Nov 28 (Island) The political and legal disquiet triggered by the decisive executive decision, announced by Prez Sirisena on 26 Oct, was not totally unexpected. It is only that the aftermath of his sacking of the former PM Ranil Wickremesinghe and his govt, and the dissolution of parliament were slightly complicated by two issues: the UNP’s outbidding of the govt to prevent MPs from crossing over, and the timing of SC’s consideration of legal challenges to dissolution. more..

Nov 28 (CT) Now that the constitutional crisis standing in the name of President Sirisena seems to have taken its own course, with little to no urgency to resolve it, it may be good for the Nation to reassess where he had gone wrong, if at all. If so, why, if not, why not. It is not to see Sirisena through sympathetic eyes, but through a realistic vision, but not that of a visionary of any kind. Twin acts of the Prez, first in ousting PM Ranil Wickremesinghe and then dissolving the Parliament more..

Nov 28 (SO) The recent announcement of reduction in three-wheeler or tuk-tuk charges, was welcomed by many a commuter who opted to use them instead of public transport due to the vagaries of daily travel. Reportedly, there had been a few such reductions announced. The most recent being on Monday by Sunil Jayawardene, the convener of the All Island Self-employed Federation, a body representing the largest number of more..

Nov 28 (GV) My wife, like many of her fellow citizens these days, has become very interested in learning about our Constitution and its 19th Amendment. She even borrowed from me a copy of the Constitution to read. The other day, she forwarded to me a social media post that carried a quote from Abraham Lincoln. It read as follows: “We the people are the rightful masters of both Congress and the Courts, not to overthrow the Constitution, but to overthrow the men who would subvert the Constitution.” more..

Nov 28 (GV) There is no gainsaying in condemning the current parliamentary violence. Nevertheless, our reactions to such violence—surprise and shock—imply that we think such abhorrent uncivilised behavior is an aberration, not a permanent fixture in our society, thus, allowing us to distance ourselves from any responsibility for it. We overlook how the different types of violence ingrained and normalised in our society are deeply interconnected with the violence we have more..

Nov 28 (CT) Leader of ITAK MP Mavai Senathiraja speaking on the current political crisis, said that steps must be taken to abolish the Executive Presidency. Q: How do you think the current political situation in the country has affected the people in the North and East? A: President has taken certain unconstitutional decisions in electing the new PM, dissolving Parliament and declaring elections. We had discussions with more..

Nov 28 (CT) I realized when what is termed civil society threw its weight behind Maithripala Sirisena at the end of 2014, that it was divided between those who hated the Rajapaksas and those who wanted good governance. Sadly, the last four years have shown that the former are dominant, and even those who want good governance have subordinated this to the hatred. Or perhaps one should say fear. I do not think Venerable Rathana Thera is motivated by hate, but throughout 2015 he seemed more more..

Nov 28 (Island) The UNP is urging the public to read Janadhipathi Thaththa, a hagiographic book on President Maithripala Sirisena by his daughter, Chathurika. It seems to think the book sheds light on how Sirisena’s mind works. President has said he would author a book on his failed (political) marriage with UNP leader Ranil Wickremesinghe. The ongoing battle between the estranged yahapalana partners who are all out to destroy each other reminds us of Congreve: more..

Nov 28 (CT) Aiyo Sirisena whom are you trying to fool. We learnt through the media that you plan to appoint another Presidential Commssion to inquire into corruption of the yahalapalana partners. We already have with us the Bond scam report and are well aware of their performance. Appointment of such Commissions of Inquiry which is at great cost is salutary if the recommendations are implemented. That’s exactly what you promised to do but did not. Have you implemented PRECIFAC report? more..

Nov 28 (CT) It was not too long ago that President Maithripala Sirisena told the SLFP All Island Executive Committee that he had many trump cards up his sleeve. His statement grabbed headlines in the immediate aftermath of the appointment of purported PM Mahinda Rajapaksa that was followed by the prorogation of Parliament. In the days that followed, Sirisena appointed a number of Cabinet members to his purported govt on a staggered basis and then dissolved Parliament, more..

Nov 28 (roar) Ajmal Yakoob is 24, and he is originally from Slave Island. He is young, wiry, and thrumming with energy, and intensely focused on one goal: to win gold and bring fame to Sri Lanka by winning international Muay Thai tournaments. The national sport of Thailand, Muay Thai is called both an art—and a science—of eight limbs. Muay Thai combatants learn to use not just their hands and feet, but also their elbows more..

Nov 28 (Island) The passage in Parliament, against the wishes of the new Govt, by 122 votes of the Speaker’s nominations for the standing committee of Parliament late last week, well above the 113 which makes a simple majority of the 225 member House, once again starkly proved the political reality that the new Govt of PM Mahinda Rajapakse does not command a majority in the House. This in and of itself, is not a problem, minority govts are a political feature in many countries of the world, more..

Nov 28 (Island) The chairman of the Asia-Pacific Central Securities Depository Group (ACG) Dr. Lee Byungrhae visited the Colombo Stock Exchange for a special market opening ceremony. The ceremony was the first event in a series of events to mark the 22nd ACG Annual General Meeting which will be hosted by Central Depository Systems (Pvt) Ltd (CDS) in Colombo from 26th to 28th Nov. Over 100 foreign delegates representing 19 countries across 25 Depositories and Clearing organizations more..

Nov 28 (Island) What is starkly evident from the views expressed in the print media and talk shows by commentators of various hues is the divergence between perception and facts relating to the current political situation in the country. Comments given below relate only to the working of a Presidential system of Govt as reflected in the 1978 Constitution and its Amendments. The reason for doing so is because the current more..

Nov 28 (CI) Roshen Silva made a solid return to the team but too much of the batting was brittle and Suranga Lakmal struggled as stand-in captain. Here we provide marks out of ten for the series. 8: Dimuth Karunaratne (256 runs at 42.66) That Karunaratne was Sri Lanka's most consistent batsman of the series is no real surprise. As a Test specialist during Sri Lanka's domestic offseason, Karunaratne had not played a lot of cricket since his blockbuster series against South Africa, and yet, more..

Nov 28 (CT) The first ever International Masters’ competition conducted by the Ceylon Badminton Masters Association is coming to a close today. 278 players from nine countries, including a large Sri Lanka contingent of senior badminton players, were seen in action. Over 90 foreign players from India, Malaysia, Macau, Nepal, Indonesia, China, Hong Kong, New Zealand and Australia, were involved in keenly-contested matches, with many SL players now listed on the int'l circuit displaying more..

Nov 28 (DN) SL’s new chairman of selectors former fast bowler Ashantha de Mel got down to brass tacks immediately when he said half-fit players have no place in his team. “When we select players they have to be perfectly fit. You can’t take half-fit players. These are areas that we are trying to get over before selecting the team,” De Mel said. “We need to select the team quickly but without finding out details about the players and more..

Nov 28 (Island) The newly appointed Chairperson of People’s Bank, Mrs Sujatha Cooray, a senior public servant, assumed duties at the Head office of People’s Bank on Nov 21. Mrs Cooray is a Class 1 officer of the Sri Lanka Planning Service. She holds a B.A degree and a B.Phil degree from the University of Colombo. She also holds a MA in Development Economics from the Institute of Social Studies, The Hague, Netherlands. During over thirty years of her public service career, more..

Nov 28 (DN) A change in the national cricket selection committee was forthcoming the way the Sri Lanka team was performing on the international stage and the unavailability of the chief selector Graeme Labrooy to be present during matches because of his commitments as an ICC Match Referee. Criticism has been mounting on the head selector by his absence from the scene of action when Sri Lanka were losing ODI, T20I and Test matches in a canter. more..

Nov 28 (CT) MP Arundika Fernando explained that the appointed Govt has time till 31 December to present a budget to Parliament for debate and that they would do so following discussions. This was said during a Media briefing yesterday. Fernando further emphasized that the budget for the next three months was a big issue among the public and that they will provide solutions to the public as soon as possible. more..

Nov 28 (Island) R.M.P. Rathnayake, Director General, Department of External Resources, Ministry of Finance & Economic Affairs, assumed duties as the Chairman of National Savings Bank (NSB) on 26.11.2018. He is a Super Grade officer in the Sri Lanka Planning Service and has been in the public service for almost 25 years in various positions. Rathnayake holds a Master’s Degree from Agricultural University of Norway and B.Sc.(Special) degree from the University of Peradeniya. more..

Nov 28 (GT) Qatar Chamber and SL’s Ministry of Foreign Employment held a meeting yesterday to discuss co-operation between the two sides in connection with recruitment opportunities. First vice-chairman Mohamed bin Towar al-Kuwari and SL Foreign Employment Secretary Yamuna Perera discussed ways to manage the challenges and opportunities in the field of employment, Qatar Chamber said in a statement. Al-Kuwari said the Qatari market welcomes qualified and more..

Nov 28 (Island) SriLankan Airlines had paid Rs. 224 million to passengers as compensation for damaged, delayed and lost baggage and pilfering between 2013-2018, Titus Kannangara, Senior Manager of the airline revealed at the PCoI. Responding to Senior State Counsel Fazly Razik, who asked whether it was not the responsibility of the Security Division to ensure the safety of the baggage, Kannangara said that more..

Nov 28 (DN) Blockchain committee, under the purview of the National Payments Council (NPC), chaired by Central Bank (CBSL) is currently studying the feasibility of developing the Blockchain technology in the areas of Blockchain based shared KYC, in Trade Finance and Insurance and other sectors. CBSL has been fostering industry wide collaboration and the digital payment innovation policies are spearheaded by the NPC. It has spearheaded developments in FinTech more..

Nov 28 (DM) The special trial-at-bar at the Colombo High Court yesterday once again postponed the trial against former Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa and six others for Dec 8 on observing that the prosecution had still not tendered some of the documents on the case to the defence. The three special Trial-at-bar judges Sampath Abeykoon (President), Sampath Wijeratne and Champa Janaki Rajaratna postponed the trial for December 8 after being observing that more..

Nov 28 (FT) A series of different privileges issues were brought to Speaker Karu Jayasuriya’s attention yesterday in Parliament, with UNP lawmakers looking for intervention and remedial action to protect their rights and security. Fearing for his life, UNP MP Vadivel Suresh complained to the Speaker that the police had ill-treated him last weekend by not investigating and taking action over threats to his life that he said he had received more..

Nov 28 (CT) The Softlogic Group recently launched its own restaurant brand, Wan Ge Di Ya, inspired by the traditional stone mortar and pestle common to many Asian cuisines, offering a carefully selected range of signature ‘street food’ dishes from eight Asian countries, a press release stated. The outlet was opened by Softlogic Chairman/MD, Ashok Pathirage, at the Promenade at ODEL Alexandra Place. This heralds an expansion in scope for Softlogic Restaurants (Pvt) Ltd., more..

Nov 28 (CT) The Minister of Finance and Economic Affairs has appointed new Directors to the Board of Bank of Ceylon, a Colombo Stock Exchange filing stated yesterday. Visakha Amarasekere was appointed as the Ex-Officio Non-Executive Director to the Board of Bank of Ceylon in place of S R Attygalle, effective from 26 November 2018. Accordingly, S R Attygalle’s alternate, K A Vimalenthiraraja, also ceases to be an Alternate Director to Ex-Officio Director of BoC. more..

Nov 28 (DN) CID conducting the probe into the alleged assassination plot of Prez Sirisena and former Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa, will begin investigations on the allegations made against the IGP Pujitha Jayasundara. He is said to have taken back the cheque of Rs. 500,000 given to police informant Namal Kumara with a reprimand to stop forthwith all that said and done in respect of alleged assassination plot. more..

Nov 28 (FT) New appointments and promotions made by the Cabinet of Ministers appointed by President Sirisena after 26 Oct will be annulled by a UNP govt in the future, UNP MP Ajith P. Perera said yesterday. He pointed out that the legality of the current group of MPs, which conducted meetings once a week in a manner similar to that of a Cabinet meeting, is under question and therefore any appointments to ministries, state departments or institutions will also be in doubt. more..

Nov 28 (CT) A Fundamental Rights (FR) Petition was filed in the Supreme Court yesterday, by the former Deputy Director of the President’s Media Division (PMD) Oshala Herath, praying the Court to rule that the actions of the President, in removing UNP Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe from his post of PM and appointing Mahinda Rajapaksa to that post, as illegal and in contravention of the Constitution. The petitioner has stated that the actions of the President on 26 Oct was in direct violation of more..

Nov 28 (FT) Prez Sirisena will use constitutional provisions that enable him to access public funds sans parliamentary approval to fund govt expenditure until March 2019 in place of a Budget if Parliament is dissolved, his spokesman said. A Vote on Account to access funds was given the nod at a meeting of the Cabinet appointed by Prez Sirisena which he presided over yesterday. MP Mahinda Samarasinghe said Vote on Account seeks more..

Nov 28 (C4) Amid continuing political turmoil in Sri Lanka, the Tamils in the north of the country have tonight held ceremonies commemorating fallen fighters of the Tamil Tiger insurgent army which was summarily defeated nine years ago. The remembrance events are highly controversial, particularly among ethnic Sinhalese nationalists. Despite international outrage over alleged atrocities committed by Sri Lankan armed forces, there has been little progress towards accountability. more..

Nov 28 (Island) Both former finance minister Mangala Samaraweera and current Finance Minister and PM Mahinda Rajapaksa have warned if Sri Lanka's effort to restore a stable govt fails to happen within an acceptable time frame, the country will end up in a situation akin to Greece which defaulted on its debt in 2015. PM and Finance Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa addressing the nation on Sunday said," This is the last opportunity we have. If our effort fails, this country will end up like Greece. more..

Nov 28 (CT) Speaker Karu Jayasuriya said in Parliament that he would wear a jumper, the prison dress code most willingly, if it is required to protect truth, justice and fairness. Speaker made this remark, responding to UNP MP S.M. Marikkar, who brought a newspaper report, which carried a statement of UPFA MP Udaya Gammanpila, to the notice of the House. Marikkar said that Gammanpila had said more..

Nov 28 (DM) On 14th Nov 2018, the hallowed precincts of Parliament were destroyed!!! These are the supposed gentlemen who we are expected to call honourable! They disregard Parliamentary ethics and the accepted norms of behaviour because all they want to do is to make their presence felt; the louder the better! Again on 16th Nov, there was an even worse show of thuggery. Nothing was sacred, no norms or rules were respected, they displayed typical rowdy behaviour completely oblivious more..

Nov 28 (DM) It is amazing that some continue asking as to why a President who could appoint a PM with the support of around 40 MPs in Parliament in January 2015 could not do so now. More so when the President, the head of the Executive, himself asks as to why he can’t do it in Oct 2018, if it was possible in January 2015. The question itself coming from none other than the first citizen of the country is testimony to the degree of awareness and concern the citizenry, in general, more..

Nov 28 (DM) Mr. Harshana Nanayakkara is an outspoken lawyer who believes an honest, just and well-planned form of governance is key to developing Sri Lanka. To achieve this, he and his colleagues at the National Intellectuals’ Organization (NIO) have launched an ambitious programme to formulate a National Plan to seek long-term solutions to the social, political and economic issues facing the people of SL. more..

Nov 28 (DM) Responding to a statement made by President Maithripala Sirisena that he will not appoint him as the PM again; UNP Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe said the President has to offer the post to anyone chosen by Parliament. “Gone are the days when President was able to hand pick a PM. It is Parliament which has the power to appoint a PM under the 19th Amendment to the Constitution,” he said. more..