Oct 26 (EN) Sri Lanka's outgoing navy chief Travis Sinniah, the first minority Tamil to reach the highest position in the force in nearly half a century, has set a new record for being the shortest serving commander. The previous Tamil commander, Rear Admiral R. Kadiragamar, and Admiral Sinniah now firmly hold records for heading the navy for the longest and shortest periods respectively in 67 year history of SL Navy. more..

Oct 26 (DN) Attorney General has filed indictments in the Batticaloa High Court against six accused including former Eastern Province Chief Minister Sivanesathurai Chandrakanthan alias Pillayan and six others over the killing of former TNA parliamentarian Joseph Pararajasingham, Supreme Court was informed today. Senior State Counsel Sudarshana de Silva appearing on behalf of the AG made this remark when the Fundamental Rights petition filed by former Eastern Province CM more..

Oct 26 (DM) The joint opposition yesterday said that the process of making a new Constitution has now been turned in to an abhorrence and absurd discussion against the media and the Maha Sangha. Joint opposition member MP Dullas Alahapperuma told a news conference that recently it was reported how PM Ranil Wickremesinghe had lashed out at the media institutions with regard to the Constitution. “This discussion has now turned in to an anti-media discussion. more..

Oct 26 (AD) Deputy Minister Dr. Harsha De Silva stated that the report submitted by Presidential committee on SAITM to President Sirisena recommended the elimination of the current shareholder and management structure of SAITM.  While responding to a question raised by journalists, Dr. Harsha De Silva stated that the report submitted to the President was devoid of bias and in no way favoured SAITM or its management. more..

Oct 26 (IHC) India and Sri Lanka signed two MoU today for construction of 1200 houses through 50 model villages, using Indian grant assistance of SLR 600 million. The MoUs were signed by Mr. Taranjit Singh Sandhu, High Commissioner of India to SL, and Mrs. W.K.K. Athukorala, Secretary to the Ministry of Housing and Construction, in the presence of Minister Sajith Premadasa. The signing took place during a special ceremony held in Hambantota for vesting to the beneficiaries more..

Oct 26 (AD) Former Minister Mervyn Silva responded to the statements made by Prof. Carlo Fonseka, who compared Ranjan Ramanayake and Vijaya Kumaratunga as equals stating that his sentiments cannot be accepted in any sense. Prof. Carlo Fonseka provided a special statement following the trail of Ranjan Ramanayake yesterday. He stated that Vijaya & Ranjan are both considered as his nephews and that he believes they are courageous, brave & cultured individuals. more..

Oct 26 (PSL) President Maithripala Sirisena who is on a two-day state visit to State of Qatar met with the Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, today. The President was warmly welcomed by the Emir of Qatar when he arrived at the Emir’s Palace in Doha and President Maithripala Sirisena was received with a Guard of Honour at the Palace. Bilateral meeting between the two leaders was commenced after the cordial discussions more..

Oct 26 (CT) Many assume that the LTTE were able to sustain terrorism for 30 years because of Tamils' support. On this assumption Hillary Clinton tried to blockade our economy by pressurizing the IMF from giving us the financial package due in 2009. According to present experts, Tamils might have been militarily defeated, but can never be politically subjugated and must be offered a political solution that appease the Northern and Eastern Tamils, India, Tamil Diaspora and Int'l Community. more..

Oct 27 (CT) Good Morning ladies and gentleman, State Minister Eran Wickramaratne, a lot of other familiar faces in the room, and of course the dynamic team at Advocata who have really taken this think tank from a start up to really making waves in the Sri Lankan think tank circuit. It’s a real pleasure to be with you this morning and deliver a keynote at the Advocata and Fraser institute Economic Freedom Summit. In my remarks to you today I’ll highlight some aspects of more..

Oct 27 (CT) Leader of the JVP, Anura Kumara Dissanayake said the JVP has nothing to get from this Govt, and went on to say, "JVP is not a party that settles either with Mahinda or Ranil, and we know very well what all of these people have done for the people of this country and especially what they did to us. No one needs to poke us and point those to us." Q: What are your Party's preparations for LG Elections? more..

Oct 26 (DN) Hopes that the proposed new Constitution will be a unifying factor in SL as it emerges after three decades of war and nearly a decade of relative peace receded this week, with the opposition indicating that they have no qualms about using the proposed reforms as a political weapon. At the outset, it is worthwhile emphasising that, as PM Ranil Wickremesinghe has painstakingly pointed out many times, there is no new Constitution as such, right now. more..

Oct 27 (CT) A report appeared in the Island that Revd Dr Medagoda Abayatissa has declared, it is better for the country to have even a Tamil as President than to be divided. He said this addressing the media at the National Library and Documentation Centre. Yes, Revd Dr Abayatissa. What ever could be wrong about having a Tamil as President? The term, even, in your assertion suggests that to pick a Tamil is not quite right and, maybe, only an unfortunate last resort. Why? more..

Oct 26 (DM) Have you ever lost contact with any of your siblings for any reason? Has desolation filled a void in you that was created because you were unable to meet and talk to a loved one who was close to you since childhood?  Of course, some of you must have endured such a nightmare sometime during your lives.  Siblings can be separated due to various reasons such as adoption, immigration or problems which more..

Oct 26 (CT) A little learning is a dangerous thing. It is also sad when limited intellect leads to high appointments on the grounds that there will be unthinking support of the appointing authority. This seems to be the case with the current Attorney General (AG), who seems in a couple of weeks, to have completely destroyed the reputation of his department which had been considerably enhanced by the brilliant cross examination at the Bond Commission by senior officers. more..

Oct 26 (CT) Newspapers these days cover more or less the same subjects. Corruption allegations led by the infamous bond scam, opposition to the proposed Constitution, the cry for elections, the rising cost of living, student protests and Police violence, plans to sell national assets, and United Nations (UN) pressure on the govt to deliver on commitments are frequently highlighted. The author of The Great Hand Book of Quotes, Israel more Ayivor says: "If the problems you have this year are more..

Oct 27 (Island) We live in a time of dwarfs, against whom we have to defend the achievements of giants. We have SWRD Bandaranaike’s historic rupture with the UNP to found a moderate nationalist anti-UNP formation and inaugurate a two-party system, reversed by Chandrika Bandaranaike’s realignment/reintegration of the SLFP with a markedly rightist UNP. We have the Sirimavo Bandaranaike-Felix Dias Bandaranaike-Colvin R. de Silva unitary Constitution assaulted by more..

Oct 27 (Island) Sports minister Wednesday denied ordering the lowly-ranked national team to use witchcraft to score a surprising two-match Test series win against Pakistan earlier this month. Dayasiri Jayasekara threatened to sue a local sorcerer for claiming that at his request she cast a spell over Pakistan to ensure Sri Lanka’s victory. "I told her that if she didn’t take down that post, I will complain to the police and also take legal action against her," minister told reporters. more..

Oct 27 (Roar) Since November 2011, many people in the country have been enjoying the remarkable ease of the E01 Southern Expressway: a clear, smooth ride between Kottawa and Pinnaduwa, conveniently linking Colombo and Galle in a little more than an hour, covering 95.3 kilometres. On the journey, most would have marvelled at the achievement of road’s construction, as one glides along sheer tarmac more..

Oct 27 (Island) In many of my writings I have been lamenting that SL has not had a real development programme since 1977. Last major development programme where a concerned attempt was made to create employment was the Divisional Development Councils Programme in PM Sirimavo days. Mahaweli Development programme was a continuation of the land settlement cum irrigation tank building programme of the 1950s. We have made small attempts, but none remained more..

Oct 27 (Island) It was July 1981. I still remember when our family came to Diyatalawa to see my fourth brother Rohana passing out as a 2nd Lieutenant from Sri Lanka Army’s Intake 13. It was a long journey by train from Polgahawela, for our family. We were received by his batch mate, Chandana Rajaguru (later Major General. He wasn't bald then) at the Diyatalawa railway station. We were taken to a nice place to stay over. I cannot remember the name of that comfortable place more..

Oct 27 (CI) A number of factors go into picking a XI. A player's composure under pressure, for one, or their ability to bowl fast. But choosing a XI on the basis of their travel preferences, as this SL team was chosen - is, even in this modern world, generally a risky tactic that is likely to backfire more often than not. That was emphatically the case in Abu Dhabi, where a full-strength Pakistan swept past a depleted SL more..

Oct 27 (Island) Minister Champika Ranawaka declared the other day that the first phase of the Chinese-funded Colombo Port City project was nearing completion. He was in seventh heaven! We thought he would weep or at least mewl in public when he made that announcement. Why did we expect him to cry? Ranawaka wraps himself in the flag. He wears his heart on his sleeve and keeps telling us that he will even risk his life to prevent anything bad from happening to the country. more..

Oct 27 (Island) SriLankan Airlines and a member of the oneworld alliance, in view of its operations to Melbourne commencing this month was the title sponsor of the Half Marathon event of the coveted Melbourne Marathon Festival, which marks its 40th anniversary this year. The event provided plenty of excitement with Australian of Ethiopian origin Ms. Makda Haji, turning up unexpectedly on race morning to win the women’s race in a record time of 1hr 10min 39sec, more..

Oct 27 (EN) Small car specialist AMW slashed prices of popular Suzuki Celerio and Alto models by up to 369,000 rupees today hot on the heels of slashing 422,000 rupees off the sticker price of a Renault Kwid. "Special advantage of Rs. 370,000 before budget and not to be repeated," said an advertisement AMW took out in a Sinhala paper on Thursday. A prospective buyer noted that he would wait till the Nov budget more..

Oct 27 (FT) Sri Lanka and Hungary this week renewed their commitment to boost bilateral ties, with the two countries entering into an economic cooperation agreement later this year. A review of the existing strong ties and talks to further enhance links took place when Minister Malik Samarawickrama met with Hungary’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó in Budapest on the sidelines of the World Export Development Forum (WEDF) this week. more..

Oct 27 (CT) Sri Lanka men's and women's boxing team won 2 golds, 4 silvers and a bronze medal at the Eindhoven Box Cup International Boxing Tournament held from 19th to 22nd Oct at Eindhoven City in Netherlands. Thiwanka Ranasinghe and Dinindu Saparamadu won gold medals beating boxers from France and Belgium at the finals concluded on 22nd Oct at Eindhoven. Kosala Nilmini and Keshani Hansika lost to Russian boxers and MVIRS Bandara lost to a Scottish more..

Oct 27 (Island) Foreign Ministry said that war crimes allegations would be dealt through national independent judicial mechanisms. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mahishini Colonne said so when asked her whether the govt would request UK and Geneva to review the allegation that 40,000 civilians had been killed during the Vanni campaign, in the light of Lord Naseby statement in House of Lords disputing figure on Oct 12. more..

Oct 27 (DN) President of British Computer Society (BCS), Paul Martynenko, during his recent visit to Sri Lanka, said that he was hugely impressed by the standards of Information Technology (IT) professionals and the education system of the country. Martynenko made these remarks during his visit to Colombo where he attended the Graduation Ceremony of new BCS. "I attended the Software Awards on Friday night. I was hugely impressed. Because the topics they were talking about more..

Oct 27 (DN) Batticoloa Govt Agent (GA) post has been vacant for a month and an additional GA was not appointed for the last one year. The Home Affairs Ministry Secretary had taken steps to appoint a GA through the backdoor ignoring the accepted procedure, CaFFE alleged. CaFFE Executive Director Keerthi Tennekoon said politicians and civil organisation had relentlessly requested authorities to appoint a suitable person for the post. Instead of following a systematic procedure, more..

Oct 27 (DM) GMOA said the time was now apt to legalize the minimum standards of medical education in the country. GMOA Media Spokesman Dr. Samantha Ananda said that Sri Lanka Medical Council (SLMC) Chairman Prof. Colvin Gunaratne had recently announced that there was no requirement to make amendments to the existing minimum standards of medical education. “We have stressed on this fact since 2009. more..

Oct 27 (Island) President’s Balika College, Rajagiriya had a highly successful outing at the recently concluded All Island Schools Games Athletics Championship at Diyagama where they won a number of medals and the title Under-14 girls’. The victory by their relay quartet of Venuki Liyanage, Binadi Gunawardhana, Dulmi Weerakkody and Charuni Prasangika in the Under-14 4x100 metres grabbed media attention. They had podium positions in a couple of other events more..

Oct 27 (FT) Sri Lanka Administrative Service Secretary Special Grade Officer Chinthaka Lokuhetti assumed duties yesterday as the new Secretary of the Ministry of International Trade. He officially took over the role at the Ministry of International Trade located in the World Trade Centre. State Minister of International Trade Sujeewa Senasinghe graced the occasion and Lokuhetti handed over the official letter through which he acceded to his office to the State Minister.  more..

Oct 27 (DM) President Sirisena has instructed the apex economic management body National Economic Commission (NEC) to renegotiate a dialogue with two international airlines in a bid to resuscitate the national carrier Sri Lankan Airlines (SLA) including the old partner Emirates and the latest rounds of talks have been satisfactory. ‘The issue of the future of the national carrier SLA was taken up by Prez at last NEC meeting more..

Oct 27 (DN) Adding yet another luxury to the Colombo city line, Sri Lanka’s first hyper mall, will open in December at the Colombo City Centre (CCC) in Colombo 2. A joint venture between Abans Group and Silver Needle Hospitality and divided in to three segments the total investment is US$ 170 million. Both the apartments and the hotel would be ready by October 2018 under its second stage, said Anand Sundaram, Chief Executive Officer, Colombo City Centre. more..

Oct 27 (CT) Adding to the wave of potential investor interest in Sri Lanka since the restoration of its GSP+ facility, a delegation from Osnabruck University of Applied Sciences visited the BOI to study SL's investment climate and opportunities for investment. The delegation was led by Hochschule Osnabruck University of Applied Sciences Lecturer in Taxes and Private Law Professor Dr. Oliver Tillman, who visited the BOI with a team of 16 students from a variety of disciplines, more..

Oct 27 (FT) Deputy Minister Dr. Harsha de Silva took the CEB to task over delayed power projects and promised tough action unless the State-run utility provider followed policies, acknowledging govt was frustrated by the bottlenecks created. In a display of chagrin, he lambasted the CEB for not participating in an energy forum organised by regulator Public Utilities Commission and criticised it for not sitting on more..

Oct 27 (LBO) SL’s US$ 1.4 billion Port City project Environmental Impact Assessment with 72 conditions will be soon open for public comment, a senior official said. “We hope to open this for public comment by next month – all the preliminary work on the EIA is now complete,” Nihal Ferando, project manager, Port City said. “This will cover the building and land development and the public would have 40 days to comment.” Ferando also said that under the previous agreement if more..

Oct 27 (EN) Sri Lanka has received responses from nine parties for expressions of interest called to study five light rail transit link for Colombo, Minister Champika Ranawaka said. Alsthom of France, Bombardier Canada, as well as several Chinese parties, and firms from Korea, Japan and India have responded he said. Two of the key links are to be built with a loan from the JICA. It includes the city's most crowded transport corridor leading from the central business district to Malabe. more..

Oct 27 (DN) Rajakariya, is a traditional system of land tenure in Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) until the early 19th century in which land was granted in exchange for services rendered. Traditional Rajakariya lands in Peradeniya, Udawatte and Malnaidage Chena with a total extent of 6 acres, have been sold with title deeds for Rs 92 million. According to Buddhist Temporalities Ordinance, traditional Rajakariya lands can be sold, but more..