Apr 1 (Island) PHU leader Udaya Gammanpila, MP, said that former NP Chief Minister C.V. Wigneswaran’s rejection of scientific findings of Beta Analytic Institute of Florida, USA, in respect of samples of skeletal remains sent from the Mannar mass grave site, underscored the difficulties in post-war national reconciliation process. He said that he was really shocked by the stand taken up by retired SC judge. more..

Apr 1 (FT) Under the second phase of the Enterprise Sri Lanka initiative, a training program for entrepreneurs in the Central Province was held at the auditorium of Kandy Post Office on Sunday. Minister Lakshman Kiriella graced the occasion as the Chief Guest. Addressing the gathering, he stated, “The first proposal presented to the Parliament by the Good Governance Govt stressed the importance of devising a new Constitution more..

Apr 1 (EN) SL's credit to private borrowers from commercial banks turned negative in Jan 2019 for the first time since 2014, data showed in the wake of two currency collapses in 2018 and a political crisis in the last quarter. Private credit was last negative in May 2014. Rupee stabilized in January. Weak credit allows Central Bank to purchase dollars exercising its strong side convertibility undertakings & mop up inflows, more..

Apr 1 (ST) The Govt will have to acquire 750 lots of land and demolish around 118 shops, houses and places of self-employment when it starts the next phase of its project to build an elevated highway from the New Kelani Bridge to Rajagiriya with a link to Baseline Road. The EIA says that other than sections located within canals, highway will cross mostly residential and commercial areas. These will have to be acquired. more..

Apr 1 (CT) Minister Sajith Premadasa was conferred with the honorary title of Sasana Deepana Abhimani Sri Lanka Jana Ranjana, at the Malwathu Maha Viharaya in Kandy yesterday. Chief Incumbent of the Malwathu Maha Viharaya, Most Ven. Thibbotuwawe Sri Sumangala Thera, President Sirisena, PM Wickremesinghe and many other religious leaders as well as the politicians participated in the splendid ceremony. more..

Apr 1 (Island) All political parties represented in parliament have reached a consensus on abolition of costly duty-free car permit scheme available to lawmakers. Sources said that party leaders took a decision in that regard, at a special meeting in parliament. Later, the decision was conveyed to President Maithripala Sirisena, the leader of the SLFP. Responding to a query, sources said that political party leaders considered more..

Apr 1 (GDI) Sri Lanka's only ocean data collecting research buoy owned by NARA has been found four years after it was lost in the seas off Batticaloa. Although NARA has conducted several searches during the past years the buoy was not found. However, a joint search conducted recently by the hydrography section of NARA in collaboration with SL Navy's Hydrographic Service was able to locate the buoy. more..

Apr 1 (AD) Stocks of illegal drugs seized by law enforcement agencies in the past are currently being destroyed under the directions and participation of Prez Sirisena. Accordingly, 769 kg of Cocaine is destroyed at a warehouse in Maguruwela, Kelaniya this morning. This measure is being taken by Prez Sirisena to resolve the question raised by the public regarding as to what happens to the drugs seized by the police. more..

Apr 1 (FT) Two events that had no direct connection to each other but could have a bearing took place in Sri Lanka last week. One was the AFP report about an unconventional method used by the country’s power producer, Ceylon Electricity Board or CEB, to solve the ongoing power crisis in the country. The other was the release of the English translation of Ven. Walpola Rahula’s 1932 book, Sathyodaya, in Colombo. According to AFP report, after failing to stimulate rains via seeding the clouds, more..

Apr 1 (CT) MP Wimal Weerawansa proved that the office of Millennium Challenges Corporation, in SL, is situated inside the Temple Trees. Attending to a meeting at the Sithroo Hall in Dankotuwa he said, “Millennium Challenges Corporation is an American State institution which plans the Economic Corridor project, under American law, by taking off 12 acres land from seven districts.” He proved his claim that the SL office of this institution is situated inside the Temple Trees by more..

Apr 1 (PMD) President Maithripala Sirisena says that our country needs to take many steps in strengthening the public transport service with new technology. President made these remarks participating in a ceremony to vest the Kottawa-Makumbura Multi-Modal Transport Hub, constructed according to the int'l standard, with the public, today (31). Multimodal Transport Center built under the guidance of Ministry of Megapolis and Western Development will provide more..

Apr 1 (PL) Cuban Ambassador to Sri Lanka, Juana Elena Ramos underscored the important role that Cuban women are currently playing, at a roundtable discussion with women from local governments. Invited by the South Asia Policies and Research Institute (SAPRI), the Cuban diplomat participated in the event in the district of Vavuniya, in the Northern Province. The meeting is part of a project carried out by that institution to empower Sri Lankan women. more..

Apr 1 (EN) MAS Holdings, one of SL's largest apparel producers, is on a drive to bring more women into upper management, an official said. "What we're trying to do now at MAS is to get more women into the leadership level," MAS FemTech Head Gayani Abeysinghe said. MAS has 98,000 employees globally, of whom 70% are women, Abeysinghe said, speaking at a forum organized by IPS. She said the group, which is privately owned, is working to have more women sitting on its Board. more..

Apr 1 (CI) Dimuth Karunaratne has described his own behaviour as utterly unbecoming of a Sri Lankan national cricketer on the day he had his driving licence suspended for suspected drink driving. Having been involved an accident in the Borella neighbourhood of Colombo early on Sunday morning, Karunaratne was arrested and subsequently bailed, while a driver of a three-wheeler was admitted to hospital with minor injuries. more..

Apr 1 (GN) This April 12, get a taste, feel and vibe of the rich cultural heritage of Sri Lanka right here in Dubai and join the community as they celebrate the Sri Lankan New Year Festival. The Consulate-General of Sri Lanka and the community are pulling out all the stops to bring a fun-filled day where there’s something for everyone to enjoy. The Sinhala and Tamil New Year in Sri Lanka called Aluth Avurudda marks the end the harvesting season. more..

Apr 1 (DM) Test Cricket Captain Dimuth Karunaratne, who was charged of driving under the influence of liquor, was released on bail after he was produced before the Colombo Fort Magistrate Court this morning. He was released on two sureties of Rs. 100,000 each. His driving license has also been temporarily suspended. Karunaratne’s car met with an accident at Kynsey Road in Borella last morning and was released on Police bail. The Police said a three-wheel driver was injured and more..

Apr 1 (EN) A legislator used an un-parliamentary word in a debate Monday, which been associated with opposition legislator Vasudeva Nanayakkara, prompting a call to withdraw some words as the debate degenerated into sexual innuendo. Tho? Palayan Pa--yo yunder, Mohan de Silva, a UPFA MP told parliament Monday. Term is associated with MP Nanayakkara who is also from the UPFA. He attracted notoriety for using the P-word repeatedly in parliament raising a point of order more..

Apr 1 (DM) It was revealed in Parliament today that 1.33 million tonnes of milk powder worth US$ 3.9 million had been imported to Sri Lanka for the last 18 years. Agricultural and Livestock Minister P. Harrison revealed this responding to a question raised by Joint Opposition MP Bandula Gunawardane. He said the govt had earned an income of Rs. 123,800 million by way of taxes levied on the import of 1.33 million tonnes of milk powder between 2000 and 2018. more..

Apr 1 (AD) A person has been arrested by the Customs officials attached to the Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) over an attempt to smuggle in a stock of gold chains. The suspect, arrested this afternoon (01), is a 40-year-old goldsmith from Kotahena area. The suspect had arrived from Chennai India via a SriLankan Airlines flight. Upon inspection, customs officials have been able to discover 05 gold chains weighing 1 kg hidden in his underwear. more..

Apr 1 (EN) Parties promoted by PM Ranil Wickremesinghe and President Maithripala Sirisena are behind two controversial plants that seek to outsource liquefied natural gas procurement for 20 years, a legislator charged. "The Japan, India, Sri Lanka deal is on the intervention on the Prime Minister and the Korea, Sri Lanka deal is on the intervention of the President," Nalinda Jayatissa, a member of JVP, an opposition party told parliament. more..

Apr 2 (CT) In the year 1271 in the 13th century a young Venetian begins a 24 years trek to emperor Kublai Khan’s court in Cambulac – modern day Beijing and returned on a different route. He visited the Indian ocean island of Sri Lanka on his way home. This historic route traveled was later named Seidenstrasse (Silk Road) by a German geographer Ferdinand von Richthofen in 1877. Further back in Western history, during the reign of emperor Marcus Aurelius (161-180 CE) Chinese silk was more..

Apr 2 (Island) Seventy years is a long time since the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) by the UN in December 1948. Whatever the marginal biases or weaknesses that it entails, it is a fair statement on human rights that all human beings should have, irrespective of the country, culture, religion, ethnicity, class, social status, gender or any other distinction. Its rationality springs from the human rights commitments outlined in the UN Charter (1945). more..

Apr 2 (SO) Mohammad Thoufeek of Marichchukaddy in the most Southern village of Musali, was 29-years-old when he entered the Wilpattu forest on Oct 28, 1990 accompanied by his family and other villagers, following the LTTE order to evict their village in 24 hours as it suspected that Muslims provided secret information on them to the govt forces. Musali in Mannar District was the only divisional secretariat with a Muslim majority. more..

Apr 2 (ST) Economic growth of only 3.2% in 2018 is much lower than was expected at the beginning of the year. The economy was expected to revive from the low economic growth of 3.1% in 2017 to about 4%. Last year’s economic growth was below the annual average growth of the post-independence years (1950-2017) of about 4.5%. In contrast, the South Asian region that has the highest growth in the world is growing at a little over 7%. Economic growth of Bangladesh is twice that of SL. more..

Apr 2 (DN) All human life, once born, has to reach its logical end, death. That eternal truth was taught to us by our eternal Teacher, Gautama Buddha. Yet when it happens to your loved ones, it is difficult to bear. No person should compare the loss of his or hers to another else’s loss. It is condescending and I do not wish to indulge in such idle and patronizing laments. But my mother’s loss is great; it is, albeit unavoidable, just cannot be reconciled in the mundane mind of mine. more..

Apr 2 (CT) I remember the anxiety and stress when I had to sit for the Grade Five Scholarship exam. I was 10 years old and I had to wake at 5 a.m. and travel 40km to school daily. My only dream was to go to a good school (not popular) in Colombo. At that time, a friend of mine, attending a good school in Colombo, who woke up at 6.30 a.m. and was at school by 7.30; wasn’t even aware of the Exam. more..

Apr 2 (DN) All political parties that come to power to govern wish their govt injunction and writ to be equally effective in all parts of the country. For this to happen properly, there should be the same understanding, acceptance and implementation of the law. The law is operative because there has been a shared involvement for the common good of all. When this shared involvement in the framing of the law and right understanding and acceptance of the law is flawed and is lacking there is more..

Apr 2 (Island) Reality, like the truth, can be stranger than fiction. When Volodymyr Zelenskiy (VZ), a professional Ukrainian comedian, launched his satirical TV show, Servant of the People, wherein a teacher (played by VZ) becomes the President accidentally, he may not have thought he would ever be a frontrunner in his country’s presidential race. But, today, according to two authoritative exit polls on the first round of the Ukrainian presidential election, more..

Apr 2 (CT) The imprudent appointment of Ranjan Hulugalle as Finance Director of state-controlled print media publishing company Lake House by your son Ruwan Wijewardene, Minister of Mass Media was severely criticized in Parliament last week by JVP leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake. He alleged that in the context of Ranjan Hulugalle being a former director of Perpetual Treasuries Limited (PTL) the Primary Dealer at the centre of the egregious Treasury Bond Scam his Passport more..

Apr 2 (GN) Lakshman Kadirgamar Institute of International Relations and Strategic Studies (LKI) hosted a Foreign Policy Roundtable titled The Asian Arms Race, Geopolitics and Possible Implications for SL on 11 March. This roundtable supported by The Asia Foundation featured Sri Lanka Navyformer Commander Admiral (Retd.) Travis Sinniah, Bandaranaike Centre for International Studies (BCIS) Director Dr. Harinda Vidanage, and LKI Research Associate Malinda Meegoda. more..

Apr 2 (DN) A fitting finale to a much anticipated horse racing season brought back the glamour at the Racecourse in Nuwara Eliya yesterday as Santos and Baashagar gave the crowd in waiting a perfect end to the RTC Spring and Summer Raceday Cup. 1400-metre race for Class I Thoroughbred horses, which had seven top runners, as the judges had to thoroughly examine the thrilling photo finish before officially declaring Santos more..

Apr 2 (ST) The cricket world has erupted again. Not because Sri Lanka’s generally inexperienced cricket team was thrashed by South Africa in the later matches. The team returned to Colombo last week without fanfare and without the politicians who hang around waiting to be photographed with a victorious team. Had our team won, it would have been a different kettle of fish, with the Sports Minister and other panjandrums of the cricketing fraternity waiting with floral tributes of one kind or another more..

Apr 2 (CT) Former Wesley and Sri Lanka all-rounder Mohamed Farveez Maharoof has been appointed Manager of the Under-19 Cricket Squad which is in preparation for the upcoming Under-19 Cricket World Cup to be held in South Africa mid next year. The 34-year Maharoof has a solid track record in the cricketing arena and served as a junior selector before he took over this assignment. He replaces Nalinda Illangakoon, whose contract expired recently, as the manager. more..

Apr 2 (CT) A mammoth 63 million rupees will be spent to conduct the Super Provincial 50 Over Cricket Tournament organized and conducted by Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC), to be held from 4 to 11 April in Pallekele and Dambulla. This is one of the major tournaments listed in the SLC cricket calendar and they have decided to pump in a huge amount to conduct it. The tournament has attracted 4 teams consisting of over 80 more..

Apr 2 (ST) The hosannas that heralded the entry of Sri Lanka’s high-profile coach Rumy Packeer Ali seems like a distant cry. Every outing now seems like another nail in the coffin, with the constant grandstanding by tour managers making the joke, a tragedy! In the ongoing AFC Championship, Palestine slaughtered the local lads 9:0 and then Bahrain added injury to insult by conjuring a similar score line. B'desh added to the misery and SL is now licking its wounds with a 2-0 goal deficit, more..

Apr 2 (ST) Sri Lankans are angry, nay furious over the latest round of power cuts. But they can be cynical and amusing at the same time. Muladi apita thibuna Gota-ge eliya. Than avilla thiyenne Ravi-ge karuwala (Earlier it was Gota’s eliya. Now Ravi’s darkness has arrived),” Kussi Amma Sera said with amusement, chatting with comrade-at-arms Serapina and down-the-lane gossip Mabel Rasthiyadu. The trio was seated under the Margosa tree, meeting after three weeks as more..

Apr 2 (DN) During the past few weeks, I have been watching many headlines, debates, misinformation, misrepresentation of facts as well as self-congratulatory statements by some members of the delegation that went to Geneva, to participate in the 40th session of the UNHRC where the High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet presented the Report on Sri Lanka as requested by the UNHRC. more..

Apr 2 (FT) AIA Insurance Lanka PLC yesterday announced that it will delist the company’s shares from the official list of the Colombo Stock Exchange (CSE) in compliance with applicable regulations and procedures, while at the same time reaffirming its commitment to the Sri Lankan market. The proposal to delist was approved by the requisite shareholder majority at the Extraordinary General Meeting held on 27 March. The delisting of the company’s shares is based on a revised and more..