Jan 10 (LG) It is an urgent plea to all Tamils worldwide because we are in great trouble. I was pleading with a few Tamil leaders for a joint proclamation and pro-action to lead the Tamil people out of the dilemma and the doldrums, but all I hear is blame game. No leader wants to pick up the mantle and run with it, NO, it is not in their mind, their inabilities and incapacities are transformed into nefarious and narcissistic actions of other leaders. more..

Jan 10 (TC) The ‘Sinhala Only’ National Anthem is a reality. Its inaugural manifestation took place at a tsunami commemoration ceremony in Jaffna, at the tail-end of 2010. The students of Jaffna Hindu College and Vambadi Girls School were compelled to sing the National Anthem in Sinhala, a language they are unfamiliar with; provincial authorities, under orders from Colombo, ignored the complaints of the students about the impossibility of more..

Jan 10 (TC) Palmyrah or Thal or Panei is synonymous with the northern peninsula of Sri Lanka; its splendour often romanticised in verse, cinema and all forms of art associated with the region. Yielding a variety of food and beverages, palmyrah is also a rich source for exotic handicrafts. Papyrus or pus kola derived out of palm leaves occupied a significant place as writing material in ancient Sri Lanka and India. more..

Jan 10 (LG) For the Lion Flag - How do you identify a racist? The question is an important one because people no longer avow their racism, not since racism began to stink in the nostrils of civilized humanity consequent to the Hitler Gang’s genocidal lunacy against the Jews. Not only do people refuse to avow their racism, they are not even conscious of their own racism. Consequently, to identify the racist we have to engage in a hermeneutic reading of the signs, more..

Jan 10 (TC) At long last, the Lankan state has taken what may be seen as a few ‘baby steps’ towards addressing some hitherto unmet crucial needs of the Tamil-speaking citizenry of the Northern and Eastern provinces. Considering that the government could not have been described as getting down to addressing post-conflict issues thus far with any notable aplomb and zeal, the recent decision by the state to recruit Tamil persons as police officers, more..

Jan 10 (LG) Two elongated years have come into conclusion, precisely as of today (8), since the incongruously horrendous cold-blooded murder of one of the most outspoken, clear-cut, intrepid and young Journalists that may have ever set foot on planet earth, in aspects of a noteworthy epoch of time in history, to date. Indeed, a Sri Lankan Journalist Par Excellence, who requires no introduction by any means, more..

Jan 10 (Island) There seems to be no end to the inflow of earth-shattering Wikileaks revelations. The latest US diplomatic cable posted on the Internet is a damning indictment of Norway and those politicians here who were in the UNP-led UNF government (2001-2004). The US embassy in Colombo says in the dispatch in question, dated Dec. 20, 2002, that the import by the UNF government of radio equipment for the LTTE with Norwegian assistance, left ‘a bad taste in everyone's mouth’. more..

Jan 10 (DM) The private buses in the Western Province plan to go on strike midnight tomorrow. And as far as Sri Lankans are concerned the strikes have become a routine. But the operators are also seeking an intervention regarding their demands from the President. Earlier the discussions held with the Transport Ministry on the association’s request to increase bus fares by 3% ended in failure, which led to the announcement that private buses were ready to go on an all-island strike. more..

Jan 10 (TC) Checks and balances are vital not only to separate and demarcate the powers and functions of the principal branches of the State but also to ensure no single branch becomes overly powerful, hegemonic, or monarchical. Checks and balances are absolutely essential during these times in Sri Lanka, due to a very simple reason: the existence of a strong and powerful government. more..

Jan 10 (LG) The LLRC met representatives of Northern Muslims, (IDP’s) who were driven away from the North in 1990 by the LTTE, and those from the host community of Puttalam on 7th January 2011. Although, the number of submissions were relatively low compared to other field visits, only 23 in all. Centre for Human Rights (CHR) observe, that there were clear indications of dissension which has begun to develop amongst those who were residing in the area formally, and more..

Jan 10 (UCAN) Fear has returned to haunt communities and parishes in the Jaffna Peninsula following an upsurge in violent crime that has prompted the return of neighborhood watch groups. The past month has seen at least three people murdered, one young girl raped and a spate of kidnappings including the abduction of 30 schoolchildren, 28 of whom were later freed by police. Lawlessness since the end of the civil war has become so acute priests are now giving advice to more..

Jan 10 (GV) Jalajakumari Selvarasa (41) is very duty conscious in a bottle green traditional Shalwar Kameez. She sits at the entrance of the women’s side of the springs, and gives the instructions in Tamil to the devotees who visit “Keerimalai” springs in Jaffna district, North of Sri Lanka. She shows the way with her shiny smile to the new comers here in “Keerimalai“. Keerimalai literally translates Mongoose Hill in English. more..

Jan 10 (TN) LLRC commission members, tired and perhaps sleepless over their own pretentious exercises, were seen dozing off during the session in Mannaar Saturday, when more than 500 gathered to give evidence and many more could not attend due to lack of space in the hall. People were waiting from 8.30 in the morning, the announced time for the session, but the commission members came only at 10.30. The hearing was over by 2.00 PM for the three AGA divisions of more..

Jan 10 (Island) The rupee appreciated further last week as exporters seemed to panic on an official pronouncement that the rupee would be allowed to appreciate gently against the dollar. Although the trade balance is expected to widen, increased foreign currency inflows as remittances and foreign direct investments improve this year are expected to weaken the dollar, but Central Bank Governor Ajith Nivard Cabraal ruled out a sharp appreciation of the rupee against the greenback. more..

Jan 10 (ST) It is the most creative and colourful gathering in Sri Lanka’s cultural calendar. An event that has gathered momentum over the years since its inception in 1993, the annual Kala Pola brings the country’s talented artistes and sculptors together on a common platform. This much awaited open-air feast will be held this year on January 23 along the sidewalks of Ananda Coomaraswasmy Mawatha (Green path), Colombo 7 more..

Jan 10 (SL) A fortnight ago, President Rajapaksa received the report on the opinion poll conducted by the secret service, on the popularity of the government, post general election of 2010. He received an interim report prior to the final survey report. This showed that the government was not popular in urban areas due to the escalating cost of living. Corruption was another issue which contributed to the growing unpopularity of the government. more..

Jan 10 (NS) The recent increase in top level Indian delegation visits to Colombo indicates that India has entered a new and more comprehensive phase of bilateral relations with Sri Lanka. However, a highest level political visit from India is yet to materialise, while Sri Lankan counterparts have already visited Delhi twice in the recent past. What underlies these frequent diplomatic visits? The global power configuration is changing in favour of Asia, more..

Jan 10 (GV) The Editors of Groundviews were emailed the following story on a website called Athirvu.com. The photo is self-explanatory, and shows a commissioner of Sri Lanka’s LLRC falling asleep during the Commission’s recent sittings in Mannar. A reader of Groundviews provided a translation of the Tamil article, Have you ever seen a Commission like this? Yesterday, the LLRC travelled to Mannar. more..

Jan 10 (DM) The accepting of applications for postal voting for the 301 local government bodies that polls were being held would begin today (10), Additional Elections Commissioner W.P. Sumanasiri said. He said that the 2009 voter lists, which would be used for this poll, could be viewed at several government offices including district secretariats for the convenience of the public and applications for postal voting could be obtained at these offices. more..

Jan 10 (Island) A large number of paddy cultivators had not been issued with subsidized fertiliser because they have set fire to the straw after the harvest, an agricultural officer recently said. However, the affected farmers say that those who burnt the heaps of straw were outsiders and that they should not be penalised for what others had done. They said they had already lodged complaints with the police. The government had issued a directive that the farmers more..

Jan 10 (SL) A Formula One track is planned for the New Port City to be constructed in the vicinity of the Colombo Port. According to the Chairman, Ports Authority, Dr. Priyath Wickrama an eight lane F1 track will “definitely” be a part of the New Port City, he said. Formula One has strict requirements for its tracks and the Sri Lankan track, if it is to be a reality, must be carefully planned if it is to be implemented in the New Port City. more..

Jan 10 (NS) The Ministry of Environment has discovered that a certain construction company, involved in a number of development projects in the North, has taken undue advantage of a metal quarry permit granted to it, by extracting metal from a rock in the Chamlamkulam forest reserve far in excess of the quantum stipulated in the permit. The errant company has extracted more than five times the quantity allowed under the permit granted under the Forest Conservation Ordinance, more..

Jan 10 (NS) Our khaki coat hierarchy certainly knows how to goof things up even when it comes to effecting end of the year transfers. This year they even transferred out the cops attached to the independent Bribery and Corruption Commission and replaced them with a new batch, little realising that even though that the Commission is now temporarily defunct till a new set of Commissioners is appointed, the Police Department has no business to touch those officers unless more..

Jan 10 (ST) President Mahinda Rajapaksa has named three new ports of entry and departure into the country -- the Magam Ruhunupura Mahinda Rajapaksa Port (Hambantota), the Port of Norochcholai and the Port of Oluvil. The names of these three points have been issued in an Extraordinary Gazette notification by the President under the Immigrants and Emigrants Act. An official said they had opened an office at Norochcholai while more..

Jan 10 (DN) The Health Ministry has taken measures to improve the total production capacity of Thriposha Manufacturing Company to 100 percent while strengthening the government program to distribute Thriposha free to pregnant mothers and children suffering from under nutrition. This company operated under the Ceylon Tobacco Company was taken over by the Health Ministry administration last Friday. It resumed work yesterday as Sri Lanka Thriposha Limited Company. more..

Jan 10 (DM) Sri Lanka Foreign Employment Bureau Chairman Kingsley Ranawaka had said that there had been a significant growth in the number of Sri Lankan migrant workers going abroad during the year 2010 in comparison to the previous year, the Government Information Department web portal said. Accordingly, 266,645 persons had left the country for foreign employment after having registered with the SLFEB. Thereby the bureau had earned an annual income of 500 million rupees, more..

Jan 10 (DBS) Hello Friends; The article by JL Devananda titled “The Mahavamsa Mentality: Re-visiting Sinhala Buddhism in Sri Lanka” was posted on my blog last mont. As expected the controversial viewpoint expressed continues to elicit diverse and very often passionate responses. I was pleasantly surprised to receive an article written in response to Devananda’s article from Former Sri Lankan Foreign service officer Bandu de Silva a few days ago. more..

Jan 10 (DM) Schools in the Central Province and Polonnaruwa would be closed today while those in the Eastern Province would remain closed for five days due to the torrential rains and floods, education officials said. The decision to close schools in the Central Province has been taken by the Chief Minister of the Province Sarath Ekanayake. Several roads in the Province have been inundated and due to the prevailing bad weather a decision has been made to close the schools on Monday more..

Jan 10 (DN) The Meteorology Department yesterday predicted more showers in several areas in the North, North East, North Central, Sabaragamuwa, Uva and Central provinces during the next several days. Batticaloa had received the highest rainfall of 300 mm by yesterday. The adverse weather experienced over a long time was due to the changing climatic conditions in the region. The spill gates of several reservoirs and tanks in the north central province have been opened. more..

Jan 10 (DM) Three people were killed and seven injured and four missing when huge rocks had come down due to an earth slip and crushed six houses in Devana Rajasinghe Mawatha, Getambe in Peradeniya last morning. The disaster had taken place around 9 last morning. Last evening one little girl was rescued eight hours after the incident. Four more people were believed to be trapped in the rubble while efforts were being made to rescue them. more..

Jan 10 (Hindu) More refugees and displaced persons would return to their homes in north Sri Lanka this year, the UNCHR in Sri Lanka has predicted. In 2010, the number of refugees it assisted to return to Sri Lanka was 2,054. In 2009, this was 843. The U.N. body assists in voluntary return of refugees. The assistance covers air ticket, and documentation support. In addition, a reintegration grant also has been introduced to help rebuild lost livelihoods. more..

Jan 10 (ST) Sports Minister Mahindananda Aluthgamage had a somewhat embarrassing experience in Parliament last week when he decided to occupy the seat allocated to JHU monk MP, the Ven. Ellawala Medananda Thera. Minister Aluthgamage removed the white cloth cover that is placed over the seat allocated to the monk MP and was engaged in a conversation when Ellawala Thera walked into the Chamber. The Minister hurriedly rose from the seat, more..

Jan 10 (IL) President Mahinda Rajapaksa kicked off the ICC World Cup Glory Express-2011, a procession in preparation for the upcoming Cricket World Cup from Colombo on 08 January. The procession started with greetings from the President from Colombo, will march through all parts of the country over the next few weeks and ending up at the Hambantota Sooriyawewa International Cricket Stadium the day before the Cricket World Cup begins. more..

Jan 10 (DM) The main Opposition would take MP A.L.M. Attaulah to task for misleading the Parliament by giving false information on holding the local government elections, UNP and Opposition Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe said yesterday. He said the minister initially assured that the local government elections would be held under the new mixed system after passing the Local Government Electoral Reforms Bill but later later informed the House that it could not be passed as the elections would have to be held before March 31. more..

Jan 10 (LP) This is the most devastating floods that hit the Eastern part of the country especially Batticaloa and Ampara since 1913 said the Minister of Disaster Management Mahinda Amaraweera. He said that the adverse weather condition in the country has caused the Government a loss of Rs 30 billion. However the Government irrespective of political differences are in the efforts of providing the necessary relief for those affected. more..

Jan 10 (Island) Alleged war crime allegations targeting Sri Lanka and post-war developments will come up for discussion at the EU. Sub Committee on Human Rights of the European Parliament is scheduled to meet today in the wake of Sri Lanka’s hard hitting written response to criticism of its conduct during the war against the LTTE and post-conflict HR situation by two INGOs, including the International Crisis Group (ICG) more..

Jan 10 (Island) Ambassador John Gooneratne, one-time head of the Sri Lanka Peace Secretariat says under the direction of the then Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe’s Office, several ministries had helped the LTTE to import new radio equipment during the Norwegian-led peace initiative. The retired career diplomat was responding to a query by The Island on Saturday in the wake of the latest revelation by Wikileaks. more..

Jan 10 (DM) Irrigation tanks and reservoirs in many parts of the country were spilling over yesterday as a result of the heavy rains. An official from the CEB said that spill gates of Victoria, Randeneigala and Rantambe were opened as the reservoirs started over flowing. Four spill gates of Randenigala-Rantambe were opened last evening while the situation was reported to be same at Victoria reservoir. more..

Jan 10 (DM) This government did not have trust in privatization and it wouldn’t sell state property, President Mahinda Rajapakse said over the weekend. Speaking at the ceremony to award ISO Certificates to District Secretariats and Divisional Secretariats on Saturday President Rajapaksa said that there was a time when the policy was to sell state property and later to limit it thereby weakening the public sector. more..

Jan 10 (Island) Healthcare Minister Maithrepala Sirisena enjoys a pinch of Thriposa with Deputy Healthcare Minister Lalith Dissanayaka and Secretary to the Healthcare Ministry Dr. Ravindra Ruberu. Healthcare Minister Maithripala Sirisena says several major public sector organizations are on the verge of collapse due to inefficiency, poor management and negligence. more..