Feb 1 (DN) A specialist doctor from Hyderabad, India is now in Sri Lanka, training local doctors on advanced nose surgeries, Health Ministry spokesman said. According to the spokesman, Consultant Physician Dr Meghanad was now in Sri Lanka to train Sri Lankan ENT surgeons on advanced nose surgeries. Various nose surgeries have been performed in Sri Lanka for a period of 15 years. Now advanced techniques have been introduced with minimum difficulties to the patient. more..

Feb 1 (DM) The Lanka e News office in Malabe was set on fire last morning by a group of unidentified men. The incident took place at 1.30 a.m. The entire office was gutted when the police arrived after a call from a Buddhist temple in the neighbourhood. No one had witnessed them entering the premises, an employee said. The News Editor of Lanka e News Bennet Rupasinghe charged that the attack was by a group not happy with the news reports of its website more..

Feb 1 (TN) University Grants Commission (UGC) has recently appointed a Sinhala officer with powers above the rank of Vice Chancellor in the Eastern University under the pretext of eliminating irregularities and corruption. �The real agenda of the move is subjecting the overwhelmingly Tamil-speaking Eastern University to the insinuations of Mahinda Chintana based ethnic subjugation,� blamed TNA MP for Batticaloa District C. Yogeswaran, more..

Feb 1 (AN) The autopsy report of a Sri Lankan housemaid who died late last year in the Eastern Province revealed the woman was murdered, according to the Sri Lankan Embassy. Pospawalli Selladurai, 36, died on Nov. 5, 2010, in mysterious circumstances, and police took her female employer into custody. The authorities were awaiting the forensic report from Riyadh to complete the investigations. A senior diplomat from the Sri Lankan Embassy said that his office received on more..

Feb 1 (TC) The following is the statement issued by UNP deputy Leader Karu Jayasuriya on the arson attack against the Lanka e-news media organization: A new chapter has been added to the threat to the freedom of press in this country. Latest addition is setting fire to the Lanka E-news Office in the dawn of 31st January 2011. It is ironic that Lanka E-news is subjected to this fate in the month of January which is more..

Feb 1 (DM) Private buses plying the 138/4 Rukmalgama � Athurugiriya route went on a full day strike yesterday after it was found that the Western Province Passenger Transport Authority had issued five bus permits for buses on the same route recently, the Lanka Private Bus Owners� Association said. The association�s President, Gemunu Wijeyratne alleged that a relative of Western Province Passenger Transport Authority Chairman, Piyasena Dissanayake had also given an unauthorized permit. more..

Feb 1 (Island) Fishmongers, currently carrying out their business at St. John�s Market, are reluctant to move into the new fish market complex at Peliyagoda, which had been completed and ready for occupation last December. According to Fisheries Minister Dr. Rajitha Senaratne, President Mahinda Rajapaksa was expected to declare open the new complex. But, due to various official duties and election related work, he could not give a date and time for the opening. more..

Feb 1 (BBC) The Sri Lankan government says it hopes its hard-won peace will give a much-needed boost to the tourism sector in the Indian Ocean island nation. Sri Lanka expects a big influx of tourists in the next few years, after the three-decade long war against the Tamil Tigers ended with the defeat of the separatist rebels in May 2009. Last month, Sri Lanka Tourism celebrated the arrival of the country's 600,000th foreign tourist. more..

Feb 1 (ICP) As in Sri Lanka the office of Lanka-e-News was burned down and the UN had no comment, nor would the UN on January 31 even confirm receipt of a petition from the wife of journalist Prageeth Eknaligoda, disappeared on January 24, 2010. A year after the disappearance, January 24, 2011 ICP asked UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon's spoksman Martin Nesirky. �What is the UN's response to this: 'The wife of a Sri Lankan journalist believed to more..

Feb 1 (DN) The Health Ministry will build a museum at the Hendala Leprosy Hospital premises to preserve the old equipment used to treat Leprosy patients, Health Ministry Additional Secretary Palitha Maheepala said. The Hendala Leprosy hospital was the only hospital in the country which treated Leprosy patients, he added. The Hendala hospital was well-known as Asia�s first orphanage for children with the disease and as a place where leprosy patients were treated in the past. more..

Feb 1 (MoD) He is credited as having played a decisive role in giving Sri Lankans -who during the dark and dismal days of the three-decade old separatist conflict were reduced to leaving their homes each day unsure if they would ever return home from work, school or even routine journeys without encountering bloodshed-their lives back. But by cruel irony it's not a luxury Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa can claim to enjoy. more..

Feb 1 (Island) In the wake of complaints that many private hospitals are overcharging patients, Health Minister Maithripala Sirisena has set up a 12-member committee to explore ways and means of setting up a monitoring mechanism. He intends to amend the Private Medical Institutions Regulatory Act. Minister Sirisena said that amendments were necessary to supervise, advise, monitor or to check private hospitals with regard to quality of healthcare services, drugs and payments. more..

Feb 1 (VNS) Q: You are now in your second year as ambassador to Viet Nam. What are your plans for this year? A: I began my second year as the Sri Lankan ambassador to Viet Nam in October 2010. The first year was a steep learning curve for me in many respects. The state visit by the Sri Lankan president just a few days after I became ambassador to Viet Nam in 2009 marked a milestone in the relationship between Viet Nam and Sri Lanka. The visit set out the priorities for the years to come. more..

Feb 1 (DM) A new struggle for a pay hike for estate workers would be launched from March 31, with the JVP led All Ceylon Estate Workers Union demanding a daily wage of Rs 700, the union said. It said it was currently discussing with other unions to launch a joint struggle. All Ceylon Estate Workers Union President Ramalingam Chandrasekar said that the new collective agreement should bring a Rs. 700 daily wage to the estate workers as more..

Feb 1 (DM) The Department of the Commissioner of Elections would take at least six more days to complete the issuance of preferential numbers to the candidates contesting the local government elections, officials said yesterday. The Department was currently processing the nomination papers and numbers would be issued to the candidates according to the alphabetical order of their names, they said. more..

Feb 1 (NF) A sordid episode of callous disregard for the education of the nation's children is unfolding, not from a remote corner of the island, but from Mutwal, a mere 'stone's throw' from the centre of the country's capital! The Assistant Director for the Administration of Schools in the Colombo Education Zone and Assistant Director of the Western Province Education Department, have recommended to the Provincial Education Secretary, to transfer more..

Feb 1 (NN) One suspect has been arrested in connection with the attack on the Lanka-e-news office yesterday while police are also looking for another suspect, the Nugegoda Division SSP Deshabandu Tennekoon said. The suspect who was arrested is from the Wellampitiya area and has been wanted for many criminal activities. Police are on the lookout for another suspect who is currently in hiding and a team has been appointed to locate his whereabouts. more..

Feb 1 (AFP) Dozens of Sri Lankan journalists took to the capital's streets Tuesday to condemn an arson attack on a popular independent website and protest against assaults on press freedom in the country. Reporters, photographers and employees of privately-run media joined a demonstration in central Colombo a day after the arson attack on the office of the Lankaenews.com website. more..

Feb 1 (Island) The UNP blames the government for not adopting effective measures to prevent Indian fishermen from poaching in Sri Lanka�s territorial waters in the North. UNP National List MP D. M. Swaminathan said that the government had turned a blind eye to repeated calls by northern fisheries societies to thwart Indian fishing fleet crossing the Indo-Lanka maritime boundary. more..

Feb 1 (AT) Sri Lanka President Mahinda Rajapaksa launched the official logo for country�s bid for 'Commonwealth Games 2018 Hambantota' at a grand ceremony held at Temple Trees last evening. President Mahinda Rajapaksa unveiled the logo while Minister of Sports Mahindananda Aluthgamage, Minister Dilan Perera, Commonwealth Games 2018 Hambantota Organising Committee Co-Chairman and the Governor of Central Bank Ajith Nivad Cabraal, more..

Feb 1 (DM) Ex-LTTE top brass Kumaran Pathmanathan alias KP was playing behind-the-scene role in the formation of a new Tamil political party. �We believe that KP is behind the scene. Initially, it is going to be started as a neutral party,� they said. The former chief arms procurer had held meetings with civil society activists in Jaffna on Sunday. A few members of the Tamil Diaspora too had joined him during this visit which was conducted under tight security. more..

Feb 1 (TC) �I�m not sure I�d call that a model for how I�d want to see�, Assistant Secretary of State Robert Blake remarks on the view of the final phase of the LTTE-Sri Lanka war being held by �some strategists as a model for effectively putting down a terrorist insurgency,� which was mentioned in a recent article of the The New Yorker magazine. The Assistant Secretary of State made these remarks during an NPR affiliate radio interview on Jan 27th: more..

Feb 1 (IE) Taking a serious note of the killing of two Indian fishermen allegedly by the Sri Lankan Navy, India today told Colombo that use of force against them should not be repeated and asked it to take a decision that will not upset bilateral ties. External Affairs Minister S M Krishna also directed Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao to convene a meeting of the Indo-Sri Lanka Joint Working Group on the issue around February 15 to discuss the killing of the Indian fishermen threadbare. more..

Feb 2 (LBO) The London School of Commerce (LSC) Group of Colleges has opened a branch in Sri Lanka offering graduate and post-graduate courses, a statement said. The branch, called the British School of Commerce (BSC), will offer courses for both Sri Lankan and overseas students. The courses include business administration, information technology, international hospitality management and international tourism management. more..

Feb 2 (NN) The US Embassy in Colombo has warned of an email scam claiming to have been sent by the US State Department or facilitators for the Diversity Visa Lottery or Green Cards to Sri Lankan citizens. In a statement released by the Embassy today, it states that the Consular Section of the U.S. Embassy in Colombo would like to address recent concerns over such e-mails that claim to be sent on behalf of the State Department or its Bureau of Consular Affairs and added that more..

Feb 2 (BBC) Three Sri Lankan fishermen captured by Somali pirates have released a desperate call for help after two of their colleagues were murdered. Sri Lankan maritime authorities say that the trio have made radar communication with them. They said that the pirates have thrown the bodies of two fishermen overboard after shooting them dead. Meanwhile, two other Sri Lankan fishermen earlier captured by Somali pirates were reportedly released. more..

Feb 2 (NN) The customs department today handed over rupees 52 million worth of cigarettes to the Ceylon Tobacco Company to be destroyed. According to the customs department the cigarettes were those seized after being smuggled into the country illegally over the past four months. A particular illegal brand �Gold Seal' has caused authorities the most grief, smuggled into the country to avoid paying heavy state taxes and sold at five rupees a stick. more..

Feb 2 (NN) The army says arrangements will be made for all officers and soldiers who are absent without leave whilst on active service in the Sri Lanka army to leave the army officially with clearance. These arrangements will be made to coincide with the forthcoming Independence Day celebrations, starting from 4th February till the 12th this month. The absentees can report to their respective regimental headquarters and get the official clearance from the army more..

Feb 2 (DM) The Attorney General today withdrew two charges including committing grievous injury and causing murder that had been filed against former UPFA MP Chandana Katriarachchi and three others in the Nampamunuwa murder case after they pleaded guilty for one charge of unlawful assembly. Chandana Kathriarachi and three others had been indicted on three counts of unlawful assembly with the common object to cause injury to a UNP Multi purpose Corporative more..

Feb 2 (ECB) England Under-19s suffered a heavy defeat at the hands of their Sri Lanka counterparts in the third youth ODI in Colombo and now trail 3-0 in the five-match series. The tourists were dismissed for just 132 in 45.2 overs, having initially collapsed to 52 for six, and Sri Lanka took less than 19 overs to knock off the runs for the loss of one wicket. England won the toss and elected to bat first, but openers Daniel Bell-Drummond and Sam Wood were both removed more..

Feb 2 (NN) Eleven people have been arrested in pre-election violence islandwide since the day accepting of nominations ended, the Police Elections Secretariat said. The Police Elections Secretariat said that action will be taken against violators of election laws in the lead up to the Local Government Elections which will be held next month. Accepting of nominations for the 308 dissolved local government bodies ended on January 27. more..

Feb 2 (LG) The outstation sessions of the LLRC are a stark contrast to those held in Colombo. In an effort to learn lessons from the past, most important aspects of such a process is how to blend the truth and justice together in a lessons learnt process. In truth gathering process, expected policy outcomes would be reconciliation, institutional decision making and as well as implementation of process changes. more..

Feb 2 (LG) It is a sad reflection on the commitment of the United Nations to human rights that they have not acknowledged the petition, asking for assistance for Prageeth Eknaligoda and when asked for their opinion of the arson attack on Lanka e News had not even heard of the incident. In a hurriedly prepared statement Spokesperson for the Secretary-General, Martin Nesirky, said that, "Freedom of the media is vital and journalists should be able to carry out their work more..

Feb 2 (GDI) Arrangements have been made to establish a Solar Power Garden in Barathenna in Hambantota District to generate low cost power with financial assistance from the Japanese and Korean Governments. The project will be carried out in two stages. The first stage will be financed by the Japanese Government while the Korean Government will finance the second stage of development activities. Japan has already provided Rs.1, 024 million for more..

Feb 2 (LG) Mr. Karasinghe Arachchilage Kumarasinghe Appuhami (55) was illegally arrested and detained by the Kolonna police. While he was in police custody he was tortured and as a result he was injured about the head and started to vomit. He was brought to the Kolonna District Hospital for treatment where a doctor advised the police officers to admit him. However, due to the influence of the police the District Medical Officer permitted the officers to forcefully more..

Feb 2 (LG) The premises of Lanka E-News, a well know website which has suffered several attacks in recent times has been set on fire in the early morning of January 31. According to reports the equipment and the premises where the website was maintained has been destroyed. Previously the editor of this website was constantly attacked and had to leave the country for his safety as he had been receiving death threats. A reporter and a cartoonist for this website, Prageeth more..

Feb 2 (GDI) �Sri Lanka is a country where Theravada Buddhism still exists and SIBA symbolizes the treasured form of Theravada Buddhism and, Sri Lanka Buddhist Academy (SIBA) must be improved and expanded on behalf of Buddhists all over the world,� Professor G. A. Somaratne, the Rector of SIBA, said. �There is lots of commitment to funds now,� admitted SIBA Rector, and fund-raising has been started off. more..

Feb 2 (LG) The recent action to form an organization to promote religious and ethnic peace and harmony in the country could be considered timely. The new organization, �Sri Lanka Council of Religions for Peace (SLCRP)� has been formed with the cooperation of the leaders of Buddhist, Christian, Hindu and Islam religions �to play a dynamic role at the national level (and) to build peace, harmony and justice in Sri Lankan society,� as explained by more..

Feb 2 (GV) A playground for Colombo�s �artsy fartsy?� A personal initiative by G. Dobbs (Founder) to increase the per capita income of G. Dobbs? A promotional tactic to draw tourists to our fair land? An ideal getaway for the middle and upper classes to catch up with old friends and make merry? A platform for cultural and literary exchange and constructive discussion/debate? An ideal forum for writers and participants to engage and learn from one another? more..