Only made use of the amnesty period offered by the UAE for illegal residents to either renew their travel documents or return home.

The UAE Amnesty Programme ended yesterday (Monday) and diplomatic missions reported a low turnout of amnesty seekers from their respective communities of expatriates and illegal residents in Dubai and the Northern Emirates.

The Sri Lanka Consulate-General in the UAE said 650 illegal workers and residents made use of the UAE amnesty programme as compared to the more

A housing project was launched in Kilinochchi for the families of the newly enlisted Tamil women soldiers on par with the 65th independence day celebrations yesterday (04th February). Under this project 100 housing units are planned to be built to uplift the living standards of the families of the Tamil women soldiers.

The foundation stone laying ceremony for the first phase of the project was held yesterday. Under the first phase of the project 20 houses will be constructed. Out of the 20 houses 8 houses will be built in the

Irregularities in the 2012 GCE A/L results, Z-scores, and island and district rankings have re-emerged, resulting in overall results being questionable, the Frontline Socialist Party (FSP) charged yesterday.

Addressing a media briefing yesterday, FSP Politburo member Duminda Nagamuwa said, the results released this year are incorrect, and the Department of Examinations has failed once again in carrying out marking the examination papers in a responsible manner.

The results and rankings of students are irregular thro

Australia’s opposition immigration spokesman Scott Morrison said Sri Lankan asylum seekers attempting to enter Australia are doing so because of Australia’s thriving economy and lifestyle.
 
“…the choice to actually go to Australia is represented as economic and lifestyle. And that's not surprising when there is a safe haven just where 100, migrated to in the past 30 years or so,” he told to Australia’s ABC News channel after a visit to S

Foreign and Commonwealth Office Minister for South Asia Alistair Burt said his country will continue to urge the Tamil National Alliance and the Sri Lankan Government to make ‘serious progress’, towards a political settlement in the country.

Answering questions today on social networking site, Twitter Mr. Burt said, “Details of a political settlement must be for Sri Lankans themselves to work out. And the political settlement is fundamental.”

Commenting on the forthcoming Commonwealth Meeting

Britain will do its utmost to ensure that Sri Lanka is able to recognise the principles on which the Commonwealth works and takes the right course, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the United Kingdom’s (UK) Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Alistair Burt said last week in an exclusive interview with the Sunday Times. Excerpts from the interview:

The UK has regularly expressed concern over negative developments in Sri Lanka—whether during the war, over other human rights abuses or, most recently, the Chief J

In its working plan on the LLRC Report, the Army’s Board of Officers has said that there could be no question of shifting military camps out of the North and the East.

Defending the Government’s ‘absolute right’ to maintain its armed forces ‘anywhere in the Island, according to the country’s strategic and security needs,’ the Board has also noted that ‘military bases are located causing minimum inconvenience to the public’ in the regions impacted by the ‘Humanitarian O

Many are the voices that have been raised and focused on the raging imbalances and inequality created by the 10 Commandments of the Washington consensus and, the dominant development paradigm that was promoted with much missionary zeal. Many are also the heart rending accounts of the pain and agony consequences by the resulting distortion in the distribution of wealth that has become a major factor in creating migration of labour in the Asian region, particularly of women.

Apart from the many authentic stories that have time a

* Bigger misappropriations at EPF than NSB-TFC fiasco, says Harsha

* Family, friends head public enterprises but not held accountable, says Eran


For the first time in six years, the Employees’ Provident Fund (EPF) will come before parliamentary oversight committee, the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), this week, as opposition law makers decry the lack of governance and transparency with family and friends of the incumbent heading public enterprises but not being held accountable.

First Lady Shiranthi Rajapaksa yesterday visited the home of Rizana Nafeek who was beheaded in Saudi Arabia over the alleged killing of an infant under her care.


First Lady Shiranthi Rajapaksa providing food items and other requirements to Rizana Nafeek’s mother.

The First Lady’s visit to Rizana’s house at Muthur, Trincomalee was of great relief to the family members who were grieving over the loss of their daughter and sister.

The First Lady gave a patient hearing to the plight of