Oct 13 (AT) The Crime Division Police of Sri Lanka continues with the questioning of Charles Gnanakone, a businessman and the resident of Australia, the alleged linchpin in the murder of former Foreign Affairs Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar, who was arrested on 10 October and held by the Colombo Crime Division, more..

Oct 13 (TN) The annual Kumbam festival at the conclusion of the Navarathiri was held in Trincomalee town Wednesday evening till midnight. Kumbam festival, unique to Trincomalee, was first introduced in Trincomalee by Indian (Punjabi) troops brought by the British to construct the naval dockyard after they captured Sri Lanka (then Ceylon). more..

Oct 13 (SLA) NORMALCY IN JAFFNA CENTRE and its suburbs was disrupted Thursday (13) morning after groups of grief-stricken students, teachers, university students as well as civilians walked out to the streets in protest against gruesome Tamil Tiger assassinations of two school principals within a span of twenty hours in JAFFNA. more..

Oct 13 (SLA) A LARGE GROUP of villagers in SERUNUWARA area in TRINCOMALEE district joined hands together this morning (13) to launch a protest campaign against continuing Tamil Tiger (LTTE) abductions, killings and other atrocities. more..

Oct 13 (SLA) A DIALOGUE between a group of Buddhist monks and troops persuaded the former to abandon a planned protest (Sathyagraha) near the Buddha statue at TRINCOMALEE town on Wednesday (12). It was meant to urge the government to restore peace in the east of the country. more..

Oct 13 (SLA) ABOUT THIRTY T-56 weapon-carrying Tamil Tigers (LTTE) of PRBHAKARAN faction in black colour uniforms had reached as close as 800 meters to the NAYAKOVIL Entry/Exit point of the Security Forces and the Police in BATTICALOA on Wednesday (12) afternoon at about 1.40 p.m.. more..

Oct 13 (SN) Yesterday, 12 October 2005 marks two months to the day the late Minister of Foreign Affairs Lakshman Kadirgamar was brutally assassinated. 'Friends of Kadirgamar' say "A commemoration of the Late FM was held yesterday at BMICH Committee Room A. more..

Oct 13 (LT) The Criminal Investigations Department informed the Colombo Chief Magistrate yesterday that a report on the identification parade in relation to Mr Charles Wijewardena’s assassination has been forwarded to the Attorney General for legal advice. more..

Oct 13 (LT) Top results of the Grade Five scholarship examination have been achieved by outstation students. According to the results released yesterday, A G S Kaumudee Pushpa Kumara of Deraniyagala Kanishta Vidyalaya, Kegalle secured the first place with 189 marks. more..

Oct 13 (GT) Tamil United Liberation Front (TULF) leader V Anandasangaree has warned the Elections Commissioner Dayananda Dissanayake to prevent large-scale vote rigging, witnessed in the Vanni sector during the last parliamentary elections, at the upcoming presidential poll. more..

Oct 13 (CI) With Sri Lanka beginning preparations for a gruelling six-month schedule of ODI and Test cricket in four countries, Tom Moody, the coach, says his experience of some of the countries will help his side become a better away side. Sri Lanka, the second-ranked ODI team behind Australia, are due to play in India, New Zealand, Australia and England in that period, more..

Oct 13 (PIS) The government yesterday reiterated its stance on holding ‘direct talks’ with the LTTE to discuss the implementation of the Ceasefire Agreement. The government emphasized its readiness for direct talks during a meeting between Government Peace Secretariat officials more..

Oct 13 (PIS) Major General Trond Furuhovde, the first chief of the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) will meet the LTTE's political wing leader S. P. Thamilselvan today to take up the issues of escalating ceasefire violations and stabilising the Ceasefire Agreement (CFA). more..

Oct 13 (LT) The Human Rights Commission office at Kynsey Road had been raided by an un-identified group early yesterday and ransacked the files of the 4-storeyed building. Later the intruders had poured kerosene oil over the thrown documents. Police had found several match sticks scattered around the place. more..

Oct 13 (SAMN) The Meteorological Department Wednesday warned of possible floods and landslides in certain parts of the country as heavy showers continued to lash Western, Sabaragamuwa and Southern provinces. Meteorologist Nandalal Peiris told the Daily News that the heavy rains experienced in most parts of the island more..

Oct 13 (SAMN) Hot on the heels of the Jaffna University Students Union threatening resumption of hostilities if the EU travel ban on the LTTE is not lifted, the LTTE is demanding recognition by the European Union. The LTTE has ordered its front organisations in EU and Scandinavian countries to organise a protest rally in Brussels on October 24 more..

Oct 13 (LNP) The military identified an LTTE casualty, evacuated to Colombo Wednesday morning, as Keerthi, an intelligence wing cadre responsible for a spate of attacks targeting Karuna loyalists and the Directorate of Military Intelligence (DMI) personnel based in the Ampara-Batticaloa region. more..

Oct 13 (LNP) President Chandrika Kumaratunga is believed to have directed that Minister Anura Bandaranaike be brought to Tuesday`s public rally at Wariyapola. Kumaratunga, after observing Bandaranaike`s absence had inquired about the possibility of airlifting Bandaranaike. more..

Oct 13 (LNP) Laws are to be enforced strictly in the operation of hotels, restaurants, clubs, karaokes, casinos and other recreational establishments to ensure that they are not used for a activities other than those they are approved to cater to. more..

Oct 13 (DN) The Police Election Secretariat yesterday severely warned all the printing press owners in the country not to accept any orders including posters that violate the Election Laws. Any printing press owners violating the Elections Laws would be arrested and produced them in courts. more..

Oct 13 (LT) The Sri Lanka Muslim Congress has strongly condemned false reports by all state media both electronic and print. State media reported that the meeting SLMC held in support of presidential candidate Ranil Wickremasinghe in Ninthavur did not take place due to heavy opposition by the people of the area. more..

Oct 13 (LM) The second edition of "Deshapalanaya Saha Dharmaya" (Politics and Buddhism) a book authored by Ranil Wickremesinghe is to be launched on Poya day October 17. Mr. Wickremesinghe articulates his belief that Buddhism is the source of values for democracy, equality, tolerance, non-violence, practices of consensus, free market and human rights. more..

Oct 13 (LeN) UNP leader and presidential candidate Ranil Wickremesinghe stresses that he would fully cooperate with the Bribery Commission to investigate the complaint against him and says he will not seek a court order to stall the investigations. more..

Oct 13 (WI) Sri Lankan Presidential candidate and leader of the main opposition United National Party (UNP) Ranil Wickremesinghe said here today that reopening the peace negotiations with the Tamil Tiger rebels would be 'on top of his priority list' if he is elected in the November 17 presidential poll. more..

Oct 13 (Xinhua) The government of Sri Lanka has handed over a consignment of relief goods to Pakistan High Commission in Sri Lanka Wednesday. The Sri Lankan Environment and Natural Resources Minister A. H.M. Fowzie delivered the goods comprising of 8,575 tents and two tons of tea to the High Commissioner of Pakistan, Bashir Wali Mohmand. more..

Oct 13 (Kyodo) The Sri Lanka media was full of pictures last week showing a courtly French President Jacques Chirac kissing the hand of Sri Lankan President Chandrika Kumaratunga at the Elysee Palace. Kumaratunga, who was once a young university student in Paris and speaks fluent French, more..

Oct 13 (AFP) Sri Lanka's main opposition called for international observers to monitor next month's presidential election amid fears of violence. Opposition leader and candidate Ranil Wickremesinghe said he wanted foreign monitors to be deployed ahead of the November 17 election. more..

Oct 13 (DPA) Sri Lanka’s Elections Commissioner has issued guidelines to the media on reporting during the run-up to next month’s presidential election amidst allegations by political parties that the media was being misused, officials said on Thursday. more..

Oct 13 (AP) A Norwegian negotiator began discussions with Tamil Tiger rebels in a northern rebel stronghold on Thursday in an attempt to save an increasingly shaky truce between the government and the guerrillas, an official said. more..

Oct 13 (LeN) Deputy United National Party Secretary General Tissa Attanayake told 'Lanka e News' that the party has appointed former Chairman of the Sri Lanka Cricket and Sri Lanka Telecom, Thilanga Sumathipala as the Anuradhapura District organizer and the Elections coordinator of the Trincomalee District. more..

Oct 14 (TN) Twenty six underage youths who had volunteered to join the Liberation Tigers were released to their parents in the presence of Ian Martin, former President of Amnesty International and Human Rights consultant, by Rev M X Karunaratnam at the North East Secretariat on Human Rights (NESOHR) building in Karadippoku Junction, Kilinochchi more..

Oct 14 (LBO) More committees are coming up on behalf of the Colombo South port, instead of the urgently needed port itself. The government this week, agreed to set up cabinet level negotiations and project committees to handle all aspects of the long overdue Colombo South harbour project. more..

Oct 14 (LBO) The government this week signed over a US$ 87 million tender to a Chinese firm to build the proposed Hambantota tank farm and bunkering facility. Project officials at the Shipping Ministry said China Huanqiu Contracting & Engineering Corp. (HQCEC) is due to begin initial ground works as early as November 6, 2005. more..

Oct 14 (LBO) The government says it will make legal changes to give more teeth to the Auditor General. The government this week, approved a proposal to restructure the Auditor General’s Department, giving it greater administrative and financial independence. more..

Oct 14 (AFP) Tamil Tiger rebels on Thursday asked peace broker Norway to help end the deadlock in Sri Lanka's peace process amid a renewed outbreak of internecine clashes. Norway's special peace envoy Trond Furuhovde met with the political wing leader of the LTTE, SP Thamilselvan, in a bid to lift the impasse in the troubled peace process. more..

Oct 14 (BBC) Presidential candidate and leader of the main opposition UNP Ranil Wickremesinghe says if elected as president, he is ready to talk to the SLFP to create a common ground to find solutions to burning issues in the country. "I am prepared to offer them even ministerial posts", he said. more..

Oct 14 (BBC) Prime Minister- designate, Minister Anura Bandaranaike says he did not know anything about the deal Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapakse has signed with the JVP. "I was present at the signing ceremony but I did not know about the deal until I went there", Bandaranaike told Sandesaya. more..

Oct 14 (AI) An independent investigation should be immediately launched into the attack on the National Human Rights Commission's (NHRC) headquarters in Colombo during the early morning hours of 12 October. The NHRC's offices were ransacked, files were destroyed and newspapers were set on fire. more..

Oct 14 (HT) Ranil Wickremesinghe, the candidate of the Opposition UNP in the Lankan Presidential election, has said that if he is elected, he will use his prerogative to form a new government, and invite the SLFP to join it. But if the offer is rejected, he will dissolve the Parliament and order snap elections. more..

Oct 14 (Reuters) Sri Lanka's main opposition leader said on Wednesday he will invite his political foes to form a coalition government if he is elected president, saying that is the key to forging lasting peace with Tamil Tiger rebels. more..

Oct 14 (AP) Opposition presidential candidate said Thursday if elected in a Nov. 17 poll he would give his predecessor a key role in peace talks with Tamil Tiger rebels. Ranil Wickremesinghe, a member of the main opposition UNP, said longtime rival and current president, Chandrika Kumaratunga, would be offered a role in the talks with rebels when she steps down after completing her current term. more..

Oct 14 (AT) Thiyagarajah Maheswaran, the United National Party's Member of Parliament, who usually maintains a an unpredictable profile, became the center of controversy recently over a statement he made about the Ceylon Workers’ Congress. more..

Oct 14 (AT) 60-year-old Charles Gnanakone first shot in to the limelight when the Weekend Liberal in Australia exposed his 60-million deal to develop Dubbo – a rural town between Sydney and Melbourne. more..

Oct 14 (AT) The village Na-ula, located between Matale and Dambulla in the central hills of Sri Lanka, is one of the economically backward and educationally handicapped localities in this island-nation, which came to geographic prominence when it was hit by the devastating tsunami last December. more..

Oct 14 (LeN) A new organization by the name of 'Sri Lanka Patriotic National Movement' has been formed to mobilize groups who are not in favour of the JVP led 'the Patriotic National Movement'. Mahajana Eksath Peramuna leader, Minister Dinesh Gunawardane is the convener of the new movement more..

Oct 14 (Bloomberg) Sri Lankan opposition leader Ranil Wickremesinghe said he may seek an alternative to a tsunami aid accord with Tamil Tiger rebels to speed up reconstruction, if he is elected in next month's presidential election. more..

Oct 14 (SLA) PRIVATE D. M.DILANGA DISSANAYAKE of the Sri Lanka Army of twenty-five years of age is the latest soldier to fall victim to Tamil Tiger (LTTE) grenade and gunfire attacks on Thursday (13) night at about 8.45 p.m. whilst on duty at a boat-landing point in SANTHIVELI, about 20 km northwest of BATTICALOA. more..

Oct 14 (SLA) A SOLDIER who had gone out of his Army detachment for a personal matter has reportedly gone missing while he was in the general area of ERAVUR on 10 October 2005. Lance Corporal T.G. MILTON according to information received has gone away from his picket duty point in order to meet someone in the area but failed to return to his camp. more..

Oct 14 (SLA) THE ASSOCIATION OF PRINCIPALS in JAFFNA has decided to keep all schools in the peninsula closed until 19th October 2005 as a token of protest against assassination of Principals in JAFFNA by Tamil Tigers (LTTE). Many school sessions in JAFFNA, KAYTS, NELLIADY, KOPAY were abandoned on Thursday (13) by school administrators more..

Oct 14 (TN) Funeral for the slain Principal of Kopay Christian College, Mr Sivakadadcham, was held in Kopay Thursday. Students, public and School principals, teachers paid their last respects during the funeral ceremony at his Kopay residence and when the coffin was taken to Kopay Hindu cemetary in procession for cremation, sources said. more..