by Yohan Perera, Daily Mirror, Colombo

A North and East Sinhala Organization yesterday slammed the government for removing 10 STF camps from the East stating that it was the first step towards handing over the East to the TMVP.

While charging that there is a move to remove a total of 40 military…

by Shamindra Ferdinando, The Island, Colombo

The government is in the process of re-deploying security forces including army volunteer units and Police Special Task Force (STF) in the Northern and Eastern Provinces and the Weli Oya region to facilitate the ongoing offensive on the Jaffna, Vanni and Weli Oya fronts.

The withdrawal of the STF from parts of the Ampara District for re-deployment in the North Central…

Daily Mirror, Colombo

The Indian Defence Ministry in its annual report to the Indian parliament has reiterated there could be no military solution to the ethnic conflict in Sri Lanka.

“We have recently seen an increase in violence, tension and conflict in Sri Lanka. We strongly believe that there is no military solution. What is required is a settlement of the political,…

by Sunil Jayasiri, Daily Mirror, Colombo

Sweeping changes in Police Dept., new chiefs appointed to CID, STF

With heightened military activities in the North, the Defence Ministry has decided to withdraw the Special Task Force from more than ten camps in the East and Mannar, in order to deploy them in LTTE threatened areas in…

by Yohan Perera, Daily Mirror, Colombo

The JVP yesterday called for the disarming of the TMVP and warned that the group would use the weapons they have stockpiled to win the Provincial Council election in the Eastern Province, as they did at the recently held Batticaloa local government polls.

Party leader told a news conference the government should disarm the group as it was…

The Island, Colombo

Sir Arthur C Clarke had made important contributions to Sri Lanka, his adopted home since 1956 and the country was proud to have the celebrated author, visionary and promoter of space exploration, prophet of satellite communications, great humanist and lover of animals as its distinguished citizen, President Mahinda Rajapaksa said in his message on the death of Sir Arthur C Clarke.…

by Lakshmi de Silva, The Island, Colombo

Around 7,000 students go abroad for higher education annually but the Higher Education Ministry does not keep records or register students going abroad for higher studies privately, Ministry Secretary Mrs. P. B. G. Abeyratne said.

However, the Controller of Immigration and Emigration P. B. Abeykoon said there may be more than 7,000 who go abroad…

Shamindra Ferdinando, The Island, Colombo

Constitutional Affairs and National Integration Minister D. E. W. (Dew) Gunasekera, who heads the Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC), sanctioned to recommend Amendments to the 17th Amendment to the Constitution, yesterday said they wouldn’t be able to finalise their report before the retirement of Secretary General of Parliament Mrs Priyanee Wijesekera on March 30th.…

by Kurulu Kariyakarawana, Daily Mirror, Colombo

Giving a new twist to the continuing crisis within the Sri Lanka Rupavahini Corporation, a recently retired Army major general has been appointed to take charge of the administration of the state controlled television channel.

Major General Sunil Silva has been appointed to the newly created post of Additional Deputy Director…

Daily Mirror, Colombo

A high level EU delegation said it had insisted that the Government provide access to theWanni to meet the LTTE

The LTTE had used high profile visits by foreign dignitaries to the Wanni, for propaganda purposes

Sri Lanka appreciated the role played by the EU

The…

by Easwaran Rutnam, Daily Mirror, Colombo

Insists on political solution

Co-chairs to review situation

TV blackout for EU briefing

A visiting high level EU delegation has insisted that the government allow the Co-chairs and the Norwegian facilitators to travel to the Wanni to meet the…

Daily Mirror, Colombo

Mysterious posters appeared in certain areas in Colombo yesterday, telling would-be suicide bombers that “Like everybody else they too have a right to live” and offering them huge incentives if they gave up their destructive mission.

In the posters which appeared mainly in Kotahena and Wellawatte would-be bombers were offered Rs. 10 million or the equivalent in US dollars for a new life here or overseas.

The…

by Shamindra Ferdinando, The Island, Colombo

The government yesterday gave in to the Petroleum Corporation unions’ demands to avert today’s strike following a hastily arranged meeting between the top CPC administration and the unions.

Petroleum unions earlier planned to cripple fuel distribution for five days beginning today (19) to pressure the government not to increase the LIOC (Lanka Indian Oil Company)…

by Poornima Weerasekara, Daily Mirror, Colombo

Ponnuthurai Yogarajah, the third witness to the killing of five students in Trincomalee, in 2006, said yesterday that four policemen had threatened the parents of the deceased youths to sign a false declaration stating that the youths were LTTE cadres.

“The following morning, while the post mortem was being held, policemen threatened…

by Yohan Perera, Daily Mirror, Colombo

Assurance of no more attacks on employees

Yapa invites SLWJA for talks, but Pres. Media Unit says no

President Mahinda Rajapaksa last evening summoned Minister Mervyn Silva half way through a meeting with trade unions of the State Rupavahini Corporation (SLRC) and other senior government…

by Norman Palihawadana, The Island, Colombo

The State owned Sri Lanka Rupavahini Corporation declared yesterday (17) a holiday to pre-empt a strike by its unions after an SLRC employee, Anurasiri Hettige, was attacked by thugs a few days ago. He sustained injuries to his neck and head. The move was calculated to sabotage the strike, a trade union spokesman said on condition of anonymity.…

by Poornima Weerasekera, Daily Mirror, Colombo

A key eyewitness yesterday implicated the Special Task Force (STF) in the killing of five youth in Trincomalee and claimed that the doctors who treated him and the only other survivor had identified the STF as the perpetrators of the crime in January 2006…

Daily Mirror, Colombo

Former Jaffna security Forces Commander, military spokesman and Deputy Speaker Sarath Munasinghe died at a private hospital last morning at the age of 59.

By a strange coincidence the then Speaker and senior politician Anura Bandaranaike under whom Major General Munasinghe functioned as Deputy Speaker also died the day before at the age of…

Daily Mirror, Colombo

Western People’s Front Leader and Civil Monitoring Committee Convenor, Mano Ganesan said the government was attempting to “buy time” by proposing the establishment of a Parliamentary Select Committee on Human Rights and a new IIGEP with eminent persons drawn from SAARC countries.

At a meeting with a group of visiting officials from the European Union, the parliamentarian also…

The Island, Colombo

The LTTE, now struggling to stop a relentless army advance into its territory in the Vanni and Weli Oya regions, is expecting the West to come to its rescue.

Amidst mounting loss of men and material on the Vanni, Weli Oya and Jaffna fronts, the LTTE seems confident of some kind of foreign intervention, though New Delhi is supporting Sri Lanka’s efforts to militarily defeat the LTTE.…