A SERIES OF COMMEMORATIVE  religious activities to mark the sixteenth death anniversary of the military chief, Lieutenant General Denzil Kobbekaduwa, the legendary War Hero of our times and eight other military leaders, including Major General Wijaya Wimalarathne, are held in Thanthirimale, Anuradhapura and elsewhere during two days (August 7-8).    

Security Measures as well as lavish cooperation being provided by members of the Armed Forces and the Police for smooth conduct of civil administration in the Jaffna peninsula were closely reviewed and commended by Mr Gotabhaya Rajapaksa, Secretary Defence when he visited Jaffna this morning (7), accompanied by Chief of Defence Staff Air Chief Marshal Donald Perera, Commander of the Army Lieutenant General Sarath Fonseka and a few others.

British rapper M.I.A., who is of Sri Lankan descent, is being accused of supporting terrorists, despite denying those accusations in the past.In a 2005 interview with Australian paper The Age, M.I.A. (real name: Mathangi "Maya" Arulpragasam) says, "I've heard lots of people say that I'm part of a terrorist group and I'm singing about that, and singing songs for them, but that's wack, I'd never do that."

Beijing, 07 August, (Asiantribune.com): Sri Lanka President Mahinda Rajapaksa left for China yesterday morning to attend the opening ceremony of Beijing Olympics, on an official invitation by the Government of the People's Republic of China.

Sources revealed that Chinese vice Minister for Foreign Affairs Wu Dawei, who was in Colombo last week to attend the 15th SAARC Summit, personally extended the invitation to Sri Lanka President Mahinda Rajapakss on behalf of the Government of the People's Republic of China, as a special guest of Chinese President Hu Jintao.

(August 07, Colombo, Sri Lanka Guardian) “The TMVP should understand the importance of other Tamil politicians,” said Douglas Devananda, Secretary General of the EPDP and Minister of the Government in an interview with Sri Lanka Guardian. He shared his opinions freely at his residence in Colombo last week. Here is the full text of the interview.

by Nilantha Ilangamuwa in Colombo

(August 03, Colombo, Sri Lanka Guardian) It is easy for anyone who has met Manel Abeysekera to understand how she rose to become the first woman to join the Foreign Service of Sri Lanka. Erudite, charming, hospitable and articulate, she seems to possess all the quintessential qualities of a diplomat. Yet, she remains simple, with her feet on the ground.

COLOMBO, Aug 6 (Reuters) - Sri Lanka's earnings from tea exports grew by 40.3 percent in the first half of 2008 from a year earlier due to higher prices and increased demand from the Middle East, a top official at the Sri Lanka Tea Board told Reuters on Wednesday.

Major General G.A. Chandrasiri, Commander Security Forces Headquarters, Jaffna (SFHQ-J), briefed nearly two hundred representatives from Jaffna-based Government Departments, State Agencies, local and international Non Governmental Organizations, commercial establishments and other civil Organizations on the implementation of new security clearance procedures for various emergencies, effective from this month (August).

by: Ajit Kumar Singh

Research Associate, Institute for Conflict Management

On July 31, 2008, Government troops crossed the Mannar-Kilinochchi boundary to enter Kilinochchi District, the headquarters of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), killing 20 militants and injuring another 35. Later, the 58^th Division of the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) captured the Vellankulam Town, the northern-most town in the Mannar District, on August 2, 2008, and advanced up to the 29^th milepost on the Mannar-Pooneryn Road, shifting the entire Division into the Kilinochchi District. With the capture of Vellankulam, the whole of the Mannar District came under the control of the Security Forces (SFs) for the first time in the North-East conflict. "The troops attached to the 58 Division killed 2,500 Tiger cadres in the Mannar battlefront by the time it completely liberated the Mannar District from the clutches of the LTTE and stepped into Kilinochchi District, the last stronghold of the LTTE," the General Officer Commanding of the 58^th Division, Brigadier Shavendra Silva disclosed. The troops on the Mannar front had begun their operation in September 2008.

President Mahinda Rajapaksa left for China this morning (6) to attend the opening ceremony of Beijing Olympics as a special guest on an official invitation by the government of the People's Republic of China.

The 27th Summer Olympics will be held from August 8 - 24, 2008.

President Mahinda Rajapaksa yesterday pointed out that the Attorney General's Department should guide the Government correctly in legal matters. President Rajapaksa was addressing senior officials of the Attorney General's Department at Temple Trees.