Dec 2 (AT) G Gnanasekaran, President of the ENDLF has sought the assistance of the Head of the SLMM for the immediate release of Pakianathan Rajaratnam, also known as 'Mano Master' who is alleged to have been abducted and held in captivity by the LTTE. more..

Nov 2 (AFP) Sri Lanka on Wednesday rejected rebel demands for an unconditional resumption of talks and accused Tiger guerrillas of undermining the Norwegian-backed peace process by using “threatening language.” more..

Dec 2 (LBO) The government to subsidise the first 50 MW of dendro power to popularise dendro energy in Sri Lanka. "The government will support the first 50 MW of pioneering dendro developers," said Harsha Wickramasinghe, Project Director, Energy Conservation Fund. more..

Dec 2 (TN) "More than 1500 residents of Vavuniya district are People with Special Needs. The number has increased due to new borns with defects, loss of function of limbs due to illness and due to injuries from two decades of war," said V Subramaniyam head of the Consortium of Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) more..

Dec 2 (TN) Vavuniya and Mannar towns were paralysed Thursday due to a general shut down (Hartal) called by several public organisations to protest against attacks on civilians by Sri Lankan armed forces. Prtestors blocked roads and burnt tires in some parts of Vavuniya town Thursday morning. more..

Dec 2 (DJ) Sri Lanka plans to invite companies to bid for oil and gas exploration rights in the second quarter of 2005, said an official at the Ministry of Power & Energy. Sri Lanka had planned to invite exploration bids in the first quarter of 2005, more..

Dec 2 (SLBC) A proposal made many years ago by the researchers as a means of developing tourism will become a reality in the near future. Cable cars service will be introduced soon by the Sri Lanka Tourist Board between Kadugannawa and Bible Rock (Bathalegala) which has a direct distance of 7.5 Km. more..

Dec 2 (LL) A Redhill law school graduate will this week be temporarily swapping the comfortable surroundings of his Carlton Road home for the poverty stricken suburbs in Sri Lanka to teach English. more..

Dec 2 (PRIU) Major General Asoka Jayewardene is the new Secretary to the Ministry of Defence; his appointment took effect from 1st December 2004. Major General Jayewardene was the Governor of North-East Province before this appointment. more..

Dec 2 (PRIU) A Parliamentary Select Committee was appointed in November to look into the serious escalation of grave crimes and murders in every part of the country. The Committee will study the causes for the increased crime rate and whether deficiencies in the present judicial system have influenced this increase. more..

Dec 2 (PSL) 'Bringing peace to our country should begin at school level’ says the President. Kumaratunga said the prevailing school system needed to undergo a change soon. The President was the chief guest at the prize day yesterday at Vishaka Vidiyalaya Colombo’s leading Buddhist girls’ school. more..

Dec 2 (Xinhua) The Asian-Oceanian Computing Industry Organization (ASOCIO) Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Summit 2004 opened here Thursday. Addressing the opening ceremony, Hydre Alaudeen, chairman of Sri Lankan Information Technology Federation, said more..

Dec 2 (SLA) Policemen on duty at the Entry / Exit point at MUHAMALAI have rescued a twenty-one year old young girl while being abducted by LTTE men on 01 December 2004 around 10.40 a.m. Later, the victim, a resident from KARAVEDDI area, was handed over to her next of kin by the Police.

Dec 2 (SLA) A civilian who was in the general area of KILINOCHCHI town for business purposes, has been abducted by LTTE on 29 November 2004 around 4.30 p.m., claimed a complaint made at the VAVUNIYA Police by a colleague of the victim. more..

Dec 2 (LT) It has been revealed that the police are trying to conceal facts about High Court Judge Sarath Ambepitiya murder case. A confession made by Pottu Naufer, an underworld leader who was arrested in connection with the murder is said to be the cause for this. more..

Dec 2 (LT) All Ceylon General Ports Employees Union (ACGPEU) yesterday protested against a feast costing Rs 4,000,000 organised by the Ports Authority to celebrate handling of two million containers at the Jaya Terminal by November 2004. more..

Dec 2 (LT) The Jatika Hela Urumaya (JHU) Parliamentary group leader, Ven. Aturaliye Ratana Thera questioned as to why the Army and Police groups in Trincomalee failed to stop the LTTE hoisting the Elam flag as the situation was controlled at Mannar by Army and Police. more..

Dec 2 (AP) The author of the book that became the Oscar-winning film "Schindler's List" likened Australia's immigration detention centers to concentration camps, as he held a vigil Thursday for 11 Sri Lankan asylum seekers held in one of the centers. more..

Dec 2 (PIS) Responding to the Heroes' day speech made by LTTE Leader Vellupillai Prahbakaran, the government yesterday said that the insistence of a unilaterally single agenda by the LTTE was not conducive to good faith in negotiations. more..

Dec 2 (DN) The unemployed graduates who received training under the Government's graduate employment scheme will be posted to the Institutions under the provincial and line ministries from January 1, a spokesman for the Finance Ministry said yesterday. more..

Dec 2 (AP) A strike called by Tamil Tiger rebels shut down two northern districts and severed road links on Thursday in an apparent protest against alleged police excesses, a day after the government rejected the guerrillas’ demand to unconditionally restart peace talks or risk a resumption of civil war. more..

Dec 2 (AFP) Peacebroker Norway held fresh talks with Tamil Tiger guerrillas as a rebel-backed strike shut down northern regions in protest against disruptions to their weekend commemorations of civil war dead. more..

Dec 2 (HT) The LTTE is believed to have abducted Pakianath Rajaratnam, General Secretary of the Eelam National Democratic Liberation Front (ENDLF), to find out the whereabouts of its breakaway Eastern Commander, Col Karuna. more..

Dec 2 (AFP) Sri Lanka's peace hopes have dimmed after the government rejected rebel demands and the nation is drifting closer to a resumption of war, analysts said. The government on Wednesday rejected Tamil Tiger demands for the resumption of peace talks more..

Dec 2 (CI) A 14-man Sri Lanka academy squad - called the Development Emerging Team - has departed for a short tour to Sharjah. The tour will include three one-dayers and two two-day matches against the United Arab Emirates national team between December 2 and 11. more..

Nov 2 (ABC) The International Committee of the Red Cross has withdrawn its staff from parts of northeastern Sri Lanka, amid clashes between opponents and supporters of the LTTE. As Gina Wilkinson reports from Colombo, there's growing concern that the country's fragile two-and-a-half-year old truce could collapse. more..

Nov 2 (Reuters) Sri Lanka's army closed off entry points to areas controlled by Tamil Tiger rebels on Thursday for the first day since a 2002 ceasefire after Red Cross officials said they feared for their safety amid sporadic violence. more..

Dec 3 (TN) "TNA MPs participate in the Parliamentary procedures only because of their desire to promote amity between the two polarized peoples in Sri Lanka. But if the UPFA and the UNP members join forces to restrain free speech then it will be another step towards encouraging division of Sri Lanka," more..

Dec 3 (TN) "Sri Lanka's President Ms Kumaratunge has brought to the forefront of political influence ultra Sinhala Buddhist elements with the idea of seizing political power at no less a time when the onus of compulsive responsibility of finding solution to the ethnic problem stood cast on the government of Sri Lanka. more..

Dec 3 (TN) "Incidents of violence in Trincomalee and elsewhere are the result of provocative actions of disruptive elements should be controlled by the government since they tend to create tension leading to public rioting" S.P. Thamilchelvan, more..

Dec 3 (TN) Representatives of the Sri Lanka Army, Sri Lanka Police and the LTTE in Trincomalee district Thursday agreed at a discussion held in the presence of monitors of the SLMM to take steps to diffuse tension in the east port town and its suburbs to restore normalcy. more..

Dec 3 (LBO) Sri Lanka will shift to drinking liquid milk, with the Govt. hoping to squeeze out up to 50% of local demand for dairy products from within the island by 2008. Under a four year plan, the Livestock Ministry will increase cattle stock and rollout farm infrastructure and technology to increase fresh milk production. more..

Dec 3 (AT) The killing of Gerald Perera - the torture victim, was condemned by the Australlian based Society for Peace, Unity and Human Rights for Sri Lanka (SPUR) and the spokesperson Ranjith Soyza has called the Government of Sri Lanka to arrange a free and fair inquiry into this killing more..

Dec 3 (LT) A stormy situation arose in the Parliament when UNP Member T.Maheshwaran went on insulting the President. When Maheshwaran started criticising the President and her policies Members Mervin Silva and Dilan Perera obstructed him. more..

Dec 3 (LT) The cabinet has decided to rename Peradeniya Botanical Garden in memory of .Weera Monarawila Keppetipola. The proposal to rename in the National heroes name has been proposed to the cabinet by Mr. Vijithe Herath, Minister of Cultural affairs and National Heritage. more..

Dec 3 (LT) Pottu Naufer, a main suspect in the killing of High Court Judge Sarath Ambepitiya was ordered to be sent to Kalutara remand prison by the Colombo Chief Magistrate. The police asked permission from the Magistrate to hole him in a prison other than the Welikade remand prison saying he has supporters there. more..

Dec 3 (LT) The President arrived at the Parliament today unannounced, sat on the Prime Ministers seat and listened to the debate on educational vote. According to the executive powers the President can come to the Parliament and address the assembly.

Dec 3 (AT) One Anura Balasuriya 33 years old, a Sinhalese, who is a trader from Panadura and a father of two children, was as usual on a business trip to Kilinochchi, the area under LTTE’s control was forcefully taken away in a van opposite to the LTTE police station, more..

Dec 3 (AT) TamilEela Makkal Viduthalai Pulikal (TMVP) General Secretary G.R. Gnanarajah strongly denied the charges leveled in the distorted propaganda campaign unleashed by the by pro-LTTE Medias and denied of their involvement in the kidnapping of Rajaratnam more..

Dec 3 (TN) "Upcountry Tamils are a severely disadvantaged minority group in Sri Lanka. Tamils have suffered discrimination from pre-independence time through 20 years of war. The Asian regional minority groups and other minority groups worldwide must join hands to win the rights of all affected people in Sri Lanka," more..

Dec 3 (TN) "If peace and goodwill are to prevail, the Government of Sri Lanka should come forward to discuss without delay the Interim Self-Governing Authority (ISGA) proposals put forward by the LTTE. The proposals represent the collective will of all NorthEast Tamils," more..

Dec 3 (TN) The Norwegian Government has granted Rs. 11.1 million to purchase library books for 120 Cultural Centres in the island. Norwegian Ambassador Hans Brattskar handed over the cheque to the Hon. Minister of Cultural Affaires and National Heritage Vijitha Herath Friday at the Ministry, more..

Dec 3 (LBO) Sri Lanka has launched a major crackdown on spirited late night merrymaking, raiding bars and restaurants selling liquor past 11 p.m, in a bid to tackle crime, a top official said Friday. Officials have staged 50 raids in the past two weeks more..

Dec 3 (LBO) Heavy downpours since September, has dampened Sri Lankans enthusiasm for ice cream, with sales contracting about five to seven percent over the past few months. “Ice cream is a seasonal product, but this time the rains were heavier than usual and have been continuous since September. more..

Dec 3 (wsws) The annual “Heroes’ Day” speech delivered by Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) leader V. Prabhakaran on November 27 is one more indication that Sri Lanka is sliding back towards civil war. more..

Dec 3 (PSL) Representatives of the High Court Judges' Association met President Kumaratunga yesterday [2nd December] and expressed their gratitude for the personal interest she took after the tragic demise of their colleague Judge Sarath Ambepitiya. more..

Dec 3 (PRIU) President Chandrika Kumaratunga in a message to mark the International Day of the Disabled said the disabled do not expect to be treated differently or with pity, but rather with respect and dignity. more..

Dec 3 (SLBC) Minister Tissa Karaliyadde yesterday signed appointment letters to establish 228 graduate Ayurvedic doctors in the government indigenous medical service. Appointment letters will be given on December 14. more..

Dec 3 (SLBC) Chief Government Whip Minister Jeyaraj Fernandopulle has informed Speaker W.J.M. Lokubandara, that the government group will not answer any of the questions raised by UNP Colombo District MP T. Maheshwaran in the future. more..

Dec 3 (SN) In a hard hitting speech in parliament yesterday Minister Anura Bandaranaike slammed the critics of the Bandaranaikes claiming the Bandaranaike family could win any election, and would continue to remain in mainstream politics with the backing of the people. more..