June 16 (SO) With the end of terrorism and peace dawning in the northern province after a lapse of three decades, the few bunkers that were erected during the height of the war against terrorism, still remains in the north. The bunker at Ariyala is guarded by army personnel as it is in close proximity to the 512 army brigade. The few brigades that remain in the northern province are now engaged in a humanitarian operation of re-settling displaced persons. more..

June 16 (MoD) "The establishment of the Buddha Sasana in Sri Lanka on a day such as this marked the dawn of a new civilization in the country. We commemorate this landmark event with honour, states President Mahinda Rajapaksa in a Poson message. The message: "An intelligent and civilized nation emerged in Sri Lanka with the advent of Arahant Mahinda Thera who delivered the message of the Dhamma. The establishment of Buddha Sasana in the country ensures the protection of all living beings. more..

June 16 (ST) The exclusive handloom collection of young Lankan designer Prabath Samarasooriya made a splash at the recently held fashion show PReT 2011. A talented designer who looks to integrate both local and international trends in creating his own concept, Prabath�s designs under the theme of �Jaffna Collection� are a celebration of the Jaffna community. Prabath says he was inspired by the Jaffna Tamil people and their choice of attire. more..

June 16 (LBO) Some state owned enterprises (SOEs) in Sri Lanka that made losses, violated policies and were a drain on taxes and growth, needed immediate action to fix them, the finance ministry has said. "Lack of good corporate practices and management lapses have resulted in compromising the SOEs ability to manage risks that arises from both internal and external factors, has in turn weakened the balance sheets of SOEs," a frank assessment by the ministry said. more..

June 16 (DN) Over one million devotees had visited the Sacred City Zones in Anuradhapura by noon yesterday while around 2.5 million pilgrims visited Anuradhapura during the Poson week. The special Poson Poya dhamma programme started yesterday at 6 a.m. On the advice of Atamasthanadhipathi Ven Dr Pallegama Sirinivasa Nayaka Thera at the Maha Vihara Sannipatha hall adjoining the sacred Sri Maha Bodhi with the releasing of a cattle meant for slaughter by more..

June 16 (DM) The govt decision to appoint a Parliamentary Select Committee to work out a political solution to the national question is a ploy adopted to overcome international pressure, UNP MP R. Yogaranjan charged. He said this was his personal view though it was backed by his party. Mr. Yogarajan called for a solution to the national question based on the final report of the APRC appointed by President Mahinda Rajapaksa. more..

June 16 (DM) The university academics demanding a pay rise would stage a protest march in Colombo next week after three rounds of discussions with the govt to resolve the issue ended in a deadlock. Federation of University Teachers Association (FUTA) President Dr. Nirmal Ranjith Dewasiri said that a series of protest marches and public meetings were being organized to raise awareness on the issues of the academics and their plight in the higher education sector. more..

June 16 (DM) A woman resident of Vakarai was severely tortured in Saudi Arabia by her employer that left her seriously maimed. She was handed over to her relatives at the Foreign Employment Bureau Office, on Monday. The Victim is Manohary Bawani, a mother of two children who went to Saudi Arabia in June 2003 to work as a housemaid in Damam. The trouble started when she asked for her wages after a lapse of two years. She was hanged upside down and some chemicals put into her eyes. more..

June 16 (DM) The main opposition UNP urged the govt to transform the proposed Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) with India into a win-win situation for both countries and not to approve the Agreement it in its present form. UNP General Secretary Tissa Attanayake said the trade agreement should benefit both countries equally because at present India is at an advantage when it came to trade between the two countries. more..

June 16 (Ekklesia) On the night of 14 June, UK television company Channel 4 aired graphic evidence of war crimes in Sri Lanka. Both government forces and the rebel LTTE committed serious abuses throughout the conflict, and atrocities intensified during the last stages of the war. The documentary, �Sri Lanka�s Killing Fields�, focused on that time between late 2008 and May 2009. The Tigers sent children into battle and used Tamil civilians as human shields, while more..

June 16 (Island) Central Bank Governor Ajith Nivard Cabraal says a successful bid for the 2018 Commonwealth Games (CWG) would help boost foreign direct investments (FDI), an area in which the post-conflict economy is performing far below expectations according to the IMF, and promote Sri Lanka as a popular tourist destination. The govt has allocated 2,500 acres of land in Hambantota earmarked for development activities, in order to host the 2018 CWG in Sri Lanka and more..

June 16 (Hindu) Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa left for Russia on Wednesday to attend the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum to which Sri Lanka has been invited as an observer. The forum, held annually with the support and participation of the Russian President, brings together politicians, corporate heads and economic experts to outline their approach on key issues affecting the global economy. Apart from Russian President more..

June 16 (DM) Sri Lanka made a good start in their bid for promotion to group II by defeating Vietnam by three matches to nil on the first day of the Asia/Oceania Group III Davis Cup tournament held at the SLTA clay courts at Sir Marcus Fernando Mawatha yesterday. Sri Lanka began the tie with Oshada Wijemanne taking on Vietnam�s number one in Le Quoc Khanh. Although Wijemanne won in straight sets 6/3, 6/4, he made some vital unforced errors during the game. more..

June 16 (DH) India and Sri Lanka have done well to resume ferry services between the two countries. The service was suspended 28 years ago in the wake of the eruption of the armed insurgency in the island. That ferry was between Tuticorin in Tamil Nadu and Mannar in Sri Lanka�s Tamil dominated Northern Province. The new ferry service will ply between Tuticorin and Colombo. It will make travel between India and Sri Lanka cheaper. Hence, even the not so well-to-do in both countries can hope to make the journey. more..

June 16 (DN) The govt of Sri Lanka recognizes that the �Process of reconciliation, which remains a priority for it, involves truth, justice and reparation and the LLRC is proceeding in this direction, having heard the experiences of those affected and examining such testimonies to elicit the truth�, Sri Lanka stated at the General Debate on Human Rights Situations Requiring Council Attention, at the UN Human Rights Council�s, 17h session in Geneva, on June 15. more..

June 16 (UNI) Tamil Nadu Forest officials seized three Kg of Sea Horses, a banned marine species and arrested three people in this connection near Rameswaram Bus Stand, here today. Official sources said acting on a tip-off, the Forest Officials rounded up Siva, Kumaraguru and Navajeeva Doss and made the seizure. In all, 2509 numbers of dried Sea Horses were seized from them. The rare marine species was meant for smuggling to Sri Lanka. more..

June 16 (Island) The government has decided to temporarily suspend foreign employment agencies catering to Lebanon. The decision follows the Indira Malkanthi issue. Minister Dilan Perera said on Tuesday (14) that investigations by the Sri Lankan Embassy of Lebanon had revealed that Indira Malkanthi had been forced by her first employer to consume water with nails. Indira Malkanthi, who was serving as a housemaid was operated after nails were detected in her abdomen. more..

June 16 (DM) An expert on elephants has warned that the most dangerous part of the human-elephant conflict is that when the strongest and bravest elephant is killed, the bloodline is lost and that in turn could result in a weaker elephant population in the future. Biodiversity and Elephant Trust Managing Trustee Jayantha Jayawardene told The Island yesterday that the biggest and the strongest get into musth soon and have no competition from the weaker and smaller animals. more..

June 16 (DM) The Court of Appeal issued notices returnable on June 24 on the CEB (former) Chairman V.D. Amarapala and others sequent to the Writ Petition filed by a Chief Engineer. The Petitioner Dr. M.N.S. Perera who is aggrieved by his interdiction complains he had been interdicted from service as a continued victimization. The matter came up before Justice Sathya Hettige. Sanjeeva Jayawardena with Sandamali Chandrasekera and Sandy de Alwis appeared for the Petitioner. more..

June 16 (ICP) The day after the one hour documentary �Sri Lanka Killing Fields� was shown on Britain's Channel 4 and the Internet, Inner City Press asked UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon's spokesman Martin Nesirky a series of questions about the extrajudicial killings, rapes and UN misdeeds portrayed in the film. Nesirky said that Ban �has not actually seen the documentary� but is �aware of its themes.� more..

June 16 (PBS) JUDY WOODRUFF: Next tonight, the deadly and gruesome end to a civil war in South Asia. Ray Suarez begins with some background. RAY SUAREZ: It's been just two years since some semblance of peace returned to Sri Lanka, once famed for its tea and beaches. For more than 25 years, beginning in 1983, a civil war raged in the north and east of the tropical island nation off southern India. Militant members of the Tamil minority, the so-called Tamil Tigers, more..

June 16 (Hindu) Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa on Tuesday accused the Sri Lankan government of seeking to �exterminate� Tamils in the island nation and urged Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to initiate efforts with other countries for imposing economic sanctions against Colombo until Tamils in that country were resettled and allowed to live with dignity and with equal constitutional rights as the Sinhalese. �Though Sri Lanka became independent, the Tamils living in more..

June 16 (DM) While rejecting the contents of the video aired on the British Channel 4 news channel, Defence Ministry Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa said they have received information that a fake video had been created by Channel 4 news after obtaining money from pro-LTTE elements. �Once again some pro-LTTE elements have used the Channel 4 news agency after giving money to them (Channel 4) in order to tarnish the image of both the Sri Lankan govt as well as the army,� more..

June 16 (DM) Public Health Inspectors have been stopped from raiding catering institutions and trade establishments selling food during the Poson festival. The order issued by Anuradhapura Mayor Kithsiri Caldera has been conveyed to the Public Health Inspectors through Health Services Deputy Divisional Director Dr. Palitha Bandara. Dr. Caldera said the powers delegated to Public Health Inspectors on special duty were withdrawn on Tuesday night. more..

June 16 (DM) The Terrorist Investigations Division (TID) will only provide information on detainees to their close relatives and family members, police media spokesman Prishantha Jayakody said. He said no other individuals or organizations would be provided with such information even if the detainees request it. The Police Department has set up three information centres at the DIG office in Vavuniya, the TID headquarters in Colombo and the Rock House Office in Boosa, more..

June 16 (Island) The One Price Law will take effect at the Peliyagoda fish market with effect from next Monday. Minister Dr. Rajitha Senaratne said that there was an economic principle that in an efficient market, all identical goods must have only one price. That principle, he said, would be put into practice at the Peliyagoda fish market and all traders there, both wholesale or retail, would have to abide by it. He said that after negotiations the traders had agreed that there should be uniformity in pricing fish. more..

June 16 (AT) The newly obtained signed statement of Rizana Nafeek of Muthur, Sri Lanka, the housemaid who is now languishing in the Death Row in Saudi Arabia has shed new light in her case and how her case was badly handled by the Sri Lankan Embassy Officials in Saudi Arabia, as well as by the lawyer who has been retained on her behalf. According to the available information, Rizana Nafeek, retracted her confession at the court hearing, on 3rd February 2007, more..

June 16 (Island) The Health Services Trade Union Alliance is seeking the support of the International Labour Organisation to battle the govt of Sri Lanka. HSTUA Chairman Saman Ratnapriya says that they have no option but to seek the intervention of the ILO to pressure the govt. Ratnapriya said they had already lodged a complaint with the ILO. "The Health Minister and his officials have violated the rights of trade unions under sections more..

June 16 (PBS) Ray Suarez discusses allegations that Sri Lankan forces killed thousands of civilians toward the end of the country's civil war with Sri Lanka's Ambassador to the U.S. Jaliya Wickramasuriya and Mark Schneider of The International Crisis Group. RAY SUAREZ: Late today, we heard the response of Sri Lanka's govt from the island nation's ambassador to the U.S., Jaliya Wickramasuriya. more..

June 16 (DM) The Australian High Commission said it had assigned officials to the Bandaranaike International Airport to monitor and stop illegal immigration and people smuggling. High Commissioner Kathy Klugman said that Sri Lanka and Australia have taken this step to detect and stop the illegal movement of people from Sri Lanka. �We have recently ramped up Australia�s presence at the international airport in Colombo, more..

June 16 (Island) The Mahinda Rajapaksa regime, which claims to be the saviour of the working class, was welcome to offer private sector employees a pension, but it should under no circumstances touch the EPF and ETF, the UNP warned. UNP MP Gayantha Karunathillaka said that they have no objection to private sector workers being granted a pension, but it should be done at State expense and not by pilfering EPF and ETF balances. more..

June 16 (DM) Three undergraduates who were held under detention orders in the Mirihana Police for charges of conspiracy against the government have been severely assaulted and taken to the CID for further interrogations. IUSF Convener Sanjeewa Bandara said that statements had been taken from the undergraduates forcefully and a fresh detention order had been taken for 30 days to further question them by the CID. However, SSP Deshabandu Tennakoon while dismissing accusations of assaulting more..

June 16 (IBT) Following the broadcast of channel 4 documentary Sri Lanka's killing fields, 3 of the 40 failed Sri Lankan asylum-seekers, scheduled to be forcibly removed from Gatwick to Colombo today, have had their deportations deferred. One of these cases, that of a young Tamil woman, was the subject of a judicial review, and the judge found in her favour. The other two deferrals are the result of a Home Office review, unprompted by any legal requirement to do so. more..

June 16 (Island) A special unit, introduction of new laws and a national awareness campaign are on the cards to combat the growing menace of doping (use of banned substance) in Sri Lankan sports. Sports Minister Mahindananda Aluthgamage said that in future, if found guilty on such charges, authorities would hold accountable not only the sports personality concerned but also the coach, the medical officer and the organization they represent. more..

June 16 (Island) The External Affairs Ministry of Sri Lanka says that the UK based Channel 4 is backing a campaign by a small section of international media at the behest of certain vested interests living outside Sri Lanka to push Sri Lanka back to war by way of lacerating the wounded the country was attempting to heal. The External Affairs Ministry has said so in response to Tuesday�s telecast of Channel 4 documentary "Sri Lanka�s Killing Fields" and more..

June 17 (GDI) Numerous views had been expressed in the recent past on the decision to shift the Trincomalee Campus of the Eastern University of Sri Lanka to Batticaloa. The Higher Education Ministry has given an assurance that the Trincomalee Campus of the Eastern University will not be relocated in Batticaloa. Views were expressed calling for the establishment of the University in Trincomalee and the benefits the students would achieve by upgrading its facilities, more..

June 17 (DM) The main opposition UNP yesterday questioned as to why the Sri Lankan government had endorsed the second term of UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon. UNP MP Ravi Karunanayake told a news conference yesterday that the govt had followed double standards in this issue. He made this point by recalling that the government had accused the UN Secretary General of violating Sri Lanka�s sovereignty by trying to interfere with the country�s internal matters. more..

June 17 (Reuters) Sri Lanka's stock market fell on Thursday to a five-month closing low on margin calls that forced retail investors to sell their stakes to settle credit transactions amid low liquidity while the rupee edged down on importer dollar demand. Sri Lanka's main share index ended 0.95 percent or 67.34 points weaker at 7,015.71, its lowest since January 17. It recovered from 1.42 percent fall early in the day. more..

June 17 (CI) Shoaib Akhtar, the retired Pakistan fast bowler, has pulled out of the Sri Lanka Premier League, a domestic Twenty20 tournament in July-August, because of personal reasons. "My parents are old and I want to spend time with them," he said. "I also don't want to play or want to be on the ground anymore. I'm not even coming back for a job in cricket or anything, but if some youngster needs my help I'll visit from time to time to help them but no more of this game. more..