September 03, 2010: Investigations have commenced into the incident where two suspects in remand custody in the Akkaraipattu area in Kalmunai had escaped from remand custody.

September 03, 2010: The Sri Lanka Transport Board plans on increasing their services by 40 per cent by the end of the year.

President Mahinda Rajapaksa said that the government has brought before the people, a new constitution, which is a people-centric constitution. “This constitution is for the development of the country. This is not to extend my Presidential term. That is wrong. It is an opportunity to contest an election,” he said.

The proposed amendments to the existing elections system will be brought before Parliament after the Constitutional Amendments Bill which will be taken up on Wednesday (Sept. 08), Chief Government Whip Minister Dinesh Gunawardena told Adaderana.

      Sri Lanka has assured New Delhi that its army will return the land of the displaced Tamils of Indian origin in the country’s northern Vavuniya district, foreign secretary Nirupama Rao said today.   Rao, who ended her three-day trip to Sri Lanka today, said she had taken up the issue with the top leadership in the country.  

      His Excellency President Mahinda Rajapaksa handed over the keys of 25 houses this morning (11) in Senarathgama, Kandy built under the first phase of the programme launched to construct 700 housing units for war heroes under the 'Api Wenuwen Api' concept. President participated at the ceremony as the chief guest and personally handed over 25 keys to the war heroes representing the Sri Lanka security forces.

      Secretary of Defence Mr. Gotabaya Rajapaksa, accepting the invitation of the Commander of the Sri Lanka Navy Vice Admiral Thisara Samarasinghe, declared open the new North-Western Naval Command Headquarters in Mullikulum today, (02 Sep). The strategic shifting of the North-western Naval Headquarters from Puttalam to Mullikulum enables the Navy to safeguard the waters and land under its purview more effectively by conducting prompt and sustainable Naval operations at sea, lagoons and on land in accordance with national policies, Naval sources said. The North-western Naval Area spreads from Udappuwa to Arippu and consists of SLNS TTHERAPUTTA in Silawathura, SLNS BARANA in Mullikulum, SLNS VIJAYA in Kalpitiya and SLNS THMBAPANNI in Puttalam. Rear Admiral Ruwan Dias functions as the Commander North-western Naval Area, Naval sources added.

Demining groups operating in the North and East have achieved tremendous success by removing over 300,000 landmines laid by LTTE terrorists during war time, said Military Spokesman Major General UAB Medawela.

  Another 27 houses constructed at Thorayaya in Kurunegala under the Second Phase of Api Wenuwen Api programme by the Ministry of Defence has completed and to be handed over to war heroes on 5th September. These hoses will be handed over to war heroes who were rendered disable and to widows and children of the fallen war heroes, said the Director General of Media Centre for National Security, Mr. Lakshman Hulugalle speaking at a press conference. The first phase of this program was completed on July 11 with President Mahinda Rajapaksa handing over the keys of 25 houses in Senarathgama, Kandy to war heroes.

<!-- /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-parent:""; margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";} p {mso-margin-top-alt:auto; margin-right:0in; mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto; margin-left:0in; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";} @page Section1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} -->       A lawsuit accusing a Wall Street hedge fund manager and his father of using a charitable foundation to funnel millions of dollars to the LTTE, a Sri Lankan terrorist group, can go forward, a federal judge in New Jersey says.

      Saudi officials have refuted claims that a sponsor in Riyadh hammered nails into the body of his Sri Lankan housemaid as punishment terming that the torture allegations as a figment of the maid’s imagination.   “These allegations against the Saudi employer are baseless and the whole episode looks like one big drama,” said Saad Al-Baddah, chairman of the Saudi Arabian National Recruitment Committee (SANARCOM), which is responsible for the recruitment and management of foreign workers in the Kingdom.  

Tortured Sri Lankan maid Ariyawathie denied Saudi accusations that she is lying and her story is baseless. Ariyawathie has revealed how she was taken at 2am to the airport and how when the alarms went off at the barrier no one questioned her.  

Early in the 1950s when  a mere 3812 elite urbanites of the then population of 7.5 Million enjoyed more than ½ of the country’s income a group of patriotic intelligentsia met at Madampe and adopted a set of resolutions aimed at changing the course of government and ushering in real freedom to the oppressed masses and to safeguard the national values of the country, and the independence of the people.

President Mahinda Rajapaksa has called on the nation to unite to nurture the future generation exploiting the resources of the motherland sans waiting for the arrival of ships from other countries. He made this appeal opening the Bata-atha Farmer’s Exhibition.

Indian Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao called on the President Mahinda Rajapaksa at Temple Trees yesterday. President Mahinda Rajapaksa welcoming the Indian Foreign Secretary said that Indian investor interest in Sri Lanka is rapidly growing, and that several leading Indian entrepreneurs in industry and other sectors have expressed interest in setting up business in Sri Lanka.