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Sri Lanka's government doctors in Central Province on strike
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May 09 (CP) Kandy- The Registered and Assistant Medical Officers Union in the Central Province called a strike yesterday to protest against a printing mistake on the annual report issued by the Health Service Office of the province. A total of 226 doctors from 256 government institutions are participating in this strike.
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Sri Lanka's Court of Appeals rejects PLOTE petition to postpone Eastern polls
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May 09 (CP) Colombo- Sri Lanka's Court of Appeals yesterday rejected a petition filed by People's Liberation Organization of Tamil Eelam (PLOTE) requesting a postponement to the May 10 provincial council election in the East.
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Stop blocking a UN human rights monitoring mission in Sri Lanka
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May 09 (RW) The Asian Human Rights Commission strongly supports the call for a human rights monitoring mission by the United Nations as a measure to resuscitate the severely damaged criminal investigation capacity of the Sri Lankan policing system. The state, as the sovereign, owes an obligation to investigate into all crimes irrespective as to whether these are done by organised criminal gangs, terrorists or state agencies themselves.
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UK transfers renegade Tamil Tiger
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May 09 (BBC) A former leader of Sri Lanka's Tamil Tiger rebels who was jailed in the UK in January has been transferred to an immigration detention centre. Col Karuna was sent to jail in January for identity fraud after being arrested in London late last year. The British Home Office refused to give details of Col Karuna's case.
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Sri Lanka braces for crucial eastern provincial elections
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May 09 (GT) COLOMBO- The government has set the stage for a crucial provincial election in eastern Sri Lanka on May 10, a year after wresting control of the area from Tamil rebels. The election is the first poll to be held in 20 years for the eastern provincial council and voters will choose from hundreds of candidates from 18 political parties to fill 35 seats.
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Japan rushes food aid to Sri Lanka
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May 09 (DM) Japan is rushing urgent food aid to Sri Lanka with the World Food Programme (WFP) appealing for urgent funds to sustain its operations in Sri Lanka in the wake of the rapid surge in commodity prices. WFP is awaiting 5,500 tons of rice and 110 tons of canned fish, valued at some US$ 4.6 million, contributed by the Government of Japan. The shipment is scheduled to arrive in June.
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Sri Lanka donates USD 25,000 to Myanmar cyclone victims
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May 08 (CP), Colombo: Sri Lankan government this afternoon donated USD 25,000 to the Myanmar government as emergency relief to the victims of cyclone Nargis. Secretary to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Dr. Palitha Kohona handed over the cheque to Ambassador of the Union of Myanmar Tin Oo Lwin at the Foreign Ministry.
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Sri Lanka Marxist party says the prorogation of parliament is to silence opposition voice
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May 08 (CP) Colombo- Sri Lanka Marxist party, Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) charged the government that its decision to prorogue the parliament has been taken to silence the opposition's voice, particularly against election violence in the Eastern Province.
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Sri Lanka launches new website on 'Eastern Revival'
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May 08, Colombo: Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa yesterday ceremoniously launched a new web site on the development programs and progress of the Eastern Province. The new website www.neweast.lk will serve as an international information gateway to the Eastern Revival Programme, a press release issued by the government said.
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India funding Lanka to get weapons from Pak: Vaiko
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May 08 (Statesman) CHENNAI- Taking exception to India providing Rs 400 crore loans to Sri Lankan defence department at concessional interest, MDMK leader Mr Vaiko has alleged that the Centre was only providing funds to Sri Lanka to purchase arms from Pakistan and China.
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'My daughter, the terrorist'
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May 08 (Asia Times) OSLO- In Sri Lanka's brutal civil war, some rebel women end their lives as suicide bombers that have killed hundreds over the years. A Norwegian documentary film that follows two 24-year-olds training to do just this has enraged the Sri Lankan government, but raises important questions about the conduct of war and its consequences.
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Committee to promote Gandhian ideals in Sri Lanka
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May 08 (NIP) DURBAN- With an aim to promote mahatma Gandhi's concept of non-violence in Sri Lanka, a 19-member committee, comprising representatives of various religious groups, has been formed in the war-ravaged country. Ela Gandhi, grand-daughter of mahatma Gandhi, today said that “the committee will promote non-violence, the only means through which the ethnic conflict in Sri Lanka can be brought to an end.”
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JVP dissidents meet media sans ‘stars’
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May 08 (DM) The media briefing by the JVP dissident group at the National Library Services Board auditorium took place yesterday without the participation of Mr. Wimal Weerawansa or any of the dissident group Parliamentarians as previously indicated in the invitation. However, the proceedings took a dramatic turn when an intruder allegedly from the main JVP disrupted the proceedings by starting to make a statement.
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At UN, Sri Lanka Serves Quiche for Rights Council Seat, France Missing, UNDP Worker and Gun
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May 08 (UNITED NATIONS) Sometimes in the battle of human rights perception, platters of boiled shrimp and cream puffs must be deployed. This happened on May 7 across from the UN, at the Sri Lankan Ambassador's 38th floor apartment over Second Avenue.
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There cannot be talks with LTTE alone - Anandasangaree
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May 08 (DN) It is very unfortunate that most countries and various organisations all over the world, without understanding the ground situation keep on asking the Government of Sri Lanka to stop the war and to start talks with the LTTE. The war must stop but there cannot be talks with the LTTE alone, said Tamil United Liberation Front (TULF) leader V. Anandasangaree yesterday.
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Sri Lankan election in former rebel area marred by accusations of violence
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May 09 (AP) VALAICHCHENAI, Sri Lanka- Arumugam Jagan, an opposition candidate in Sri Lanka's Eastern Province elections, can barely campaign. His posters are torn down or covered in tar. He says he has been threatened by former rebels allied with the ruling party, and his supporters have been attacked as they handed out fliers and threatened with retaliation after Saturday's vote.
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Government committed to consolidate peace, harmony
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May 09 (DN) Colombo- President Mahinda Rajapaksa yesterday said the Government is committed to consolidate law and order and peace harmony with the help of heroic Forces who have already liberated the Eastern province. The soldiers have rendered a yeoman service to eliminate terrorism. It is the responsibility of the Government to look after the welfare of the war heroes and their families.
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WFP seeks $36mn to feed Sri Lanka’s displaced people
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May 09 (GT) COLOMBO- A UN agency yesterday appealed for 36mn dollars to feed thousands of Sri Lankans displaced by fighting between troops and rebels amidst galloping global commodity prices. The World Food Programme (WFP) now feeds more than 1mn Sri Lankans, of whom 400,000 have been internally displaced.
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Sri Lanka's Marxist party backed nurses' trade union gives up strike after three patients die in Ratnapura
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May 09 (CP) Ratnapura- Sri Lanka's government Nurses Association today gave up their strike at Ratnapura hospital after three patients died due to unavailability of treatments. The Marxist Jantha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) backed nurses' trade union came to this decision as the media gave wide publicity to the deaths of the patients and to the blatant disregard on the part of the trade union members for the public.
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Minister warns of criminal charges over patients’ deaths
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May 09 (DM) The strike launched at the Ratnapura hospital came to an end last evening. An agreement was reached to amicably resolve the issue. Meanwhile the trade union action begun after a male nurse was penalised for allegedly assaulting a doctor was said to have led to the death of three patients.
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Sri Lanka seeks to attract more Mideast visitors
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May 09 (Gulf News) Dubai- Sri Lanka has identified the Middle East as one of the two new key markets in its efforts to develop its tourism industry, which has been weakened by the years of civil conflict. At present, Britain and India are its major source tourist markets and accounted for about 200,000 visitors in 2007.
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Eastern election must not lead to further alienation says Sri Lanka's National Peace Council
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May 08 (CP) Colombo: The National Peace Council yesterday issuing a media communique viewed the forthcoming elections as an opportunity for the government to demonstrate its commitment to the democratic process as part and parcel of its strategy to resolve the ethnic conflict in a just and democratic manner. “So far the level of violence has been relatively low which is a positive feature that we hope will continue until election day on May 10 and in the post-election period. However, available evidence indicates that campaigning was carried out under a security environment not conducive to a free and fair election,” it said.
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Prorogation of parliament is not an attempt to run away from problems, Sri Lanka Minister says
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May 08 (CP) Colombo- Sri Lanka government today confuted the President's decision to prorogue the parliament saying that it was not an attempt to run away from problems. Media Minister Lakshman Yapa Abeywardena speaking at a press conference assured that none of the parliamentary select committees would be affected by the decision.
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Sri Lanka President, a dictator awaiting, says main opposition
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May 08 (CP) Colombo- Sri Lanka's main opposition, the United National Party (UNP) yesterday called President Rajapaksa a 'dictator awaiting'. Speaking at a media briefing held at the Parliament complex, opposition leader Ranil Wickremasinghe said the President's decision to end the parliamentary sessions would be followed by the next step of ending the democracy. Wickremasinghe said that he was unaware that the session had been closed until he arrived at the parliament Wednesday morning.
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Sri Lanka hopeful of Indian help to overcome rice crisisi
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May 08 (DNA) COLOMBO- Sri Lanka has expressed hope that neighbour India would relax its decision not to export non-basmati rice and thus rescue the island nation from a looming rice crisis. "If there is severe rice shortage in Sri Lanka, India would definitely offer its assistance. India has 2.5 million tonnes of rice in their stores now and helping Sri Lanka in this regard will not be a problem for them at all," R.A.D Ratnayake, secretary to the ministry of commerce and consumer affairs, said on Thursday.
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Sri Lanka tests anti-rebel drive at polls
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May 08 (AFP) COLOMBO- Sri Lanka's tense east votes in local elections on Saturday in what is seen as a key test of the government's strategy to go all-out for a military victory against Tamil Tiger rebels. Nearly one million people are eligible to elect 35 officials in the multi-ethnic districts of Trincomalee, Batticaloa and Ampara -- areas that included sizeable rebel pockets prior to a major offensive in July last year.
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Sri Lanka bars foreign media from covering eastern elections
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May 08 (AP) VALAICHCHENAI, Sri Lanka- Sri Lanka's military barred foreign journalists Thursday from covering weekend elections in the east that are seen as a test of confidence in the government, which seized the region from Tamil Tiger rebels last year. Maj. Gen. Palitha Fernando said any foreigner not registered as an election observer cannot be in Eastern province during the polls. An Associated Press reporter and a photographer were stopped at a checkpoint and were asked to go back.
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Campaign for Eastern Polls end midnight today
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May 08 (DGISL) Campaigning for the Eastern Provincial Council elections will end today (May 7) at midnight, Elections Department announced. The election, scheduled for May 10 to appoint 37 members for the Eastern PC, will be conducted in the Ampara, Batticaloa and Trincomalee districts at 1,022 polling centres with 1,342 candidates in the fray from 18 political parties and 73 independent groups.
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Shivanethurai Chandrakanthan (Pillayan), Tamil Tiger breakaway leader and main candidate of provincial council elections under the government ruling party People Alliance, attends a meeting during his political campaign in Batticaloa, eastern Sri Lanka May 7, 2008.
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Hasi, a Sri Lankan girl who was severely burned as an infant, will get better because of a Groton woman's love
May 08 (Boston Globe) Hasi, as the little girl from Sri Lanka is known, has slipped effortlessly into her new American lifestyle. She lives in a big house with a huge lawn in a new development in Groton. She loves mashed potatoes. She calls all cartoons "Scooby-Doo," and she gets sloppy kisses from her family's frisky old Weimaraner. more stories like this
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Sri Lanka party pushing for Muslim chief minister
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May 08 (Dawn) COLOMBO- Sri Lanka’s chief Muslim party, the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC), which represents the country’s 7 per cent Muslim population and is contesting the provincial council polls in the volatile east, say they are pushing for a Muslim chief minister in the war torn region. The party is also demanding a “non-contiguous Muslim majority power sharing unit” in the eastern province.
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