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Home » NewsShot in the arm for vaccination programme; but no physical distancing
Despite controversy over priority categories for the COVID-19 vaccine, about 2000 people turned up at the Gothatuwa office of the Medical Officer of Health to get their jab yesterday. There was little or no physical space distancing while people jostled to register. Pic by Priyanka Samaraweera
Bachelet report emerges as UNHRC Resolution
A “zero” draft Resolution on Sri Lanka by the United Kingdom and others in the core group draws heavily from the Report of the UN Human Rights High Commissioner Michele Bachelet. In Colombo, diplomatic sources said the core group hopes to finalise the Resolution during the weekend. If that happens, the agreed text would be [...]
‘Overtones of martyrdom for LTTE’: Lord Naseby slams Bachelet’s report
British Conservative Party politician Lord Naseby has slammed the the UN Human Rights High Commissioner’s recent report on Sri Lanka, saying, “The tenor of the writing almost has overtones of martyrdom for the Tamil Tigers”. The report, which is to be taken up within days at the UN Human Right Council sessions in Geneva, “glosses [...]
Chronic delays in registering drugs; NMRA says it suffers from staff shortage
The National Medicines Regulatory Authority (NMRA) this week admitted to chronic delays in registering locally manufactured and imported pharmaceuticals blaming it on staff shortage. The State Pharmaceutical Corporation (SPC) has now offered to step in and help clear the backlog of hundreds of applications pending registration, some almost a year. NMRA Director General/Chief Executive Officer [...]
Sandstorm over allocations: Major share of sand given to companies owned by Sirisena brothers
Between March 2018 and May 2019, the Government-owned GSMB Technical Services Pvt Ltd (TSPL) issued thousands of cubes of sand mined in Manampitiya on a preferential basis to three companies carrying out “development work” in the Polonnaruwa district—two of them owned by brothers of former President Maithripala Sirisena, a report from the National Audit Office [...]
Vaccines won’t come soon in large quantities, but on staggered basis from India and COVAX
Sri Lanka will not be able to immediately secure the large quantities of COVID-19 vaccines that the country was expecting from India and the global initiative COVAX, but will get stocks over a period of time, the Sunday Times learns. A Health Ministry source said that earlier Sri Lanka was hoping to secure 9-10 million [...]
COVID-19 vaccination: Priority list discarded; controversy as over-60s are turned away
The current COVID-19 public vaccination programme is mired in controversy and confusion after the health authorities arbitrarily discarded the ‘priority list’. With a major deviation from the planned list which is based on international practices taking into account the high-risk groups, the Health Services Director-General, in a damage control move, on Friday evening instructed that [...]
Sri Lanka joins global drive to increase childhood cancer survival rate
Some of the little ones in the play area are oblivious to the agony that their parents are going through. From all over the country, these children have been diagnosed with cancer and are awaiting the results of COVID-19 testing before being taken to the Paediatric Ward of the National Cancer Institute Sri Lanka [...]
Numbers reducing, but preventive measures a must: Health DG
The country is seeing a gradual decline in the number of positive cases and the number of beds available in the COVID-19 Treatment Hospitals and the Intermediate Care Centres is adequate, assured the Director-General (DG) of Health Services, Dr. AselaGunawardena. In a one-on-one interview on Wednesday night, lasting more than an hour, the Sunday Times [...]
Hailers signal public vaccination in WP
Vehicles blare out where to gather for jabs Amidst much controversy why the earlier finalized ‘priority list’ has been discarded, the vaccination of the public against COVID-19 was launched this Wednesday, with vehicles blaring out the news of vaccination and where to gather for the jabs through hailers around several areas in the Western Province. [...]
SLMA urges setting up ethics committee on COVID-19
Urging the setting up of a National Ethics Committee on COVID-19, the Sri Lanka Medical Association (SLMA), the apex body of medical professionals in the country, on Wednesday handed over a letter to health officials. It followed a two-hour symposium on ‘Ethics in COVID-19’ organized by the SLMA’s Expert Committee on Ethics where important issues [...]
AstraZeneca and Pfizer promise to deliver vaccines to combat “nastier” variants
By autumn, starting around September or even earlier, AstraZeneca and Pfizer have both promised to deliver vaccines, building on the ones available now, to combat the “nastier” variants (strains) of the COVID-19 virus firstly detected in Brazil and South Africa. This was the “good news” that the Head of the Department of Immunology and Molecular [...]
SLFP to demand that SLPP honours agreement between the two parties
The Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) says it will demand that the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) immediately honours the commitments it made in the agreement signed between the two parties before the 2019 presidential election. The SLFP’s Central Committee (CC) is to meet on Tuesday followed by a meeting of the Executive Committee. Authoritative [...]
Extra liquid in vaccine vial to be used following ST report
Extract an extra dose from each vaccination vial if there is adequate liquid left, the Health Ministry instructed on Monday. The Sunday Times last week in a report headlined ‘COVID-19 vaccine: 18,000 discarded due to absurd stance’ revealed how an extra dose that is usually present in each vaccine vial was being discarded, with estimates [...]
Service to the nation
The Sri Lanka Air Force organised a series of events to mark its 70th Anniversary. A medical camp was held at Kanugahawewa in Anuradhapura yesterday. Pix by M. A. Pushpakumara
An ornamental police force
Public Security Minister Sarath Weerasekara will meet senior women police officers this week to discuss longstanding impediments to their promotions within the Police Department. The meeting has been scheduled in the face of a Fundamental Rights petition filed by 33 Senior Superintendents of Police against the September 2020 promotion of Bimshani Jasin Arachchi as Deputy [...]
State tea estates seek top-level effort to end alleged union-led violence
The delay in resolving the ongoing plantation worker wages dispute has triggered sporadic violence in estates and the companies are seeking the intervention of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa. Planters’ Association of Ceylon secretary general, Lalith Obeyesekere, told the Sunday Times intervention had been sought to halt the violent incidents against the [...]
Court issues summons to top SLTDA officials over Yala land deal
The Colombo District Court, this week, issued summons and charge sheets to top officials of the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA) including its Chairperson Kimarli Fernando, for allegedly violating an Interim Injunction issued regarding the leasing out of a land in the Yala tourism zone. SLTDA Director General Ms Dhammika Wijesinghe and Additional Director [...]
Scholar-politician spent a contented life
A Sinhala scholar, author and lyricist, known for his literary bent, the veteran Haputale politician, W.J.M. Lokubandara, a former Speaker of Parliament, had wanted his last rites to be an example to others, his family says. He died from the coronavirus disease at the age of 80 at the Infectious Diseases Hospital last week, and [...]
PCCSL handled 312 complaints in 2020; 29 were violations of the Editors’ Code
The Press Complaints Commission of Sri Lanka (PCCSL) handled 312 complaints in 2020. The newspaper editors’ reciprocated by publishing 207 complaints directly, while the PCCSL handled 76 complaints sent by complainants, and 29 were violations of the Editors’ Code monitored by the PCCSL. The PCCSL, set up under the Arbitration Act No. 11 of 1995, [...]
One and only legume tree saved from expressway axe
The controversy over a legume tree – the world’s only surviving species of its kind – standing on the path of a proposed expressway in Gampaha has been sorted out. The plant species was discovered by the then Royal Botanical Gardens superintendent G.H.K. Thwaites around 1849 at Galpata in Kalutara. He named it Detarium Zeyanicum [...]
Retired dancing instructor still in step with passion for teaching
At a time when the money-spinning tuition business plays a big role in our education system, comes this heartening story of a retired oriental dance teacher still giving his best for the love of teaching students. Now 65 years old, Senaka Galahitiyawa joined Bandaranaike College in Uva Paranagama Badulla in 1989. He retired in 2015. [...]
Indian workers assaulted over construction delays
Two Indian construction workers were assaulted by a member of the “Owners Association” over the delays in completing the project, the Police said. Chief Inspector Upul Samarasinghe, Officer in Charge of the Slave Island Police, said according to the complaint lodged by the two workers, the incident had occurred on Monday at the construction site. [...]
Giant gem mine shut down in tender fracas
The District Development Coordinating Committee (DDCC) of Ratnapura decided last Tuesday to immediately halt excavations at the Haraniyawatha gem mine, for which a permit had been issued on a bid of Rs. 135 million subsequent to open tenders called for by the National Gem and Jewellery Authority (NGJA). The reason cited is due to serious [...]
Hejaaz Hizbullah, Mohammed Shakeel produced before court, remanded
Attorney-at-Law Hejaaz Hizbullah, who had been in the custody of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) for over 10 months, was remanded in custody till March 3 on Friday after being produced before the Colombo Fort Magistrate’s Court. He was remanded in custody along with Mohammed Shakeel, a principal of a Madrasa School. Mr Hizbullah was [...]
Pakistan Premier to address many areas of interest, but not Parliament
Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan will arrive in the country on Tuesday (23) for a two-day official visit amid accusations from the Opposition that the Government unilaterally scrapped plans for the visiting Premier to address Parliament. Arrangements for Mr Khan to address Parliament were discussed during the party leaders’ meeting held on February 8, Chief [...]
Pick of the Pix
FROM OUR READERS Shutterbugs out there, we would once again appreciate your contributions to this picture corner. Please send your captioned photograph along with your name, and the location of the photograph, to: pictures@sundaytimes.wnl.lk We would also appreciate if you mention the camera or cellphone that was used. Pix by Nilan Maligaspe, Shelton Hettiarachchiand [...]
Political speech not a ground on which freedom of expression can be restricted, SC rules
The Supreme Court held this Wednesday that ‘political speech’ was not a ground on which the right to freedom of speech and expression could be constitutionally fettered and further, that the sub judice principle, part of the contempt of court regime, does not operate to prohibit speech that, ‘could hardly influence public opinion and have [...]
Ministers admit to state offences in forest clearances
President’s policy being twisted to raze woodland ‘This is wrong. Something must be done’ – Defence Secretary Defence Secretary Kamal Gunaratne has backed environmentalists’ claims that forest destruction has increased, pledging to throw resources into stopping culprits, pointing the finger at representatives of his own government. Environmentalists bluntly blame the government for endorsing forest [...]
End silo approach to marine research, scientist urges
It is to Sri Lanka’s credit that there are so many bodies engaged in ocean science research but it is vital that data is pooled so that the country can learn how to use marine resources without destroying them, a leading scientist said. Professor Charitha Pattiaratchi’s call comes at the start of the United Nations’ [...]
Panadura Bridge under threat
Residents of Moratuwa and Panadura are expressing concern that the authorities have neglected to repair the Panadura New Bridge. They point out that the river banks of the bridge have collapsed due to erosion. The bridge is the primary road access used to reach the country’s South from the Western Province and seems nowhere close [...]