Jun 20 (CT) In a sudden turn of events, PM Ranil Wickremesinghe is up in arms over the re-appointment of Kabir Hashim and Abdul Haleem as Ministers claiming he was kept in the dark regarding the re-appointments. 9 Muslim Ministers who resigned with the two are also vexed over the issue saying that they had reached a consensus that all of them will return to the fold and that Rishad Bathiudeen should also be re-appointed. more..

Jun 20 (DM) The drubbing, which the Sri Lankan cricketers received at the hands of the Australia, would have left millions of cricket fans in Sri Lanka dejected and despondent. But sadly though, this is a reflection of the mess and muddle that governance in Sri Lanka has got itself into. Some 6.2 million people voted for the then common candidate Maithripala Sirisena to elect him President in a campaign spearheaded by the UNP led by Ranil Wickremesinghe, who was appointed PM. more..

Jun 20 (DM) Ranjan Ramanayake is an outspoken UNP MP. He is so outspoken that sometimes he gets into hot water. Occasionally, though, he is spot on. Just the other day, he was at his blunt best when he took on Mahamood Hizbullah and other Muslim politicians who are all of a sudden playing Representatives of the Victimized Community and worse, issuing threats to one and all non-Muslims. Here’s a gist (in translation): “They say they are in fear…aren’t we scared? more..

Jun 20 (DM) As the presidential election period approaches day by day, the mainstream political parties are fully occupied with their internal discussions, manipulations and manoeuvrings on the selection of their candidates to be fielded. At this election, as has always been, there will be two main contestants. In addition, a number of other candidates will vie to play different political roles, both overtly and covertly, in the run up to polling day. more..

Jun 20 (DM) Opposition Leader Mahinda Rajapaksa, in an interview with the Daily Mirror, spoke about the proposed move by President Maithripala Sirisena to call for a referendum and the crisis involving the President and the Cabinet. Q: What do you think of the crisis involving the Cabinet and President Maithripala Sirisena? A: It is a bad precedence. Probably, this is the first time that such a crisis has erupted; probably in the world. more..

Jun 20 (ST) The govt’s intervention last August to write off microfinance loans to women in drought-affected areas is of no help to thousands of families struggling with debt as many lenders are unregistered with the Central Bank and Treasury and ineligible to receive Treasury grants to settle outstanding loans. Moreover, no microfinance institution currently has a licence to operate as a lender. more..

Jun 20 (EN) In Sri Lanka, indoctrination and hate targeting communities not considered to be the core-nation as defined in ethno-religious terms start early in state-funded schools. From Grade One, in fact. 'Don't call your Thaththa (father) Appachchi,' a teacher tells 30 odd wide-eyed kids in a Sinhalese dominated class where there is only one Tamil child. "Appachchi is Tamil. Don't call him Thaththi. That is Sankara. We have to avoid being Sankara.' more..

Jun 20 (Island) The GMOA, yesterday, revealed how it was planning to deal with Health Minister Dr. Rajitha Senaratne, embroiled in a long running battle with it. GMOA Secretary Dr. Haritha Aluthge said that their union would soon inform the World Health Organization (WHO), in writing that the Minister had abused his position as WHO Vice President. Dr. Aluthge said that the GMOA would also brief the WHO on what he called more..

Jun 20 (CT) Mannar Magistrate A.P. Alexraj ordered the Head of the Postgraduate Institute of Archaeology of the Uni of Kelaniya Professor Raj Somadeva, who is involved in the excavation of the Mannar mass grave, to remove artifacts from the Magistrate’s Court to prepare his final report on the mass grave. Magistrate’s order was issued to Prof. Somadeva on 11 June requesting him to report to the Magistrate on more..

Jun 20 (EN) Several govt departments had flouted rules to get hundreds of millions of rupees worth foreign grants without telling the Treasury, Auditor General (AG) has said. "According to the information obtained on a sample test, foreign grants amounting to 341 million rupees had been directly obtained by five relevant institutions during the year under review without notifying Treasury," AG Chulantha Wickramaratne said. more..

Jun 20 (Island) Opposition charged that Muslim Ministers’ resignations from their portfolios were just an eyewash and aimed at derailing the no-confidence motion against Rishad Bathiudeen. UPFA MP Shehan Semasinghe said: The Muslim ministers resigned to save the govt. Today, two of them took oaths again as ministers. When they resigned we said that it was a gimmick. We hear that all other Muslim ministers, too, will accept more..

Jun 20 (CT) JVP MP Sunil Handunnetti said, the UDA does not give ear to public sentiment. He was referring to construction projects carried out by big companies in the city and inconveniencing the public. He was participating in the Second Reading on the SL Land Reclamation and Development Corporation (Amendment) Bill. “When other companies carry out constructions, plans have to be approved by the UDA. more..

Jun 20 (AD) As a responsible leader of the country, PM Ranil Wickremesinghe is not concerned of anything that is indigenous, says Venerable Bellanwila Dhammarathana Thero. He made this comment addressing an event organized by the union of national organizations last evening. Stressing on the fact that expedite steps should be taken to recover from the situation the country has fallen into, Ven. Dhammarathana Thero said, more..

Jun 20 (CT) Judging by the utter absurdity of what’s transpiring at the hearings of the PCoI into corruption, one can’t help but wonder whether tax payers’ money is not being frittered away on utter nonsense merely to use the Commission in a vain effort to lull the idiotic masses into a delusion that it is carrying out its mandate to stem corruption as well as expose past miscreants and mete out appropriate punishments under the law for crimes of corruption. The latest heard on Monday was that more..

Jun 20 (DN) A man reportedly stabbed and killed his brother-in-law’s pet dog in a drunken rage over a property dispute in the Hakmana area on Monday. He was later remanded for displaying cruelty to animals. The Hakmana Police, following a complaint made to Hakmana Police by Kalutotage Nandasena (60) of Kahatagahahene, arrested the suspect perpetrator and produced him before the Deiyandara Magistrate and Additional District Judge Mrs. Lushaka Kumari Dharmakeerthi on June 18. more..

Jun 20 (FT) Seya Sadewmi was a five-year-old girl who was abducted, raped and murdered. The body of this little girl, missing from her home for a little more than a day was found near a canal 200 m away. An autopsy revealed that Sadewmi had been sexually assaulted and was strangled to death. Initially, these were the only facts about the case. Kotadeniyawa police, under reasonable suspicions – according to them – arrested three individuals, including 17-yr-old student, one after another. more..

Jun 20 (LP) Water supply to several areas in Colombo will be disrupted for 15-hours commencing from 9am to 12 mid night on Saturday, the National Water Supply and Drainage Board said. Accordingly, water supply to Colombo, Dehiwela, Mt.Lavinia, Kotte, Kaduwela Municiple Council areas, Maharagama, Boralasgamuwa, Kolonnawa Urban Council areas, Kotikawaththa, Mulleriyawa PS areas, Rathmalana and Soysapura Housing Scheme areas will be affected by the water cut. more..

Jun 20 (AD) Colombo Chief Magistrate has cancelled the overseas travel approval given to the Chairman of Perpetual Treasuries Limited (PTL) Geoffrey Aloysius. Chief Magistrate has delivered the order taking into consideration a submission presented by Senior State Counsel Lakmini Kiriyagama who appeared on behalf the AG. Chief Magistrate has also instructed to void the order delivered on June 13th to release more..

Jun 20 (DM) Japanese conglomerate and parent company SGH Holdings awarded EFL (Expolanka Freight) with the ‘Outstanding Performance Award’ for their transformative Robotic Process Automation (RPA) project at the recently completed Global Innovation Competition. The awards recognizing the groups Diversity & Inclusion (D&I) initiatives is led by the management team and honors remarkable projects in FY2018 under two categories; Women Work Promotion and Work Style Reforms. more..

Jun 20 (LP) At least 15 in 100,000 people die in road accidents in Sri Lanka every year, Transport and Civil Aviation Minister Arjuna Ranathunga said yesterday. Most of the road accidents occurred due to lack of discipline and it is my aim to instill discipline in road users during my tenure, Minister further said. Minister Ranathunga addressing the gathering after launching an official website of the National Council for Road Safety said an estimated 1.5 million people are killed more..

Jun 20 (AD) General Secretary of Ceylon Thowheed Jama’ath (CTJ) Abdul Razik has commenced giving evidence before the Special Parliamentary Select Committee, a short while ago. Special Parliamentary Select Committee is set up to inquire into the Easter Sunday bombing incidents. Several other representatives of Muslim organizations including are also slated to give evidence before the Select Committee today, more..

Jun 20 (PMD) Prez Sirisena instructed relevant officials to expedite investigations against those who are in custody under Terrorism Prevention Act for minor offences related to Easter Sunday attack and release those who are found innocent. Prez gave these instructions when the National Security Council convened at Prez Secretariat yesterday. Security arrangements and the prevailing situation in the country were discussed at a length during the meeting and more..

Jun 20 (AD) Police had opened fire at a person driving a three-wheeler who had failed to stop at a checkpoint in Gampaha, stated the Police Media Spokesperson. Reportedly, the driver of the three-wheeler had not stopped at the checkpoint near the Land Kachcheri in Gampaha despite the orders of the police officers on duty. Driver had been shot in his shoulder when the police opened fire on him and is currently hospitalized for treatment. 32-year-old driver from Bimmulla is not in critical more..

Jun 20 (DM) Law Students' Union of Sri Lanka has written to Chief Justice Jayantha Jayasuriya PC regarding discrepancies and irregularities in the conduct of the SL Law College’s final year exams in Oct 2018 and Apr 2019. Voicing their concerns regarding two main issues – revocation of General Written Test (GWT) and Subject Written Test (SWT) and the inadequate time gaps between papers, the students claimed more..

Jun 20 (EN) Sri Lanka’s govt could face risks in refinancing its three billion US dollars of foreign debt in the next five years, especially if investor sentiment changes, Moody's Investors Service said. “Domestic and external obstacles pose challenges to Sri Lanka's refinancing of govt debt,” the rating agency said in a new report. Potential for sudden shifts in investor sentiment could affect the availability and cost of funding sources, it said. The terrorist attacks of April 2019, more..

Jun 20 (AD) Minister Ravi Karunanayake and his wife have been ordered to appear at the CID on the 7th of July. They have been ordered by the Colombo Chief Magistrate to record statements at the CID on the allegations of providing false information to the Presidential Commission inquiring the Bond Scam. When the case was taken up before the Chief Magistrate Lanka Jayaratne today (20), the CID informed the court that investigations are still ongoing with regard to the case more..

Jun 20 (LP) Ambassador – designate of Sri Lanka to the US, Rodney Perera assumed duties at the Embassy of SL in Washington DC on 17th June. Prior to appointment as the Ambassador to the US, Ambassador Perera was SL’s Ambassador to Belgium, Luxembourg and the European Union. Upon arrival at the Embassy in Washington DC, Ambassador Perera was welcomed and greeted by the staff. more..

Jun 20 (AD) Sri Lanka Railway Locomotive Engine Operators Unions says they have decided to resort to a 48-hour strike action from midnight today. Speaking to reporters following the meeting held today with the Minister of Finance, trade union representatives said they will go ahead with their planned strike as they failed to reach an agreement. The railway trade unions had decided to launch a strike action from midnight yesterday, however, it was temporarily suspended more..

Jun 20 (PMD) Prez Sirisena has given instructions to the officials to expedite the Wew Gam Pubuduwa programme implemented with the aim of reconstructing 325 rural dilapidated tanks in Anuradhapura, Polonnaruwa, Puttalam, Kurunegala, Vavuniya and Manner districts of the North Central, North and North Western Province respectively. In parallel to this event, a project will be implemented to provide clean drinking water facility for the people living in villages connected to those tanks more..

Jun 20 (EN) Revenues from Sri Lanka's customs agency were 30% below target in the first five months of 2019, Minister Mangala Samaraweera said as credit slowed in the wake of a collapse of a soft-pegged exchange regime. "In the first five months of 2019 we can see that revenues are 30% below target," Samaraweera had said after appointing 153 new customs officers. "It is important to meet the targets because more..

Jun 20 (DM) The govt today presented a supplementary estimate in Parliament seeking approval to spend Rs.65 billion for new highways and other road development projects. The Ministry of Highways, Road Development and Petroleum Resources said in a document attached to the estimate that Rs.185 billion was allocated through the 2019 Budget for highways and road development. However, according to the document funds were only sufficient for first 5 months more..

Jun 20 (CT) Notice was issued yesterday, on the Chief Legal Officer of the Ceylon Petroleum Storage Terminals Ltd (CPSTL), Lionel Gunasekera, for allegedly attempting to intimidate a witness who appeared before the Presidential Commission of Inquiry (PCoI) on the alleged irregularities of the present administration. He has been ordered to appear before the PCoI tomorrow (21). Deputy Internal Audit Manager at the CPSTL, Deputy Internal Audit Manager at the CPSTL, more..

Jun 20 (AD) The Saree and the Osari are attires that were originally worn by Muslims, says UPFA MP S.B. Dissanayake. He said these dresses hailed from the Middle East and were later adapted by India. Muslim women have been branded as inactive machines for reproducing offspring claims the parliamentarian. He further calls for the general public to create an environment in which the Muslim women can more..

Jun 20 (CT) Joint Opposition (JO) will reveal their Presidential candidate at the upcoming SLPP National Convention, which will be held in 30 to 35 days time, claimed MP C.B. Ratnayake. He said that they will also disclose what their other programmes would be. “The country needs a fresh candidate and we are waiting till the Presidential Election gets announced. Prez Election should be held before December, because it is not ethical to have an election when the O/L exams are underway. more..

Jun 20 (CT) In a new development, Ministry of Megapolis and Western Development yesterday said 160 hectares in the sea between Kollupitiya and Dehiwala will be reclaimed for development projects. Legislation regarding the Colombo International Financial City aka Port City would be presented to Cabinet in the next few weeks, State Minister Dr. Harsha de Silva told Parliament. De Silva, participating in the Second Reading of the SL Land Reclamation and Development Corporation more..

Jun 20 (EN) Sri Lanka has initiated criminal investigations against nine officers over lapses leading to the Easter Sunday attacks, but the head of state intelligence Nilantha Jayawardena and IGP Pujith Jauasundara have been spared. Attorney-General Dappula de Livera in a letter to Acting IGP Chandana Wickramaratne ordered that disciplinary action be taken against the nine men, including three DIGs. more..

Jun 21 (CT) In a democracy govt is a contractual agreement between the elected rulers and the voters who elected them, unfortunately enough, not written in blood though. The unwritten expectation of the nation is for the govt to provide national security, maintain law and order and usher national prosperity. In our country the rulers have failed the nation in that they have personal prosperity at the expense of the nation as a flagship policy of all govts elected after 1977 and more..

Jun 21 (CT) An unrestrained communal animosity towards ethnic and religious minorities, anchored in mythology and historical half-truths, and popularised by sections of the Buddhist clergy and a sectarian media have combined to drive Sri Lanka to a point where the future survival of this plural polity as an independent sovereign state with a viable economy has become increasingly uncertain. Successive cycles of communal violence, an unaffordable and unthoughtfully engaged lengthy civil war, more..

Jun 21 (SO) Eleven-year-old Kieran de Zoysa was killed in the Cinnamon Grand bomb blast on 21/4. A student at Elizabeth Moir, Kieran was to return to his school in the US in September. In his essay Kieran says I feel like I belong to Sri Lanka... I am #sosrilankan. His mother Dhulsini de Zoysa wrote the following article for the Sunday Observer. We gathered to honour the brief but extraordinary life of our only child, Kieran de Zoysa, more..