Liam Fox, the Former British Defence Secretary who was forced to resign is accused of seeking funds from wealthy Tamil businessmen in the UK. Former head of the UNP’s British branch Dr. Roger Srinivasan says he met Dr Fox few times accompanying an opposition parliamentarian visiting London during 2007-2009. Dr Fox requested him to introduce wealthy Tamils in UK at a time the Sri Lank...

The ruling party in Sri Lanka should take the responsibility for the recent murder of a presidential advisor, his family members say. In an exclusive interview with BBC Sandeshaya, Swarna Guanaratne, elder sister of slain Bharatha Lakshman Premachandra said that the family is not satisfied

Military authorities in Sri Lanka say they are not aware of a serious assault on a Tamil student leader allegedly by military personnel. Military spokesman, Brig Nihal Hapuarachchi, told BBC Sinhala service that he has received no information about the alleged involvement of the military.

OCTOBER 17, 2011: Status: Not Free Legal Environment: 23 Political Environment: 30 Economic Environment: 18 Total Score: 71 Despite the end of the government’s long-running war with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) rebel group in May 2009, media freedom remained restricted in Sri Lanka, with journalists subject to myriad forms of legal harassment and physical intimidation. Altho...

Impunity lies at the heart of the Kolonnawa killings “A foul, dishonourable crew….” Giaccomo Leopardi (To Angelo Mai III) By Tisaranee Gunasekara In the Rajapaksa Security State, insecurity is the common condition of the rest of us… Impunity makes jungles out of civilised societies, where the big and the powerful prey on those smaller and ...

Noel Bruno Dawsan, a Sri Lankan, has been recognized as the world's best tour guide by the British travel magazine Wanderlust. The winner says he is delighted and will help disadvantaged people into further education with his bursary. A Tamil of Indian origin, he comes from a family of impoverished tea pickers in a remote Sri Lankan town. Mr. Dawsan was hailed by the judges as a ...

British media reports that the Sri Lanka Development Fund, set up by Britain’s Defence Secretary Liam Fox has not achieved any results other than to pay for his trips to the island. The defence secretary has told the House of Commons that he had worked with people in business, banking and politics in Sri Lanka since 2009 to set up the Trust to help with reconstruction of the country aft...

Gulf Air, the national carrier of the Kingdom of Bahrain, yesterday took delivery of its first A330-200 aircraft retrofitted with Panasonic Avionics Corporation’s (Panasonic) Global Communications Suite. The comprehensive communications and entertainment solution, ‘Sky Hub’, offers passengers onboard full broadband connectivity to access internet, mobile phone services and, for t...

British defence secretary Liam Fox is facing renewed political pressure after emails and video footage emerged appearing to contradict his explanation of his working relationship with a close friend, Adam Werritty. BBC reports that video revealed Mr. Werritty, who has no official role

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A group of Buddhist monks in Sri Lanka led a crowd that demolished a Muslim shrine last week, the BBC has learned

Buddhist monks led a crowd that demolished a Muslim shrine in northern Sri Lanka last week, the BBC learns, amid calls for the government to act.

The Canadian prime minister has called upon heads of state to consider Sri Lanka’s human rights record before attending the Commonwealth leaders’ summit (CHOGM) to be held in Colombo. Answering a question by a journalist in Toronto, PM Stephen Harper said he has expressed his reservations on Sri Lanka hosting the 2013 summit. “I intend ...

Dr. Craig Turner, EDGE Conservation Biologist from the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) and Sri Lankan zoologist, Saman Gamage called on the British High Commissioner John Rankin recently to brief him about the work being done to protect the red slender loris. Until recently, the Horton Plains slender loris was believed possibly extinct. In 2009, ...

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Those who attack military and police installations are “terrorists” and will be charged with country’s anti-terror regulations, says Sri Lanka military, BBC reports. .

Vavuniya Government Agent P. S. M. Charles yesterday blasted the BBC for twisting war-related news to compromise the national reconciliation process. An irate Ms Charles said that a calculated attempt was being made to deceive people living here and abroad regarding the number of missing in Sri

The plantation sector in Sri Lanka is “in turmoil” as a result of the recent hike in workers’ salaries, tea traders say. Jayantha Keragala, the chairman of Ceylon Tea Traders Association (CTTA) has told BBC Sandeshaya that the industry is not faced with an immediate crisis due

According to latest report of Global Peace Index (GPI), Sri Lanka ranked 126 while Norway ranked in ninth place. Here we are talking about the riots that took place in UK recently and the same GPI ranked the UK in 26th place (100 places ahead of Sri Lanka). A series of incidents erupted in England ...

A son of Muammar Gaddafi, previously reported captured, made a surprise appearance with jubilant supporters in Tripoli overnight, urging loyalists to fight off rebels who say they control most of the Libyan capital. Saif al-Islam, seen as his father’s chosen successor, visited the Tripoli hotel where foreign journalists are staying to declare that the government ...

A young Diaspora Tamil will perform Wednesday evening alongside leading South Indian vocalist Aruna Sairam at the first Carnatic concert as part of the BBC Proms. Veena virtuoso Hari Sivanesan, the latest recipient of the BBC Radio 3 World Routes Academy, is a student of Smt Sivasakthi Sivanesan

A former official at Sri Lanka Cricket has told the BBC it signed a five-year deal allowing a foreign company to run SLPL.

July 11, Colombo: Sri Lanka Army has strongly rejected a BBC news report that said the people in Kilinochchi who protested against Britain's Channel4 video were tricked into protesting by the Army.

Refuting unsubstantiated allegations in "Sri Lanka's Killing Fields", Acting High Commissioner P M Amza questioned the motive behind Channel 4's vindictive campaign against Sri Lanka.

A Sri Lankan housemaid says she was not paid for over 15 years by employers in Saudi Arabia. GD Kusuma Nandani was speaking to BBC Sandeshaya from the Olaya detention...

Army Spokesman Major General Ubaya Madawela told BBC Sandesshaya that they have received a copy of t..

Refuting unsubstantiated allegations in "Sri Lanka's Killing Fields", Acting High Commissioner P M Amza questioned the motive behind Channel 4's vindictive campaign against Sri Lanka.

Callum Mcrae, the producer of the notorious documentary, “Sri Lanka’s Killing Fields” took part in a discussion aired by the Asian Network of the BBC on Wednesday.

An effort made to harm the reputation of Sri Lanka using the Channel 4 documentary has failed. Sri Lanka was cleared of the allegations at a meeting held to raise awareness amongst all member countries of the UN regarding the Channel 4 documentary. The conspirators were made speechless by the answers offered by Sri Lanka. ...

History proves the efforts made by Channel Four to get popularized by crafting controversial as well as programmes provoking the people. The report telecast by Channel Four villifying the Sri Lankan Government and the Security Forces is the talk of the day among various communities. Media institutions as well as many critics point out that ...