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About this Sri Lankan News Forum
Welcome to the largest news forum on Sri Lanka. This is a discussion table for millions of Sri Lankans living around the world to express their thoughts on the latest Sri Lankan news events. Lankanewspapers.com is a powerful tool for all Sri Lankan ethnic groups to share information, knowledge and wisdom. Join! today |
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Sri Lanka tourism a casualty of escalating war Monday, 9 April 2007 - 8:51 PM SL Time Sri Lanka`s tourism industry, which blossomed in the wake of a 2002 ceasefire, has fallen victim to the resumption of the country`s long-running civil war, industry groups say. Authorities are hoping a targeted marketing push can lure visitors back to the `Pearl of the Indian Ocean`, but with no end in sight to near-daily sea, air and land clashes between government and Tamil Tiger rebels, few expect a rush of tourists in the coming months. `Tourism is always a casualty, the first casualty in a situation like this,` said Renton De Alwis, chairman of the Sri Lanka Tourist Board. Tourist arrivals fell 18.3 percent in February compared to a year ago, continuing a trend that began in the middle of last year -- not an encouraging sign for a country still recovering from the 2004 tsunami. 
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Indian Coast Guard fires at Lankan human smugglers Monday, 9 April 2007 - 11:37 AM SL Time Against the backdrop of a spate of attacks on Tamil Nadu fishermen in Indian waters, the last being the killing of five men about 35 nautical miles off the Kanyankumari coast, the Indian Coast Guard last week fired at a Sri Lankan boat killing one person. The Indians are believed to have intercepted the boat as it was speeding towards the International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL), after dropping off five Tamils at Danuskodi. Authoritative Sri Lankan sources said that there was no doubt that the firing took place within Indian territory around midnight last Thursday. Had they stopped, the Coast Guard would not have opened fire, an official said. `They ignored the order to stop as they weren`t in a position to explain their presence in Indian waters,` he said. According to him, the boatmen were veteran human smugglers, operating between Sri Lanka`s lightly patrolled North Western coast and South India.
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Pope: End bloodshed in Sri Lanka Sunday, 8 April 2007 - 10:56 PM SL Time Pope Benedict has called on Sri Lanka`s warring parties to come back to the negotiations to end violence. In his traditional Easter message, the Pope said Sri Lanka`s need of the moment is peace. `In Sri Lanka, only a negotiated solution can put an end to the conflict that causes so much bloodshed,` Pope Benedict said. He called on Christians all around the world to work for peace in a world afflicted by a thousand faces of violence. `Thousand faces` of violence `I am thinking of the scourge of hunger, of incurable diseases, of terrorism and kidnapping of people, of the thousand faces of violence which some people attempt to justify in the name of religion, of contempt for life, of the violation of human rights and the exploitation of persons.`
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| Security
Security Forum
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Indian High Commission`s vehicle hijacked, driver released after torture Tuesday, 10 April 2007 - 8:23 PM SL Time A diplomatic van belonging to the Indian High Commission, on it`s way to receive a diplomat from the International Airport in Colombo, was hijacked and the driver of the vehicle, S. Vishvanathan, was abducted by two attackers Monday midnight in Seeduwa Police area, southeast of Katunayake International Airport. The driver, badly beaten by the attackers, lost his two teeth and released around 4:00 a.m. Tuesday, Police said. High Commission officials were able trace Mr. Vishvanathan around 6:00 a.m. in the morning. The vehicle which left Colombo around 11:00 p.m., had been chased by a car from Peliyagoda and obstructed near Dandugama bridge, according to the Police. The attackers in the car bound the driver, Mr. Vishvanathan, and took him away in their car.
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Govt. `concerned` on media reports Tuesday, 10 April 2007 - 11:25 AM SL Time Pro-government party leaders have expressed concern on media reports over the current situation in Sri Lanka. In a meeting held with the President, leaders of the ruling coalition raised concern that reports that are not in favour odf the government are given prominence by media groups. President Mahinda Rajapaksa has called the meeting in Temple Trees to discuss ruling party proposals to resolve national question. Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU) parliamentary group leader Athuraliye Rathana Thero said journalists are not focussing on `development work` carried our in the eastern districts. `There is an ongoing development programme than a war in the east. The leaders discussed the lack of media focus on development work,` he told BBC Sandeshaya.
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Sea Tigers among refugees Tuesday, 10 April 2007 - 11:20 AM SL Time Three refugees, who registered at Ramanathapuram in India, have been found to be Sea Tigers, officials said. They said Devajodeeswaran (24), Sugandan (22) and Justinraj (23) of Mannar and Jaffna - had registered at the camp along with some other refugees more than a week ago. They were, however, quarantined on suspicion. The intelligence wing police held special inquiries with the threesome and after seven days of interrogation the suspects confessed they were Sea Tigers serving in the intelligence wing of the banned outfit. Reportedly they were deployed in a remote area of Colombo among Lankan Tamils, where they were allegedly in charge of collecting information on Lankan troop movements .
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| Politics
Political News Forum
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SAARC nod for Lanka`s anti-terror proposals Tuesday, 10 April 2007 - 11:24 AM SL Time The voice of Sri Lanka against terrorism was unanimously endorsed by all SAARC countries who proposed that terrorism should be condemned in all its forms and manifestations, Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama said yesterday. Addressing the media on Sri Lanka`s role at the 14th SAARC summit, Bogollagama said the Lankan delegation emphasised that there can be no social and economic progress without peace and security. `Sri Lanka urged the SAARC leaders to conclude a comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism. Sri Lanka`s proposal to suppress financing of terrorist acts by criminalising the provision, acquisition and collection of funds for such acts, including through front organisations and also to counter illicit trafficking of drugs, arms smuggling and human trafficking was agreed upon,` Bogollagama said.
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Prisoners to go without their daily beef Tuesday, 10 April 2007 - 11:03 AM SL Time Prisoners will soon have to do without their beef curry at meal time. Commissioner General of Prisons Vajira Abeygunawardena said yesterday (9) that the consumption of beef daily by prisoners had created health problems in the crowded prisons and an awareness campaign for the prisoners on the subject would be launched soon. In future fish and other animal fat protein food will be given to the prisoners. About 300 cattle are slaughtered for the consumption of the prisoners per month and they are to be educated on the benefits of avoiding beef consumption, he said. He also said meditation classes for the prisoners will be held in the prisons soon.
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Mangala, Sripathi given two weeks to explain Monday, 9 April 2007 - 11:45 AM SL Time The SLFP disciplinary committee has given two weeks time for ousted Ministers Mangala Samaraweera and Sripathi Sooriyarachchi to give explanations. Committee chairman and senior minist er John Seneviratne has sent a letter to the two members last week in this regard. The ruling SLFP decided to take disciplinary action against the two ex ministers for what the party cited as a breach of discipline by making certain statements while they were ministers.
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| Business / Economy News
Business News Forum
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One sixth of Tamil Tigers` internationally raised funds come from Australia, says Sri Lanka Foreign Secretary Tuesday, 10 April 2007 - 11:26 AM SL Time Sri Lanka Foreign Secretary Palitha Kohona who is also the Secretariat for Coordinating the Peace Process (SCOPP) in Sri Lanka is now in Australia to seek the latter`s support to ban the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in Australia. LTTE is waging war against the Sri Lankan government to establish a separate state in the north and east provinces of Sri Lanka for minority Tamils. Dr. Kohona stated that about one-sixth of the estimated US$10 million (A$12.8 million) to US$30 million the Tigers raised internationally came from Australia. `Australia is one of their biggest sources of funding, and of course these funds do not go to any charitable or other purpose; they are used essentially for procuring weapons on the international weapons black market,` said Kohona to Australian media.
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National Hospital to be more patient friendly Tuesday, 10 April 2007 - 10:58 AM SL Time Over 2.5 million patients had been treated at the Colombo National Hospital`s Out Patients Department last year, its Director Dr. Hector Weerasinghe said. The hospital has performed 80,000 operations out of which 1,004 were major operations, he said. The total cost of these major operations, if done privately, would have cost patients over Rs. 400 million, he said. The government annually allocates Rs. 2 billion for the facilities at the hospital. The Commercial Bank provided modern facilities to upgrade the healthcare services at the ENT Unit, at the National Hospital, at a cost of Rs. 3 million at a ceremony held on Monday. `The government alone cannot provide all the necessary facilities to develop the hospital. Therefore, active participation by the private sector to improve our service is always welcome,` Dr. Weerasinghe said.
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58 toilets for 182 shops and houses Monday, 9 April 2007 - 11:41 AM SL Time A recent survey by authorities has revealed that the famous town of Peradeniya has 58 toilets for 182 shops and houses. The survey by the UDA has been done in the wake of preparations to establish a new town for Peradeniya on a five acre land at Eriyagama. Details of the existing Peradeniya town by the river-side are as follows. Shops 168 , houses 14, private lands 90, lease 42, crown 48. Hotels 14, groceries 19, vegetable and fruit stalls 14, textile 15, communication centres 13, garages and spare-parts dealers 13, others 94. Permanent buildings 165, temporary 6 semi-permanent 10. Buildings approved by local authorities 4, not approved 178. Basic amenities water services 68, electricity 99, toilets 58. Peradeniya comes under the purview of Gangawata Korale Pradeshiya Sabha and Yatinuwara Pradeshiya Sabha.
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| Editorial News
Editorial News Forum
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Rein in these Mee Harakas! Tuesday, 10 April 2007 - 11:21 AM SL Time Politicians and their goons may be divided on anything but the plunder of the public wealth. They may kill one another in the run up to an election and go all out to topple governments but on the question of their privileges, perks and corrupt activities, their cooperation has never been lacking. What is going on at Maligawatte, Colombo is a case in point. A group of politically backed Mafiosi, belonging to different parties, is going hell for leather in its bid to grab the recreational areas of the sprawling housing complex consisting of 3,000 units at Maligawatte. Last week, they, accompanied by a posse of policemen who were obviously in their pocket, descended on the `green lung` of the housing scheme to block it out for the construction of some shops. But for the vehement protests by the Argus-eyed residents, determined to keep the land grabbers at bay, they would have accomplished their mission with ease.
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Oh, where are those champions of human rights? Monday, 9 April 2007 - 11:41 AM SL Time Eight people have been killed and 25 others injured in another terror attack on a civilian bus in Vavuniya. That dastardly claymore mine attack deliberately targeting civilians came close on the heels of the bomb blast in a bus in Ampara on April 02, which killed sixteen civilians. The LTTE is likely to step up attacks on civilians during the festive season, as it is hell bent on aggravating the difficulties of the government on the political front and triggering a backlash. It was on the eve of last Vesak that the outfit attempted an attack on a troop carrier with a view to setting the country ablaze. Strangely, no human rights group has swung into action either to condemn Saturday`s attack or pressure the LTTE to desist from killing civilians. The international human rights organisations are dissipating their energies and funds on sexy yet futile gimmicks. The Amnesty International (AI) is, for instance, still holding on to its ball project, despite strong objections from cricket lovers the world over, even at the risk of its image being sullied. It stands accused of being manipulated by LTTE sympathizers within its ranks to discredit Sri Lanka and demoralise her cricket team.
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SAARC the path ahead Sunday, 8 April 2007 - 6:57 AM SL Time Yet another SAARC (South Asian Association of Regional Cooperation) summit began and ended this week without much fanfare or fuss in New Delhi, the capital of the largest of the now eight `sisters` of the region. The summit saw Afghanistan, or the Government in control of its capital Kabul, being admitted to full membership of SAARC. Arguably, the only other new feature of the summit this time was that countries like China, Japan, Korea and the United States of America and regional groupings like the European Union were admitted as `observers`. This signalled an end to the long-standing American-phobia among Governments in the region. SAARC decided to also admit Iran as an observer next time to maintain its non-aligned posture, but clearly, the inclusion of these observers indicates that the political leaders of South Asia have at last realised the grim truth; that one of the biggest, if not the biggest task ahead of them is the upliftment of the living standards of the 1.5 billion people in the region and that, sans the support of the economically powerful nations of the world, these nations will not be able to undertake this onerous task.
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| Sports News
Sports News Forum
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Australia wants Watson back for Sri Lanka match Tuesday, 10 April 2007 - 11:22 AM SL Time ST JOHN`S, Antigua (Reuters) - Australia hope their injured all-rounder Shane Watson will be back in the World Cup side for the Super Eights match against Sri Lanka in nine days` time, captain Ricky Ponting said on Saturday. Watson left the field against Bangladesh last Saturday with a calf strain, the latest setback in a long history of injury problems. He missed the 2003 World Cup with a stress fracture in his back and all of the last Ashes series with a serious hamstring complaint. `The earlier we can have him back the better,` Ponting told a news conference on the eve of his team`s match against England. `If we can him back for the Sri Lanka game that would be great. We`ll just keep our fingers crossed and hope he keeps coming on.` Ponting said Watson had been undergoing rehabilitation work and physiotherapy over the past week with a view to playing against New Zealand on April 20.
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Former coach backs SL to go all the way Tuesday, 10 April 2007 - 11:20 AM SL Time Sri Lanka`s former cricket coach John Dyson is confident that Sri Lanka will go on to win the Cricket World Cup in the Caribbean. Dyson believes that Sri Lanka has got the balance and the experience that no other team in the competition has and is hopeful they`ll emerge champions of the 16-nation tournament that`s reaching its last phase. The former Australian opener took over the coaching duties of Sri Lanka immediately after the 2003 World Cup and stayed in the job for two years before Tom Moody succeeded him in 2005. `I am absolutely thrilled to see the team performing at this level,` Dyson told `The Island` from Sydney. `Some people are surprised to see the team performing at this level, but not me. What I liked in Sri Lankans was their desire to work hard and the desire to improve and when you are committed to what you do sky is the limit,` Dyson said.
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Ranjith Fernando Sucks Monday, 9 April 2007 - 11:48 AM SL Time Welcome to RanjitFernandoSucks (RFS). This blog is an outlet to years of ear-splitting dreadful commentaries I`ve had to endure vis-a-vis a self-proclaimed expert -- Ranjit Fernando. For any follower of cricket, the commentaries given on television are an important part of the entertainment. Apart from making the proceedings lively, they give useful insights into the game and provide us armchair cricketers an insiders` take on the proceedings. However, the commentaries of Ranjit Fernando are quite the opposite. The disharmonious croaking of crows descending on a piece of throw-away fish, stones thrown at a tin-roof and the sound of crashing gears of a full laden lorry climbing Haputale comes to mind. http://ranjitfernandosucks.blogspot.com/
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