June 16 (DM) Dedicated UNP supporters loathe Arjuna Mahendran, as much as Mervyn Silva was by SLFP’s rank and file; both were retained in office notwithstanding a clamour for removal that was rejected; lead to shock and awe among supporters loyal to UNP. An elected (Mervyn) and an appointed (Mahendran) make a difference, but is minimal. It is a leadership issue of a personal nature. more..

June 16 (Island) Epidemiology Unit (EU) yesterday revealed that 2,003 cases of leptospirosis better known as rat fever had been reported from January to the beginning of this week. The EU said that from January to May 31st this year 1,906 cases had been reported. Last year and in 2014 the numbers reported during the corresponding periods were 1,764 and 1,044 respectively. The EU website revealed that the highest number (636) had been reported in the month of January this year. more..

June 16 (CT) The erosion of the legal system means the erosion of the foundation of our nation. This erosion has today gone to the extent of shaking the very moral and ethical foundation of our society. As a person learned in the law, you know what this means. It means that our very existence as a civilised society is deeply in peril. Once this process is set in, there are can be only be two alternative outcomes: either the process will be stopped or we will face ever deepening collapse of more..

June 16 (Reuters) Sri Lankan shares fell 1 percent on Thursday to hit their lowest closing level in more than seven weeks as concerns over a govt decision to reintroduce capital gains tax kept investors on the sidelines. Investor sentiment also took a hit on continued foreign fund outflows and rising interest rates, dealers said. Sri Lanka's cabinet approved a proposal to reintroduce a capital gains tax on Wednesday, especially on land sales, with a cabinet spokesman saying more..

June 16 (CT) Every now and then, our so-called elected public representatives tend to make imbecilic decisions in the name of their service towards the society. Last week it was the fund allocation of Rs 1.175 billion for 32 duty-free cars for the use of 30 ministers, deputy ministers and state ministers which was justified as "We are buying cars because the roads are bad and we need cars to do our jobs." As if the rest of the country, the general public, do not use the same roads and more..

June 16 (DM) There’s a term that even those who use it at every turn these days hadn’t heard or understood not too long ago. Yahapalanaya or Good Governance. There’s another word that is now being used a lot which was almost unheard of and which, even now, is not quite understood: bonds. Regardless of familiarity or knowledge there are certain definitive statements that can be made of both. more..

June 16 (CT) Teachers will file a case in the Supreme Court if the Govt does not give acceptable solutions regarding the salary anomalies between principals and teachers within two weeks, said the All Ceylon Graduate Teachers Association General Secretary E.M.J.S. De Seram. De Seram further added that, "Even after 21 years we have not been able to receive an acceptable solution regarding this issue. In the circular to increase the salaries of teachers and principals which more..

June 16 (Island) Owners and administration of plantations could not cite losses as the reason for not paying their workers on time, giving due increments and providing other facilities including houses, Minister Kabir Hashim said on Tuesday. Plantation managemetns were responsible for the losses, the minister told a meeting with heads of the Elkaduwa Plantations, Janatha Estates Development Board and State Plantations Corporation at the auditorium of the Ministry. more..

June 16 (ENS) At the on-going session of the UNHRC in Geneva, the TNA will ask the Sri Lankan govt to implement the UNHRC resolution which it co-sponsored along with the United States in September-October 2015. “The Sri Lankan govt co-sponsored a resolution at the UNHRC which required it to take a number of measures. We will demand the implementation of that resolution,” said R. Sampanthan, more..

June 16 (Island) Ten dangerous crocodiles in Menik River in Kataragama had been caught by the Department of Wildlife Conservation (DWC) and released to the Mau Ara in Udawalawa, Deputy Minister Sumeda G. Jayasena said. Around 30 dangerous crocodiles were believed to be there in the Menik Ganga near the Gate No. 01, she said. The operation to capture crocodile was led by a group of wildlife officers led by Uva, Central Wildlife Veterinary W. A. Dharmakeerthi. more..

June 16 (Island) Labour and Trade Union Relations Minister W.D.J. Seneviratne gave an undertaking to the 105th sessions of the International Labour Organisation in Geneva last Thursday (9) that Sri Lanka as a constituent member would make every endeavour to be an active partner of ILO in achieving its anticipated goals. The text of the Minister's speech: Reading the Report of the Director General, for 105th session, 2016, I was impressed that it addresses a theme of more..

June 16 (DM) Minister Sarath Amunugama said today the govt has decided to impose the 15% VAT increase on liquor and cigarettes and to remove VAT on all medical tests and dialysis. He said VAT imposed on international air tickets would also be removed while the VAT on domestic air tickets would not be changed. Dr. Amunugama said this was decided at the Economic Committee meeting yesterday and more..

June 16 (DM) As part of his austere style of governance, incoming Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte plans to replace luxury sedans with cheaper cars for cabinet members. Duterte identified the Toyota Avanza MPV as the official vehicle that will transport most senior members of his administration. Speaking at a forum with media members on Tuesday, designated House Speaker, Rep. Pantaleon Alvarez, said Duterte wants the Avanza, as it was the cheapest. more..

June 16 (AD) Another six or seven members of the Joint Opposition are expected to join the govt in the near future, State Minister Palitha Range Bandara said. He said that the so called Joint Opposition is now slowly dissolving. Speaking regarding the protests planned by the Joint Opposition against the extending of Arjuna Mahendran’s term as the Central Bank governor, he said that an individual cannot be removed if the accusations against him are not proven. more..

June 16 (PTI) India-Sri Lanka relations have moved ahead from "being focussed on the past" after President Sirisena took over from his predecessor Mahinda Rajapaksa in Jan 2015, the Indian envoy said. Indian High Commissioner YK Sinha said bilateral ties have become robust and entered a new phase with highest-level engagements. Recalling a flurry of high-level visits between the two South Asian neighbours across Palk Strait, more..

June 16 (CT) Amid widespread calls for the removal of Central Bank Governor Arjuna Mahendran, moves are underway to affect a restructuring of the institution in order to neutralize opposition and pave the way for his contract to be renewed, Colombo Telegraph learns. Accordingly, Cabinet is set to move the Public Debt Department, Exchange Control and control over secondary markets outside the purview of Central Bank and place them directly under the Ministry of Finance. more..

June 16 (CG) Harim Peiris was appointed as an Advisor to the Minister of Foreign Affairs Mangala Samaraweera. Peiris revived his official letter of appointment from Foreign Minister. Peiris is also SL’s Point of Contact for the Open Govt Partnership (OGP). Peiris previously served as the official Presidential Spokesperson for former President Chandrika Kumaratunga, as Chairman of SL Rupavahini Corporation and as Director General for Relief, Rehabilitation & Reconciliation, more..

June 16 (JT) Amid a proliferation of development deals in Sri Lanka, former President Mahinda Rajapaksa says his country and Japan could work on more projects together, including hospitals and highways. “I believe that the infrastructure projects are very important for Sri Lanka after the war,” Rajapaksa said in Tokyo. “Everybody started giving to us. So we took it. But Japan also helped us a lot.” more..

June 16 (Island) The management of a university was the responsibility of the Vice Chancellor and the Council and if the VC and the council were unable to put an end to ragging they should resign, said Higher Education and Highways Minister Lakshman Kiriella. Addressing the media after attending a ceremony at Pushpadana Girls’ College, Minister said that ragging in the Universities and some higher education institutions was a very serious problem. There should be an end to the evil. more..

June 16 (CT) A senior official of the Finance Ministry has expressed shock over Minister Ravi Karunanayake’s ignorance over the alleged scam, which has resulted in the country, and the Finance Ministry suffering direct losses amounting to millions of rupees. In an interview on aired on Sirasa TV on Monday, Karunanayake appeared to be unaware of the loss caused by the Bond issuance, when he asked what was the loss to the govt as a result of the Bond deal of Feb 2015? more..

June 16 (DM) SLC which is pressing for disciplinary action against Kithuruwan Vithanage and Ramith Rambukwella over their late night brawl with a group of people at a hotel in Battaramulla has received strong resistance from a group people within the cricket executive committee. Vithanage & Rambukwella were both named in SL A squad for the forthcoming series against England but SLC wanted both to be withdrawn more..

June 16 (CG) Sri Lanka has formally reapplied to obtain the GSP plus trade concession from the European Union (EU). Deputy Foreign Minister Dr. Harsha de Silva, who is currently in London said that Sri Lanka hopes Britain will remain in the EU as almost 40% of Sri Lanka’s exports to the EU is to the UK. While in London Dr. Harsha de Silva addressed a group of over 200 Sri Lankan British community leaders on why the Govt believes the UK should Stay in the EU. more..

June 16 (DM) Former Western Province Senior DIG Anura Senanayake, who was arrested in connection with the death of Wasim Thajudeen, was admitted to the Sri J'pura Hospital for medical treatment. Prisons spokesman T.N. Upuldeniya said Mr. Senanayake was admitted on Wednesday night and would be warded there for three days under security. On an earlier occasion Court had ordered him to undergo a medical exam and this had led to him being hospitalized for further exam. more..

June 16 (CG) TNA MP M A Sumanthiran met the UN High Commissioner for Human Right Zeid Al-Hussein today and discussed concerns raised by Tamils. The meeting comes as Zeid prepares to make an oral update on Sri Lanka at the ongoing 32nd session of the UNHRC in Geneva. Zeid Ra’ad had said earlier this week that there needs to be inclusive and meaningful engagement of all Sri Lankans more..

June 16 (DM) The All Ceylon Private Bus Association (ACPBA) threatened to stop operating buses in case the bus fares were not increased from July 1 in keeping with the agreement with the National Transport Commission (NTC). The ACPBA Secretary Anjana Priyanjith said they were calling for the minimum bus fares to be increased by Rs.2 while the other fares to be increased by 15%. “We do not anticipate any bus fare revision during this year because of the inefficiency of the NTC more..

June 16 (Xinhua) Ministry of Health on Thursday launched a lightning dengue eradication program as the number of dengue patients rose to over 18,000 with 24 people reported dead. The army, police and health officials will be deployed from Thursday to take action against dengue breeding grounds. Measures will be taken to eliminate dengue mosquito breeding grounds and file legal action against the owners of property where dengue mosquito breeding grounds are found. more..

June 16 (DM) SLFP Vice-President Minister Sarath Amunugama today said the party had unanimously decided to make a request to party Chairman and President Maithripala Sirisena, not to reappoint Central Bank Governor Arjuna Mahendran. Addressing a news conference, he said they had decided that it would be in the best interest of the party, the country and the govt if Mr. Mahendran was not reappointed. more..

June 17 (CT) The process has started and is moving fairly swiftly but it has certain knotty issues and I want to highlight one or two of those. Sri Lanka has been ruled by a simple majoritarian rule. That is the system of government. And when you have permanent majorities and permanent minorities in numbers that can always lead to oppression and that is what happened in Sri Lanka. Speech by M.A. Sumanthiran – Congressional caucus briefing 14th June 2015: more..

June 17 (GV) Editor’s note: This is a direct translation of chapter 5 of Thamilini Jayakumarans’ book Under the shadow of a sword. This book is a reflection of real life experience of a female combatant in a brutal war. The launch of the book was wracked with controversy, with local politicians, including the TNA, electing not to attend the event. This was probably due to the revelations Thamilini made in her autobiography, including alleging cooperation between the TNA and the LTTE. more..

June 17 (FT) “For the first time Sri Lanka is witnessing the broadest possible coalition, but it is unable to work in terms of clear policy,” said former Minister Rohitha Bogollagama. “The Govt is there to govern, not to revise its own trajectory of development,” Bogollagama pointed out. He also condemned Govt’s decision on agreeing for a UN resolution against its own country. “It would have been dealt with as we agreed at that stage. more..

June 17 (CT) Veteran trade unionist turned politician Seyed Ahmed Seyed Alavi Moulana who passed away during the holy month of Ramadhan on Wednesday 15 June 2016 was buried at the Dehiwala Burial ground following day. Discussing about Moulana a friend of mine Tilak Jayasingha, Sri Lanka’s former Ambassador to Palestine, reminded me that his uncle, Communist Party Trade Union Leader M.G. Mendis who later became Ratgama MP, time and again used to say that; more..

June 17 (Island) Two rebels went the way of all flesh on Wednesday. They were poles apart. One had been actively involved in two bloody, abortive uprisings to overthrow democratically elected govts. However, the sobering politico-economic reality and advancing age had a somewhat mellowing effect on his revolutionary ideology towards the latter stages of his eventful life. Somawansa Amerasinghe was his name. Sadly, Somawansa died disillusioned and disappointed, unable to accomplish more..

June 17 (SL) JVP North Western Provincial Councillor and National Organizer of the ACFF/ACPU, Namal Karunaratne is of the view that even this govt has cut deals with the very people who they claimed were corrupt during the past regime. He said that although investigations have commenced, so far the govt has done nothing to punish those responsible. Govt has failed in all their promises that were made to the people more..

June 17 (CT) Freddy Gamage was a Trotskyite and a member of the Nava Sama Samaja Party, the Sri Lankan section of the Fourth International, some time ago. It is not a surprise because many human rights fighters in this country have one time or other been members of the NSSP. This applies to Dr. Nimalka Fernando, Britto Fernando and Sudarsana Gunawardena et al. All of them were victims of the oppressive bourgeois State or the thuggery let loose by corrupt chauvinist regional petty lords. more..

June 17 (SO) Sri Lanka's biggest fire in recent years raged on June 5, 2016. On that black Sunday, heavy artillery guns, small arms, and various explosives in the ammunition storage at the Sri Lanka Army Camp at Salawa, Kosgama, went up in flames. Force of the explosions scattered the shattered pieces of leaded metal to surrounding villages as far as 5 km away, and, with them, shattered the dreams and hopes of residents in the area. Rescue work began even as the flames were licking the skies. more..

June 17 (SL) Although the entire idea of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) is not popular and well known amongst SL general public, SMEs being the most common businesses that play a major role throughout the world especially in developing countries, contribute a lot for the national income. Meanwhile, encouraging the spirits of the people and enhancing the budding entrepreneurs of grass -roots levels to come up with their own innovative ideas to make a living on their own. more..

June 17 (FT) The world’s smallest PC –ASUS VivoStick PC has been introduced to the local market via its agents EPSI Technology Ltd. ASUS announced the international release of ASUS VivoStick in April and roll out in Sri Lanka comes in just two months. The PC in hand whenever or wherever it is neededis designed to make a big impact both in terms of performance and aesthetic. VivoStick is a pocket-sized PC that turns any HDMI display or TV into a Windows PC or smart TV more..

June 17 (FT) PM Ranil Wickremesinghe shared his vision for Sri Lanka while unfolding investment and business opportunities to a group of high profile Pan Asia family companies linked to the world’s largest network of global business leaders. PM pitched for Sri Lanka in a keynote followed by an interactive session at the year-end networking meeting of Pan Asia Chapter of Young Presidents Org (YPO) more..