May 30 (BBC) The main opposition in Sri Lanka has accused the government of threatening the freedom of civilians to move arond in the capital, Colombo. The UNP said the capital is becoming a ghost city where civilians have no freedom to engage in daily activities. "When Defence Secretary travells around Colombo for example, people were forced to look at the walls without looking at the road," UNP spokesman Gayantha Karunathilake told journalists. more..

May 30 (BBC) The Sri Lankan Tamil diaspora in the UK donates tens of thousands of pounds every year for relief efforts for conflict-ravaged areas in the country. But authorities are concerned that some of these funds end up in the hands of the LTTE. Nagendram Seevaratnam, 70, the founder of the London-based charity, Sivayogam Trust, was suspended in March, after a 21-month probe by the Charity Commission following complaints of its alleged links to the rebels. more..

May 30 (AP) Sri Lankan students carry a giant dummy of a cigarette as they stage a street drama on the eve of Anti-Tobacco Day in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Wednesday, May 30, 2007. In the background is seen the Colombo Town Hall building. more..

May 30 (AFP) Sri Lanka's investors, international donors and lenders are watching with alarm as government fighting against Tamil Tiger rebels escalates and key economic targets come under attack, analysts say. Roadside blasts Monday and last Thursday around Colombo killed 11 people and wounded 44 as fighting which was largely confined to the north-east spills over to the capital. more..

May 30 (PTI) Sri Lanka today said it will decide within two weeks whether to maintain the Norwegian-brokered ceasefire agreement with Tamil Tigers in the backdrop of escalating violence. "As far as the Ceasefire Agreement (CFA) is concerned the ground reality is that it is not operative at the moment," Defence spokesman Keheliya Rambukwella told reporters here today. more..

May 30 (AFP) Tamil, one of India�s ancient Dravidian languages, is to have its own government-funded institute, Tamil Nadu state�s chief minister said. The federal government has agreed to set up the International Institute of Classical Tamil Language in the state capital Chennai, where language politics have often boiled over. M. Karunanidhi told reporters that the government had also agreed to several more demands to promote Tamil, including setting up international Tamil prizes and awards for scholars and experts. more..

May 30 (Reuters) Sri Lankan fighter jets bombed a Tamil Tiger logistics base in the island's far north on Wednesday, hours after insurgents killed four soldiers in a clash in the northwest, the military said. The air strike near the rebel-held town of Puthukkudiyiruppu in the far north of the tear-drop shaped Indian Ocean island is the latest in a series of raids as the military pushes on with a declared plan to destroy Tiger war assets. more..

May 30 (Xinhua) A panel appointed by President Mahinda Rajapakse to formulate a political package to end the island's separatist armed conflict has resumed its sessions after a long stoppage, a senior government minister said in Colombo Wednesday. Keheliya Rmabukwella, the minister of Foreign Employment and the government's defense spokesman said that the APRC met last week to discuss political proposals put forward by various parties. more..

May 30 (AP) Fierce clashes between government soldiers and separatist Tamil Tiger guerrillas over the past two days have left 14 combatants dead in Sri Lanka's restive north, the military said Wednesday, as war planes bombed northern rebel bases for the second consecutive day. The fighting comes as the International Committee of the Red Cross returned to two checkpoints separating government and rebel-held territories in the north after receiving security assurances. more..

May 30 (HT) Two roads to the LTTE-controlled area in the Wanni region of North Sri Lanka were reopened on Wednesday, bringing relief to an estimated 350,000 Tamil civilians who were bottled up in the Wanni region since the entry/exit points at Omanthai and Uyilankulam were closed on May 22. The reopening was announced by ICRC chief Toon Vandenhove and the LTTE's military spokesman, Rasiah Ilanthirayan alias Marshall in separate press statements. more..

May 30 (AFP) The International Red Cross resumed work Wednesday on Sri Lanka's battle-scarred front lines, offering safe passage for civilians between government and rebel territory, the Geneva-based charity said. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said it would initially man two entry and exit points three days a week in the northern districts of Vavuniya and Mannar. more..

May 31 (LBO) India's National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) which is hoping to build a coal plant with Sri Lanka's power utility has asked for Indian government help to change its proposed location, reports said. Eastern Sri Lanka has seen heavy fighting in the past year as government troops systematically took back areas previously controlled by LTTE guerrillas. more..

May 31 (LBO) The Securities and Exchange has hired three new specialists to push asset management, debt markets and communications, the regulator said Wednesday. Namal Kamalgoda has been appointed as, Director, Capital Market Development � Asset Management. He was chief investment officer at Eagle NDB Fund Management Company which had 18 billion rupees under management and has experience in portfolio and mutual fund management, more..

May 31 (LBO) Tableware exporter Dankotuwa Porcelain has announced plans to reduce its share capital to wipe off accumulated losses amounting to 244 million rupees, making it the first company to do so after a new company law came into effect. A company statement said it proposes reducing the stated capital to 231.5 million rupees or 22.6 million ordinary shares from 476 million rupees or 45.2 million shares. more..

May 31 (LeN) It is being reported of an incident where two officials of the Southern provincial council electricity board has purchased two luxury vehicles worth 27 million rupees using the funds granted to the CEB to renovate the destroyed CEB station in the province. It is being reported that out of it, 22 million rupees has been paid as tax. more..

May 31 (LeN) The Lake House Trade Unions charge that a massive fraud has taken place at the last Sarasavi awards ceremony which was held at the BMICH on the fifth of May spending over 20 million rupees. The trade unions say that a special award should be presented for this fraud. Meanwhile one of the state banks has agreed to come in as a sponsorship paying 5 million rupees, but it did not realize due to a protest conducted by the trade unions of the bank. more..

May 31 (LeN) The Peoples' Lawyers Union questions for whom is the government proposing electoral reforms when a majority of the parties have opposed it. Issuing a statement the secretary of the union says most of the parties have agreed that the existing electoral system does not suit the country the replacement should be a right one. more..

May 31 (BBC) The Sri Lanka government has accused Tamil Tigers of deliberately targeting civilians in the capital, Colombo. Describing the bomb attacks in Colombo last week and in Ratmalana on Monday as "barbaric", Defence Affairs spokesman Minister Keheliya Rambukwella said the LTTE has deliberately targeted civilians in these attacks. more..

May 31 (PRN) The first study to rank countries around the world according to their peacefulness and the drivers that create and sustain their peace was launched today. The Global Peace Index studied 121 countries from Algeria to Zimbabwe and its publication comes one week before the leaders of the world's richest countries gather for the G8 summit in Germany to discuss issues of global concern. more..

May 31 (BBC) Police in Sri Lanka are questioning businessman Tiran Alles who was arrested on alleged financial deals with the Tamil Tigers. The owner of the Standard Newspapers was admitted to Navaloka hospital after the arrest. Former minister Sripathi Sooriyaarachchi, who was in the hospital told BBC Sandeshaya that Alles was surrounded by nearly 15 police officers. more..

May 31 (CO) PMK today asked the Centre to put pressure on Sri Lankan leaders to resume peace talks for finding a peaceful solution to the ethnic problem there, and even boycott them if they refused to pay heed. PMK founder S Ramadoss said the Centre should impress upon Lankan leaders to hold peace talks and give genuine political rights to Tamils. "If Lanka refuses to heed the advice, India should boycott Lankan leaders and pressurise them to return to the negotiation table," more..

May 31 (UNI) Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) founder-leader S Ramadoss today urged India not to supply any arms or weapons to Sri Lanka and prevail upon that country to come to a negotiating table to resolve the ethnic crisis. Expressing concern over reports that Sri Lankan Defence Secretary Rajapakse had made a sudden visit to Delhi and held discussions with his Indian counterpart and National Security Advisor, the PMK leader said India more..

May 31 (BBC) The Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU) has proposed a new regional power structure as a solution to Sri Lanka's national question. JHU parliamentary group leader Athuraliye Rathana thero told BBC Sandeshaya that it is time for Sri Lanka to move away from Westminster-style power structure. The mainly Buddhist monk party has proposed a system where parliamentarians are selected from Pradesheeya Sabha (Divisional Council) chairpersons. more..

May 31 (GDI) The Consumers Price Index of the Colombo City (CCPI) for all items of this year�s month of May was posted at 5176.4 index points. This was informed by the Director General of Census and Statistics. According to a press release issued by the Department of Census and Statistics an increase of 151.0 index point change or 3.0 percentages can be seen from the April 2007 posted at 5025.4 index points. more..

May 31 (TW) Dr. Tuan Burhanudeen Jayah passed away in the Holy City of Medina on May 31, 1960. Dr. Jayah had his early education in a Madrasa and entered S. Thomas� College, Colombo where he had a brilliant academic career winning many coveted prizes. He obtained a Degree in Classics from the University of London and took to teaching as his profession. His first appointment was at a leading Buddhist College, Dharmarajah. more..

May 31 (AT) The internationally-renowned Sri Lankan pianist Rohan De Silva collaborated once again with violin virtuoso Itzhak Perlman in a superlative performance at New York's Avery Fisher Hall last week. Both performers, who had earlier appeared at the White House East Room during Queen Elizabeth's visit to Washington DC last month, were given standing ovations by the New York audience. more..

May 31 (AT) Sri Lanka, together with several other UN Member States participated in the annual International Day of Vesak at the UN Headquarters in New York on Tuesday. The Ceremony consisted of religious observances from the Vajrayana and Theravada sects and colourful cultural performances from Bhutan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Laos, Mongolia, Myanmar, Thailand and Sri Lanka, in veneration of the Buddha. more..

May 31 (AT) Stalling a three month long fall in prices, Sri Lanka's inflation has reversed and shot up by a massive three percentage points in May 2007, the Government Statistics Department (GSD) said today. According to the GSD the Colombo Consumer Price Index increased by 151 index points in April to a high of 5176. The "seasonally adjusted moving average" remained the same at 17.4 percent, indicating that "it may have peaked." more..

May 31 (AT) Recently 65 life members have formed an Alumni Association of Sri Lanka with the aim to promote and foster good relations and cultural ties between Sri Lanka and Germany. Sri Lankans qualified in the Federal Republic of Germany formed alumni association at the German Cultural Institute, Colombo. more..

May 31 (Hindu) Sri Lanka Minister and Defence spokesperson Keheliya Rambukwella said here on Wednesday that Colombo would make an announcement about the fate of the Norwegian brokered 2002 Cease Fire Agreement (CFA) in a `couple of weeks.' Responding to questions at the weekly news briefing, the Minister said that while the CFA remained on paper, the `objective reality' on the ground was different. more..

May 31 (ISL) The Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU) whom at one point suggested appointing a Tamil as the Prime Minister in 2004, displayed their true colours on May 29th when Rathana Thera made the statement "Japanese are from Japan, English are from England, Tamil is not a race in Sri Lanka. They have a separate country.� further suggesting that Sri Lankan Tamils do not belong in Sri Lanka but in Tamil Nadu. more..

May 31 (ISL) Yesterday�s (May 28, 2007) Toronto Star�s leading headline read Dirty little secrets: Abuse in daycares. The sub line said: You�re not supposed to know it, but children in licensed centres endue filthy conditions, bad food and physical and emotional harm. Toronto Star investigation based on �thousands of never-before-released daycare incidents and inspection reports has uncovered more..

May 31 (ISL) The fishing activities which was interrupted in the Islands due to the LTTE attack on the Sri Lanka Navy could by restarted from next week, said the navy commander of Islands, Samantha Peiris. The representatives of the Islands Fishermen Co-operative Society had a meeting with the Island navy commander at the Delft Divisionel Securitys Office on 27.05.2007 after the fishing ban on the last 24. more..

May 31 (GDI) The Cabinet of Ministers has granted its approval to a Memorandum submitted by Hon. Maithreepala Sirisena, Minister of Agricultural Development and Agrarian Services for a project for hybrid seed production in paddy, maize and vegetables using conventional and molecular techniques. Hybrids respond efficiently to the management practices and provide greater yields with raised productivity and superior quality. more..

May 31 (GDI) The Hiniduma electorate, one of the most backward areas in the Galle District has received assistance to uplift the lives of its people through Gama Neguma Programme, Vocational and Technical Training Minister Piyasena Gamage said. Addressing a ceremony held to distribute electricity to Batuwangala area in Neluwa the minister said to focus on the country�s development. more..

May 31 (GDI) Public Administration and Home Affairs Minister Karu Jayasuriya met the people and civil administrators of recently liberated Vakarai with the twin intentions of identifying their needs and giving a much needed boost to the civil administration in the area. Minister Karu Jayasuriya speaking at the Divisional Secretary�s office in Vakarai paid a glowing tribute to the Security Forces for their commendable achievements in the area. more..

May 31 (GDI) The National Apprentice and Industrial Training Authority (NAITA) has implemented a flagship programme to provide career guidance and counselling services to 8000 youth in 4000 selected villages under the Jathika Saviya, Gama Neguma Programme. NAITA Chairman Amal Senalankadhikara said NAITA will implement several programmes in these 4,000 villages to assist youth between 16 to 35 years to improve their vocational skills. more..

May 31 (GDI) The Australia based Society for Peace, Unity and Human Rights for Sri Lanka (SPUR) has urged the Australian Government to ban the LTTE in the country if it was keen on protecting human rights in Sri Lanka and secure for it a sustainable peace. Issuing a media release of SPUR President Dr. Dasarath Jayasuriya stated that the Australian Government owed to the peace loving people of Sri Lanka, more..

May 31 (GDI) The Education Ministry yesterday dispatched furniture, books and school uniforms and other equipment to twelve schools in Vakarai that are to be reopened following the full restoration of civilian life in the region. The schools were facing much hindrances due to lack of furniture and study material when Vakarai was in the grip of LTTE terror. Education Ministry sources said with the dispatch of the furniture and other goods the schools would will be able to reopen soon. more..

May 31 (CI) Lasith Malinga's world-record four wickets in four balls against South Africa during the World Cup has inspired his former school, Mahinda College in Galle, to hold a felicitation ceremony in honour of its past cricketers who have gone on to play for Sri Lanka. The ceremony, to be held June 2 at the college hall, will pay tribute to several former and current Sri Lankan cricketers including more..

May 31 (CI) The row between Gamini Lokuge, the Sri Lankan Sports minister and the Sri Lankan cricket board over the appointment of chief cricket selector Ashantha de Mel has worsened with the minister asserting that he has the final say in matters regarding appointment of selectors. De Mel's term as selector was extended till July 31 by the minister despite his name not being included in the list submitted to the ministry. more..

May 31 (wsws) Hundreds of workers from the universities of Colombo and Moratuwa took part in a lunchtime protest on Tuesday against punitive action imposed over recent national strike action. All who participated in the two-week strike have had their pay cut and eight union leaders and activists have been suspended. Yesterday Colombo university workers were scheduled to jointly take �sick leave� as part of the same campaign. more..

May 31 (LNP) With Tamil Tigers stepping up attacks, Sri Lanka has quietly alerted India that it will need to approach Pakistan and China for urgent arms purchases to counter the LTTE`s aerial threat. But Colombo has asked Delhi for technical assistance to train radar operators and flight controllers manning the two Indira radars provided by India last year, besides an additional pair of radars to detect low-flying aircraft. more..

May 31 (SAMN) The government Wednesday accused certain Parliamentarians of indirectly assisting LTTE propaganda by being critical of the measures being implemented by the Government in the interests of national security. Defence spokesman and Minister Keheliya Rambukwella said the defence authorities were being forced to act �out of the box� as a result of the terrorist acts committed by the LTTE in the city of Colombo. more..

May 31 (AP) Cadet Naveen Gunaratne, of Sri Lanka, raises his arms to acknowledge family and friends in the crowd to attend the 49th graduating class of the United States Air Force Academy at Air Force Academy, more..

May 31 (SAMN) The All Party Representative Committee (APRC) has identified the core issues to be discussed among the political parties at future meetings: with the first one being whether the constitutional character of Sri Lanka should be unitary, federal or one nation with devolved power -- as advocated by the UNP. The APRC met under the aegis of its chairman, Science and Technology Minister Tissa Vitarana. more..

May 31 (SAMN) The Department of Examinations will conduct a �Performance Evaluation� for Grade eight students from next year to identify gifted students and give them opportunities to study in popular schools. The Department will make recommendations to Education Minister, Susil Premajayantha, in this regard shortly. This evaluation system would be different from a conventional exam. more..

May 31 (SAMN) The JHU denied the existence of a 'national question' or an 'ethnic conflict' in the country and adding there should be a dictatorship at least for a period of five years to salvage the country from its present plight. The JHU have advocated the introduction of a four- tier system of people�s representation consisting of the Grama Sabha, Local Councils, Parliament and Executive President and an increase in parliamentary membership to 270 from its present 225 and the scrapping of the provincial council system. more..

May 31 (DN) The Health Ministry has taken measures to ensure an uninterrupted service at all Government hospitals in the wake of the decision by a particular trade union to down tools from tomorrow in protest against the electronic finger printing machine introduced by the Ministry for marking attendance. Representatives of fifty one Trade Unions which met Health and Nutrition Minister Nimal Siripala De Silva yesterday gave their assurance that they would not be party to any action which would disrupt the normal functioning of health services. more..

May 31 (DN) The Presidential Commission to investigate human rights violations is progressing smoothly and the government has set up a special unit to provide full security and safety to all witnesses. The Presidential Commission was appointed under former Supreme Court Judge Justice Nissanka Udalagama to inquire and investigate 16 human rights violation cases including the assassination of TNA MP Nadaraja Raviraj, more..