Sept 27 (LG) Here is full text of the Resolution past at the annual general meeting of the TULF on 24.09.2011 in Jaffna. 01) The TULF decided to give unconditional support for the candidates of the TNA who contested the recent Local Elections on the symbol of the federal party “the house”. We also gave the TNA a few candidates from the TULF to contest various local bodies to show our solidarity with the constituent partners of the TNA, more..

Sept 27 (LG) Sir, you may instigate racism, fanaticism and terrorism to scare your people, but the truth of the matter is Sri Lanka is better off in the hands of Tamils. In the International Lions club, we frequently use this phrase, “Let your conscience be your own judge” to draw the attention of our members to root their decision in the righteousness of their conscience; for a man of conscience seldom errs. I am asking Mahinda Rajapaksa that can you account for four direct more..

Sept 27 (LG) I would like to intercede, in the debate between Rajasingham Narendran and Illaya Seran Songuttavam, if I may, that was published recently in your pages. While I'm in general agreement with Narendran's statement regarding Tamil politics for the last several decades, I must nevertheless point to a major omission in the presentation of his case. Soon after the demand for 50-50 failed and the Soulbury Constitution was enacted, G.G.Ponnambalam abandoned his communal stances, more..

Sept 27 (ST) The medical verdict was a life sentence, without hope, only despair. "You have only about six months to live as you have cancer," a well-known personality in the country is told, while only three months, and a very painful three months at that, are given to a baby who has just passed his first birthday. Both "victims", however, have a "connection" that would save them from agonizing treatment and its consequences. The reports are shown to another doctor who more..

Sept 27 (TC) Milinda Moragoda’s on-going mayoral campaign is no doubt intriguing to the middle class nutty about new media technology. However I am doubtful as to what percentage of voters fall under this category. He has websites, Facebook accounts, Youtube videos and tweets galore while his rank and file uses the more simplistic means of loud crackers, cutouts and ugly posters. The latter display – all garbage and noise – may garner more votes for Milinda than his pretext to kultur. more..

Sept 27 (TC) Constructing physical infrastructure projects, together with selling/leasing land to foreigners, is the leitmotiv of Rajapaksa development. In its name untold wealth is pumped into building highways and overhead bridges, ports and airports. In its name national heritages (such as the Sinharaja forest) are endangered. In its name mammoth debts are incurred and questionable dependencies on foreign powers formed. A regime which regards more..

Sept 27 (SL) In a democracy a strong and active opposition is a MUST for good governance. Civil society can never play that role effectively. The tragedy for the country is that the opposition is failing miserably in their duty and thus the government is given a free pass out of jail to carry on with no respect for democratic norms. Once thought to be the only party that was united by its ideology, the JVP as a divided party has lost ground big time. more..

Sept 27 (GV) The Govt recently unveiled a policy regarding land in the North and East through the introduction of a Cabinet Memorandum (memo) titled ‘Regularize Land Management in Northern and Eastern Provinces,’ which was subsequently followed by a Land Circular (circular) titled ‘Regulating the Activities Regarding Management of Lands in the Northern and Eastern Provinces’ (Circular No: 2011/04) issued on 22nd July by the Land Commissioner Generals Department in more..

Sept 27 (GV) In Open-source policy formulation for Sri Lanka’s capital, an article published on the LBO website recently, the Head of the Policy Planning Group, Milinda for Mayor Campaign and renowned policy analyst Prof. Rohan Samarajiva looks at how mainstream politics can be made more participatory. The promise is of a direct democracy model with the aid of web, mobile and Internet technologies. Prof. Samarajiva captures well the shortcomings of a traditional approach to more..

Sept 27 (ST) AThe Sinharaja rainforest’s ‘Mixed Species Feeding Bird Flocks’ is a unique spectacle that can also be promoted as a tourist attraction, a leading zoologist said recently. Addressing a gathering of wildlife enthusiasts and tourism industry representatives at a lecture titled “Sinharaja Bird Wave” at the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce auditorium, Prof. Sarath Kotagama, said that two or more species feeding and moving in the same direction more..

Sept 27 (Island) UNP General Secretary Tissa Attanayake has emphasised the obvious. The JVP's split, he has told this newspaper, is a setback to the Opposition. The JVP has, in spite of all its failings, remained the most active political party. So, the Opposition is sure to feel the debilitating impact of the JVP's intraparty crisis. The government will benefit from the JVP's trouble in the short term as the latter will find it difficult to carry out frontal attacks on the former. more..

Sept 27 (DM) With the campaign for elections to 23 Local Councils going into its full and final gear, the people themselves need to seriously reflect on the extent to which they are really sovereign as enshrined or ensured in the constitution and to what extent vital institutions of democracy are working for the benefit of the sovereign people. The constitution of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is expected to be sacred, but questions have arisen more..

Sept 27 (Island) A senior banker says consumption and consumer spending looks to be growing rapidly putting pressure on both interest rates and the exchange rate. With global markets in recession, he cautions that reserves ought to be used wisely, while banks should slow down in generating consumer credit. Nations Trust Bank CEO Saliya Rajakaruna said the Central Bank is likely to be concerned with the rapid growth in private sector credit and more..

Sept 27 (DM) Electronic media institutions are in a bid to sell the talents of youth for their advantage. Judges of these talent programmes fight each other to destroy the self-esteem and self-confidence of these youth which has become a curse to youth Minister Dulles Alahapperuma said. Addressing the ‘Yovun Nipuna Sammana Ulela’ or youth talents felicitation ceremony at the Moratuwa National Apprentice Board auditorium, he charged that the entire society has been stranded on more..

Sept 27 (DM) Two army personnel who had allegedly sexually harassed a young woman by touching her in an inappropriate manner were ordered to pay Rs.25,000 as compensation to the victim and plead in oriental fashion and beg pardon from the complainant yesterday before the Colombo Fort Magistrate. When the case came up before the Magistrate Ms. Lanka Jayaratne, two army personnel agreed to beg pardon and greet the victimized woman in oriental manner with the consent of the complainant party. more..

Sept 27 (DN) A team of specialist doctors from Korea visited Sri Lanka to open the Korean-Sri Lanka Friendship Hospital constructed at Matara and to provide a training for local doctors on handling modern medical equipment installed at the hospital. The hospital constructed at a cost of Rs 3,000 million to be opened soon. The team of specialist doctors is from the Chonbuk State University of Korea and their visit is sponsored by the KOICA. Prof Kim Minho attached to the more..

Sept 27 (ST) A boy, despite being born without any fingers on his right hand, gained 186 marks at the Grade 5 scholarship examinations, to emerge sixth best student in the entire Matale District. Supun Shaminda Jayasinghe, a student of Paldeniya Mahinda Model School was born with a defective right arm, as well as minus all the toes on his right foot, but had not allowed his disability to be a handicap to him in anyway. “From the time I was young, I learnt to do things on my own. more..

Sept 27 (Island) Private buses operating on the Maharagama–Dehiwala route, No. 119, launched an indefinite strike yesterday morning to protest the shifting of the old Maharagama private bus stand, allegedly with the intervention of Western Province Transport Minister’s wife Kanthi Kodikara. Lanka Private Bus Owners Association (LPBOA) President Gamunu Wijeratne accused Ms. Kodikara of attempting to corner the place for a business complex. more..

Sept 27 (TN) The US Asst. Secretary of State visiting the island recently, wanted the ‘Grease Devil’ attacks to be stopped as though the ‘switch’ was in his hand. But targeted attacks taking place in Jaffna after his visit, against the backdrop of dubious manoeuvrings currently engineered in the West, only show a continued and concerted war waged against Tamils by elements in the Establishments guilty of genocide trying politics of intimidation, commented political circles in Jaffna. more..

Sept 27 (LBO) Tea production is unlikely to match last year's levels given a continuing decline in crops owing to bad weather, a broker said. August tea production fell eight percent to 23.9 million kilos from last year with the worst hit being the higher elevations, Asia Siyaka Commodities said. Bad weather in September means crops are unlikely to match the September 2010 production of 25.5 million kilos. "Based on the poor weather conditions experienced up country so more..

Sept 27 (DM) A.J.M. Muzammil, the UNP mayoral candidate for the CMC said that the SLFP had forgotten its founder S.W.R.D. Bandaranaike and its long standing members. Mr. Muzammil, who paid tribute to the statute of Mr. Bandaranaike at Galle Face yesterday together with UNP general secretary Tissa Attanayake and national organizer Ravi Karunanayake on his death anniversary, said it was sad to see that the SLFP did not have a ceremony near the statue at Galle Face more..

Sept 27 (DM) Prisons authorities, yesterday, transferred Rosemary Felicia Perera, alias 'Madam Jeena,' (who was serving a jail term at Welikada for running a brothel in the Liberty Plaza shopping complex, Kollupitiya) to the Kalutara Prison after it was found that she had been given a cell equipped with extraordinarily luxurious facilities at Welikada. A high ranking Prisons officer had seen ‘Madam Jeena’ in an extraordinarily luxurious cell provided with special facilities. more..

Sept 27 (DN) Health Minister Maithripala Sirisena appointed a five member committee to look into the issue of the Malabe Private Medical Faculty. The committee is chaired by Health Ministry Secretary Dr. Ravindra Ruberu. Minister Sirisena agreed to appoint a committee to look into the matter during a recent discussion with the Government Medical Officers’ Association (GMOA). The Association presented several facts on the issue to Minister Sirisena during the discussion. more..

Sept 27 (AT) Daily the country is losing Sri Lankan Rs. 5 Billion due to the poaching by the Tamil Nadu fisherman. We experienced this huge loss for the last 30 years when the country was involved in the ethnic conflict. This situation cannot be allowed to continue any further said minister Rajitha Senaratne. Navy spokesman Commander Kosala Warnakulasuriya said at any cost we will not allow any more the Tamil Nadu fishermen crossing more..

Sept 27 (FT) The tourism industry is looking at a 10-15% increase during the coming winter season although there will be no sell-out as earlier expected, according to industry experts. The season, which usually amounts to the highest number of arrivals each year, was initially expected to bring in more than the previous year, but the industry cannot expect any boom during the period. The start-off to the booking and reservations are moving at a slower pace than initially anticipated, more..

Sept 27 (DM) The Milinda Moragoda camp, during their campaign for the Colombo Municipal Council election yesterday, challenged the UNP to show how it planned to develop Colombo into a 'Garden City' without the govt's assistance and by only utilising the CMC 's revenue. Minister Lakshman Yapa Abeywardana said that the Colombo Municipal Council (CMC) had used its entire revenue of Rs. 6,768 million last year to pay the salaries of its 6,000 plus work force. more..

Sept 27 (Island) The JVP dissident group says that the incumbent leader of the party, Somawansa Amarasinghe, Tilvin Silva and Anura Kumara Dissanayake have violated the party’s constitution and therefore a party convention must be summoned to take punitive action against them. Media spokesman for the dissident group Pubudu Jagoda said that there were serious charges against the top trio of the party and disciplinary action should be taken against them. more..

Sept 27 (DN) Sri Lanka has made real progress in reintroducing former child soldiers into regular society, France’s Ambassador for Human Rights Francois Zimeray said. “The right of a child to his or her childhood must be established and enforced as must the clear, unequivocal idea that the recruitment of children for military ends is a war crime,” he told AFP. This was one of the issues that Zimeray was to raise yesterday at a meeting at the United Nations on the sidelines of more..

Sept 27 (DM) Lal Tennekoon, a director of the JVP newspaper “Lanka,” and another person connected with the same paper named Liyanaarachchige Dharmasena had made an entry with the police yesterday saying they were shifting their office to a location on Old Kesbewa Road Gangodawila, police said. They had asked for police protection in order to avoid a possible clash among the staff members. Two had informed the police that there would be a change in the staff attached to the newspaper. more..

Sept 27 (DM) Railway engine drivers decided to refrain from operating Indian-made power sets from yesterday in response to what they called a ‘negative approach by the railway authorities’ to the recent Alawwa train tragedy that killed five including the engine driver and his assistant. An engine driver who is a member of the ‘Railway Locomotive Engineers Union’ told the Daily Mirror that there was an attempt by a section of the SLR management to put the blame more..

Sept 27 (Island) The death knell has been sounded the jewellery making cottage industry and those engaged in it in Pitigala and surroundings say that they can no longer practice it as a livelihood as the money they receive is very little now. It is an industry which has been practiced over generations and today more than 100 families are engaged in the industry. Lalith Mapalagama said that the price of gold has increased in the market but it is only a few rupees we can charge for workmanship. more..

Sept 27 (LBO) Sri Lanka will start electronic visa approval for 78 countries with a online portal being opened after September 30, but Singapore and Maldives nationals will continue to be given on arrival visas at entry points, the island's border agency said. The online visas could be applied through www.eta.gov.lk. The border agency said applications have to be submitted in English but explanatory information would be given on the site in nine languages, Sri Lanka's department of immigration and emigration said. more..

Sept 27 (DM) The JVP dissident group yesterday came out in the open for the first time and vowed to carry out its struggle for a national convention of the party so that the membership could get an opportunity to change its present policies and ideology. Dissident group spokesman Pubudu Jagoda said his group had chosen a difficult path ahead, but there was no option rather than getting on to it in the greater interest of the party membership. more..

Sept 27 (DM) Sri Lanka will short ly seek the assistance of the United States to try exiled LTTE leader V. Rudrakumaran living there as strong evidence that he had directly supported LTTE terrorism in Sri Lanka, the Lankapuvath reported yesterday. “The Sri Lankan Government is now in the possession of LTTE documents that state Rudrakumaran had control over the LTTE shipping lines which had several ships in some countries,” it said. more..

Sept 27 (Island) The Election Secretariat has taken steps to deploy special officers to check identity cards of the voters at the upcoming local government election for 23 LG bodies on October 8. "The decision has been taken in order to minimize election fraud and to ensure credibility," Additional Elections Commissioner, W. P Sumanasiri said. An officer will be appointed to each polling booth in this regards. He said that these officers have been instructed on more..

Sept 27 (SL) The Independence of the Judiciary means that it will not be influenced by either the Executive or the Legislature in its judicial functions. There are many other maladies that a Judiciary may suffer from which undermine its functionality. But the focus is always on the combination of the institutions – the Judiciary, the Legislature, and the Executive and the extent of their mutual functional exclusion from each other. more..

Sept 27 (FT) AOD (Academy of Design), Sri Lanka’s active promoter of using design and creativity for economic development within industry and the rural communities, presented two main model projects at a special session convened by Minister Basil Rajapaksa at the Economic Development Ministry premises and discussed the presentation of the projects and the vision for the upcoming Sri Lanka Design Festival 2011 to be held in November. more..

Sept 27 (DM) Financial irregularities, operating inefficiencies and idle and underutilized assets had cost around Rs. 500 million to the Development Lotteries Board and the Colombo Commercial Fertilizer Ltd last year, the Auditor General’s report has revealed. The Development Lotteries Board has spent Rs. 28 million in 2009 and Rs. 22 million for publicity campaigns of the Double Chance Lottery, but the two transactions proved to be uneconomical after the lottery was held up last year. more..

Sept 27 (LB) The govt has given top priority to develop the tourism industry as the country launches a new five-year plan under the auspices of the Economic Development Ministry to boost tourism in Sri Lanka. The Economic Development Ministry recently launched the Sri Lanka Tourism Development Strategy for 2011-2016, outlining plans to attract 2.5 million tourists to the country in the next five years and increase foreign exchange earnings to US$ 2.75 billion by 2016. more..