Dec 5 (Island) The govt has decided to reclaim the Marawila beach from the sea by pumping sand. Director General of the Coast Conservation Department (CCD) Dr. Anil Premaratne said that though reclaiming land from the sea was expensive, the govt had decided to launch the project for the benefit of fishermen in the area. To pump sand from the sea to reclaim a 1.8-kilometre stretch of coastline lost to sea erosion from Kurusekanuwa in Marawila towards Chilaw, more..

Dec 5 (DN) A Sri Lankan origin high-tech, high-flyer stirred the country when it manufactured 100 mobile phones for the first time in Sri Lanka's history under a pilot project. Greentel G9 smart phone manufactured in Sri Lanka complies with European standards and is licensed by the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority. The made in Sri Lanka Greentel smart phone is available at the Greentel main showroom in Colpetty. These devices also save foreign exchange more..

Dec 5 (MoD) The historic 'Dutch Hospital' celebrates its second anniversary today (2). Secretary Defence and Urban Development Mr. Gotabaya Rajapaksa, accompanied by Mrs. Ioma Rajapasa was present at the popular landmark in Fort to ceremonially switch on the Christmas Tree lights this evening. The 400 year old 'Dutch Hospital' was given a new lease of light under a far sighted initiative of Mr. Rajapaksa to renovate more..

Dec 5 (Island) The Excise Department yesterday revealed that there was a decline in the number tobacco users compared to the population growth. Media spokesman and Superintendant of the Excise Department, Prabath Jayawickrama said that the decline had been due to awareness campaigns carried out by the Police and National Dangerous Drugs Control Board (NDDCB) and several other independent organisations as well as the laws introduced against smoking. more..

Dec 5 (CG) Police said that legal action will be filed against two Directors and two employees of a private company which imports medical drugs to Sri Lanka. SSP Ajith Rohana said that legal action will be taken against the Directors and employees after a raid carried out at a Nawala outlet of the company today found that expiry date labels were being altered on several medical products. Police had found 4814 cartons with drugs where the expiry date labels had been altered. more..

Dec 5 (DM) Politically sponsored admissions of schoolchildren have sharply reduced classroom space for Grade 5 scholarship winners from remote areas to enter leading schools such as Royal College, Vishaka Vidyalaya and Nalanda College in Colombo and Dharmaraja College in Kandy, a report said. The report compiled by a group of key officials of the Education Ministry to be submitted to Minister Bandula Gunawardane says more..

Dec 5 (LT) The govt is creating conflicts in the North and the East paving the way for separatism even after five years are about to be completed after the end of the war says Sunil Handunneththi. Speaking at a media conference held by ‘People’s Wall of Comradeship’, its co-convener Mr. Handunneththi said what the govt should do is to find solutions for issues of masses who have been distressed due to the war. He said the govt should take measures to heal the minds of the people more..

Dec 5 (CT) Chairman of the Embilipitiya Pradeshiya Sabha (PS), N.K. Shamin, resigned today after losing the budget proposals for 2014 twice. There are 14 members in the PS, including nine govt party representatives, four UNP representatives and one JVP representative. The budget was presented on 25 November, which was presided over by the Chairman. UNP Group Leader, M. Wimalaseela, said six votes, including that of the Chairman, were polled in favour of the budget, while more..

Dec 5 (BBC) An "out of control" train engine in Sri Lanka moved a distance of about 12km through Colombo, without a driver, railway officials said. No-one was hurt despite several road crossings in its path. It was only stopped when a technician jumped on board, a Sri Lanka Railways (SLR) official said. An inquiry has been launched and two staff alleged to be responsible are reported to have been suspended. more..

Dec 6 (NS) A ‘revolution’ in political terms is a drastic turnaround which occurs in a few days or a few years. The industrial revolution was different from these political revolutions as it spanned several generations. Starting in 1760 in the UK, it is considered to have continued until the Second World War. From the UK it spread to other lands and revolutionized the lives of mankind. This dramatic change is not hard to observe. The material quality of life improved significantly, more..

Dec 6 (NS) Sri Lanka is rich in bio diversity. On the other hand, the Sri Lankan population keeps on expanding. Agriculture remains the livelihood of many Sri Lankans. Therefore, protecting the environment, the biodiversity, and the agricultural economy and feeding the expanding population are challenges the nation is faced with. These sometimes are competing interests. Therefore, managing these challenges cannot be done by hastily patched up ‘solutions’. more..

Dec 6 (NS) Forty four years ago, my wife and I decided to take to a life of farming and rural living on a two hectare plot of land in the dry zone (in Mahiyangana). This was no week-end picnic, nor was it an academic exercise in participant observation initiated and sustained by external donor funding. It was to be our livelihood. Our decision to become farmers was frowned upon by the tradition-bound society of the day. more..

Dec 6 (CT) Today, parliamentary supremacy has become more of a catchy political slogan than anything else. The supremacy of the people expressed through their elected representatives has become a vanishing concept. Gone are the days when people looked forward to the eloquence displayed in parliamentary debates. The articulation of sublime political theories and governing policies in a rich diction and sustained oratory, are now limited to less than a handful. more..

Dec 6 (CT) A central bank in theory cannot be bankrupt because it can always print money and pay out the external creditors, namely, the holders of its currency and banks and other institutions that maintain accounts with it. An institution is unable to make pay-outs to its external creditors when it does not have enough assets to do so – a situation known as having a negative net-worth. By printing money at its own discretion, a central bank, unlike any other institution in the economy, more..

Dec 6 (SO) There are 37,957 officers and soldiers who got disabled as a result of battle injuries during the past three decades, said Adjutant General of the Sri Lanka Army, Major General Jagath Dias. “Mind you, many other officers and soldiers got wounded in the humanitarian operation. Yet, as they were categorised as minor wounds, they came back to service. They also have their difficulties,” he said in an interview more..

Dec 6 (SL) Jonathan Miller of Channel 4 notoriety is shedding tears for the difficulties that he says the journalists in Sri Lanka are facing. His concerns are touching. Reading his note last week, one gets the impression that British journalists are completely independent and not influenced by anyone or anything. Miller’s “holier than thou” attitude seems to suggest that the journalism he and his colleagues in Britain are practicing, is far superior to that practised by Sri Lankan journalists. more..

Dec 6 (CT) Democracy may not always be about elections, though most scholars would argue that they are a sine qua non. But, what if the elected public representatives are turned out to be a bunch of zealots (Muslim Brotherhood) with an insidious religious agenda or a group of terrorists (Hamas), who have vowed to destroy the immediate neighbour? The Muslim Brotherhood had a series of electoral victories in the post-Mubarak Egypt, partly because both the liberal opposition and more..

Dec 6 (CT) 1984 found militarism riding a crest. As a very ambitious national security minister, Athulathmudali’s semantic talents were given a full range of application. For the first time, he was almost hogging the newspaper headlines. The Colombo media evinced nothing but adulation for him. His reasoning was very similar to that behind the PTA and the Emergency Regulations. How much real power he had would be a matter of conjecture. more..

Dec 6 (Island) By blue in the title I do not refer to the colour of the principal political party in the govt that presented Budget 2014. I mean ‘blue’ in the sense, as my dictionary says ‘feeling or showing sadness.’ I add more to this adjectival phrase – inducing despondency, killing hope, piling up frightening fears. All this and more negatives did the budget for the next year instill in me, with not a glimmer of hope for a betterment in my life. Budgets nowadays are really not taken much notice of by the more..

Dec 6 (ST) Franchise motor traders are to request the Treasury to completely ban re-conditioned vehicle imports and reduce import duty on hybrid and small cars if it wants to increase customs duty revenue as more people will start buying such new vehicles. Treasury Secretary Dr. P.B. Jayasundera has stressed the need to stop a revenue leakage due to re-conditioned vehicle imports by unscrupulous importers through more..

Dec 6 (FT) The construction of the Matara-Beliatta section of the Matara-Kataragama Railway Extension project commenced on 28 Oct with the laying of the foundation stone by Speaker Chamal Rajapaksa at Beliatta. The Matara-Beliatta section is the first phase of the Matara-Kataragama railway extension project, a 26.75 km long single line rail track, and is expected to be complete by 2016. The line will have four railway stations at Kekanadura, Bambarenda, Wewurukannala and Beliatta, more..

Dec 6 (Island) CINEC Maritime Campus which is the largest maritime training institute in South Asia signed an agreement on Nov 17 with the Govt of Fiji and the Fiji National University, to manage the Maritime School of the Fiji National University (FNU) in Suva. Minister of Public Enterprises and Attorney General, Hon. Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum signed the agreement on behalf of the Govt of Fiji. Capt. Ajith Pieris President of CINEC Maritime Campus and Vice Chancellor Prof. Ganesh Chand of more..

Dec 6 (CT) UNP MP, Sujeewa Senasinghe, says President Rajapaksa does not allow the UNP reforms to take effect as he rules the UNP too. Excerpts: Q: When will the UNP come back to power? A: As soon as the change the people yearn for is made within the Party. Q: Are you sure? A: Yes. Within six months of the change, we will come to power. Q: Can a UNP Govt survive without increasing the taxes? more..

Dec 6 (ST) Spot fines will soon be imposed on motorists violating seat belt regulations through amendments to the Motor Traffic Act, Minister Kumar Welgama said. “Implementation of these fines is now being carried out by the courts and the public has been inconvenienced,” he said stressing the need to amend the law to impose spot fines. He said that many motorists appear before courts for contravening these regulations and pay a fine at present, some of them coming to more..

Dec 6 (CT) A purported media adviser of a private television channel has embarked on a campaign with the aid of two daily newspapers and one weekend newspaper to cultivate the image of Karu Jayasuriya and to engage in a slander campaign against politicians and media institutions that are critical of Jayasuriya. This self-styled media adviser had attempted to portray Jayasuriya as playing an important role from behind the curtains since his return to the UNP. more..

Dec 6 (FT) Cinnamon Air, SL’s domestic airline, will add a 6th inland destination to its network when it commences operations from the BIA to Sigiriya today. Cinnamon Air will operate the latest addition to its fleet, a Cessna 208B Grand Caravan aircraft in a luxurious Executive configuration that will carry up to eight passengers in absolute comfort on the BIA /Sigiriya route, on a flight that will last under 30 minutes. more..

Dec 6 (CT) Additional Magistrate, Manjula Karunaratne, said that Chairman of the Maharaja Organization, Raja Mahendran's presence in Court is not necessary, although he has been notified to be present in the Matara Magistrate's Court on 11 Dec. Mahendran was issued notice to be present in Court following an affidavit filed by UNP MP Mangala Samaraweera on 25 Nov, alleging that 'Sirasa' channel televised news and visual images that breached law and order of the country. more..

Dec 6 (GDI) SriLankan Cargo, the cargo arm of SriLankan Airlines offers an amazing 50% off on freight rate for goods sent to selected destinations. Going by the concept “100 kg to over 100 cities,” SriLankan Cargo also provides door-to-door delivery for the goods sent to the UK, making it ever so easy to share the holiday spirit with the loved ones abroad. SriLankan Cargo’s “Bag It” is a value added service that gives the opportunity for its customers to send personal belongings, books, gift items more..

Dec 6 (FT) UNP MP Dr. Harsha de Silva criticised the proposed long-term electricity generation plan as not being suitable for Sri Lanka since it increases environmentally-degrading coal production to 77% by 2020 and sidelines renewable energy sources. The use of renewable energy will be given less priority and pro-Govt entities will promote coal power plants at high cost, forcing the electricity unit price to move up. more..

Dec 6 (ST) While there was wide support for the Government’s proposal to reduce the number of finance companies operating as subsidiaries of larger companies, a Business Times poll shows respondents were mixed on whether the risk element would be reduced. Here are comments received in the poll: Consolidated financial strength through these mergers will enhance solvency and sustainability. However the fundamental issues of operational risks, financial risks integrity, more..

Dec 6 (AN) For a group of Catholic priests and Tamil activists, President Rajapaksa's decision to conduct a survey of the number of people injured, disabled, and missing since 1983 up to May 2009 is a "reaction to pressure from the international community" that "will not [however] give true answers to the victims of Sri Lanka's civil war". Launched on 28 Nov, the investigation is set to last six months. Some 16,000 officials are expected to fan out across the island more..

Dec 6 (AAP) Sri Lanka's Ajantha Mendis is the latest signing for the Sydney Thunder, providing a dangerous spin threat in the T20 Big Bash League starting this month. Mendis, 28, has played 17 Tests since his 2008 debut, taking 64 wickets at 34.20, but it is in Twenty20 that he has really excelled. He has an overall economy rate of 6.56 over 85 career T20 matches, including figures of 6 for 8 against Zimbabwe in 2012. more..

Dec 6 (Island) The Bar Association of Sri Lanka (BASL) has requested the government not to extend the validity of gazette notification 1817/331, whereby the armed forces may be called out to maintain public order in all parts of the country. "The said Gazette appears unnecessary, disproportionate and imprudent and could lead to great abuse as was evident from the serious incidents that transpired at Rathupaswala, Weliweriya in August this year", it said. The BASL said that it noted with more..

Dec 6 (FT) President Rajapaksa will launch the country’s National Nutrition Action Plan today at Moneragala, the National Nutrition Council has announced. National Coordinator of the NNC Dr. Lalith Chandradasa said the action plan had been compiled under the guidance of the President in line with the National Nutrition Policy declared by the Ministry of Health. The Govt has observed that the country has entered a rapid phase of growth and development and therefore, adequate more..

Dec 6 (DN) Discussions are taking place to develop new relationships in health, education and fisheries sectors between Sri Lanka and Seychelles, said Governor, Central Bank, Ajith Nivard Cabraal speaking at the 35th Anniversary Celebrations of the Central Bank of Seychelles on "Buttressing Seychelles' Financial System - Embracing Globalisation while preserving our Specificity. Central Bank of Seychelles and more..

Dec 6 (EO) A generous Pershore club have raised more than £3,000 to fund camps to help those in the remote villages of Sri Lanka. Pershore Rotary Club and their counterparts from the Indian Ocean island, Kandy Rotary Club, have been operating together to create eye camps for villagers. The original target was to hold two camps, with each screening 300 to 400 people's eyes, but the staggering £3,434 raised is double what had first been envisaged. Spectacles and cataract operations, which are more..

Dec 6 (IC) Sri Lankan batting legend and former skipper Mahela Jayawardena's wife Christina gave birth to their first child on Tuesday. Jayawardena, who will not be flying with the Sri Lankan squad on Friday to the UAE, will miss the initial part of Sri Lanka's series against Pakistan, as he opted to stay back to witness the birth of his daughter. The 36-year-old took to Twitter and Facebook to make his announcement, and stated that he was "thrilled" at becoming a father. more..

Dec 6 (DM) Sri Lanka will become a member of the elite ‘Satellite Club of Nations’ when it launches its first satellite in two years under its ambitious ‘Small Satellite Mission’ programme, Minister Champika Ranawaka said. This is a direct result of selecting Sri Lanka as the pilot country by the UNESCAP for the five year plan carried out to measure the sustainability of utilizing space technology for sustainable development on more..

Dec 6 (DM) Two Sri Lankan journalists who were on an assignment to India had to undergo harassment by an Indian Immigration officer at the Mumbai International Airport when they were briefly detained and questioned despite possessing a valid visa and other documents. Daily Mirror journalist Lakmal Sooriyagoda and Daily News journalist Sara Pathirana arrived at the Mumbai International Airport on Dec 1 on a Jet Airways Flight No. 9W 255 and proceeded to the Immigration Counter. more..