The Government of Japan and its people have provided Rs. 117 million for the IDP welfare in the Northern Camps. This special project was an important one not only domestically for Sri Lanka but also internationally, since the world community pays attention to the welfare of the IDPs in the North, Ambassador of Japan Kunio Takahashi said yesterday.

The Government of Malaysia donated a sum of US$100,000 to the Government of Sri Lanka for the welfare of the Internally Displaced Sri Lankans affected by the conflict.

Accepting the donation on behalf of the Government of Sri Lanka from the High Commissioner of Malaysia to Sri Lanka, Rosli Ismail, Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama placed on record the appreciation of the Government of Sri Lanka for the symbolic gesture of the strong friendship between the two countries and stated that the Government of Malaysia has consistently been supportive of Sri Lanka’s efforts, especially in the fight against terrorism. He also stated that the donation from the Malaysian Government would go directly to people concerned.

"Terrorism is not only a problem for Sri Lanka. It is also a problem for the whole world. All these countries that have been fighting and talking against terrorism must get together and put a stop to this menace", said President Mahinda Rajapaksa in an interview with News X India.

Kumaran Pathmanathan alias KP's arrest last week was very important for Sri Lanka because he was the person who claims to be the new leader of the LTTE after the death of V. Prabhakaran, the President said.

The Second Meeting of the Joint Commission for Economic, Scientific and Technological Cooperation between Sri Lanka and Viet Nam was held in Colombo  today ( 10th August 2009), preceded by the Senior Officials Meeting (SoM). Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama led the Sri Lanka delegation and the Viet Nam delegation was led by Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Viet Nam, Dao Viet Trung.

"The ability to hold elections no sooner terrorism was defeated and thus providing the opportunity for democratic expression to the people of Vavuniya and Jaffna, is also seen as a victory of our policies to stabilize democracy", said H.E the President Mahinda Rajapaksa today (Aug 9).

Post-Tiger Tamil politics today

by Dayan Jayatilleka 

The history of Tamil politics is the history of a struggle between two tendencies. This was so well before Prabhakaran and continued during the Tamil Eelam wars in the form of the Tigers. The first elections after the defeat and military destruction of the LTTE reveals that Tamil politics remain dominated by the struggle between these two tendencies, but that the balance of strengths between these tendencies has changed, especially in the crucial town of Jaffna, the head and heart of Tamil politics.

A Sri Lanka-Myanmar Business Forum was held with the participation of a 22-member business delegation from Myanmar and large-scale representation from the Sri Lankan business community, at the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce auditorium on Friday.  The visit of the business delegation from Myanmar took place in the aftermath of President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s official visit to Myanmar last June, and the second session of the Sri Lanka-Myanmar Joint Commission held in Colombo at foreign ministerial level on 3^rd and 4^th August.

by Saman Indrajith

Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama yesterday informed Parliament that the Italian government has agreed to grant legal status to over 40,000 Sri Lankan expatriate workers in Italy, making them eligible to apply for stay permits.

Treasury Secretary Sumith Abeysinghe, signed two financing agreements relating to the construction of the Colombo - Katunayake Expressway and the Hambantota Bunkering Project with the Vice President Zhu Xinqiang, of the Exim Bank of China yesterday. 

Abeysinghe is currently on a four day visit to Beijing to discuss future bilateral development assistance programs to Sri Lanka.

The British High Commission announced yesterday that the UK would support the de-mining of the North and help to remove thousands of mines and unexploded bombs left after decades of fighting.  

The High Commission yesterday handed over a £500,000 Mines Advisory Group (MAG) grant to help survey minefields and pinpoint unexploded ordnance so that they could be safely disposed of.

Chaminda PERERA  

The self-appointed LTTE leader Shanmugam Kumaran Tharmalingam alias Kumaran Pathmanathan has been arrested in a foreign country, the sources said yesterday. He was in Interpol’s most wanted list for arms smuggling and criminal activities.

Address by Tamara Kunanayakam, Ambassador of Sri Lanka, Havana

Casa de la Amistad, Cuban  Institute for Friendship with Peoples (ICAP) 

29 de julio de 2009

Excellencies Vice Ministers! 

Madam Vice President of ICAP! 

My dear friends!  

It is a great honour for me to represent my country on this historic occasion to commemorate the 50th Anniversary of friendship and cooperation between the Republic of Cuba and the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka. On behalf of our President Mahinda Rajapaksa, his Government, our people, and on my own behalf, I wish to reiterate our sincere friendship, solidarity, and our unconditional support for the historic and irreversible choices made by the Cuban people in favour of the Revolution!

STATEMENT BY DEPUTY MINISTER MARCOS RODRÍGUEZ AT THE CEREMONY ON THE 50^TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE ESTABLISHMENT OF DIPLOMATIC RELATIONS BETWEEN CUBA AND SRI LANKA

Venue: Casa de la Amistad, ICAP

Date: 29 July 2009

H.E. Mrs. Tamara Kunanayakam, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka in Cuba;

Comrade Alicia Corredera, Vice-President of the Cuban Institute of Friendship with the Peoples; 

Comrade Alberto Rodríguez Arufe, Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Information Technology and Communications;

Distinguished members of the Diplomatic Corps;

Distinguished guests;   

Ladies and gentlemen:  

It is a great deal of satisfaction to be here, this afternoon, on behalf of the Cuban people and Government, in order to celebrate, along with the Cuban Institute of Friendship with the Peoples, at this hospitable venue of Casa de la Amistad (House of Friendship), the 50^th Anniversary of the Establishment of Diplomatic Relations between Cuba and Sri Lanka.

The grand Madhu Festival will begin today on a solemn holy note.It is expected that a large number of devotees from all parts of the country would  pay homage as this would be the first Madhu festival  after the end of terrorism.

Over 40,000 resettled in 44 days, says Senior Presidential Advisor Basil Rajapaksa, MP:   

Lakshmi DE SILVA in Vavuniya

 Addressing a public meeting at the Vavuniya Urban Council grounds yesterday on the occasion of sending off several thousand Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) back to their original places of residence, Senior Presidential Advisor Basil Rajapaksa MP appealed to them to set aside ethnic and religious differences and rally round President Mahinda Rajapaksa to bring peace and prosperity to the country. Once the heroic Security Forces liberated the country what was uppermost in the mind of President Rajapaksa was to provide you with all possible facilities and resettle you in your original places of residence, he added.

B. Muralidhar Reddy

COLOMBO: India on Monday handed over bank drafts worth Sri Lanka Rs. 117 million to Sri Lanka for Palaly military-cum civilian runway rehabilitation project in the Jaffna peninsula, Sri Lanka Defence Ministry announced here on Wednesday. ($1 fetches Sri Lanka Rs. 114).

President Mahinda Rajapaksa today handed over the guardianship of the two baby elephants- Raju and Sindu by  way of a scroll in keeping with traditions, now housed at the Temple of Tooth Relic to Malwathu and Asgiri Chapters.

The Cuban Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MINREX) in cooperation with the Cuban Institute of Friendship with Peoples (ICAP) organized an official ceremony to commemorate 50 years of diplomatic relations between Cuba and Sri Lanka on July 29.

The Executive Director of the World Food Programme (WFP), has approved a budget increase of US $17.09 million for the Protracted Relief and Recovery Operations (PRRO) for Sri Lanka by bringing the total budget of the PRRO to US $134.9 million for the year 2009.