Aug 14 (AT) Dialog TV, Sri Lanka's has enlarged its bouquet of channels to its thousands of Sri Lankan viewers with the inclusion of the immensely popular range of Star Channels. "Star Channels have been long awaited by our diverse and rapidly expanding customer base all over Sri Lanka. The inclusion of Star Channels further consolidates our commitment and determination to add top-end news, sport and entertainment to our already large portfolio of channels" more..

Aug 14 (LeN) Mirihana Police has commenced a new police mobile service named 'Security Eye' that charges Rs. 750 per person who have joined in a civil defense committee that provides a van to police. When Lanka-e-News enquired from the Senior Superintendent of Police, Nugegoda, Deshabandu Thennakoon about this he said that the Police did not charge any money and the civil defense committee that was formed by businesspersons, banks, supermarkets etc. did it. more..

Aug 14 (WB) As host country of the 8th International Congress on AIDS in Asia and the Pacific (ICAAP), Sri Lanka is gearing up to welcome more than 3,500 delegates from over 60 countries. Speaking ahead of the conference, Dr. Nimal Edirisinghe, Program Director for the World Bank-funded National HIV/AIDS Prevention Program, said this the first time the conference is taking place in a low-prevalence developing country. more..

Aug 14 (ENI) Churches will fail in their mission if violence goes unabated in strife-torn Sri Lanka, a Roman Catholic bishop in the country has warned. "We have to free the world of violence. If we do not succeed in doing this, we have failed," Bishop Rayappu Joseph of Mannar, in the north-west of Sri Lanka, told a visiting delegation from the World Council of Churches. "I am very happy that the WCC has declared a campaign against violence," said Joseph on 6 August at his office in Mannar. more..

Aug 14 (AP) A senior government official called Monday for an investigation into an international aid group, accusing it of negligence in the massacre of 17 of its workers in eastern Sri Lanka a year ago. The Sri Lankan employees of Action Against Hunger, also known as ACF, were found killed execution style in Muttur, amid heavy fighting between government troops and separatist Tamil rebels in August 2006. more..

Aug 14 (Gulf) Emirates airline concluded a "positive" round of talks with the Sri Lankan government last week over its management contract with SriLankan Airlines, sources said. Emirates owns a 43 per cent stake in Sri Lanka's national carrier and also manages the airline under a 10-year contract, which expires in March 2008. SriLankan is majority owned by the Sri Lankan government. more..

Aug 14 (LBO) Sri Lanka's state-owned Ports Authority (SLPA) is planning an international bond issue to raise funds for new expansion projects and repay debt, its chairman Saliya Wickramasuriya said. The authority is making arrangements to get an international credit rating before making a bond issue to raise funds, he told a shipping conference organised by the Sri Lanka branch of the Institute of Chartered Shipbrokers last week. more..

Aug 14 (LBO) A Jakarta court has refused a request to extradite directors of Goldquest because the crime for which they were wanted in the Philippines did not exist in Indonesian law, media reports said. The Manila Standard said Presiding Judge Prasetyo Ibnu Asmara of the District Court of South Jakarta released Vijayeswaran Vijayaratnam and his Filipino partners Tagumpay Pablo Perez Kintanar, Joseph Luis Eleuterio Tomacruz Bismark, and Donna Marie Glenn Imson on July 31. more..

Aug 14 (LBO) Marketing qualifications such as those offered by the Chartered Institute of Marketing offer good opportunities for job seekers in an expanding economy like Sri Lanka, a senior marketer said. Shiraz Latiff, chairman of the Chartered Institute of Marketing Sri Lanka Region, said that with only limited opportunities available to enter university, professions like marketing offered useful alternative opportunities. more..

Aug 14 (LBO) A Sri Lankan business delegation is to visit the Middle East next month seeking to penetrate the markets in three oil exporting countries whose economies are booming because of high petroleum prices. The visit, organised by the trade fair unit of the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce (CCC), will cover Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Oman and is scheduled for August 30 to September 6, 2007. more..

Aug 14 (LBO) Sri Lanka's share market closed lower on thin trading Tuesday and it is very attractive for long term investors, stockbrokers say. The steady slide in the Colombo share market offers a good opportunity for investors to buy stocks at lower rates to reap long term benefits, Vajira Premawardena of LOLC Stockbrokers says. "If you look at the market, it looks very attractive now." more..

Aug 14 (GDI) The Airport and Aviation Authorities announce that the ban on the use of mobile phones was for employees and not for the passengers. This step was taken only for prevention of smuggling activates carried out by racketeers with the backing of employees. Further the sources confirm that the imposition of this restriction has no security purpose and it is applicable only for the workers. more..

Aug 14 (Reuters) Sri Lanka's central bank held its official policy rates steady on Tuesday, at their highest levels since 2002 for a sixth month in a row after a monetary policy review, saying market rates had further stabilised. But analysts say that central bank policy rates have become meaningless because of reverse repurchase agreement window restrictions, and instead track treasury bill rates, which are sharply higher and used by banks to set lending rates. more..

Aug 14 (Reuters) Sri Lanka's rupee weakened a shade to a new all-time closing low on Monday for a fourth day running as importers bought dollars to settle trade bills, dealers said. The rupee ended at 111.96/112.00 per dollar, just surpassing the previous life low of 111.95/112.00 hit on Monday. The local currency has hit a series of new all time lows in recent months. more..

Aug 14 (MoD) Peace Secretariat Chief Prof. Rajiva Wijesinha has urged the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) to issue a formal apology for its false allegations. In a letter to ICJ Chief, Justice Arthur Chaskalson, Wijesinha pointed out that Australian expert Dr. Dodd has specifically refuted Michael Birnbaum's Addendum which has regrettably been issued in the name of the ICJ, in saying 'there is no suggestion in my mind of substitution of exhibits, and more..

Aug 14 (LNP) The Bribery Commission has begun probing the allegations relating to the controversial MiG 27 transactions, its chairman said yesterday. `We have received sufficient material for an investigation on the complaint lodged with the Commission,` Chairman Ameer Ismail said. `If the legal division is satisfied that there is a prima facie case, the Commission will start recording statements from the parties involved` he said. more..

Aug 14 (LNP) Chairman of the Official Languages Commission Raja Collure yesterday said that the Government has decided to pay monthly allowances of between Rs 15,000 and Rs 25,000 as an inducement to public servants who gain proficiency in the second language. He said that President Mahinda Rajapaksa was very concerned about public servants gaining proficiency in the second language and directed that the Official Languages Act be implemented. more..

Aug 14 (LNP) President Mahinda Rajapakse hands over about 50 million rupees worth of fishing gear to fishermen, who suffered various calamities. President Rajapakse pointed out that the fishermen should work jointly with the world within globalisation, to develop the fishery industry. Fishermen should be encouraged to exploit resources in the deep sea. A high yield will help to bring down prices and also strengthen the economy of the fishermen. more..

Aug 14 (LNP) The Government has decided to expand the Sapugaskanda oil refinery at a cost of Rs. 80 billion. Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC) Chairman Ashantha de Mel told the Daily News that the move is aimed at cutting down the additional cost spent by the Corporation on importing finished fuel. The project is scheduled to commence in January 2008. `We import 50 per cent of the domestic oil requirements as finished products (refined oil) while the rest is supplied by purchasing crude oil and refining them at Sapugaskanda. more..

Aug 14 (SAMN) The Human Rights Watch in a letter to the government Peace Secretariat is sticking to its guns regarding the recent critical report released on alleged human rights violations by the government and allegations of impunity, HRW sources said. The letter was faxed in response to a letter sent by the government Peace Secretariat to the HRW after the report by the New York based rights group was made public. more..

Aug 14 (SAMN) Sri Lanka’s aging athletes who took part in the Singapore Masters Athletic Open Championship recently returned with 21 gold medals, 18 silver medals and 15 bronze medals. The brilliant performances of the veteran athletes not only brought them glory with a rich haul of medals but they team was also adjudged the Best Team at the meet as they won the highest number of medals. more..

Aug 14 (SAMN) The security situation for civilians, especially youth in Jaffna has deteriorated to such a level that families have begun to flee the peninsula to seek refuge in Colombo and make an attempt to send their sons overseas. The SLMM in its latest assessment report focuses on concerns of the high prices on essential items, a general halt in the economy, increased difficulties to enter the city of Jaffna, an increase of military round-ups and house searches, emigration of skilled labour and fishing restrictions. more..

Aug 14 (SAMN) The UNP Monday charged that the government is planning to raise a massive commercial loan amounting to Rs 56 billion violating usual norms followed in raising such loans and pushing the country into a serious financial crisis. UNP General Secretary, Tissa Attanayake, told a press conference, the government is set to raise this loan from a number of commercial banks at an interest rate of 7%. more..

Aug 14 (GDI) Visiting Sri Lankan Foreign Minister, Rohitha Bogollagama conducted a very fruitful bilateral discussion with the Libyan Finance Minister Mohamed Ali Al Huwayz. During the discussion, the Libyan Finance Minister welcomed Foreign Minister Bogollagama and referred to the long standing bilateral relations between Libya and Sri Lanka. He said that Libya sees Sri Lanka as an example in maintaining harmonious and cordial relations between ethnic groups and communities. more..

Aug 14 (DN) Attempts by certain interested parties to block the flow of foreign aid or loans to the Government for its national development activities can never be condoned. Such attempts made for selfish gains will only retard the country’s progress, Most Ven. Udugama Sri Buddharakkhita Mahanayake Thera of the Asgiriya Chapter said. The Asgiriya Prelate expressed these sentiments when Export Development and International Trade Minister Prof. G. L. Peiris called on him more..

Aug 14 (DN) Social Services and Social Welfare Minister Douglas Devananda has made arrangements to set up Costal Protection Monitoring Committees in the Jaffna Peninsula to ensure the safety of fishermen in Jaffna, Social Services and Social Welfare Ministry Media Coordinator Nelson P. Edirisinghe said. He said that Minister Devananda took this step after holding discussions with the fishing community in the Jaffna Peninsula. more..

Aug 14 (DM) Nine interdicted non-academic staffers of the Colombo University staged a single day fast yesterday, demanding to be reinstated in their former positions. “Eight people were interdicted after a strike to protest against the delay in payment of salaries in May. The payments were due on May 25, but were paid much later, after being revised due to a misinterpretation of a new circular issued by the Universities Grants Commission,” more..

Aug 14 (DM) The much hyped plan of the government to build an International Airport at Weerawila has received a set back as the Central Environment Authority failed to approve an Environment Impact Assessment Report (EIA) for the project. When contacted by the Daily Mirror, Chairman, Central Environment Authority, Udaya Gammanpila, yesterday confirmed that he had requested more information from S.M.R. Rafeek, head of projects at Airport and Aviation Services (Lanka) Ltd. more..

Aug 14 (GDI) The 8th International Congress on AIDS in the Asia and the Pacific (8th ICAAP) will be held in Colombo, Sri Lanka from 19th to 23rd August under the theme of ‘Waves of Change- Waves of Hope’. The event will be inaugurated on 19 August with the participation of the President of Sri Lanka Mahinda Rajapaksa. The ICCAP meeting is an event which deals with achieving meaningful exchanges of expertise, experiences, advances, lessons learnt, challenges faced and successes achieved in HIV/AIDS more..

Aug 14 (AFP) Army chiefs from 19 countries, including the United States, Japan and India, met secretly in Sydney ahead of an Asia-Pacific summit in the city next month, the country's army chief revealed Tuesday. The presence of the military leaders in Sydney, including US General George Casey, at the same time and at the same venue last week was considered too risky to publicise, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation said. more..

Aug 14 (AP) Sri Lanka wants a United Nations official to retract his comment that the island nation is among the most dangerous places for aid workers, an official said Tuesday. John Holmes — the U.N. undersecretary-general for humanitarian affairs — questioned the safety of aid workers deployed in Sri Lanka's embattled north and east during a visit to the country last week. more..

Aug 15 (BBC) The Paris based Action Against Hunger (ACF) has expressed 'fully co-operation' with an international probe into killing of 17 of their workers, last year. A spokeswoman for ACF (Action Contre La Faim) said the ultimate aim of the probe should however be finding the killers of aid workers in Muttur, in August 2006. The Sri Lanka government was urged to investigate the 'irresponsible behaviour' of ACF by the head of Sri Lanka Peace Secretariat (SCOPP). more..

Aug 15 (LeN) Douglas Devananda, Minister of Social Services and Social Welfare, addressing a group of representative from public organisations at his Ministerial office on the last 11th stated that he would take all that was necessary for development of Pungudutivu and Eluvaitivu Islets in Jaffna peninsula. The Minister stated so at the time the representatives from public organisation submitted development proposals of their regions to the Minister. more..

Aug 15 (LD) The Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) has decided to the take to the streets with the general masses to protest against corruption in the government and the ever escalating cost of living. As the first step, the JVP organized a protest campaign in Colombo today (August 14th) against price hikes of fuel, gas, milk powder and other commodities as well as rampant corruption and wastage of public money by maintaining a huge cabinet. more..

Aug 15 (AT) Numerologist M.K.Damodaran of Kerala,, India has predicted that, based on his calculations, Prabhakaran, can never get his Eelam. However, with 8 as his powerful number he can be a “twinkling star” if he turns to peace. If not, he will end up taking the cyanide capsule. The other option is to accept the negative attributes of Saturnian's 8 and get killed by his associates driven by desperation. more..

Aug 15 (AT) In my previous article, I refuted the logic of “Mahavamsa-bashing” which is fashionable among certain self-appointed preachers of “peace” and “ethnic co-existence” in Sri Lanka. I demonstrated that the Pali chronicles hardly serve the cause of modern Sinhala ethno nationalism, and in fact they demonstrate a close historical interaction between the Sinhalese and Tamils in ancient times. more..

Aug 15 (AT) Dr Lawarence Perera, holding a doctorate in the automobile engineering and with around 30 years experience in the automobile industry has been recognized as the first Sri Lankan to stick on to automobile manufacture, though it has been the Upali Wijewardene who has the honour of commencing a automobile manufacturing plant in Sri Lanka. Unfortunately Upali Wijewardene was not afforded the required support and therefore his automobile manufacture collapsed. more..

Aug 15 (TNN) Bishan Singh Bedi has rubbished Sri Lankan spinner Muttiah Muralitharan's claim for millions of dollars in damages from the former Indian captain and spinner for making "derogatory" comments questioning his bowling action. Over the years, Bedi has vehemently opposed the ICC's willingness to clear Murali's action. The Lankan, who is eight wickets away from equalling highest Test wicket-taker Shane Warne's tally of 708 wickets, bowls with a unique bent-arm action which he attributes to a deformity. more..

Aug 15 (AFP) A Sri Lankan housemaid in Saudi Arabia pleaded in a call to a newspaper to be rescued from her employer she says has kept her imprisoned for the past 10 years. The Arab News said it received the cry for help from Anista Marie, who left the coastal town of Chilaw in Sri Lanka a decade ago to work in a house here. “When I came here I was 30 years of age. Now I am 40 and I have never taken holiday leave, nor have I been paid in the past eight years,” more..

Aug 15 (ML) The All Party Representative Committee (APRC) proceedings came to an abrupt halt yesterday after the SLFP and MEP called for its adjournment indefinitely. The APRC was to finalise a draft report by today to keep to a deadline set by the UNP for its participation in the future proceedings. However, the SLFP and MEP representatives who walked in for yesterday’s meeting scheduled for 3.30 p.m. at 5.30 p.m. called for the indefinite adjournment of proceedings until more..

Aug 15 (ML) This remains the basic character and essence of the state, even though there have been some grudging recognition of Tamil also as an official language. This defining character of the state contains several decisive political implications and explosive consequences. One fateful implication is that Lanka is exclusively the land of the Sinhala Buddhists. That is to say, only the Sinhala-Buddhist nation has an exclusive claim to the land and the right to form a state. more..

Aug 15 (ML) Even as SLFP (M) Leader Mangala Samaraweera challenged the JVP to join forces with the newly formed National Council last week stating it was deafeningly silent while the government was robbing the people, the Marxists took to the streets yesterday to protest against the unbearable cost of living and corruption in the Mahinda Rajapakse administration. Samaraweera speaking to a massive crowd at the Matara Uyanwatte Stadium last Friday (10) said more..

Aug 15 (ML) In recent times, governments on various occasions, for reasons of their own, declare their intention of formulating a media policy and culture for the entire Sri Lankan media but all these efforts have failed to materialise like insurance policies where the premiums have not been paid. The Ministry of Mass Media and Information on Monday, in a full page advertisement announced the intention of the Mahinda Rajapakse government to formulate such a media policy and invited views and suggestions from the public. more..

Aug 15 (Reuters) Tourist arrivals in Sri Lanka fell 20.3 per cent in July from a year earlier, the island's tourist board said on Tuesday, blaming security fears related to the renewed war between the state and Tamil Tiger rebels. The civil unrest reduced arrivals by 23.7 per cent in the first seven months of the year and many hotels struggling with low occupancy are discounting rooms in a bid to lure clients. more..

Aug 15 (BN) Sri Lanka's military said a leader of the LTTE's naval force was killed in fighting two days ago, in another blow to the rebels who lost control of the eastern region to the army last month. Chandrasekaran Pillai, the third most senior leader of the Sea Tigers unit, was among six commanders killed in a battle off the eastern coastal town of Pulmodai, the Defense Ministry said on its Web site, citing intercepted radio transmissions by the LTTE. more..

Aug 15 (AP) Star cricketer Muttiah Muralitharan has demanded millions of dollars (euros) from former Indian spinner Bishan Singh Bedi as damages for making "derogatory" comments questioning Muralitharan's bowling action, an aide said Tuesday. "It's a letter of demand that we have sent (Bedi)," Muralitharan's manager, Kushil Gunasekera, told The Associated Press. Gunasekera said Bedi had recently commented that Muralitharan bowled with an illegal action, and called him a "cheat." more..

Aug 15 (FI) A recent fact - finding mission undertaken by the South Asians for Human Rights (SAHR) organization has uncovered details about the manner in which Displaced persons in the North and East of Sri Lanka are used as “pawns” by state and non - state actors in Sri Lanka in clear violation of basic principles of basic law. The report released this week by SAHR notes that the “findings of the mission reveal the manner in which IDPs are often used as pawns by both state and non-state actors, in clear violation of basic principles of humanitarian law.” more..

Aug 15 (FI) President Mahinda Rajapaksa led UPFA government having elaborate plans to rebuild and rehabilitate the East. The Muslim community feels the government has not so far included them into the development process. Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) Leader and Minister Rauff Hakeem had deplored the government’s decision to have development projects in the East supervised by the security forces and police. more..

Aug 15 (ISL) I refer to the news item in the Daily Mirror of July 25 and was astounded to read of the punishment meted for the offence committed by Mervyn Silva. I wonder whether Appuhamy would have got off that lightly, had he committed fraud and misappropriation, and whether the Penal Code did not apply to politicians. The Dictionary defines Fraud as Deceit or Trickery deliberately practised in order to gain some advantage dishonestly. more..

Aug 15 (ISL) The unit of devolution remains one of the greatest logjams in finding a political solution to the ethnic conflict in Sri Lanka. The various proposals submitted to the All-Party Representative Committee demonstrate that there has been no consensus as to even the direction which discussion on the topic should proceed. Judging from the content of these proposals, there are widely different notions of a just settlement even within communities to the degree that the debate cannot simply be characterized as “Sinhala vs. Tamil.” more..