Aug 4 (DBS) The power struggle within the UNP between Ranil Wickremesinghe and the reformists, led by Karu Jayasuriya and Sajith Premadasa, seems to be heading to a disastrous finale with the announcement made on Friday, 20 July, 2012. It was reported that the Working Committee of the UNP had decided to hold elections for its leader only once in six years, while the General Secretary, Treasurer and National Organizer of the Party would be appointed by the Leader. more..

Aug 4 (DBS) In the year 1983, Vivienne Goonewardene filed a Fundamental Rights Application against Hector Perera and Others. The Supreme Court held that the State was liable for the transgression of fundamental rights the police committed when he was enforcing the law and ordered the State to pay Rs.2,500/- as compensation to Vivienne for infringement of her fundamental rights as safeguarded by Article 13 (1) of the Constitution. Thereupon, the houses of the Judges were pelted with stones. more..

Aug 4 (DM) The subject of imposing the death penalty revives every time brutal and heinous crimes are committed in the country. The death penalty has not been executed in Sri Lanka after 1978. However with the recent wave of crime against children, the Ministry of Child Development and Women’s Affairs has decided to impose the death penalty for child abusers. Although execution of the death penalty has not been exercised since 1978 the imposition of more..

Aug 4 (Island) In the last three or four decades, there was a considerable expansion in the intake which, of course, was stimulated by a great demand for higher education. The rapid increase in the number of students, which had taken place in the sixties, was not simultaneously accompanied by a concentrated attention on quality. It was in the last decade that a major effort has been invested in this direction, and the very process of transformation was accelerated in more..

Aug 4 (Island) There is trouble in the universities and trouble in the schools. While frustrated students and academics have taken to the streets, there has been much posturing among those responsible for the state of education and higher education in this country. This article attempts to counter prevalent misconceptions about the nature, motivation and demands of the Federation of University Teachers' Associations (FUTA) and the academics they represent. more..

Aug 4 (DM) It has been reported that Australian Greens Senator Lee Rhiannon has demanded that Sri Lanka’s High Commissioner Thisara Samarasinghe be expelled from Australia. An Australian Federal Police spokeswoman has said they had evaluated the information in the submission made by the ICJA and they would not investigate allegations against Admiral Samarasinghe. "The ICJA was advised of this decision on March 3, 2012. It is relevant to examine here who more..

Aug 4 (CT) A few decades ago, Sri Lanka’s criminal justice system was organised on the basis of the Penal Code, the Criminal Procedure Code and the departmental orders of the police . The Penal Code defines crime and lays down penalties for each particular crime. New crimes were identified or defined either through amendment to the Penal Code or through separate statues. The Criminal Procedure Code describes basic protocol more..

Aug 4 (CT) There is much confusion about the concept of ‘self-determination’ or the ‘right to self-determination’ as it became almost a dirty word particularly among the Sinhala majority during the LTTE’s separatist war. It was synonymous with separatism. There is equal apprehension about the usage of the term even after the war, for the same reasons or for reasons surrounding its narrow usage. This is partly understandable because there is no universally agreed definition or more..

Aug 4 (CI) Sri Lanka handed over the series to India in Colombo with two failed attempts at defending the target but can end the series - this is also, surprisingly, their last ODI this year - on a positive note in Pallekele. They beat India in the second ODI in Hambantota and came close in the third ODI in Colombo, and if they get help from the cooler and cloudier climes of Pallekele, where India have never played, their medium pacers could be a handful. more..

Aug 4 (DBS) The administrative area of the Jaffna town is identified with the administrative area of the Jaffna Municipal Council. It’s origin could be traced to the Medieval Tamil Kingdoms of Jaffna which have been strong between the 13th century to the 16th century. According to Professor K M de Silva in his book A history of Sri Lanka states that Jaffna under the Aryachakkravat’s was much the most powerful kingdom in the island. When Portuguese succeeded in capturing the Jaffna Kingdom in more..

Aug 4 (Island) All rise this court is now in session! The plaintiff is the impartiality and substance of the system of Justice in this once fair island, the accused the Rajapaksa Regime, its Cabinet of Ministers and the parties of its ruling alliance, dead-left included. The Chamber is the Court of Public Opinion; the judge, therefore, eponymous, that is public opinion. Who then shall be the jury? You dear reader, you shall bring in the verdict, and the sentence shall be executed at more..

Aug 4 (GV) More than ten years ago the smuggling of people out of Sri Lanka by boat was thriving. While Australia is currently the preferred destination of these smuggled migrants, Italy was one of the major destinations in the past. While the points of departure of these boats also seem to be different today, there are some useful lessons to be learned from incidents of human smuggling in recent Sri Lankan history. Allow me to briefly sketch out the origins of Sri Lankan mass more..

Aug 4 (GV) The mirror-like symmetries of dogmatic Sinhala and Tamil nationalism are occasionally remarked upon but not often pinned down. It is these interactive symmetries that constitute the amalgam which has hardened into the deadlock in the process of ethno-political reconciliation in post war Sri Lanka.The core issue is that of political autonomy and power-sharing, on which the most moderate and well-mannered representatives of Tamil and Sinhala nationalism, Messrs. more..

Aug 4 (FT) Setting out an ambitious plan, India yesterday outlined extensive investment potential in Sri Lanka centred on infrastructure, tourism and pharmaceuticals apart from offering preferential access to double trade to $ 10 billion by 2017. Indian Minister Anand Sharma, who is on a three-day visit to the country, stated at a press conference that the two countries had agreed to establish a Manufacturing Investment Zone in Trincomalee. more..

Aug 4 (Island) A student of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Sri Lanka (CA Sri Lanka) has brought honour to her motherland after winning the best presentation award in the SAFA category at the International Conference for CA Students in India recently. Ms. Vindya Cooray who delivered a thought-provoking presentation titled "Walk the Talk: Presentation and Communication Skills – Complementing the intelligence" to an impressed audience including foreign panelists, judges and aspiring chartered accountants more..

Aug 4 (Island) Sri Lanka Army shooter Mangala Samarakoon demonstrated the level he is capable of reaching, if proper guidance and technical knowhow could be made available to him, as he produced a perfect score in the third series, before being eliminated in the men’s 50 metre rifle prone event, at the 2012 London Olympics, at the Royal Artillery Barracks here in London, on Friday. Samarakoon scored 585 points (out of 600) to be placed 47th out of 50 competitors, but more..

Aug 4 (DM) Max Priest has earned his place among other greats such as Bob Marley, Jimmy Cliff, Toots & the Maytals and Dennis Brown in spreading the reggae gospel far and wide. Though raised in South London it’s an extraordinary achievement for a singer steeped in Jamaican music. Maxi’s joyous brand of Reggae and lover’s music, infused with R&B and accompanied by real charisma would bring him a level of success no other British Reggae more..

Aug 4 (Island) Minister Johnston Fernando yesterday distributed 40 motor cycles, which cost more than ten million rupees, to officers of the Paddy Marketing Board (PMB) at the Sri Lanka Foundation Institute (SLFI). He requested them to use the behicles carefully as they were being provided to enable them to provide a better service. He said that during the forthcoming Yala season the PMB officers should be more efficient and conduct surveys before farmers harvested the crop. more..

Aug 4 (CT) It is reported that a large quantity of liquid milk purchased by Milco is removed and put in underground pits dug in jungle areas for want of storage facilities. It is further learnt that a quantity of 100,000 litres purchased daily by the Ambewela and Polonnaruwa Milco Branches are put in underground pits, in this manner. With the suspension of purchasing liquid milk by a private company on 10 July, Milco agreed to purchase liquid milk from dairy farmers. more..

Aug 4 (Island) Minunwangoda Magistrate Ruwan Pathirana yesterday issued notice on Deputy Minister Sarana Gunawardena to be present in Court on Oct 5. This order was made when a petition filed against the Deputy Minister for obtaining a Caveat Emptor (Let the Buyer be aware) notice through illegal means, for a land which had been duly registered was taken up for hearing. Petitioner has sought Rs. 100 million in more..

Aug 4 (Island) The Embilipitiya traffic police who were on duty in the town yesterday morning stopped a motorcyclist in an army captain’s uniform on suspicion. His official identity had identified him Capt. Iddamalgoda attached to the Presidential Security Division as an intelligence officer in the special operations unit, but the man had taken to his heels no sooner they had asked him for his national identity card. He had stopped a passing vehicle and escaped in it. more..

Aug 4 (DN) Min Visituru-2012, the international exhibition of ornamental fish and aquatic plants and accessories, was ceremonially opened at the Sri Lanka Exhibition and Convention Centre yesterday under the patronage of Ministers Basil Rajapaksa, Dr Rajitha Senaratne and Deputy Minister Susantha Punchinilame. The three day exhibition is organised by the National Aquaculture Development Authority (NAQDA) along with the Economic Development Ministry and more..

Aug 4 (FT) The first-ever official-level India-Sri Lanka CEOs Forum will be held today, discussions at which are expected to focus on the way forward to double bilateral trade to $ 10 billion over the next few years. Since the current bilateral trade worth $ 4.8 billion is heavily in favour of India, the Sri Lankan CEOs team, the Daily FT learns, will make a case for a fair share of the targeted figure. The meeting will be closed doors and more..

Aug 4 (Island) In an effort to more than double its current milk production, MILCO would soon import 10,000 Milch cows from Australia and New Zealand. MILCO Chairman Sunil Wickremasinghe yesterday said that Livestock and Rural Development Minister Arumugam Thondaman had instructed MILCO to increase milk production from the present 225,000 litres per day to 550,000 litres in the next few years he told a media conference, held to divulge the Future Plans of the Ministry, more..

Aug 4 (FT) The Editors Guild of Sri Lanka, the Sri Lanka Working Journalists Association, the Free Media Movement and the Newspaper Society of Sri Lanka via a statement have jointly renewed their call for an early introduction of Right to Information Act (RIT) without giving lame excuses. Following is the full text of the statement. We refer to The Island front page story of 30 July under the heading “Govt. won’t introduce ‘Right to information Act’ at more..

Aug 4 (Island) UNP leader Ranil Wickremesinghe yesterday lashed out at the govt, saying that the country was witnessing an unprecedented crime wave targeting women and children. Killings, rape and robbery were frequently being reported from various parts of the country, but the government continued to claim that law and order prevailed, Wickremesinghe told a meeting of party workers at ‘Sirikotha’. more..

Aug 4 (Island) The Out Patients Department (OPD) of estate hospitals will function from 8.00 a.m. to 8.00 p.m. in the near future. Currently, only the OPDs of major hospitals in the country treat patients within this period. The spokesman for the Health Ministry said that there were 150 estate hospitals in the country and 100 of them functioned under the Health Ministry. The remaining were under estate companies. The Health Minister had given instructions to the Health Secretary to issue the circular, more..

Aug 4 (Island) The Mace of the Colombo Municipal Council (CMC), which was forcibly taken away by UPFA Councillor Anura Sujeeva on July 31, during a Council meeting, was returned to Municipal Commissioner Mrs. Bhadrani Jayawardene after a few hours, but Mayor A. J. M. Muzammil had refusing to take it back. The Mace was returned to the CMC Commissioner by UPFA Councillor Riza Zarook and was in turn sent to CMC Secretary H.D.C. Janaki to be handed over to Mayor Muzammil, who more..

Aug 4 (CT) Head of a nine-member British Parliamentary delegation, James Wharton, has said a solution to the Lankan ethnic question should be found within the country and no solution could be imposed from outside. Wharton visited Jaffna with his fellow British Parliamentarians on Thursday. He made his observations while speaking to a group of local media personnel in Ariyalai, Jaffna where the MPs met the people who have been resettled in the area. more..

Aug 4 (Island) Seven News First journalists were injured on Thursday night when a container carrier crashed into their van, which was taking them home after duty. The mishap occurred at around 11.00 p.m. when the van carrying the journalists was passing the traffic lights near the Sugathadasa Stadium. Although the container truck did not stop after the crash, police were able to trace it and arrest the driver along with his assistant. more..

Aug 4 (DN) Restrictions on websites are necessary in some instances as freedom to express opinions is not in any way meant to defame people, said Jayampathy Wickremeratne PC. He said Human Rights reviewed by the International community every four years, are common standards applied for all mankind. He said the West adopts double standards in respect of Human Rights. "Although Human Rights belong to humanity, it is still viewed as the exclusive preserve of the West," more..

Aug 4 (DN) The future generations must be ready to exploit new employment opportunities unveiled before them after the dawn of peace, ending decades of turbulence, Defence and Urban Development Ministry Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa said. He was addressing the Viru Sisu Pradeepa ceremony. It was organized for the seventh time by the National Defence Fund under the Defence and Urban Development Ministry and held at the Defence Services College more..

Aug 4 (Island) UPFA member of the Arachchikattuwa Pradeshiya Sabha, Roshan Perera and four others were remanded till August 7 when produced before Chilaw Magistrate on Thursday for forcibly removing a lorry and its driver from police custody. Police said that the lorry driver, who was arrested for transporting sand without a permit and the lorry too, had been seized by a special raiding unit of the Puttalum police on Thursday, but a group of men had obstructed more..

Aug 4 (DN) President Mahinda Rajapaksa directed the Paddy Marketing Board (PMB) to empty its warehouses and make arrangements to purchase the upcoming Yala paddy harvest from farmers. Co-operatives and Internal Trade Minister Johnston Fernando said the PMB has made arrangements to purchase the Yala paddy harvest, expected in the market within the next two-three weeks. He said storage facilities have been improved to store the paddy purchased from farmers islandwide. more..

Aug 4 (DM) Former President Chandrika Kumaratunga has denied categorically that UNP Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe, met her during the Presidential Election Campaign of 1994 and provided her with confidential information regarding the campaign strategies of the late Gamini Dissanayake – the UNP Presidential Candidate. Issuing a statement her office said, “Madam Chandrika Kumaratunga has noted with surprise, reports of statements made by several more..

Aug 4 (DM) The allegedly blatant threats to a Magistrate to change his verdict and the attack on the court house, increasing incidents of rape, child abuse and brutal murder are signs that society is degenerating into the criminalisation of politics and the politicisation of crime. Along with this, we see the continuing abuse of public funds mainly by ruling party politicians and top officials. The latest scandal is the controversial hedging deal on fuel imports. Eventually Sri Lanka might have to pay more..

Aug 4 (PTI) Police have foiled an attempt to illegally ferry six Sri Lankan Tamil refugees to Australia and detained all of them for questioning. An intensive search had been launched to arrest another Sri Lankan refugee Jana, who allegedly acted as an agent and agreed to ferry the refugees clandestinely to Australia. Police said they raided a house at Periyakalapet village on August 2 on a tip off from people that some persons gathered at a more..

Aug 4 (SL) Save for those who are utterly anesthetized to the daily increasing coarseness of our public life, to most citizens of this country the news that the United National Party, our main opposition has basically done away with internal democracy, would bring a sense of hopeless despair. It seems there is no other purpose in public life in this country except for various individuals to make a grab for power. Nothing else matters in that naked quest. more..