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Home » NewsThe emptiness of a double-edged honour
For many years Sri Lanka has had the distinction of having a slot for its head of delegation to the annual UN General Assembly sessions (UNGA) to speak on the opening day. However, this is a double-edged honour as the address follows that of the US President earlier in the day and the hall empties [...]
Rs. 20.6 bln. Russian patrol craft for Navy
A proposal from President Maithripala Sirisena, as Minister of Defence, to procure a US$ 135 million Russian-built Gepard 5.1 Offshore Patrol Vessel (OPV) is now before the Cabinet of Ministers. To be used by the Sri Lanka Navy, this purchase is from a credit line of US$ 300 million extended to Sri Lanka by the [...]
RDA releases Rs. 4 billion to Treasury to settle unpaid bills
The Road Development Authority has released Rs 4 billion from expressway earnings to the Treasury to settle a portion of unpaid bills of Rs 6.6 billion in the road sector. One billion rupees is expected to go towards unpaid bills for road maintenance; Rs 1 billion to settle dues for rehabilitation and improvement of national [...]
Probe on import of 30 luxury vehicles; top official transferred
The import of 30 luxury cars in violation of procedures to be followed by the Import and Export Control Department has come under a probe by the Development Strategies and International Trade Ministry.Ministry Secretary Chandani Wijewardena told the Sunday Times that pending the inquiry the Controller General of the Import and Export Control Department had [...]
Weather monitoring: Equipment worth Rs. 72m gone with the wind
Sri Lanka has abandoned an initiative to use satellite technology during natural disasters, leaving Rs 72 million worth of equipment unused for four years before finally dismantling it, the Auditor General (AG) has found. The project was initiated in 2011 and given up despite the country facing severe natural disasters in previous years, states the [...]
Colombo drivers will feel heat of the law on parking fees
Colombo’s local authority and its private partner say they will ensure that drivers pay parking fees in the city limits in compliance with by-laws that have been gazetted.And drivers should not try to slip away without paying. They are likely to be tracked down. Smart meters being installed by a private company, Tenaga Car Parks [...]
Govt. finalises minimum standards for medical education
The Government has finalised the minimum standards for medical education and hopes to gazette them within the next three weeks after consultations with the Sri Lanka Medical Council (SLMC), the Sunday Times learns. The Medical Education (Maintenance of Minimum Standards) Regulations will be presented to Parliament for approval after being gazetted. Every university which provides [...]
Raids net over 52,000 suspects for drug related offences this year
More than 52,000 people have been taken into custody so far this year, for drug related offences, in raids conducted by the Police, the Special Task Force, Customs and the Navy, latest statistics revealed. According to Police statistics, 52,157 drug related cases have been reported and 52,072 people arrested from Jan.1-Sept.11. Topping the list was [...]
Posing off as a dengue inspector, man robs home alone woman
A man who posed off as a dengue inspecting officer has got away with jewellery, hand phones and cash from a house in Dematagoda, police said. A woman who was staying alone in the house had opened the door for the man around 10.30 a.m. after he informed her that he wanted to check the [...]
Nanu Oya hotel murder: Suspects nabbed after one year
A prime suspect in a murder case and his accomplice were arrested after a manhunt of more than one year, Police said. They said the suspects were wanted in connection with the murder of a Nanu Oya hotel cashier identified as Sunjaya Bandara Herath. The victim was gunned down allegedly by the suspect on August [...]
ICC investigators here for match fixing probe
The International Cricket Council (ICC) has launched an investigation in Sri Lanka, against the backdrop of match-fixing allegations. Three members of the ICC’s Anti-Corruption Unit (ACU) were in the country yesterday and met senior cricket officials. “The ICC Anti-Corruption Unit works to uphold integrity in cricket and this includes conducting investigations where there are reasonable [...]
A double betrayal for refugee children
LONDON – From Syria to Myanmar, children caught in the crossfire of conflict are victims of a double betrayal. Forced out of their homes in the biggest refugee crisis since World War II, they have now become the innocent victims of a broken promise that they would, even as refugees, be able to attend school. [...]
Ministry seeks Cabinet mediation to resolve CEB, PUCSL fallout
The Power and Renewable Energy Ministry will seek a Cabinet directive to implement a long term Power generation plan, amidst differences of opinion between the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) and the Electricity sector regulator- Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka (PUCSL). Power and Renewable Energy Ministry Secretary Dr B.M.S Batagoda told the Sunday Times the [...]
CEB electrocutes Govt for Rs 3-4 billion in pay deal
The Treasury may have to pump several billion rupees to fund the latest salary increase for Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) employees who ceased their trade union action as part of a compromise deal this week, a senior official acknowledged. While the cost of the salary increase is still being computed, Power and Renewable Energy Ministry [...]
Errant motorists beware; secret police are watching you
Police officers in civvies and using civilian vehicles have been deployed on the streets of Colombo from yesterday to nab errant motorists. Police Chief Pujith Jayasundara launched this new operation yesterday near the Nelum Pokuna Theatre. When an errant motorist is identified by these special officers in civvies, they will give details of the offending [...]
Heart patient says GMOA responsible if anything happens to him before or after heart surgery
A 65 year-old heart patient who’s awaiting bypass surgery after a postponment, has lodged a complaint at the Ruwanwella police against the Government Medical Officers’ Association (GMOA) alleging he suffered due to this week’s token strike that crippled all state hospitals islandwide. P. Anthonymuttu, a trade union leader and former advisor to the Fisheries Ministry [...]
Alleged theft of historical artefacts: HRCSL begins hearing
The Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka (HRCSL) has begun a hearing on a complaint lodged by activist Deeman Ananda alleging a cover-up of the theft of historical artefacts from Sigiriya and the Dalada Maligawa in Kandy. Mr. Ananda claims that an official of the Dalada Maligawa was involved in melting down 1,800 kilograms of [...]
Mattala Airport under attack
The Mattala Rajapaksa International airport in Hambantota was the venue for a mock anti hijacking and hostage release operation by a team of Army Commandos as part of its annual ‘Cormorant Strike VIII-2017” exercise. The exercise saw 48 Commandos comprising six teams made up largely of SLA commandos and special forces.This year also saw the [...]
Official excuses aplenty on 17,000 Kolonnawa flood insurance payouts
More than 16 months after severe flooding devastated Kolonnawa on the outskirts of Colombo, some 17,000 families are still awaiting compensation, while Government officials, the state insurance fund, and politicians blame each other for the delays and missteps. Divisional secretaries claim they do not know the addresses of claimants and the state insurance fund claims [...]
Mixed reactions to report on SAITM
“Majority reaction positive” Transparency & consensus Harsha’s aim “Accreditation authority will ensure quality higher education for all disciplines” SLMC “squarely” professional body for medicine SLMC “squarely” professional body for medicine “We are only interested in SAITM’s medical faculty” While the latest attempt to find a solution to the SAITM crisis [...]
Strong responses from FFMTA & AMS
The Harsha de Silva Committee has attempted to propose a way out to salvage SAITM at any cost, states the Federation of Faculty of Medicine Teachers’ Association of Sri Lanka (FFMTA), stressing that statements in the report indicate “the failure to grasp the root cause of the issue and attempt to deviate from the main [...]
Inept engineers, local councils and builders laying base for disasters
This week in Ahangama a recreational hall and a hotel building under construction collapsed under its own weight injuring six workers. In four months, three buildings have crumbled. Sri Lanka’s construction industry is notorious also for building site deaths of workers and accidents. Local authorities have been accused of not monitoring and not having mechanisms [...]
Thousands of deadly dengue breeding sites still being found
Thousands of dengue mosquito breeding sites are still being found in the country regardless of campaigns to reduce the hundreds of innocent deaths and hundreds of thousands of infections. Another outbreak is feared with the onset of seasonal rains. From January to September 21, latest official data show that 154,529 people have been infected with [...]
Construction of Hantane reservoir halted
In its issue of June 17, the Sunday Times reported an illegal construction of a pool/ reservoir at Hantane situated at a height of over 3,000ft and the dangers it posed to area residents. Having seen the report and discussed its contents, the Hantane Management Committee headed by the District Secretary, ordered the Environment Division [...]
Farmers say local B-onions losing out to imported B-onions
A glut of imported Bombay onions in the market has resulted in the drastic fall in the price of local onions, farmers charge. Traders at the Dambulla Economic Centre said that the importation of B-onions from neighbouring countries has resulted in reduced demand for the local variety. Farmers said that a kilo of local B-onions [...]
Arjuna M. accused of lying under oath; claims he didn’t act alone
Former Governor of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL) Arjuna Mahendran defended this week that, the decisive 30-year Treasury Bond auction on Feb.27, 2015 was a collective decision taken after consulting all relevant authorities within the CBSL, including approval from the Monetary Board and the Public Debt Dept (PDD), in the wake of Govt’s [...]
More prison doctors to be transferred amid Health Ministry probe
More doctors at the Welikada Prisons Hospital are due to be transferred out as the Health Ministry investigates allegations that some hospital staff had acted “outside normal procedure” in their conduct towards certain prisoners. Accordingly, all doctors who had served at the hospital for more than four years would be transferred in the coming days, [...]
Ogilvy PR Sri Lanka wins top Asia Pacific award for RTI Campaign
Ogilvy Public Relations Sri Lanka beat out 1,200 entries from across the Asia Pacific region at the SABRE APAC Awards 2017 held in Hong Kong recently. The agency’s ‘Uncover the Truth’ campaign for Sri Lanka’s ‘Right to Information Act (RTI) won two Certificates of Excellence, a Gold Award in the ‘Charities and Not-For-Profit’ category and [...]
Legislative process must conform to principles of good governance
The exercise of the franchise at regular intervals is one of the characteristics of a vibrant democratic system. If citizens are not allowed to exercise their franchise at the prescribed times laid down by the law it will immeasurably weaken democracy. The issue of how much leeway the political party in power should have, to [...]
Archaeology Dept. Not happy with move by Sithulpauwa Chief monk
The Archaeology Department has objected to a move by the chief incumbent of the Sithulpauwa Raja Maha Viharaya to place Buddha statues inside the ancient cave temple, a heritage site, without seeking the Department’s permission. Ven. Metaramba Hemarathana Thera explaining the reason behind the move, said, he did it to protect the site from misbehaving [...]
Consequences of careless driving
Consequent to a dramatic rise in road accidents, moves are afoot to bring in new legislation to help minimise the number of accidents. Statistics reveal around 8 –10 persons die daily on our roads, while several others are injured. Cameramen of ‘The Sunday Times’ captured several such events. In a freak accident at Dambulla, a [...]