Massive Paddy Cultivation Program in North
MARKING another historic achievement in the Northern Development drive, the Government yesterday inaugurated a massive cultivation project in the Jaffna peninsula with the cultivation of 1,124 acres of paddy land. This project falls under the Government's Uthuru Wasanthaya (Vadakkin Vasantham) development program which is an initiative of the Presidential Task Force chaired by Senior Presidential Advisor Basil Rajapaksa MP.These paddy lands were left abandoned due to LTTE terrorist intimidation for over 10 years. These abandoned lands are in Thananthilappu, Marawankkulav- south of Chavakachchari. These lands are administered under two Grama Niladari Divisions.
THE Sri Lankan Army is one of the most disciplined Armies in the world, Media and Information Minister Anura Priyadarshana Yapa said. The Minister flatly denied certain foreign media reports such as over Channel 4 and Al-Jazeera that the Sri Lanka Army had violated human rights. "The Sri Lanka Army consists of professionals who always respect human rights and ethics. Sri Lanka Army maintains the quality of a professional Army. We have seen hundreds of incidents where human rights were violated by foreign forces in the world," he said.
COLOMBO: A SPECIAL Police team on a tip-off conducted a search operation in ANGULANA area and recovered two claymore mines buried in a bare land near the bus stand in front of the ANGULANA church around 1.00 p.m. on Friday (28). One claymore weighs about 24.3 kgs and the other one is about 11.5 kg. 
MAJOR General L.B.R Mark assumed office as Commander, Security Forces, Jaffna this morning (28) after a brief ceremony, attended by religious dignitaries and senior Army and tri-service officers. Major General L.B.R Mark succeeds Major General G.P.R de Silva who assumed duties as Chief of Staff, Joint Staff-Office of the Chief of Defence Staff in Colombo. On his arrival at the Security Forces Headquarters, Jaffna (SFHQ-J), the new Jaffna Commander inspected the Guard Turn-out accorded to him before he received the Guard of Honor given by the soldiers of 4th Battalion of Gemunu Watch.
THE 2009 A/L examination papers will be evaluated in Jaffna for the first time after 12 years, a top Examinations Department official said yesterday (29). The A/L paper marking sessions will commence today (30) and is due to continue until September 10, 2009 consisting of two stages. “We have chosen some 12,000 evaluators altogether and the number of assessors in Jaffna alone would be 200,” Examinations Commissioner Anura Edirisinghe said.
NORTH: ARMY troops conducting search and clear operations in the general areas of VISUAMADU, VELLAMULLIVAIKKAL, PUTHUKKUDIYIRUPPU and UDAYARKATTUKULAM in WANNI and PORAKALAMADU in BATTICALOA found three T-56 weapons, one T-56 magazine, thirteen rounds of T-56 ammunition, fourteen hand grenades, six Rocket Propelled Grenades (RPG), thirty-seven 60 mm mortar bombs, two Arul bombs, one RPG launcher, 10 kg of C-4 explosives, thirteen detonator cords, twenty-two electric detonators, two hundred and seventy-three Jonny mines, one booby trap and two hand grenades on Saturday (29). 
LIEUTENANT General Jagath Jayasuriya, Commander of the Army during his participation in the recent 6th Pacific Armies Chiefs’ Conference (PACC VI) in Japan held a record thirteen bilateral discussions with participating Chiefs of Armies and two representatives. The Sixth Pacific Armies Chiefs’ Conference, held in Tokyo, Japan (24-27 August) was co-hosted by the USA and Japan. It was attended by 22 Army Chiefs from Asia Pacific countries, including Australia, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore and the US. ‘The Role That Land Forces Should Play in Military Civic Cooperation in Disaster Relief and Humanitarian Assistance Operations’ was the major theme for this year’s conference. The conference covering two areas focused on conduct of multilateral sessions based on separate topics and bilateral meetings between Chiefs of Armies. The multilateral discussions were centred largely on respective regional issues, connected to Disaster Relief and Humanitarian Assistance Operations.