Dec 26 (Island) UNP Deputy Leader Sajith Premadasa, MP, yesterday said that the govt should formulate a mechanism to provide adequate compensation to those affected by natural disasters. Premadasa said that the govt as well as Provincial Councils should prepare a comprehensive plan to meet any eventuality. The MP was responding to Disaster Management Minister Mahinda Amaraweera�s recent declaration that more..

Dec 26 (CI) Kumar Sangakkara became the second Sri Lankan to reach the 10,000-run milestone in Tests but there was little else for Sri Lanka to celebrate on their first Boxing Day at the MCG since 1995. A day that began with Mahela Jayawardene winning the toss and choosing to bat ended with Australia at the crease and having already nearly passed Sri Lanka's 156, an awfully disappointing total brought about by more..

Dec 26 (PTI) Some 45 ex-members of the LTTE have been arrested during search operations in Jaffna in Sri Lanka�s north, police said here on Wednesday. �They were arrested as a result of operations carried out over the last month,� SSP Prishantha Jayakodi said. There were several search operations in Jaffna leading to the arrests, Mr. Jayakodi said. There were several search operations in Jaffna leading to the arrests, more..

Dec 26 (DN) National Heritage Minister Dr Jagath Balasuriya who inspected the archaeological excavation site on Church Street of Galle - Fort World Heritage Site, which has been established as an early burial ground during the colonial rule of Portuguese and Dutch in Sri Lanka, said arrangements would be made to send a special team of archaeological experts to carry out research on the location. more..

Dec 26 (DM) President Mahinda Rajapaksa while sending his good wishes to Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, who is currently recovering at a hospital in Cuba after cancer surgery, has offered the expertise of a Sri Lanka doctor. �I wish to offer to your Excellency the expertise of a doctor from my country who, I believe, will be significantly instrumental in the early restoration of your good health,� the President said. The full letter is more..

Dec 26 (CT) Now that the Mayan calender has been cleared of all doubts on the �Apocalypse� that was predicted for 21 December, 2012, to begin a new calender, let me get back to the attempt at impeaching Chief Justice (CJ) Bandaranayake by the Rajapaksa regime. I used to call this regime a �Kleptocracy�. Now, on one hand, it shows a logical path such a regime could politically traverse and thus on the other hand, makes me redefine it as a �Plundogarchy� more..

Dec 26 (CT) Few things are more humbling than the power of Mother Nature unleashed. Sri Lanka experienced this in a most painful manner in December 2004, when the devastating Boxing Day tsunami struck the coastal areas, leaving a path of death and destruction along its wake. More than 30,000 people were killed, hundreds of thousands lost their homes, and the scars gouged by the marauding waves still remain hauntingly painful for many. The fact that the unforgiving waves more..

Dec 26 (CI) Sri Lanka's top order played several awful shots during their first-innings shambles, but Tillakaratne Dilshan took the prize for woeful shot selection when he was bowled in the seventh over by Mitchell Johnson. Eyeing a good length delivery pitched on middle and off, and leaden-footed, Dilshan brought his bat down in an ungainful swipe across the line and missed the ball by a distance as it nipped back in at him. Dilshan had been eager to aggress from the first more..

Dec 26 (CI) Prasanna Jayawardene has suffered a hairline fracture to the top of his right thumb after being hit by a Mitchell Johnson bouncer during Sri Lanka's first innings at the MCG. That delivery was the last Jayawardene faced, as the ball caught the shoulder of the bat after hitting his thumb, and ballooned to Phillip Hughes in the slip cordon. Jayawardene made 24. Team management are yet to determine whether Jayawardene will keep wickets on day two, but more..

Dec 26 (CT) �Major Sri Lankan Papers April 15 have head lined a report (First published in the April 3 London Observer) which quotes both Indian High Commissioner J.N. Dixit and an LTTE spokesman in Madras that Indian Prime Minister Gandhi agreed in late July to pay the LTTE a monthly stipend to compensate for lost Tax revenues following the signing of the Indo-Sri Lanka accord.� the US Embassy Colombo more..

Dec 26 (PTI) Lawyers of Chief Justice Shirani Bandaranayake today accused the govt of running "an organized series of programmes" in state electronic media targeting the CJ, the Judiciary and leading lawyers. They said said government spin doctors are involved in these "baseless propaganda programmes". "It is abundantly clear that these are not isolated attacks but meticulously orchestrated attacks coerced and carried out at the behest of highest in authority. more..

Dec 26 (GDI) Indian naval ship �Carnicobar� arrived at the Port of Trincomalee on an operational visit on Tuesday. The visiting ship sailing under the command of Lieutenant Commander Akshay Dixit was welcomed by the Sri Lanka Navy in accordance with naval traditions on arrival. The Commanding Officer of the INS Carnicobar, accompanied by Defence Adviser of India, Captain Sumeet Kapoor, paid a courtesy call on the Commander Eastern Naval Area, Rear Admiral Ravindra more..

Dec 26 (CI) On the eve of the fixture, Mahela Jayawardene was asked to recall the biggest Test crowd his side had ever played for. "Lord's," he offered, "and maybe Mumbai and Madras. Tomorrow might be a special day." None of those stadia can even seat the number that stepped through turnstiles on Boxing Day in Melbourne. In Sri Lanka's 30-year Test history, they have never had a greater crowd than the more..

Dec 26 (LT) Sri Pada pilgrimage season will commence from tomorrow, the Unduwap Poya Day, after the statue of God Saman and celestial ornaments are placed on the summit of Sri Pada. The statue of God Saman and celestial ornaments will be removed from Galpoththawala Raja Maha Viharaya at Palmadulla today and will be ceremonially placed at Sabaragamu Saman Devale and after religious ceremonies and rituals would be taken to Sri Pada through Nalla Thanniya more..

Dec 26 (CT) The first stage of the Leadership Training programme for undergraduates will begin tomorrow, and it will not be postponed for any reason, Additional Secretary of the Ministry of Higher Education, P.G. Jayasinghe, said. The first batch among the 10,000 students, who successfully got through the 2011 A/L exam, will begin their training tomorrow, the Higher Education Ministry said. The training will continue until 12 Jan, and the second batch will begin the training from more..

Dec 26 (CT) The Department of Examinations should give priority to the A/L, O/L and Scholarship examinations, rather than the exams they conduct as �businesses,� Ceylon Teachers� Union (CTU) charged today. �A level, O level and the Scholarship examinations are the top three exams in this country. The other businesses that the Examination Department runs must be given a lower priority level,� CTU Secretary Joseph more..

Dec 26 (GDI) Security Forces Jaffna (SF-J) in collaboration with custom officers at Katunayaka BIA donated a stock of school items to students of Vaddukkoddai Valli Ammai Memorial school on Monday. The donation was organized as a part of the programme initiated by the Commander Security Forces Jaffna (SF-J) Major General Mahinda Hathurusinghe to promote school education of Jaffna students. At a request of Civil Affairs and Public Relations Office Jaffna more..

Dec 26 (AD) Police today confirmed that the Colombo National Museum robbery was carried out by Priyantha Medis, also known as Kangetta, alone and that no other individual was involved in the heist. All 221 items stolen from the museum following a break-in on March 03 have been recovered, a senior police officer said, adding, they were found in jewelry stores and antique shops in various parts of the island. The suspect had entered the museum in the afternoon and stayed until more..

Dec 26 (DM) The election to nine local bodies in the Batticaloa district should be conducted before March 13, 2013 in terms of the existing law, officials said. After the eastern province was liberated from the LTTE, the govt conducted elections to these nine local bodies on March 17, 2008. The Batticaloa Municipal Council, Manmunai Pattu Pradeshiya Sabha, Manmunai Pattu-South-West, Manumunai Pattu South and more..

Dec 26 (SM) The Canadian Bar Association has expressed concern regarding the impeachment proceedings against chief justice Shirani Bandaranayake. In a letter to foreign minister John Baird, the Canadian Bar�s John C. Brun asks the Canadian govt to urge the Sri Lankan President, before Jan 8, to reconsider the current impeachment proceedings and, longer term, to adopt a judicial impeachment process which serves to strengthen the rule of law and administration of justice. more..

Dec 26 (PTI) A Sri Lankan court has ordered the release of 27 fishermen who were taken into custody by the Lankan Navy recently along with their four boats. According to fisheries department officials and president of the 'Innocent Fishermen's Association' U Arulanandam, the court ordered their release today. They said the Jaffna court had also ordered for release of the four boats and these vessels be taken along with the fishermen to Talaimannar. more..

Dec 26 (SM) UNP MP Karu Jayasuriya alleges KP who has succeeded Prabhakaran as the LTTE�s chief and its armed wing head Karuna Amman have become pets of the govt, while innocent Tamil youths are being arrested without any charges. He says in a statement, four Jaffna university students who had acted democratically to pursue their ideologies had been branded as tigers, arrested by the TID and being detained at a more..

Dec 26 (DM) The Motor Traffic Department will from January next year, have a new category for cars with a higher engine capacity of 800cc to 2200cc, a spokesman for the registrar of motor traffic said. The decision comes in the wake of new regulations and guidelines that have been set up for such cars, especially racing cars which mainly fall under this category. The import of racing cars other than Go-carts will be liable for a payment of 200% to 350% of their CIF value as taxes including more..

Dec 26 (SM) A 30 year old girl who had recently arrived in Jaffna from Canada to marry an EPDP activist at Puttur North, has been found murdered. Until their marriage in the first week of next month, Kalaimagal had been staying with a relative. Relatives found her burnt body, with knife injuries to the neck, and her gold jewellery missing. Originally from Colombo, she had departed after he parents died in an accident and had been staying with relatives in Canada for 10 years. more..

Dec 26 (DM) A group of 100 Chinese nationals arrested for a major telecommunication racket operating from Sri Lanka, which duped major Chinese businessman into depositing millions of Dollars into bank accounts are to be deported to Taiwan and China within the �next few weeks� a source at the Chinese embassy confirmed. The Chinese police has requested for the extradition of those arrested as per general international more..

Dec 27 (DBS) When 22 year old Wikum Kuruppu finished his double degree in Science and Arts at the University of Monash, he wanted to take a year off doing volunteer work, before immersing himself in a career. Born in Panadura, he migrated with his family to New Zealand when he was just two, and then moved on to Australia where he studied and grew up. Now straddling adulthood, he wanted to give something back to the world before embarking on a career but instead of Africa, more..

Dec 27 (NS) I am in a moral quandary over what to do about Chandre Dharmawardana. Should I look askance, shuddering with horrified wonder as if he is a mutant worm or should I use the situation to cultivate equanimity, at this Professor of Theoretical Physics at the University of Montreal? The arguments for both actions are equally strong in my mind. For looking askance, he has shown himself fundamentally clueless about the history of languages in Sri Lanka. more..

Dec 27 (SO) For the first time in Sri Lanka, a Caravan Park Village consisting several luxurious imported caravans for tourists visiting picturesque Kirinda was launched last week amid music provided by a local group to match the tempo. The park is located on the Kirinda beach at Gurugoda, Palatupana facing the blue waters of the Indian Ocean. It is indeed a beautiful spot for water skiing, diving, swimming and also for more..

Dec 27 (DBS) I believe that it was in the practice of scientific medicine that humanity perfected the technique of avoiding personal bias and prejudice in the conduct of human affairs. In these days of intense legal controversy I found it mentally stabilizing to rehearse the stages I passed through in reaching the aforesaid conclusion. As a preliminary to medical studies we had to learn the elements of physics, chemistry and biology. In retrospect our pre-medical education in more..

Dec 27 (NS) The entire country will soon be echoing to the peal of church bells heralding the birth of the �Prince of Peace�. Mercifully for this nation the festive chimes for the third year running will not be accompanied by the rolling thunder of artillery or whistling mortar shells. What we have been experiencing has been a blessed interlude of blessed tranquillity. For our little war-ravaged island the prospect of a renewed conflict with its associated repercussions of suicide bombings more..

Dec 27 (Island) Today, 27th December 2012 marks Unduvap Full Moon Poya Day, commemorating the arrival of Arahant Theri Sangamitta, bringing with her a sapling of the Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi from Buddha Gaya to be planted in Anuradhapura, and the introduction of Bhikkhuni Sasana to Sri Lanka 2551 years ago. The Arahant Maha Theri, daughter of Emperor Dharmasoka of India, as well as the sister of his son more..

Dec 27 (CT) Sri Lanka comes to the close of 2012 waist-deep in problems, not least those caused by extensive flooding in large parts of the country. Hundreds of thousands of people in the central and north eastern parts of the country have been badly affected by the flood waters caused by incessant rains. The misallocation of economic resources is made stark by reports of tax exemptions granted to night races. In the midst of the social and economic catastrophe to the lives of more..

Dec 27 (Island) The Education Ministry is said to be in a dilemma as hundreds of newly appointed Information Technology (IT) teachers have refused to serve in the so-called difficult areas where their services are needed most. They are part of a batch of about 1,000 recruits selected through a competitive examination, we are told. We thought it was mandatory for all state employees to work in any part of the country where their services are required and for the new recruits to more..

Dec 27 (ST) A new Prime Minister and a new Chief Justice is what most Sri Lankans believe would happen next year, according to a poll undertaken jointly this week by the Business Times (BT) and Research Consultancy Bureau (RCB). The BT-RCB survey posed eight questions to email and street respondents, totalling close to 1000. One question in particular drew an interesting response. Asked whether the �End of the World� would more..

Dec 27 (GV) The present crisis engulfing the Jaffna University may be a turning point for the Tamil politics and Sri Lankan politics at large. There are three important issues, I would like to deduce from this stalemate, which are necessary to gauge the trajectory of post-war Tamil politics in Sri Lanka. Two of those issues are very familiar ones, that is because of the very reason, in Sri Lanka we have had repeated failures in achieving a dignified political settlement in the past. more..

Dec 27 (CT) The �Opinion� of Mr. K.K.S.Perera of Panadura published in the Island of Saturday 22nd December 2012 is patently hasty and erroneous. Not only is Judge Weeramantry �an acclaimed legal personality who held the prestigious post of the President of the International Court of Justice, he is also the senior-most retired judge in the country who has been associated with the law both locally and internationally for 65 years. A few days after delivering the Lilith Athulathmudali oration more..

Dec 27 (CI) Sri Lanka may be forced to play out the majority of the Boxing Day Test with two key players injured after Chanaka Welegedara left the field early on day two with a suspected hamstring injury. He will undergo scans to assess the extent of the damage, and is not expected to take further part in the morning's play. Wicketkeeper Prasanna Jayawardene was also off the field on day two, having fractured his right thumb while batting the previous day. Kumar Sangakkara has more..

Dec 27 (OU) Govt do not show much concerned in the proper manner to process activities to find a settlement to the national racial crisis. It is adopting indifference attitude. The govt is now unleashed the racial oppress machine against the minority community. Due to such activities of the govt, even in year 2013, there will not be a settlement to the Tamils crisis and it would continue like a chain which signifies was stated by UNP Deputy Treasurer K.Velautham. more..