News
Home » NewsThey do so much, but this was their plight
Sri Lankan migrant workers have been sending billions to Sri Lanka to boost its foreign exchange resources. But now with the coronavirus pandemic, most of them want to come home. Till they are brought back, some of them are seen here sleeping on mattresses on the floor of a detention centre in Kuwait.
Police protection for Lanka’s diplomatic missions
Local Police have been deployed at Sri Lanka's missions in Seychelles, the Maldives and Kuwait to "protect" diplomats from Sri Lankan migrant workers who are incensed at not being able to return home.
[...]
COVID-19 relief measures; Banks block Government decisions
Difficulties in providing collateral and extensive paperwork, and delays in providing the money at the required time have made some of the Government’s main COVID-19 relief measures less effective than they could have been, business leaders said. Applications had been lodged with banks for debt moratoriums and the two-month working capital loan at four percent [...]
UNP suspends Sajith and 98 others
The United National Party (UNP) on Friday suspended from is membership its Deputy Leader Sajith Premadasa and 98 others for contesting the forthcoming general election with a different coalition and symbol. The decision was taken at a meeting of the party’s Working Committee after party leader Ranil Wickremesinghe read out a statement giving reasons why [...]
Strict health safety guidelines for polls campaign
Regulations promulgated under quarantine laws will apply along with election laws at the conduct of the upcoming parliamentary elections, a senior official said. Accordingly the Election Commission will issue guidelines on campaigning and conducting rallies. These will include crowd restrictions, Elections Commissioner General Saman Shri Ratnayake told the Sunday Times. He said discussions were underway [...]
Sri Lanka faces threat of locust invasion
Sri Lankan agricultural authorities have been placed on alert for the possible threat from crop-eating Desert Locusts which have started invading South Asian countries, including India, a senior official said. Agriculture Director General W.M.W. Weerakoon told the Sunday Times that they had alerted the relevant government institutes that there could be possible locust invasion in [...]
Revival of tourism industry: Plans to start with small tour groups from mid-June
The Government is planning to reactivate the tourism industry within two weeks by inviting small tour groups to prepare for the tourist season ahead. Accordingly, limited small tour groups under strict health restrictions would be accommodated from the middle of next month, Tourism Ministry Secretary S. Hettiaarachchi said. “The tourists will be required to carry [...]
Farewell to Thonda
Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, former Speaker Karu Jayasuriya and other leading parliamentarians wheeling the coffin of Minister Arumugam Thondaman to Parliament on Thursday. While due respects were paid to the leader of the plantation workers, there was little respect for physical distancing and other health guidelines to prevent the spread of the coronavirus pandemic. Pic [...]
Milk rice of STF kindness for Mahiyangana monkeys
Who says men in military uniform are hard-hearted? Proving this stereotypical image of soldiers wrong, a group of Special Task Force personnel showed that in their heart, too, the milk of human kindness is available in abundance, when they fed a troop of monkeys which could not find enough food due to the pandemic and [...]
Thondaman’s last rites at Norwood Grounds, Hatton
The final rites of former Minister and Ceylon Workers’ Congress (CWC) Leader Arumugam Thondaman will be held on May 31 (Sunday) at the Norwood Grounds in Hatton. Mr Thondaman, who died on Tuesday evening (26) at the Thalangama Hospital after suffering a heart attack, represented Parliament continuously for 26 years after he was first elected [...]
University admission: UGC extends deadline
The University Grants Commission (UGC) has extended the date for the submission of online applications for university admissions for the next academic year. The decision was taken owing to the prevailing COVID-19 situation in the country. The (UGC) had initially declared that the online applications could be submitted from March 26 until April 9, 2020. [...]
Only 35 students per class from next year onwards
Grade One in Government schools next year will see a maximum of 35 students per class compared to last year’s 36 students, according to Education Ministry guidelines. Issuing the specimen application and guidelines this week, the Education Ministry requested parents planning to admit their children to Grade One next year to submit all documents addressed [...]
Expert raises questions after rescued rare black leopard dies
The autopsy on the black leopard rescued from a snare in Nallathanniya earlier this week, and which died on Friday, was carried out at the University of Peradeniya. The results were not available at the time of going to press, but officials said it had deep injuries on its neck at the time it was [...]
SC concludes hearings on 15 intervenient petitions regarding polls
The Supreme Court on Friday concluded hearings on some fifteen intervenient petitions filed in connection with the eight Fundamental Rights applications challenging the dissolution of Parliament and fixing June 20 as the date for the parliamentary polls amid the coronavirus crisis. The proceedings which continued for the ninth consecutive day on Friday saw counsel appearing [...]
You may now, not kiss the bride — at least not in public
Weddings have been upended, stripped of all intimacy, sense of occasion, and celebrations because a virus could come uninvited to haunt the lives of everyone. Masks are a must and no socialising. Health officials have laid down guidelines that say no to hugs, handshakes, kisses, group photos, dance floors, and alcohol. Guests are limited to [...]
Crustacean crisis
There has been a precipitous drop in the price of lobster because of the overall market drop due to COVID-19, putting the livelihoods of lobster fishermen in serious jeopardy. Lobster fishermen say that a kilo of lobster, which used to sell at Rs 4,500, is now fetching less than Rs 1,500. Lobster fishermen in Galle [...]
Pick of the pix
Rajagiriya: Passengers and passers-by Galle Face: The waves rush on Karuwalagasweva: Blooming sight Pettah: Personalised gear Maradana: Evil eye protection Shalika Grounds: Disinfecting vigour Galle Face: Love on the Green Handapan Ella, Sinharaja: Overflowing Pettah: Signs of the times
Millers dance celebration samba as Gota gives them good price
After a ding-dong battle with government officials, rice millers won the day this week in a long-drawn-out dispute over the price of rice. It was only last week that the Chairman of the Consumer Affairs Authority (CAA), retired Major-General Shantha Dissanayake, accompanied by a team from the Police Special Task Force (STF), visited a leading [...]
Health authorities provide guidelines for teachers, students and parents
Schools will not be opened before June 15 More than 300 educational hours lost due to COVID-19 The Health Ministry had provided guidelines for the Education Ministry to reopen schools after the prolonged closure had resulted in the loss of more than 300 educational hours. Accordingly teams from the Education Ministry backed by health [...]
Exporters plumb new depths in virus crisis
It would be years before Sri Lanka’s garment and textile industry, the biggest export industry, recovers from the adverse impact of the global coronavirus pandemic. Sri Lanka Apparel Export Association (SLAEA) said that the real effects will be felt in mid year when the factories go dry for want of orders. Association president Rehan Lakhany [...]
No decision yet on Kandy perahera parading the streets
No decision had been taken yet on allowing people to line the streets and view the Kandy Esala perahera, which is scheduled to take place in July. Diyawadana Nilame Pradeep Nilanga Dela said a decision about the perahera procession going around the temple square had not been taken either. However, he said the perahera will [...]
Taking on a mantle in the face of COVID-19
As the Faculty of Medicine, Colombo, celebrates its 150th anniversary tomorrow (June 1), its new Dean, Prof. Vajira H.W. Dissanayake talks about taking the institution forward, infusing it with advanced technology 1870 and 2020 – 150 years have elapsed but the health issues seem to be the same. It was yaws, a contagious bacterial disease [...]
‘No community transmission but need a behavioural change among people’
There are two active COVID-19 clusters but no community transmission of this viral disease, assured a high level health official on Thursday evening. Pointing out that currently the navy cluster and the Kuwaiti-returnee cluster are the only two active ones pushing up the number of patients, the Health Ministry’s Chief Epidemiologist Dr. Sudath Samaraweera in [...]
Our West Asian workers: Bitter homecoming
Sri Lanka’s migrant worker numbers are more manageable than nations like India and Phillippines and those who wanted to return could have been repatriated faster. Namini Wijedasa reports Please highlight the plight of our Middle East workers in your writing,” said a message via Facebook. “Thousands are on the street, awaiting return.” This was on [...]
Friday Forum questions Government’s motive behind demonising the old parliament
The Friday Forum (TFF) has questioned whether the Government is demonising the old Parliament with the expectation that the new Parliament it desired will adopt and enact a Constitution that will do away with Parliament and the courts. In a statement signed by Prof. Savitri Goonesekere and Prof. Arjuna Aluwihare, the organisation noted both the [...]
Operational challenges aplenty for restaurants, hotels, and eateries
Restaurants and hotels operators say they are following health guidelines in anticipation of a rebound in diners and guests now that they have been allowed to reopen after a two-month shutdown due to the coronavirus epidemic in the country. “The hotel industry is positive with regards to the steps taken by the Government to open [...]
Normalcy with restrictions has some people confused
As Colombo and Gampaha districts open up after nearly two months, workers who live in out stations reluctant to return fearing lack of lodging facilities and contracting COVID-19, say employers Some point out current ban on travel between the Colombo and Gampaha districts is “illogical and impractical” The country’s gradual return to normalcy in the [...]
From VOA Iranawila to state-of-the-art COVID-19 Management Centre
A while ago, those travelling along the Chilaw-Puttalam Road at dawn would see what they thought were “red eyes” glinting and glimmering in the distance. It was the Voice of America radio station at Iranawila leased by the Sri Lankan government to the United States of America set on around 500 acres with a network [...]
Recovering from the COVID pandemic – What to expect
By Dr Janaki Kuruppu Chairperson of Mother Sri Lanka Trust, former Chairperson – Sri Lanka Tea board, former Chairperson – Regional Development Bank, Group Director – Cargills Group and first MD – Nielsen Lanka The Survey was conducted by Prosoft Operations (Pvt) Ltd Recovering from Covid 19 Pandemic – What to Expect A research on the people’s mindset [...]
Regaining Mount Lavinia beach
A project to restore the beach washed off due to the sea erosion in the Mt Lavinia area has been completed as part of a Rs 890 million project to restore beaches from Ratmalana to Kalutara, officials said. Coast Conservation Department Director General Prabath Chandrakeerthi told the Sunday Times that pumping in sand was a [...]