Nov 16 (SO) Political parties in the Opposition have conceded that they are unable to defeat President Rajapaksa at the next presidential election. They have acknowledged defeat even prior to the announcement of the date of the next presidential election where President Rajapaksa would seek a record third term. The overwhelming support the masses had extended to the President and the UPFA at all elections since 2005 clearly shows that the Opposition has realised that more..

Nov 16 (SL) Q: How successful do you think is the common candidate concept? A: The opposition is trying their best to have a united front. Senior members with the consent of the party are presently having a dialogue to bring all parties together. Maduluwawe Sobitha Thero and his movement for a just society came to contact with the UNP regarding the abolition of the executive presidency and the existing electoral system more..

Nov 16 (ST) COPE Chairman, D.E.W. Gunasekera sounded rather optimistic when he presented the second interim report of the Committee to the House on Friday, saying, “It is our view that the COPE has been able to contribute appreciably towards the enhancement of good governance, in so far as public control of finances is concerned.” While appreciating the hard work undertaken by Minister Gunasekera and other members of the Committee, it seems that, however good the intensions more..

Nov 16 (NS) Chairman of selectors Sanath Jayasuriya has sounded Sri Lanka Cricket the need of a fast bowling coach experienced in Australia and New Zealand conditions for the Sri Lanka team ahead of the 2015 World Cup. “To me the most important thing is how we adapt ourselves to the conditions. We should know the length we should bowl in Australia and in New Zealand. It is totally different to what we bowl here,” said Jayasuriya. “I personally feel we need to get somebody more..

Nov 16 (SL) Delivering a memorial oration in India recently, CM C.V. Wigneswaran has sought the support of India to secure a federal system in Sri Lanka. In his speech, he has said that they want a true devolution and even an improvement of the 13th Amendment would not do. According to him, constitution should be changed to replace the unitary system by a federal system which should include the Tamils’ right to self-determination. more..

Nov 16 (SL) Perhaps it is only a sophisticated political mind that can set the cats amongst the pigeons – or lay out an intricate plan in order that the worms start coming out of the woodwork. The analysis of this is around for all to see – and the beneficiary can only be the owner of that sophisticated mindset, Sri Lanka’s incumbent President, Mahinda Rajapaksa. The mere speculation of a national election has seen a rather strange set of affairs emerging. more..

Nov 16 (ST) They say India is the last bastion of cricket. Many a general in the ICC world has tested his cricketing wits there, but often failed miserably. Prior to this tour of India, Lankan cricket was on a high. Besides a slight setback against South Africa at home, they had accomplished many a deed overseas like winning the Asia Cup and the World T-20 title in Bangladesh, beating England in all forms of the game in their own back yard and shooting down the pride of the Misbah-ul-Haq more..

Nov 16 (ST) The govt is to undertake a comprehensive assessment of under-performing plantation companies managed by the private sector to enable the authorities to take it over after cancelling the long-term leases. The Finance Ministry in collaboration with Plantation Industries Ministry will be taking appropriate decisions by assessing the performances of private plantation companies case by case and evaluating more..

Nov 16 (Island) The ground breaking for the biggest investment in Sri Lanka by an Indian hotel company will take place on Nov. 19 at Galle Face when ITC Ltd. launches its ITC Colombo One luxury Hotel and Residencies. Minister Basil Rajapaksa will be the chief guest on this occasion at which ITC’s Chairman, Mr. Y.C. Deveshwar, will be present. This will be the first project outside India for the company which runs a chain of over 100 hotels in over 70 destinations in India. more..

Nov 16 (ST) Hewage Ariyaratne, 52, and a father of two, allegedly under the influence of alcohol, fell to his death from the 40-foot high balcony of a house in Wattala, police said. The victim had been asleep on the balcony at the time of the incident. He had been employed to repair a vehicle and was later invited for a drink by the vehicle owner, on that fateful night. Mr Ariyaratne had eventually fallen asleep by the side of a flight of stairs on the second floor of the house. “We had two bottles of Arrack that night and more..

Nov 16 (NS) A police investigation has now been launched into a fraud amounting to millions of rupees allegedly committed by several senior officials of the Northern Provincial Council (NPC). The alleged fraud involves a project funded by the World Bank. Acting Police Spokesman ASP Ruwan Gunasekara said that Senior DIG, Northern Range, Pujith Jayasundara had ordered DIG Jaffna, K.S.B.R. Dias to conduct an investigation more..

Nov 16 (NS) It may be hard to reserve a table at some of the swankiest restaurants located within the Arcade dining precinct, but when it comes to hygiene, there’s plenty of room for improvement, Chief Medical Officer at the CMC Dr. Ruwan Wijayamuni dished out. “Sri Lankans are famous for starting out in style, but once the hype dies down so does the quality and hygiene standards,” said Dr. Wijayamuni. “Concerns over hygiene standards at some of the restaurants have more..

Nov 16 (ST) The Petroleum Industries Ministry’s move to set up a lubricant mixing plant with investments from Malaysia has been delayed as the Treasury is yet to grant approval for the project, officials said. Minister Anura Priyadharshana Yapa said the plant was to be set up on a 20-year Build-Operate-and-Transfer (BOT) basis, but he was yet to receive a response to the proposal. In August, a five-acre land was set aside for the project in Muturajawela, off Wattala. more..

Nov 16 (CT) The much awaited Proclamation, calling for a snap Presidential poll, would be issued at midnight on Thursday 18 November, the govt has decided. Authoritative govt sources said, that President Rajapaksa would be completing four years of his second term on Tuesday and would issue the Presidential Proclamation at midnight on Thursday. Second Republican Constitution of SL empowers more..

Nov 16 (Island) Two teachers attached to an international school at Dawatagahawatte, Kadirana in Negombo, were released on Rs. 5,000 cash bail and a surety of Rs. 100,000 each by Negombo Chief Magistrate last week. The two suspects were arrested by the Negombo police following a complaint of alleged assault on an eight-year-old student at a sports event of the school. According to the complaint, the two teachers had allegedly hit the student on his buttocks and spine with more..

Nov 16 (NS) UNP MP Sajith Premadasa has finally admitted that he has an issue with the party’s LC Chairman Karu Jayasuriya. Nation learns that MP had openly told Ven Maduluwawe Sobhitha Thera that he had an issue to sort out with MP Jayasuriya, when he visited the Ven. Thera who was under treatment at a private hospital. The Nation’s continuous efforts to contact Ven. Thera proved futile, but MP Thalatha Athukorala who accompanied Premadasa along with more..

Nov 16 (SL) TNA has put three conditions to support a Presidential candidate at the next election. TNA MP Suresh Premchandran said that the TNA has not yet decided to whom they will back at the election and TNA will consider supporting a Presidential candidate based on three conditions. “Prospective candidate that we decide to back should promise to withdraw army from the North and East and resettle people in the North, more..

Nov 16 (ST) Northern Provincial Council chairman C.V.K. Sivagnanam has written to President Rajapaksa seeking his intervention to help the people displaced before 1996 to get their jewellery, valuables and money held by banks. He says that these jewellery items were pawned by the people who were displaced from Jaffna before 1995/96 and therefore it was unfair for the banks to hold these valuables. Mr. Sivagnanam says if the banks were unable to locate the owners, more..

Nov 16 (NS) Lanka Sathosa Ltd. was marginalizing local dairy producers, despite the govt’s promises to uplift the local dairy industry, Chairman of Pelwatte Dairy Industries, Ariyaseela Wickramanayake charged. Wickramanayake claimed a staggering 225 tons of milk produced by his company were currently lying at his factory as he was not able to sell them. “This is despite it being Rs.100 cheaper than foreign milk,” he further said. He blasted Lanka Sathosa Ltd. for choosing to sell imported milk while more..

Nov 16 (SL) The Bar Association of Sri Lanka (BASL) has raised concerns over how the Supreme Court (SC) opinion on ‘whether President Rajapaksa has any legal barrier to contest for a third term’ was leaked to the state media well before the opinion was handed over to the President on Monday Nov 10. According to the BASL President, Upul Jayasuriya, although the SC opinion was to hand over to the President on Monday, more..

Nov 16 (ST) Central Bank has requested the Sri Lanka Banks’ Association – on behalf of all commercial banks – to collect data on how many senior citizens maintain accounts in these institutions, officials said. This has come on the back of the SLBA urging the CB and the Treasury to extend a scheme applicable to state banks to cover losses in paying high interest rates to senior citizens, to all banks. “We are in the process of collecting the statistics of senior citizens maintain accounts. more..

Nov 16 (CI) There seemed to be some hope for the India v Sri Lanka tie at the beginning of the tour. They had not had a bilateral series for two years before this series. In the Asia Cup and World T20 matches this year, Sri Lanka had appeared to loosen the grip India had recently imposed on them. Going by the previous six months' form, the teams even appeared to be evenly matched. Though there has been entertainment from India, two weeks on, this series has been the most bloodless, more..

Nov 16 (ST) India has offered eight SUVs to Northern Provincial Council members after the failure of a move to obtain duty-free vehicles for all the members. Sunday Times learns that initially the Indian govt planned to give Indian manufactured cars by importing them with duty free concessions to all 38 members of the NPC. A spokesman from Indian High Commission confirmed that they had called for tenders to provide more..

Nov 16 (NS) National Movement for Social Justice (NMSJ) will meet its allied political parties and organizations to sign a MoU on how to proceed at the upcoming presidential election. NMSJ’s spokesman Dr Nirmal Ranjith Dewasiri said that a lot in the agenda and the public will be informed just after the parties and the organizations come to common platform. However, he also said that their main demands are abolishment of the Executive Presidency, re-enactment of 17th more..

Nov 16 (ST) Patients seeking treatment at state-run hospitals will in future be given a free bill of record for the medical services they obtained in a bid to keep a tab on the cost incurred by the state. Health Services Director General Dr. Palitha Mahipala said currently such a receipt was provided only to patients suffering from alcohol and tobacco related sicknesses but now it would be extended to all patients. He stressed however that there were no moves to charge a fee from the patients more..

Nov 16 (ST) The dinner at the Moratuwa residence by the Bolgoda Lake of Mangala Samaraweera on November 3 was something both special and significant. The guests were President Mahinda Rajapaksa and son, Hambantota District parliamentarian Namal. It was special because it was the first time since being sacked as a Minister seven years ago from the Rajapaksa Govt; that Mangala Samaraweera was sitting down more..

Nov 16 (Island) In legal terms, a 99-year lease means that the term of lease would extend beyond the life expectancy of the lessee or lessor. In Sri Lankan political terms (make it - constitutional terms; all that is needed is Q & A with the Supreme Court) it would mean the assurance of regime continuity beyond the life expectancy of the regime founder. In practical terms, elections will continue even more often than now, but only the govt will be winning everywhere except for a while in sore North; more..

Nov 16 (Island) I had the good fortune of meeting Manuka Wijesinghe while I was reading her latest publication, the third part of her trilogy on the nation. The first was ‘Monsoon & Potholes’ which I thoroughly enjoyed and ‘Theravada Man’ which I have to read. Our meeting was meant to be a short interview but it prolonged itself, by mutual unstated agreement, to three hours. I easily took to her. We chatted freely as if we were friends meeting up again; age disparity notwithstanding. more..

Nov 16 (ST) At least officially, no one still knows who would be Mahinda Rajapaksafs main rival at the presidential polls. That it would have to come from the UNP, or backed by it, is no secret. Yet who that person remains cloaked in secrecy. At the so-called gG 20 meeting last Wednesday, members asked UNP national leader Ranil Wickremesinghe who the candidate would be. “Even I don’t know,” he replied smilingly. more..

Nov 16 (ST) A strike by a pro-govt trade union at the BIA resulted in serious damage to vital equipment due to sabotage. Airport and Aviation Authority (AAA) Chairman Prasanna Wickremasuriya in the report said the strike had disrupted flights and airport services for more than four hours. He said the estimated loss to the airport was more than Rs. 100 million. The report was sent to Civil Aviation Ministry Secretary more..

Nov 16 (Island) The unacceptable practice of allowing juniors to hold sway as heads of some key govt medical institutions, despite being termed temporary "stand in appointments", figured at a discussion the College of Medical Administrators of Sri Lanka had with Dr. Palitha Maheepala, Director-General of Health Services (DGHS) last week. The delegation headed by the College’s president, Dr. Amal de Silva, more..

Nov 16 (SL) The IGP has appointed a special team of Terrorist Investigation Department (TID) officers headed by an ASP to investigate the killing of an ex-LTTEer in Mannar last Wednesday. The team had left for Mannar last Friday and were to conduct further investigations to determine if the killing was a result of a personal dispute as determined by local police investigations or if it was connected to terrorism. more..

Nov 16 (CT) Opposition political parties in the Eastern Provincial Council have threatened to move in a no-confidence motion against incumbent Chief Minister, Najeeb Abdul Majeed, on Nov 24, claiming he is not competent to be Chief Minister. One of the opposing parties, All Ceylon Muslim Congress (ACMC) claimed that they wanted a deputy ministerial post for Amir Ali, however, President Rajapaksa has so far not more..

Nov 16 (NS) A total of 1655 persons from 492 families affected by landslides and landslide threat in the Koslanda area were still being housed at five relief camps yesterday. According to figures provided by the army, 417 persons belonging to 124 families were being sheltered at the Koslanda Sri Ganesha Tamil School. The rest of are housed at four relief camps set up in Poonagala area. Accordingly, 660 persons from 200 families more..

Nov 16 (IL) Sri Lanka has been designated by acclamation to Chair the 2015 Meeting of the High Contracting Parties to the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons (CCW). Ambassador Ravinatha Aryasinha, Permanent Representative of Sri Lanka to the UN in Geneva, succeeds Ambassador Remigiusz Henczel, Permanent Representative of Poland to the UN in Geneva. Accepting the honor conferred on more..

Nov 16 (CT) The fish exporters suffered a loss of Rs 5 billion on Wednesday and Friday, due to the 32-hour strike by the private container truck drivers and their attendants. Nearly 12,000 truck drivers and cleaners were protesting against the Customs and security officials at the Colombo Port, alleging that they have to pay heavy bribes when leaving the Port premises. The strike was called off on Thursday night, after more..

Nov 16 (SL) The Ceylon Worker’s Congress (CWC) says it will seek the rights of Indian origin Tamils to be protected by the Constitution if amendments are made. Muthu Sivalingam of the CWC said that there had been representations on the Executive Presidency, both for and against, with most wanting it to continue with some amendments. Sivalingam said that the CWC is yet to present its demands, but will do so soon. more..

Nov 16 (ST) The Catholic Church of Sri Lanka has started preparations both in Colombo and in Madhu, two places His Holiness Pope Francis would visit on his apostolic journey to Sri Lanka and the Phillipines next year. A group of Catholic Fathers blessed Galle Face Green last Friday just before commencing work on the stage that will accommodate the Holy Mass, which will be conducted by Holy Father on Jan 14, 2015, more..

Nov 16 (ST) The excessive rainfall this week and the risk of floods are causing major hardships for the fishermen in the Chilaw area. They risk their lives to go out to sea and fish but there is no proper market for their catch. The monsoonal rains and vendors from other parts of the country coming to sell their catch in Chilaw have brought down the price of fish drastically. As of last Friday, the price of Salaya, Hurulla and Kumbalawa dropped by Rs.150 to Rs. 450 rupees per kilo. more..

Nov 16 (Island) "Lotus World’, the path towards inner happiness, is a noble plan in serving humanity and trying to make the world a better place to live in." It is a project created by Navin Gooneratne and Gagan Malik as a consequence, I make bold to say, of the success of their film ‘Sri Siddhartha Gautama’. Not only was the film of the life of Prince Siddhartha before his attaining Buddhahood, a box office draw, but it also evidenced changes in people’s lives, not only in Sri Lanka but in many other more..