Jan 10 (LT) Mr. Mahinda Rajapakse who called us traitors for proposing that High Security Zones should be gradually withdrawn in a systematic manner has now withdrawn them merely to fulfill his petty political interests says JVP MP Anura Dissanayake. He said, �As the election campaign reaches the zenith fabrications, untruths, distorted news have been unleashed to the society. more..

Jan 10 (ST) President Mahinda Rajapaksa will today announce that High Security Zones in the Jaffna peninsula will be dismantled. They will be replaced by buffer zones extending 300 metres outwards from military installations. Minister and EPDP leader Douglas Devananda told the Sunday Times yesterday that Jaffna�s Government Agent was now working on the areas where immediate re-settlement of civilians displaced by the separatist war would begin. more..

Jan 11 (LBO) A contract to upgrade the water supply in Sri Lanka's capital Colombo valued at 1,895 million rupees has been awarded to China Geo Engineering Corporation, the government's information office said. China Geo will construct ground reservoirs at Maligakanda and Elie House, a water tower at Gothatuwa, a transmission lone from Ambatale and a distribution main from Kotikawatte-Mulleriya. more..

Jan 11 (TN) Late Thiruvengadam Veluppillai, father of LTTE leader Mr. V.Pirapaharan, was cremated at the central cremation grounds in Oo'ra'ni Valveddiththu�rai Sunday around 2:30 p.m with thousands of mourners participating in the last funeral rites, sources in Jaffna said. Thousands of people from all parts of the peninsula joined in the procession when the remains were taken from Pirapaharan�s home in Aaladi more..

Jan 11 (LBO) Sri Lankan university education despite being available only to the brightest students ranks well below its peers in Asia although academics vow to improve syllabi and facilities to climb the rankings. "Yes, none of the Sri Lankan universities are in the Asian top 100 list," said Gamani Samaranayake, chairman of the University Grants Commission which supervises the universities. more..

Jan 11 (EB) Thiruvengadam Velupillai, the late lamented father of the LTTE chief Velupillai Prabhakaran, was �furious� with his son for deciding to fight the IPKF in October 1987 and take his Homeland back to a full scale war, says the noted Sri Lankan Tamil journalist, D.B.S.Jeyaraj. Velupillai had returned to Jaffna in 1987 from exile in Tiruchy in Tamil Nadu, in the hope that the India-Sri Lanka Accord of July 1987 would bring peace to his homeland. more..

Jan 11 (BBC) Thousands of Tamil Tiger suspects in government custody will not be released soon, the Sri Lanka government has said. Power and Energy Minister WDJ Seneviratne told journalists in Ratnapura, in Sabaragamuwa province, that 14,000 LTTE suspects are currently detained in different detention centres. "These people are not somebody we can release soon; because some of them are suspected to be connected to very serious incidents," he said. more..

Jan 11 (ANI) The swashbuckling Sri Lankan cricketer, Sanath Jayasuriya, walked the ramp in a creation of designer Wendell Rodricks during Mumbai fashion show. The occasion was the launch of the Chivas Studio in India, a chain of global luxury brand items from the house of Chivas Regal. Goa designer Wendell Rodricks presented his collection `On the Wings`, with garments layered with feathered strokes and breezy fabrics. more..

Jan 11 (BBC) Presidential Candidate of Left Front Dr. Vickramabahu Karunaratne accused the police of being racist and violating election laws by arresting his representative Dharmasiri Lankapeli in Velvetithurai. Mr. Lankapeli has been delivering an address in Sinhala language on behalf of the Left Front leader at the funeral of Thiruvenkadam Velupillai, the father of LTTE leader Velupillai Prabhakaran. more..

Jan 11 (TC) This article provides a balance sheet on the current political, social and economic situation in Sri Lanka. Thiswould help in deciding whether, during the last four years, 85 percent of the election pledges made in�Mahinda Chinthana 2005� had been achieved or not. This is important because shortly we all have a serious responsibility to fulfill in the upcoming presidential election. more..

Jan 11 (GV) A particular aspect of Sri Lankan politics is color. Those days, there were two: Greens and Blues. Greens were to the right of centre and Blues to the left. There were some Reds (of the NM and Colvin type), often saying sensible things. But we know there isn�t much space for sensible things in our politics, so those Reds joined the Blues, traded their principles for power and lost their character. more..

Jan 11 (TC) Travel agents in Colombo are reporting brisk trading and high demand for airline tickets from the 20th of January onwards for departures with peak demand on Election Day when not �the battle of the blues�, but the battle of the �war hero�s� takes place. We mortals can only wonder in amazement how in a �Buddhist� country, �heroism� is awarded to �dogs of war�. The concept of �War Hero� is irreconcilable with the teachings of the Buddha. more..

Jan 11 (TC) TNA couple of days ago decided to back Sarath Fonseka at the forthcoming presidential election. Although it was said that the decision was unanimous it seems that the three-way split of the TNA remains unrepaired. Actc wing of the TNA headed by Gajendrakumar Ponnambalam has asked Tamil voters to boycott the election on the basis that the Tamils have nothing do with the election of Sinhala leaders. more..

Jan 11 (LG) �I think that President Rajapaksha has a fair chance of being re-elected, but I would not bet any money on that,� R. Swaminathan , President & DG of the International Institute of Security and Safety Management; and a Trustee of the Catalyst Trust, said an interview with Sri Lanka Guardian. R. Swaminathan joined Indian Police Service in 1954 also served for nearly 33 years in central intelligence and security organizations. more..

Jan 11 (LG) Let us go back as far only as 1970s; the best part of the decade of 70 saw a theoretically rich yet practically abominable economic policy, not because the masses had to go through severe hardships, but it was utterly and pathetically misdirected and mishandled and contrary to the popular notion, even if it was not dismantled by THE JRJ, the island nation would never have, at that rate, gained any salvation. more..

Jan 11 (LBO) Sri Lanka's president Mahinda Rajapaksa has promised a 2,500 rupee a month salary hike to state workers, from the next budget due in April, the government's information office said. Presidential polls are due on January 26. Sri Lanka has 1.1 million government workers and a total public sector workforce of 1.3 million persons, in a move that could add 33 billion rupees to the wage bill. more..

Jan 11 (AT) One year has gone by since the murder of Lasantha Wickremetunga. Mr. Wickremetunga was assassinated in broad daylight, at a busy junction a stone�s throw away from a high security zone. Three hundred and sixty five days later his murderers remain at large while police investigation into the killing is proceeding at snails pace, when it proceeds at all. The inescapable conclusion is that the murderers of Mr. Wickremetunga will not be caught, more..

Jan 11 (National) For nearly two decades, Sri Lankan children have trudged to school grumbling about the weight of their backpacks, which get heavier year after year as syllabi expand to include new subjects. Many children have complained of back pain and tiredness while parents of younger students are often seen carrying the bags before and after school. It was the same last Tuesday when schools opened after the year-end holiday. more..

Jan 11 (GV) Dear Mr. President, As a tax payer and citizen of Sri Lanka, I am deeply concerned by, inter alia, the wasteful nature of your campaign and the manner in which you have manipulated what should in reality be independent authorities, to broadcast propaganda. Your SMS message on New Year�s Day is a case in point and your ad campaign on international media websites another. more..

Jan 11 (MoD) People in the North are now living free and engage in their daily activities with no fear after 30 years, and also they celebrated Christmas as free people, Bishop of Jaffna Rt. Rev. Dr. Thomas Saundranayagam told President Mahinda Rajapaksa when he called on the Bishop yesterday. The Bishop also emphasized the importance of developing education and requested to initiate necessary steps to more..

Jan 11 (LG) During our college days long years ago, those who claimed to have scored 98 per cent were either called cribbers or geniuses. Last week our President Mahinda Rajapaksa claimed that he had scored 98 percent of his election manifesto � the Mahinda Chinthanaya � presented at the last election while his Secretary, Lalith Weeratunga said on TV that his boss had scored 92 percent. more..

Jan 11 (MoD) The Ghandi Square in the Batticaloa City witnessed the largest ever gathering as President Mahinda Rajapaksa addressed the Eastern People last evening. Following his visit to Jaffan earlier on the day, President Rajapaksa came to Batticaloa to participate for two more election rallies organised by Tamil and Muslim political parties supporting the President. more..

Jan 11 (LG) The Central Bank�s decision this week to ease foreign exchange controls by allowing Sri Lankans to open accounts abroad, among other matters, has been hailed by many as a step in the right direction. The decision has been widely praised in most quarters as a positive move which would also provide foreign investors a lot of comfort in terms of the repatriation of funds from Sri Lanka. more..

Jan 11 (LG) Sarath Fonseka�s campaign managers have come up with a unique lubricant: trust. They are getting him to say �Trust me, vote for me�. That statement is attended with a merry-Christmas-goddamn-you kind of pledge-list which, even after reading it and shaking it twice leaves you exclaiming �what the hell!� and �how the hell!� Trust. Nice word. Nice feeling. And it is doubtful that you can get more noncommittal than that in politics. more..

Jan 11 (GV) Lasantha was murdered on January 8, 2009 in broad daylight as he drove to work. According to witnesses eight men on four motorcycles surrounded his car and bludgeoned him to death. The brutal killing took place some 200 yards from one of Sri Lanka�s largest Air Force bases. Now a year later, Lasantha�s murder remains unsolved. more..

Jan 11 (TC) In a New Year Message being circulated on internet in record time on a planetary scale, retired Army General and Presidential candidate Sarath Fonseka, declares his faith in �voluntarism� and calls upon internautes for �their support to reach out to every Sri Lankan, spreading the message of change for our great nation by volunteering with our campaign, recruiting more volunteers to campaign in (their) neighborhoods, signing up for our manifesto updates, more..

Jan 11 (DC) Even as the cremation of Thiruvengadam Velupillai, father of slain LTTE chief Prabhakaran, was over on Sunday, Prabhakaran�s cousin Rajendran in Tamil Nadu has requested the Sri Lankan government to send Prabhakaran�s mother Parvathi Ammal to Tamil Nadu. In a media interview to a Tiruchi-based web TV, Mr Rajendran urged the Lankan government to send Ms Parvathi to live with her blood relatives. more..

Jan 11 (Times) President Rajapaksa of Sri Lanka took his re-election campaign to the Tamil heartland of Jaffna yesterday on his first visit to the region since his army defeated the Tamil Tiger rebels in May. Mr Rajapaksa, who is facing a presidential election in two weeks� time, promised to speed up reconstruction and resettlement efforts for the 300,000 Tamils who fled from the conflict zone and were detained in internment camps until last month. more..

Jan 11 (GDI) Public Administration Minister and Deputy Finance Minister, Dr.Sarath Amunugama described the relaxation on foreign exchange controls on foreign transactions as a wise move towards the economic development. The minister dismissed reports that it was a decision based on political stunts during election time. The minister noted that there were many reasons behind that move. more..

Jan 11 (GDI) President Mahinda Rajapaksa has been predicted as the winner in the upcoming presidential election by Nexus Reasearch Group, an independent organisation which has carried out an opinion poll. This opinion poll as predicted the President as the clear winner with a comfortable 61.18 per cent of the votes with opposition candidate,retired military General Sarath Fonseka expecting just 33.40 per cent of votes cast for him. more..

Jan 11 (GDI) End of a 30 year cruel war, restoration of peace and political stability has made the prestigous New York Times January 10, 2010 issue list Sri Lanka as number one destination to travel. This listing is another feather in the cap of the present leadership of President Mahinda Rajapaksa, hailed as a leader who completely crushed the world's leading terror outfit, the LTTE which waged a bloody war for three decades. more..

Jan 11 (GDI) Sivanesthathurai Chandrakanthan, Chief Minister of the Eastern Province has reiterated that all Tamils and Muslims in the eastern sector will vote for President Mahinda Rajapaksa to ensure the victory of the latter. He said all communities in the East were united in the effort to bring the President to office for a scond term to continue with the development of the country. more..

Jan 11 (GDI) The outbreak of the continuing Swine Flu now better known as AH1N1 virus has claimed forty lives so far, statistics revealed. The ourbeak of the virus first brought by returnees from Australia spread widely with 2009 recording forty deaths. It spread among school children and some schools in certain districts were compelled to close temporararily leading to panic among parents. more..

Jan 11 (GDI) Minister of Agriculture Maithripala Sirisena has referred to the measures adopted by President Mahinda Rajapaksa for the well being of the farmers. He said to develop the economy, the agricultural industry had to be developed. There was an era in which the farmers had to experience many difficulties. However, the situation has changed with the enormous relief granted to the farmers by the Government. more..

Jan 11 (LG) If the country is to be developed, all communities in the land should be given equal rights and all people should be able to live in a secure country, said General Sarath Fonseka in Avissawella yesterday. The General expressed these views while addressing a public rally in the area organised by the United National party Western Provincial Councillor Hashan Thillekeratne. more..

Jan 11 (wsws) In what amounts to a damning indictment of its own politics, the TNA�the party that functioned as the political mouthpiece for the separatist LTTE�is supporting General Sarath Fonseka in the country�s January 26 presidential election. As the country�s top general, Fonseka was responsible for ruthlessly prosecuting the civil war that was restarted by President Mahinda Rajapakse in July 2006 and ended with the LTTE�s defeat last May. more..

Jan 11 (MoD) Two more areas in the North has been identified by the Board of Investment (BOI) Sri Lanka for the establishment of two more Export Promotions Zones. With peace returning to the Jaffna Peninsula, business activity has heightened and foreign investors have expressed their desire to invest in the once strife torn northern area. The first BizPact Investment Forum took place in Jaffna last week for three days after a thirty year war. more..

Jan 11 (LT) �Dasa Desin Hatha� and �Rata Yana Atha� programmes spearheaded by Hudson Samarasinghe, one of Mahinda�s top propaganda agents on SLBC have been given strict guidelines on maintaining a balanced view by the Competent Authority for State Media appointed by the Elections Commissioner Jayampathi Hettiarachchi. It is common knowledge that Samarasinghe�s programmes heavily favour President Rajapakse. more..

Jan 11 (LT) The �Ranhansa Abhisheka� pooja organized by �Bikkus for Democracy� was held yesterday (9th) at Viharamahdevi indoor stadium and more than 2000 Bhikkus who participated in the ceremony invoked blessings on apolitical Common Presidential Candidate Gen. Sarath Fonseka for his victory. Bhikkus gathered at Jayawardene Centre and walked to Viharamahadevi Indoor Stadium. The Information Secretary of the JVP Vijithe Herath, Deputy Leader of the UNP Karu Jayasuriya and more..

Jan 11 (LT) The Government is under pressure by the clear and precise issues addressed in General Sarath Fonseka�s manifesto introduced last week. A distorted version of the SF manifesto has been printed and distributed by Mahinda�s cohorts, confirm reliable sources. The distorted SF manifesto has been printed at a printing press of a daily newspaper and has been entrusted to a few ministers for distribution. more..

Jan 11 (LT) The massive sand operation taking place in Polonnaruwa has been turned into a cash spinning venture for the election by Minister Maithripala Sirisena. When a resident of the area was run over by a lorry carrying sand, Minister Sirisena�s men had quickly formed a �Lorry Society� and has started to collect money from sand lorry operators to pay compensation for victims that may be run over by the lorries. more..

Jan 11 (LP) Two persons, who attempted to sell a stock of gold ingots commonly known as Varagan, were arrested by the Koswatte Police. The two persons attempted to sell the gold to a Devala in the Nattandiya area. The Varagan 2240 pieces of the size of bitter gourd seeds weighed around 03 kilos. It is believed that the gold was taken from an ancient treasure. The suspects had visited the Thummodara Kali Amman Devalaya in Nattandiya to more..

Jan 11 (TN) More than a hundred IDPs, evacuated from their places in Thellippazhai area by Sri Lanka Army for establishing High Security Zone (HSZ), who was informed by Jaffna Government Agent, K. Ganesh, that they will be allowed to resettle in their places had to return with disappointment. Even, Sivasakthi Anathan, TNA mp who too had come to the SLA Front Defence Line in Thellippazhai hoping to see his house within the HSZ was not allowed entry into the HSZ, more..

Jan 11 (UNP) The TNA leader Sampanthan referring to an article in the Lankadeepa Sunday Edition dated 10th under the caption � Because General agreed to our requests, the TNA has decided to support him�, declared that this article was absolutely false and calculated to mislead the public, while confirming that he never discussion or live interview with any media Institution or personnel. more..

Jan 11 (TN) The General Committee of Thamizh Arasuk Kadchi (TAK) met Sunday in Jaffna on the 60th anniversary of its formation and passed 25 resolutions unanimously on issues related to Tamils, sources in Jaffna said. TAK said that it continues to stand firm that the Tamil ethnic issue should be resolved on the principles based on Tamil traditional homeland, Tamil Nation and self-rule based on the right to self-determination. more..

Jan 11 (LNP) We have been urging the government and Opposition propagandists to desist from hurling wild allegations at presidential candidates, especially President Mahinda Rajapaksa and Sarath Fonseka and to present lists of specific charges, if any, and have a public debate on them so that the discerning electors could make an informed decision on Jan. 26. Last Friday, we thought we would have an opportunity to view such a debate, when more..

Jan 11 (LNP) Gen. Fonseka Presidential campaign rallies at Beruwala, Galle, Maharagama and Kaduwela said he would register a victory at the upcoming Prseidential elections on the 26th which would beat even the landslide victory of Late JR Jayawardena in 1977. It is President Rajaapkse who should be thanked for the victory. Because of his nad his Govt.�s apathy to people�s problems, more..