Feb 27 (EM) Seven Myanmar fishermen have been detained in Sri Lanka after being carried away by strong winds while fishing off the coast of Ayeyawady Region, according to Myanmar Fisheries Federation (MFF). "They reached the water territory of Sri Lanka accidentally after floating in the sea for more than 30 days. They're floated away due to strong winds. Owners of their fishing boats should have informed us about that," said Han Htun, vice chairman of MFF. more..

Feb 27 (GDN) Oman Air has signed a new codeshare agreement with SriLankan Airlines, offering greater choice and convenience for customers of both airlines. The agreement allows Oman Air's customers to book seats on SriLankan Airlines' services from Muscat to Singapore, Male and China via Colombo. In turn, SriLankan Airlines' customers will be able to book onto Oman Air's flights from Colombo to Zurich via Muscat. SriLankan Airlines CEO Kapila Chandrasena more..

Feb 27 (PTI) Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will hold talks with President Rajapaksa next week in Myanmar, three months after skipping a visit to the island nation to attend Commonwealth heads of govt meet due to pressure from Tamil parties and within govt. Foreign Secretary Sujatha Singh today said the PM will meet Rajapaksa on the sidelines of the BIMSTEC Summit on March 4 in Myanmar. more..

Feb 27 (DM) Britain on Tuesday said it did not believe that the processes set up by the Sri Lankan Govt, such as the LLRC or the Commission of inquiry on Disappearances announced last year, adequately addressed accountability. Responding to a question during a debate in the UK Parliament Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office Hugo Swire said that following her visit to Sri Lanka last year, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights said that she had detected more..

Feb 27 (FT) UNP MP Harsha De Silva has warned of reports about his impending arrest on the grounds that he was inciting public unrest. In a statement De Silva pointed to website reports that said orders from the Defence Secretary for his arrest had been handed over to the head of the state intelligence services DIG Chandra Nimal Wakishta. De Silva said the attempt to arrest him was connected to his revelations about China Communications Constructions Company, a firm blacklisted by more..

Feb 27 (Island) Alleging that the issue of accountability was being used as a political tool to undermine post-war Sri Lanka, Minister G.L. Peiris revealed how some member states of the UNHRC were being blackmailed into voting against Sri Lanka at the forthcoming session or face the consequences. He quoted senior representatives of member states as having told him that they didn�t have any appetite for the Geneva move. more..

Feb 27 (SLN) The Australian Naval Ship HMAS �Melbourne� which arrived in Sri Lanka on a goodwill visit took part in a Passage Exercise code named �PASSEX� with SLNS �Sagara� in the seas off Galle on 25th Feb. The ship, Adelaide Class guided missile frigate (FFG) heading home after a successful visit to Sri Lanka paved way for the strengthening of bilateral relationships of the two countries and mutual co-operation between the two Navies. The exercise was designed to more..

Feb 27 (CT) The govt said an unfortunate situation has arisen between India and Sri Lanka in the aftermath of war that had turn relations between the two countries sour. This was said by Minister, S.B. Dissanayake. "This crisis situation should be resolved soon. Opposition political parties here try to act as enemies, when the US and European countries try to sideline Sri Lanka, accusing us of incidents that had allegedly happened during the last phase of the war," the minister said. more..

Feb 27 (BBC) Conservative peer Lord Naseby has suggested the govt is not abiding by David Cameron's promised timetable for co-operating with the UN to set up an independent inquiry into claims the Sri Lankan govt carried out war crimes. He asked why the UK govt is "already working to influence the UNHRC" when the PM said in November that the UK would allow Sri Lanka until March to begin its own investigations into more..

Feb 27 (DM) From birth to death, food and nutrition are vital for good health and to produce healthy citizens who will play a key role in building a just and fair society with sustainable development and an equitable distribution of wealth and resources. Therefore it is vital for Third-World countries to regulate and closely monitor these areas because rich countries working with and through transnational corporations and other agents are involved in full scale economic neo-colonialism to sell more..

Feb 27 (DM) We in Sri Lanka are shocked beyond belief that Jayalalithaaa and her Mongrels have had the brass to want to release the assassins of former PM Rajiv Gandhi, the son of PM Indira and the grandson of the great Jawarhalal Nehru. These pro-LTTE scum no doubt were happy that Rajiv was assassinated. Rajiv was no sympathiser of the LTTE or their wanting to set up a separate state in Sri Lanka. Sending a deadly message to TN, he always wanted justice for the Tamil people of more..

Feb 27 (DM) As international pressure builds on Sri Lanka over allegations of human rights violations, a governmental delegation led by Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva headed for South Africa to study the work of the post-apartheid period in that country for reconciliation. The delegation also consisted of MP Sajin Vas Gunawardane, Deputy Minister Faizer Mustapha and SLFP organiser for Batticaloa Arun Tambimuttu. more..

Feb 27 (SL) Failure to take any action against the Principal of Sir John Kotalawala College in Kurunegala, for alleged corporal punishment to a student, and for using abusive language, leading to the child taking her own committing suicide, has raised the eyebrows of many educationists in the country. Questions have also been raised as to why students were kept after school forcibly, to welcome the Principal more..

Feb 27 (ST) It was on the beating heart of Kanthi Perera that a pioneering team of the Sri Jayewardenepura Hospital performed keyhole bypass surgery for a blocked artery last Wednesday. 55-year-old Mrs. Perera from Panadura had waited more than seven months for this minimally-invasive or keyhole coronary bypass surgery, having heard that it had been tried out at the National Hospital in Colombo successfully and more..

Feb 27 (LBO) Sri Lanka's large truck and tractor new registrations have continued to fall in Jan 2014 amid weak economic conditions. An analysis showed that mini truck (less than one tonne) registrations were only 10% in January 2014 only 10% down from a year earlier at 1,305 units. Sector was dominated by India's Tata with a 49.7% share and Mahindra with a 48.8% share. Lite truck sales were down 37% from two years ago. more..

Feb 27 (Island) Local election monitoring organisation, Campaign for Free and Fair Elections (CaFFE), yesterday accused the UPFA General Secretary of justifying election law violations by the ruling party candidates and supporters. CaFFE chief Keerthi Tennakoon sent a letter to UPFA General Secretary Minister Susil Premajayantha expressing his outfit�s displeasure at a comment made by the minister at a recent media conference. more..

Feb 27 (WS) A black tire swings from the branch of a palm tree as fiveyear-old elephant Sujee tugs on it with her trunk. Sujee is one of two elephants that reside at The Elephant Freedom Project in rural Sri Lanka. Kyle Spiteri, a 24-year-old volunteer from Australia, is busy developing new ways to entertain his two elephant charges - Sujee and two-year-old Washtu. "We have set up a whole range of toys," says Spiteri. more..

Feb 27 (Island) Faulting the govt of India for providing military training to Tamil youth in the early 1980s, Arun Thambimuttu, SLFP Chief Organiser for Batticaloa District said that many people believed the IPKF would disarm all terrorist groups in the wake of the Indo-Lanka Peace Accord (ILPA). India deployed troops in the Northern and Eastern districts consequent to the ILPA signed on July 29, 1987. more..

Feb 27 (LT) The JVP is the political party that fulfills the real role of the opposition despite there is an opposition in the country says the Mahanayaka of the Malwatte Chapter Most Venerable Thibbotuwawe Siddhartha Thero. Venerable Thero made this observation when �Our Vision�, the policy framework of the JVP was presented to Mahanayakas of Malwatte and Ramagngna Chapters today (25). more..

Feb 27 (Xinhua) A 25-member Chinese trade delegation from Zhongshan of China's Guangdong Province will arrive in Sri Lanka early next month to promote trade with the island, a statement said on Thursday. The delegation will arrive in Sri Lanka on March 4 and cover several sectors including light industries, construction equipment and food products. During the visit, the Chinese delegation will meet officials of BoI more..

Feb 27 (NDTV) The Supreme Court today stopped the TN govt from releasing four of former PM Rajiv Gandhi's assassins who are serving life terms. Last week, the court had stopped the state from freeing the other three assassins - Murugan, Santhan and Perarivalan - who have been spared execution because of an exceptional delay in a decision on their mercy plea. The court today said it will decide, within a week, more..

Feb 27 (CT) UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navi Pillay, continues to be one of the tenacious personalities the present regime has had to deal with over the past three years. And incongruously enough, the govt�s tasteless approach to dealing with her has been to ratchet anti-Pillay sentiments and let loose the favoured govt hounds to crank up the sentiments even further, all aimed at scoring brownie points in the home front. Monday�s tabling of a damning report on Sri Lanka, more..

Feb 27 (Island) All Ministry Secretaries were categorized as �Staff Officers� under the Establishment Code and precluded from engaging in politics, a senior lawyer and Opposition politician said. Former WPC UNP member, Srinath Perera said that Chapter 32 of the Establishment Code specifically stated that �Staff Officers� were debarred from any form of political activity and were entitled to only voting. Perera said he was shocked that Udaya Gamanpila who was himself a lawyer more..

Feb 27 (CT) Controversy seems to have shrouded the Council of Legal Education, as fiery students silently protest against the authority that governs the sole institution to grant admission to the legal profession in Sri Lanka, due to fear of being discriminated. An incident took place on Monday with a student called Chandima Amarasinghe, having climbed the roof of the Sri Lanka Law College (Law College) in defiance of the more..

Feb 27 (CT) Blackmail or revenge, the Rajapaksas are out to irk India. First to take up the �If-we-are-investigated-we-will-expose-the-IPKF� refrain was Presidential Secretary Lalith Weeratunga. On January 27th, he proclaimed from Washington, �If there is an international investigation, the whole period has to be investigated�.which includes the two year tenure of the Indian peacekeeping force�� Prathiba Mahanamahewa, head of the debased Human Rights Commission, more..

Feb 27 (GDI) Senior Journalist Newton Gunaratne and Environmental Lawyer Jagath Gunawardana have been appointed as Consultants for the Central Environmental Authority (CEA) by Minister Susil Premajayantha. Newton Gunaratne has been appointed as Media Consultant in both CEA and Environment and Renewable Energy Ministry while Jagath Gunawardana has been appointed as Legal Consultant in CEA and the Chairman of Environment Council. more..

Feb 27 (CT) Despite the govt focusing on attracting considerable investment towards the country's education, paving the way for a knowledge hub status by minimizing the local student out-flows and saving the country Rs 10 billion while attracting foreign students, Sri Lanka has failed to fill the current available capacity for foreigners in local universities, Ministry of Higher Education data showed. Although, according to the more..

Feb 27 (Hindu) The MDMK workers staged demonstration in front of the Khadi Kraft in Tiruchi on Wednesday demanding probe into alleged war crimes in the last phase of Eelam war in Sri Lanka. Demanding that the International Court of Justice initiate international probe into the allegations of war crimes against Sri Lanka. A. Malarmannan, secretary of the urban district unit of the party, led the agitation. MDMK cadres staged a demonstration in front of the Head Post Office here on more..

Feb 27 (CG) Prime Minister D.M Jayaratne says Sri Lanka will not beg from other countries and will aim at progressing as a Nation. Speaking at an event in Kandy, the Prime Minister said that he opposes importing food from overseas. He says, instead of importing food Sri Lankans should get used to depending on local produce so that the country stops depending on outsiders. �Anything which we car grow or produce in Sri Lanka does not need to be imported,� he said. more..

Feb 27 (PTI) Dinesh Chandimal on Thursday said that his team was not too much worried about Virat Kohli�s fine form as his side�s bowling attack can unsettle the Indian batting line-up in their crucial Asia Cup league match in Mirpur on Friday. The Lankans began their Asia Cup campaign with a 12-run victory over defending champions Pakistan with Lasith Malinga taking a five-for, and Chandimal said his side�s bowling can take more..

Feb 27 (Guardian) Beach Hut, Arugam Bay: This simple collection of rooms has been around for almost 25 years, and the atmosphere is pure surfer-casual � which is appropriate, given that Arugam Bay is Sri Lanka's surf hotspot. Seven rustic treehouses on stilts have views and cool breezes, and there are six more rooms on the ground (some have shared bathrooms, ask before you book). The popular restaurant turns out set lunches of fresh Sri Lankan seafood and hosts barbecues more..

Feb 27 (Island) Minister S.B Dissanayake yesterday challenged UNP MP Sujeewa Senasinghe to level charges against the Bribery Chief in public outside parliament. He alleged that neither JVP MP Hadunnetti nor MP Senasinghe had made those allegations in public without taking cover behind parliamentary privileges. However, on Wednesday JVP MP Sunil Handunnetti submitted a petition with several allegations against Bribery Commission Chairman Justice Jagath Balapatabedi. more..

Feb 27 (FT) Economic Development Ministry has launched a program to renovate all railway stations in the Gampaha District to make them attractive to the thousands of people including tourists who use these stations daily. The modernization will meet the requirements of commuters and make the stations attractive to the public. The first stage of the program covering the Meerigama, Gampaha, Weyangoda and more..

Feb 27 (Island) The Supreme Court yesterday gave the petitioner Registered Medical Officers (RMOs) and Assistant Medical Officer (AMOs) time till March 7, 2014, to hand over their current official duties and start following the MBBS programme. The fundamental rights violation application filed by 53 RMOs was mentioned before the Supreme Court yesterday. The Deputy Solicitor General, Indika Demini de Silva, who appeared for the Attorney General, informed court that though the more..

Feb 27 (NST) Police picked up three men in relation to a recent kidnap case involving a woman at a double storey-house in Wangsa Melawati, here, earlier today. It was learnt that the victim, a 20-year old Sri Lankan national were held as a hostage for three days before she was rescued by the police. A source said the incident happened when the victim, together with her family members was at Batu Cave to meet the suspect. "The suspect pretended to be an agent who have agreed to help more..

Feb 27 (CT) Heart surgery around the country came to a halt yesterday as perfusionists who belong to the Govt Cardiology and Lung Treatment Association, continued their strike for the second day. The strike which started on 25 Feb, at the Kandy General Hospital, Karapitiya Teaching Hospital and National Hospital Colombo, was further strengthened with the Lady Ridgeway Children's Hospital joining ranks yesterday. more..

Feb 27 (CT) Sri Lanka's foreign policy lacks focus and is flawed when it comes to the country's volatile relationships with the United States of America and India, Senior Lecturer, Department of Mass Media at the Uni of Colombo, Dr. Tudor Weerasinghe, said. He also said that an Asian Spring akin to the infamous Arab Spring is essential to tackle Sri Lanka's issues, adding that the present regime's political forces are incapable of handling challenges posed by the post-war situation more..

Feb 27 (Island) Lanka Electricity Company (LECO) employees have opposed an attempt by a retired Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) official to come in as its General Manager. They claimed that the 63-year old individual was trying desperately to secure that position because of financial benefits. Person in question retired from the CEB nearly three years ago. However, his former colleagues at the CEB have allowed him to use a brand new Volkswagen with a driver and unlimited fuel. more..

Feb 27 (DM) 'The Last Phase�, a documentary film depicting the life story of a former female LTTE cadre during the final stages of the humanitarian operation in Sri Lanka was screened in the Westminster Houses of Parliament, London on Monday. The event was hosted by Lord Naseby, Chair of The All Party Parliamentary Group on Sri Lanka, supported by Conservative Friends of Sri Lanka. The documentary revolves around more..

Feb 27 (Island) The outgoing commander of the SLAF, Air Marshal Harsha Abeywickrama set a sterling example by vacating his official residence four days before he relinquished command. Service chiefs could stay in thier official residences for three months after retirement. Abeywickrama completed formal farewell visits to the bases and units of the SLAF this week. Having started his tour from the South, with SLAF Katukurunda, and completed the tour at the Air Force Academy, more..