May 18 (Island) The Sri Lanka Transport Board held an auction on May 8 and 9 to sell old unserviceable buses. About 120 buses were sold at the auction and another 160 will be auctioned on May 17. SLTB Vice Chairman L. Wimalaratne said that a decision was taken to auction unusable buses. The funds raised by auctioning the buses would be used to purchase spare parts and other accessories necessary for those in service. He added that buses parked at various depots were a great obstacle to depot expansion and more..

May 18 (Island) Sri Lanka thanks US for the supporting initiatives on trade and development extended in the country’s new economic upswing. "We thank the US for its continued support, including trade and development assistance. The US has become the top-most buyer of Sri Lanka’s apparels which is another sign of continuously improving trade cooperation between both countries" said Rishad Bathiudeen, Minister of Industry and Commerce of Sri Lanka. more..

May 18 (DN) The Victory Day parade organised for the third consecutive year will be held tomorrow at the Galle Face Green to commemorate the nation’s military victory over the world’s most ruthless terrorist outfit and the dawn of peace in Sri Lanka after 30 years of bloodshed. The Triforces, Police, Special Task Force and Civil Defence Force will join in the parade. Disabled soldiers of the war will also take part in the parade. The parade would be colourful with various cultural items. more..

May 18 (Island) Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) has given the country’s one of the senior most cricketers – Prasanna Jayawardene – the unkindest cut of them all by denying him a contract in one of the higher tiers. When the list of contracted players by SLC was announced last week many were surprised to see Sri Lanka’s loyal wicketkeeper batsman in the third category and while some officials admitted that it wasn’t the right thing, nothing has been done so far. SLC yesterday passed the ball onto more..

May 18 (FT) Thailand’s new Ambassador to Sri Lanka Poldej Worachat yesterday paid a courtesy call on Minister Basil Rajapaksa to discuss issues of bilateral interest. At the outset of the meeting Rajapaksa thanked the Thailand for the assistance given by its government recently at various international forums, specially at the recently concluded UNCHR meeting. Longstanding historical relations between two countries were strengthened recently because Thailand helped more..

May 18 (DN) The Media Ministry is only acting according to judgments given by the Supreme Court in connection with registering websites. The Media Ministry merely requests websites to register with the ministry and has not banned any websites so far. Over 42 websites had been registered with the ministry, minister Lakshman Yapa Abeywardena said. He said another 24 websites got registration later. “The registration included a code of ethics developed by more..

May 18 (DN) The Navy is seeking the opportunity of exporting a low cost Thalassemia Drug Infusion System produced by the Navy to extend its Naval Social Responsibility beyond the shores of Sri Lanka by providing the system at a very low price, said Navy Commander Vice Admiral Somathilake Dissanayake. He made this observation delivering the welcome speech at the ceremony held to donate the second consignment of low cost Thalassemia Drug Infusion Systems produced by the Navy more..

May 18 (CT) A young female doctor on duty at the Chilaw General Hospital has died after an injection she had administered on herself had turned toxic. Police media spokesman SP Ajith Rohana said that it was suspected that the doctor concerned had committed suicide by injecting herself with a poisonous injection. However, he said that a postmortem was scheduled today, to determine the exact cause of death. “The lady doctor had been living with her husband, who is also a doctor. more..

May 18 (Island) Alleging that the Rajapaksa regime hadn’t provided relief to people, particularly those living in the Northern and Eastern Provinces, even three years after the conclusion of the conflict, the Socialist Youth Union (SYU) alleged that the govt was continuing to hold Tamil political prisoners. The SYU, affiliated to the JVP, urged the govt to release all political prisoners, including those taken in during the war and after. more..

May 18 (CT) The Ceylon Teachers Service Union (CTSU) threatened to take joint trade union action starting next week, against the delay in providing teachers’ promotions, salary arrears, and transfers. CTSU general secretary Mahinda Jayasinghe said the teachers have not received their salaries, arrears and promotions for years. Jayasinghe alleged that the teachers’ salary irregularities have persisted since 1997, but no steps had been taken by the govt to rectify them. He said even though the teachers had boycotted the A/L exam paper corrections in more..

May 18 (Island) Subodhi Institute, Piliyandala, recently donated almost the whole of its general library comprising English books on a variety of subjects, to the Jaffna library as a token of solidarity and goodwill with the hope that this will be a contribution of rebuilding the library to once again become one of the best libraries in South Asia. The Mayor of Jaffna received the donation on behalf of the library and the people of Jaffna in the presence of the Bishop of Jaffna more..

May 18 (Island) The sordid National Savings Bank and the Finance Co. share deal is likely to be finalised today says the Securities and Exchange Commission. "The transaction is at the stage where the National savings Bank are the owners of the shares for which they have not paid yet, but Sampath bank has paid for the shares and Taprobane Securities have acted as the buying and selling broker and that is the situation that the deal is at now. more..

May 18 (Island) Police investigating the alleged complicity of former Officer-in-Charge of the Wattala police, Chief Inspector Nimal Ratnayake, in switching four out of the 13 cattle seized, while they being transported illegally, believe that at least three police constables had seen the transfer. Although they had seen what was going on, they had failed to prevent the switch, investigators told The Island. Asked whether the police would take action against the suspects, more..

May 18 (Island) The Royal Thai Embassy in Sri Lanka has organised a series of events to commemorate the 260th anniversary of the arrival of Upali Maha Thero in Sri Lanka and the re-establishment of the Upasampada and Siam Nikaya (sect) in the country which falls in July in 2013. One of the events in the calendar is the English essay competition organised in collaboration with the Sri Lanka-Thailand Society on the topic ‘Contribution of Ven Upali Maha Thero of more..

May 18 (NYD) The govt has yet to address the grievances of Sri Lanka’s ethnic Tamils, three years after the end of the war. Issues include allowing the displaced to resettle in their originals lands and providing relief to those affected by the war. Robert Fernando drives his truck along a lonely stretch of road at midnight, passing a causeway that leads to northern Sri Lanka. The ethnic Sinhalese is carrying furniture manufactured in the southern part more..

May 18 (DT) The Board for Control of Cricket in India (BCCI) might have been caught off-guard by the spot-fixing scandal in Indian Premier League (IPL), but the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), having learnt its lessons, is not willing to take any chances on the same issue with its players. Pakistan team’s manager Naveed Akram Cheema has put in place stringent measures on the upcoming tour to Sri Lanka to ensure there is no fixing or controversy associated with the players. more..

May 18 (Island) Four students, including a 13-year-old boy were arrested by Kandy Crimes Police for allegedly robbing computer accessories from the Technology and Information Unit of their own school, Senkadagala Virodara Vidyalaya at Watapuluwa, Kandy. The computer accessories allegedly stolen during the night of Friday, are valued at Rs. 275,000. The stolen articles were recovered from the homes of the suspects. The arrested students are 13, 15, 16 and 17 years of age, more..

May 18 (Hindu) Most Tamil political parties in Sri Lanka could become things of the past if the Supreme Court acts on a petition that seeks disqualification of the parties for retaining the demand for a separate state in their party documents, called constitutions. Long after the Tamil political parties dropped their demand for a separate state, their unamended party constitutions, in which the demand for a Tamil Eelam are stated, have come to haunt them. more..

May 18 (FT) The Foreign Minister of Singapore will be visiting Sri Lanka from 26 May to 2 June 2012 accompanied by a high-powered delegation from the Singapore Business Federation (SBF). One of the key expectations of the delegation is to establish mutually-beneficial relationships with key Govt officials as well as the Sri Lankan business community during this visit. Trade between Sri Lanka and Singapore is expected to be projected to a new level and more..

May 18 (HT) A PhD scholar from Sri Lanka, who was pursuing her research at National Dairy Research Institute (NDRI) was seriously injured on Thursday after she was attacked by a gang of unidentified youths. The victim is identified as 42-year-old NMAK Narayana who was enrolled in the dairy technology department.She sustained serious head injury and her condition is stated to be serious. The incident occurred at the Mall Road and spot is just a few meters away from the official residences of the deputy commissioner and more..

May 18 (AFP) Sri Lanka is looking to ease growing friction with the United States, but it faces exasperation from policymakers who see little progress on concerns three years after a bloody civil war ended. Foreign Minister G.L. Peiris meets Friday with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton after a week of talks in Washington that come after the United States spearheaded a UN resolution pushing Sri Lanka over alleged war crimes. more..

May 18 (CT) Minster Bandula Gunawardena stressed the circular issued a few weeks ago with regard to the transfer or admission of students from one national school to another, has been misinterpreted by media and political parties. “This was nothing new but an addition to a circular, which was issued in 1999, and the students already transferred from one national school to another school for Advance Level will not be affected by the circular cancelling such transfers,” more..

May 18 (DM) The TNA appears to be divided over its registration as a separate political party, after its ally ‘Ilankai Tamil Arasu Kachchi’ (ITAK) opposed the proposal by other parties to appoint a high command comprising representatives of all the parties in the alliance. The TNA is a political movement consisting of the TELO, EPRLF, ITAK, TULF and PLOTE. Of them, only the first three have parliamentary representation while the other two parties joined the TNA only after the war ended. more..

May 18 (Island) General Sarath Fonseka, former commander of the Army and defeated presidential candidate will be freed over the weekend, according to highly placed sources. Sources close to President Mahinda Rajapaksa last night said that the Cabinet had endorsed the President’s decision to release the four-star General consequent to an understanding with DNA MP Tiran Alles. Sources said they were confident that everything could be finalized over the weekend and more..

May 18 (Island) Minister Kumara Welgama has formulated a plan to streamline the coastal railway service. Commuters too will be asked to send in their suggestions. He said that one of the root causes for train delays was the necessity of certain trains to stop at several stations, when the train running ahead of it was operating slowly. Inadequacy of railway carriages for office trains was another problem. New railway carriages would be put into service soon more..

May 18 (Island) The Nangyang Technological University of Singapore has offered assistance to rehabilitate the Kandy Lake. A team of environmental engineers from the Nangyang University, led by its President Professor Bartill Anderson, pledged to extend support to renovate the Kandy Lake by providing funds and knowhow. The lake is polluted and partially silted up and parts of its banks are faced with threat of collapse. A MoU between the visiting team of engineers and more..

May 18 (LB) Singapore has some of the weirdest laws in the world, one of which is colloquially called ‘the toilet flushing law.’ If you don’t flush the toilet after using it, you are liable to pay a hefty fine. Most toilets in Singapore government buildings and universities flush automatically after use, thanks to in-built infrared devices. But not everywhere. In some cheap bars and hangout places in Geylang, this writer wished many times that the law is enforced. more..

May 18 (SL) Questions continue to mount over the Police Department’s apparent lack of interest in arresting the several individuals who were seen on camera waving the LTTE flag at the UNP-TNA May Day rally held in Jaffna. Police spokesperson, S.P. Ajith Rohana, said that the senior D.I.G of police for the Northern Province was heading the investigations. Asked why no arrests had been made, Rohana responded that “all the evidence is being examined by the investigating team”. more..

May 18 (CT) Excavating treasure under the guise of resurrecting ancient history is not done without the consent of high-ranking govt officials, the prelate of the Asgiri Chapter, Ven. Udugama Sri Buddharakkitha Thero said. He made these remarks when the former Deputy Leader of the UNP met him. “Several historic sites are being destroyed by the treasure hunting, and under the guise of excavations. Statues, stupas and temples are being destroyed by this,” more..

May 18 (Haveeru) In bid to counter the escalating rate of crime in the region, the Maldivian and Sri Lankan defence establishment will be making arrangements to strengthen police cooperation between the two countries. This move is focused on strengthening intelligence sharing, joint investigations and police training between the two countries. The challenges faced by both countries and plans to strengthen police cooperation was addressed during more..

May 18 (IRIN) Three years after the government of Sri Lanka declared an end to decades of civil conflict with separatist rebels, thousands of people are still missing, according to the UN and Sri Lankan activists. The Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances (WGEID) of the UN Office for the High Commissioner for Human Rights has recorded 5,671 reported cases of wartime-related disappearance in Sri Lanka, more..

May 18 (Island) External Affairs Minister Prof. G.L. Peiris attended a a series of Capitol Hill meetings on Wednesday, the second day of his four-day official visit to Washington. He discussed, with members of the House of Representatives, Sri Lanka’s progress in post-conflict reconciliation and development, as well as reform measures that had been designed to ensure a lasting peace, a spokesman for SL embassy in Washington said. more..

May 18 (CT) Former Norwegian Special Envoy to Sri Lanka Eric Solheim has clearly said the International community will not support a separate state in Sri Lanka. He made this observation at a Seminar held at the Norwegian Parliament auditorium on Tuesday. Eric Solheim who was also the former Norwegian Environmental Minister was the guest speaker along with the TNA MP Suresh Premachandran. more..

May 18 (Island) Former Sri Lanka and Havelocks Sports Club rugby player, Wazeem Thajudeen, died under tragic circumstances in the early hours of yesterday, in a car crash in Colombo. Thajudeen died of burn injuries when his car toppled and caught fire after hitting a concrete structure erected on the middle of the road in Colombo 5, near Shalika Grounds. However, according to informed sources, more..

May 18 (DM) The Homagama Magistrate yesterday issued summons on former Attorney General Mohan Pieris to appear in Court on June 5 to give evidence in the habeas corpus inquiry into the disappearance of Lanka E News journalist Prageeth Eknaligoda. Magistrate T.G.S.A. Perera directed the court registrar to issue summons on Mr. Pieris and have it served at his address at 3/14, D4, Kynsey Road, Colombo more..

May 18 (CT) Former Army Chief Sarath Fonseka was released on conditional bail when the bail application in the case where Fonseka was accused of harbouring army deserters during the presidential election was taken up by the Colombo High Court, today. Counsel Saliya Peiris appearing on behalf of Fonseka submitted that all the charges against Fonseka have been filed under the penal code and due to that reason there is no hindrance in granting him bail. more..

May 18 (DM) The country celebrates tomorrow the third anniversary of the military defeat of the LTTE. Yet, what should touch the heart of our nation and probably of people elsewhere, is that the rehabilitation processes is taking place. More than 600 former LTTE cadres were brought to the city during the Vesak season, as part of a larger tour of the country. True victory does not lie so much in destroying the enemy, but the platform on which it stands. more..

May 18 (LBO) Sri Lanka’s tiny stock market closed flat on Friday on lacklustre trade, with buying interest in selected blue chip counters, brokers said. The 280-stock All Share Price Index added 3.38 points or 0.06 percent to close at 5,224.91, while the 25-stock Milanka Price Index crept-up 15.49 points or 0.33 percent to end at 4,695.41. Friday’s turnover of 157.69 million rupees was the fourth lowest for the year, after sales of 132.9 million rupees was recorded on April 9. more..