Feb 20 (Island) The Education Ministry has decided to issue a special circular to prohibit all govt schools from seeking money from students. However, donations from former students and well wishers would not be prohibited, Minister Bandula Gunawardena said. He said that it was already illegal to demand money from students, but the Public Service Commission and Human Rights Commission regulations prevented the the ministry from taking punitive action against errant more..

Feb 20 (Island) A 13-year-old schoolgirl died, on Monday, while practicing for the zonal sports meet. Anjali Isurika, a student of Gnaneswara Maha Vidyalaya, Willorawatta in Moratuwa had complained of a stomachache during practices and had lain down. The diseased�s sister, Rashmi Sanjana, studying at the same school, said that her sister had been taken to the Kalubowila Teaching Hospital as her stomachache did not ease. However, she was pronounced dead on more..

Feb 20 (DM) Former Army Commander Sarath Fonseka said the Army had �no information� about the deaths of slain LTTE leader V. Prabhakarans, �wife, daughter and youngest son�. �After the final battle which went on from 2009 May 17 night, 18 and 19th till about 10 o clock, we only recovered Prabakharans body together with about 400 other terrorist dead bodies, and his elder son�s body, his elder son Charles Anthony. more..

Feb 20 (Island) Instead of the President and his Cabinet of Ministers taking the blame for the economic mess that has been created, an attempt was being made to crucify Treasury Secretary P. B. Jayasundera, the UNP said. UNP MP Gayantha Karunathillake, MP, addressing a news conference in Colombo, said that they did not intend defending Jayasundera as he was answerable for his actions, but the Rajapaksa�s were now looking for a scapegoat and had unleashed more..

Feb 20 (DM) The govt has issued a fresh circular to monitor the construction of places of religious worship in the country, in an effort to ease religious tension, Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva informed Parliament. Making a statement in the House in response to a query by UNP Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe, the minister said the new circular was in addition to the one issued in 2008, outlining the criterion to be followed in the construction of places of religious worship. more..

Feb 20 (OU) We do not have any details concerning those required for resettlement in the Jaffna district. 28,000 persons needed resettled are not the accurate figure was said by Jaffna district Govt Agent Suntharam Arumainayagam. Journalist queried from GA, how many are to be resettled still in Jaffna district. In reply he said, he does not have the details of those need resettlement. If it so, 28,000 persons have registered for more..

Feb 20 (CT) An additional 2000 hectares were added to the Sinharaja Rainforest after the rainforest�s borders were re-marked, as many areas were encroached over the years, the Land and Land Development Ministry said today. Minister Janaka Bandara Tennakoon stated that the boundaries of Sinharaja Rainforest were expanded adding more areas into the rainforest. He revealed this fact while responding to a journalist�s query regarding de-forestation and tea-cultivation by more..

Feb 20 (PTI) In an apparent fallout of the alleged cold blooded killing of the 12-year-old son of slain LTTE Chief V Prabhakaran, some persons pelted stones at the office of Sri Lankan Airlines here, causing minor damage to property. Nobody was injured in the incident which comes close on the heels of a little-known pro-Tamil group attacking the Bank of Ceylon branch here recently, injuring two persons. Staff at the airline office confirmed the incident and said nobody was injured. more..

Feb 20 (CG) The British Foreign office has denied reports that Britain had sold millions of pounds of weapons to the Sri Lankan military last year. British Foreign Office Minister Alistair Burt said that a majority of the export licences approved, including those for small arms, were for private security companies countering piracy in the region. �UK hasn�t approved exports of small arms to the Sri Lankan military,� Burt tweeted today. more..

Feb 20 (Hindu) The DMK treasurer M.K.Stalin on Tuesday urged the Centre to send out a strong message to Sri Lanka to put an end to the atrocities perpetrated against Tamil Nadu fishermen. Leading a demonstration to highlight the plight of the fisherfolk of the State, organised by the Tamil Eelam Supporters Organisation (TESO) here, he said continuance of inhuman attacks on fishermen, who ventured into sea, by Sri Lankan forces has been a matter of grave concern. more..

Feb 20 (OU) Officials have pointed out the two segments of projects originated for roads restoration in the Jaffna peninsula from the financial aid acquired from World Bank, due to political intervene will face danger of getting deactivated. Road restoration for six roads for the total expenditure of 700 million rupees has completely got halted. The period for this task is concluded from this year May month, but due to the selection of contractors which cropped by merged ministers level more..

Feb 20 (AFP) Saudi Arabia has recalled its ambassador from Colombo in a tit-for-tat move amid tensions after a Sri Lankan nanny convicted of murder was beheaded in the kingdom, the official SPA news agency reported. "Based on the decision by the Sri Lankan govt to withdraw its ambassador from the kingdom, the (Saudi) foreign ministry has recalled its ambassador in Sri Lanka for consultations," SPA reported late Tuesday more..

Feb 20 (LBO) Simplify, a Colombo based aircraft operator said it planned to offer whale watching services using a newly delivered 5-seater amphibian aircraft it was managing for a third party. "Fairway has a bold new vision aimed at linking tourism and aviation in Sri Lanka,.." Suren Mirchandani, vice chairman of Simplifly said in a statement. ".. [W]e will be working closely with them to develop a completely new business model for this aircraft � for applications ranging from whale watching to more..

Feb 20 (IRIN) 15 months after a �reconciliation� commission submitted to the Sri Lankan govt its recommendations following a probe into the country�s final years of the 1983-2009 civil conflict, little has happened according to local civil society and a recent UN report. Of the dozens of suggestions from the govt-appointed LLRC, few on justice and reconciliation have been pursued, and investigative attempts have lacked independence and impartiality, according to the UN more..

Feb 20 (CI) Sri Lanka Cricket has appointed Chaminda Vaas as national fast bowling coach for two years, after weeks of negotiations with the former left-arm fast bowler. Muttiah Muralitharan has also come on board with the Sri Lanka coaching staff in an advisory capacity, and has already been working with the spin bowlers in the side, in the lead up to the upcoming home series against Bangladesh. Vaas had expressed more..

Feb 21 (DBS) TNA MP and Lawyer MA Sumanthiran arguing for the CPA petition showed that the illegitimate impeachment process led to a fraudulent appointment to the office of Chief Justice against which legal challenges were a necessity. This type of conflict within the judicial setup could seriously erode public faith in the institution of the judiciary and its capacity for independence from the political system. On the other hand the petition brings to light the ridiculous situation that more..

Feb 21 (DBS) Little has been done to contain the bloated military structure in Sri Lanka even though over three years have passed since the govt formally declared victory in the 30 years of civil war against the LTTE, a separatist group which fought for a Tamil homeland in the North and East of the island. In fact, militarisation is a frequent charge made against the govt today. The repressive structures that make institutions vulnerable to militarisation, however, emerged far earlier more..

Feb 21 (Hindu) It would be four years in May this year since the Sri Lankan forces succeeded in military annihilation of the LTTE. The victory came at a heavy cost as thousands and thousands of innocent Tamil civilians caught in the war zone became collateral damage. Sadly till date there are no clear answers on the magnitude of the humanitarian tragedy and the culpability of the victors and the vanquished. more..

Feb 21 (NS) The month of January trains to an auspicious occasion for Tamils by customary practice followed for centuries: The Tamil New Year falls on the first of January (Tamil), the day was used by Tamils to have rice pongal which is Thanksgiving Day to the �sun god�. The Para-beliefs associated with the month of January are only superficial, e.g. marriages are conducted in January, and do not exclude other months anyway. There are other months which Hindus celebrate and more..

Feb 21 (NS) For nearly three decades we have been provided the frightening vistas of this nation�s post-independence politics, redolent with the sordid picture of the beneficence bestowed on low-achievers in both the bureaucracy and diplomatic corps obsessed with high ambitions and the disreputable affiliations that benefit them. Where are those bureaucratic personages of our nation�s once sensible era who mostly held sway by virtue of their moral and intellectual authority? more..

Feb 21 (SO) A perusal of the ancient historical records relevant to anthropology reveals that the origin of puppetry as a form of folk art goes as far back as 3,000 years. Similarly, some anthropologists are of the opinion that the origin of puppetry is contemporaneous with the history of human civilisation. The puppets made out of terra cotta and ivory unearthed during the excavations carried out in prehistoric graveyards can be more..

Feb 21 (CT) It is not my habit to respond in the press to those critics whose names (or pen-names) are not recognisable from the public domain, but reader D Siriratna�s views are both so outrageous and typical (of Sinhala racism) that I have decided to make an exception. He writes that �there is no such [anti-Muslim] extremism in Sri Lanka�. I shudder to think of his definitions of �extremism� and �anti-Muslim� and just how extreme hate speech has to get for him to regard it as extreme. more..

Feb 21 (CT) Sri Lanka is facing diplomatic difficulties on many fronts. The latest is that Saudi Arabia has recalled its ambassador from Sri Lanka for consultations. This follows Sri Lanka�s own recalling of its ambassador to Saudi Arabia after the beheading of a young Sri Lankan housemaid. While the severity of Saudi justice has come into question, weakening of diplomatic ties between the two countries can work to the detriment of Sri Lanka. Saudi Arabia is the spiritual home of Muslims more..

Feb 21 (DM) Reading reports of the recent manifestation in Maharagama, I cannot, as a political scientist, avoid the clear, decided conclusion that what we are witnessing is nothing less than the emergence of an ethno-religious fascist movement from the dark underside of Sinhala society. It is what the political philosophers Hannah Arendt and Reinhold Niebuhr (and more recently, Alan Wolfe) characterised as �political evil�. more..

Feb 21 (SL) The nation�s sense of justice prevailed in the case of the young girl and the 13 coconuts she is alleged to have stolen to buy paint for her school which her parents could not afford. But it left us, with little or no knowledge jurisprudence, whether justice has really been done. The cops who arrested the girl initially maintained that she had committed a non-bailable offence under the Criminal Procedure Code and that she was duly charged in courts. Those more learned in the law said more..

Feb 21 (Island) Newly appointed Chairperson of the UGC Prof. Shanika Hirumburegama has lamented that Sri Lankan students waste their youth in universities while their counterparts in other countries complete their undergraduate studies at the age of 21. Female undergraduates are the worst affected, she has said. Today, a wag says, it takes so long for university students to graduate, find employment and raise a family that, when they cross the great divide, their children still too more..

Feb 21 (ST) Whilst the tourism authorities have been celebrating the arrival of one million tourists in the island in 2012, the travel trade has been rather skeptical over the statistics projected by the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLDA), a tourism expert revealed. The paradox of hotels registering lower occupancy during the month of December 2012 in comparison to recorded occupancy levels during the more..

Feb 21 (DM) A Sri Lankan man who accompanied his Filipina girlfriend to Sri Lanka to celebrate Valentine�s Day was arrested for making a false complaint alleging she had stolen cash and his belongings, to prevent her from leaving the country. The suspect had later confessed to police that as he loved the Filipina very much and did not wish her to return to her country he had made the false complaint, accusing her of stealing cash and a computer. Based on his complaint the Filipina more..

Feb 21 (LBO) Sri Lanka's Treasuries yields were kept flat Wednesday's auction with only 14.9 billion rupees in bids for 20 billion rupees of bills being offered at the auction being accepted, data from the state debt office showed. The debt office which is a unit of the Central Bank said 926 million rupees of 3-month bills were sold to yield 9.10 percent, 1.1 billion rupees in 3-month bills were sold to yield 10.1% and 12.9 billion rupees of 12-month bills were sold to yield 11.1%. more..

Feb 21 (Island) Asian Athletics Championship medallist Prasanna Amarasekara was showered with praise by his contemporaries, while authorities offered lucrative cash rewards when the sprinter officially announced his retirement from international athletics at a function jointly organised by the Sri Lanka Athletics Association and the Ministry of Sports. The 31-year-old, who represented Sri Lanka at Commonwealth Games, more..

Feb 21 (FT) NDB conducted its first-ever Investor Forum on Monday, amidst more than 100 participants representing the investment community of Sri Lanka. Leading stockbrokers, financial analysts, venture capitalists and investment advisors were among the distinguished addressees at the well-attended event. NDB conducted its first-ever Investor Forum on Monday, amidst more than 100 participants representing the investment community of Sri Lanka. more..

Feb 21 (Island) The govt earlier this week recruited 1,800 trainees to the country�s biggest bank, state-controlled the Bank of Ceylon (BOC), a little over a month after its former Chairman resigned with a parting statement that an effort was made to mitigate political pressure for loans and jobs so that the bank could survive. "With the steep expansion of banking activities in the country many of the banks are facing a shortage of staff to cater to their increasing customers and man bank branches more..

Feb 21 (Island) Hirantha Perera, Assi. Secretary, Sri Lanka Cricket, pledged that they would be increasing women�s cricketers� payment in near future. Answering a question that came from a journalist in media briefing, held to announce West Indies Women�s cricket tour, Perera stated there would be a definite increase in women cricketers� payments in future. "Definitely we are hoping to increase the payment of more..

Feb 21 (DN) Japanese ambassador to Sri Lanka Nobuhito Hobo said he was highly impressed with the scale of development in the Northern and Eastern Provinces during the past three years. Hobo said he was impressed by what he saw during a tour of the North and East recently. He was in Jaffna for the opening of the Teaching Hospital renovated with Japanese assistance. The ambassador also visited parts of the east, including Trincomalee. Hobo was addressing the media during an event in more..

Feb 21 (LBO) Sri Lanka is losing an advantage it had in basic literacy and the use of English language with other nations catching up fast and information technology literacy becoming increasingly important, a United Nations official said. Sri Lanka had the highest literacy rate in South Asia. "But simply having a literate population that can read and write will not suffice in a knowledge economy," UNDP Resident Representative Subinay Nandy said. He said over the past 30 years more..

Feb 21 (Island) Since it�s Bangladesh that Sri Lanka is hosting in two weeks� time, cricket fans weren�t too excited, but they won�t be short of any excitement as cricket elections will provide that aspect in full. The 2013 AGM of Sri Lanka Cricket is scheduled for March 30, and nominations need to be submitted before Feb. 28. For a decade now, the couple of cricket elections held so far have been low profile, as more..

Feb 21 (Island) A vote to censure the Bodu Bala Sena for its anti-Muslim stance was unanimously passed at the monthly sitting of the Eastern Provincial Council yesterday. The council, sitting under the chairmanship of Ariyawathi Galapathi, strongly criticized the Bodu Bala Sena for instigating communal disharmony in the country specially targeting the peace loving minority Muslim community. The motion was tabled by A. M. Jameel, SLMC Provincial Councillor. more..

Feb 21 (Island) The Jamaiyathul Ullema should act immediately and stop the Halal certification process, Muslim-Tamil National Leader Azath Salley said yesterday. He said that Muslims of Sri Lanka had their own process of determining whether something was Halal and Haram and there was no need for third party involvement to do so. He said: "We do not want to help others reap the benefits of this certification. We hope the Jamaiyathul Ullema will act fast and save the dignity of the Muslim more..

Feb 21 (DM) The UNP handed over a no-confidence motion against Foreign Employment Promotion Minister Dilan Perera for what the party called �his failure to secure clemency for Sri Lankan housemaid Rizana Nafeek who was beheaded in Saudi Arabia recently. In the motion handed over to Speaker Chamal Rajapaksa, the UNP said Rizana met with an untimely death because Minister Perera could not take more..

Feb 21 (BN) Sri Lanka�s stock exchange is considering a rule ensuring companies have a minimum amount of stock available for trade to lure foreign investors. The bourse is discussing the minimum free-float requirement with regulators, investors and companies and plans to introduce the rule by the end of the year, Krishan Balendra, chairman of the Colombo Stock Exchange, said. The exchange is also talking to the govt about listing state-owned enterprises, he said. more..