Mar 29 (CI) AB de Villiers' first task as South Africa's stand-in captain, stepping in for the suspended Faf du Plessis, was to win the toss and bowl in a match where victory against England would secure a semi-final spot in World Twenty20. It went badly: he lost the toss and had to bat, leaving South Africa's bowlers to contend with a wetter ball later in the game. Stuart Broad did not disguise his contentment in what, for England, was a must-win tie to avoid elimination, a fate sealed by NZ's victory more..

Mar 29 (AD) The lowest voter turnout for the Western and Southern PC election has been recorded in the Colombo District, with less than half the total registered voters in the district turning up to cast their ballots when polls closed, according to election monitors. PAFFREL stated that the voter turnout in the Colombo was only 49% while the highest percentage was recorded in the Hambantota District (61%). A voter percentage of 58% has been recorded in the Matara District, 55% in Galle more..

Mar 30 (SO) The high-handed manner in which the US and its allies campaigned to pass the third successive Resolution against Sri Lanka at the UNHRC sends a clear signal to smaller countries as far as their sovereignty and territorial integrity are concerned. The US, United Kingdom and some of their allies in the European Union did everything within their power to exert tremendous pressure on the so-called smaller countries in the UNHRC to ensure that they support the Resolution. more..

Mar 30 (SL) As expected the third resolution moved in three successive years by the United States was adopted at the UNHRC sessions held in Geneva on Thursday. It was not a clean sweep – a universal condemnation – by this UN organisation in which such highfalutin moral resolutions are expected to carry. Only 23 voted for it, 12 against with 12 abstentions. The resolution did not have the consensus of the Council, as the Chinese delegate pointed out. more..

Mar 30 (SL) Minister Susil Premajayantha said that he didn't see any logic in the UNHRC decision to investigate Sri Lanka's alleged human rights violations from 2002 to 2009 ignoring the atrocities and other grave human rights violations committed by the LTTE prior to 2002. UNHRC's decision is to pin point Govt violations and pay little heed to LTTE atrocities. said that the Govt's position is if the UNHRC wants to investigate more..

Mar 30 (NS) US Ambassador Michele Sison got it wrong. Addressing media following the UNHRC vote, Sison dismissed allegations that the US-backed resolution was ‘against’ Sri Lanka. In other words it was ‘for’ Sri Lanka, she implies. Now if the Govt of Sri Lanka, which represents the people of Sri Lanka, thinks a resolution is ‘for’ the country, it would not oppose it. The main opposition parties blame the govt for putting the country in a position where such a resolution could be more..

Mar 30 (Island) The outcome in Geneva is no cause for surprise except insofar as the Indian abstention is concerned. With a national election only weeks away and the TN factor very much a part of that equation, it took courage for the Indian govt to reject the intrusive external investigation mechanism the United States and Britain particularly have successfully shoved down the UNHRC’s throat. It has not fully registered on us in Sri Lanka yet that although India abstained from voting more..

Mar 30 (SL) Vasudeva Nanayakkara, General Secretary of the DLF states that the office of the Human Rights Commissioner, from the very start was partial toward the Tamils and therefore kept the pressure up in order to bring about this resolution. He said that it is evident that under Mrs. Pillai, the govt nor the people of Sri Lanka cannot possibly expect a impartial investigation to be held. more..

Mar 30 (ST) “Illegal”; “totally reject”; “biased”; “double standards” – these stock phrases have been the refrain from Govt voices these past weeks leading to the vote on the resolution against Sri Lanka at the UNHRC sessions in Geneva last Thursday. And post-vote, we have heard a learned professor say that Sri Lanka in fact won the vote when counting the ‘abstentions’ with the ‘No’ votes, a lesson in ‘new math’. But the hard, cold fact of the matter is that the UNHRC voted to start more..

Mar 30 (ST) My Dear Satellite, I heard that you had been quite busy over the past few days, writing letters to Mahinda maama and then releasing those letters to the media so that we could read what it was all about. So, I thought I should indulge in some correspondence of my own with you. I heard that although Mahinda maama himself has not said anything, his secretary, that Lalith chap has written to you. The tone of his letter was quite rude too, considering that he is only a minion and more..

Mar 30 (SL) Tamil political parties express mixed feelings about the US sponsored resolution that was passed at the UNHRC recently. However, Tamil National People’s Front (TNPF) thinks that giving a mandate for the High Commissioner of the Human Rights is the weakest form of investigation. They think that the issues need to be considered under the International Humanitarian Law, not under the Human Right Law. more..

Mar 30 (NS) 1. Pakistan is opposed to country specific resolutions in principle. This is because such resolutions are ineffective and counter-productive. Consent of the country concerned is imperative for tangible results to promote and protect human rights. 2. Pakistan played a key role in the 2009 resolution on Sri Lanka with the consent and cooperation of the country. This resolution achieved positive results. Sri Lanka fully cooperated with the Human Rights machinery. more..

Mar 30 (ST) Adding to troubled forestry firm Touchwood’s woes, Sri Lankan expatriates in Dubai and Australia who invested in Touchwood plantations are joining forces with depositors in Sri Lanka in a new attempt to seek justice against the company. The Maloney’s –Ross and Swarna who founded the company – are absconding abroad and sought by the Lankan authorities. The SEC, which has intervened in a case where an aggrieved investor is seeking to wind up more..

Mar 30 (SL) The UNHRC passed a resolution highly critical of Sri Lanka’s record, calling for credible investigation into alleged war crimes. JHU National Organizer Nishantha Sri Warnasinghe said that this resolution is an indication to the world that Sri Lanka is a country accused of committing war crimes and human rights violations. He said that it would certainly have an impact on the country’s economy and would deter investors more..

Mar 30 (Island) One of the things that the UNHRC vote on Sri Lanka showed the whole world was that there still is a central govt in India and that the Delhi govt is not merely an extension of the TN govt as some of us had come to believe. The stunned silence in Chennai from the usually arrogant and demanding DMK and AIADMK leaders in the immediate aftermath of the abstention can be interpreted as being due to the realisation that Delhi had begun to reassert itself more..

Mar 30 (SL) It was a session marred by allegations and counter allegations on Sri Lanka, but, in the end, the resolution on Sri Lanka submitted before the UNHRC was adopted, not before there was a bit of drama. The draft resolution submitted by the United States and co-sponsored by 41 countries, including those who do not have voting rights in the Council, was adopted with 23 countries of the 47 member council voting for and 12 against while 12 abstained. Big surprise came from India. more..

Mar 30 (SL) Some have been under the impression that even if an opposition political party takes over the PC, the council might not be able to fulfill its function and act autonomously as the Central Govt holds control over the council in many different ways. Several candidates of opposition political parties said that it is possible for the PC to function successfully with the powers granted to them even without the govt’s cooperation. more..

Mar 30 (NS) One of the major roles of any democratic Parliament is to control the public finance. Business being conducted there with regard to public funds is governed by the provisions of the Constitution, parliamentary Standing Orders and conventions. In Prof G.L. Peiris’ own words, “Parliament has to act with scrupulous care and unimpeachable integrity in matters with regard to public funds.” Parliament supervising powers over the govt utilizing public funds is also one of more..

Mar 30 (ST) Jetwing Group, always looking for innovative ideas to steer its tourism segment, has come up with another first – houseboat tourism. The company has launched its first houseboat on the lines of the Kerala backwaters (and also Kashmir) where houseboats are a popular tourist attraction. “Shiromal (Cooray, Jetwing Director) and I visited Kerala and were impressed by the houseboat concept,” Mr. Cooray said. Based on its success, the group plans to expand to four boats from more..

Mar 30 (Island) Everyone thought that Sri Lanka were the best prepared team in the World T-20 having spent more than two months in Bangladesh prior to cricket’s one of the showpiece events. But they have been caught unawares as the tracks in Chittagong haven’t turned as much as their spinners would have liked and the dew factor has killed the effectiveness of slow bowlers. Given their clinical performance against Netherlands, more..

Mar 30 (CT) Japan’s multinational car maker Toyota is planning to set up a full-fledged production plant in Sri Lanka. Sources said the company was in the initial stages of discussion with the govt in this regard. The global car makers’ Sri Lankan unit, Toyota Lanka (Private) Limited, is in the process of conducting a feasibility study to set up a production facility in the island. The proposed facility would not only assemble cars, but manufacturer components as well. more..

Mar 30 (Island) Net foreign outflows on the Colombo bourse last week had hit a seven-week high with some analysts attributing the foreign exit as a reaction to the UNHRC decision on Sri Lanka in Geneva on Thursday. "Foreign sales on Friday rose sharply to Rs.2.9 billion, the highest outflow in a single day since Feb 6, 2014," the Weekly Stock Market Report from Acuity Stockbrokers said. "Net foreign outflows from equities consequently rose to a 7-week high, helping extend more..

Mar 30 (ST) Sri Lanka’s famous Sea Street jewellers have been requested by the govt to open jewellery shops at the Dubai-styled Gold Centre being constructed by army staff at the former St. John’s wholesale fish market in Pettah. These jewellers will be allowed to carry out their business in their present premises while being asked to maintain an additional shop at the new Gold Centre which is to have 100 shops more..

Mar 30 (ST) The changing landscape of Colombo Fort by renovating and reconstructing some 40 old buildings including the over 100 year old Gafoor building is now underway to bring a complete new outlook in the metropolis, official sources said. The Urban Development Authority (UDA) has recently issued a directive to expedite the reconstruction and renovation of Gafoor Building which will be developed as a city hotel, with 63 rooms, a senior official of the UDA said. more..

Mar 30 (Island) The Chairman of Ceylinco Insurance PLC, the biggest player in the country’s insurance industry, has pointed an accusing finger at "alarming price cutting by some companies continuing unabated." "This type of desperate sales tactic makes customers lose confidence in the business ethics of the insurance industry. It is high time such companies take steps to prevent an erosion of the industry," Ceylinco Chairman Godwin Perera said. "Another unpleasant trend which more..

Mar 30 (SL) The Ministry of Finance has issued new guidelines to Sri Lanka Customs in connection with the valuation to be used to calculate duty and other levies on vehicle imports. The change in the rules comes in the wake of The Sunday Leader highlighting the anomaly where a number of premium priced motor vehicles are being imported into the country with a declared value of USD 35,000. more..

Mar 30 (Hindu) Though the issue of Sri Lankan Tamils hardly made an impact on voting preference in TN in the past, the Congress seems to have pushed itself into deeper trouble following India’s abstention from voting on the UNHRC resolution against the island nation. With barely a month to go for the Lok Sabha polls in the State, the DMK was the first to capitalise on the emotive subject. Its treasurer, M.K. Stalin, hit out at detractors, who had accused the DMK of going soft on the issue. more..

Mar 30 (Island) The US decision to slap financial sanctions on Russia and a travel ban on some of its officials since it supported Crimea’s recent decision to break away from Ukraine, would have no impact since it was difficult to stifle Russia economically, its Ambassador in Colombo Alexander Karchava said. Asked, if his country was concerned about US President Barack Obama’s warning of "tough action" against Russia for having "instigated" the division of Ukraine which resulted in more..

Mar 30 (SL) Voters in Colombo virtually snubbed the WPC elections yesterday with the District recording the lowest voter turnout at the elections from both provinces. According to election monitors, Colombo had recorded a low 49% voter turnout as compared to the highest recorded from Hambantota in the South which was over 60%. Both the PAFFREL and CaFFE said that overall voter turnout was between 55% and 60%. more..

Mar 30 (Island) Chief Minister C. V. Wigneswaran of the Northern Province will deliver the Bernard Soysa lecture commemorating the birth centenary of the late LSSP leader at the Tamil Sangam hall at Rudra Mawatha, Wellawatte, at 5 pm tomorrow. The speech will be delivered in English with a Tamil summary although Wigneswaran has been invited by the LSSP organizers to make the speech in Tamil. Mr. Bernard Soysa was one of the country’s finest MPs, widely admired by all shades of more..

Mar 30 (TOI) Under fire from pro-Tamil groups, the makers of the Tamil film Inam have decided to remove four scenes and an end credit statistic from the film. Talking about the decision, N Subash Chandra Bose, whose banner has released the film, says, "We cut a few scenes at the behest of certain groups. We want the film to reach all the segments. We've started screening the new version." The film's director Santosh Sivan doesn't have a problem removing the scenes. more..

Mar 30 (ST) A severe financial crisis caused by drought and inadequate low-cost power generation options has forced CEB to introduce contingency measures, including the expediting of revenue collection from ministries, departments and other public institutions. Internal accounts show that CEB made a loss of Rs. 8 billion in January alone. Losses went up marginally in Feb to Rs. 8.4 billion and decreased to Rs. 7.9 billion in March. more..

Mar 30 (SL) A committee comprising Govt Ministers is hoping to meet President Rajapaksa to discuss the implications that may arise from the adoption of the resolution at the UNHRC last week. Committee consists of Reginald Cooray, Navin Dissanayake, Dr Rajitha Senaratne, D E W Gunasekara, Prof Tissa Vitharana and Vasudeva Nanayakkara. Minister Nanayakkara said the committee was hoping to meet the President following the end of the PC elections held yesterday. more..

Mar 30 (SL) Govt has failed to settle the overdue promotions and salary arrears of principals and teachers, Trade Unions claimed. The Teachers’ and Principals’ Trade Unions Joint Committee staged a district level protest in the Uwa Province recently as part of a campaign to get the attention of the govt to settle their overdue promotions and salary arrears. “We have carried out several district level protests during the last couple of months, but the govt is deaf to all our pleas. more..

Mar 30 (CT) Former UN Adviser on Post-War Accountability Issues in Sri Lanka, Yasmin Sooka, says there would be serious repercussions including sanctions, if the Govt of Sri Lanka fails to cooperate with the UNHRC. She also said sanctions can come in a whole range of difficult forms. "I really can't comment what those would be like. But, I know it would be very serious repercussions, if they chose not to cooperate with the international inquiry more..

Mar 30 (SL) Political parties gave mixed reactions over the conduct of the elections yesterday with the opposition saying it was not free and fair while Govt affiliated parties said it was fair. The main opposition UNP said that, from the day nominations were called, the Govt unfairly used state media, state resources and unfairly took a huge edge over the opposition. UNP MP Dr Harsha de Silva said that one cannot judge the outcome of the election purely based on election day. more..

Mar 30 (ST) A US-based company has been selected to build a multibillion rupee project to lay a pipeline from the Colombo Port to the Kolonnawa fuel storage facility to expedite unloading of fuel from ships. Ceylon Petroleum Storage Terminal Ltd Chairman M.R.W.de Soysa said the US company had been picked by the technical evaluation committee to carry out the US$ 50 million (Rs. 6,500 million) project. He said the proposal would be submitted to the Cabinet soon. more..

Mar 30 (ST) That the third US resolution, this time calling for an international investigation into alleged war crimes, would sail through last Thursday’s sessions of the UNHRC was a foregone fact. However, there was a shocker. India called the resolution an “intrusive approach” undermining Sri Lanka’s “national sovereignty and institutions” and abstained from voting. At least one prominent member of Sri Lanka delegation, more..

Mar 30 (CT) Voting in the PC elections are about to conclude at the time of writing of this editorial (4 p.m.). The election has largely been peaceful by the Sri Lankan standard — notwithstanding a previous murder of a supporter of the UNP candidate, allegedly by the ruling party supporters in Dompe. 3,794 candidates, from 23 recognized political parties and 42 independent groups, vied for 102 seats (plus two bonus seats) in the WPC and 53 (plus two bonus seats) in the SPC. more..