Mar 8 (Island) Minister Ravi Karunanayake told Parliament that neither he nor his predecessor former President Rajapaksa signed the controversial Gazette dated Jan 1, 2015 on the issuance of Treasury bonds. Minister said that Gazette Notification No. 1895/19 had not been referred to Finance Ministry contrary to the standard practice. It had been signed by Public Debt Superintendent and sent to Govt Printer. more..

Mar 8 (FT) My attention had been brought to a newspaper article published in your newspaper on the 20 February under the heading CID cracks journalist Keith Noyar’s abduction and assault case. According to the said newspaper article, reference had been made to myself and several other lawyers with an alleged precise details of a purported meeting/consultation ought to have been convened by the former Secretary of Defence Gotabaya Rajapaksa. more..

Mar 8 (DM) Colombo Additional Magistrate Jeyaram Trotsky permitted actress Aksha Sudari to travel abroad. She was alleged to have defrauded an Indian businessman of Rs.142 million. The CID had earlier told Court that the extracts of the case had been sent to the Attorney General for his advice. In May 2015, businessman Gopiraj Kavalangil Vadakkepatt had in a complaint to the CID said Ms. Sudarai had defrauded him in a business transaction. The case was put off for June 29. more..

Mar 8 (DM) Minister Sarath Fonseka said the President, Army Chief and members of the armed services and all other citizens in the country should be under the country’s law and there is no need to have any separate investigation boards as MP Ven. Athuraliye Rathana Thera had suggested. He said no one is above the county’s law. Referring to the statement made by the Thera, he said it is not fair to make such statements by the Thera. more..

Mar 8 (Island) Nipuna Ranamanayake, the former student of SLIIT, Malabe, testified as the first witness in the Colombo High Court trial against the former DIG Vass Gunewardena, his wife Shamali, son Ravindu and five police officers. These eight accused persons have been indicted with the abduction, illegal custody and brutal assault of Ramanayake. They were read out the 13 charges against them. They pleaded not guilty and were subjected to the High Court trial more..

Mar 8 (FT) Public Enterprise Development Deputy Minister Eran Wickramaratne last week said developing strategies and mechanisms was crucial for effective implementation of women’s issues and emphasised the need for greater priority to be given to improving gender parity and women’s representation in decision-making at all levels of governance. Wickramaratne said that there was not enough being done to improve implementation, particularly in relation to donor funds. more..

Mar 8 (Island) Superintendent of Public Debt Department of CB said the govt was facing an uphill task in paying back the money it had taken via the treasury bonds and it found it extremely difficult to pay it back at once. Giving evidence before Presidential Commission, T.H.B. Sarathchandra said CB officials had held discussions with CB Governor and taken steps to explain the situation to Treasury Secretary. more..

Mar 8 (UNPFA) SL’s female labour force participation is declining. In 2006, females constituted 39.5% of the working force, where as in 2014, it has come down to 36.3%. In response to this socio-economic issue, it is imperative that organizations continuously review corporate policies to instill an organizational culture that is conducive towards its female employees. Shifting corporate culture is a long-term process that involves addressing day-to-day biases, more..

Mar 8 (ENS) “We want Britjo to be the last fisherman to die at the hands of SL navy,” cries the 21-year-old’s uncle S John. Britjo Hemeles fell to a bullet allegedly fired by SL navy during a mid-sea chase in the wee hours of Tuesday. The death, seen in the backdrop of a sudden spike in the number of arrests, triggered widespread protests, bringing together fishermen in their moment of collective grief. The fishermen congregated at Thangachimadam, the native of Britjo, more..

Mar 8 (Island) The govt presented a supplementary estimate to Parliament seeking the approval of the House for a sum of Rs 494,962,790 to purchase vehicles for seven ministers, three state ministers and a deputy minister. It seeks the approval for Rs 42,600,000 to purchase a vehicle for Minister of Special Assignments, Rs 42,000,000 for a vehicle for Minister of Telecom and Digital Infrastructure, Rs 86,000,000 to purchase more..

Mar 8 (DM) The suspect identified as Tilan who was originally arrested in connection with the shooting at SAITM CEO Samira Senaratne's vehicle had revealed that an interested group had offered him Rs.500, 000 if he accepted the responsibility for the shooting, Minister Sagala Ratnayake told Parliament. Responding to a question asked by Chief Opposition Whip Anura Kumara Dissanayake on an earlier date, minister said two more suspects -- Lakshan Wilathgamuwa, more..

Mar 8 (ENS) Tensions in the Palk Strait, that have been on the rise in recent days, was brought to a boil after a young fisherman from Ramanathapuram, was shot dead, allegedly by SL navy personnel, on Monday night. Britjo Hemeles (21) sustained fatal injuries to his neck that killed him before the others could bring him to shore. Another fisherman who was on the boat, Jeron Dhasan, suffered injuries to his hand, and is now undergoing treatment at a govt hospital in Ramanathapuram. more..

Mar 8 (FT) Attorney General has recommended the recovery of losses by the Govt if any from the related parties as a result of the controversial bond issuance. Attorney General was replying a letter received from Parliament seeking guidance and necessary action for the COPE report. In his letter to the Parliament, Attorney General has mentioned the steps taken in response to advice sought by the Secretary to the PM. more..

Mar 8 (DM) Today is International Women’s Day. The theme of this year’s Women’s Day is, Be bold for change a motto many might accept as appropriate. However, it is not clear whether the meaning of the motto is universally and uniformly understood at least by women’s organisations. Himalayan Times of Nepal had carried out an interesting simple survey on whether the theme of this year’s International Women’s Day was uniformly grasped by men and women who were more..

Mar 8 (DM) As Sri Lanka gets placed, once again, on the UNHRC agenda this month, it is difficult to ignore the significant shifts -- internal and external -- that have taken place since Sri Lanka was last on the Council’s agenda in Sept 2015. Then, flush with victory and the confidence to champion reform, Sri Lankan Govt negotiated a finely-crafted resolution amid global plaudits. Back at home, the President was credited with what was termed an historic victory in Geneva. more..

Mar 8 (DM) Customs Central Investigation Bureau officers seized 3.5 million cigarette sticks valued at Rs. 193mn at Orugodawatte Rank Container Terminal (RCT) today, Customs Spokesman Dharmasena Kahandawa said. He said the 40-foot container including the contraband had been imported into the country from Indonesia and it had arrived at the Colombo Port on January 30 in the vessel Ever Diamond. more..

Mar 8 (DM) Will Ferroggiaro is a Washington (DC)-based consultant with more than 20 years experience working on freedom of expression, govt accountability, and human rights. He has worked on the right to information in countries around the world, including India, Japan, and South Africa, as well as the USA. For more than a decade, he headed the freedom of information project at the award-winning NGO more..

Mar 8 (ST) Law enforcement officers hunting for the perpetrators of last Monday’s deadly ambush of two prison buses in Ethanamadala, Kalutara concede it is one of the most meticulously planned and executed underworld operation. Police said they had identified five suspects directly involved in the attack, which left seven people, including alleged underworld kingpin Aruna Pathirana alias Samayan dead. more..

Mar 8 (DM) Sri Lanka Police in line with its 150th anniversary, which falls this year, launched its first ever e-service yesterday by introducing a facility to obtain Police Clearance Certificates online as a solution to the age old manual processing method. At a special event held at the Police Headquarters in Colombo, Police Chief Pujith Jayasundara launched the new web based service for obtaining clearance certificates online. more..

Mar 8 (Island) The SAITM in Malabe, has benefited from quality Russian education, says the country’s Ambassador to SL Alexander Karchava. Speaking on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of  diplomatic relations between Russia and Sri Lanka, Karchava said  that Professors from Nizhni Novgorod State Medical Academy (NNSMA), one of the most respected medical universities in Russia and around the world more..

Mar 8 (Island) Top member of Consultation Task Force on Reconciliation Mechanisms (CTFRM) Dr Paikiasothy Saravanamuttu has said that a new Office of the Missing Persons (OMP) Bill will be presented to Parliament soon. In response to a query, the founder Executive Director of CPA said that the civil society had been told of the govt decision to bring in new Bill to replace the one passed in August last year. more..

Mar 8 (DM) The TNA is reportedly divided over its stance on the move underway in the UNHRC to grant the Govt a two-year extension to implement the resolution adopted in 2015. Ten TNA MPs have signed a letter sent to the UNHRC asking it not to grant such an extension. However, TNA Leader R. Sampanthan was said to be opposed to the letter being sent to the UNHRC. In this view, Mr. Sampanthan is supported by more..

Mar 8 (SL) President Maithripala Sirisena has currently devoted much of his attention towards preventing narcotics use in the country. His mission was appreciated by the President of Seychelles, Danny Faure, who recently visited Sri Lanka to strengthen bilateral ties. During state discussions, the Seychelles President had extended his support to SL’s cause by offering intelligence exchanges and various other services. more..

Mar 8 (ANI) BJP leader Subramanian Swamy called on the Centre to take strong measures and collaborate with the SL Govt for allowing fishing in their region till the time the Indian side is re-populate with export quality sea-foods for the benefits of the fisherman. "The exports quality seafood is almost exhausted from the Indian side and the fishermen are now forced by their owners to cross the border for fishing in the SL areas. more..

Mar 8 (Island) The Joint Opposition (JO) wants the European Union to pressure the Sirisena-Wickremesinghe govt to hold long overdue LG polls. JO expects the EU to take it up with the yahapalana administration soon. The group comprises nearly 50 MPs. Former Minister G.L. Peiris who is also the Chairman SL Podu Jana Party said that the JO would also make representations to top EU officials based in Brussels. more..

Mar 8 (CT) Rt. Rev. Daniel Thiagarajah, the Chair of the Boards of Directors of Jaffna College and Uduvil Girls’ College and the Bishop of the Jaffna Diocese of the Church of South India has sent a letter to the Trustees of Jaffna College Funds in Boston, USA as his response to the letter sent by the latter on the 5th of Jan 2017, Colombo Telegraph learns. Even though the letter sent by the Bishop is not available, Colombo Telegraph is in possession of the response sent by more..

Mar 8 (EN) Standard and Poor's has confirmed a 'B+' rating on Sri Lanka, keeping a 'negative' outlook unchanged, despite improvement is tax revenues, as policy making remained weak amid govt infighting. "The gaps we observe in SL's policymaking capacity partly reflect the political uncertainty associated with deeply-rooted factionalism within the govt," S & P said. "We believe this hinders responsiveness and predictability in policymaking and weighs more..

Mar 8 (CT) International Women's Day 2017 is celebrated on 8 March on the theme Women in the Changing World of Work: Planet 50-50 by 2030. This explores the issues faced by women in the economic context in a globalized setting. Exactly one year ago on this day, Deputy Minister Dr. Harsha de Silva was invited as a guest speaker for a Women's Day celebratory event. During his speech, he stated that 65% of women are eligible to work, yet choose not to do so, and added that more..

Mar 8 (CT) International Women’s Day (Mar 8) according to the IWD website is ‘a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. The day also marks a call to action for accelerating gender parity’. The story of the woman throughout history has been one of gross abuse of her status. She had been accused as a temptress, as responsible for the original sin, valued as a chattel and, even today, considered the weaker of the two sexes. more..

Mar 8 (CT) According to a promise made by President Maithripala Sirisena, who is on an official tour of Indonesia, that he will immediately provide a solution, when he returns to the island, regarding the problems that have cropped up in connection with working with the Governor of the Northwestern Province. Chief Minister of the Northwestern Province Dharmasiri Dassanayake said, at the Northwestern PC meeting, more..

Mar 8 (DM) A highly controversial gazette notification has now turned the T-bond issue into a tangle within a tangle. A media communique issued purportedly by the secretary to the Ministry handling the public purse to clarify matters created ripples in official circles as it appeared to be an indirect attempt at justifying the gazette notification, they say. Inquiries instituted later had revealed that the Ministry secretary had nothing to do with the media communique and more..

Mar 8 (NR) Parliament has deliberated granting Sri Lankans overseas the right to vote in next Parliamentary and Presidential elections. Operations committee assigned to deliberate the matter discussed the subject in Parliament. Committee convened under the patronage of chairman Minister Thalatha Athukorala. During the meeting a proposal was discussed to grant Sri Lankans who have been overseas for more than 5 years to be granted the right to vote in local elections. more..

Mar 8 (CI) On another batting day at Galle, Sri Lanka swelled their score to a 494, before Bangladesh cruised to 133 for 2 by stumps. The bowlers were relentless in their attempts to shake this Test awake - Mehedi Hasan bowled aggressively to make dents in the Sri Lanka lower order, and Lakshan Sandakan delivered some ripping left-arm wristspin in the evening - but the pitch remained somnolent, and more..

Mar 8 (DM) Colombo High Court today served indictments on former Minister Basil Rajapaksa and Director General Divineguma Development Department Kithsiri Ranawaka, over the case in which they were accused of alleged misappropriation of Rs. 36 million during the distribution GI pipes to the local authorities during the last presidential election. Subsequently, Colombo HC Judge released them on a cash bail of Rs. 2 million with three sureties of more..

Mar 8 (EN) Police discovered that they may have within their ranks an officer who probably has the world's longest name -- 14 in all -- and certainly a colleague who takes longer to fill forms. Superintendent Hakmana Dissanayaka Wasala Bandara Amunugama Wijeratne Gunathillaka Rajanayaka Bandaralage Hakmana Walawwe Anuruddha Bandara Hakmana figured in a police statement announcing routine transfers. Mr. Hakmana was sent to Embilipitiya police more..

Mar 8 (AD) JO leader Dinesh Gunawardena has been suspended from parliamentary sittings for a week following a vote taken due to the MP repeatedly disrupting proceedings today. A total of 85 PMs voted in favour of the decision and only 22 voted against while another 114 were absent during the vote. Three MPs abstained from voting. With the Speaker announcing that NFF leader Wimal Weerawansa and more..

Mar 8 (NR) JO says the report submitted by the recent IMF on SL reflects the country’s economic instability. UPFA MP Ranjith De Soysa charged the govt of attempts to introduce new taxes in order to avoid falling into a further debt crisis. MP said the burden on the public will be increased further in a bid to ensure tax gains. He noted in future the govt will further impose taxes on the public to lift the country from the economic crisis. MP added it is the innocent people who will ultimately be taxed. more..

Mar 8 (Island) PM Ranil Wickremesinghe has, in a message to mark International Womens Day, which falls today, said that although in Sri Lanka, women were more empowered in many ways than their counterparts in the rest of South Asia, their role in domestic and household work has resulted in limitations being imposed on their contribution to the economy. "While being conscious of her role as a wife and mother, it goes without saying that the woman of today has the capacity and more..

Mar 8 (PSL) President Maithripala Sirisena, who is on a state visit to Indonesia to attend the Indian Ocean Rim Association Leaders’ Summit, met with the Indonesian President Joko Widodo, today. The Indonesian President warmly welcomed the President Sirisena when he arrived at the Merdeka Palace, the official residence of the President of Indonesia, marking the first state visit to Indonesia by a SL Head of State in 40 years. more..