The National Peace Council (NPC) says the 4th anniversary of the end of Sri Lanka’s three decade long civil war is being commemorated today with the absence of a joint commemoration to remember all who lost their lives in it as recommended by the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC).

NPC says the end of the war has greatly improved the lives of people, as they no longer fear bombs and large scale loss of life as in the past.   But the country has yet to deal with the collective grief that accompa

The chief editor of the "Janarala" newspaper has been questioned more than three hours yesterday (17), by the Crime Division (north) Western Province, over an article published in the paper titled "A lady behind gold racket"

The police wanted to know where he obtained the information, he included in the news article, Mr Chandana Sirimalwatta’s answer was that he was provided with the particular information by a journalist.

Minister of Education Bandula Gunewardena said that the gazette notification pertaining to the recruitment of individuals who have passed the Dharmacharya Examination for teaching services, will be issued during the Vesak season.

The minister said that under this programme one thousand qualified individuals will be recruited for teaching services. The Minister said that a decision was made in this regard, after paying much heed to requests made by the Maha Nayake's.
The minister expressed these views during a ceremony

Four years have passed without seeing any progress in the lives of Tamils in our homeland. The International Community marks May 18, 2009, as the end of the war. But the war on Tamils has never ceased, as our people have been subjected to land grabbing, threats against freedom of expression, kidnappings, raping, and political impeachments. During the month of May in 2009, Tamils experienced some of the worst crimes perpetrated against them by the Sri Lankan government.

But campaigners including Amnesty International Scotland have called on the Coalition to prevent the Sri Lankan Government from attending amid allegations of appalling abuse.

Asked about Sri Lanka, which is due to take over the chairmanship of the Commonwealth later this year, No 10 said: “The usual approach on invitations to members of the Commonwealth should be followed”.

Speaking in the Senate, Foreign Minister Bob Carr today said the lead-up to CHOGM offers an opportunity for the Commonwealth to highlight areas that require progress in Sri Lanka, and offer practical assistance where appropriate.

Senator Carr said engagement, not isolation, is the most effective way to promote human rights, the rule of law and democratic governance in Sri Lanka. For this reason, the Australian Government has reaffirmed it will attend CHOGM in Sri Lanka.

Britain said on Wednesday there would be "consequences" for Sri Lanka if its leaders did not address international concerns over human rights abuses, ahead of a Commonwealth summit scheduled to be held in Colombo in November.

Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg told parliament "despicable human rights violations" had taken place in Sri Lanka, but that Britain still planned to attend the Commonwealth meeting there, a stance that has drawn heavy criticism from rights groups.

Concerned over reports of Sri Lankan government considering removal of land and police powers from the provinces prior to the elections in the Northern Province, India today asked it not to take any step against their own commitments relating to the 13th Amendment, the Press Trust of India reported.

Indian External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid telephoned his Sri Lankan counterpart G L Peiris and also raised the issue of 26 Indian fishermen who are in detention in his country while seeking their early release.

The Colombo Crimes Division (CCD) today issued summons on the Editor of the ‘Janarala’ Sunday newspaper.

Chandana Sirimalwatte was asked to appear at the CCD office tomorrow to be questioned about an article which appeared in the paper.

The CCD had initially asked him to appear before the CCD today but he had refused to do so as the newspaper was being finalized today.

Chairman of the National Trade Union Center, K.D.Lalkantha says that instead of curbing the losses of state institutions, the government is burdening the public with these losses.

He made this statement during a seminar held to create awareness on the new electricity tariffs on Thursday. The seminar was held at the Colombo Public Library auditorium in order to create awareness on the new electricity tariffs among trade unions.