for last to romp to a 74-run win over Central Stags on Wednesday. Wayamba claimed its first win in its last game with Udana, a left-arm medium-pacer, and spinners Ajantha Mendis and Rangana Herath combining for eight wickets to bowl the Stags out for 70 at St. George's Park � the lowest score at the tournament. more..

Sep 23 (NF) A meeting between President Mahinda Rajapaksa and Jens Stoltenberg, Prime Minister of Norway took place on the sidelines of the United Nations Millennium Goals Summit today. During the meeting, the President had highlighted the destruction caused by the LTTE in the North and the East. The government of Sri Lanka is compelled to spend large amounts of money on infrastructure development in these areas. more..

Sep 23 (Island) It was only yesterday that we pointed out the nauseous hypocrisy of our politicians who flash saccharine smiles and shake hands with their arch rivals whom they��to borrow and slightly adopt a line from William Blake��would be glad to see outstretched beneath their poison trees. Today, our front page has a picture of President Mahinda Rajapaksa and Norwegian Prime Minister Jens Stoltenburg shaking hands warmly while Minister Erik Solheim looks on with a smile. more..

Sep 23 (DM) One certainly cannot help but being cynical when Mahinda Rajapaksa administration says that it is prepared to forget the past and start a fresh chapter in Sri Lanka and Norway relations. However another may ask if the UPFA government could make friends with de facto LTTE leader KP then why it can�t offer the olive branch to facilitator of the peace talks. Norway was accused of being pro-LTTE but now that KP is in the government pocket why shy away from more..

Sep 23 (LT) Sending five female students of Sri Jayawardenepura University who had been seen with their fiances to Kalubowila Hospital by the vice-chancellor for a virginity test has highly embarrassed and inconvenienced them says convener of the IUSF Udul Premaratne. He said, �Despite there are opportunities in all universities for students to fall in love and behave as lovers, more..

Sep 23 (LeN) The Sri Lanka Embassy in New York has set aside US Dollars 13 million to meet the expenditures of the SL�s jumbo delegation led by President Rajapakse attending the 65th assembly of the UN in New York. This amount in SL rupees works out to a colossal Rs. 1440 million ! After the Lanka e news exposed the extravagant and wasteful expenditures of the delegation on the 16th, the sources have supplied us with more information. more..

Sep 23 (LT) The Mahanayake of Malwatta Chapter has told Ms. Anoma Fonseka that the Mahanayakes of the four chapters will have a discussion and come to a decision regarding the verdict given to Gen. Sarath Fonseka. This has been told by Most Ven. Thibbatuwawe Sri Sumangala Thero, the Mahanayake of the Malwatta Chapter when Ms. Anoma Fonseka visited the prelate at Malwathu Maha Viharaya in Kandy today (22nd) morning. more..

Sep 23 (DM) Opposition Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe yesterday apologised to the people and to party members for the damage caused to the nation by some UNPers who voted for the18th Amendment to the Constitution. Mr. Wickremesinghe tendered this apology when he met some members of the UNP-affiliated National Youth Front at Cambridge Terrace. He explained that the passing of the 18th Amendment to the Constitution should have been avoided if more..

Sep 23 (DN) The Plantation Industries Ministry will take measures to reduce the heavy burden on the country by streamlining sugar cane cultivation, Minister Mahinda Samarasinghe said yesterday at the Plantation Industries Ministry. The Minister addressing a foreign delegation from Thailand who are engaging in sugar cane cultivation and sugar manufacturing activities said, sugar cane will be cultivated in 40,000 hectares of land in many areas of the country. more..

Sep 23 (WSJ) Sri Lanka's president said Wednesday that rising labor costs in China present an opportunity for his South Asian country to attract foreign companies seeking an alternative low-cost manufacturing base. President Mahinda Rajapaksa, in New York for the United Nations General Assembly, told The Wall Street Journal that the once war-torn country has enjoyed a 15-month period of peace during which more..

Sep 23 (LBO) Sri Lanka's central bank has asked banks to cut interest rates on housing loans to 14.0 percent and interest on credit cards to 24 percent by end October following steep falls policy rates cuts and lower economic risks. The monetary authority, which is also the bank regulator, said rates on other loans should be cut by one to two percent. The central bank said since February 2009, its policy repurchase rate at which more..

Sep 23 (DM) Importers of Electronic consumer durables will have to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with The Central Environment Authority (CEA) in a fortnight to collect, and dispose of e-waste, officials said. Importers of goods that use hazardous materials like cellular phones, computers and refrigerators would have to sign an MOU with CEA to collect, dispose and export e-waste, Environment Minister Anura Priyadharshana Yapa said. more..

Sep 23 (DN) Colombo city will be upgraded with all advanced city planning methods used in other developed countries without depriving any benefits enjoyed by the Colombo people, Constructions and Engineering Minister Wimal Weerawansa said. He was addressing householders after an inspection tour of development projects that are being carried out in the Colombo district. more..

Sep 23 (TN) Speaker Chamal Rajapaksa is to recommend two names from among Tamil and Muslim MPs for approval to Sri Lanka�s President as nominees to the Parliamentary Council as Prime Minister D. M. Jayaretna and the Opposition Leader Ranil Wickremasinghe failed to nominate as required by the 18th amendment within the stipulated seven day period, more..

Sep 23 (Island) The government says that Sri Lanka was not a political topic at the recently concluded Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) meet in Nairobi. Minister Mahinda Samarasinghe alleges the Opposition is trying to score some political points by misleading the public with regard to the CPA meet in Nairobi. The former Human Rights Minister Samarasinghe said that more..

Sep 23 (DM) The female teacher who was shot by a man at the Siyambalanduwa Maha Vidyalaya died a short while ago. An unidentified man has committed suicide at the Siyambalanduwa Maha Vidyalaya after shooting a female teacher this morning. Investigations are being carried out by the police. The teacher who has been identified as Lakshika Damayanthi, a resident of Kiwulayaya had been shot twice. more..