June 18 (CT) A number of residents of Sampur, in the Trincomalee District filed a Fundamental Rights (FR) petition in the Supreme Court on 15 June 2012, challenging the demarcation of a Special Zone for Heavy Industries (SZHI) through Gazette Extraordinary No. 1758/26 issued on 17 May 2012. The Gazette attempts to demarcate a SZHI within the provisions of Section 22A of the Board of Investment of Sri Lanka Law, No.4 of 1978. more..

June 18 (Island) The Sri Lanka Press Institute has organized a panel discussion on the numerous problems connected with the teaching of communication and media studies subject on Tuesday from 3.00 to 5.00 p.m. at the Institute. Various relevant stakeholders including those within the media as well as the education fields and those outside will discuss these problems in a bid to seek out and identify possible solutions, more..

June 18 (Island) Following the official launch of the Ten Year National Plan for a Trilingual Sri Lanka in January this year, a Trilingual Association was formed in Mannar in May with the view to spread the trilingual message among the people and be part of the national plan to create a ‘trilingual’ Sri Lankan society. This association is the first of its kind to be formed in the Northern Province, comprising people from the govt, private sector and school-leavers who were either bilingual or trilingual. more..

June 18 (ST) Eighty people dead in the first half of this year alone and the number of reported cases topping nearly 15,000. This is the trail of destruction left in the wake of the deadly dengue reaching near epidemic proportions with hospital beds overflowing with stricken patients. The death of an employee of the Foreign Employment Bureau (SLFEB) in Battaramulla and the temporary closure of the Asgiriya Maha Pirivena in Kandy more..

June 18 (CG) The former Editor in Chief of the Ceylon Today newspaper, Lalith Allahakkoon, has explained the circumstances that led to him being terminated from his post at the newspaper just months after he was appointed. In a 11 point note made public today he says one of the reasons over his axing, which sent ripples in the media industry, was that he failed to publish a story saying there will be a Presidential election next year. more..

June 18 (SL) The Free Media Movement (FMM) set up in 1991 by a group of journalists and freedom expression activists is being shaken to its foundations by allegations of financial fraud and mismanagement. For over a decade the FMM functioned as an activist organization on a voluntary basis with no full-time paid employees or even an office. Its annual income was entirely from the 100 rupee membership fee. However it carried out a large number of campaigns to more..

June 18 (LB) The heavy taxes imposed on oil earns the government a revenue of Rs50 billion (Rs38 billion from petrol and Rs12 billion from diesel) annually, JVP MP Anura Kumara Dissanayake told LAKBIMAnEWs. As per world oil prices today, the cost of importing a litre of diesel to the Colombo port is Rs75. However it is sold to the sheds at Rs115. A full Rs40 is being levied in the process of distributing to the sheds. more..

June 18 (LBO) A British national living in Sri Lanka who is a part-time teacher and writer has been honored by Queen Elizabeth for his work on 'Sri Lankan English' which has its own peculiarities. Michael Meyler has been named in the Queen's birth honors list as a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) for his services to the English Language, the British High Commission said. Micheal Meyler has more..

June 18 (IT) The cash-strapped Sri Lanka Cricket board (SLC) has set a floor price of $3 million for the T20 league franchises, a paltry amount compared to the IPL. When IPL launched in 2008, it had fixed a minimum price of $50 million, which later zoomed to $225 million when two teams were added in 2010. The SLC said it will lease out seven teams for a period of seven years and has set in motion the process of more..

June 18 (DM) Sri Lanka has a very good potential to be a top tourist destination in the region and is unique in its natural beauty, against any competitor in the region, a top diplomatic group from United Kingdom (UK) stated. The ‘Consular Corps of London’, an association of all London-based consuls general, consuls, honorary consuls and career diplomats involved in consular and immigration matters, more..

June 18 (LT) The govt is creating various interpretations and fabrications regarding the incident at Katuwna that occurred on the 15th reveals the JVP. JVP MP Anura Dissanayake speaking at a press conference held at the party head office yesterday said, “The govt is creating various interpretations and fabrications regarding the incident at Katuwana that occurred on the 15th. It is our duty to expose the more..

June 18 (DM) A complete skeleton of a pre historic man was found for the first time in the country at Fahien cave archeological site, Pahiyangala, Kaluthara the Director General of Archeology confirmed. Dr. Senarath Dassanayake the Director General of Archelogy said that this was the first time a full skeleton of pre historic man has been found in the country. “This is the first time we found full skeletal remains of a pre historic man, earlier we found the remains known as Menikhami in more..

June 18 (LBO) Sri Lanka should be careful about the inflationary effects of liquidity created by large foreign exchange swaps with the Central Bank, an IMF official said. Sri Lanka's central bank has bought hundreds of millions of dollars from commercial banks that raised loans abroad for rupees through swaps to give then foreign exchange risk protection, creating large volumes of rupees. Analysts have also blamed large volumes of more..

June 18 (DM) No doubt, for a govt it is always easy to seek public assistance to curb certain situations. Be it tracking down the perpetrators of a killing or netting the robbers who broke into the National Museum, the help of the public is amply sought. The same is true with the dengue epidemic prevailing in the country, which has compelled the govt to prick the public in the eye with warnings and statistics. Perhaps, holding people accountable for issues of national importance more..

June 18 (LBO) Share prices nudged up 6.89 points, after falling some 51 points during intra-day trade, despite buying interest in selected stocks, brokers said. The broader All Share Price Index added 0.13 percent to 4,998.10, while the liquid Milanka Price Index gained 12.07 points or 0.27 percent on Monday. Total turnover was 295.47 million rupees of which foreign buying accounted for 20.35 million rupees over sales of 27.31 million rupees. Carsons Cumberbatch PLC was the toast more..

June 18 (DM) UNP MP Palitha Range Bandara speaking said that if the UNP is going to take action against him for supporting Fomer Army Commander Sarath Fonseka he would be compelled to embark on a political journey with Sarath Fonseka. “I am a thoroughbred UNPer and have no intention of leaving this party, my vision and mission is focused around the UNP. But if certain shortsighted individuals are going to take more..

June 18 (LBO) Health is not a topic that is routinely covered in this column. I am not writing about health per se, but about subsidies that harm health. Subsidies should be used sparingly. When they are used, there must be a strong public-policy rationale. All subsidies create incentives. More of the subsidized activity happens. Therefore, the subsidy must be for a socially beneficial purpose. If evidence emerges that the behavior encouraged by the subsidy is harmful, more..

June 18 (DN) Hydropower generation has dropped to 14.8 percent due to the water levels of hydropower reservoirs receding to 25 percent of their capacity, the CEB said yesterday. The capacity of hydropower reservoirs is 323 Gwh at present. This is the lowest capacity recorded during the past 10 years, the CEB said in a statement. Poor rainfall is the reason for the drop in water levels. As a result of the water level decline, 85 percent out of the total daily power requirement is more..

June 18 (Xinhua) Sri Lanka declared a month-long battle to fight the rising deadly dengue epidemic in the country, the Health Ministry said on Monday. The health minister declared National Dengue Eradication Month starting from June 25 at an emergency meeting of the Presidential Task Force comprising ten ministries, Ministry's Media Secretary W.M.D. Wanninayake said. more..

June 18 (AN) A 13-year-old Catholic student, Amila Tharanga, was assaulted by his teacher because he could not name the Buddha's parents. The incident occurred on 11 June at the Mahanama College Getambe in Kandy (Central Province), but it took sometime before the boy told his parents. Although the attack was reported to police, no arrest warrant was issued. Amila was wounded to an ear during the attack, but the injury is not permanent. more..

June 18 (LBO) State-run Bank of Ceylon, the island's largest commercial bank has topped a trillion rupees (7.6 billion US dollars) in assets by the end of May 2012, officials said. Chairman Gamini Wickramasinghe said a target for one trillion in assets and ten billion rupees in profits was set for 2012 in 2009, but at the time many people thought it was not achievable. "We were able to do it because of because the earlier management had put a good foundation," more..

June 18 (GDI) Basil Rajapaksa, Minister of Economic Development declared open the Daraniyagala Sathi Pola and trade complex yesterday (17). Daraniyagala Sathi Pola complex has 201 stalls and within 7 months construction works has been completed. Ministry of Economic Development has allocated Rs. 210 million for the development of Daraniyagala Pradeshya Sabha area and under Gama Naguma Programme and Rs. 200 million has been spent. more..

June 18 (LT) “It seems a theory is being put up that the war was won due to Buddhist priests entering Parliament. It is not only an erroneous view but also an overestimation,” says Prof. Sarath Wijesuriya to the media. In his statement Prof. Wijesuriya further states, “It is clear that Bhikkus actively participated in political activities in the country. However, it is erroneous to equal this to the move by Bhikkus to contest elections to enter Parliament. more..

June 18 (DM) UNP MP KaruJayasuriya said that a situation is emerging in the country where, permission is needed from goons to engage in politics. Issuing a statement, Mr.Jayasuriya said that “It is well known that these gangs who suppress opposing political views using iron bars during the pasthad the blessings of some politicians or politically powerful persons". "Now these goons are so powerful that they are bold enough to use automatic weapons to more..

June 18 (LT) Minister Keheliya Rambukwella had asked the JVP to furnish to police details of the persons involved in the killing of two persons when thugs attacked a meeting of the JVP held at Katuwana and co-operate with investigations so that investigations could be expedited and culprits arrested. He had said if the details of the perpetrators are given it would be a good support for the police investigations. He has also said the govt rejects all charges of the JVP. more..

June 18 (LT) Joolampitiye Amare has met his waterloo when he attacked the JVP meeting held at Katuwana said JVP MP Anura Dissanayake adding that the struggle would not be stopped until the murderers are brought before the law. He said this addressing the masses after the end of an agitation held at Katuwana to protest against the killings, to demand the govt to arrest the murderers and bring them before the law. “The murderers are before our eyes. Even children know who is more..

June 18 (AD) Director-General of the Media Centre for National Security (MCNS), Lakshman Hulugalle, today assured that the govt has no intention of protecting any person responsible for the shooting at a JVP rally in Katuwa, which claimed the lives of two. Responding accusations made by JVP MP Anura Kumara Dissanayake, at a press conference yesterday, that the govt is creating various interpretations and wrong depictions of more..

June 18 (LT) Mr. Mahinda Rajapaksa went to the main gate of the prison and said, “Amare, I’m Mahinda. Come out without any fear.” Subsequently the person called Amare came out without any hesitation and went to the place where the discussion was to be held. The person called ‘Amare’ here is G.G. Amarasiri alias Joolampitiye Amare, the person who plays the leading role in the Katuwana murders. We have quoted here from headlines of ‘Lankadeepa’ newspaper published on 2nd July, 2002. more..

June 18 (DM) Sri Lanka says it will never allow its soil and seas to become a theatre for the manifestation of great power rivalry, ever. “Sri Lanka is determined to ensure that our soil and our seas will not become a theatre for manifestation of great power rivalry, ever. We would certainly not allow one country to use Sri Lanka as a launching pad for hostile action against any other country,” Sri Lanka High Commissioner in New Delhi Prasad Kariyawasam said. more..

June 18 (DM) SLMC, the main Muslim party in Sri Lanka, will demand the meaningful implementation of the 13th Amendment to the Constitution when extending its support to whichever party at the election to the Eastern Provincial Council. The SLMC conducted a two-day workshop last week to seek the views of the rank and file of the party on the party's stand to be taken at the election, widely speculated in political circles to be conducted in September. more..

June 18 (DM) Teacher trade unions are on a collision course with Minister Bandula Gunawardane against the extension of school time until 3 pm each day. Trade unionists in the education sector said the Ministry had forced school authorities in some areas to conduct academic activities till 3 pm, and the situation had created practical difficulties for teachers and students. Sri Lanka United Teachers Union President Ven.Yalvela Pannasekara Thera said it would more..

June 18 (SMH) A SRI Lankan Tamil refugee who has spent almost three years in immigration detention was being held illegally because there was no 'reasonable prospect' of another country agreeing to resettle him, the High Court was told yesterday. Lawyers for the refugee, known only as M47, said the Australian govt had accepted that there was a 'real chance' that he would be tortured, killed or abducted if returned to Sri Lanka. They have asked the court to overturn more..

June 18 (CI) Pakistan's journey to defeat in the series was an emotional ride that had several moments of satisfaction and relief, but ultimately ended in frustration and regret. The satisfaction was a result of a significantly improved batting performance that cast aside memories of a dispiriting collapse in the previous ODI; they experienced relief after wriggling themselves out of difficult situations they'd themselves created; more..

June 19 (LB) Sampanthan, after wagging a Lion flag in Jaffna may be as a sign to the Sinhala chauvinist gallery, said at Batticaloa, “A solution to the ethnic problem of the sovereignty of the Tamil people, based on a political structure, outside that of a unitary govt in a united Sri Lanka, in which Tamil people have all the powers of government needed to live with self-respect and self-sufficiency.” Then Sampanthan, like a modern day Ravana who abducted the more..

June 19 (LB) The call for left unity issuing from many directions is falling on deaf or dead ears. The Dead Left in govt denotes the latter while the JVP, FSP, NSSP, USP and the parties in fealty to the Shanmugadasan tradition, all sectarians, are prime examples of the former. Without minimal left unity, a left programme seemed impossible, but it is now apparent we need to start at the other end – that is put together the rudiments of a programme and allow time for more..

June 19 (SO) The evening sky was slowly becoming red as the sun was ready to vanish in the deep seas off Colombo as we stepped into the Colombo harbour on that Saturday evening. An aura of festivity was there on the jetty as groups of nicely clad people, from kids to elders, were stepping joyously into the ship, the Jetliner. Differently clad sailors and officers on the jetty were receiving the crowds at the entrance to the ship as they were taken in batches more..

June 19 (CT) In this column’s weekly critique of government actions, the abiding rule is that governing politicians must be held to the broadest possible levels of accountability in terms of the Rule of Law. The critique advanced is therefore harsh in nature. Inevitably, its focus on the inequities of political parties in the opposition has been less in comparison. This disparity would seem all the more stark when a particular administration, (as is the case now), more..

June 19 (CT) April 18, 1988 forever will be etched in my memory. It was the first time I’d ever seen my father cry. Like most Tamil men of his generation, my father mostly lived the stoic ideal. He was the bread-winner of our tiny family, the rock against which the family could lean. But not that day. He was uncontrollable at the Colombo airport, and came apart at the seam. I will never forget that moment. That’s the day I left Sri Lanka. He was no doubt experiencing a complex mix of emotions. more..

June 19 (CT) It is only when significant days like ‘Environmental Day’ comes along that we begin to actually notice and talk about what truly goes on around us. Forests are being cut down; elephants are being killed, there is illegal bottom trawling and the destruction of coral reefs around our little island. The biggest question of all is do we really understand the repercussions of these actions? There’s certainly more going on that we may not know of or more..