Jan 27 (CT) It has come to light that the delay in arresting the suspects charged for the theft of 3,322 weapons from the Rakna Araksha Lanka weapons store was due to a snag at the Attorney General's Department in issuing directives to the CID. This was revealed when Colombo Chief Magistrate Gihan Pilapitiya on Monday questioned the CID as to why there was a delay in arresting the suspects. CID officials informed Court that already a detailed investigation had been carried out more..

Jan 27 (Island) Navy Commander Vice Admiral Ravindra Wijegunaratne said visiting warships like INS Vikramaditya provided the Sri Lanka Navy with an opportunity for training. The Navy Commander was addressing the media regarding the visit of INS Vikramaditya at the Defence Ministry Auditorium. Defence Secretary Karunasena Hettiarachchi was also present. Vice Admiral Wijegunaratne said that on completion of their 4-day visit, Indian naval aircraft carriers INS Vikramaditya and more..

Jan 27 (CT) Sri Lanka is an interesting country. Its currency, the rupee has been depreciating for a while. Minister Ravi Karunanayake, it seems was convinced that rupee was depreciating due to depleting foreign reserve levels. So, the obvious common-sense solution was to boost foreign reserves. He did find an innovative solution. He got a rich Belgian man to deposit US$ 1 billion in Sri Lanka – And as a result official foreign reserves were increased by one billion dollars. more..

Jan 27 (Reuters) Sri Lankan stocks fell for a third straight session on Wednesday to a one-week closing low amid foreign outflow as investors worried over volatile global markets and rising returns on risk-free assets. The main stock index ended 0.1%, or 6.41 points, lower at 6,316.46, the lowest close since Jan. 20. "Even though market is still on a falling trend, there could be bounce back with the start of the earnings season and after the recent sharp fall," said Dimantha Mathew, more..

Jan 27 (DM) Lawyers for former Chief Justice Shirani Bandaranayake appeared before the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption in connection with the ongoing case against Ms. Bandaranayake. Group of lawyers appeared before the Commission to make a presentation on behalf of Ms. Bandaranayake relating to the case on non-declaration of assets by her. On Jan 21, Colombo Chief Magistrate more..

Jan 27 (AD) Chief Prelate of the Asgiri Chapter of the Siam Sect, Most Venerable Galagama Sri Aththadassi Thero, says that the Maha Sangha acted in a sacrificial manner during times perilous to the country and the people. The senior Buddhist leader made these comments during a meeting with Minister A.H.M. Fowzie, in Kandy this morning . Thero further said that the General Secretary of the Bodu Bala Sena organization, Ven. Galagoda Aththe Gnanasara Thero, has been remanded and more..

Jan 27 (DN) Colombo High Court today issued summons for former Minister Rohitha Abeygunawardena to appear before Court on May 4 in connection with an indictment filed against him for the unlawful acquisition of assets estimated at Rs.41.1 million. Colombo High Court Judge Manilal Waidyatilleka made this order for the purpose of serving indictment against former Minister on the next calling date. Director General of the CIABOC had filed an indictment in Colombo HC more..

Jan 27 (HRW) Sri Lanka’s govt, elected in January 2015, ended the pervasive culture of surveillance and censorship and embarked on reforms aimed to undo years of increasingly authoritarian rule, Human Rights Watch said today in its World Report 2016. While it opened dialogues both domestically and abroad, the govt still faces key concerns, including wartime accountability and prolonged detention without trial. more..

Jan 27 (AJ) Tea is the most consumed beverage in the world after water. But the drink, which is the mainstay of many cultures, is subject to the same volatile market forces as oil or gold. Sri Lanka is the world’s fourth largest exporter of tea, behind China, India and Kenya, and relies on the industry to employ formally and informally one million of it’s 20.6 million people, according to the Sri Lanka Tea Board. Tea accounts for 17% of Sri Lanka’s exports. Largest importer of Ceylon tea is Russia more..

Jan 27 (E24|7) A Sri Lankan housemaid killed her Filipina colleague by severely beating her up following a heated argument at their employer’s house in Fujairah. Police opened an investigation after the Filipina was brought dead to hospital and doctors said the death was a result of beating. SL maid later confessed to beating her colleague after an argument about work at their employer’s house. “Filipina was brought dead to the hospital and examination showed she had bruises all over more..

Jan 27 (USE) Embassy of United States of America officially opened the newly renovated American Corner at the D.S. Senanayake Memorial Public Library in Kandy Jan 26. Senior U.S. Department of State official Macon Phillips, Coordinator for the Bureau of International Information Programs (IIP), joined the Mayor of Kandy Sena Dissanayake at the ceremony. "This is an exciting moment for the people of Kandy more..

Jan 27 (CT) “This may be a last opportunity to defeat divisive and extremist forces in different parts of our country, and work towards a just society and a sustainable environment of peace, security and prosperity for all our people.” says the Friday Forum. Friday Forum said; “While discussions on a political solution have focused on devolution and power sharing with the provinces, our statement puts forward for our fellow citizens and MPs some principles and ideas that we think are more..

Jan 27 (EN) Chartered Accountant Lasantha Wickremasinghe was inducted as the 23rd President of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Sri Lanka (CA Sri Lanka) on Tuesday. Wickremasinghe, a fellow member of CA Sri Lanka, counts for 20 years of experience and is a Partner at B.R. De Silva & Co. Chartered Accountants. He has served in the CA Sri Lanka Council since 2006, and prior to his induction as President, was Vice President from 2014 to 2015, a statement said. more..

Jan 27 (ENS) IRCON International, Indian Railways’ construction company, is awaiting SL govt’s nod to execute US$ 468 million worth of railway construction projects in SL, company’s outgoing country representative, Shyam Lal Gupta, said. Out of the US$ 468 million, US$ 150 million is the unspent part the earlier Indian Line of Credit of US$ 800 million, and US$ 318 million is the amount pledged by India’s PM Narendra Modi when more..

Jan 27 (AD) Batticaloa Magistrate today further remanded former Eastern Province Chief Minister S Chandrakanthan alias Pillayan, who was arrested in connection with the murder of ex-MP Joseph Pararajasingham, until Feb 10. The suspect was further remanded when the case was taken up for hearing before the Batticaloa Magistrate today. Pillayan was arrested on October 11 when he arrived at the CID to give a statement in connection with the assassination of late Tamil politician, more..

Jan 27 (EN) Emirates Airline said it plans to introduce an additional daily service between Dubai and Colombo increasing the frequency to Sri Lanka to five flights a day. Effective 1st August 2016, Emirates will operate five daily flights between Dubai and Colombo every day except Wednesdays when it will operate four flights, said the Dubai-based airline, the world's biggest long-haul carrier. The additional frequency will enhance the weekly services on the route to 34. more..

Jan 27 (CG) Govt today said it will brief Parliament on the alleged offshore accounts of former President Mahinda Rajapaksa. Minister Lakshman Kiriella said that PM will need some time to gather the information related to the accounts in order to brief Parliament. He was responding to a question raised by JVP leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake on statements made recently by minister Rajitha Senaratne on the alleged more..

Jan 27 (Island) Immediate Past President of Bar Association, Upul Jayasuriya condemned the conduct of Ven Gnanasara Thera at Homagama Magistrate Court on Monday. He urged all lawyers to protest against monk’s misconduct which had caused an affront to the judiciary. Jayasuriya blamed former President Rajapaksa for having called for freeing political prisoners in connection with the disappearance of journalist Ekneligoda and Ven Gnanasara has taken a cue from Rajapaksa. more..

Jan 27 (EN) Sri Lanka is expecting a record rice production of 2.93 million metric tonnes in the current major cropping season (Maha) up 7% from the average over the last three years, forecasters have said. The Department of Agriculture at the University of Peradeniya said up to December 2015 769,000 hactares of paddy had already been sown, which was 5% higher than the average of the last three years. This was 92% of the targeted 838,142 hectares targeted fro this year. more..

Jan 27 (AM) Responding to Minister Daya Gamage's recent comments on appropriation of lands for the Veras Ganga Project in Boralesgamuwa, Minister Champika Ranawaka said that he will not let anyone interfere with the Megapolis Plan irrespective of their position and powers. Ranawaka said that he will not be intimidated by those who have power of ministerial positions, financial capability or the media. more..

Jan 27 (Island) A draft report on the identified landslide prone area along the proposed Central Expressway from Colombo-Kandy had already been sent to National Building Research Organisation (NBRO), Road Development Authority (RDA) said. RDA Central Expressway Project Officer L.H. Weerakoon said that the authority had conducted a reconnaissance survey of the entire stretch to identify landslide prone areas along the proposed expressway trace and it had identified only more..

Jan 27 (GDI) The Asian Development Bank has decided to increase financial assistance to Sri Lanka for development activities. Accordingly, ADB has agreed to provide 1 billion US dollars to Sri Lanka for the year 2017. This agreement has been arrived at a meeting held between Minister Ravi Karunanayake and Executive Director of ADB Won-Mok Choi at the Parliamentary complex Tuesday. The concessionary loan is due to cover development activities in several sectors. more..

Jan 27 (EN) SL court today ordered the immediate arrest of officers and constables involved in the storming of a party and causing a death that triggered widespread anger against the police as well as the govt. Embilipitiya magistrate Prasanna Fernando ordered the arrest of 22 police following an outcry over footage showing officers assaulting revellers at a party where one man allegedly thrown to his death through a second floor door. more..

Jan 27 (CG) Sri Lanka is on par with China in the Corruption Perceptions Index 2015 released today by Transparency International. Both Sri Lanka and China are ranked 83 with scores of 37 each. Denmark took the top spot for the 2nd year running, with North Korea and Somalia the worst performers, scoring just 8 points each. Transparency International noted that in places like Guatemala, Sri Lanka and Ghana, citizen activists in groups and on their own worked hard to drive out more..

Jan 27 (ST) The names of Manjula Kumara and Sudesh Peiris have been nominated to the National Olympic Committee (NOC) to lead the Sri Lankan contingent for the upcoming South Asian Games (SAG) to be held in Shilon, India. Executive Committee of the NOC was due to sit for a meeting on Monday to finalise the appointment of the captain to the touring party of Sri Lanka for the SAG. The NOC has officially informed its affiliated sports governing bodies, who are taking part at more..

Jan 27 (AD) Any calls have not been made to the police emergency number 119 by the area residents of Embilipitiya as claimed by the police media Spokesman on the night of 4 Jan, Minister of Law and Order Sagala Ratnayake says. Earlier, police Spokesman Ruwan Gunasekara said that a police patrolling team was dispatched to the location that day due to an emergency call made by an area resident. more..

Jan 28 (GV) On the 21st of Jan 2016 the Daily News published Wariyapola Hit by HIV – a news report outlining that “The Kurunegala district has the second largest number of HIV infected cases among all districts in the country and of them, the majority has been reported from Wariyapola.” The article was apparently the result of an Awareness Programme conducted by consultant Aruna Ratnamalala of the Wariyapola MOH Office at the Minuwangoda Bodhirukkarama Viharaya. more..

Jan 28 (CT) This expose` is sequel to an earlier expose` of the International Centre for Ethnic Studies (ICES), Colombo, Sri Lanka, published online in Colombo Telegraph on January 17, 2016. While the previous expose` revealed the process of research fraud committed by the ICES on an on-going research and advocacy project (Growth and Economic Opportunities for Women – GrOW Sri Lanka) funded jointly by the Department for International Development (DfID, UK), more..

Jan 28 (SO) A Theravada Bhikkhu Kathikawatha Bill, proved elusive for the past few decades, is back in the spotlight with the National Unity Govt presenting to Parliament, a Bhikkhu Kathikawatha Bill, drafted with the advice and guidance of the Maha Sangha. The Bill seeks to formulate a code of conduct for Bhikkhus with provisions for imposing penalties and punishment on errant members. more..

Jan 28 (SL) When one sees what is going on in the matter of endless parades of prominent and not so prominent people to the multiplicity of investigating/inquiring bodies set up by the Maithripala/Ranil (MR2) govt and the total absence of anything resembling prosecutions coming out of these investigations/inquiries, the question that I have posed as the heading of this column seems almost redundant. I have in the days that Mahinda Rajapaksa regime (MR1) ruled all of SL, more..

Jan 28 (GV) The conversation on Transitional Justice in Sri Lanka has hitherto focused almost exclusively on the govt’s stated commitments to establish an Office of Missing Persons, a judicial mechanism with a special prosecutor, a Truth Commission and a Office for Reparations. Unfortunately, this conversation does not address the question of security sector reform, which is a central component of Transitional Justice. OISL Report’s list of recommendations included more..

Jan 28 (CT) He started his career as a gentle medium pace bowler while concentrating more on variation, line and length. But in a short period of time Dushmantha Chameera has shot into the limelight to become Sri Lanka's main spearhead while exploiting his natural talent and fitness level to good effect. Q: Tell us about your current activities? A: I came back to the island a few days ago after a long tour and enjoyed more..

Jan 28 (CT) Politicians are wont to speak frankly on issues that ail them, particularly with regard to issues they feel should be prioritised in the interests of the country. Sure, there’s no such thing as a clean motive when it comes to them, but it is true that once in a while, they tend to slip up the truth, though conveniently hiding part of it under ideology-garb. Can’t help. With politicians, here and elsewhere, this is as timeless a truism as it’s going to get. Former president (and present head of a more..

Jan 28 (Island) Time was when the then President Chandrika Kumaratunga used to call Mahinda Rajapaksa reporter in her Cabinet. She thought he was responsible for the so-called Cabinet leaks. He has apparently lived up to that sobriquet all these years. After being ensconced in power as the executive president, he made the best use of his journalistic skills; he ran the state media to all intents and purposes! Now that he is free from presidential responsibilities and has a lot of time more..

Jan 28 (Island) Recently I went to have a hair cut at a saloon in Kurunegala and it was a disaster. I didn't feel safe when I saw how they used the same brushes, combs and even razors on children, adults and even women. It was a saloon in the heart of the city with no supervision by authorities. When I inquired from a friend, he responded "But, who is going to supervise the authorities? It's a case of lawlessness in once ancient city and ordinary people are becoming more and more helpless" more..

Jan 28 (EN) Sri Lanka has a ban and taxes on the import of tea, preventing domestic value addition for export, supposedly to protect a Ceylon Tea brand, while also taxing exports of raw produce of farmers including cinnamon, supposedly to boost domestic value addition. Both these positions cannot be true, since they are contradictory. Both these acts of coercion and repression are supposed to benefit farmers, or the country, either in the long-term or short term. more..

Jan 28 (HT) Indo-Lanka relations have not looked this strong in decades, but renewed ties hold little hope for Sri Lanka’s northern fishermen, whose livelihoods are in serious question because of their Indian counterparts. The new dynamic between the countries followed the dramatic regime change in Sri Lanka in Jan 2015. It was hard to miss South Block’s relief over the defeat of former president Mahinda Rajapaksa, more..

Jan 28 (CT) Sinha Le organization organized an Adhishtana Pooja recently opposite the Dalada Maligawa (Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic). The media reported that those present at this pooja carried a National Flag sans the symbols that signify the minorities in this country. Earlier, the distorted content of the National flag surfaced when former Defence Secretary, Gotabaya Rajapaksa was summoned before Bribery Commission. Those opposed to summoning of Gotabaya before more..