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Chandrika has little trust in LTTE words Times of India, Jan 19. C OLOMBO: Sri Lanka's President Chandrika Kumaratunga said on Thursday that she had no confidence in the LTTE's commitment to the peace process, but added that she would support the government in resolving the ethnic conflict. Kumaratunga told The Times of India that she did not think it would be professional for the government to lift the ban on the LTTE before negotiations commence. “Knowing the LTTE, I don’t think there is reason to hope too much, but one has to keep trying,” she said. “I strongly believe that any further concessions should be given to the LTTE only after it comes to the negotiating table and lifting the ban before that could be very dangerous and end up in a nought,” she added. More... Published: Fri Jan 18 23:28:28 EST 2002

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MTV claim 172 million insurance for damages caused by a fire to its TV station Waruna Karunatilake in Colombo, 1924 slt 18.01.02. Maharajah TV today claimed 172 million rupees from Janashakthi insurance company as the value of the damages caused to its station...

Leave to proceed granted in FR cases demanding re poll in Batticaloe and Wanni districts. Waruna Karunatilake in Colombo, 1920 slt 18.01.02. The Supreme Court today granted leave to proceed in six fundamental right violations petitions requesting the supreme court to order the elections commissioner to hold fresh polls for Wanni and Batticaloe districts...

Nominations for local government elections to be accepted from February 1st Waruna Karunatilake in Colombo, 1917 slt 18.01.02. Nominations for local government elections will be accepted from February 1st to the eighth, the commissioner of elections department announced today...

Sri Lanka power crisis grows BBC South Asia, Friday, 18 January, 2002, 15:42 GMT . Sri Lanka is to face longer power cuts, as the country's energy crisis looked set to last until the middle of the year...

Navy arrest over 100 people traveling to Italy Waruna Karunatilake in Colombo, 1915 slt 18.01.02. The Sri Lankan navy has arrested two trawlers with over 100 people off the west coast early this morning...

LTTE’s ruse to stall peace process HT - P K Balachanddran, 18 January 2002. The LTTE is perturbed by the quick pace at which the Sri Lankan government is restoring normalcy in the war torn north east, and is coming up with various ruses to delay coming to grips with the basic political question of a constitutional settlement, informed government sources say...

Wanni: The land that time almost forgot TOI, 19 January 2001. For Sri Lanka's surveyor general, the main access to this rebel-held region is along highest-rated "A" grade roads, but in a war-torn land where the clock stopped decades ago maps have no meaning...

Looking for an Indian role Frontline- D.B.S. Jeyaraj, 20 January 2002. THE dawn of the new year saw fresh hope emerging that Sri Lanka is back on track towards its peace destination...

Fitch to sell stake in Sri Lanka rating unit Yahoo Singapore, 19 January 2002. Sri Lanka's ratings firm Fitch Ratings Lanka Ltd said on Friday that Fitch Inc of the United States was looking to sell its 45 percent stake in the firm to Credit Rating Information Services of India Ltd (CRISIL)...

SRI LANKA: THE UNTOLD STORY Chapter 23: Srimavo's constitutional promiscuity Asia Times, 19 January 2002. "The Tamil-speaking people of Ceylon believe that only a federal type constitution would enable them to look after their own affairs alone and would safeguard them from total extinction...

Electricity cuts to be extended Waruna Karunatilake in Colombo, 1946 slt 17.01.01. The one hour power cut is to be extended up to two and half hours a day from next week...

Railway accidents due to lack of maintaining of infrastructure says engine drivers association Waruna Karunatilake in Colombo, 1944 slt 17.01.01. Railway engine drivers association said today that railway accidents were due to poor maintenance of engines, railway tracks and other infrastructure...

HRW REPORT - Sri Lanka 2002 Human Rights Watch , 18 January 2002. The year was marked by prolonged political infighting in Colombo, renewed clashes between Sri Lankan military forces and the armed separatist Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (the "Tamil Tigers" or LTTE), and stalled peace initiatives...

Tragidy Star, 18 January 2002. In the minutes before she killed her children, Jasotha Mahendriran wrote a suicide note, propped open her front door with one of her children's shoes so police could easily enter her home hours later, and gave her daughter and son Children's Tylenol...

Was train horror homicide? Daily Mirror, 18 January 2002. The Rambukkana train disaster assumed horrifying proportions when Railway engineers charged yesterday the ill-fated Kandy-Colombo intercity express did not have a speedometer and at least ten complaints had been made about defects in its engine...

Small and medium level businesses to get bank loans relief Waruna Karunatilake in Colombo, 1939 slt 17.01.01. The government announced today a one time six month relief period to small and medium scale businesses with loans to state banks of less than one million rupees...

Former PA minister surrenders Gulf-News, 18 January 2002. A former deputy minister of tourism and civil aviation under the People's Alliance (PA) regime surrendered to courts yesterday after he was wanted in connection of threatening a Buddhist monk during the run up to the parliamentary elections held last month, police said...

Sri Lankan president urges caution on talks Yahoo India, 18 January 2002. Sri Lankan President Chandrika Kumaratunga said on Thursday the government of political rival Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe should get more guarantees from Tamil Tiger separatists before sitting down to peace talks...

Time to celebrate Murali's amazing exploits Age - Peter Roebuck, 18 January 2002. Muttiah Muralitharan has been dancing his jigs again. On the fourth morning of a Test match played under the gaze of the ancient fortress in Galle, this son of a sweet shop owner became the seventh man to take 400 wickets in Test cricket...

Tamil parties unite in Constitutional Council nomination Tamilnet, 18 January 2002. A retired High Court Judge Mr.T.Suntharalingam has been nominated to the eleven member constitutional council which is to be appointed under the 17th amendment to the constitution. Leaders of Tamil political parties represented in the parliament Thursday unanimously nominated Mr...

Sacred tree has 24-hour guard News24 , 18 January 2002. Just before dawn in this city in northern Sri Lanka, Buddhist monks perform a chore reserved for a privileged few picking up leaves from what some believe to be one of the world's oldest and most-sacred trees...

No immediate re-opening of Colombo-Jaffna road Island, 18 January 2002. While ruling out the immediate re-opening of the main overland route to the Jaffna peninsula, authoritative officials yesterday revealed that preparations were underway to set up another entry and exit point to facilitate movement of people and commodities to and from the LTTE held parts of the Wanni...

PAKISTAN'S STEEL PIPE EXPORTS TO SRI LANKA DECLINE Nothern Light, Thursday, January 17, 2002 8:10 PM EST . Pakistan's steel pipe exports to Sri Lanka have declined to between US$1.5-2 million in the past year from US$5-$6 million, as a result of a free trade agreement signed by the Sri Lankan government with India in early 2001...

Unlimited Indian flights to Sri Lanka Island, 18 January 2002. Colombo is soon to embrace an open sky policy with no restrictions on the number of Indian carriers flying to Sri Lanka, Arjuna Mahendran, chairman of the Board of Investment said in India yesterday...

Man held for `bid'on Sai Baba's life The Hindu (Southern States), 18-01-2002 . The Bangalore Rural District Police have arrested the 26-year-old Somasundara who made an attempt to assassinate Sri Sathya Sai Baba at his ashram on Thursday...

Tamil Nadu Ex-allies on wrong path: Jayalalithaa The Hindu (Southern States), 18-01-2002 . Dismissing reports that the AIADMK was moving closer to the BJP, the party general secretary, Jayalalithaa, today said any confrontation with the Centre would only be counter-productive...

Balasingham as Machiavelli HT - P K Balachanddran, 17 January 2002. The LTTE's chief negotiator, Dr Anton Balasingham, who is now employing every ruse to get New Delhi to allow him to move to India to hold talks with the Sri Lankan government, had once forced Colombo to "expose" the "war crimes" of the Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF), contributing to the escalation of the conflict between India and Sri Lanka at that time...

Hope on the horizon Deccan Herald, 17 January 2002. The new Sri Lankan premier Ranil Wickremasinghe has expressed confidence that a final path to peace can be achieved, despite the process being hazardous and difficult...

Too early to lift ban on LTTE: Colombo The Hindu (International), 18-01-2002 . Sri Lanka has said it is too early in the peace process to consider the LTTE's pre-condition that the ban on it has to be lifted before talks, and added that the Government will take it up at a time when substantive issues will be discussed...

Baby elephants return to wild BBC South Asia, Friday, 18 January, 2002, 19:04 GMT . Eight orphaned baby elephants are being returned to the wild in Sri Lanka under a special programme...

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