Sept 12 (DN) President Mahinda Rajapaksa yesterday called on the visiting Commonwealth Parliamentarians to make use of the opportunity to learn about the real Sri Lanka in its post- conflict era, when the highest priority is given to nation building through reconciliation. “Your presence in Sri Lanka gives you a good opportunity to see for yourselves the progress of democracy in our country, after the major threat it faced more..

Sept 12 (DM) The Govt in the afterglow of its victory in last Saturday’s elections to three provincial councils, must be aware of the need for magnanimity and humility in victory just as we must have courage and determination in defeat. The Govt also needs to look at the results soberly and realistically without being carried away by the sickening propaganda of state media stooges who blow up the victory as outstanding and annihilation of the main opposition political parties. more..

Sept 12 (DM) Walking into the auditorium of Jaffna College Vaddukodai last week was not overwhelming as a sea of smiling faces came way. Rather, what instantly struck us was the effervescence that filled the air in a room of nearly 500 youth from all ethnic and religious communities, who had come together from the 22 districts of the country to the culturally and historically reputed seat of learning, in the hope of playing their part in national reconciliation. more..

Sept 12 (ST) Financial problems and a suitable waste disposal site are issues confronting local councils in Colombo’s suburbs, which have caused delays in garbage collection, causing inconvenience to residents. Ratepayers of the Kotte and Dehiwala-Mt Lavinia Municipal Councils and the Maharagama Urban Council are among those affected. A cross section of residents told the Sunday Times that infrequent and irregular garbage collection during the past few weeks more..

Sept 12 (SL) Last week Sri Lanka won her first Paralympic Medal. Sooner, or later, the credit for that triumph would be laid at some Rajapaksa-door, though Lankan Paralympic-entrants were left to fend for themselves even more than Lankan Olympic-entrants. As the winner of that lonely Bronze told the BBC, “I have to buy all the equipment, shoes and clothes, everything from my own salary. I did not get sponsorship for my training…” (Colombo Telegraph – 4.9.2012). more..

Sept 12 (LB) The former presidential advisor on Agriculture Development, Hemakumara Nanayakkara said that having left the govt, the best course of action one could take is to form a political party which could bring all opposition parties under one umbrella. Hence the birth of the Mawbima Janatha Movement (MJM) under his stewardship. He said that the MJM has been registered as a party by the Elections Commissioner and more..

Sept 12 (DM) Around 12 dogs have been removed from the BMICH premises and taken to the dog pound to avoid possible disturbances during the ongoing 58th Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference at the BMICH. The Blue Paw Trust, an organisation that promotes animal welfare claims the initial arrangement was for these dogs to be returned to the BMICH, once the conference concluded, as they have been occupying the premises for a while now. more..

Sept 12 (Island) Many an eyebrow has been raised over the British High Commission arranging a special flight for a group of visiting British and Canadian politicians here for the 58th sessions of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) to visit the North. Although the govt was ready to organize visits to the former war zones, the British HC had sought approval to arrange a special tour on its own. A senior official told more..

Sept 12 (Island) Atomic Energy Authority (AEA) Chairman Dr. Ranjith Wijewardane urged the public not to panic over India’s Kudankulam nuclear power plant as there wasn’t any immediate danger of radiation leaks, forcing mass evacuations. He said that people living in Northern Province should not be frightened of the plant. He assured that the authorities were ready to assist the public immediately should there be any radiation threat. more..

Sept 12 (LBO) Sri Lanka's exports fell 17.4 percent to 794.4 million US dollars in July 2012 from a year earlier, imports fell 24.9 percent to 1,329.1 million US dollars and the trade gap fell 33.88 percent to 534.6 million US dollars. Sri Lanka's exports were contracting due to lower external demand from Europe, lower commodity prices, while imports were falling due to tightening measures taken by authorities the monetary authority said. more..

Sept 12 (LBO) CEB and a Chinese contractor is working to rectify problems with the island's first coal power plant and changes will be made to two others that have not yet been finished, officials said. Sri Lanka's first coal plant built by China Machinery and Engineering Corporation has broken down several times since it was commissioned last year, with the most recent shut downs triggering the first power cuts in a decade, amid a drought which hit hydro generation. more..

Sept 12 (Hindu) In view of a large number of Sri Lankan employees working in Brandix and the opening up of the airport to international flights, a team of officials of Sri Lankan Airlines visited Vizag on Tuesday to explore the possibility of flying out of here. Regional Manager of Indian Sub-Continent of Sri Lankan Airlines Lalith de Silva and Revenue Optimisation Manager of the airlines Dinesh Pathirana went around more..

Sept 12 (DM) The SLMC said yesterday that a majority of party seniors wanted to initiate a dialogue with the ruling UPFA with regard to the formation of the Eastern Provincial Council which remains in abeyance at the moment. The party noted that the post of chief minister was also one out of a variety of issues concerning the Muslim Community, to be discussed when deciding on the party’s support for anyone. more..

Sept 12 (LBO) Stocks closed up 1.38% in a day that a commodity broker and a finance company started trading for the first time, brokers said. The Colombo All Share Price Index close up 77.4 points at 5,668.30 and the S&P SL20 Index closed up 1.29% at 3,073.2 points up 1.29 percent. Turnover was 1,207 million rupees. Debutant Asia Siyake Commodities closed at 7.90 rupees, after moving as high as 22.00 rupees in intra-day trading, up 395% from its indicative pricing. more..

Sept 12 (Island) Geologist M.M.C.U. Moremada, of the earth slip unit, of two national building research organizations, said reports were received that there was a sudden increase in chinks and fissures in a number of houses, in zones prone to earth slips and sinking in the Matale district. Several places in the divisional secretariats of Matale, Rattota, Laggala, Nilamuna, Yatawatta, Ambangaha Koralaya, Pallepola, Naula, Ukuwela and Galewela had been identified as risk zones. more..

Sept 12 (LBO) There was a thriving business in Sri Lanka involving the sale of unlicensed lubricants, adulterated and counterfeited brands and recycling used oil, which can damage vehicles engines, industry officials said. Lubricants import, production and distribution is a licensed industry in Sri Lanka where citizens do not yet have the full freedom to import and use the product. Chevron Lubricants Lanka chief Kishu Gomes told a forum organized by more..

Sept 12 (GDI) President Mahinda Rajapaksa visited the Church of Our Lady in Matara on Sunday 9th September and participated in the annual feast. Rt. Rev. Viani Fernando conducted the service and invoked blessings on the President. Parish Priest of the Church Fr. Damien Wickremasinghe, Ministers, MPs and thousands of devotees from all over the country participated at the annual feast. Shrine of Our Lady of Matara is a Church situated in the Southern Coast of Sri Lanka. more..

Sept 12 (IT) Protests in Tamil Nadu against Sri Lanka took a new turn with Tamil chauvinists on Tuesday demanding that the Indian cricket team not be sent to the island nation for the forthcoming Twenty-20 World championship. While Yuvraj Singh was making a comeback in international cricket after his battle against a rare germ cell cancer representing the Indian team in the second T-20 match against New Zealand, Tamil protesters held a more..

Sept 12 (GDI) The Board of Investment of Sri Lanka hosted last week a high-powered visiting delegation from South Africa led by Prof Hlenginwe Mkhize, MP, Deputy Minister of Economic Development, Geoff Doidge, Ambassador of South Africa in Sri Lanka, Renier Schoeman, A.N.C National Coordinator and former Minister and 30 officials of the ANC and entrepreneurs from South Africa. The South African delegation was interested in exploring the possibility of more..

Sept 12 (SM) The Colombo Additional District Judge Aravinda Perera has been interdicted with immediate effect by the Judicial Services Commission (JSC). The Secretary of the Commission stated that the decision was taken after examination of the complaints pertaining to the judge received by the JSC. He said it was not possible to disclose to the media the nature of the complaints. There were various allegations pertaining to irregularities and corruption against more..

Sept 12 (GDI) Govt spends Rs. 14,000 for the fertilizer subsidy at a time when the farmers spend Rs. 1,000 for cultivation of one acres of paddy land. The ever grateful farmers of the North Central province expressed their gratitude to the govt without getting swayed by the propaganda of the UNP and the JVP in the provincial council elections in which they attempted to politicize the elections and to fool the farmers by projecting that the drought more..

Sept 12 (Island) The Health Ministry warned that the number of persons with hearing impairments in the country would increase to 30% within the next 18 years, from the current 9%. Over 200 new children with hearing ailments received treatment annually at the Lady Ridgeway Children’s Hospital and 3, 074 children in Sri Lanka suffer hearing impairments while there are over 52,500 children with hearing difficulties receiving education. The Health Ministry has initiated a more..

Sept 12 (wsws) A scandal over the manipulation of shares on the Colombo stock exchange has erupted in recent weeks after former SEC chairman Thilak Karunaratne accused govt ministers of acting in league with speculators. Karunaratne was pressured by President Rajapakse to quit his position, just nine months after his appointment. The apparent reason for his ouster was that the SEC had commenced investigations into 17 companies accused of abusing the share market. more..

Sept 12 (DM) Former NCP Chief Minister Berty Premalal Dissanayake said his supporters had been subjected to assaults by members of the UPFA and pointed out that this was never heard of before. “We have never witnessed this level of threats and assaults even when the opposition won the election. Even yesterday my supporters were attacked and intimidated by our own party men supporting S.M. Ranjith and this has been happening throughout more..

Sept 12 (Reuters) The U.S. ambassador to Libya and three embassy staff were killed as they rushed away from a consulate building in Benghazi, stormed by al Qaeda-linked gunmen blaming America for a film that they said insulted the Prophet Mohammad. Gunmen had attacked and set fire to the U.S. consulate in the eastern city of Benghazi, the cradle of last year's uprising against Muammar Gaddafi's 42-year rule, late on Tuesday evening as another assault more..

Sept 12 (EAR) The issue that must take centre stage at Sri Lanka’s Universal Periodic Review (UPR) scheduled for 1st November 2012 should be the question of Sri Lanka’s accountability for War Crimes and Crimes against Humanity, bearing in mind the period under review is from 2008 to 2012, covering the critical period before, during and after the war in Sri Lanka. The major players involved in Sri Lanka’s review process must be ready to meet the issue head on. more..

Sept 12 (CG) The govt is still undecided on using nuclear power to meet the electricity needs of the country, Power and Energy Minister Champika Ranawaka said today. Addressing a media briefing in Colombo today the Minister said that the authorities are carrying out a feasibility study on nuclear energy. However he said no final decision has been taken on switching to nuclear power. “You see the problems at Kundankulam,” the Minister said laughing. more..

Sept 13 (NS) Clearly demarcated battle lines emerged this week between Sri Lanka and the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu as its Chief Minister Jayalalithaa Jayaram upped the ante in her campaign against Colombo, resulting in an unsavory chain of events. It was Jayalalithaa, who had been vocal in her anti-Lankan sentiments in recent times and quite literally set the ball rolling by ordering the return of the football team of Royal College, Colombo who played a game against more..

Sept 13 (NS) Three years and a few months after the war, the military said there is no High Security Zones (HSZ) in the peninsula. The HSZ was, and to an extent still is synonymous when talking about issues in the North. However, there are opposition political parties, of the likes of TNA and civil rights movements challenging the claims by security forces that there were no high security zones. TNA in particular have been very vocal on the issue of high security zones and the heavy presence of more..

Sept 13 (NS) Complacency and a false sense of optimism responsible for the balance of payments difficulties faced last year, made worse because timely measures to stem the ballooning trade deficit were not taken. By the time something was done, although consumer imports were reined in, the trade balance continued to deteriorate. We are seeing a repeat. The decline in exports earnings has been negating the lesser import expenditure in recent months. more..

Sept 13 (DBS) China’s Defence Minister General Liang Guanglie’s visited Sri Lanka for five days from August 29, 2012. The first-ever visit by a Chinese defence minister to Sri Lanka with an entourage of 23 members indicates the ever increasing Chinese interest in the island nation. The defence minister called upon President Rajapaksa and met with the Secretary of Defence Gotabaya Rajapaksa. He also visited the Defence Services Command and Staff College (DSCSC) more..

Sept 13 (DBS) Is Tamilnadu hostile to Lankan visitors? No not at all! It is only a splinter group known as Eelamists do involve in such activities to gain publicity. Politically this group including the ardent Tiger supporter, Vaiko’s MDMK has no strength in the state even to save deposit in a legislative election in any electorate of the state contesting on their own. But in March they were successful in raising emotion against Sri Lanka with the broadcast of more..

Sept 13 (DBS) The SLMC which has the power to determine which political formation could form a viable administration in the Eastern Provincial Council is yet to arrive at a decision formally. However informed sources revealed that unofficial discussions are currently on between the party and Govt circles and that the SLMC is very likely to support the UPFA in setting up the Eastern province administration and will be an integral part of more..

Sept 13 (CT) Yesterday, we discussed several protests that took place in Asia. They are the students protest in Hong Kong; the protests of the people fighting against eviction from their lands by the Onkareshwar Dam project in Madhya Pradesh, India; the fight against the abuse of blasphemy law in Pakistan in the case of Rimsha, the 14-year-old mentally handicapped girl; and the student protest in Sri Lanka. We noted that while in all the other three instances more..

Sept 13 (CT) The modern history of Sri Lanka is punctuated by two massive events that we are yet to fully understand; the civilian led anti-Tamil violence of July 1983, and the armed forces led destruction of LTTE in May, 2009. Other events that might claim to be such ruptures in temporality, events that structure both time and society, so that they are embedded in history; April 1971 or December 2004, don’t have the same weight. And weight it what matters, in this process more..

Sept 13 (ST) Sri Lanka vehicle importers are eying new markets in foreign countries as the country’s car market which enjoyed a brief boom has once again plummeted due to the recent tax revisions, vehicle importers said. Keerthi Gunawardene, Secretary of the Vehicle Importers Association of Sri Lanka told the Business Times that they are planning to enter the used car business in Myanmar taking advantage of their tax benefits and other facilities more..

Sept 13 (Island) Sri Lanka boasts a glorious past when, we are told, a pretty woman bedecked in jewellery 'from head to toe' could travel alone anywhere at any time of the day and return home safely. Today, women are robbed of their gold chains and handbags in broad daylight. They are lucky if they lose only their jewellery without being raped and murdered inside their own houses. The crime rate is on the increase and most criminals have gone scot free because of more..

Sept 13 (FT) The country’s export sector has recorded mixed fortunes, suffering its worst decline year-on-year whilst month-on-month manages to recover, as per latest external trade data. Marking the fifth consecutive dip YOY, the contraction in exports in July at 17.4% to $ 794.4 million was the worst in recent times though MoM wise, it has been on the rise since April when the value was only $ 680 million. Exports in the first seven months were down by 4.6% to $ 5.76 billion, more..

Sept 13 (FT) The Opposition yesterday called on the Government to promote economic good governance and complete investigations into the controversial deal between National Savings Bank (NSB) and The Finance Company (TFC). UNP MP and top economist Dr. Harsha de Silva at a press conference criticised the Govt’s handling of the economy and insisted that it was being “murdered” by disregard for law and order as well as lack of transparency. more..