Morawaka

[TamilNet, Friday, 20 August 2010, 22:29 GMT]
The side of Mora trees (Nephelium longanum)
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SLA soldier taking drugs to Kilinochchi arrested

[TamilNet, Thursday, 22 July 2010, 11:14 GMT]
Amid several allegations that members of the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) and other state security forces have been engaged in smuggling ganja, a locally made drug, opium and other prohibited narcotics items to the Northern Province for sale, the Sri Lanka Police Wednesday arrested a soldier of the SLA at Anuradhapura while seated in a bus that destined for Kilinochchi with about one hundred packets of powdered ganja, sources said.
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Major earthquake in Indian Ocean, tsunami watch cancelled

[TamilNet, Saturday, 12 June 2010, 20:23 GMT]
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center in Hawaii, which issued a tsunami watch warning following a major earthquake off the Nicobar Islands Sunday at 1:26 a.m. local time at the epicenter, has cancelled the warning later as sea level readings did not indicate any significant tsunami. Tsunami watch was initially announced for India, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Thailand, Malaysia and for other areas of the Indian ocean following the powerful 7.5 Magnitude earthquake at a relatively shallow depth of about 22 miles in the Nicobar Islands area of the Indian Ocean. Several parts of the island of Sri Lanka experienced a tremor around 1:00 a.m. Buildings and houses in and around Colombo, Negombo, Galle, Matara experienced the tremor that lasted for less than one minute. The Sri Lankan Meteorology Department had also issued a tsunami warning around 2:00 a.m. local time.
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Bhikku to conduct pooja in Kathirkaamam Pi'l'laiyaar temple

[TamilNet, Sunday, 23 May 2010, 10:03 GMT]
A fundamental right violation petition was filed in Matara High Court last week challenging the action taken by the relevant Sri Lanka government authority to appoint a Buddhist monk to hold Pooja and manage the administration of the Chellak-Kathirkaamam Maa'nikka Pi'l'laiyaar Temple in Kathirkaamam.
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Colombo Stock Exchange to open branch in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Sunday, 25 April 2010, 17:44 GMT]
A branch of the Colombo Stock Exchange (CSE) will be opened in Jaffna soon as a response increased demand by the peninsula business community, Udayasiri Kariyawasam, Chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission told media Sunday.
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Dengue claims 63 in first three months, 16 in Jaffna

[TamilNet, Sunday, 28 March 2010, 18:15 GMT]
More than eleven thousand people had been inflicted with dengue fever between 1st January and 25th March this year, and more than 63 have been reported dead. The Jaffna district reordered sixteen deaths, highest in Sri Lanka, and second is Colombo with thirteen deaths. The rest of the death occurred in Gampaha, Kandy, Matara and Negombo, according to the Dengue Task Force meeting held at Health Ministry Friday.
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Election violence on the increase – CaFFe

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 17 March 2010, 09:44 GMT]
Election related violence has risen to eighty-six since the closure of nomination for the forthcoming general election that is scheduled to be held on April 8, according to Keerthi Tennakoon, spokesman for the Campaign for Free and Fair Elections (CaFFe), an election monitoring group. The violence included nineteen cases of damage to property, thirty assaults, 321 election violations and thirteen cases of abusing state property.
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China lends Sri Lanka $290m for development

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 10 March 2010, 12:30 GMT]
China has completed arrangements through its funding arm, Exim Bank, to provide $290m in concessionary development loans to Sri Lanka, Reuters reported. $190m of the loan is to develop a second airport in Matara and the other $100m is to improve the railways. China was the largest foreign funding source for Sri Lanka in 2009 with $1.2 billion followed by the Asian Development Bank with $424 million, according to the same report. The 2009 funds were allocated to build roads, coal power project in the Eastern province, and a port in Sri Lanka's President's electorate in Hambantota.
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Sportsmen join election run

[TamilNet, Saturday, 20 February 2010, 21:52 GMT]
Former Cricket captain Sanath Jayasuriya and Sri Lankan sprint queen and Melbourne Olympic silver medallist Susanthika Jayasinghe have received nominations to contest in the forthcoming parliamentary elections under the UPFA ticket.
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694 election related complaints, 289 persons arrested

[TamilNet, Monday, 18 January 2010, 16:05 GMT]
Two hundred and eighty nine persons were arrested and the number of pre-election related violence and complaints has risen to six hundred and ninety four till Sunday night, according to Inspector General of Police (IGP) Mahinda Balasuriya. The IGP revealed these figures at a media briefing held Monday in Colombo.
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2nd killing in election violence reported from Puththa'lam

[TamilNet, Saturday, 16 January 2010, 15:33 GMT]
A United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA) supporter was shot and killed and four others injured in a clash between UPFA and United National Party (UNP) supporters Saturday afternoon at Mathurangkuzhi in Puththa'lam North Western Province. Sri Lankan Police said the dead was a supporter of the ruling UPFA. Four others were also injured in the shooting. Several buildings in the area were set on fire. The shops belong to the UNP supporters were set on fire by the UPFA supporters.
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Ruling party Matara Mayor extends support to Fonseka

[TamilNet, Saturday, 16 January 2010, 08:03 GMT]
Mayor of Matara Municipal Council, Upul Nishantha, Saturday crossed over from the ruling United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) and extended support to General (retd) Fonseka. Mr. Upul Nishantha is the Matara district organizer of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP), the main constituent of the UPFA.
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JHU faction quits party to support Fonseka

[TamilNet, Friday, 15 January 2010, 12:31 GMT]
Seven leading Buddhist monks holding important posts in the Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU), a constituent of ruling United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) led by Sri Lanka's President Mahinda Rajapakse pledged their support to Opposition Common Candidate General Sarath Fonseka in the forthcoming presidential election, reports from Colombo said.
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Gunman opens fire on Fonseka supporters, woman killed, 10 wounded

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 12 January 2010, 14:17 GMT]
A 58-year-old mother of five died on the spot and ten civilians seriously injured when a gunman who arrived in a motor bike fired at a bus transporting supporters of common opposition candidate General Sarath Fonseka Tuesday afternoon in Tangalle of the southern province. Tension prevailed in the area following the shooting incident, which the Sri Lankan police described as the first ever election related killing reported from the Southern Sri Lanka.
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22 election related violence reported before nomination day

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 16 December 2009, 13:34 GMT]
About twenty two cases of poll-related incidents of violence and intimidation have been reported to independent election observers. Majority of complaints have been made by the main opposition United National Party (UNP) and Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), according to Mr.Keerthi Tennakoon, co-coordinator of the Campaign for Free and Fair Elections (CaFFe).
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Police arrest Tamil civilian in Akuressa

[TamilNet, Thursday, 26 November 2009, 08:52 GMT]
Sri Lanka Police arrested a Tamil civilian in Akuressa in Matara district Wednesday. Police sources said he was taken into custody on receipt of information that he was involved in several terrorist activities in the south including the bomb attack that took place on March 10 this year. Several persons were killed in the blast. Minister of Posts Mahinda Wijesekara was seriously injured.
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Election monitors blame police for increase of election violence in South

[TamilNet, Monday, 21 September 2009, 02:46 GMT]
Election monitors blame the police of not doing enough to prevent the increasing incidences of pre-poll violence and violation of election laws as the Southern Provincial Council election draws closer. The elections monitoring body- Campaign for Free & Fair Elections (CaFFE) has received reports of 24 pre-poll violations and assaults. The majority of the incidents have been reported from Galle, Hambantota and Matara.
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JVP offices burnt down in Galle, Matara

[TamilNet, Saturday, 19 September 2009, 07:27 GMT]
Two election offices of the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) located in Seenipella and Kiriveldeniya in Galle and Matara districts were set on fire Thursday night by unidentified gang suspected to be ruling UPFA supporters. JVP member of the Mulatiyana Pradeshiya Sabha and Matara district provincial election candidate Ajantha Gammedda complained to the police that the furniture and several banners in the two offices were destroyed by the fire.
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Attacks on JVP offices continue in southern province

[TamilNet, Monday, 31 August 2009, 14:01 GMT]
Second political office of the Sinhala Marxist Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) in Hungama Police area of the Matara district in southern province was attacked by a group of supporters of the ruling United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA) Sunday night since the nominations for the Southern Provincial Council closed on Friday, JVP party spokesman said.
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