Apr 23 (SO) It was a fun filled occasion. With the bright sunny skies, flowering trees and the sound of the koha’s (koel) mating cries filling the air, it seemed that the Sun God had gone out of His way to shower his blessings to the very special guests at the Bak Maha Special Olympics festival, which was being held at the Mount Mary Railway Children’s playground. At the entrance of the playground, now transformed into a more..

Apr 23 (Island) Neville Ladduwahetty, in his article on the National Anthem raises a very valid point, namely that we are prepared to violate the Constitution for the sake of reconciliation. The LRRC whose main objective was reconciliation, was prepared to violate the Constitution and allow the National Anthem to be sung in Tamil. To avoid a major irritant was the excuse for doing so. The incumbent President whose role in this respect has been enumerated in your editorial more..

Apr 23 (CT) PM Ranil Wickremesinghe who made a sudden visit to Guruvayur Sri Krishna Temple in India last week made an offering of 77 kilos of sandalwood. Mahinda also visited this Temple after his 2005 presidential victory and got onto a weighing machine. That photograph went viral on the electronic media. Ranil visited the historic Temple at a time the 19th Amendment was to be passed in Parliament. It was not clear whether he went to make an offering to obtain the blessings of more..

Apr 23 (CT) The 19 Amendment to the Constitution, one of the most important Amendments to the constitution, will be presented in Parliament today. Midst all the political heat, Ceylon Today interviewed the Deputy Minister Eran Wickramaratne, who spoke mostly of the national economy. He observed that the high economic growth rate in the recent past was driven by massive public investment in infrastructure. more..

Apr 22 (Island) It was only a few weeks ago that we were told that a national govt had been formed. Those who refused to buy into that claim were hauled over the coals as enemies of reconciliation. But, today, the politicians who made a public display of bonhomie and mouthed platitudinous remarks, pontificated on the virtues of consensual politics are back at one another’s jugular. Two dogs at the same bone seldom agree, as we keep saying in these columns. more..

Apr 23 (CT) Representative democracy is vital for the democratic political practice and good governance. Sri Lanka is a multi-ethnic and multi-religious country and its pluralistic view and diversified representation have been recognized and guaranteed by the Constitutional Reforms by implementing the recommendations of the Colebrook-Cameron Commission (1833), Manning Commission (1920) and the Soulbury Commission (1947). more..

Apr 23 (Island) ‘Security companies in Sri Lanka are suffering severe manpower shortages this year in particular’ as a result of two holiday seasons, Avurudu and Vesak, coming close on the heels of each other. Other reasons for this ‘endemic shortage of security staff, unlike previous years’, are the bad weather and heavy rains, Sri Lanka Security Service Providers Association (SLASSPA) president Major Tissa Aluwihare said. A press release issued on behalf of the SLASSPA president more..

Apr 23 (DN) Korea's legendary baseball player who has a miraculous record to gain twenty-two consecutive victories as a pitcher in the first year of professional baseball of Korea, Park Chul Soon, the head coach of the Sri Lankan national baseball team has been training the team from April this year in preparation for the Asian Baseball Cup games to be held in Jakarta, Indonesia, this May. His appointment was done as a result of a MoU between the Korean Olympic Committee (KOC) and more..

Apr 23 (CT) MEP leader Dinesh Gunawardena says the political culture of the movement launched in Nugegoda is to take the voice of the people forward defeating all obstacles. The people have not forgotten the way former President Mahinda Rajapaksa was double crossed. Q: As a senior politician, how would you analyze the political situation of the country? A: Political environment in the country and in Parliament is changing. more..

Apr 23 (FT) Moratuwa University Vice Chancellor and senior professor in civil engineering Prof. A.K.W. Jayawardane has been appointed to the Board of Commercial Bank Plc as an Independent Non-Executive Director. He served as the Dean, Faculty of Engineering for six years and the first NDB Bank Endowed Professor in Entrepreneurship at the Moratuwa University for one year before he assumed duties as the Vice Chancellor. He obtained BSc Eng. in Civil Engineering with first class more..

Apr 23 (DM) Recent information has brought to question the effectiveness of the subsidies announced in the new govt’s interim budget for tea and rubber smallholders. The interim budget in January proposed to allocate Rs. 5 billion to purchase tea leaves at Rs.80 per kilogramme, and Rs. 3.6 billion to purchase rubber at Rs.350 per kilogramme. Tea subsidy is being implemented by giving factory owners funds to pay the growers up front, while the rubber subsidy requires more..

Apr 23 (BBC) Sri Lanka voted in a new president in January who promised to clean up a business environment plagued by allegations of corruption and cronyism. Maithripala Sirisena took power in January, but is finding it tough to push through reform. As a result, many investors are watching Sri Lanka with interest but are holding back from committing their cash. David Reid reports from Sri Lanka's capital, Colombo. more..

Apr 23 (DN) Mobitel opened the WiFi zone of the Kaduruwela - Colombo main bus stand in Polonnaruwa in line with the ongoing Govt programme of providing free WiFi to key public locations in the country. In order to use the WiFi network users need to first visit the nearest Mobitel branch, SLT Teleshop or Dealer point in order to register for the service where a password will be issued. The user is entitled to 100 MB per month on the WiFi network at any of the WiFi facilitated more..

Apr 23 (Island) The spirit of good neighbour-liness is a cherished attribute particularly when nations share natural resources. Legal experts at the UN developed draft principles on shared natural resources, which were adopted by the UN General Assembly in 1979 (Res. 34/186). Principle 3 of the guideline states, "States have the sovereign right to exploit their own resources pursuant to their own environmental policies, and the responsibility to ensure that activities within more..

Apr 23 (Island) Opposition would request the govt to remove the Central Bank Governor Arjuna Mahendran over the scandal ridden Treasury bond issue, Opposition Leader Nimal Siripala de Silva said. He alleged that UNP was whitewashing Governor & PM Wickremesinghe was trying to protect the offenders. "It was not the opposition, but the UNP that was protecting the wrong doers without punishing them," more..

Apr 23 (CT) Criticizing the Speaker for questioning the Chairman of the Bribery Commission about a pending inquiry, Lawyers for Democracy (LfD) condemned certain MPs for attempting to interfere and intimidate the Commission from inquiring into allegations against powerful personalities. Viewing the Speaker's action of calling the Commission Chairman and questioning him with alarm, Convener for LfD, Lal Wijenayake said that the Speaker had no legal or moral right to interfere more..

Apr 23 (GDI) The cruise travel business better known as the 'floating marine resorts of the world' that attracts the most wealthy globally has doubled in business for Sri Lanka with 14 cruise liners calling the country in 2012/13 registering visitor arrivals of 19,615 cruise travelers whilst in 2013/2014 Sri Lanka attracted 22 cruise liners into Sri Lanka with visitor numbers going up to 27,317 whilst this year the numbers have spiked to 40 cruise liner arrivals and overall visitors expected to more..

Apr 23 (DM) UPFA emphasised that the general election would be held under the new electoral system despite the time it would take to have them approved under the 20th Amendment to the Constitution. UPFA General Secretary Susuil Premajayantha said that the UPFA stance on introducing the 19th and the 20th Amendments were enacted simultanously. “The people want to do away with the much-despised preferential voting more..

Apr 23 (Hindu) A high-level delegation led by Minister for Tourism A.P. Anilkumar will leave for Colombo on Thursday to explore the possibility of creating a new tourism ‘triangle’ circuit in partnership with Sri Lanka and the Maldives to enhance tourist arrivals to Kerala. The visit, in the midst of Visit Kerala Year 2015, will mark Kerala Tourism’s maiden roadshow in Colombo on Friday to market the destination. During the two-day visit, Mr. Anil Kumar will hold deliberations with more..

Apr 23 (CT) The govt has basically protected the former President. If the Bribery Commission as an independent institution summons him based on whatever information they have, he should adhere to the requirements which will not be an issue if he has nothing to hide, said the Deputy Minister Eran Wickremaratne. He made these comments in response to the pro Mahinda Rajapaksa, MPs who protested yesterday indicating their objection to the decision made by the implementation of more..

Apr 23 (Island) Sri Lanka is likely to send an investigation team to Kiev early next month to inquire into the alleged involvement of Sri Lanka’s former ambassador to Russia Udayanga Weeratunga in the supply of small arms to pro-Russian Ukranian rebels. Alleging that Weeratunga had been involved with rebels during the previous UPFA administration, sources said that Minister Mangala Samaraweera on Tuesday more..

Apr 23 (CT) Northern Provincial Councillor, M.K. Sivajilingam emphasized that it is only through the efforts of the international community that the political problems of the Tamils in the North and East could be solved. He has drafted a resolution to be submitted at the upcoming sittings of the NPC on 30 April. "The international community and the UN should be invited to solve the ethnic issue in Sri Lanka," he said. Although his resolution was submitted at the council in May 2014, more..

Apr 23 (CT) Two persons have been arrested in connection with the murder of a 44-year-old woman, whose body was found at St. Peter's College, Bambalapitiya on Sunday. ASP Ruwan Gunasekara said that investigations have revealed that the suspects had been present at the school premises on the day of the incident. "The victim had been involved in a romantic relationship with one of the suspects. The other suspect is a member of the school security team," he added. more..

Apr 23 (CT) Former President of Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC), Thilanga Sumathipala, says the onus is on minister of sports Navin Dissanayake to explain to the people the real reasons behind his move to appoint an interim committee to oversee the country's most popular sport. "I think the minister of sports has to clear the air on the issue of the formation of the interim committee," Sumathipala, the UPFA MP, told reporters more..

Apr 23 (MT) Senior monks at U Khandi Monastery in Mandalay said the visit was being organised at the request of officials in Sri Lanka, including the country’s ambassador to Myanmar. The relics will leave Myanmar on April 28 and be taken to 10 cities in Sri Lanka. The tour will be broadcast live on the country’s Buddhism-focused television channel, said U Ardicca, the abbot of the monastery, which is located at the base of Mandalay Hill. The visit is likely to be reciprocal, more..

Apr 23 (Island) Uva Chief Minister Harin Fernando and a close relative of his identified as Maheel Fernando are believed to have exchanged blows at a club in the Kollupitiya police area yesterday afternoon. Informed sources said they had clashed over some disparaging remarks allegedly made by Maheel Fernando on President Maithripala Sirisena and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe. Sources said that both had received treatment at private hospitals. more..

Apr 23 (DN) It would be a testing challenge for President Maithripala Sirisena and PM Ranil Wickremesinghe to ensure good governance in the country for many politicians are not honest, DP Leader Field Marshal Sarath Fonseka said. He was addressing a public gathering at Samoda Reception Hall at Dangedara, Galle recently to educate the people on the future programme of the party. more..

Apr 23 (EN) Former president Mahinda Rajapaksa Wednesday accused the new govt of spying on his family and said his own security chief and even his food taster had betrayed him. Rajapaksa said his security unit headed by Senior DIG S. M. Wickramasinghe had been passing on information about his activities to political opponents in the run up to the Jan 8 election that he lost. "The PSD and the head of the PSD has been (figuratively) cutting my neck (bella kapuwa)," more..

Apr 23 (FT) The Police Financial Crime Division yesterday further questioned former Secretary to the President Lalith Weeratunga in connection with certain past dealings at the Telecommunication and Regulatory Commission (TRC). The then Secretary to the former President Lalith Weeratunga functioned as the Chairman of the TRC. The Financial Crime Division questioned Weeratunga on a previous occasion as well over the misplacement of a fleet of vehicles more..

Apr 23 (ENS) Sri Lankan govt has taken what is described as a historic decision to give each of the 200,000 families of Indian Origin Tamil workers in the island’s plantations, seven perches or 1,900 sq ft of land with ownership documents. “It is a historic decision as this is for the first time in the 200-year history of the Indian Origin Tamil plantation workers in Lanka, that they will be getting land with ownership rights and proper documents,” more..

Apr 23 (GDI) Exotic Sri Lanka, the resplendent home of the famous Ceylon sapphire, will host the world’s most prestigious gemstone gathering, the 16th bi-annual Congress of the International Colored Gemstone Association in Colombo from May 16 to 19, 2015 at the Cinnamon Grand Hotel. Over 400 global members of the International Coloured Gemstone Association including the President of the Association Benjamin Hackman are scheduled to participate in Congress. more..

Apr 23 (PTI) Cabinet today gave ex-post-facto approval to RBI's agreement with the Central Bank of Sri Lanka for extending USD 1.1 billion as a special/ad-hoc currency swap, which will help the island nation to deal with currency volatility and promote trade. This agreement will be outside the Framework on Currency Swap Arrangement for SAARC Member Countries, said an official statement after the meeting of the Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. more..

Apr 23 (Island) The Financial Crimes Investigation Division (FCID) yesterday evening arrested former Economic Development Minister Basil Rajapaksa over alleged misappropriation of Divineguma funds. The police took him into custody after having recorded his statement at FCID, Kollupitiya. The former minister returned to the country on Tuesday afternoon from the US after FCID sought a statement from him. more..

Apr 23 (DM) Amidst the Avurudu festivities and resultant hangovers, there is at least one item of bad news. Our economic growth forecasts have been downgraded for the second time. Now the World Bank says the economy would grow at 6.9% this year due to the slowing down of the mega construction activities initiated by the previous regime. Earlier, the ADB downgraded economic forecasts from an earlier 85 to 7%, also citing the current political climate. more..

Apr 23 (CT) 'In politics there are no permanent friends or enemies, only permanent interests.' Our lead story yesterday said that President and SLFP Leader Maithripala Sirisena is expected to meet his bete noire, former President and SLFP Leader Mahinda Rajapaksa in a bid to heal the rift within the ranks of the SLFP due to the acrimony that exists between the two. No date has however, been fixed for this proposed meeting. The meet is to be arranged after the pro Sirisena SLFP group more..

Apr 23 (CT) A group of Jaffna students who are following aviation studies have appealed to the Indian Govt to build an international airport in Jaffna. The 30 students who are currently on a study tour in Tamil Nadu in an interview with 'Vikatan', a leading Tamil magazine in the state have said that India must assist in building an international airport in Jaffna in order to have a prosperous aviation industry in South India. more..

Apr 23 (SL) Following our exposé last week that the Department of Motor Traffic together with a powerful politician in the previous regime was involved in a number plate racket that cost the country a colossal amount of money, startling revelations have now come to the fore that the same department was involved in smart card driving licence scam to please a higher official attached to the Presidential Secretariat in the more..

Apr 23 (CG) The TULF today urged the Govt to introduce a Bill of Rights as found in the South African constitution. TULF General Secretary V. Anandasangaree said that after a bloodless silent revolution, what is happening in the country today is thoroughly disappointing as it seems neither the 19th amendment nor the 20th amendment will get passed. “Creation of this situation will amount to total betrayal of more..

Apr 23 (eTN) The whale watching business is worth $2 billion but unfortunately successive policy makers have not focused on the development of this market just like the cruise Business said Chairman Sri Lanka tourism promotions bureau Rohantha Athukorala at the unique partnership between Sri Lanka tourism and Sri Lanka airlines sponsored whale watching workshop. more..