Govt. refuses to release Indian fishermen -Despite Jayalalithaa’s threat to abort talks

Sri Lanka yesterday said it has no plans to release 74 Indian fishermen and the 18 boats seized on Wednesday, before the proposed Colombo Talks next Tuesday (25), despite Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa Jeyaram categorically stating that there will be no talks if the fishermen are not released. […]





Talks only if Sri Lanka releases fishermen: CM

Chief Minister Jayalalithaa on Thursday said the next round of talks between Tamil Nadu and Sri Lankan fishermen, scheduled for March 25, can take place only if all the Indian fishermen apprehended by the Sri Lankan Navy on Wednesday are released. […]





President agrees to meet CBK

President Mahinda Rajapaksa has agreed to meet with former President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga (CBK), following a request made by Kumaratunga to discuss religious harmony in the country, a highly reliable source said. […]




Fugitive drug kingpin caught in Kandy hotel

Police Narcotic Bureau (PNB) yesterday arrested two drug lords––a Canadian of Sri Lankan origin and a Pakistani who, on March 5, attempted to smuggle into the country 36 kilos of heroin with a street value of Rs. 360 million in two unaccompanied boxes declared as hardware items. […]




Area of Malaysia plane search now size of Australia

KUALA LUMPUR – An international land and sea search for a missing Malaysian jetliner is covering an area the size of Australia, authorities said on Tuesday, but police and intelligence agencies have yet to establish a clear motive to explain its disappearance. […]