Nov 15 (AFP) Sri Lanka should protect its judges from intimidation and attacks and halt the impeachment of the country's chief justice, a United Nations human rights expert said Wednesday. "I urge the Sri Lanka govt to take immediate and adequate measures to ensure the physical and mental integrity of members of the judiciary," Gabriela Knaul said in a statement. The Special Rapporteur on the independence of more..

Nov 15 (CT) The search operation carried out in two wards at the Welikada Prison, prior to last Friday’s riot, had uncovered 41 mobile phones, 22 SIM cards, Rs 2,140 in cash and over 18 grams of dangerous drugs. Minister Chandrasiri Gajadheera, announcing the find in Parliament yesterday, said possessing two grams of heroin makes a person liable to face the death penalty. However, he did not clarify the type of ‘dangerous drugs’ that were found during the search operation. more..

Nov 15 (FP) The U.N. today released a damning 128-page internal review of its conduct in Sri Lanka during the bloody, final several months of the country's 28 year-long civil war. The main takeaway -- as I reported yesterday -- is that the U.N. failed abjectly in its responsibility to protect the more than 40,000 civilians killed, mostly as a result of indiscriminate govt shelling. But the published report includes a series of redacted passages describing a key, high-level meeting in March 2009 more..

Nov 15 (Island) In the wake of the killing spree of lone women, over 50 years of age, in the Kahawatta police area, in the Ratnapura District since Nov. 2007, Minister John Seneviratne claimed that he had taken measures to strengthen the security in the area by putting up an STF post with 70 commandos and 100 policemen. He was addressing the media, flanked by a senior lecturer in sociology, Suwarnalatha Perera, three politicians from more..

Nov 15 (Island) The Commissioner General of Prisons P. W. Kodippili lacked the required experience and should be replaced with a person conversant with prison administration, the UNP said. Kodippili was a retired civil servant who did not know how to administer a complex institution as evident from a series of violent incidents at several jails during the recent past, with the latest being the Welikada riot, which left 27 inmates dead, UNP MP Karu Jayasuriya said. more..

Nov 15 (Island) Following a clash between two student factions of the Karapitiya Medical Faculty on Tuesday, students, who were believed to be have been involved in it, were summoned to the Poddala police station today for an inquiry. Faculty Dean Dr. Sampath Gunawardena said that the President and Secretary of the Faculty Students’ Union were among those who were summoned by the police. He said that the university too, would conduct a separate investigation on the incident, more..

Nov 15 (Reuters) The United Nations failed to call proper attention to the plight of hundreds of thousands of Sri Lankan civilians during the bloody final stage of the govt's war against Tamil Tiger rebels, according to a UN report released on Wednesday. U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon responded to the report by a review panel he set up to evaluate the U.N. response during the final phase of the Sri Lanka war more..

Nov 15 (DM) Who would have dreamt of seeing the mother of the world bodies, the United Nations, shedding tears of regret over something the institution could not perform? A leaked draft of a highly-critical internal UN report says the world body has conceded its failure to protect the Sri Lankan civilians during the last stages of the war. Regret if converted into action would have worked miracles to make life brighter for the war-ravaged citizenry in the north. Even the post-war period would not more..

Nov 15 (DM) The National Budget is the financial strategy (expenditure and income) of a govt towards achieving specific economic and social development goals during the forthcoming financial year and beyond. According to the President cum Minister of Finance and Planning, the current budget proposals have been formulated targeting three important objectives in the next three years (2013-2015) which are (a) transforming the country into a poverty-free upper middle income economy, (b) more..

Nov 15 (Island) The much-delayed leadership training programme for the next batch of university entrants would start on Dec. 27 at 25 centres countrywide, Secretary to the Higher Education Ministry Dr. Sunil Navaratne said. He said that the duration of the programme had to be reduced from three weeks to two due to an additional 5,000 students being added to the next intake on a Court order. This year the more..

Nov 15 (HRW) The United Nations secretary-general’s internal review on UN action in Sri Lanka should lead to specific and concrete measures to ensure the UN takes all needed measures to prevent mass atrocities in future conflicts, Human Rights Watch said today. The “Internal Review Panel on United Nations Action in Sri Lanka,” commissioned by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and published on Nov 14, more..

Nov 15 (Island) The latest road map covering all roads in the country would be released in January next year. The road map would include the latest changes in the road network including the Southern Expressway and the new roads constructed in the Northern and Eastern Provinces. Currently, the district Surveyors were in the process of identifying the new and renovated roads in their respective districts. Six major roads had more..

Nov 15 (DN) A majority among the 24 countries which voted against Sri Lanka at the UNHRC sessions in Geneva in May have changed track due to Sri Lanka’s progress in the Human Rights field since then, Minister Mahinda Samarasinghe said. Several countries, including Austria, Italy, Mexico, Nigeria, Poland, Romania and Spain have changed their views and beliefs about Sri Lanka, he said. At present, they hold an optimistic view more..

Nov 15 (NV) President Yoweri Museveni has attributed the success of Uganda Peoples Defence Forces (UPDF) in Somalia to the discipline on which the Uganda army was formed. President Museveni who travelled with his wife Janet Museveni have been in Sri Lanka on a three-day visit at the invitation of his counterpart President Mahinda Rajapakasa. While talking to the top brass of the Sri Lankan army including more..

Nov 15 (GDI) The proposal made by minister prof. G.L.Peris, to seek observer status in the conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA) was approved by the Cabinet of Ministers at its meeting on Wednesday. The objective of the conference is to enhance cooperation towards promoting peace , security and stability in Asia. The organization presently has 24 member countries of more..

Nov 15 (DM) DNA MP Ajith Kumara said today he would from now on function as an independent member of parliament. Mr. Kumara accused DNA Group Leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake of violating his right to participate in the Budget debate. The MP charged that the DNA had no democratic values as it had violated his right to speak. “DNA’s claim that it was fighting against capitalism is nothing but a joke,” he said. more..

Nov 15 (DM) The Excise Duty on all vehicles had gone up by between Rs.200,000 and Rs.500,000 in the 2013 Budget thus greatly increasing the prices of all vehicles, said Mahinda Sarathchandra the chairman of the Vehicle Importers’ Association. He said the price of a small car such as a Maruti would go up by Rs.200,000 while models like the Toyota Vitz would go up by between Rs.200,000 and 250,000, more..

Nov 15 (CG) The govt has decided to paint vehicles used for passenger transport in different colors. Cabinet approved the proposal made by the Minister of transport Kumara Welgama. Accordingly, Vehicles will be painted in different colors as follows. * private passenger transport busses – Light Blue- PANTONE colour code no. 2707 C * Public passenger transport buses of SLTB- Red-PANTONE colour code No. 185 C * Vehicle used as more..

Nov 15 (DM) The govt yesterday expressed its readiness to discuss the repealing or amending the 13th Amendment to the Constitution with all political parties including the Tamil parties. Minister Nimal Siripala De Silva who responded to a question asked by UNP Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe told Parliament the govt was willing to take up this matter in the proposed Parliament Select Committee (PSC), which is more..

Nov 15 (CT) Thursday November 1, 2012, was an eventful day if ever there was one. While Sri Lanka was defending itself in Geneva at the Universal Periodic Review of the Human Rights Council, an impeachment motion against Chief Justice Shirani Bandaranayake was handed over to the Speaker of Parliament in Colombo. Many people thought that the govt would be diffident about impeaching the chief justice with the UPR session on Sri Lanka being held these days, and the theory was more..

Nov 15 (Island) A special police team from Mt Lavinia made a Rs. 1.2 million drug bust on Tuesday afternoon after pursuing a three wheeler from the Katubedda – Piliyandala Road to Polgasowita. Acting on a tip off they had followed a couple transporting a consignment of heroin in a three wheeler and after intercepting the vehicle they found 50 grammes and 98 milligrammes being transported in retail packets numbering 3,600. Along with the heroin the police had taken into custody more..

Nov 15 (CT) “The Prime Minister told the Ambassador that there should be no cause for concern since the agreement was ‘just words.’ Moreover, there had been translation inaccuracies from the signed Sinhala original into English. Rajapakse reviewed his long history of opposition to and district electoral victories over the JVP and told the Ambassador that he knew how to handle them and use them. In order to win the election, more..

Nov 15 (Island) As a solution to landslide threats to the country’s first expressway, two teams had been appointed to monitor the soil mounds lining the road on a daily basis, a Ports and Highways Ministry Official said. They would monitor the road and its environs during rains, the Ministry official added. The Ministry has adopted these measures following the collapse of an earth mound on the expressway on Nov. 02 blocking a 200-metre section of the southbound lanes. more..

Nov 15 (CT) In dealing with the impeachment motion against the Chief Justice, it is correct for the opposition not to stoop into dishonourable politics as the govt conducts its affairs inside and outside Parliament, on the subject, especially through the govt controlled media. There are charges, unfounded or not, that need to be carefully investigated. If the Parliamentary Select Committee Investigation (PSC) becomes purely a political battle, between the govt and the opposition, more..

Nov 15 (SL) President Rajapaksa last week presented the 2013 budget in Parliament. The budget is being alleged by critics as a budget for the elite and that the estimated govt expenditure of Rs. 2.52 trillion does not bring any relief to the common man. The Sunday Leader went out to the streets to find out the views of the common man on the budget in question. They simply were not concerned or did not care. A young couple walking in Dehiwala more..

Nov 15 (Island) Lives of the residents of Tempitiya, Dumana and Pulawa are in grave danger owing to a herd of wild elephants wreaking havoc in the area. They are destroying plantations and houses. All attempts by the villagers to chase them away have been in vain. R.B. Sarath Karunasena (44) said that among the animals was a male elephant which posed a serious threat to people and their property. It had already destroyed vast extents of cultivated land more than 20 houses. more..

Nov 15 (CT) Chief Govt Whip Dinesh Gunawardene said certain questions asked in Parliament by opposition members cost millions of rupees when the relevant ministries come out with proper answers. Minister Gunawardane said this in Parliament when UNP MP Ravi Karunanayake charged as to why the govt avoid questions asked when thousands of rupees were spent to ask one question. “Speaker, this is very unfortunate that the govt waste money by ignoring or not more..

Nov 15 (Xinhua) The army is to recruit 100 minority Tamil girls over the weekend, the first time such a large number of Tamils are being recruited. Military spokesman Brigadier Ruwan Wanigasooriya said that the young girls will be enlisted in the Volunteer Force of the Sri Lanka Army and be assigned to serve under a battalion of the Army Women's Corps. "This is not the first time Tamils are being recruited into the army. more..

Nov 15 (GDI) On a proposal made by President, in his capacity as Minister of Finance and Planning, to provide a grant assistance of US $ 1.5 million to Govt of Uganda for the establishment of Sri Lanka-Uganda friendship Vocational and Technical Training Centre in Uganda was approved by the Cabinet of Ministers at its meeting held on Wednesday. The grant assistant will be utilized to upgrade and strengthen the Masulita Vocational and Technical Trading Centre in Uganda. more..

Nov 15 (DM) The Islamic finance industry in Sri Lanka achieved another milestone in its fast evolving history, with the launch of Sri Lanka’s first-ever Sharia hbased income fund recently. Structured as a unit trust, the Comtrust - Adl Mudarabah Fund is the second unit trust to be launched under the combined expertise of Adl Capital Limited and Comtrust Asset Management (Pvt.) Limited. In 2011, Adl Capital and Comtrust successfully pioneered Sri Lanka’s first open-ended more..

Nov 15 (AD) Minister Mervyn Silva stated that the govt is willing to not only reduce the price of racing cars but even air planes if it was to promote sports. Speaking to the media, he stated that the President comes from a sporting family while he and his sons are sportsmen. He added that no one had the right to complain about the budget proposals on tax concessions for racing cars because it was to encourage a sport. more..

Nov 15 (Reuters) Sri Lanka's tourist arrivals jumped 15.5% in October from a year earlier. The number of visitors has risen year-on-year in the past 42 months since a 25-year civil war ended in May 2009. The tourism board expects over one million tourists in 2012, yielding revenue of more than $1 billion, up from last year's record $830.3 million. Revenue from tourism rose 24.2% to $711.1 million in the first nine months of 2012 from the same period last year. Tourism is one of the main foreign exchange more..

Nov 15 (GDI) The 15th Governors' Forum commenced in Jaffna this morning. Governor of Northern Province Major General G. A. Chandrasiri has made all necessary arrangements to hold this Forum on a grand scale. This is the first time this Forum is being held in the Northern Province after ending 30 years of war. Governors of all provinces attending the Forum will be provided with the opportunity to witness the present development work being carried out in Jaffna. more..

Nov 15 (AFP) Sri Lanka's main Tamil party demanded an international probe after the UN admitted it failed to protect thousands of civilians killed by troops in the final phase of the country's conflict in 2009. The moderate TNA said the report published by UN secretary general's office confirmed its long-standing allegations of widespread killing and incarceration of civilians. "Now that the UN has come with this report we want action," more..

Nov 15 (Island) Welikada prison escapee H. Thushan, who was re-arrested by the Ruwanwella police at Dehiowita on Wednesday, had told interrogators that he had run away during the riot last Friday as he feared for his life. The police have also arrested his brother, who had taken Thushan to Dehiowita from his residence at Madiwela after his daring escape from Welikada. He had got the opportunity to escape when a jailer was shot after prisoners broke open the armoury, more..

Nov 15 (LBO) Sri Lanka will discontinue compiling an index of liquid stocks labeled 'Milanka' from January 2012 after a new index was developed by Standard & Poors', an official said. Colombo Stock Exchange chairman Krishan Balendra said there was a demand from foreign investors to start an internationally recognized index. The S&P SL20 index is compiled according to Standard & Poor's norms used globally he said. The index can be used to develop exchange traded funds, more..

Nov 15 (GDI) President launched the third phase of the 'Deyata Sevana' national tree planting programme to plant 1.1 million trees today at the auspicious time of 9.39 a.m. near Diyawanna Oya in Battaramulla. The Deyata Sevana National Tree planting program was inaugurated on 15th November 2010 as a national program of planting 1.1 million trees to mark President Rajapaksa's 65th Birth day and the second more..

Nov 15 (Island) The Catholic Bishops’ Conference yesterday said, in a statement, that it viewed with great concern certain events that seemed to threaten the independent and fair functioning of the Judiciary and called upon the Executive and the Legislative stakeholders to ensure that the freedom of the Judiciary was ensured. The CBCSL statement said: "The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Sri Lanka (CBCSL) views with grave concern certain events that seem to threaten the independent more..

Nov 15 (LT) Despite Rs.7450 million has been allocated for the President for the year, one million employees in the estate sector have not been given any salary increase says the President of All Ceylon Estate Workers Union Ramalingam Chandrasekar. He said the Ministry of Defense has been allocated Rs.290000 million while the Ministry of Economic Development has been allocated Rs.80000 million. When Rs.7450 million is allocated for the President the estate employees who participate in more..

Nov 15 (DM) The Kollupitiya police today filed a charge sheet against the woman who was arrested on charges of having kept a cobra in a room at a Kollupitiya night club. In the charge sheet filed under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Ordinance, police said the suspect Nirosha Wimalaratne alias Dilani had acted to cause unnecessary pain or suffering to a cobra. Police said she had committed a punishable offence more..