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Home » NewsAll party village unity by Mihintale Pradeshiya Sabha candidates
Four kilometres off Anuradhapura town in a remote village, candidates from all political parties contesting the Mihintale Pradeshiya Sabha gathered at a temple last Sunday on the invitation of the Buddhist monk of the temple. The candidates took part in a Bodhi Pooja and listened to a sermon (Anushasanawa) where the theme was the unity of [...]
Bank accounts of 28 PTL companies frozen
The operations of bank accounts of all 28 companies within the Perpetual Group– associated with Arjun Aloysius, a key suspect in the controversial Central Bank bond scams—have been frozen with immediate effect by the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL), authoritative sources told the Sunday Times. The directive was [...]
Money laundering: Sri Lanka listed among ‘high risk’ countries
The inter-governmental Financial Action Task Force (FATF) has listed Sri Lanka among eleven ‘high risk and monitored jurisdictions’ that have taken insufficient measures to combat money laundering, terrorist financing and other threats to the international financial system. The other countries are Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Korea, Ethiopia, Iran, Iraq, Syria, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Vanuatu [...]
Tough new rules for casinos, gambling houses and lottery businesses
The Central Bank has introduced new Customer Due Diligence rules for those carrying on businesses such as casinos, gambling houses or conducting of a lottery, including such business carried out through the internet. The rules will apply when a customer engages in financial transactions in to or above US $ 3000 or equivalent in Sri [...]
SriLankan Board votes to sack CEO Suren Ratwatte
The Board of Directors of SriLankan Airlines, which won a new lease of life, decided by majority vote to sack their Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Suren Ratwatte. The board met on Thursday for the first time after all of them except one handed in their resignations, but Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe asked them to continue [...]
Chinese company gets huge contract for solid waste landfill project
China Harbour Engineering Company Ltd (CHEC) has won a US$90.48mn contract to design and build the solid waste sanitary landfill in Aruwakkalu, Puttalam. The contract, which costs LKR1.63bn in addition to the dollar fee, was signed on December 29 last year. The project–which falls under the purview of the Ministry of Megapolis and Western Development–entails [...]
Galle Face 70th Independence Day celebrations’ rehearsals on
Rehearsals for the 70th Independence Day celebrations to be held at Galle Face, began this week. This year’s celebrations will be held under the theme “One nation”. Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex, and The Countess of Wessex, will represent Her Majesty the Queen at the 70th anniversary celebration as Chief Guests. An Army spokesman said [...]
Private media training institute allegedly used Jaffna Uni. name for its programmes
A private media training institute has been misusing the name of the University of Jaffna (UoJ) to conduct training programmes for young journalists, since Dec.31, 2016, collecting more than Rs 300 million from foreign donors. This has been revealed in an Internal Audit (IA) Report submitted to UoJ Vice Chancellor (VC) R. Wigneswaran. VC Wigneswaran [...]
Conceptual change imperative to tackle country’s bribery, corruption: PRECIFAC
The Presidential Commission of Inquiry to Investigate and Inquire into Serious Acts of Fraud, Corruption and Abuse of Power, State Resources and Privileges (PRECIFAC) said a conceptual change is needed to tackle bribery and corruption in the country. It said that acts of bribery and corruption in the country have become “normalised” in the eyes [...]
PM to request Parliament debate on Bond Report on February 8
Prime Minister (PM) Ranil Wickremesinghe yesterday said he would request Parliament be summoned on Feb.8 to debate Reports of the Bond Commission and the Commission on large scale Corruption. “I think it is appropriate to have the debate on Feb.8, as most MPs are busy with election work before that. The debate can be held [...]
President Sirisena willing to form new SLFP Govt
President Maithripala Sirisena yesterday said he is willing to form a new government, if all 96 members elected to Parliament from the UPFA at the last 2015 general election, stand with him. “Some who have formed a new coalition are saying they will join if an SLFP-led Government is formed. I am telling them, if [...]
Govt. to introduce regulations preventing use of kerosene in vehicles, industries
The Government will soon introduce regulations to prevent the use of kerosene in vehicles and industries, senior officials disclosed. Ministry of Petroleum Resources Development Secretary Upali Marasinghe stated the Ministry would negotiate with the Treasury to introduce a formula for kerosene sales, in the next two to three weeks. An internal audit conducted by the [...]
Lakshman Kadirgamar scholarship recipient leaves for MASCOM
The eighth Lakshman Kadirgamar Journalism scholar to MASCOM, the leading Indian mass communication college left Sri Lanka this week to follow its prestigious Diploma course. Mr. Ravichchandrasarma Ramkumar, Assistant News Editor of the Virakesari newspaper published by Express Newspapers of (Ceylon) (Pvt.,) Ltd., was the recipient of the annual Lakshman Kadirgamar scholarship by virtue of [...]
Indian High Commission marks India’s 69th Republic Day
The 69th Republic Day of India was celebrated at the Indian High Commission in Colombo on Friday (26). Indian High Commissioner Taranjit Singh Sandhu unfurled the Indian flag and inspected a Guard of Honour presented by a contingent of the Border Security Force. He read out excerpts from the Address to the Nation on the [...]
The best and the worst of times to be Young, says Lankan UN Youth Envoy
UNITED NATIONS– The United Nations (UN) will be hosting one of the biggest gathering of youth delegates next week, with the primary aim of engaging them in some of the key socio-economic issues on the UN agenda, including poverty and hunger eradication, unemployment, climate change, economic inequalities, gender empowerment and safer cities. The participants at [...]
Conclusive reading still not possible for Feb 10 local polls but few signs of election campaign
No posters or cutouts, most candidates go house to house with little rivalry or danger of conflicts A four day, 1,400km journey across three different provinces will not give a conclusive reading on the winning order for the February 10 local polls. However, it does lay bare a number of new changing ground realities. What [...]
Jaffna district farmers seek guaranteed price not subsidy
The main plea from the northern farmers is to provide them a guaranteed price for their products, says the Government Agent for Jaffna district N. Vethanayahan. He says employment was still an issue with the lack of major industries which existed before the conflict, but the agriculture sector could be improved with facilities for farmers. [...]
Woes and wishes of a little hamlet
KARUWALAGASWEWA: Not many would have even heard of this hamlet situated between Puttalam and Anuradhapura. It has a Pradeshiya Sabha catering to 19,214 voters, largely farmer-peasants and their families. The demands of the villagers are simple. “Give us water and we will give you food”, says Karuwalagaswewa Jayaratna Wickramaarachchi, a farmer. He is registered to [...]
‘Pibidemu Polonnaruwa’ allocated Rs 60b for five years: GA
The Polonnaruwa District has received one of the biggest allocations for development activities under the ‘Pibidemu Polonnaruwa’ programme, said Government Agent, Ranjith Ariyaratne. “Polonnaruwa is one of the districts into which a large investment has gone into, considering it has been an isolated district. Under this programme, Rs 60 billion has been allocated for five [...]
From the bottom of the sea to the ballot box
Velupillai Thavachelvam, leader of Jaffna Fishermen Cooperative Society who took part in the fishermen level talks between two countries held in New Delhi,November, has accused the government of failing to implement bottom trawling laws. “I suspect that both the Sri Lankan and Indian governments have come to an common understanding and agreed on principle to [...]
Economic hardship dampens polls interest in Puttalam
In the Puttalam district, paddy crops have failed for five seasons due to insufficient rains over the past two years. It is in this backdrop of intense economic hardship for most of the district’s residents that political parties are campaigning here for the forthcoming Local Government (LG) elections. While the new electoral system has made [...]
Female politicos get chance to prove their worth
Sri Lankan women contesting the local elections in large numbers amid obstructions and challenges this year will take a step towards greater political empowerment, while also being seen to be tools of powerful political backers rather than those committed to serving the people. Some civic groups believe candidates also have a responsibility to help improve [...]
Intimidation, insults attempt to deter women poll candidates
Sri Lankan women who are contesting in local elections are facing personal insults and violence and as yet neither political parties, nor political leaders have condemned the rising levels of hostility. Many women candidates, particularly those from Muslim majority areas have decided not to engage in public meetings or erect banners. Instead they have chosen [...]
LG bodies’ limitations put PCs in a squeeze
Authorities acknowledge serious challenges lie ahead in accommodating more than 8,300 Councillors set to be elected at the forthcoming Local Government (LG) polls, with some openly stating that the number needs to be reduced at the next election in another four years. Under the new electoral system at this year’s election on Feb.10, 8,356 Councillors [...]
Unlicensed driving instructors face makeover
On the heels of discovering that most driving instructors lack driving licences, the National Council for Road Safety is introducing a new regime next month. Council Chairman Sisira Kodagoda said all instructors at the 400 driving schools around the country would receive training and be issued with handbooks detailing guidelines that they must follow. “It [...]
Rideegama detention centre gets new buildings to house more beggars
Under the project launched beginning of the year to keep beggars away from Colombo city, the Megapolis and Western Development Ministry has added 10 more buildings at the Rideegama, Ambalantota, Detention Centre to house 600 inmates. Project director Ranjith Meegaswatte said the aim was to put an end to the nuisance factor posed by beggars [...]
No info, no change – parking meter system ‘a flop’
Motorists are side-stepping Colombo’s new parking meters because they can’t operate the machines, haven’t learned to adjust to metered time or are happily evading fees because the system is not policed – but an app will soon be after them. There are 100 parking ticket machines each covering around 15-20 vehicle spaces along the Galle [...]
Changing the political culture – Part 2: The oppressor turns hero
The culture in a society is shaped by the values prevalent in the society and the practices followed by its citizenry. The political culture would therefore be reflective of the political values and practices of ‘the sovereign people’. In a society that is greatly addicted to liquor, a leader who bases his campaign on banning [...]
New rules a bitter pill for pharmacies
Pharmacy owners say many will have to shut up shop if forced to follow new National Medicinal Regulatory Authority (NMRA) guidelines, claiming the rules – aimed at better service for customers – are based on foreign norms and are unworkable here. About 9 out of 10 pharmacies operate in urban areas where the regulations are [...]
Get on with total bottom trawling ban say conservationists
Sri Lanka passed laws to ban destructive bottom trawling in July last year but the laws are yet to be enforced and might even be watered down. Rich marine habitat is being damaged by bottom trawling in the Puttalam and Kalpitiya lagoons and in the north, including Jaffna. The United Small Fisheries Association (USFA) of [...]
Uproar over Uva Chief Minister’s actions continues
The upheaval caused by the Chief Minister of the Uva Province who ordered a school principal to get down on her knees and beg pardon from him, for ignoring his request continued into the third week with a teachers trade union demanding justice be done to the affected principal. Last week school teachers, students and [...]
Pick of the Pix
Pix by Lakshman Gunathilake, Amila Gamage, Indika Handuwala, Athula Devapriya, Hiran Priyankara Jayasinghe
The wired-in villages of Karuwalagaswewa
The villages of Egodapitiya and Muriyakulama in Karuwalagaswewa are two of the most interior and impoverished in the Puttalam district. The 300-odd farming families living in these two villages face a constant threat from marauding wild elephants. The threat is so severe that it has affected almost every aspect of their daily lives. Herds of [...]
Colombo’s sustainability depends on the conservation of its wetlands
The importance of the wetlands for a sustainable Colombo city will be the focus of this year’s World Wetland Day (WWD) which will be celebrated on 2 February this year. A programme to create public awareness on this important subject is being organised by the Sri Lanka Land Reclamation and Development Corporation (SLLRDC), which comes [...]