Sri Lanka News Updates with Discussions

Also know that, SL soldiers have been trained on human rights so many times. Many Many times, western human rights advacates would visit sri lanka, and the government would let them lecture our soldiers & police.

One possible reason.

Hold? The SLA haven't a hold anywhere in the South or the so called liberated East. The LTTE are everywhere and are attacking at will. In the Vanni heartland of the LTTE holding onto land isn't going to be easy as guerrilla attacks will kill hundreds at a time. Good luck anyway.

Youth Fest
26 Jul, 2008 13:16:02
By Nirmalie Alahakone
Sri Lanka's Hikkaduwa beach fest targets young travellers
July 26, 2008 (LBO) - Sri Lanka's Hikkaduwa Beach Festival which is kicking off on July 30, will attract more young tourists to the island, and is positioned to become the South Asian equivalent of the Rio carnival, officials said.

The five day event has had organizers working hard to put Sri Lanka on the map for young people around the world.


'Looking at other markets, we find entertainment coupled with local culture as the key reason for people to go to these destinations,' says Dileep Mudadeniya, Managing Director, SriLanka Tourism Promotion Bureau.

'So the Hikkaduwa beach festival is one step in a long journey to get the youth market back to Sri Lanka.'

Flashpackers

Officials say there is a booming global youth market of 20 to 30-year-olds and India and China are also emerging in to the field, with growing economic affluence. But Sri Lanka has been losing out so far.

'There was the idea that the youth market is not lucrative, they don't spend,' says Mudadeniya.

'But now we call them flashpackers. They like to flash their money - to spend.

'It's an emerging market, especially Indians who have high disposable income. We have lost this market.
'Sri Lanka has rarely catered to the needs of this age group with little or nothing happening in the way of entertainment,' says Mudadeniya.

Officials say at a time when high fuel prices are making long-haul flights expensive, attracting visitors from short haul destinations makes better economic sense.

The country's prime attractions at least the actively promoted ones - are its archeological sites and cultural pageants.

The cultural pageants are strictly religious and allow no revelry among guests and onlookers unlike in some other countries.

Sri Lanka is also famous for its beaches, but with the ethnic conflict, the more beautiful ones, such as Nilaweli and Arugam bay in the east, have become no-go zones.

Already Geared

This leaves the southern coast with Hikkaduwa being one of the key spots.

Chairman of Sri Lanka Tourism Renton de Alwis says Hikkaduwa peaked in the 1960s. The 1960s was a time of change when post-second World War baby boomers revolutionized the culture of the western world.

The beach festival, however, hopes to re-engineer Hikkaduwa's image.

'Through events like this, Hikkaduwa can get rejuvenated and people will again begin to look back at Hikkaduwa,' says de Alwis.

'We believe that Hikkaduwa will need a re-engineering of a sort, as a destination.

'This year we are looking at the festival as a take-off. More importantly Hikkaduwa will be getting a flavor as the carnival in Rio.'

Hikkaduwa is already geared for the youth market, with local revelers going there from the capital on weekends in addition to a steady stream of foreign visitors.

Trading Monday
28 Jul, 2008 18:19:22
Sri Lanka stocks perk up as control of AMW changes hands
July 28, 2008 (LBO) - Sri Lankan stocks closed higher Monday on gains in heavyweight stocks with the take over of Associated Motorways (AMW) by a Dubai construction firm driving turnover to 7.7 billion rupees.

The All Share Price Index gained 1.41 percent (33.49 points) to close at 2,403.59 while the more liquid Milanka went up 1.66 percent (46.80 points) to 2,859.97.
AMW gained 2.65 percent to close at 174.50 with almost 41.7 million shares traded as the Dubai-based Al-Futtaim Engineering acquired control of the motor firm.

Al Futtaim Engineering said it bought 39.6 million shares or a 71.15 percent stake of AMW at 174.50 rupees per share for 6.91 billion rupees and that it would make an offer for the remaining shares.

It bought almost 28.5 million shares or a 51.15 percent stake of AMW owned by Associated Electrical Corporation (AEC) and a 20 percent (11.1 million shares) stake owned by John Keells Holdings (JKH).

Associated Electrical Corporation fell 2.88 percent to 1,599.50 rupees with 26,300 shares traded.

Both AMW and AEC had seen active trading last week on speculation of a pending deal.

JKH said in a stock exchange filing that it made a capital gain of about 1.03 billion rupees on the sale while AEC is sitting on a cash pile of 4.9 billion rupees.

'This makes AEC an extremely cash-rich company,' said Nikita Tissera of SC Securities.

- inferiority filled - Colonial mindset

http://www.army.lk/morenews.php?id=14817

I was at a musical show on the weekend and met this guy who has totally forgotten his ability speak Sinhalese in 8 months.