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Home » ColumnsMillions wasted on Lanka’s ghost consulate in LA
The Financial Crimes Investigation Division (FCID) has started a probe on how a Sri Lanka Consul General’s office in Los Angeles received Government funds running into millions of rupees when it was not staffed for more than two years. The probe comes on a directive from Police Chief Pujith Jayasundera to FCID Chief Senior DIG [...]
House heads for New Year with old woes made worse
By Chandani Kirinde- Lobby Correspondent As the month-long debate on the Appropriation Bill 2017 came to an end this week, and the year’s Parliamentary sittings too drew to a close, the Government got a taste of what lies ahead in the new year- more dissension within its own ranks, an increasingly aggressive Joint Opposition (JO) [...]
Delays in big corruption probes raise major questions
SLFP ministerial committee proposes special presidential commission to probe Central Bank bond issue; parliamentary debate next month Stormy exchanges at Cabinet meeting, two ministers drop bombshells: Rajitha alleges leak of info while Champika threatens to go public Disagreements among ruling party politicians widen; Dilan accuses UNP of link with Basil By Our Political Editor Tuesday’s [...]
What call?
My dear IGP, I thought of writing to you after hearing about you being in the news – or rather, hearing you on the telephone, making news – simply because you received a telephone call and someone overheard what you said. Who would have thought that a single telephone call would make such a great [...]
Opposition to taxes and inability to tax: Expenditure without taxation
The taxation proposals in the budget have been opposed through violent protests, demonstrations and strikes. At the same time, there are demands for additional expenditure in social infrastructure, social welfare and numerous benefits from the government. People want reductions in prices that decrease revenue, while opposing privatisation of loss making state owned enterprises that increase [...]
Indulging in sunshine stories and taking foolhardy risks
If the thinking was that the risks of taking an intelligence chief as part of the Government delegation to brief the United Nations Committee against Torture (UNCAT) recently would be offset as a result of sunshine stories spun by the Government’s policy propagandists living in cloud cuckoo land, then a rude shock was administered this [...]
Jayalalithaa leaves Tamil Nadu a ‘motherless child’
Grieving, weeping, breast beating Tamil state wails for her dead red rose From nautch girl to love goddess of the Tamil silver screen to political leader to chief minister to become a people’s ‘Amma’ Of the dead, nothing but the truth. But as they laid Jayalalithaa Jayaram to her grave last Tuesday evening and buried [...]
Official eruption on anti-corruption
Glory be! Who would have thought this would happen. But then not too long ago someone did label Sri Lanka the Miracle of Asia. After all this is the time of year when Santa Claus is said to come round bearing gifts for the festive season which could hardly be festive if you have not [...]