May 4 (ENS) A Sri Lankan national, who was detained at Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi, for attempting to travel using a fake passport, was produced before a CBI judge in Madurai on Saturday. Thomson (25) was detained by immigration officials at New Delhi airport two days ago, when he tried to fly to Brussels (Belgium) using a passport issued in Tamil Nadu. He was handed over to Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), who brought him to Madurai. more..

May 4 (CG) The Sri Lankan Govt today rejected claims that Muslim extremist groups are undergoing training in Sri Lanka to carry out attacks in India. Brigadier Ruwan Wanigasooriya said that such claims are baseless and are not backed by evidence. He noted that Sri Lanka, being a small country, cannot be used for training by groups for terrorist activities without going undetected. “When the army itself cannot more..

May 4 (CI) Sri Lanka have called up fast bowler Shaminda Eranga to their squad for two ODIs against Ireland after Thisara Perera failed to get a visa approved in time. Thisara is expected to join up with Sri Lanka in England later in the month ahead of a T20 and five ODIs. The Sri Lanka party arrived in Dublin on Saturday but Thisara did not travel with them, after experiencing a delay in getting a UK visa for the main part of the tour. The allrounder, who hit the winning runs in the World T20 final, more..

May 4 (Haveeru) A Maldivian woman and her six-year-old daughter have been missing since Friday in Sri Lanka, her family said Sunday. A relative told Haveeru that Raashida Ahmed from Lhaviyani Atoll Naifaru, who has been living in the Sri Lankan city of Kandy for three years, went missing on Friday afternoon. Her husband called and said that Raashida had run away from home with their daughter due to a domestic conflict, the relative added. “They’ve always had problems. more..

May 4 (ST) 20 killings have been reported in April alone, marking an increasing wave of crime around the country. A common feature in all these cases was that the victims were in their 20s and 30s. The killings were reported from Giriulla in Kurunegala, Moneragala, Elpitiya, Maha-Oya, Ambalangoda, Buttala, Wellampitiya in Colombo, Killinochchi, Hikkaduwa, Rideegama, Kuruvita in Ratnapura, Balapitiya, Kataragama, Kolonne more..

May 4 (Island) The All Ceylon Public Management Assistant Officers Union (ACPMAOU) called upon the govt to immediately withdraw the Pensions Department’s circular (No 4/2014), which denies a govt servant, who has served for 30 years or more, the right to obtain two years’ gratuity at the time of retirement. "If this is not done, we will unite all sections of the public service and take to the streets in protest", warned Udeni Dissanayake, the Union’s General Secretary. more..

May 4 (LBO) Peter Kuruvita, an award winning chef and television host had conducted a master class for chefs in Sri Lanka promoting Australian food and wine, the Australian High Commission said. The class was at organized by the Chefs Guild of Sri Lanka and William Angliss Colombo Academy of Hospitality Management. The school is a joint venture with Sri Lanka Institute of Information Technology. "The event was an opportunity for Peter Kuruvita to introduce the more..

May 4 (ST) Despite showers in the catchment areas, hydropower supplies only around 10 to 12% of the total power generated, officials said. Meteorology Department said last night there could be heavy rainfall in the catchment areas. Rains are expected throughout the month in these areas. However, CEB Chairman W.B. Ganegala said the water levels at the reservoirs stood between 18% and 26% of their capacity this week but more..

May 4 (SM) President’s actions towards filling the vacancies available in Supreme Court have gained serious attention of the legal and judicial circles. According to the 18th amendment the power to appoint judges of the SC and Court of Appeal is solely vested upon the President and the appointment can be confirmed after the nominations are submitted to the Parliamentary Council. There is no mention in any part of the constitution at least on the minimum qualification of being appointed more..

May 4 (CI) Andrew Hudson, South Africa's convener of selectors, said that Jacques Kallis will be a part of the squad for the ODIs against Sri Lanka in July. In an interview to an Indian newspaper, Hudson said the series could be an opportunity for Kallis to stake a claim for the 2015 World Cup squad, a goal the allrounder had expressed when he retired from Test cricket last year. Kallis did not play an ODI between February 2012 and November 2013, but returned to the format in the home series more..

May 4 (PTI) India has complied with Sri Lanka's ban on 16 Tamil diaspora groups and 424 of their supporters on grounds that they are allegedly involved in terror activities while the US ignored the list. Some of the designated organizations had met the US assistant secretary of state for Central and South Asia, Nisha Biswal last Thursday in Washington. A US embassy spokesman in Colombo confirmed the meeting. more..

May 4 (DM) The millionaire businessman who is alleged to have driven the luxury car which collided with a three wheeler near the Elvitigala Flats in Narahenpita, was arrested and released on police bail, police said. The Shelby G T 500 car had collided with the three wheeler seriously injuring the driver of the three wheeler. Police said a case would be filed against the suspect for riding a vehicle without a number plate and failing to avoid an accident from taking place. more..

May 4 (DM) At the conclusion of the separate inquiry into the Rathupaswala crisis, the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka (HRCSL) has recommended that the Army act within the scope of its powers and responsibilities in situations such as protests. HRCSL has also suggested that the Police and the Army should maintain proper coordination. The Rathupaswala residents held a massive protest rally on August 1 last year demanding that the Rubber Gloves Factory be shut down more..

May 4 (AD) Three members of the same family have been hacked to death at a residence in Achchuveli, Jaffna while another two persons have been hospitalized with critical injuries this morning. The deceased have been identified as a 50-year-old woman, her 19-year-old son and 27-year-old daughter while the other injured persons are the said woman’s second daughter (25) and husband (30). The wounded couple, more..

May 5 (SL) Police were of the view that to prevent accidents, they should make compulsory for the motorbike riders to switch on their headlights during the daytime as well, because most of the vehicle accidents occur due to reckless motorbike riders. During the recent festival days over 95 were dead and over 155 admitted to the hospital in serious condition. Motorbike accidents were many and of them many were fatal. Were they not riding with headlights on? more..

May 5 (CT) My name is Liyanage Amarakeerthi, a Fulbright Scholar (1998-2000) and a university lecturer. I am also a fiction writer of some fame and acclaim. More importantly, I am a Sri Lankan citizen who imagines a peaceful and prosperous Sri Lanka where all its citizens can live without any form of discrimination regardless of their ethnicity, caste, gender and so on. Usually I do not write letters to political authorities or any person wielding power. As an intellectual I keep a critical distance more..

May 5 (SO) Sri Lanka Railways (SLR) or formerly known as the Ceylon Govt Railway was the prime mode of transport since its inception in 1858. With 310 trains operating including 45 long distance and 12 intercity, the SLR transports nearly 300, 000 commuters a day on the 1, 429 kilometre long-tracks spread throughout the country. With an estimated revenue of over Rs.4.2 billion a year, public expectations of a safe journey more..

May 5 (SL) The All Ceylon Public Management Assistant Officers Union (ACPMAOU) yesterday called upon the govt to immediately withdraw the Pensions Department’s circular (No 4/2014), which denies a government servant, who has served for 30 years or more, the right to obtain two years’ gratuity at the time of retirement. "If this is not done, we will unite all sections of the public service and take to the streets in protest", warned Udeni Dissanayake, the Union’s General Secretary. more..

May 5 (CT) Two weeks ago, a British woman tourist sporting a tattoo of the meditating Buddha on her upper arm was deported from Sri Lanka on the orders of the courts. Interestingly, the order had been sought from the courts not by the Tourist Police or the Immigration Authorities but by the ordinary Police. According to reports, the learned magistrate had delivered the order of deportation on the ground that her presence in the country will hurt the religious sentiments of the majority more..

May 5 (NS) In the wake of the arrest of suspected Sri Lankan Islamist terrorist Zakir Hussain in Chennai last week, Terrorism Expert Dr Rohan Gunaratna warned such terror cells were operating in several countries throughout the South Asian region. He called on Lankan authorities to work with their counterparts in the region to dismantle such groups, who are posing a severe threat to the region. more..

May 5 (ST) Good governance is good for the nation and people. Irrespective of any economic consequences of the Geneva resolutions, the country must ensure law and order and protect human rights of its citizens. This was the central message left in the minds of those who attended the LBR-LBO CEO forum on Meeting the Challenges of a Resolution on Sri Lanka by UNHRC. Although the Forum focused on the broader issues and consequences of the UNHRC resolution more..

May 5 (CT) President Rajapaksa asked this question while addressing the massive crowd at the ruling UPFA's May Day rally held at Campbell Park, last Thursday. Thousands gathered at the spacious Park shouted back in unison: "Yes. We want an election." Nevertheless, the President, perhaps with good reason, did not ask the people what election they wanted. However, the President had a good reason to ask this question from the people. This newspaper on 20 April made an more..

May 5 (NS) Minister and senior member of the JHU, Champika Ranawaka says the operation of casinos would result in grave consequences that would lead the breakdown of moral and ethical values of society while encouraging social evils such as drugs, blackmoney and prostitution. In an interview with The Nation, he also pointed out the risk of Govt falling into the hands of casino giants. more..

May 5 (CT) The 3 Gazette papers that were approved by Parliament were opposed by Champika Ranawaka, himself a govt minister. After he voted against the three papers, certain quarters of the govt approached the President, asking him to take action against Champika. They tried in their tooth and nail to push the President against Champika. However, the President did not concede. However, Champika is reportedly prepared to answer, if anyone from govt asks why he did not vote for Gazette. more..

May 5 (ST) In a conversation with two visiting Indian scholars this week in Colombo, the focus shifted to the seemingly easy manner in which the BJP Prime Ministerial candidate, Narendra Modi appears to have captured the ‘technocratic’ space in the Indian political consciousness. True enough, as one of these conversationalists (and a celebrated feminist) pointed out, the Indian electorate has been proved to surprise even the most astute of political watchers. more..

May 5 (CT) Counterfeit cigarettes have been a headache for the Government of Sri Lanka for a long time now. In 2003, Ceylon Tobacco Company Plc., the country’s sole manufacturer of cigarettes claimed that the Sri Lankan Government was nearly losing Rs 900 million a year in revenue due to the sale of counterfeit cigarettes and in 2013, that amount has risen to a gigantic Rs 1.4 billion, and keeps rising day by day. more..

May 5 (DM) Sri Lanka has a huge and diversified eco system, with a larger part of the island nation still green and unexplored. Many foreign investors have already pumped in money to develop Sri Lanka as a tourist destination. “You can see how serious we are to promote tourism in the country. "We have built a second international airport even though we have Colombo’s BIA. "This is only to ensure that tourists get access to Yala National Park, which has the highest number of leopards in Asia more..

May 5 (FT) Higher Education Ministry Secretary Dr. Sunil Jayantha Nawaratne has joined the Board of Hayleys MGT Knitting Mills Plc as a Non Executive Director. Dr. Nawaratne counts over 18 years of post-qualified experience focused mainly on management and development. He served as the Director, Human Capital, Youth Development and Rural Networks of Cargills (Ceylon) Plc from 2007-2010 till he assumed duties as the Secretary of the Ministry of Higher Education. more..

May 5 (FT) Family-owned Jetwing is harnessing the post-war rebound in tourism with an on-going expansion worth around Rs. 8 billion. Chairman Hiran Cooray said that the overall expansion has already seen the opening of several new properties. Among those are the 80 room Jetwing Yala with an investment of Rs. 2.1 billion, the 35-room bread and breakfast hotel Hotel J in Negombo as well as The Three by Jetwing. more..

May 5 (Island) President Rajapaksa has boasted at the SLFP May Day rally that part of his govt was functioning as an oppositional force as the official Opposition had failed to play the role expected of it. He has sought to counter the widely held view that the conspicuous absence of over two scores of his MPs in Parliament at the recent Strategic Development Projects Act vote besides two JHU heavyweights voting against the orders moved thereunder is symptomatic of a crisis more..

May 5 (Island) Leading hurdler Supun Randeniya vented his frustration of not being selected for international events, by breaking the 110 metres hurdles record (under-23) for a second time in the meet, on the penultimate day of the Junior National Athletics Championship, on Sunday. The former student of Ranabima Royal College, Gannoruwa, was almost a body length ahead of his closest rival Hasith Nirmal by the half way mark and stopped the clock at 14.15 seconds to erase the record he more..

May 5 (Island) UNP Chairman Kabir Hashim said that it was too early to announce the fielding of a common Opposition candidate against President Rajapakse at a future Presidential election as the govt had yet to confirm when it would be held. Hashim said that the UNP was having a dialogue with other political parties and organisations who had a common interest like the UNP to abolish the executive presidency. more..

May 5 (FT) ESNA Power has announced the successful commissioning of its fifth small hydropower plant with installed capacity of 3.8 MW at Bulathwatta, Haldummulla. ESNA Power has over the years grown its operations and contributes 10 MW of power to the National Grid. The company has over 10 MW of hydro and wind power more in the pipeline, some of which will be established over the next 12 months. Presently the operating plants are 1.3 MW Halathura Ganga MHP, more..

May 5 (FT) Deputy Minister of Investment Promotion Faizer Mustapha, who was unaware of his ministry’s and the country’s Investment Promotion Agency, the Board of Investment’s (BoI) Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) target, said that the recent contrivance over the three mixed development projects had raised concerns among potential investors, however the country was working towards achieving this year’s FDI goal despite failing for two consecutive years. more..

May 5 (DN) Now that the US State Department, in its counter terrorism report, has announced that the LTTE uses the large Tamil Diaspora in North America, Europe and Asia for their activities, countries such as Canada, France, UK and Norway where the Diaspora are present in large numbers, must exercise caution against them, Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva noted. "Govt has been saying this for such a long more..

May 5 (FT) Business magazine LMD reports, in its forthcoming edition, that “the unique gauge of business sentiment sheds six basis points amidst setbacks on the local and international fronts, and with seasonal volumes proving to be lower than expected.” LMD’s May issue adds: “The latest LMD-Nielsen Business Confidence Index (BCI) edged down by six basis points (from an 11-month high of 140), to 134 in April, despite the onset of the traditional festive season.” more..

May 5 (ENS) Soon after the UNHRC passed a resolution calling for an international inquiry into human rights violations that took place in Sri Lanka, Colombo began to explore new policy initiatives. In addition to strengthening relations with friendly countries like China and Pakistan, Colombo was determined to curb the increasing influence of the Tamil diaspora. It is apparent that as and when international inquiry begins, the Tamil diaspora will be in the forefront submitting more..

May 5 (CT) Govt will revise the list of remaining internally displaced people by adding another 400 long term IDP families, to it. Number currently stands at 7,094. Secretary to the Ministry of Resettlement, Janaka Sugathadasa said, "7,094 families comprising 23,568 persons need to be resettled. They are currently cooped up in 32 welfare centres in Jaffna District and at three in Muttur Divisional Secretariat area in Trincomalee." more..

May 5 (Island) NBRO yesterday issued a landslide warning in four districts as incessant rains lashed those areas continuously for more than 24 hours. The landslide warning had been issued to all divisional secretariat divisions of the Badulla District, Kothmale and Ambagamuwa Korale divisional secretariat divisions of the Nuwara Eliya District, Kegalle, Deraniyagala, Yatiyantota, Bulathkohupitiya and Dehiovita DS divisions of the Kegalle District and all DS divisions of the Kandy District. more..

May 5 (DN) Sri Lanka Transport Board (SLTB) will commence three super luxury bus services from Colombo via the Southern Expressway and Katunayake Expressway from this month. The luxury buses will run from Colombo to Galle, Colombo to Matara, and Colombo to Kuliyapitiya. They will start the journey from Colombo Central Bus Stand. The SLTB has already deployed over 70 super luxury buses to transport passengers on both the Southern and Katunayake Expressways. more..