Jun 17 (CT) Making a clear case for how poorly and arbitrarily the ICCPR Act is being utilized in Sri Lanka; columnist Kusal Perera was on the verge of arrest by last Friday. He was however spared of the horror by the intervention of none other than Sirisena himself the following day. Local media reported last Friday evening that Organized Crime Division had made a case before the Colombo Magistrate Courts against Perera and the Daily Mirror, to investigate a complaint against more..

Jun 17 (Xinhua) Nepal's Deputy PM and Defense Minister Ishwar Pokhrel said on Sunday that the bombing attacks in Sri Lanka in April had sent a clear and strong message that a new type of terrorism threat has arrived in South Asia. The defence minister made the remarks while addressing a seminar titled Dialogues on Public Security: Countering Terrorism organized by the Nepali Army in the capital on Sunday. On April 21, multiple terror attacks struck churches and more..

Jun 17 (CT) New Defence Secretary General Shantha Kottegoda today said that he can’t give an assurance to the effect that there will be no American boots on the ground but added he hopes it will not come to that. Kottegoda made the statement this morning at his first TV interview, when he was questioned on whether Kottegoda, in his capacity as the Defence Secretary is able to assure there would be no U.S. boots on the ground, more..

Jun 17 (NR) A SLPP Mihintale Pradeshiya Sabha member has been arrested by Police on suspicion over an assault incident. The Police Media Unit said the PS member and another group broke into an argument that turned into a brawl. Several persons sustained injuries and were admitted to the Anuradhapura and Mihintale Hospitals for treatment. PS member was arrested this morning over the incident and will be produced before the Anuradhapura Magistrate’s Court today. more..

Jun 17 (FT) Swiss writer and novelist, Rolf Dobelli, in one of the essays in his 2013 book The Art of Thinking Clearly, has given a fine warning to his readers. He has warned against going by social proof or majority view if one is interested in making logical and constructive decisions. Social proof simply means searching for truth and correctness by looking at the number of people who subscribe to a particular view. If the number is large, then, it is taken as the barometer of truth and accuracy. more..

Jun 17 (GDI) Reacting to the growing abuse of power by law enforcement authorities, the Supreme Court, in a landmark ruling, has issued 20 guidelines to be followed by law enforcement authorities for the secure and advancing the rights of the public. This came as part of the SC judgment in a Fundamental Rights petition filed by a minor girl who was a grade 10 student at the time the alleged FR violation by police took place in 2012. more..

Jun 17 (DM) Indian PM Narendra Modi has invited four TNA MPs to India to discuss the unsettled problems of Tamils in Sri Lanka. It is reported that the Leader of TNA R. Sampanthan, H.A. Sumanthiran, Selvam Adaikalanathan and Mavei Senadiraja are getting ready to go to New Delhi. The team has pointed out in a discussion held with Indian Prime Minister that India should intervene to implement the constitutional amendments urgently to seek solutions for the national problem. more..

Jun 17 (AD) Special Parliament Select Committee appointed to probe the terrorist attacks on Easter Sunday summoned former Eastern Province Governor M.L.A.M. Hizbullah on June 13th to record his testimony. The committee questioned the former governor on the Batticaloa Campus and the claims regarding his alleged links to the ringleader of the Easter Sunday terrorist attacks, Zahran Hashim. However, the committee did not raise any questions pertaining to the CCTV footages that were more..

Jun 17 (LP) Ministry of Power and Energy has announced that no decision has been taken to halt the first phase of the Battle of Solar Power project introduced to strengthen the national electricity grid. A meeting was held at the Ministry of Power and Energy chaired by Minister Ravi Karunanayake to clarify the false propaganda regarding the solar power project. Minister has asserted that the Ministry has not taken any more..

Jun 17 (DM) A team of specialist doctors had pointed out to the Ministry of Health that drone technology could be used to transport blood in emergencies to hospitals in any part of the island. Authorities face practical problems such as wastage of time, when such things are transported by terrain vehicles which is the only system currently used to transport medicine in cases of an emergency. Cardiologist Gotabaya Ranasinghe of the National Hospital, Colombo (CNH) said more..

Jun 17 (GDI) Sri Lanka was prominently featured at a luxury Travel Show, held in the Dutch capital Amsterdam recently. Following the Easter Sunday terror attacks on 21 April this year and the issuance of negative travel advisories by several countries, including The Netherlands, tourist arrivals in SL plummeted. Many Dutch people who had intended to visit SL cancelled their travel plans in light of the travel advisory issued by the Dutch Govt, with only those having urgent business visiting SL. more..

Jun 17 (GDI) The national program of establishing 5000 Export Program Villages will be launched today from Dehiattakandiya, Chandanagama village in Ampara district under the patronage of Minister of Primary Industries and Social Empowering Daya Gamage. Objective of the Agriculture Sector Modernization Project - Value Added Development Program is to promote the primary products of the farmers through more..

Jun 17 (EN) State-run SriLankan Airlines said it had not defaulted on loans guaranteed by the govt, which the Treasury said it had not been able to repay, but they have been extended, referring to an EconomyNext story quoting a finance ministry report published on June 15. "The Govt bears contingent liabilities over the provision of guarantees for loans obtained from People’s Bank and Bank of Ceylon as well as Sovereign Guarantee issued for the International Bond," ministry report said. more..

Jun 17 (AD) It is high time that the organized activities by certain people, which are meant to cause unrest among people in the country, are brought to a halt, says Leader of the Opposition Mahinda Rajapaksa. He stated this addressing the Aloka Pooja ceremony held at Sithulpawwa Rajamaha Viharaya. “We lost the opportunity to celebrate the Vesak festival. The Poson festival is celebrated at a time when the entire society is wrapped up in fear. more..

Jun 17 (AFP) Media activists on Monday accused SL police of using a UN convention on hate speech to crack down on media freedom and the country's Muslim minority. Free Media Movement rights group said the STF attempted to arrest a respected journalist for his writing on anti-Muslim riots and Buddhist extremists using the UN-backed law. STF told a magistrate on Friday they were pursuing freelance writer Kusal Perera more..

Jun 17 (DM) SLPP today pooh-poohed the idea of seeking the approval of people by a referendum to conduct a snap parliamentary election. SLPP Chairman G.L. Peiris said a referendum would be non-binding and therefore would be a sheer waste of public funds. The govt was not conducting elections that were mandatory, he said. “They are attempting to conduct elections that are unconstitutional. The interesting fact is the move to hold a referendum with a view to dissolve Parliament more..

Jun 17 (Island) The Army deployed in the North is engaged in a project to improve its relations with the Muslim community resident there. In line with this programme, Security Forces Commander, Kilinochchi, Maj. General G.V. Ravipriya recently addressed a group of about 500 Muslims living in the Nachchikudah area in the Mannar District. The community had an opportunity to discuss several problems, including security, land and social issues with the Kilinochchi Command. more..

Jun 17 (DM) Minister Rajitha Senaratne today said he would not allow the import of foreign cigarettes to SL as long as he is the Minister of Health. Earlier, Finance Minister Mangala Samaraweera said that cigarettes should be imported from China as Chinese workers in SL are highly depended on them. Health Minister said there were only 6,000 registered Chinese workers in SL but there are about 10,000 Indian workers. more..

Jun 17 (MFA) Sri Lanka called for placing the nuclear terrorism high on the global agenda at the 2019 Plenary Meeting of the Global Initiative to Combat Nuclear Terrorism (GICNT), held at Palacio San Martin in Buenos Aires, Argentina from 6-7 June 2019. Participating at the GICNT Plenary, Ambassador Musthafa Jaffeer, SL’s Delegate, stated that Sri Lanka has recognized the increased threat posed to global and international security from terrorism, including nuclear terrorism, more..

Jun 17 (DM) JVP will field its own candidate for next presidential election, JVP Politbureau member K D Lal Kantha said today. He told a news conference that they would reveal their candidate by earlier next month. “We will launch a national movement by early next month to stand for peoples’ rights and issues. We, JVP will also be a part of it. Our next presidential candidate will be someone who is in the national movement. He will be from our Politbureau. Our supporters claim that more..

Jun 17 (AD) The first ever Sri Lankan satellite, RAAVANA-1, designed and developed by two young Sri Lankan engineers, has been launched into orbit from the International Space Station today (17). It launched into an orbit 400 km away from earth on June 17th, Non-Cabinet Minister Sujeewa Senasinghe has said. RAAVANA-1 is a research satellite built by two SL engineers named Tharindu Dayaratne and Dulani Chamika, more..

Jun 18 (ST) This was bound to happen. World over citizens have been betrayed by their govts, promises shattered by political leaders. Here in Britain messy politics and confused pledges have led to sheer historic instability with people increasingly distrusting their govts and mainstream political parties. If British politics has produced instability, it is surely worse in SL, where politics is even messier and dirtier. Those who run the country’s coalition govt spend more of their time going for each other’s more..

Jun 18 (CT) Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith expressed the sentiments that are with most Sri Lankans today irrespective of their ethnicity or religion. At the reopening of St Anthony’s Church, Kochchikade, which was one of the two Catholic churches that were heavily damaged in the suicide bomb attacks on Easter Sunday, he said that many people in the country are living in confusion in the aftermath of the attacks and are wondering whether the country can overcome the situation. more..

Jun 18 (SO) Two Fundamental Rights (FR) petitions were filed at the Supreme Court for the release of award-winning author and poet Shakthika Sathkumara, and Fathima Nushra Zarook who were arrested for wearing a kaftan depicting a ship’s helm, mistaken by vigilantes and police in Hasalaka as a Dharmachakraya (a Buddhist symbol used to depict the Dhamma and the walk to enlightenment). more..

Jun 18 (CT) On Saturday our Lions showed that they are indeed capable of great things. They began the run chase and it appeared that they were heading for an upset victory. The commentators were impressed. They described the run chase using adjectives reserved for a champion team and many were anticipating a great Sri Lankan victory over their Australian opponents. Facebook and other social media were full of praises and hopes were running high. more..

Jun 18 (ST) The country’s external financial vulnerability remains a serious concern despite the Central Bank’s assurance that the country’s debt repayment obligations can be met this year and that foreign reserves are expected to be US$ 6.7 billion at the end of the year. On the other hand, if the decline in the trade deficit in the first quarter of this year continues during the remaining months, a sharp reduction in the trade deficit could result in a significant balance of payments surplus more..

Jun 18 (CT) Australia’s Liberal Party Member for Northern Metropolitan Region, MP Craig Ondarchie, has a close links to SL as his parents were Ceylonese, both born here. Craig has become the face of SL in the Victorian Parliament and was the first MP of SL heritage elected to a Liberal Govt as well as the first Sri Lankan to serve on the front bench. “I will not want SL to go down the precipices as it is a very close friend of Australia, and more..

Jun 18 (CT) The conversation of treating all citizens with equal dignity should start with the next prez election, said Executive Director of the CPA Dr. Paikiasothy Saravanamuttu, at a public discussion organised by the Night-watchmen Society titled Nationalism vs Diversity: What is the vision for Sri Lanka at Hatch on Wednesday. Following are excerpts from his speech: “Our country is stuck in old outdated and somewhat irrelevant paradigms, which are holding us back. more..

Jun 18 (Island) Yahapalana govt is like an aircraft whose engines and landing gear have both failed in mid-air. Worse, there is a big fight in the cockpit with the pilots tightening their grip on each other’s jugular. It is on a wing and a prayer. Nothing short of a miracle can save it. Prez Sirisena is in a dilemma. His luck ran out years ago and nothing seems to go right for him. He wanted to destroy the Rajapaksa family politically. He spared no pains to achieve his goal, but his efforts came a cropper. more..

Jun 18 (CT) I wrote last week that the new President should wipe the slate clean and appoint to his Cabinet only MPs who had not functioned previously as Cabinet Ministers. But on reflection, I can see that there might be a case for having just a few who had held office before, to help the new dispensation to understand how Cabinet works. However, Prez should ensure that they should be not more than a quarter of the Cabinet, perhaps half a dozen in a Cabinet of 25 at most. more..

Jun 18 (CI) Shakib Al Hasan produced one of the great World Cup performances, stringing a domineering 124 not out to his two-wicket haul as he anchored Bangladesh's highest chase in an ODI. In the process, he reached 6000 ODI runs, became Bangladesh's highest run-scorer at a World Cup, the second after Mahmudullah to make two centuries for Bangladesh in the tournament, and added his name to yet another one of the six Bangladesh century stands in World Cups. more..

Jun 18 (FT) Sri Lanka Ports Authority (SLPA) yesterday justified the new deal for the crucial East Container Terminal (ECT) was the best fit given the State-owned entity’s need to remain viable and to sustain Colombo’s hub status in South Asia. The Govt recently decided to take a bilateral route involving Japan and India to operationalise the ECT which has been languishing without the desired progress after SLPA invested $ 100 mil on it. more..

Jun 18 (Island) He has worked for the Divaina, The Island, both Sunday and Daily, Vidusara and Nawaliya. He is most famous for Fake Book his Divaina pocket cartoon which exposes political gimmickry. But the sub-genre Jayarathna Wickrama has internationally made a mark with his is in environmental cartoons, with Bularian, Polish, South Korean and Chines magazines appreciating his environmental cartoons. But he wasn't always a cartoonist. He was a teacher at Malasna more..

Jun 18 (FT) Sri Lanka Tourism will launch the much-awaited two-month global promotional campaign next month with an investment of Rs. 500 million, to position SL on the global tourism map which will also help the industry to bounce back quickly from negative sentiments following the Easter Sunday terror attacks. J. Walter Thompson (JWT) had been chosen as the PR agency to represent SL to the global market. JWT also won the Rs. 314 million contract to develop the country’s latest more..

Jun 18 (CC) Sri Lanka cricket team won’t be facing any sanctions from the ICC after refusing to attend their mandatory post-match press conference at Kennington Oval on Saturday. SL camp didn’t send any representative for the press conference or in the mixed zone after losing to Australia by 87 runs for their second defeat of the ongoing Cricket World Cup in England. SLC said it has discussed the incident with ICC more..

Jun 18 (Island) Many respondents who provided their views to the Statistics Department of the Central Bank working out the Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) for the month of May 2019, have highlighted the fact that the uncertainty which arose from Easter Sunday attack still prevails in the country, and therefore, new businesses and expectations for activity continued to decline compared to previous month, albeit at a slower pace. more..

Jun 18 (EN) Panasian Power Plc, said it plans to raise 400 million rupees from Emerald Fund, which is dedicated to investing in SL to part finance 9 MegaWatts of solar power plants in several parts of the country. The firm will privately place 125 million shares at 3.20 rupees per share to with Emerald Fund, which is incorporated in Mauritius, amounting to 20% of the stock. Panasian Power has called a shareholders' meeting to get clearance. Emerald Fund is managed by NDB Zephyr Partners more..

Jun 18 (PMD) President Sirisena visited the construction site of the China – SL Friendship Nephrology hospital in Polonnaruwa today (17) to inspect the progress. The Chinese funding for the kidney hospital is a result of discussions held between President Sirisena and Chinese President Xi Jinping during the former’s official visit to China in 2015. President Sirisena laid the foundation stone for this hospital on 21st July 2019, more..

Jun 18 (EN) Aitken Spence Hotel Holdings will pursue management contracts for overseas hotels to diversify the business, top officials said. "The Group plans to drive growth of our portfolios through expansion of managed properties both overseas and in SL," Managing Director Parakrama Dissanayake told shareholders in the firm's annual report. "Expanding our geographic footprint will be a priority leveraging the successful deployment of our time-tested business model overseas," he said. more..