Dec 17 (WB) Traveling south along the coast on the Galle Road towards Hikkaduwa, a small restaurant between the 93 and 94 mile posts offers a welcome stop. The restaurant located at Daluwattemulla, in Thelwatte, the place tragically marked in last year's December tsunami by the wrecked holiday train, more..

Dec 17 (WB) Mahamarakkalage Patabendi Malini is hanging clothes on a clothes line in front of her newly completed house. The freshly plastered house sits adjoining the temporary shelter, they were living in back in June. The Save the Fishermen sign is still nailed to the wooden boards, but inside the shelter is bare, with only some fishing nets. more..

Dec 17 (AT) As Unilever Chairman Antony Burgmans has stated, �Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is not something we do to the society. It is an integral part of everything we do�. more..

Dec 17 (AT) The Apparel-Industry Labor Rights Movement (ALARM), which brings together unions and Labor NGOs and observer organizations affiliated to the apparel industry, was formed to fight for the rights of women workers in the industry. more..

Dec 17 (LT) A sophisticated mobile surgical theatre received from Italy, loaded in a 40 feet long container has been sent to Colombo Port to be transferred to Jaffna. This container with mobile Surgical theatre has arrived in the vessel �New York Shipping Line� on the 13th December. more..

Dec 17 (TN) Sri Lanka Army (SLA) has established several new sentries in Mannar town and its suburbs, and has blocked the road leading to the office of the Superintendent of Police from use by the public as a part of strengthening the security of the district, sources said. more..

Dec 17 (SLA) A GROUP OF ABOUT 40 TAMIL TIGERS (LTTE), clad in dark green wears were observed by Sri Lanka Air Force troops on route piquet duties in PANMEDAWACHCHIYA and WEPPANKULAM areas in TRINCOMALEE on 16 December 2005 around 5.00 p.m. Some of them were carrying T-56 weapons, according to troops. more..

Dec 17 (SLA) Three armed persons, suspected to be Tamil Tigers, have arrested and detained a bullock cart with two cattle belonging to a Muslim civilian in the general area of PUTTUR, BATTICALOA on 16 December 2005 around 8.00 a.m. demanding ransom. Those suspected LTTE men had demanded a ransom of Rs. 30,000/- (about US $ 312) from the Muslim villager, more..

Dec 17 (SLA) ONE THOUSAND FIVE HUNDRED and fifteen (1515) lorry loads of food and other essential items had been dispatched to un-cleared areas in the northern province during the period between 09 December 2005 and 05 December 2005. more..

Dec 17 (LeN) The Ceylon Workers Congress is to form a political alliance with the LTTE. As an initial step CWE leader Arumugam Thondaman will visit Wanni tomorrow to meet Tiger political wing head Tamil Selvam for a preliminary discussion. more..

Dec 17 (LeN) Even though expatriate workers are Sri Lanka's main foreign exchange earner, expatriate workers in some countries are poorly paid and in some instances not even entitled for the minimum health facilities. more..

Dec 17 (SLBC) The Department of Pensions says 500 rupee increment proposed by the budget for pensioners will be added to the pension of the month of January. In addition, it has been proposed to provide a ten percent salary increment by adding the 1,250 rupee allowance to the basic salary. more..

Dec 17 (SLBC) Media Minister Anura Priyadarshana Yapa says the national bradcaster has the capacity to reder a great service in solving the ethnic conflict. The Minister made this remark when he attended the official ceremony of the SLBC to mark the 80th broadcasting aniversary of Sri Lanka, yesterday. more..

Dec 17 (TN) Reiterating that they wished to engage in talks on the effective implementation of the February 2002 Cease Fire Agreement, the Liberation Tigers suggested Saturday that Norway would be the ideal venue to host such talks as Oslo was not only the facilitator of the peace process, but leading the monitoring mission supervising the truce. more..

Dec 17 (LM) Sri Lankan Muslims leaders must be true to their faith and act as peace makers within their own local communities, said renowned Islamic scholar Professor Jamal Badawi yesterday in Colombo. �One has to understand Islam properly' he said and not be carried away by extremists. more..

Dec 17 (LM) The Government yesterday formally expressed its readiness to start talks with the LTTE immediately at any venue. Government spokesman and senior Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva told a news conference after the Cabinet meeting the government was also ready to discuss any thing be it the cease fire agreement or a final solution to the ethnic conflict. more..

Dec 17 (BBC) The Tamil Tiger rebels were responsible for a "gross violation" of Sri Lanka's fragile ceasefire this week, international ceasefire monitors say. The monitors urged the Tigers to prevent similar incidents after an air force helicopter came under fire. The rebels deny responsibility. more..

Dec 17 (PIS) SLMM yesterday ruled that Wednesday�s firing upon an unarmed Sri Lanka Air Force helicopter was a violation of the cease-fire by the LTTE. In a letter to Tiger political chief, S P Thamilselvan, the SLMM underscored that the cease-fire agreement clearly barred all offensive military action including firing of direct and indirect weapons, armed raids and ambushes. more..

Dec 17 (PIS) PLOTE is appealing to the international community to use its influence in securing the release of senior PLOTE member Sinnathamby Ganeshalingam believed to be in the custody of the LTTE. PLOTE leader D. Sitharthan in a letter addressed to the Heads of Foreign Diplomatic Missions in Colombo said: more..

Dec 17 (SAMN) President Mahinda Rajapakse on Friday assured that an environment would be created for the judicial officers to dispense justice free from threats to life. Speaking at the opening of the annual conference of the Judicial Service Association (JSA) on the theme �Dispensing Justice in the 21st Century� more..

Dec 17 (SAMN) With memories of last December�s tsunami catastrophe still fresh, disaster struck in Chilaw when massive 10-foot high waves lashed a coastal stretch at Amakandawila. The resultant rough seas threw fishing boats loaded with fishing nets and equipment a few hundred yards inland. more..

Dec 17 (SAMN) The gang way to biggest floating book fair in the world the MV Doulos now berthed in the Colombo Port will be lowered to book lovers from 10.00 a.m. More than 6000 titles and half a million copies are on display. Mrs. Shiranthi Rajapakse, First lady of the country was the Chief Guest at the opening ceremony. more..

Dec 17 (LNP) Police Headquarters is taking action to raid unlicensed night clubs countrywide. IGP Chandra Fernando said unlawful activities were reported to be taking place in these night spots, which are run without licences and police teams have already started raiding these places. more..

Dec 17 (LNP) The Army Bomb Disposal Unit disposed two live hand grenades found buried under a jack fruit tree in the premises of the Karambewa Sri Bodhirukkarama Temple in Galakadawala, Anuradhapura on Wednesday, police sources said on Thursday. more..

Dec 17 (LNP) Customs officials have unveiled an alleged Rs. 4.4 million swindle on a Central Bank vehicle tender. A Customs official said the Central Bank early this year had called for tenders for a 15-seater vehicle for its poverty alleviation micro-finance project. more..

Dec 17 (wsws) Two police raids against the Ceylon Workers Congress (CWC) in the past three weeks appear to be part of a political operation by the newly elected President Mahinda Rajapakse to split the party and gain the support of some of its MPs to shore up his weak minority government. more..

Dec 17 (DN) THE People's Republic of China will assist Sri Lanka in solving its current energy crisis. Chinese Ambassador Sun Guoxiang gave this assurance when he called on Power and Energy Minister W.D.J. Seneviratne at his Ministry recently. more..

Dec 17 (TW) I would like to begin, Mr. Deputy Speaker., by extending our warm congratulations and best wishes both on behalf of the United National Party and on my own personal behalf to His Excellency Mahinda Rajapaksa on his assumption of office as the Fifth Executive President of the Republic. more..

Dec 17 (Xinhua) A political party representing the Tamil community of Indian origin is to forge a new broader political front, party officials said. The senior leaders of the Ceylon Workers' Congress (CWC), a political party cum trade union, have traveled to the Tamil Tiger rebels-held Kilinochchi district in the northern province to have talks with the political leadership of the LTTE rebels, more..

Dec 17 (AN) The first flight-load of 278 Sri Lankan pilgrims arrived here last week by a special charter of Saudi Arabian Airlines, but Sri Lankan officials told Arab News that the property endowed to house them has been deemed off-limits by its caretaker. more..

Dec 17 (HT) Sri Lankan producer-director Inoka Sathyangani's maiden venture Surang Kirilli (The Wind Bird) has been on a roll, bagging ten international awards in the past three years. The latest one is for cinematography in the feature film category at the New York International Independent Film and Video Festival held in November this year. more..

Dec 17 (AP) Sri Lanka's newly elected president will visit neighboring India beginning Dec. 27 to strengthen bilateral ties, the government said Saturday. During his four-day stay, President Mahinda Rajapakse is expected to brief Indian leaders on his administration's progress in restarting peace talks with Tamil Tiger rebels, more..

Dec 17 (AFP) Scandinavian ceasefire monitors in Sri Lanka blamed Tamil Tigers for shooting at an unarmed military helicopter earlier this week and said the attack seriously undermined the fragile truce. more..

Dec 17 (AFP) Tamil Tiger rebels rejected a Sri Lankan offer to hold peace talks at an Asian venue and insisted that any negotiations must be in the capital of the peacebroker Norway. The LTTE said any discussions with the Sri Lankan government must be in Oslo as originally proposed by Norway but rejected by Colombo. more..

Dec 18 (TA) IT HAS the status of a family heirloom now. Printed in the local language, the the year-old newspaper cutting documents the woes of M. M. Firdous, his sister and two young brothers. They were punished more severely by the tsunami than any other family they know. more..

Dec 18 (TA) IS this the luckiest toddler in the world? His doting parents believe so. In the aftermath of the Boxing Day tsunami, Abilash Jeyaraja also became the most celebrated survivor. He was "Baby 81" - rescued by a samaritan who found him alone, wrestling for life, in the rubble along the eastern coast more..

Dec 18 (TW) When human rights are discussed in the context of Sri Lanka�s peace process, they are generally seen in the area of LTTE violations, rather than those of LTTE celebrations, and as a pressure point. Despite four years of ceasefire, a wide range of human rights continue to be violated in the north east. more..

Dec 18 (TW) Ms Pathmini Sithamparanathan MP is currently in US on a speaking tour. Her husband Dr. Kandasamy Sithamparanathan, Head of the Faculty of Fine Arts, University of Jaffna is also visiting the US. Many friends and well-wishers were dropping into see them, and TamilWeek spoke to Ms. Sithamparanathan, more..

Dec 18 (TW) "I feel guilty, that I could not save Arabi. I lost control and let her die. I am responsible for her death. I cannot forget her, because I loved her so much. I still can�t believe that she is dead. I carried her dead body from Mullaithivu to Mulliyawalai �says 13 years old Niranjala Balakrishnan more..

Dec 18 (IRNA) Iranian Commerce Minister Massoud Mir-Kazemi here Saturday conferred with Sri Lankan Minister of Trade, Commerce and Consumer Affairs Jeyaraj Fernandopulle on expansion of economic cooperation between the two countries. more..

Dec 18 (LT) The programme to make available fertilizer at Rs.350/- per bag of 50 kg to farmers has run into tangle says Mr. Anura Kumara Dissanayake in a letter to President Mahinda Rajapakse. He states non availability of a mechanism necessary for the implementation of the programme at the grassroots level was the cause for the situation. more..

Dec 18 (LT) Yogarasa Douglas (28), known to be a close associate of tiger leader Velupillai Prabhakaran, its intelligence chief Pottuamman and tiger theoretician Anton Balasingham was shot dead in London on the 12th. He is considered the international monetary chief of the LTTE. more..

Dec 18 (LT) Tamil Elam People�s Liberation Tiger Organization (Karuna faction of the tiger organization) has asked wanni tiger organization to refrain from creating a conflict between the Tamils and Muslims in the North and the East. more..

Dec 18 (LeN) A split in the United National Party is on the cards if a satisfactory solution was not found to the call made by an influential group in the party calling for a change in the party leadership. This group is to meet in the New Town Hall, Colombo on 20th Tuesday at 11.00 a.m as the UNP alternative group. more..

Dec 18 (LeN) Three petitions have so far been filed in the Supreme Court seeking write orders against the granting of privileges to ex-President Chandrika Kumaratunga in violation of the Presidential Entitlement Act. more..

Dec 18 (LeN) An agitation was held in Colombo Fort yesterday by several organizations deploring the detrimental effects on the third world countries as a result of the meeting of the World Trade Organization held in Hong Kong and urging the government not to enter into any agreement with the Organization. more..

Dec 18 (Hindu) The LTTE on Saturday termed the Government's proposal to hold talks in an Asian country as a "ploy" to "internationally isolate" it. S.P. Tamilselvan told journalists in rebel-held Kilinochchi that the group stood by its position that preliminary talks to discuss the implementation of the ceasefire agreement should be held in Europe, preferably Oslo. more..

Dec 18 (AT) Muslims can probably live in a Tamil Eelam; but they cannot exist in a Tiger Eelam. As far as the Tigers are concerned any Muslim who is not content to be included in the �Tamil speaking people� category is axiomatically a traitor. more..

Dec 18 (AT) Sri Lanka President Mahinda Rajapakse is coming to India a day after the Christmas in his first overseas visit. During his four-day state visit, he will take up the threads of discussions his foreign minister Mangala Samaraweera had with the Indian leadership and brief them of his plans to hasten peace process in the island nation. more..

Dec 18 (AT) The LTTE turned down the proposal put forward by the Sri Lanka Government about holding the Peace Talks in an Asian country. S.P. Tamilselvan head of the Political Division of the Liberation Tigers described the move by the Sri lanka Government as a ploy to prolong the peace Talks. more..