Sep 29 (FT) Aiming to address the current bottlenecks in the digitalising process, the Govt is also planning to introduce new legislation, Digitalisation Law, where the Govt sector will be given deadlines to upgrade their IT systems, PM Ranil Wickremesinghe said yesterday. “We are looking at digitalising the total Govt process as there are some that are slow. It will be necessary to bring a Digitalisation Law, where even govt sector more..

Sep 29 (EN) Sri Lanka has stopped the imports of tax free cars for members of the elected ruling class and state workers for one year to halt the slide of the rupee, which has a notoriously unstable soft-pegged to the US dollar. "Issuing of Vehicle permits to MPs will be suspended for a period of one year," finance ministry said. "Importation of vehicles for Govt Ministries, Departments, Statutory Boards, SOEs will more..

Sep 29 (EN) Sri Lanka slapped a series of import restrictions on vehicles, consumer durables and perfumes in a Nixon-shock style move as the island's notoriously mis-managed unstable soft-peg came under pressure from excess liquidity injections and sterilized interventions. The finance ministry said importers of all vehicles other than buses, lorries (trucks) and ambulances have to keep a 200% cash margin to open letters of credit, more..

Sep 30 (SO) With their leaders battered, bruised, jailed and exiled, and against all odds, the people of the Maldives have restored faith in democracy. As other parts of the world debate the merits and demerits of democracy, its inherent weakness and fallibility, the tiny Indian Ocean archipelago, a young Republic in which democracy is still a relatively new concept – has shown the way. Thousands voted in country’s historic prez election last Sunday, proving that democracy is a historical inevitability more..

Sep 30 (CT) Sri Lanka’s press freedom has been under threat since 1964. Those have been in the form of media establishments being expropriated or threatened to be expropriated by the State or by its agents, physical attacks on newspaper offices, thereby also indirectly threatening the lives of employees, including of journalists working in such establishments and direct attacks on journalists even leading to their killings. In 1964, PM Sirimavo Bandaranaike threatened to take over more..

Sep 30 (SO) Post A/L high jinx by a group of young boys turned sour last week, after their cheeky adventure on top of a mountain in Dambulla made national headlines, and religious leaders were outraged by the exposure. In an attempt to recreate the local version of Cheeky Exploits - an instagram page that encourages travellers to moon the cameras in picturesque or famous destinations around the world, the hikers posted pictures more..

Sep 30 (Island) SL economy, whatever its leaders profess, is clearly not in good shape. Although the IMF last week signaled that it was satisfied with the country’s economic stabilization program, it has noted following a two-week visit by a staff review mission which ended on Thursday that while some targets have been met, others have fallen short. We currently enjoy what’s called an Extended Fund Facility (EFF) from the IMF which comes much cheaper than commercial borrowings. more..

Sep 30 (ST) It is not always that the media reports on itself. Once in a way, though, it must make news and turn the searchlight inward. And so it did this week when the UN declared a Universal Day for Access to Information and the local media celebrated the 20th anniversary of the ground-breaking Colombo Declaration on Media Freedom and Social Responsibility. There is recognition now that Access to Information, especially official Govt information hitherto under lock and key and more..

Sep 30 (CT) Environmentalists and wildlife enthusiasts have voiced their concerns over plans by the Agriculture Ministry to legalise the killing of wild boar. CT learned that the Agriculture Ministry plans to get Cabinet approval to legalise killing of wild boar due to crop damage. Legalising the killing of wild boars has raised questions by environmentalists, wildlife enthusiasts and environment lawyers, who say present law more..

Sep 30 (ST) My dear group of sixteen in the Blue party, I thought I must write to you because you are getting bashed from all sides in the tussle between Maithri and Mahinda maama, so much so that it is difficult to say whether you are one single group or a collection of different cliques within the Blue party. Also, your days seem numbered in both camps. I suppose some would call this your karma because all this started when you ganged up against the Green Man who was part of your govt more..

Sep 30 (ST) SL’s plantation sector is going through some daunting challenges these days, more negative than positive. Tea production fell in August to a 16-year low, while the continuing non-use of weed killer glyphosate is costing the tea industry dearly. Ban has been lifted partially for agricultural crops but the weedicide is yet to be restored to the plantations. Rubber is facing its own challenges with raw rubber exports on the decline while the debate over palm oil versus rubber continues. more..

Sep 30 (Wire) Sri Lanka’s near three-decade ethnic war and numerous conflicts were used to justify attempts by successive govts to introduce and maintain broad sweeping legislation and regulations in the guise of countering terrorism and addressing national security. The notorious Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) introduced in 1979 as a temporary measure continues to be in force nearly four decades after, having outlived the war and several governments. more..

Sep 30 (CT) Jaffna Magistrate, S. Satheesharan, rejected the request filed by the Jaffna Police, seeking an injunction to halt the Thileepan Remembrance Day event on last Wednesday. Following the court order, the event was held peacefully, without leaving room for any untoward incident, to pay tribute to Thileepan whose real name is Rasiah Partheepan. Thileepan hailed from Urumpirai, Jaffna and an Old Boy of Jaffna Hindu College. During his school days, more..

Sep 30 (CT) President Maithripala Sirisena, addressing the 73rd UNGA in New York, earlier last week, called on the international community to allow Sri Lanka to resolve its issues. It was an implicit call for the international community not to exert pressure on Sri Lanka to investigate and prosecute alleged war crimes. “As an independent country we do not want any foreign power to exert influence on us. more..

Sep 30 (Island) Before President Maithripala Sirisena went to the UN this time, there was some hype about a pronouncement he was going to make which would get our war heroes off the hook. What President Sirisena finally ended up saying in Sinhala in NewYork addressing the UN General Assembly was that as an independent country we do not want any foreign power to exert influence on us and that we want to appeal to the international community to give us the room to resolve the problems that more..

Sep 30 (Island) Strange statements by Kumar Sangakkara drew my attention that appeared in the Internet this morning. Sangakkara urges Hathurusinghe and Mathews to patch up their differences and adds further: "I think this breakdown of communication needs to be sorted quickly," Sangakkara said. "It needs to be sorted through direct, honest and clear conversations between captain, the management and the player concerned. They need to make sure, also, more..

Sep 30 (Island) Chairman of Selectors Graham Labrooy has ensured that dropping Angelo Mathews for the upcoming bilateral series against England doesn’t mean the end of the road for the former captain. Easily, Mathews remains SL’s best batsman in shorter formats of the game and he needs to be in their plans moving forward. The selectors would have had little choice other than leaving him out as it was more..

Sep 30 (CT) Sri Lanka beat Bangladesh by 6 wickets on the opening day day of the 15th Under 19 Asia Cup conducted by Asian Cricket Council at At Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium, Chittagong Bangladesh yesterday. Sri Lanka won the toss and sent Bangladesh in and bowled them out for 141 runs in 46.4 overs. Towhid Hridoy 35 runs and Tanzid Hasan 24 were their main scorers. Shashika Dulshan, Dunith Wellalage and Kalhara Senarathne each took 2 wickets. SL replied with 144 for 4 more..

Sep 30 (Island) Protective gear and clothing are now mandatory prerequisites for most industrial workers particularly in the construction industry where they do jobs in high risk areas. Partner, Sam Associates (3M), Omar Mohammed, introducing the mandatory requirement for worksite personal safety, said at a news conference on Friday, the partnership with Mallcom of India would ensure the site functional safety of workers. Foot and hand safety were recognized body sensitive areas more..

Sep 30 (SO) Sensationalist headlines and misinformation continued to dominate the news cycle about an alleged plot to assassinate President Maithripala Sirisena and former Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa, following the claim made by one-time police informant Namal Kumara, who calls himself the ‘Operations Director’ of the Anti-Corruption movement. Screaming headlines last week, more..

Sep 30 (ST) Sri Lanka scored a nail-biting last ball win over India in the finals of the Red Bull Campus Cricket World T20 tournament at the SSC Grounds yesterday. Put into bat India scored a healthy 211 for the loss of two wickets in the allotted 20 overs. Indians built their innings aided by two fruitful partnerships –117 runs for the 2nd wicket by Murtaza Trunkwala (76 n.o.) and Yash Nahar (58) and a 94 run unfinished third wicket partnership by Trunkwala and Divyang Himgmekar (46 n.o.). more..

Sep 30 (CT) Sri Lanka went down to Hong Kong by 31 points to 12 points in their second match in the second leg at the Asia Rugby Sevens Series in Korea yesterday. Sri Lanka at one stage led by 14 points to 7 points but, their second half performance was horrific, that they went on to lose the game ultimately by a big margin. Sri Lanka captain Sudarshana Muthuthanthri was sent to the sin bin in the second half and in that period Hong Kong scored two tries and took the game away from SL. more..

Sep 30 (CT) It was a week of remembrance for the people in the North-East as they gathered to mourn for former LTTE Political Commander for Jaffna, Thileepan. Students, Politcos, Civil Society Members and the public met at different places in the North and East to commemorate the 31st Death Anniversary of Thileepan who died during a fast-unto- death protest in Nallur, Jaffna. Despite resistance by more..

Sep 30 (SO) Former Olympic silver medalist Susanthika Jayasinghe kept Sports Minister Faiszer Musthapha and other officials waiting for nearly one hour as she was due to attend a ceremony to bestow on her the consultancy job offered by the Ministry. Function was scheduled last Friday to start at 11 am but she turned up almost one hour late. Speaking at the function she said she was looking forward to her new role saying “now it is my turn to offer a good service to the country’s sports.” more..

Sep 30 (ICC) ICC released the updated version of the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern (DLS) System along with the new ICC Code of Conduct and ICC Playing Conditions. These will come into effect from Sunday (30), when the first ODI between South Africa and Zimbabwe will be played in Kimberley. This is the third version but second update of the DLS System since its introduction into international cricket in 2014 and has been carried out following a detailed ball-by-ball analysis of scoring patterns, more..

Sep 30 (ST) Controls on non-essential imports like butter and cheese, reducing fuel consumption and higher tariffs on luxury goods, are among a series of measures planned by the Govt to prevent a further erosion of the rupee. CB is also expected to announce a significant, pre-emptive hike in policy rates, economic experts said adding that the Monetary Board will examine this at its monthly meeting on Tuesday. more..

Sep 30 (ST) In spite of all seeming reversals, SLC Head Coach Chandika Hathurusinghe is confident he can turn around the flagging cricket unit. Hathurusinghe told the Sunday Times, “I took up this challenge knowing well what to expect and what was ahead of me. If I had an iota of a doubt, I wouldn’t have taken it up.” The Lankan coach added it was only a matter of infusing the needed confidence into the unit, and he has no doubts about the skill levels of the Lankan cricketers. more..

Sep 30 (BI) On a recent trip to Sri Lanka, I had the opportunity to take in the country's stunning national parks. While it doesn't boast Africa's famous Big Five, SL's Big Four (leopards, elephants, sloth bears, and blue whales) are becoming an increasing draw for nature tourists from around the world. In the last year alone, travel search engine Kayak told Business Insider it has seen a 30% increase in searches for SL. Capital, Colombo, has also been pipped for a $1.4 billion renovation, more..

Sep 30 (ST) At least 162 Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) have struggled over the past two to three years owing to a deteriorating economic situation in the country and financial hardship of the people who have restricted their buying spree. According to data, 62 of these businesses have closed down and 100 were on the verge of collapse or facing bankruptcy, amidst financial difficulties, high interest rates, more..

Sep 30 (CT) Just as President Sirisena was preparing to take off to the UNGA in New York last week, he was told that two prominent political figures had visited him and were waiting to discuss a serious political matter. The two visitors happened to be none other than our very own PM, Ranil Wickremesinghe and TNA’s emerging leader M.A. Sumanthiran. The duo, it was heard, had been there for a decisive discussion on future politics, and the focal point was the next Presidential Election. more..

Sep 30 (GDI) President Sirisena emphasized the imperative need to tackle the issue of indirect and insidious advertising of alcohol and alcohol products through cross border social media and entertainment channels digital marketing. Govt’s find it extremely difficult to control these. In his speech to the Alcohol, NCDs and Sustainable Development at the UN last Friday, Prez said, “It is time for us to have an open dialogue to tackle alcohol issues surpassing national borders”. more..

Sep 30 (ST) Marceli Thomas, the Indian man at the centre of an alleged plot to kill President Sirisena, has psychological issues and was twice injured in accidents, one of which left him with a damaged right arm, his brother said. The man had reportedly been living in Negombo and begging for food because he had no money or other resources. Binny Thomas said he had last received a call from his brother on Sept 18 or 19 but had missed more..

Sep 30 (ST) Tidal waves interrupted traffic movements on the Galle Road between Kalutara and Hambantota yesterday, but it had no link to the tsunami experienced in Indonesia, a spokesman for Meteorological Dept said. Tidal waves also brought sand to the main road slowing down traffic movements and created panic among the public. Met Dept also warned that sea areas would be fairly rough off the coast extending from Panadura to Hambantota via Galle & there may be surges. more..

Sep 30 (Hindu) Nine more fishermen from Nagapattinam district have been injured in continuing mid-sea attacks against them, allegedly by Sri Lankan nationals. This is the third consecutive day that fishermen of the district have returned ashore with injuries after being attacked while fishing. Five fishermen with injuries were admitted to Nagapattinam Government Hospital on Thursday and three more on Friday. On Saturday, two groups of 9 fishermen were admitted to the hospital. more..

Sep 30 (ST) President Sirisena, due to return at dawn today after his UN visit, is set to take some tough political measures in the coming weeks, including a possible cabinet re-shuffle, sources close to him said. Adding greater significance to the move is last week’s decision by the SLFP Central Committee to review the party’s three-and-half-year-old coalition with the UNP. The decision, reported in the ST last week, more..

Sep 30 (SO) Jaffna celebrated World Tourism Day recently. The program on the second day was held at the Kailasapathy Auditorium, Jaffna University with Minister John Amaratunga as chief guest. State Minister Ranjith Aluvihare, Northern Province Chief Minister C.V. Vigneswaran, TNA Parliamentarians Mavai Senathirajah, Selvam Adaikkalanathan, Indian Consulate General in Jaffna K. Balacahndran, Jaffna University Vice Chancellor R.Vignewsaran, Secretary Ministry of Tourism and more..

Sep 30 (ST) Alarm bells are ringing in the tourism sector following a proposal to bring the Tourism Cess fund, which has several millions of dollars for promotional purposes, under the Treasury, removed from state tourism agencies. While officially tourism authorities say they are unaware of the proposal, the plan is expected to be included in the 2019 Budget to be presented in Parliament on Nov 5, the Business Times reliably understands. Asked to comment, Tourism Ministry Secretary more..

Sep 30 (SO) The Ministry of Finance yesterday pulled the brakes on non-essential on imports to ease pressure on the falling rupee, but in an unprecedented move, announced that the host of temporary spending cuts would directly impact lawmakers as well as state sector employees and the public. From today, the importation of vehicles through permits issued to MPs has been suspended for a period of one year, more..

Sep 30 (Island) An e-mail quip from fellow columnist Rajan Philips hit the nail on the head. He and I are part of an e-mail menagerie where he shot out: "Obama’s most important achievement was getting elected; he did not achieve much after that". Though I defend Obamacare, the Iran Deal and the Paris Accord, I grant his macroeconomics served the banks, Wall Street and finance capital, not the people. The thrust of the epigram is perfect; electing a black President took America past puberty more..