Oct 12 (Island) Leader of the PHU Udaya Gammanpila yesterday, along with the members of the central committee and district organisers, signed papers expressing consent for posthumous organ donation. This was done at the Hudson Silva Eye Donation Centre, and Gammanpila urged the members of the public to follow suit. He said as the eyes had to be donated within four hours of a person’s death, the family members, and near and dear ones, should check whether there is a more..

Oct 12 (AD) Perpetual Treasuries Limited Chief dealer Nuwan Salgado today accepted before the Presidential Commission that Perpetual Treasuries Limited was bribing informants to get confidential information from EPF and ETF. The Colombo Fort Magistrate issued a travel ban on Perpetual Treasuries Ltd owner Arjun Aloysius, CEO Kasun Palisena, Perpetual Treasuries Chief Dealer Nuwan Salgado and IT Executive Sachith Dewathantri earlier this month. more..

Oct 12 (EN) State-run Sri Lanka Insurance (SLC) has sacked its Joint Managing Director T.M.R. Bangsa Jayah, brother-in-law of former minister Ravi Karunanayake. Bangsa Jayah, an appointee of Karunanayake, refused to step down to allow the ministry of State Enterprise Development carry out a restructuring of SLC forcing his sacking, official said. "Minister (Kabir Hashim) has decided to make SLC more effective by getting more..

Oct 13 (CT) In a brief opinion piece for Asia Times  published on 4 October 2017, I argued that the persecuted Rohingya’s fate will be decided not by humanitarian concerns but by geo-politics. This was despite the United Nations and Human Rights Watch agreeing that the violence amounted to textbook example of ethnic cleansing I also argued, as the violence unleashed by the Myanmar authorities against the Rohingya is underpinned by the intent to eradicate their identity more..

Oct 13 (CT) A recent holiday back to my (once) beautiful Sri Lanka proved to be a journey to hell. I wanted to cherish the dreams of my childhood in what was once the paradise on earth but had to return to my second home deeply disappointed and angry. My childhood seems like tales from a fairyland. Sri Lanka has changed. Racism, violence and hate have become the norm in Sinha-le Sri Lanka. The Tamils have been crushed and humiliated after the brutal war victory and more..

Oct 13 (SO) Professor Colvin Guneratne assumed office as President, Sri Lanka Medical Council (SLMC) on the second of this month. With the aim of restoring public respect towards the SLMC, Prof Guneratne intends to work true to his position. He explained how he plans to manoeuvre his duties with paradoxical demands and his views on the subject matter at large. Q: What are your plans for the SLMC during your tenure? more..

Oct 13 (GV) The term sustainable development has been increasingly used among the global community since the 1992 Rio Summit. To achieve this, environmental conservation, supported at a policy level, is crucial. Yet energy production is increasing to keep up with continued industrialisation, globally. Traditionally, these energy needs were fulfilled by burning hydrocarbon as fuel. Over time, this led to environmental problems such as global warming and acid rain. more..

Oct 13 (CT) The Parliament of Sri Lanka has seen many transformations during the last seven decades. Born as an extended reincarnation of the two State Councils from 1931-1936 and 1936-1947, the Ceylon Parliament was established in 1947, on the eve of independence. The Ceylon Parliament became the SL National State Assembly in 1972 under the first Republican Constitution and was renamed Parliament of Sri Lanka in 1978 under the second Republican Constitution. more..

Oct 13 (ST) Remember visiting Colombo National Museum as children and being awestruck by the gigantic skeleton of the blue whale? The whale synonymous with the Colombo Museum has now shifted to the new Osteology Gallery of the Natural History Museum, which will be open to the public from tomorrow. This new addition to Natural History Museum, coming under Colombo National Museum, will also become home to nearly more..

Oct 13 (DN) There may be no elections for local govt institutions or provincial councils this year but that hasn’t deterred the major political parties from getting into elections gear in anticipation of these polls being held early next year. The two partners in the National Unity govt, UNP and SLFP find themselves in an unusual and unprecedented situation. They are allies in the govt, but they will be competing for votes with each other at the elections. It will be recalled that, more..

Oct 13 (Island) Today is Friday the 13th. Not all of us are troubled by triskaidekaphobia, but its association with Satan reminds us of the proverbial man who sold his soul to the devil. The day is of significance to Sri Lankans owing to the conclusion of the proceedings of the presidential commission of inquiry probing bond scams. The evil forces behind the biggest ever financial fraud in the country will heave a sigh of relief today. Ministers Malik Samarawickrema and Kabir Hashim more..

Oct 13 (DN) With the release of the Interim Report of the Steering Committee of the Constitutional Assembly of Sri Lanka on Sept 21, the debate over constitutional reforms has begun earnestly. We welcome the Interim Report and recognise the positive contribution it makes for the purpose of developing an inclusive and harmonious Sri Lanka. This is a great opportunity to develop a constructive dialogue among the stakeholders, both local and overseas, so that the country as a whole will more..

Oct 13 (Island) The (Draft) Report of the Steering Committee of the Constitutional Assembly cites a statement made by President Sirisena during the Resolution to set up the Constitutional Assembly regarding Article 1 and 2 of the present Constitution which states: "… that whilst people in the south are fearful of the word federal, the people in the north are fearful of the word unitary. The report then attempts to define the English term Unitary State and concludes that more..

Oct 13 (CI) They didn't let him take the last wicket. Although given that he was understudy to the original, and most endearing, understudy in Sri Lanka cricket and that it was said - and now former - understudy who did get that wicket it won't sting at all. Rangana Herath - who else? - put the final dot on this series win, and nobody will begrudge him that. But at its heart was the man who isn't even the man who wasn't - Dilruwan more..

Oct 13 (Island) Priyadharshani Maithreerathna, a Prison Officer attached to Welikada Prison and an old girl of Bodhiraja Maha Vidyalaya, Ovitigama, Pugoda, and Rajasingha Central College of Hanwella, is the victorious sprinter winning two Gold medals at the recently concluded Asian Masters Championships in China. She has been a dazzling athlete as a schoolgirl. She was awarded the title as the most eminent female Prison Officer for her services in the Department of Prison. more..

Oct 13 (CI) West Indies made a solid start to their three-match unofficial Test series against the visiting Sri Lanka A team in Jamaica, putting up 236 for 4 in the 76.1 overs on day one. Much of their progress was down to unbeaten half-centuries from Sunil Ambris and Vishaul Singh, who went to stumps with an unbroken stand of 91. Given their foundation, the pair will be hoping to push on day two and put up big scores unlike John Campbell, who was out stumped after a patient half-century. more..

Oct 13 (Island) Maris Stella College’s Chanuka Sandeepa emerged the fastest schools athlete, Sadeepa Henderson and Milinda Perera bagged two titles each, Harsha Karunaratne missed a second title by hundredths of a second as Ratnayake Central took the lead in the race for the girls’ and boys’ senior titles on day two of the All Island Schools Games Athletics Championship at Diyagama on Thursday. more..

Oct 13 (ST) To felicitate to Sri Lanka’s legendary long distance runner S.L.B. Rosa, for his contributions as an Athlete, Coach and Administrator, a Cross Country Invitation Race for men and women, named Lucian Rosa, and organised by the UW Parkside Athletics-XC, Kenosha, USA, will be worked off tomorrow (9). S.L.B. Rosa is, arguably, the greatest long distance runner Sri Lanka has produced, and was hailed as one of the finest Track stars in Asia. more..

Oct 13 (CI) Of possible scorelines in the Test series, a 2-0 victory to Sri Lanka seemed the least likely of all, and now having sprung the first surprise of the tour, Sri Lanka will feel more capable of effecting another. Yet, there does seem to be a limit to the confidence Sri Lanka can carry into the ODIs. For starters, the big performers from the Test series are not in the ODI squad - Dimuth Karunaratne, Rangana Herath and Dilruwan Perera all having flown home. more..

Oct 13 (FT) Bullish on Sri Lanka’s prospects to be an aviation hub given The strategic location, Brazil’s global aircraft manufacturer Embraer yesterday confirmed it was keen to serve SriLankan Airlines’ short haul fleet’s needs. Embraer is the leading manufacturer of commercial jets of up to 130 seats, and its Asia Pacific Vice President for Commercial Aviation Cesar Pereira & Regional Sales Director Fernando Mainardi more..

Oct 13 (ST) Sri Lankans, public sector officials and local villagers, opposed to setting up palm oil plantations are fighting Regional Plantation Companies (RPCs) since the last two months from engaging in this cultivation overriding govt policy. RPCs are facing a lot of flak from the public sector officials in the govt bodies at the provincial level and local villages opposing the cultivation of palm oil by holding protests and stopping tractors carrying the plants from reaching the plantations, more..

Oct 13 (DN) Sri Lanka would soon introduce legislation for the Immigration Controller to act as the sole authority to expedite bringing in foreign experts to be employed in the ICT sector in Sri Lanka, said State Minister for Finance, Eran Wickramaratne. “Sri Lankan ICT companies at times need foreign ICT exporters to work for them to fine tune some of their projects and there is tremendous red tape to get this foreign ICT consultant to Sri Lanka. more..

Oct 13 (FT) Minister Mangala Samaraweera met the Director for South Asia of the International Finance Corporation (IFC) of the World Bank, Mengistu Alemayehu, in Washington, on 11 Oct on the sidelines of the Annual Meeting of IMF/WB. Wide-ranging discussions focused on ways and means of enhancing mutual cooperation to promote private sector contribution for the economic development of Sri Lanka. more..

Oct 13 (DN) Dinesh Chandimal and his men have ended Sri Lanka’s losing streak by winning the two-Test series 2-0 and now its upto SL’s one-day captain Upul Tharanga to continue that winning vein when he leads them in the first ODI of a five-match series at Dubai Int'l Stadium on Friday commencing 3 pm local time (4.30 pm SLT). Sri Lanka has not won an ODI series in the UAE losing 4-1 in 2011 and 3-2 in 2013 and it was a similar scenario in the Tests as well where Pakistan had more..

Oct 13 (PSL) President Sirisena says if the responsibilities for the earth and the environment are not properly fulfilled the country will face a tragic situation in the future. He said it is a prime responsibility of everyone to be committed to the activities of environmental conservation. President was speaking at the inauguration ceremony of the program to conserve the catchment areas and Vanaropa National Tree Planting Program held near Kandethenna Tank, Delthota, Kandy. more..

Oct 13 (Island) A delegation of NFF led by Wimal Weerawansa urged President to halt the ongoing constitutional making process leading to the division of post-war SL on ethnic lines. NFF consists of five MPs elected on the UPFA ticket at the last parliamentary polls. NFF spokesman Mohammed Muzammil said that they were able to explain to President Sirisena the threat that had been posed by the UNP-led project implemented in more..

Oct 13 (GDI) The Director General of the International Organization for Migration (IOM) Ambassador William Lacy Swing expressed his appreciation for Sri Lanka's active role in the preparations for the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration as well as the role in the Migration Health discussions during the meeting between Deputy Minister of Foreign Employment Manusha Nanayakkara and the Director General of IOM on 10th Oct at IOM Hq in Geneva. more..

Oct 13 (Island) Sri Lankan banks should come forward to facilitate trade with Iran in euros instead of dollars as local banks are still under the impression that some US sanctions are continuing to be in place and obstructing payments from Tehran, Zaeri Amirani, Iranian ambassador to SL said. He made this remark on Wednesday while speaking at the National Chamber of Commerce of Sri Lanka (NCCSL) on the theme, Bilateral Trade between Sri Lanka & Iran, where local business people more..

Oct 13 (Island) The Joint Opposition admitted that it hadn’t been able to reach consensus on a common response to the ongoing constitutional making process. The grouping loyal to former President Rajapaksa said that in spite of differences over that matter it would contest the forthcoming local govt elections under one banner. Former Minister G.L. Peiris said that JO constituents were preparing for much delayed LG polls. more..

Oct 13 (DM) We must focus on modern threats to our national security that can lead to instability by way of financial crises, climatic events, cyber attacks and pandemic diseases, State Minister of Defence, Ruwan Wijewardene said. He said this at the Colombo Air Symposium 2017 at which he was the Chief Guest. “States have placed national security as the prime objective and leaders are seeking how best they could enter into partnerships with other countries. more..

Oct 13 (DN) The armed forces should never get involved in private sector business, said Michael Walker Chair of Economic Research, Fred McMahon speaking at the Advocata Economic Freedom Summit at Globe Towers yesterday. “This has a real long term dangerous affect and it would have a major negative impact for the private sector.” He was responding to Anushka Wijesinghe, Chief Economist at CCC who pointed out that Sri Lankan Air Force is operating a domestic airline more..

Oct 13 (CT) Opposition Leader R Sampanthan has written to President Sirisena stating that an unnecessary complication has been created with the transfer of some cases from Vavuniya to Anuradhapura. If witnesses needed protection it could have been provided without the cases being transferred, Sampanthan has stated in the letter, while highlighting the ongoing hunger strike by three Tamil prisoners. more..

Oct 13 (FT) A group of 55 Sri Lankan Tamil refugees, who were living in various camps in Tamil Nadu state, returned home on Tuesday 25 years after they fled the island under the voluntary repatriation program of the UNHCR. The refugees had fled the island from Mannar by boats to South India during the war. The group of 55 refugees belonging to 19 families included 22 women and 12 children. They have departed to their original places of abode in the North and East. more..

Oct 13 (DN) Deputy Minister Ranjan Ramanayake was noticed to appear before the Supreme Court on Oct 25 to show cause regarding two contempt of Court actions filed against him for allegedly casting insulting remarks on the reputation of the judiciary and lawyers at a press conference. SC Three-Judge-Bench comprising Justices Buwaneka Aluvihare, Sisira de Abrew and Anil Goonaratne decided to issue notices on the Deputy Minister pursuant to two contempt of court actions more..

Oct 13 (FT) Appearing once again before the PCoI, Perpetual Treasuries Ltd. (PTL) Chief Dealer Nuwan Salgado testified yesterday that the company had been bribing unidentified informants for price sensitive information pertaining to Treasury bonds since around the time of its inception. Commissioner Justice Prasanna Jayawardena observed that, between 17 July 2014 and 30 Dec 2014, when Ajith Nivard Cabraal more..

Oct 13 (DN) Several new SLFP electoral organisers were appointed yesterday evening by President Maithripala Sirisena. Central Provincial Council member H. A.Ranasinghe has been appointed as the new SLFP organizer for the Nawalapitiya electorate in place of former Minister Mahindananda Aluthgamage MP. Meanwhile, former MP Sumithra Abeydheera has been appointed as SLFP organiser for the Matugama electorate previously held by Kumara Welgama MP. more..

Oct 13 (Hindu) The third meeting of India–SL Joint Working Group (JWG) on fisheries, established to address the fishermen issue is taking place in New Delhi on Friday to discuss, among other issues, the release of fishermen arrested by Lankan navy and their boats. Sources here said the meeting of Indian and Lankan delegates would also discuss the upkeep of the detained vessels in Lankan ports. This assumed significance as a team of officials and fishermen, who inspected the boats, more..

Oct 13 (DM) PTL Chief Dealer Nuwan Salgado revealed before the PCoI that it had paid several informants since July 2014 including the T-Bond dealer of EPF codenamed Charlie who had received Rs. 97 million (up to March 2015). He said that he had maintained a document, which contained payments allocated by PTL to informants coded as Charlie, Tango and Car channeled through its related group companies on instructions more..

Oct 13 (DM) When the famous American poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow inspired people to persevere by “striking with all your might while the iron is hot”, he would not even had a nightmare of how some Sri Lankan trade unions would strike with all their might. At peak time on Wednesday -- when tens of thousands of railway commuters, most of them middle class or poor people, arrived at stations to go home -- train drivers and guards staged a lightning strike in the main Maradana & Fort stations, more..