June 7 (LG) The education services being provided by the state, is generally taken for granted as free education. The public assistance to education is one aspect of the free education but, that is not the essential aspect. Even in a bourgeois society it is possible to have a selection mechanism to get the individual merit of the youth, to be recognized and identified in a quantifiable order. more..

June 7 (LG) For weeks, Rajapaksa propagandists touted the proposed senate as a measure of reconciliation towards the Tamils, a mechanism to empower the minorities at the centre. In reality the Senate is to be a cross between a grazing ground for long-in-the-tooth politicians and a check on provincial devolution. According to media reports, provincial governors will become ex-officio members of the Senate, with one of them as its chairman. more..

June 7 (LG) Attorney General Mohan Peries’s imitating the styles of Minister Mervin Silva and Hudson Samarasinghe of SLBC engaged in an amusing attack on the UN Rappoteur Philip Alston. The Sri Lanka’s approach to the United Nations human rights system, in the recent times has become almost like the one of Zimbabwe, which is engaged in a game of denial, whenever its human rights record is being brought to criticism. more..

June 7 (LG) I am happy to note that you are taking the initiative to start negotiations to find a satisfactory solution for the ethnic problem. As a first step your impending visit to New Delhi shortly is very much welcomed by the people. Whatever solution found, after so much of loss of life and property, should be acceptable to all sections of the people and also should be a lasting one, that should not be meddled with, in the future, to the detriment of any group of people. more..

June 7 (TC) The United States' Assistant Secretary of State Robert Blake at a Washington news conference in the presence of Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Minister G.L. Peiris said it all: "The Minister helpfully said that they are -- that the commission will have an investigatory role and that if, for any reason, this commission is found to have shortcomings, that they would welcome the assistance and the advice of the UN to more..

June 7 (TC) Renowned film director and producer Chandran Rutnam was recently arrested and imprisoned by the Mirihana Police on charges of possessing explosives. The incident occurred after explosives and detonators were discovered at the film director’s former residence in Nugegoda. Rutnam was subsequently released and all charges were dropped. But not before he had to spend the entire Vesak Poya Weekend locked up in more..

June 7 (TC) The Rajapakse brothers may look enviously at Israel’s brutal raid on an international flotilla bringing symbolic aid to the blockaded Gaza. They may long to act with a similar gross disregard for international law and international opinion. But such incivility bordering on barbarity is possible for a small country only if it has the near unconditional support of the Global Hegemon. more..

June 7 (Hindu) Sri Lanka's External Affairs Minister G.L. Peiris on Sunday set his face against “foreign intervention” in the country's ongoing reconciliation process. “At this stage, there must not be [any] imputation of mala fides to a sovereign government,” said Prof. Peiris at a plenary session of the ninth Asia Security Summit, organised here by the London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies. more..

June 7 (Guaridan) The Sri Lankan government is threatening to execute Sarath Fonseka, the army commander who delivered victory over the Tamil Tigers, if he continues to suggest top officials may have ordered war crimes during the final hours of the civil war. The threat, issued by Sri Lanka's defence secretary, Gotabaya Rajapaksa, is the latest sign of a bitter feud within the Sri Lankan political establishment, more..

June 7 (SO) The Provincial Council system from its inception proved to be an effective mechanism for devolution of power. It has helped local communities to share power and implement regional development programs for the benefit of the communities, Local Government and Provincial Councils Minister A.L.M. Athaullah said. President Mahinda Rajapaksa and the UPFA Government are in the process of holding consultations and discussions on ways and more..

June 7 (SL) Jaffna was carnage last weekend. There was a kilometre long traffic jam to the ferry point as Vesakians thronged Nagadeepa. Come back to Colombo and the Indians have occupied the Cinnamon Grand, requiring passes for every entrance. These are not bad things, but they are annoying. It’s a sign of what could happen if tourism grows too fast. It can really ruin a good thing, left unchecked. more..

June 7 (SL) Deputy Resettlement Minister Vinayagamurthy Muralitharan held the TNA partly responsible for the current plight of the Tamil civilians in the North. He said that when he defected from the LTTE and called on the organisation to give up arms and stop the war, the TNA continued to support the LTTE and its war efforts. “It is the continuous war that has now placed thousands of civilians in the North in great difficulty,” he said. more..

June 7 (PM) A man clad in a sarong makes his way along the sand. With a pair of diving gogglesand a snorkel in hand, he treads carefully along the shoreline, his eyes fixed on the sand before his feet. He looks for a shimmer, a tell-tale glint, andseeing none, he dons the diving mask and snorkel, and steps in to the waves. The man is looking for economic opportunity through local tourism, though at first glance he looks like searching for lost trinkets. more..

June 7 (Xinhua) An opposition party in Sri Lanka has planned to hold a religious ceremony on Tuesday to demand the release of former Army Commander Sarath Fonseka who is in military custody over allegations of violating the military law while in uniform. Vijitha Herath, general secretary of the DNA led by Fonseka, told reporters on Sunday that they had originally planned to hold a "Adhishtana Pooja" on May 18, more..

June 7 (MoD) Indian business leaders who were in Sri Lanka for FICCI IIFA Global Business Forum are keen on investing in Sri Lanka and they are highly inspired by President Mahinda Rajapaksa for eradicating three decades of war in the country, Indian Chamber of Commerce - Aviation Tourism and Hospitality Committee Chairman and STIC Travel Group Chairman Subhash Goyal told Daily News Business. more..

June 7 (LG) Katmandu, June 4, 2010 - To a critical observer, the most visible difference between Nepal and Sri Lanka concerns the nature of political debate in this erstwhile Himalayan kingdom. Despite the tumultuous nature of the political process in Nepal with the latest crisis being averted by the Constituent Assembly being given a further one year extension at the proverbial eleventh hour on May 28, 2010, the public sphere is dominated by vibrant and open debate. more..

June 7 (LG) People talk a great deal about president Rajapaksa and his brothers, and Al Jazeera’s Fauziah Ibrahim, demure lady though she is, could not help ask the president recently about his brothers, when she interviewed Mahinda Rajapaksa. Well, various people may have various opinions about the president’s siblings and his relatives that Al Jazeera’s Ms. Ibrahim asked so curiously about in her interview. But, I think the president’s real effective brother is Ranil Rajapaksa. more..

June 7 (LG) It was heart warming for us, particularly to the police retirees, to read in the newspapers a few weeks back that Secy. Defence, Mr. Gotabhaya Rajapaksa himself had at the opening ceremony of the Police Academy, Katana, called the police to reform itself, to be more efficient, etc. This was indeed like a few drops of rain on a parched land. I for one had virtually given up hope of ever reviving the police as I was suffering under more..

June 7 (wsws) Thousands of shanty dwellers in Colombo face the prospect of losing their homes and livelihoods as the government of President Mahinda Rajapakse implements its City of Colombo Development Plan. The plan, aimed at turning the capital into “the financial and commercial hub of the South Asian region,” is part of broader efforts to attract foreign investment and tourists. more..

June 7 (wsws) Shanty dwellers living near the Grand Pass canal in north Colombo were told by government officials on May 31 that all structures within six and a half metres of the canal bank would be removed. Residents were given tokens carrying the stamp of the Land Reclamation and Development Board. The families are naturally anxious and angry. They were not told whether they would be evicted from their homes or when. more..

June 7 (PSM) President's appointment of Deputy Minister Susantha Punchinilame as the Chairman of the Task Force to look into the upliftment of the Northern and Eastern provinces has disturbed many provincial and central govt. politicians from the North East who are in the ruling UPFA. The Deputy Minister told media that the activities in fisheries, tourism, agriculture and other fields would be monitored and more..

June 7 (NS) The chaos in the Colombo Port since the sudden pullout of inter-terminal trucker involved in shuttling containers, especially between the privately-run South Asia Gateway Terminal and SLPA terminals from June 1 is likely to improve a great deal next week with the stopgap shuttle operator who was inducted into the job the same night adding 20 new prime movers to the job early next week. more..

June 7 (LP) Professor G.L. Peiris, Minister of External Affairs had discussions with Mr. George Yeo, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Singapore. Minister Peiris briefed his Singaporean counterpart about the opportunities available for investment in Sri Lanka, in the new situation pervaded by peace and political stability. The Singaporean Foreign Minister agreed to give priority to closer co-operation with Sri Lanka in more..

June 7 (LP) Nine prisoners and 02 suspects escaped the Maligakanda Magistrate’s court, prison cell this afternoon (07 at around 01.00 pm. Speaking to Lankapuvath Prisons Department spokesman Prisons Commissioner Kenneth Fernando said that they escaped while being detained at a cell at the Magistrate’s court, and the escapees were held under special custody for criminal acts they were involved. more..

June 7 (ST) A retired senior military official was among ten persons rounded up from a brothel that had operated under the guise of an ayurveda massage treatment centre in the Mirihana area, police said. The brothel was busted by police on a tip-off, and among the others arrested were the 24-year-old male manager, an ayurvedic doctor and five young female workers. more..

June 7 (GDI) Sri Lanka's Provincial Chief Ministers have agreed to ban tuition classes on Sundays and Poya days. This was decided at the 27th Convention of the Chief Ministers held recently at Marawila in Chilaw. Views have been expressed about the situation created due to the ban issued on tuition classes on Sundays and Poya days. Sri Lanka has Nine Provincial Councils administrations and already some Councils have decided not to allow conducting tuition classes on such days. more..

June 7 (GDI) Sri Lankan public transport office has introduced a special telephone number for the public to forward any complaints related to problems experienced by them in the bus services. This hotline number will be announced next week. Under the first phase of this initiative, complaints will be entertained between 8:30 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. Sri Lanka Transport Board which has the large fleet of buses in an effort to enhance public transport services more..

June 7 (PSM) Appointment of a candidate for a vacancy in Trinco district of the Eastern Provincial Council who is third in preferential votes by passing two other candidates in the UPFA has irked voters who supportted the UPFA. The two candidates were Dr. Lafir from Trinco and T.Thoufeek from Muthoor. Instead of appointing one of them, the UPFA general secretary has appointed Mr. Gamini from Trinco for more..

June 7 (DN) Anuruddha Pradeep, a Political Science lecturer at Sri Jayawardenapura University, writing on the subject of education opined that ‘free education’ should be seen as part of our national heritage just like Sigiriya, Abhayagiriya and our ancient irrigation works. Abhayagiriya is an architectural wonder, a complex, evidence of a culture and civilization that a people can be proud of. So too Sigiriya. more..

June 7 (TN) Sri Lanka President Mahinda Rajapakse has invited the representatives of Tamil National (TNA) for talks on the eve of his visit to India Tuesday, sources in Colombo said. The president has also invited representatives of Eelam People’s Democratic Party (EPDP) led by Minister Douglas Devananda for talks to be held following his meeting with TNA representatives Monday evening, the sources added. more..

June 7 (LT) Colombo Magistrate’s Court ordered that Ms. Frederica Janz’s note book which contains the statement Gen. Sarath Fonseka alleged to have made at an interview to ‘Sunday Leader’ should be presented to the Court. She made this order when the case filed by the CID alleging that the statement Gen. Sarath Fonseka made to ‘Sunday Leader’ had violated emergency regulations came up before her today (7th). more..

June 7 (UNP) UNP M.P. Gayantha Karunatileke said, the proposals advanced to introduce re structuring in the UNP has turned into a great boon, as it has kindled fresh enthusiasm and interest in all towards making UNP a victorious party. At the beginning, a six member Committee under the Chairmanship of Joseph Michael Perera was appointed towards this re structuring. more..

June 7 (LeN) Owing to an attack launched by Israel Commandos on a ship carrying medicines to the Palestinians in the Gaza strip and, the taking into custody of 800 individuals, two Sri Lankans too have fallen victims, reports say. The Sri Lankans are a Law student in Australia, Ahamed Naleeb, 21 years old and his sister 18 year old Thaleem Mariyam, a medical student in Kuwait. Mariyam had escaped unhurt in the brutal attack of the Israeli commandos. more..

June 7 (LP) The United Nations food agency, World Food Programme (WFP) together with corporate partners TNT, DSM and Unilever and the Sri Lankan government organized a 'Hunger Train', a train journey Sunday to raise funds to prevent child malnutrition in Sri Lanka. The train journey took place form the Fort Railway Station to the Negombo Railway Station with the participation of economic Development Minister Basil Rajapaksa, more..

June 7 (LNP) There is hardly anything over which the government and the Opposition do not clash. They are even capable of having a scrimmage over a heap of cow dung on a street in Colombo. The latest brouhaha is over `Fa` and `Pa` (read IIFA and CEPA respectively). The Opposition and its spin docs are trying to discount the mileage Sri Lanka has gained from the recently concluded IIFA events in Colombo. They fault the government for its IIFA-related expenditure. more..

June 7 (CT) Leader of the Nawa Samasamaja Party Dr. Vickramabahu Karunaratne says the creation of a single provincial council for both the northern and eastern provinces after strengthening the provincial council system will be the ideal entry towards a political solution. Dr. Karunaratne told 'Colombo Today' that PCs should be given more powers, including powers of the police. more..

June 7 (DN) Sri Lanka’s efforts to retain GSP Plus concessions received another boost with the United Nations promising its full backing during all internationally coordinated initiatives in this regard. UN Resident Representative in Sri Lanka Neil Buhne while extending support during a meeting with Prime Minister D.M. Jayaratne emphasized the importance of retaining GSP plus in the context of more..

June 7 (MoD) The first Sinhala medium Girls High School in Trincomalee District was declared open under the patronage of Minister of Education Bandula Gunawardana on 26 May 2010. It was a major limitation for the Sinhalese students of the Gomarankadawala, Morawewa and Padavisiripura areas due to nonexistence of a high school for the Sinhalese students to continue their studies in their own language. more..

June 7 (NS) The Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (TRC) yesterday said they will not impose any regulation that would result in slowing down the internet speed, when The Nation contacted to inquire them the possibilities of banning people from accessing internet sites containing pornographic content through mobile phones. The Police Women and Children’s Bureau recently said they will negotiate with mobile telecommunication service providers in more..