All set for Sri Lanka’s biggest beach festival to set Hikkaduwa ablaze

All set for Sri Lanka’s biggest beach festival to set Hikkaduwa ablaze

The much awaited ‘Hikkaduwa Beach Fest 09’, is set to take place from the 30th of July to the 2nd August. Held in the southern coastal strip of the country, last year’s Hikkaduwa Beach Fest attracted more than 10,000 people. Organized by the Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau, the Hikkaduwa Beach Fest is Sri Lanka’s biggest beach festival, with top international artistes and DJs flown into Sri Lanka especially for the four day mega event.

Climate Change crisis: ..........

Climate Change crisis:
President for pragmatic policy

Human activity is causing the global climate to heat-up at an alarming rate. This will have far-reaching consequences for animal and plant life and for human civilization, President Mahinda Rajapaksa said addressing the Non Aligned Movement Summit in Egypt on Wednesday.dailynews.lk

UK aid for Lanka displaced ......

UK aid for Lanka displaced

The British government says it has allocated nearly five million dollars to aid projects for Sri Lankan civilians displaced by recent fighting between the government and Tamil Tiger rebels.
The Department for International Development (DfID) says the money will be used to help over two hundred and eighty thousand people return home.
"Conditions in the camps are improving, but are still basic. There are reports of high levels of malnutrition, overcrowding and inadequate access to decent water and sanitation facilities," a DfID statement issued on Tuesday said.
It said the funds would help provide logistics, transport, emergency shelters and basic services.
The agency said that it would also give people cash grants so that they could buy seeds and tools.
The British government said that it is part of a nearly 20 million dollar humanitarian funding that the UK has already committed for Sri Lanka displaced.bbc Sinhala.com

UK aid for Lanka displaced .......

UK aid for Lanka displaced

The British government says it has allocated nearly five million dollars to aid projects for Sri Lankan civilians displaced by recent fighting between the government and Tamil Tiger rebels.
The Department for International Development (DfID) says the money will be used to help over two hundred and eighty thousand people return home.
"Conditions in the camps are improving, but are still basic. There are reports of high levels of malnutrition, overcrowding and inadequate access to decent water and sanitation facilities," a DfID statement issued on Tuesday said.
It said the funds would help provide logistics, transport, emergency shelters and basic services.
The agency said that it would also give people cash grants so that they could buy seeds and tools.
The British government said that it is part of a nearly 20 million dollar humanitarian funding that the UK has already committed for Sri Lanka displaced.bbc sandesaya

Sri Lanka looks to future with hope and enthusiasm .......

Sri Lanka looks to future with hope and enthusiasm
Calls for deferment of debt payment and creation of NAM Reserve facility:

A great sigh of relief has now swept across the entire nation being finally released from the grip of the fear of terrorism. The Sri Lankan Nation now looks to the future with renewed hope and enthusiasm, said President Mahinda Rajapaksa addressing the 15th summit of the Non-Aligned Movement being held in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt todayJuly 15. dailynews-pic-Sudath Silva

NAM summit focus on global financial crisis - President makes statement today ....

NAM summit focus on global financial crisis - President makes statement today

President Mahinda Rajapaksa will attend the 15th summit of Heads of State of the Non-Aligned Movement that opens in Sharm El-Sheikh, today (July 15) at the Maritime Congress Center, which will focus on issues facing the developing countries due to the current word economic and financial crises caused mainly by the policies of the developed countries of the West.defence.lk

New appointments in Defence top brass ...

New appointments in Defence top brass

Lankapuvath- President Mahinda Rajapaksa has appointed Army Chief Sarath Fonseka as the Chief of Defence Staff. Maj. Gen Jagath Jayasuriya has been appointed as the new Army Commander with effect from July 15.

doctors who served.....

Doctors who served in uncleared areas meet the media

"We thought LTTE were liberators of the Tamil people. They forcibly recruit children and youth. 3 - 4 from every family. I treated girls and boys of 14 - 15 age group who had been child recruits. It was a useless war. Their strategy was to use civilians as a human shield and to mislead the international community and obtain their support. They shouldn't have brought the war to the no war zone. Now LTTE leadership is decimated and people are liberated. We hope government will develop the area and Tamil diasphora should support." said Dr. Sivapalan at the media conference held at MCNS today(08).
As for me, I cooperate with the investigators. I want to serve people irrespective of the community under the Sri Lankan government, Dr. Sivapalan added.
"We regret very much for providing false information to foreign media while we were working in LTTE control area due to intense pressure from the LTTE" confessed Dr. Sivapalan, one of the five Doctors who answered queries by the Sri Lankan media personnel at this special media conference.
"While we were in the LTTE controlled area, we functioned as medical officers according to LTTE orders. We could not act according to our opinion. But now, there is a legal process concerning us. We are under legal custody and investigations are going on. The CID which is a government department conducts a proper legal process. In fact, we can even argue. We are aware that there is reasonable suspicion because we had to give medical treatment to LTTE cadres, during our stay with them. We are also aware that Sri Lanka is a democratic state Dr. Sivapalan stressed.
"The LTTE took the medicine supplied by the government. They had their own hospitals" Dr. Sivapalan revealed. He was able to handle maternity cases, the doctor revealed.
"I had to serve as a surgeon too in the South and the North. I see no difference between the blood of Tamils and Sinhala. Youth of both communities lose life and limb. War is over All of us unite to develop the country. I take this opportunity to thank the President and the Security Forces who rescued us. All Sri Lankan youth to unite and work selflessly" appealed Dr. Ilancheliyan.
"08 times government sent medical supplies but they didn't receive. The problem was that LTTE took medicine from us to treat their injured. They asked to tell media we don't have medicine, There was a shortage of medicine because LTTE took the whole stock said Dr. Vardharaja."
"The LTTE grabbed major part of food brought in ICRC shipments for use of their cadres. Civilians did not get them. First we opted to remain in the uncleared area for the sake of our families and other civilians. Later when the conflict intensified. we realized we were no longer be able to help the civilians said Dr. Ilancheliyan. We covered every field not only treating the injured but also maternity and pediatric fields, said Dr. Ilancheliyan.
Answering a query Dr. Sathyamoorthy revealed that the doctors themselves requested the government to organize a media conference to reveal their experience.
The LTTE used our names for their false propaganda against the Sri Lankan government. They put our names on the Internet with statements purported to have made by us. We were not a position to object. We didn't even know the LTTE used our names at the moment' said Dr. Vardharaja.
We gave exaggerated figures of civilian casualties to the media as ordered by the LTTE. Between January 15 - May 15 only 350 - 400 dead bodies of civilians were brought to hospitals revealed Dr. Sathyamoorthy.
Dr. Sivapalan served in the LTTE medical corps and four others. Dr. Shanmugaraja, Dr. Vardharaja, Dr. Sathyamoorthy and Dr. Ilancheliyan who participated at the media conference served the government hospitals before escaping.
All the doctors profusely expressed their gratitude to the H.E. the President and to the Security Forces.
They expressed the hope that they will continue to serve the people of the motherland in government hospitals in future.
Courtesy : MCNS

Clearing operation.....

Clearing operations continued; more weapons found

Sri Lanka armed forces and police personnel are continuing their clearing operations in the former LTTE dominated areas in the northern and eastern provinces. The aim of these operations is to ensure the safety of the areas for the resettlement activities.
During yesterday's operations (Jul 7) , police acting on information found 3 night vision devices , one hand grenade and 90 T-56 ammo from the Asikulam area. Also, 300 water purification tablets were found at the same location.
Meanwhile , troops conducting clearing operations in the Kilinochchi, Mullaittivu and Puthukkuddyiruppu areas found 14 mortar bombs, 26 hand grenades, 13 claymore mines, four land mines, three T-56 rifles, one T-81 rifle, one pistol, two shotguns with ammo, 185 AP mines, 33 booby traps, 20 RPG bombs, 15 arty shells (130mm) ,195 ammo used for T-56 riffles, 300 MPMG ammo, 700 ammo used for 12.7mm machine guns, 20 kg of high explosives , 7m long detonator code and 16 detonators. Among the other items found were 2 body armours and 2 helmets .
Clearing operations are being continued. defence.lk

Rs. 250m daily for Northern civilian upkeep ...

Rs. 250m daily for Northern civilian upkeep

The Government spends over Rs. 250 million daily for the welfare of over 300,000 displaced civilians in the Northern Province, said Agriculture and Agrarian Services Minister Maithreepala Sirisena.
dailynews

Solution to ethnic issue after next presidential poll – President Rajapakse

Solution to ethnic issue after next presidential poll – President Rajapakse

President Mahinda Rajapakse says that any form of solution to the ethnic issue would be presented only after the next presidential election.
The President had made this comment in an interview with The Hindu newspaper.
President Rajapakse had said he was looking at devolving power at provincial level and that he did not have confidence in a solution based on a federal structure.
According to the country’s Constitution, the incumbent President could hold office till 2011. However, the President had not made any clear statement that he would call for a presidential election before the end of the present term. www.lankanewsweb.com

Ministry to invest Rs. 869m for Northern fishermen

Ministry to invest Rs. 869m for Northern fishermen

The Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Ministry will invest Rs. 869 million to re-engage the fishermen of North who were denied fishing opportunities due to terrorist activities.
This investment will be placed in line with the 180 day accelerated program launched by the Government under the Uthuru Vasanthaya master development drive of the North.
This was revealed by Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Minister Felix Perera addressing the media yesterday.
Minister Perera explained that the rehabilitation of the fishery industry in the North will be launched in three stages - 180 day plan, middle term and long term plan.
All the required boats, fishing gear and other implements will be provided to the fishermen after resettlement. Before their settlement, 3.7 million of fingerlings will be put into all reservoirs in the Northern Province. The Minister said the estimated cost under the middle level plan will be over Rs.1,170 million.
The Ministry hopes to obtain this money through the supplementary budget and the foreign funds coming through the FAO/CIDA.
He also said his Ministry has decided to increase fish production in the North and market the surplus in Southern parts of the country to uplift the economy of the fishermen in the North.
Courtesy : Daily News-(By : Shirley WIJESINGHE)

Ayurvedic hospital to Trincomalee........

Ayurvedic hospital to Trincomalee

Lankapuvath -A Ayurvedic hospital will be established in Tricomallee.
The hospital is being constructed for the benefit of the locals in the area as well as for the benefit of the Medical students of the Eastern University. A media release issued by the Ministry of Indigenous Medicine said that with the establishments of the hospital the medical students will be able to get practical training in the hospital.
The Outdoor Patients Dispensary (OPD) of the hospital will be opened on the 06th of July at Koonespuri in Trincomalee with the participation of Minister of Indigenous Medicine Tissa Karalliyadda, Chief Minister of Eastern Province Shivanesathurai Chandrakanth, Health Minister of the Eastern Province A L M H Hisbulla and Minister of Nation Building Susantha Punchi Nilame.

Suspected LTTE agent.....

Suspected LTTE agent arrested over throwing acid at Sri Lankan students - Australia

A suspected LTTE terrorist in Australia Amalathepan Srikantharajah (25) of Girraween has been arrested by the Australian detectives for an attempted murder of two Sri Lankan students by throwing acid at them. The suspect with few others allegedly attacked two Sri Lankan students, Chahunika Werasinghe (27) and housemate Jayasiri Watawala (22) while they were at their home. The attack caused severe injuries to the victims.
The unprovoked attack took place in the immediately after Sri Lankan Armed Forces defeated the LTTE terrorists in May and also confirmed the death of the LTTE leader V. Prbhakaran.
The police are looking for the other offenders, the coordinator of the effort, Strike Force Dorwood Commander Albert Joseph said. He further added by saying, "a male person has been charged with attempted murder, break and enter with intent to commit murder, and use a corrosive substance to maim another person".
Apart from the acid burns on their faces one also suffered stab wounds to the stomach and a broken ankle.
Commander Albert Joseph said in a statement:
"Extensive investigations have been conducted by the Strike Force Doorwood investigation team and as a result, the man arrested today already faces a charge of failing to disclose the identification of a passenger in his vehicle following the incident and two other men have previously been charged with concealing a serious offence.
Detective Inspector Joseph said the two victims had been informed of the latest arrest which is the first directly related to the attack. Police also said the two victims are recovering from their horrific injuries caused by the acid.
The 25 year old man is currently being transported to central local court where he will face court on Wednesday. defence.lk

tamil govt will be formed in lanka....

Tamil govt will be formed in Lanka: MK

Chief Minister M Karunanidhi on Wednesday expressed hope that a government led by Tamils would be formed soon in Sri Lanka. He also said that the ailing Tamils in the island nation could at present get respite only through the Mahinda Rajapakse government.
Replying to a special call attention motion in the Assembly over the plight of Tamils in the neighbouring country, he said the conflict in Lanka between Sinhalese and Tamils was taking place for more than five decades now.
‘I am the one who is aware of this problem since its beginning. I had even penned it in a detail way in my novel Pandaraka Vannian,’ the Chief Minister said and added: ‘Both the Union and Tamilnadu governments are keen to help the Lankan Tamils.
A Lankan delegation met me recently and asked to send a committee to take stock of the situation there. I told them that the Centre should give clearance to take further decision and a formal invite should be extended from their end.’
Stating that former Chief Minister C N Annadurai had to give up the ‘Dravida Nadu’ demand due to various reasons, Karunanidhi said there was nothing wrong in changing stands for the welfare of the people.
‘The Centre is now respecting State governments thanks to the pressure from our side on various occasions. Likewise, a Lankan government respecting the sentiments of Tamils should be formed,’ he said.
The Chief Minister further said: ‘Like how Barack Obama from the oppressed community became the President of the United States, let us hope that a government led by Tamils would be formed soon in Lanka.’
He however said that the only way to help Tamils in the present situation was through the Rajapakse government. ‘In order to help our brothers and sisters in the island nation, we should not come out with hard hitting remarks against Sinhalese. Because, in the present scenario, we could only reach Tamils through them,’ he said. -newstodaynet.com

Sri Lanka safe place for tourists - Foreign Ministry

Sri Lanka safe place for tourists - Foreign Ministry

The Foreign Ministry has directed all Sri Lankan missions overseas to persuade the host countries to lift travel advisories on Sri Lanka as the country's situation has rapidly changed with the eradication of terrorism.

According to a Foreign Ministry spokesman, Sri Lankan envoys in foreign missions were directed to initiate a dialogue with the respective Foreign Ministries and convince them that Sri Lanka is a safer place for tourists.

He said they have been asked to highlight that Sri Lanka for the past two years have held a number of international conferences and summits such as SARRC and no incidents of violence or terrorist activities were reported from any part of the country after terrorism was completely eradicated by the Security Forces.

The Foreign missions will also educate the respective Governments on the initiatives taken by the Health Ministry to control epidemics such as swine flu and Dengue, he said.

"International insurance underwriters based in London recently lowered the war risk level of Sri Lanka from 3.4 to 3.0 and changed the Sri Lanka's status from severe to high. The Joint Cargo Committee of London also removed Sri Lanka from the JCC's Air - war \strikes risk list," he said.

Courtesy : Daily News

Govt. committed to resettle IDPs in six months.....

Govt. committed to resettle IDPs in six months
Sri Lankan delegation assures India

The government reiterated its commitment to resettle in six months all IDPs now staying in relief centres, after their release from being held hostage by the LTTE.
The was conveyed by the high-level Sri Lankan delegation comprising Senior Advisor to the President Basil Rajapaksa MP, the Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa, and the Secretary to the President Lalith Weeratunga which met Indian foreign minister S M Krishna yesterday. defence.lk

Sri Lankan reporter 'kidnapped' .........

Sri Lankan reporter 'kidnapped'


A Sri Lankan journalist says she was kidnapped from outside her home in the capital Colombo and held for a day by people claiming to be the police.
Krishni Ifam, a Tamil reporter who works for media development NGO Internews, said the men had warned her to give up journalism altogether.
She said she was then released in the central city of Kandy late on Wednesday with a tiny amount of cash.
Police in Sri Lanka could not be reached for comment.
Unmarked vans
Ms Ifam has been speaking about her ordeal on a private television station and, separately, to the BBC.
She said men who said they were policemen forced her to get into their vehicle outside her Colombo home early on Wednesday and drove for several hours while keeping her blindfolded.
She said they had taken her belongings, asked if she was writing articles for foreign media outlets and warned her to give up journalism altogether before releasing her.
Ms Ifam used to write for a prominent Tamil-language newspaper.
Separately, a columnist who usually covers astrology was picked up late on Wednesday by men with identity cards from the Criminal Investigation Department. His wife said he was still being held 24 hours later.
In both these cases the vehicles used were said to be unmarked white vans, which have become notorious in Sri Lanka as a means of abduction and sometimes disappearance.
The Sri Lankan government insists that the media here are free.
But many journalists say they do not feel free to write or broadcast what they want - many have been physically attacked and others have fled into exile.
BBC News, Colombo

Michael Jackson, 50, legendary 'King of Pop' dead in Los Angeles

Michael Jackson, 50, legendary 'King of Pop' dead in Los Angeles

Pop icon Michael Jackson died Thursday after being taken to a Los Angeles hospital in cardiac arrest, officials said. He was 50.
The "Thriller" superstar was unconscious and not breathing when Fire Department paramedics were summoned to Jackson's Bel Air home by a 911 call at 12:26 California time.
They desperately tried to resuscitate the faded King of Pop as a cherry-red ambulance sped him to UCLA Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.
"You've got to save him!" aides to the star screamed as he was wheeled into the hospital on the stretcher, the Web site TMZ.com reported.
Jackson's mother and his sister LaToya were seen rushing into the hospital, apparently after he had already died.
The cause of death was unknown. The Los Angeles County coroner said an autopsy would be performed Friday.
Jackson's ex-wife, Debbie Rowe, said through her lawyer she was "inconsolable" at the news.
"I lost my little brother today and part of my soul went with him," music mogul Quincy Jones said as tributes began pouring in.
In a sign of Jackson's enduring magnetism, crowds of mourners gathered outside the hospital within minutes of the news breaking.
Rev. Al Sharpton flashed a 25-year-old snapshot of Jackson and himself during a press conference outside the Apollo Theater in Harlem.
"We thought we'd see him moonwalk one more time," Sharpton said.
Jackson's death capped a life of dizzying superstardom and bizarre scandal and ended his bid to make a comeback with 50 sold-out concerts planned for London this summer.
He was training for the upcoming gigs with Lou Ferrigno, the star of the TV show The Incredible Hulk.

Longtime Jackson family lawyers Brian Oxman accused unnamed "enablers" of pushing the star too hard physically as he prepared for the tour.
The music legend burst onto the pop scene as a child star with the Jackson 5 nearly four decades ago. The group from Gary, Ind., produced hits like "ABC" and "I Want You Back."
He became the world's most popular musician when he went solo in the '70s. Once a sure-fire hit machine, he holds the record for the biggest-selling album with "Thriller."

He also wowed fans with monster hits like "Billie Jean" and "Beat It."
Millions of fans imitated his famed moonwalk dance and he was known worldwide as the Gloved One for his trademark handwear.
But personal and professional woes have eclipsed his talent for years.
He was acquitted in 2005 of molesting a young fan at his Neverland Ranch and caused an uproar by dangling one of his three children out of a Berlin hotel window in 2002.

His latest recordings suffered from tepid sales and a rumored comeback album never materialized.
Jackson's first wife was Lisa Marie Presley, daughter of Elvis, whom he married in 1994.
It was a match made in showbiz heaven but they split less than two years later.
He later married Australian Debbie Rowe and they had two children, Prince, 12 and Paris, 11, though she gave up her parental rights.
A third child, Prince Michael II, was reportedly born with the help of an anonymous surrogate mother.
Jackson had faced serious financial problems in recent years as sales wilted. Some reports said he was as much as $500 million in debt.
He faced certain foreclosure on Neverland until he managed to refinance the mortgage on the 270-acre spread.

Some analysts said he could make more than $200 million from this summer's concerts in Britain.
Jackson moved with his kids to Bahrain in the Persian Gulf after his molestation trial, but returned to Los Angeles in recent months. www.nydailynews.com

Sri Lanka to resettle war refugees soon: official

NEW DELHI (AFP) — A Sri Lankan official delegation visiting India said on Wednesday Colombo was working to resettle tens of thousands of civilians displaced by fighting on the island.
The team said Sri Lanka was also working for the "democratisation" of the country's north, where fierce fighting earlier this year led to the rout of the separatist Tamil Tiger guerrillas.
"We are getting all the assistance to start their livelihood programmes like agriculture, fisheries and livestock," Sri Lankan Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapakse told reporters after meeting Indian Foreign Minister S.M. Krishna.
"I think we can resettle the bulk of the people within a 180-day programme," he said, adding that Colombo had already begun rebuilding roads and bridges damaged in the fighting.
Nearly 300,000 civilians who fled Sri Lanka's war zone are detained in temporary shelters which the government calls "welfare villages".
The official said Colombo would "very soon" conduct elections to local government bodies in the north.
"For the last 30 years we did not have any representive in the grassroot level in local government or municipal councils there," he added.
Lalith Weeratunga, secretary to Sri Lanka President Mahinda Rajapakse, is also part of the visiting delegation meeting Indian officials in New Delhi.