June 3 (DM)The eldest daughter of Rohana Wijeweera, the slain leader of the JVP, a suspect in the case of alleged assault on her mother and the other sisters and causing damages to property and threatening them with death was re-remanded today until the June 10 by the Wattala magistrate. The magistrate also directed the prison authorities to produce the suspect Dasuni Wijeweera (31) before the National Medical investigation unit and obtain a full report on her mental health more..

June 3 (DM) The US Embassy in Colombo said today that the controversial MoU entered into by the embassy and the Trincomalee Urban Council was confined to the establishing of a joint public information and activity centre known as an ‘American Corner’. A spokesman for the embassy said: “The Trincomalee American Corner will provide similar services to the American Corner at the Kandy Library, opened in 2005 with more..

June 4 (NS) Right now Asia is hotting up as an emerging Bermuda triangle of tensions, conflicts, and big power rivalry. America is pushing Japan, the Philippines and Vietnam to get tough with China on territorial claims. At the same time India, Australia, Japan and the US are collectively getting together to throw a defensive ring round China. New alignments, bases and partnerships are emerging with the sole intention of winning supremacy over the other. India continues to view more..

June 4 (CT) The UNP has at last addressed the Executive Presidency issue. In a somewhat short document, with a preamble whose main thrust has been an all-out attack on the incumbent President and his obvious abuse of powers that were given to him by virtue of the 1978 Constitution, which in fact was praised by the UNPers themselves as one for the ages, the new reforms that the document suggests meet the minimum desires and aspirations of the majority of the people of Sri Lanka. more..

June 4 (NS) Many of us – Buddhists - observed Ata-Sil on last Vesak Poya Day as well. We were following the day’s program peacefully from early morning, having Dhamma discussions and practicing Dhamma, venerating Buddha, Dhamma and Sangha until our partaking Dana at noon when we heard about the tragic news of Ven Bowatte Indrarathana Thera being hospitalized following an attempted self-immolation. more..

June 4 (CT) If he wanted to take lessons in economic take off – in addition to Chinese Yuans that his govt has received to the tune of US$ 4.7 billion during his tenure – President Mahinda Rajapaksa went to the right place: Beijing. China is the greatest economic success story in the human civilization, only to be rivalled by the economic revival in the Europe following the industrial revolution. In 1978, a year after Mao Zedong's death, a lesser known communist autocrat more..

June 4 (NS) This paper seeks to examine the question of legitimacy of the 13th Amendment to the Sri Lanka Constitution. It seems necessary to re-visit this topic time and time again as the full implementation of the 13th Amendment is advanced by different sources as the ‘solution’ to the ‘conflict’ yet said to be persisting after the military defeat of the LTTE, and apparently on the basis that devolution of political power to the Provinces as the ‘solution, to the ‘conflict’. more..

June 4 (SO) Sri Lanka's ambitious plans to enter the space race along with the developed nations received another boost when SupremeSAT, a Lankan owned private company inked a $ 215 'In Orbit Delivery Contract' to build Lanka's own 'SupremeSAT-2 Satellite. This would be the first privately owned satellite and the sixth communication satellite, in the region. This historic venture was initiated by SupremeSAT more..

June 4 (CT) Vesak this year has proven more eventful than any I’ve experienced in many years past, unfortunately, for the wrong reasons. Being a long week-end and with another more personal occasion to celebrate, we had a house full of visitors, close family mostly. After the usual pre-lunch libations and a typical celebratory Sri Lankan meal, most retired for the post-lunch siesta typical of the tropics, waking refreshed for tea. Not so long after this we were jolted by two strangers more..

June 4 (CT) Ven. Bowatte Indrarathana Thero’s act of self-immolation has generated much debate. The act has been condemned as being ‘un-Buddhistic’. The bikkhu’s past was commented on. This included his political affiliations. Theories about his ‘state of mind’ were floated on the internet. The stated precipitating factor, objection to cattle-slaughter, was taken up, taken apart. Some asked ‘Why only cattle?’ Some pointed out that such things cannot be legislated. Some pointed fingers at more..

June 4 (Island) Expolanka Group reached an annual turnover of 50 billion for the first time, recording a 41% year-on-year growth propelled by a 64% growth in the Freight and Logistics sector. Expolanka Holdings sustained its consolidated NPAT for the FY 2012/13 at Rs. 1.28 billion, up 5.7% from a year ago with a consolidated NPBT at Rs. 1.67 billion, up a marginal 0.36%. The Freight and Logistics Sector recorded of Rs. 1.18 billion PAT which was an increase of 6.6% for the FY 2012/13. more..

June 4 (Island) Focusing to increase the group turnover to more than Rs. 50 billion within the next two years and Rs.100 billion in the foreseen future, Richard Peiris Group, a leading conglomerate well known as ‘Arpico’ with 48 subsidiaries, recently launched its financial services arm Richard Peiris Arpico Finance and announced future plans of the company to grow though acquisitions. Richard Peiris Arpico Finace is the newest subsidiary of the Richard Peiris Group, recently received more..

June 4 (Island) Northern Provincial Council (NPC) Chief Ministerial aspirant Douglas Devananda accused the TNA of not wanting to solve any of the problems facing the country and Tamils as they wanted those to be unsolved for them to cry over. He said that TNA’s intention was to drag the issues further for their survival. "They don’t want Tamils to live in peace, but are more interested in their political survival. more..

June 4 (Island) Egyptians danced in the streets when President Hosni Mubarak was thrown out of power in 2011 but their euphoria was short-lived. The Arab Spring which brought about his ouster has given way to a winter of despair. As if the intractable problems Egypt is struggling to tackle were not enough, another crisis is staring it in the face. President Mohamed Morsi, seeking self-aggrandisement like his ousted predecessor, has suffered another gavel blow. more..

June 4 (Island) There are many unresolved grievances that face the war-affected people of all communities after the end of the war, and which the centralized system of govt has so far failed to adequately address. These include the resettlement of persons who were displaced during the war, such as Muslims displaced over twenty years ago, who have still to go back to their original places. Over 2,000 displaced persons in the North have filed action in the courts of law against the more..

June 4 (DN) The Sustainable Energy Authority (SEA) is to introduce the ‘Clean Energy Village’ (Pivithuru Balashakthi Gammana) concept to promote the use of renewable energy in Sri Lanka. The first Clean Energy Village will be established by integrating six villages adjoining the Sinharaja Rain Forest. The programme will be inaugurated on June 9 parallel to Environment Week. The six villages selected to initiate the programme are more..

June 4 (DN) The Health Ministry will introduce ‘the National Policy on Immunisation’ on the direction of inister Maithripala Sirisena. The main objective of this policy is making Sri Lanka’s National Immunisation Programme the best in the world. It is one of the best in the world and certainly the best in the Asian region with 100 percent coverage, a Health Ministry spokesman said. The spokesman added that no other Asian country has a 100% coverage in immunisation programmes. more..

June 4 (Island) Sri Lanka Cricket’s Coaching Department on Friday conducted a ‘talent search’ programme at the Dambulla International Cricket Stadium. The main objective of this exercise was to search for young talent at age group levels. The training programme was attended by 148 cricketers between the age of 14 and 19. The cricketers were from the districts of Kurunegala, Matale, Anuradhapura and Polonnaruwa. Cricketers who attended the programme were from more..

June 4 (FT) The Govt is employing tactics used by Nazi Propaganda Minister Joseph Goebbels to label as LTTE sympathisers any politician or organisation that express opinions about democracy, rule of law and the freedom of the press, UNP MP Karu Jayasuriya charged. Referring to Goebbels’ ‘Big Lie’ theory, that people will believe a big lie sooner than a little one and repeated often enough, people will sooner or later more..

June 4 (DN) The Sri Lankan migrant worker fraternity numbering over 1.7 million will benefit from a new and comprehensive social protection programme jointly worked out by the the Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment (SLBFE), Sri Lanka Red Cross and ‘The Finance’ Company. A MOU in this regard will be signed in the presence of President Rajapaksa today. The programme titled Rataviru Rekewarana Seva will target social welfare, humanitarian assistance and financial more..

June 4 (LT) The Leader of the JVP Somawansa Amarasinghe is participating in International Communist Seminar being held in Belgium at present states the media unit of the JVP. This is the biggest collection of communist parties in the world and more than 60 parties including parties that hold state power such as Vietnam participate in the Seminar states the media unit of the JVP. Mr. Somawansa presented a document and a statement regarding imperialist effects and more..

June 4 (MoD) Under the twelfth phase of the 'Api Wenuwen Api' housing project for war heroes, 100 brand news houses completed in the Matale district were handed over to their respective owners by President Mahinda Rajapaksa at a special ceremony held at the Nugagolla School ground in Matale today (3). Secretary to the President Lalith Weeratunga and Secretary Defence Gotabaya Rajapaksa were also present more..

June 4 (LBO) Hambantota Port has drawn about a billion US dollars in investments in a second call for investors, the state port agency chairman Priyath Wickrama said. Eleven manufacturing and processing for export industries with combined value of a billion US dollars had been selected by a cabinet appointed negotiations committee, he said. "It is in the final stage awaiting cabinet approval," Wickrama said. A first call to investors drew over 800 million dollars of investments with more..

June 4 (CT) Head of the National Buildings Research Institution (NBRI) Landslides Division, R M S Bandara warned possible landslides in vulnerable areas. The areas include Ratnapura, Kegalle, Kalutara, Galle and Matara Districts. Low lying areas in the Kalutara District as well as a number of by-roads have become inundated due to the heavy downpour. Two sluice gates in Kekulugama have been opened and roads of Bulathsinghala and Molgoda of the more..

June 4 (Island) Former captain Arjuna Ranatunga says Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) has been controlled by India due to the latter’s financial clout. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has recently been accused of exerting pressure on SLC and it was further confirmed when former BCCI Chief I. S. Bindra said that an Indian Board official had exerted pressure on his Sri Lankan counterparts to withdraw a report on more..

June 4 (Island) Delayed action by the CEB is frequently hindering the day to day activities of more than 100,000 consumers in several suburbs of Colombo, despite there being a replacement transformer at the Sri Jayewardenepura Grid Substation. Among the areas most affected are Nawala, Rajagiriya, Battarmulla and Kotte. When contacted, CEB Acting General Manager F. K. Mohideen said the Board had ordered a new transformer and it would be set up before more..

June 4 (DN) Veteran banker W. A. Nalani assumes duties today as the new Chairperson of the National Savings Bank (NSB). She is a graduate of the University of Colombo, with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Economics (Hons) and Bachelor of Philosophy in Economics. She has a distinguished career in banking spanning over 37 years. Nalani completed her primary and secondary education at Anula Vidyalaya, Nugegoda and Vishaka Vidyalaya, Bambalapitiya. She also has served as more..

June 4 (BBC) Sri Lanka's high commissioner to the UK, Dr Chris Nonis, says that his country has achieved tremendous progress towards reconciliation since the end of the conflict which lasted for 28 years. He said that "297,000 people have been rehabilitated and there is a billion dollar programme going into the North and East of the country". Sri Lanka's human rights record remains in the spotlight four years more..

June 4 (Reuters) Rengan Rajaratnam, the younger brother of imprisoned hedge fund manager Raj Rajaratnam, is negotiating with prosecutors on a possible resolution to his criminal insider trading case, including a possible plea, a court filing shows. U.S. District Judge Naomi Reice Buchwald in Manhattan agreed to delay a scheduled conference to July 30 from June 4, which federal prosecutors in a May 30 letter said would "permit the defendant and the govt to continue discussions that may more..

June 4 (CT) Right-wing Buddhist organization, Sinhala Ravaya is to engage in a fast, demanding the govt to stop cattle slaughter. President of Sinhala Ravaya, Ven. Akmeemana Dayarathana Thera said the fast will be held this week before the Bo tree in the Fort, with the participation of monks and other lay members of the organization. He said they hope to draw the attention of the relevant authorities to stop cattle slaughter, and added they are ready to engage in a 'fast unto death' if more..

June 4 (CT) The govt has sacked the Chairman of the National Savings Bank (NSB), Sunil Sirisena, over the delay in the procurement of a US$ One Billion loan from the HSBC, which NSB was expected to procure and guarantee for the govt. The govt was expecting the loan from the HSBC, facilitated by the NSB, which would serve as the front organization as well as be the guarantor. The loan was expected to be approved two days more..

June 4 (Island) Minister Maithripala Sirisena said that the chronic kidney disease once confined to the North-Central province, Kurunegala and Badulla districts had now spread to the Hambantota and Amapara districts. Medical experts were of the view that the disease could spread to the other parts of the country, too. The kidney disease had been causing problems for the last 15 years in Sri Lanka. Many governmental and voluntary organisations conducted a series of research to identify more..

June 4 (Island) Following the death of a 42-year-old suspected heroin dealer in police custody, within hours of his arrest, while being taken to the National Hospital, residents and the detainee’s relatives gathered opposite the Dematagoda police station, claiming that he had been beaten to death. However, the postmortem conducted by the JMO of the National Hospital, Dr. R. Haq revealed that the suspect, Thanapilla Sekar, had died of a heart attack, SP Buddhika Siriwardana said. more..

June 4 (Island) It has been the practice of successive govts to appoint their cronies to top positions in public enterprises and in May last year, Treasury Secretary Dr. P.B. Jayasundera said the govt should desist and appoint competent people to run state-owned enterprises instead. "These officials should be removed and replaced by competent officials. The Treasury is not the appointing authority. It is up to the govt to more..

June 4 (CT) The Commission to Investigate into Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC), yesterday disclosed at the Colombo Chief Magistrate's Court that when the investigations were progressing against the Homagama District Judge, Sunil Abeysinghe and Police Constable Mahinda Kithsiri, a group of about 200 individuals, including some underworld criminals and a woman who is the owner of a brothel, had arrived at the scene, and protested against the arrest. more..

June 4 (CT) In a bid to reduce congestion at the Welikada Prison, the Prisons Department has relocated some of the inmates in other camps across the country. The move comes in the wake of the Welikada Prison being overcrowded, and the officials being unable to manage the large number of inmates. Deputy Commissioner of Prisons, G.B. Kulatunge, said, initially, 350 remand prisoners from the Colombo Magazine Remand Prison are to be moved to the Kalutara Prison. more..

June 4 (Island) The combined losses of 55 state owned enterprises (SOEs) grew 432% to Rs. 107.1 billion in 2012 from a profit of Rs 32.3 billion in 2005 and up 48.6% from a loss of Rs 72 billion in 2011, data released yesterday by the Ministry of Finance showed. Profits and dividends to the govt from the 55 SOEs have largely come from banking and financial institutions and few other enterprises, more..

June 4 (DM) Currently, hardly a day passes without any story about a crime or a fraud involving a politician, particularly a local government member, being carried in the media. Obviously almost all these rogue (or allegedly rogue) politicians are attached to the UPFA, the ruling party in the Parliament, all Provincial Councils already constituted and almost a large majority of the local govt bodies in the country. The accounts of such events that had been carried in the more..

June 4 (DM) Modern states have the prerogative to extract a major part of the social surplus from economically active citizens and use it for purposes that are supposed to benefit the wider population. With increasing productivity due to technological advancement, improvement of health and nutritional status of the population, increasing life expectancy and the development of human resources through education and training, the state has been able to extract a large share of the increasing social more..