July 10 (ST) As over-fishing continues to deplete the world’s stocks of marine fish, fish-consuming countries will be compelled to turn to aqua culture, or internal fisheries, to ensure future food security. Professor Sena de Silva made this point at the 17th session of the Sri Lanka Association for Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (SAFAR). The two-day session featured some 30 scientific papers presented under the banner, “Aquatic Resources in a Changing World: Present Trends and Future Strategies.” more..

July 10 (Island) TNA MP M. A. Sumanthiran said that his party has still not decided whether to participate in the Parliamentary Select Committee or not as the govt has so far not made an official announcement in this regard. He said if the govt makes an official announcement in Parliament, then the TNA could deliberate and make its decision known. Sumanthiran said that he was happy that Minister Nilal Siripala de Silva, Leader of the House as well as a member of more..

July 10 (SO) Sri Lanka could play the lead role in promoting trade in the South Asian region, according to many leading businessmen in Pakistan. President of the Karachchi Chamber of Commerce and founder President of the Pakistan-Japan Business Forum, Majyd Aziz Balagamwala said Sri Lanka is the only South Asian country that could play the lead role to boost trade in the region. more..

July 10 (ST) US based Christine Sonali Merrill did Sri Lanka proud when she clinched the country’s second bronze medal of the 19th Asian Athletic Championships by producing a stunning final surge in the 400 metres hurdles last night at the Universiade Stadium here in Kobe, Japan. Trailing at fifth after the final hurdle, Merrill shifted a gear in the final sprint to the line and finished in a time of 57.30 more..

July 10 (ST) The Government is to rush a delegation of senior Muslim clerics to Saudi Arabia to secure the release of Rizana Nafik who is facing a public beheading after she was found guilty of killing her employer’s child amid reports she is under severe mental stress. An External Affairs Ministry official said they were awaiting clearance from the Saudi authorities for the mission of the delegation more..

July 10 (ST) Former foreign minister Rohitha Bogollagama has sent us the following letter in response to our last week's Café story titled 'Diplomatic outlaws and illegitimate ads'. The letter says: I wish to respond to the above news item, though appearing more in the form of a "Gossip Column", with a view to correcting the false impressions this may cause in the Public eye. more..

July 10 (ST) A second irregularity involving the Petroleum Ministry following what happened with the import of substandard petrol has been reported in connection with a fertilizer supplier not being punished for dishonouring a contract. In both cases – the petrol import crisis and the fertilizer tender – is former Petroleum Ministry Secretary Titus Jayawardane. He was solely involved in the decision to import petrol that was found to contain impurities while more..

July 10 (Island) Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa praised Kumar Sangakkara for solidly backing the country’s successful war effort against the LTTE at a time a section of the international community is targeting the Sri Lankan military over accountability issues. Rajapaksa said that the former national cricket captain had taken advantage of the 2011 Sir Colin Cowdrey Lecture he delivered at Lord’s last week to more..

July 10 (SL) Amidst findings of a US Congressional Report about China trying to gain influence amongst Indian Ocean nations through foreign aid, the Finance and Planning Ministry in its latest report has revealed that the Chinese govt has become the country’s key lender by committing US$ 760 million of new loans in the first quarter of 2011. The Mid Year Fiscal Position Report for 2011 states that China has topped Japan in lending money to Sri Lanka. more..

July 10 (Island) Former Ceylinco Group boss Lalith Kotelawala and eight others will be indicted under 91 criminal charges for alleged conspiracy against the state by operating a finance company between 1999 and 2008 against the provisions of the Finance Companies Act, and thereby, inter alia, committing criminal breach of trust and misappropriation of funds in connection with the Golden Key (GK) scam. more..

July 10 (Island) A study spearheaded by UNICEF in collaboration with the Northern Provincial Department of Probation and Child Care and GA of Vavuniya has revealed that the majority of complaints received from Tamil speaking parents related to children forcibly recruited by the LTTE. Of 676 complaints regarding missing children, about 64 per cent related to ex-LTTE child soldiers. UNICEF has facilitated re-unification of 78 children with their families. more..

July 10 (ST) UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has agreed to give Sri Lanka more time to engage in what he called a “meeting of minds” to address the concerns of the International Community, but said this could not be an indefinite period. His response came after UNP Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe met the UN Chief in New York on Tuesday and appealed to him to give more time and space for the Sri Lankan Govt to more..

July 11 (E24/7) The newly elected president of Lanka Lions Sports Club Roshan Allang aims to focus his energies to help the club regain its lost prestige in cricket in the UAE. A regular feature in domestic competitions, Lanka Lions failed to field a team for the first time in the Bukhatir League 'A' division tournament this year. However, Allang drawing inspiration for the glorious past of the club hopes to make it a formidable force once again. more..

July 11 (AN) The body of the Sri Lankan maid who was allegedly murdered by her Saudi sponsor was repatriated last week, the Sri Lankan Embassy said. Pavani Devi Sinnaiyah, 36, who was working in Al-Ghorayath, Jouf province, died under mysterious circumstances on Jan. 19. “We have the autopsy report from the authorities confirming that the death was due to homicide,” said a senior diplomat from the Sri Lankan mission in Riyadh who did not want his name published. more..

July 11 (ST) It seems this Govt likes to reward wrongdoers and punish those who attempt to expose corruption and malpractices, as some Opposition MPs alleged in Parliament last week. A case in point is the decision to send former IGP Mahinda Balasuriya as Ambassador to Brazil, after all the gregarious claims by some government politicians, that the man had stepped down from office, admitting responsibility, for the police crackdown in June, more..

July 11 (NN) After much delay the Norochcholai coal power plant was operational from this morning and is expected to add 300 mega watts of power to the national grid by tomorrow. Officials said that the Norochcholai power plant was running on diesel this morning adding 90 mega watts to the grid and will use coal by later today. The officials further added that by tomorrow the plant would have added 300 mega watts of power to the national grid and help meet the urgent demand for electricity. more..

July 11 (LT) The govt has decided to do away with the process of calling for tenders and hand over the supply of all medicines needed in the country to India say reports. The Minister of Health Maithripala Sirisena says the decision was taken to prevent the shortage of medicines that occur frequently in hospitals in the country and to halt fraud and corruption when medicine is bought under the tender process. He had further said the buying of medicine more..

July 11 (AT) Minister of Economic Development Basil Rajapaksa announced in Jaffna yesterday that all restrictions imposed on fishing in the northern Sri Lanka has been lifted from yesterday (09). Accordingly, fishermen are not required to obtain passes for fishing in the northern sea area. He made this announcement when he met the representatives of 61 fishermen Associations in the Jaffna district at Weerasingham Hall in Jaffna on Saturday. more..

July 11 (GDI) Sri Lanka Army Football Club after 42 years recorded a resounding 2-0 victory against Don Bosco team during the final all-island championship tournament Saturday (9) evening at Colombo City football ground, organized by Sri Lanka Football Association for the Holcim FA Trophy. Sri Lanka Army’s victory in the all-island football championship came about after an absence of 42 years after the Army Sappers Team carried the championship in the year 1969. more..

July 11 (GDI) In appreciation of the Leadership Training received, the First Batch of University Entrants, who underwent their Positive Attitude Development and Leadership Training from the Navy, held a felicitation ceremony at SLNS Shilpa at Thalathuoya in Kandy on 06th July 2011. The grateful students expressed their heartfelt gratitude to the Navy in the function organized on their own with voluntary participation to show their sincere appreciation. more..

July 11 (LBO) Sedentary lifestyles and absence of regular health checks are making Sri Lanka's workforce unhealthy with an alarming increase in early deaths that could have implications for economic growth, a media report said. "The war is over but Sri Lanka’s workforce is sitting on a fast-ticking time bomb," the Sunday Times newspaper said, noting that a recent survey had found the working population was prone to illnesses like heart disease. more..

July 11 (NF) Sri Lankans were agog with excitement over the remarks made by former cricket captain Kumar Sangakkara at the Mecca of cricket, the Lords in Britain last week. Sangakkara was bestowed with the single honour of delivering the Collin Cowdrey Memorial Lecture at the Marylebone Cricket Club, the cricket headquarters of the world. Only a few people had the opportunity to address the distinguished crowd of the Marylebone Cricket Club and Sangakkara was more..

July 11 (NF) The government has made arrangements to purchase one hundred thousand tonnes of paddy from farmers for this Yala season. Secretary to the Ministry of Cooperatives and Internal Trade Sunil Sirisena stated that they have set aside the necessary funds for this purpose. He stated that they hope this Yala season will reap about 1.6 million tonnes of paddy. Sirisena noted that they will start purchasing the paddy at the end of this month. more..

July 11 (NF) The Department of Examinations stated that the largest number of applicants in the history will be sitting for the GCE Advanced Level Examinations this year. Commissioner General of the Examinations Anura Edirisinghe stated that over 294,000 applicants will sit for the examination this year. 194,000 applicants will sit for each - the old and new syllabus. The Advanced Level examinations is to be conducted in 2400 examination centers islandwide. more..

July 11 (BBC) Caffe – Campaign for Free and Fair Election says that Tamil National Alliance (TNA) has faced with violence against its election campaign in the districts of Jaffna, Mullaitivu and Killinochchi. Elections are scheduled to be held on 23 July for twenty local bodies. Rajith Keerthi Thennakoon, Excecutive Director of Caffe told Sandesaya that government authorities have not so far responded to election related complaints made by the TNA. more..

July 11 (BBC) The biggest annual gathering of Sri Lankans in UK aims to help reconciliation efforts in Sri Lanka after the end of the decades-old civil war, say organisers. Festival of Cricket (FoC) the annual cultural event organised in UK is held in London with the participation of 26 old boys associations (OBAs). OBAs representing all communities take part in the event. Aruna Tiskumara, the president of the FoC told BBC Sandeshaya that the event that more..

July 11 (AFP) Defence Secretary Liam Fox has urged the Sri Lankan government to investigate war crimes alleged to have been committed during the island's separatist conflict with Tamil rebels. The British High Commission said Liam Fox had pushed Sri Lanka, a former British colony, to probe the charges of deliberate bombing of civilians and unlawful killings. "Allegations of violations of international human rights and humanitarian law by more..

July 11 (LG) Yesterday, we went to the suburb of Campbelltown to honor our Uncle Namasivayam Nadesan. Uncle Nadesan passed away at the age of 93. A tall and broadly build person, with a kind heart is how I remember Uncle Nadesan. We went to honor Uncle, with our friends – Marie and Pathi Pathinathar to whom Uncle Nadesan became Pattah (Grandpa) through their shared life in Nigeria – where both – Uncle Nadesan and Pathi worked as engineers. Marie and Pathi were more regular than us – more..

July 11 (GV) Emphasis ours. Arguably, if there is to be no Eelam, then the people of Jaffna have to be presented with a range of democratic alternatives and enjoy an environment conducive for representatives of all political parties to contest ideas as well as elections. If there is to be a modicum of justice, voters in these areas need to be allowed to exercise their franchise, which in the past was denied by the LTTE in particular. This is clearly not happening. more..

July 11 (SO) There is a saying "If there's a will there's a way". When I was in my teens, I remember two Sri Lankan youth Arthur Alwis and Arthur Rutnam who peddled their way to UK overland on two bicycles. Their accounts were featured in the Ceylon Observer at that time. This was always working in my mind and Geography being my pet subject at Ananda College, also gave me more impetus to venture out. I was really and truly bitten by the travel bug. more..

July 11 (DM) I have recently read with great interest the response of Prof. Nalin de Silva, of the University of Kelaniya, to the statement issued by the Sri Lanka Association for the Advancement of Science (SLAAS). Also interesting was the article published in the Sunday Times of July 3rd, in which Prof. Priyani Paranagama justified the use of “divine intervention” in scientific discovery. I would like to offer the following comments. Actually, there is little one can say about Prof. de Silva. more..

July 11 (DM) SS Reports that the Government and the TNA have decided on coming out with written proposals on power-devolution only at the conclusion of the current negotiations on a political solution, if true, should be welcome. The intention seems to be arriving at a practical solution, fitting with the times. Ideas and ideology that cannot be kept out of a written proposal could stymie the talks from the word, ‘Go’. Political negotiations are all about give-and-take. more..

July 11 (SO) Prasanna Vithanage's entry into Sinhala cinema marks a seminal stage in the evolution of contemporary Sri Lankan cinema. Vithanage has devised his own grammar and syntax in cinema which is essentially Sri Lankan yet appealing to the complex sensibilities of international cinema. The overarching influence of great filmmakers such as Lester James Peries, Satyajit Ray, Kurosawa and pioneer filmmakers of the European schools such as more..

July 11 (LB) The speed with which every issue becomes politicized in Sri Lanka is sickening. If there are unacceptable levels of arsenic in rice stocks on sale in the market it’s very serious. If these “findings” of contamination by Kelaniya and Rajarata University (KRU) researchers are inaccurate or untrue, the public scare has to be diffused without delay by reliable scientific testing backed by international laboratories (Rajapaksa’s terror at the words independent, more..

July 11 (GV) When Kumar Chokshanada Sangakkara, Trinity Lion, Ryde Gold Medallist, and former captain of Sri Lanka, delivered what can only be called a magisterial oration at the 2011 MCC Spirit of Cricket Cowdrey Lecture at Lord’s on Monday night, he not only rapidly exhausted the stock of superlatives of his audience, reviewers and fans, but also became the first Cowdrey lecturer to receive a standing ovation since Desmond Tutu in 2008. more..

July 11 (Island) Trail, "A journey by the living for life" is a historic walk from the South to the North of Sri Lanka, spanning 27 days, covering 670km with the aim of raising funds to build a Pediatric Cancer Ward in the Jaffna General Hospital. This extraordinary journey began on the 01st of July 2011 from the Dondra Head Lighthouse under the patronage of Hon. Namal Rajapaksa MP amidst a large gathering of dignitaries, well-wishers, and more..

July 11 (Island) There has been many a sinister attempt to scuttle Australia's tour of Sri Lanka scheduled for next month. The re-telecast by ABC of the C-4 video down under could not have been better timed. It has become a potent weapon in the hands of anti-Sri Lankan propagandists. An article, Cricket must face up to political bouncers (referred to as 'the article' hereafter) by Peter Roebuck (PR) in The Sydney Morning Herald of July 9 is being circulated the more..

July 11 (DM) The post war Sri Lanka is poised for change and offered an opportunity it only dreamt of for three long decades. Where it now turns and how it will share the responsibility is a discussion left to a Sri Lankan forum that has the interests of the country first. Engagement of all people be they Sinhala, Tamil or Muslim in this discussion is crucial to how peace will prevail in the future. A Tamil Diaspora that does not desire a return to the country at any point of time more..

July 11 (Island) Minister Navin Dissanayake, who in his youth made headlines more due to his hot temper, has mellowed into being a fine dispassionate thinker. Unlike his larger than life late father Gamini Dissanayake who was always among the top few in the JRJ govt and also acted as if destiny had meant him to be right at the top, the young Dissanayake having already gone through the political mill however says he takes life one step at a time and more..

July 11 (ST) The Law & Society Trust, in a new study, has found that many women migrant workers return to Sri Lanka without sufficient savings, employable skills or viable livelihood options. "At times, they come back to find their marriages over and families shattered. Many returnees find themselves indebted, either directly or indirectly, or through loans incurred by the families," the Trust found. The findings are contained in a publication titled more..