Sep 28 (MoD) The important service rendered by the Sri Lanka Civil Security Department (CSD) seemed to end with the elimination of terrorism, and its future was uncertain as there was no need to deploy them for security in villages any more. Once they were regarded the guardians or the watch dogs of villagers who were exposed to constant terrorist attacks. But as the situation changed since the dawn of peace, a new problem arose as to where the CSD should be deployed. more..

Sep 28 (Island) Following this week’s oversubscription of its Rs. 1.5 billion debenture issue, Jayantha Dharmadasa, CEO of Nawaloka Hospitals PLC; commented "My team and I would like to thank all those who participated in this debenture issue, the investors, financial advisors and managers to the issue NDB Investment Bank and all others who made this debenture issue such a resounding success. I would also like to extend a particularly heartfelt thanks to the more..

Sep 28 (ST) Another group of around 6000 depositors have been pushed into the portals of misery following the collapse of Central Investment and Finance PLC (CIFL) as the Central Bank has failed to safeguard the licensed finance company by taking precautionary measures. Disgruntled CIFL depositors reiterated that the CB’s restructuring plan will swallow their lifetime savings as they will have to wait at least for seven more..

Sep 28 (ST) Taxi Buddy, a feature phone and smartphone application (app) to locate and contact the closest taxi, was selected as the winner of the first ever Ideamart University of Moratuwa Hackathon, which was held recently. Organised by Dialog’s Ideamart unit, in conjunction with the EClub of the university, the competition comprised 18 teams, of four members each, selected from the over 100 entries that were submitted, which utilised the available APIs of Ideamart to more..

Sep 28 (Island) Former paceman and current Head Coach of the Kandurata Maroons team Chaminda Vaas was over the moon brimming with confidence when he addressed journalists prior to Kandurata Maroons’ departure to India to take part in the Champions League Tournament. Having qualified as champions in the domestic Super Fours tournament and having so much of experience, Vaas was confident that the Sri Lankan domestic team will have a good outing at Champions League. more..

Sep 28 (TS) I will return to Toronto with a two-carat sapphire brilliant for which I have no use at all. Don’t even like sapphires. But in the streets of Sri Lanka’s chaotic, jangly capital, I got touted. You’d think I was a rookie global traveller, so easily did the seduction unfold as a very nice English-speaking gentleman fell into step with me one morning, chatting amiably, extolling the awesome deals available “today only” at a more..

Sep 28 (Island) The French have a saying that goes, "The more it changes, the more it’s the same thing". I wrote an article many years ago characterizing our Sinhalese-Tamil ethnic problem as an imbroglio, having in mind the fact that the same problem was going on and on while the apparent changes were only of a superficial order. The term "imbroglio" has been in fairly wide usage in recent years, obviously because it is apposite for a problem that remains unchanged whatever other changes more..

Sep 28 (Island) Prinson Thuraiaiya won the Best Entrepreneur of the Year runners-up award at the Young Entrepreneur Awards 2013, hosted by Youth Business International (YBI) Global Summit held in London recently. Prinson left school at 16, and facing limited job prospects, sought work at a foundry. He later opened his own foundry but with limited success due to a lack of machinery and mentoring advice. Youth Business Sri Lanka (YBSL) saw the potential in Prinson’s more..

Sep 28 (C4) Last night, in a dimly lit side street a stone’s throw from the towering UN headquarters here in New York, Britain co-hosted a drinks party with Sri Lanka - a country led by regime accused of the worst war crimes committed this century. Australia joined the fray to render it a tripartite affair. Large black shiny cars ferried Sri Lanka’s large UN delegation to the door of an un-extraordinary town house. The hosting of the party was more..

Sep 28 (ST) A street survey this week by Colombo-based Research Consultancy Bureau (RCB), on the most-safest investment options has given a ‘thumbs-up’ to commercial banks. Residents in middle-class societies were also wary of investing in the share market, saying all of a sudden shares prices go up as they are controlled by ‘government bigwigs’. “We deposited in the share market but did not get benefits resulting in losing the very deposits,” one woman said. more..

Sep 28 (ST) Sri Lanka’s real estate market has seen considerable change in recent years with the capital Colombo being transformed into one of the most scenic cities in the region with the rapid infrastructure development and beautification taking place, according a city-based properly development estate company. Sega Nagendra, Chairman of Serendib land, said that Sri Lanka being strategically located in the Indian Ocean makes it a hub for international shipping routes, more..

Sep 28 (FT) Instead of growing trees for harvesting, Touchwood Investments PLC is becoming fertile ground for overnight directors judging by the slew of announcements this week. Yesterday the company announced the founder and Chairman Roscoe Maloney has stepped down as Chairman but will remain as Non Executive Independent Director. Following suit was also his wife who has stepped down as CEO but will remain on the Board. more..

Sep 28 (Island) Many a world leader gathers in New York every year and gets on his or her soapbox, so to speak, at the UN. We hear speakers wax eloquent passionately one after the other with some of them even spewing out streams of invective against their enemies, both real and perceived. Interestingly, the views expressed by the newly-elected Iranian leader about Israel and Holocaust are markedly at variance with those of his predecessor who looked for the slightest more..

Sep 28 (Island) A male assistant manager at the Wellawaya MOH’s office who had attempted to obtain a sexual bribe from a female colleague to get her a transfer was yesterday sentenced to 20 years rigorous imprisonment and fined Rs. 20,000 by Colombo High Court Judge Wimal Nambuwasam. The permanent Commission on Allegations of Bribery or Corruption had indicted W.G. Ariyapala of Warunagama, Wellawaya on four charges of asking for a sexual bribe and attempting to obtain more..

Sep 28 (DN) The Colombo Katunayake expressway will be opened in October. Katunayake Expressway Project Director, M.P.L.K.L. Gunaratne said the slight delay is due to the time taken to build the outward necessities. "The bulk of the work has been completed, That is to say that the infrastructure is complete. What is left is the road furnishing of the expressway. This includes the placing of the signs and planting of the trees," more..

Sep 28 (GE) Four men have appeared in court in connection with a series of cash machine scams around Gloucestershire. Basheer Ebrahim, 21, and Ashok Balasubramanian, 22; Thanfavel Vilvanadham, 50, all of South End Road in Croydon, London; and Kusalakumar Sithambarapillai, 48, of Barnard Gardens in Hayes, Middlesex were arrested on the M25 in Surrey on Monday. The Sri Lankan are accused of 10 counts of defrauding British banks by ‘card trapping’ in Cheltenham and more..

Sep 28 (CT) Grade eight students and teachers of Gamini National School, Bentota were admitted to the Bentota Hospital, as they started developing adverse reactions to vitamin pills containing iron, which were provided to them by the school authorities. The pills were distributed among schools, as part of an initiative by the Ministries of Health and Education, to reduce anaemia among students and teachers. In this particular case, the pills were provided to the school by more..

Sep 28 (Forbes) Sri Lankan honchos would like to be noticed, and in the right away. Hence their current post-war PR push, as the island nation’s representatives gear up for more engagement with the West. This was on display during a week in which South Asia generally caught increased if anxious attention. From Colombo, President Rajapaksa and his diplomatic team went forth to try to change the conversation more..

Sep 28 (G&M) The stunning results of the provincial election in northern Sri Lanka last week are cause for cautious optimism. With the TNA sweeping up 30 of 36 contested seats, Tamils have finally secured a much-needed voice within the political system. And while more profound reform is required, this small, democratic step should be celebrated and should lead Stephen Harper to reconsider his threat to boycott November’s Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Sri Lanka. more..

Sep 28 (CT) Army intelligence authorities have obtained reliable information that a number of senior police and security forces personnel are supporting drug dealers and other antisocial elements operating in the Colombo city and suburbs. It has also been found that such officers have supported criminals for extortion and terrorist activities. Though it was known that such activities were going on for some time, no action against them was possible due to the influence wielded by the senior more..

Sep 28 (Island) Northern Province Governor Maj. Gen. G.A. Chandrasiri is expected to meet Northern Province Chief Minister elect, C.V. Vigneswaran next week to finalize the latter’s appointment and the appointment of four ministers to the NPC. Vigneswaran led the TNA campaign at the first NPC polls since the introduction of the 13th Amendment, in accordance with the July 1987 Indo-Lanka accord. more..

Sep 28 (CT) Four Buddha statues in Murukkan, including two from the ancient temple of Murukkan, have been vandalized, Police said. Venerable Walpola Sarana Thera, Chief Incumbent of the Murukkan Temple said some persons, who arrived in the temple around 11 p.m. on Wednesday damaged the statues. Villagers from Mannar and Narikadu said, in addition to the two in the temple, two other statues from the villages of Narikadu and Rettakulam had also been damaged. more..

Sep 28 (BBC) The country's main Tamil party won a sweeping victory to take control of the semi-autonomous NPC but not - according to reports in the region's media - without overcoming some dirty tricks along the way. One of the TNA's complaints concerned posters of its CM candidate, CV Wigneswaran, which appeared in the regional capital Jaffna, the Colombo Telegraph reports. Apparently, they featured the wrong candidate number and would have encouraged more..

Sep 28 (IL) Sri Lanka received strong cross-regional support in the Human Rights Council from countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America on Thursday which uniformly welcomed and commended the country’s significant progress achieved in the reconciliation process. Speaking at the General Debate under Agenda Item 10 which followed the previous day’s presentation of the Oral Update of the High Commissioner for more..

Sep 28 (Island) The GMOA yesterday alleged that approximately 14 rural hospitals, peripheral clinics and Central dispensaries in the Jaffna Peninsula had been shut down as the Jaffna Teaching Hospital had not released 79 doctors on the annual transfer list. GMOA president Dr. Anuruddha Padeniya pointed out that those 79 doctors, who should have been transferred, were still serving at the Jaffna hospital. Some consultants in the Jaffna hospital had visited the Health Ministry more..

Sep 28 (CT) Hambantota District UNP MP, Sajith Premadasa, yesterday claimed that his supporters want him to be the President of Sri Lanka, and not be limited to a Provincial Council. He made this statement in response to claims made by the mainstream media, about Premadasa purportedly campaigning for the Chief Ministerial post in the Southern Province. Refuting the claim, he said the UNP supporters have no intention of restricting him to a particular geographical area, but more..

Sep 28 (CT) A citizen has filed a petition before the Supreme Court requesting a Court investigation into the possibility of an attempt by the TNA to carve out a separate State within Sri Lanka. Aruna Thilakasiri of Handapangoda filed a petition requesting the Supreme Court to investigate whether the TNA/ITAK are working with the object of establishing a separate State within the territory of Sri Lanka. Petitioner cited Mavai Senathiraja, more..

Sep 28 (DM) In this era of giant cabinets when few among the common people know who is the minister of what and what he or she is doing or not doing, we recall that it was on September 26 1947—64-years-ago that Sri Lanka’s first cabinet was sworn in. It comprised only 14 members who all made an historic contribution to the image and development of Sri Lanka. They were Prime Minister, D. S. Senanayake who is also regarded as the Father of the Nation and ministers more..

Sep 28 (DM) The Congregation of the Little Sisters of the Poor celebrates 125 years of loving service to the elderly poor of Sri Lanka on 8 Dec 2013. The congregation, which was formed by Saint Jeanne Jugan, who is aptly called a “Saint for our time”, is spread over 31 countries presently with 191 homes but it had a humble & unpretentious beginning. The Little Sisters rely on Divine Providence as they do not own any Properties except the Home and the land on which it is build. more..

Sep 28 (DM) Sri Lankan High Commissioner in Australia Admiral Thisara Samarasinghe said the TNA’s victory in the recently concluded provincial council elections will lead to the reconciliation in Sri Lanka. In an interview with the Australia’s ABC TV 24 news channel, Samarasinghe also said the election for the Northern Province was a turning point for the country not only for the Northern Province itself. more..

Sep 28 (ST) Bottled water not meeting proper standards and unsuitable for consumption is being sold in public places, resulting in a fresh order by the Director General of Health to all provincial and divisional health officials to monitor bottled water distributors. Health Director General Dr. Palitha Mahipala last week issued an order to local government health authorities requesting them to check and ensure that all bottles carry more..

Sep 28 (Island) The WHO Coordinator, Chronic Diseases Prevention and Management (WHO-CCDPM), Prof. Shanthi Mendis, on Thursday, identified exposure to low levels of cadmium through food and pesticides, as the causative factors for the Chronic Kidney Disease of Uncertain Aetiology (CKDu). Addressing a gathering of WHO representatives, researchers and doctors at the BMICH, to brief them on the more..

Sep 28 (SL) Ceylon Fishery Harbours Corporation is a den of corruption accused of disregarding government rules and regulations openly in order to engage in various scams. Although the irregularities that are taking place at the Ceylon Fishery Harbours Corporation (CFHC) has been informed to its line Ministry, the Fisheries and Water Resources Development Ministry, their failure to take action against the CFHC more..

Sep 28 (CG) Sri Lanka was not part of the agenda of the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group (CMAG), which met in New York yesterday. The Commonwealth Secretariat said that CMAG held its Fortieth Meeting in New York yesterday. Dr Dipu Moni, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Bangladesh, chaired the meeting. Human Rights groups had earlier called on CMAG to formally discuss Sri Lanka and raise concerns over more..

Sep 28 (Island) UPFA General Secretary Susil Premjayanth scoffed at UNP leader Ranil Wickremesinghe’s decision to accommodate his one-time Deputy, Karu Jayasuriya, in the Working Committee, in the wake of his latest humiliating electoral defeat, suffered at provincial polls. The UNP Working Committee is scheduled to meet on Oct 7 to examine the situation. He said that the UPFA was not concerned about MP Jayasuriya’s more..

Sep 28 (CT) Former Chief Minister of the Eastern Provincial Council, S. Chandrakanthan alias Pillaiyan, said the Northern Provincial Council (NPC) should be vested with police and land powers. Pillaiyan, expressing his views over the outcome of the NPC polls, said regardless of who came to power in the North, the police and land powers allocated under the 13th Amendment should be devolved to the Northern Province. more..

Sep 28 (CT) The famous supermarket complex, the ‘Bang Bang building’ in Pettah, which is currently in a dilapidated condition, has come back to the ownership of the Colombo Municipal Council (CMC) after its lease agreement was cancelled recently. The person, who took the building on a long-term lease, has reportedly defaulted Rs 442 million in rent and payment of rates, payable since 1979. more..

Sep 28 (Island) UNP MP’s Karu Jayasuriya and Harin Fernando said that they have not been asked by the party to contest the next Western and Uva PC Elections. Jayasuriya, when asked about strong speculation that he would be nominated as Chief Ministerial candidate, at the next WPC Poll, said he had not canvassed for it nor even thought about it. "I did not ask for re-admission to the Working Committee, nor have I sought any more..

Sep 28 (AD) The Department of Elections has commenced preliminary inquiries into the discovery of marked ballot papers at a school in Puttalam, an official said today. Three bags filled with marked ballot papers were found inside a building of St. Andrew’s Central College Puttalam, which was used as a counting center for the Provincial Council polls, on Tuesday sparking controversy over the election results in the district. more..

Sep 28 (CT) The battle against the butt it appears has now entered the realms of whodunit, with the Minister of Health, Maithripala Sirisena, introducing a subornment element to the saga of pictorial warnings on cigarette packets. Days after the Supreme Court issued a stay order halting the implementation of a special gazette notification, which would have made it mandatory for cigarette-manufacturing companies to print pictorial warnings covering 80% of the principal display more..