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Home » NewsUnlike 2015, President’s pics all over Colombo
With the SLFP’s crucial 66th anniversary convention being held today at Campbell Park, Borella, Maradana, Kotte and other areas were decorated with big pictures of President Maithripala Sirisena, on banners and posters. It was in contrast to what happened at the January 2015 presidential election where Mr. Sirisean ordered that his cutouts should not be [...]
RDA heads for collision on expressways
Road Development Authority (RDA) engineers have attacked Government plans to give management of existing and future expressways to an international company, saying this RDA division generated income and did not warrant privatisation. The proposal—aimed at raising an advance payment that could then be used to complete three other expressways—was only revealed through a draft newspaper [...]
721 BOI companies closed down from 2010 to 2016
A total of 721 Board of Investment-approved companies, including more than 100 that were granted BOI lands on lease, closed down in the seven years between 2010 and 2016. This is an average of 103 companies a year. The number of approvals granted for new BOI companies during the same period was 1,246, data obtained [...]
Speedy jury trial for alleged killer of President’s brother
The Polonnaruwa High Court will hold a jury trial between November 20 and 30 to hear the case against the main suspect in the murder of Priyantha Sirisena, the brother of President Maithripala Sirisena. The suspect, Don Ishara Lakmal Saputhanthri (34), who appeared before Polonnaruwa High Court Judge Nimal Ranaweera, has pleaded not guilty to [...]
160 new Indian trains: Ministry calls for fresh EOI
For the second time in a year, expressions of interest were called by the Ministry of Transport to buy 160 passenger coaches for Sri Lanka Railways under an Indian line of credit. The deadline ended on Friday, with one condition of the loan being that only manufacturers and suppliers certified by the Indian Government may [...]
SAITM dispute: President wants report in ten days
President Maithripala Sirisena has appointed a five-member committee to propose a solution to the longstanding dispute over the recognition of the privately-owned South Asian Institute of Technology and Medicine (SAITM) within 10 days. The committee comprises Deputy Policy Planning and Economic Development Minister Harsha de Silva, Higher Education Ministry Secretary D.C. Dissanayake, Health Ministry Secretary [...]
Drastic drop in poaching after new law: More positive steps to settle issues
The ban on bottom trawling fishing in Sri Lanka has helped to ‘drastically’ reduce poaching by Indian fishermen in the Palk Strait, Fisheries Ministry Secretary W.M.M.R. Adhikari told the Sunday Times. She said the reduction had come soon after Parliament in July approved a law criminalising bottom trawling as a punishable offence with provision to [...]
Premier calls for rule-based Indian Ocean order for region’s peace and prosperity
Sri Lanka intends to take a lead role in initiating a legal order in the Indian Ocean to ensure freedom of navigation, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe said. Delivering the inaugural address at the 2017 Indian Ocean Conference at Temple Trees, the Prime Minister said the country was looking forward to engaging with all interested parties [...]
Row over power plan: CEB union to strike
The Ceylon Electricity Board Engineers’ Union (CEBEU) has decided to take trade union action over inaction by the Ministry of Power and Renewable Energy to obtain approval for the CEB’s Long Term Power Generation Plan. The key controversy revolves around the action taken in July by the Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka (PUCSL), the [...]
Norwegian experts to plug the leaks
Norwegian experts have recommended a pre- and post-grouting to rectify and stop water seeping into the underground tunnel of the Uma Oya Multi-Purpose Development Project, said Mahaweli Ministry Secretary Anura Dissanayake yesterday. He said the Local Expert Committee (LEC) and the Subject Experts of the Project Management are working with the Contractor’s new technical experts [...]
Chaos at NCPA board meeting after ex-director walks in
A senior Women and Child Affairs Ministry official who had completed her term as National Child Protection Authority (NCPA) director had forced her way into a meeting of the NCPA’s Director Board and intimidated those present, officials alleged. They said the former director, who was also an Additional Secretary to the Ministry of Women and [...]
More amendments to Tax Bill ahead of Thursday’s debate
A large number of amendments are to be moved to the Inland Revenue Bill which will be taken up for debate on Thursday. The amendments are being made after the Finance Ministry called for inputs from the public and Inland Revenue trade unions in the wake of objections to the original version of the Bill. [...]
Health officials warn of return of A H1N1 influenza
Health authorities are warning of a possible return of the A H1N1 influenza. Health Services Director General J.M.W. Jayasundara Bandara told the Sunday Times the country had just recovered from the A H1N1 flu and there could be a possible comeback of the flu. He assured the general public that necessary precautions were being taken. [...]
Haj festival prayers at Galle Face
Muslim devotees performing prayers at the Galle Face grounds as they celebrated the Eid ul Adha Haj festival yesterday. The festival marks the end of the annual Haj pilgrimage in Mecca, Saudi Arabia. Pic by M.A. Pushpakumara
Abortion Bill put on hold amid opposition from religious leaders
The proposed abortion bill has been put on hold because religious leaders have failed to come to a consensus, a senior official said. Justice Ministry Secretary Padmasiri Jayamanne said that during talks with representatives of the Buddhist, Christian and Muslim Communities, they could not come to an agreement on a report which recommended that abortion [...]
Ministry directive slashing OT payment by half, withdrawn
The Ministry of Labour and Trade Union Relations this week recalled an internal directive issued by its Secretary, to employees, that overtime (OT) payments would be slashed by half with immediate effect, as there is an apparent shortage of funds to pay them. Minister of Labour W.D.J. Seneviratna told the Sunday Times that he had [...]
Print is preferred choice
As the future of print media is unclear in the global phenomenon, Sri Lanka joined other South Asian countries where the newspaper industry is thriving, despite challenges of digitalisation, online media platforms and penetration of the internet, a Central Bank research study revealed. According to provisional data in the latest edition of the Central Bank’s [...]
SLFP celebrates 66th anniversary today
The Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) will mark its 66th anniversary today in Colombo on a grand scale. Thousands of party faithful are expected to pack Campbell Park, Borella, to celebrate the occasion under the patronage of SLFP Chairman, President Maithripala Sirisena. For President Sirisena, it will be his third party convention since he was [...]
SL eyes cooperation with Chinese business to attract investments
Sri Lanka is looking forward to enhance its cooperation with the Chinese business community over a range of sectors, to attract more Chinese investment, said the head of a Chinese delegation attending the Indian Ocean Conference (IOC) 2017 in Colombo yesterday. World Peace & Communications Association (WPCA) Vice President Marina Jiang, told a media briefing [...]
Prefab houses: Court told Cabinet approved granting contract without tender
Tamil National Alliance (TNA) Parliamentarian M. A. Sumanthiran this week withdrew his Supreme Court petition challenging the proposed construction of prefabricated houses for the war-displaced in the North and East but will file a fresh application next week after making the Cabinet of Ministers respondents. The other respondents are Resettlement Minister D M Swaminathan and [...]
New Laws with spiked fines to enhance road safety
Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation Nimal Siripala De Silva will present an Amendment to the Motor Traffic Act, in Parliament on Tuesday, that will introduce enhanced fines and a demerit point system to curb Highway Code violations. This Amendment comes as accidents continue to increase with close to 20,000 recorded in the first six [...]
Motorists’ ups and downs on ‘cratered’ roads
Most roads within Colombo and its suburbs, excavated for the laying of pipelines for water and electrical lines or repairs to sewerage pipes, have been left unattended or under-repaired, causing safety hazards and road accidents due to incomplete carpeting. A series of roads near Bloemendhal, Madampitiya, Maradana, Fort and byroads near Norris Canal have been [...]
Sri Lankans create hope, but canteens and polythene industry defiant
Some Sri Lankans with a social consciousness are creating ripples of hope of reducing the mountains of polythene waste, while owners of eateries who add millions of lunch sheets into the garbage piles every day are becoming defiant following the ban on polythene and plastic in all their forms. The Sunday Times has noticed some [...]
Insufficient skills to stop island from drowning in sorrow
Youngsters who are mostly drunk and who do not have basic survival skills in water are continuing to pay a heavy price with their lives, while Sri Lanka is struggling with training more life savers, both professional and volunteer. Sadly, for millions who are fighting to survive day to day in a country with hundreds [...]
Boat tragedies take heavy toll in northern waters
At least eight people have died in the northern waters last month in boat accidents. The latest was the tragedy that ended the lives of six young school students. On Monday afternoon, seven school students who had just sat for the Advanced Level examinations decided to take a ride to Mandaitheevu jetty to celebrate the [...]
Fuel bowser spills its load into Kalu Ganga
Kiriella Police said they were waiting for a report from the Water Resources Board (WRB) to ascertain the degree of pollution of the Kalu Ganga due to an oil leak from a toppled Ceylon Petroleum Corporation fuel bowser. A senior official of Kiriella Police said that the WRB was still gauging the pollution and the [...]
Geetha Kumarasinghe suffers burn injuries in household accident
Galle District MP Geetha Kumarasinghe was admitted to hospital with burn injuries yesterday after a gas leak at her home caused a fire. Police said the Ms. Kumarasinghe was in the kitchen of her home in Welikada last morning when she had turned on the gas cooker. Initial investigations have found that the cylinder’s pipe [...]
Youths abandoning political misfits and deplorable politics
Sri Lanka’s youths are distancing themselves from untrustworthy, uneducated, corrupt, politicians and crony politics through which politicians ingratiate themselves to a life of luxury from the public purse. The number of young people registering to vote is declining. The young are denouncing bankrupt economic ideas and a tainted political system dominated by clans and two [...]
From self sufficiency to a meal-a-day Govt. handouts
Some 800,000 families in drought affected districts whose sole livelihood is agriculture, are now reliant on ‘Govt Relief Packs’ (GRP) to survive. The drought, reportedly the worst in 40 years, has devastated agricultural areas and resulted in near complete collapse of economies in some of the affected districts. The situation is so dire that the [...]
Muruthana villagers in Negombo say quarry activities polluting their wells
As parts of the country reel from the effects of a prolonged drought, people living along the Maha Oya bank are struggling to find drinking water due to pollution. The worst affected are those living in the Muruthana village in Negombo, located just below the Bambukuliya water treatment plant. Villagers charge that the activities connected [...]
Electronic exam cheating exposes state university admissions calamity
An eight-member group will review the cheating involving the Colombo-schooled son of a police hospital dentist, a chemistry teacher and the doctor himself, who conspired to use a wireless electronic device and a hidden camera purchased online and a Facebook account to answer the chemistry paper at this year’s Advance Level exam. Five suspects including [...]
Global experts share views on countering violent extremism
More than 90 foreign defence scholars joined their Sri Lankan counterparts this week in Colombo for a major defence seminar to expound views on violent extremism. Attended by some 800 participants, the Colombo Defence Seminar 2017 held on August 28 and 29 at the BMICH saw 15 foreign and 12 Sri Lankan scholars speak on [...]
Investigations ongoing; CID Report after consulting AG: IGP to PM
Investigations into the Welikade Prison riots where 27 inmates were killed, five years back, are in progress and further reports will be filed by the Criminal Investigations Dept (CID) following consultations with the Attorney General (AG), the Inspector General of Police Pujith Jayasundara informed the Prime Minister’s office. The Report has been filed in response [...]
TID investigates threats to witnesses against ‘Tigers’ on trial
The Terrorism Investigation Division (TID) launched an investigation into alleged threats leveled at two witnesses due to testify in a case against three LTTE members on trial for the alleged executions of Army prisoners of war. The case has been fixed for trial at the Vavuniya High Court. The Attorney General, however, will decide whether [...]
Pick of the Pix
Pix by Amila Gamage, Priyantha Wickramarachchi, N.Parameshwaran Karunarathna and Gamage Karuwalagaswewa Jayarathna
Incessant sand mining along the banks of the Deduru Oya raises concern
Illegal sand mining along the banks of the Deduru Oya and on the fertile lands in Nindagama for the past three months is raising concern among residents. Tractors are being used indiscriminately for mining and transpoprtation of sand and villagers say that these lands well known for cultivation since ancient times are being plundered by [...]
3-wheeler drivers: A law unto themselves
The number of accidents involving 3-wheeled vehicles are increasing at an alarming rate; mainly due to traffic law violations and reckless driving by the three-wheel drivers themselves. Drivers of three-wheeled vehicles routinely break road rules for their own convenience, putting the lives of their passengers, road-users and their own lives at risk. Lane discipline is [...]
Genuine passport, genuine visa, but it’s a racket
After a five-month manhunt, Criminal Investigations Department (CID) sleuths have arrested two men who had allegedly sent more than 700 people to European countries — and they had genuine visas and genuine passports. Investigations have revealed that the men have charged three million rupees to prepare the necessary documents. The duo operated from two offices [...]
Smugglers nabbed transporting pregnancy terminating tablets
The Wanatha Villuwa police are interrogating three persons who were aprehended smuggling a large stock of tablets including drugs used for early termination of pregnancy The Puttalam Acting Magistrate Mohamed Iqbal extended the suspects period of detention until Tuesday so police could complete their investigations. On Friday the Magistrate ordered police to question the men [...]
Rain, reins in drought’s reign
The Meteorology (Met) Dept reported that the North, North-Central, and North-Western areas such as Vavuniya, Mullaitivu and Kurunegala received thundershowers on Thursday and Friday, after a period of arid weather conditions. The areas which reported significant rainfall on Friday (1) are Galle 128.3mm, Mihintale 57.5mm, Hurulu wewa 30mm and Wellawaya 22.5mm. Dodangaslanda with 137.5mm, had [...]
Navy foils attempt to smuggle ammonium salt of glyphosate
Three Indian nationals attempting to smuggle banned pesticide into the country were arrested off the north western coast by the Navy on Friday. Navy personnel attached to the North-Central Naval Command apprehended the smugglers at sea 33 nautical miles west of Kudiramalai. Naval personnel took into custody 1,125 kg of ammonium salt of glyphosate which [...]
Bottling Indonesia’s Gini
JAKARTA – When Indonesia declared independence from Dutch rule in 1945, the country’s founder, Sukarno, called on his people to build a nation that would “stand in strength,” eternally united. That mantra – unity and strength – helped shape the country’s future, including its approach to economic development. During much of Indonesia’s early history, its [...]