May 4 (Island) Terrorism thrives, the world over, since the perpetrators thereof can gain legitimacy by flaunting various causes in justification of their savage violence. The world is full of inequalities and injustice, and if terrorism is to be considered the remedy and tolerated, then we are bound to revert to the pre-state, uncivilised situation, where men lived without other security than what their own strength and their own invention furnished them with. TNA MP M. A. Sumanthiran has, more..

May 4 (Island) Terrorists, when furthering their masked agendas for fame, power, economic resources and territory often cite deprivation as one of the causes to stir in-group love and out-group hatred. The roots of this intergroup phenomenon lie in providing humans with a natural threat detection system, designed to protect against perceived harm, threat and danger. This process is integral for our long-term survival. In the context of our ancestors this made sense given the need to protect more..

May 4 (Island) May Day this year was only one of memories; and delightful memories indeed. Those long walks through the streets of Colombo, with the redshirted leadership of NM, Colvin, Leslie and Bernard, with slogans of revolution, the fight against capitalism and colonial power, the combating against corruption and the unity of workers and peasants, from those in the plantations and factories, teachers, clerks, and farmers – more..

May 4 (CT) Of course, it may be a dirty game if someone is trying to get political capital especially in electoral terms in this period of shock and dismay. Nonetheless, it is unavoidable owing to two reasons. First, the terrorist attack itself was a political act with clear and precise political objectives although all of them are not yet clear. The LTTE that engaged in serious terrorist acts for 25 years was a military-politico outfit that aimed at setting up of a new State, Tamil Eelam. more..

May 4 (DN) It is clear that the attacks on Easter Sunday were carried out by local radicals, under the pressures of foreign fundamentalists. It is also clear that there is little support for this group from the wider Muslim community. While those involved could be swiftly identified and dealt with, the bigger question is how to check the spread of extremism. Some say violent extremism is a cult, not a religion. Then one can argue that all god believing religions are cults, except Buddhism. more..

May 4 (Hindu) Every few metres in Batticaloa a white poster with the words Kanneer Anjali (tribute with tears) appears, tied to trunks of trees, walls of churches, or gates of mosques. Right below the bold letters is an image of a pair of eyes, weeping. Near town, the narrow lane leading to the evangelical Zion Church, where one of the bombers blew himself up, just as his fellow jihadists did at two Catholic churches in Colombo & Negombo, more..

May 4 (CT) Muslim Religious Affairs Minister M.H.A. Haleem is reported to have suggested that the scores of swords found in mosques were probably being used to clear shrubs surrounding mosques. He seriously expects intelligent people to believe that these mosques, as a matter of course, use swords to chop off little shrubs supposed to be proliferating in cemeteries lying adjacent to these mosques. If Haleem’s statement, reported in an English daily, was tongue-in-cheek, more..

May 4 (Island) Sri Lanka Karting Circuit (SLKC), owned and managed by David Pieris Racing & Leisure (Pvt) Ltd, hosted one of India’s largest consumer product giants, Godrej India, for a 2-hour endurance karting race recently. Nearly 300 personnel from India’s Godrej Consumer Products Limited participated in the event, at SLKC’s internationally homologated karting track. This was the first time that staff of a large Indian conglomerate took part in a karting challenge at SLKC with more..

May 4 (PMD) British Minister of State for Security and Economic Crime, Ben Wallace said the political leadership is extremely important to fight against terrorism with international connections. He said this when he called on President Sirisena today (3) at the President’s Official Residence in Colombo. Stating that recent attacks by Islamist terrorist is a part of the international terror campaign of the Islamist State (IS), Rt. Hon. Wallace more..

May 4 (ST) As the country embarks on ambitious tech projects, more companies are likely to be exposed to attacks than the global average. Even as businesses capitalise on the latest security intelligence and protections to stay ahead in the evolving cyber security landscape, Sri Lanka continues to be an attractive region for cyber criminals according to Microsoft. The 24th edition of Microsoft’s Security Intelligence Report comprises core insights and key trends derived by more..

May 4 (FT) Pope Francis has condemned the Easter Sunday extremist terror attacks in SL that killed over 250 and injured hundreds. “In the wake of the brutal attacks on Christian communities gathered in prayer on Easter Sunday, and on several other sites in SL, I feel moved to assure you once more of my profound solidarity and my continued prayers for all those affected by these contemptible crimes,” Pope Francis said in a letter dated 24 April to Archbishop of Colombo Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith. more..

May 4 (Guardian) These transcendent, haunting images taken by photographer Andrew Sutton in the waters of the western Indian Ocean come close to understanding something of the magnificent & enigmatic sperm whale, an animal which still remains fairly unknowable to us, for all that we have exploited it for 500 years. Don’t tell the other cetaceans, but I think sperm whales are most beautiful mammals on the planet. more..

May 4 (DN) Asian Development Bank (ADB), is coordinating closely with the UN and members of the International Community and looking for any options for assisting and supporting Sri Lanka, Hun Kim, Director General, South Asia (SARD) said yesterday. He said that although at present they were yet in the dark of the aftermath of terrorist attacks, the immediate concerns of the ADB was the impact on the country’s economy and specially the impact on investor confidence over Sri Lanka. more..

May 4 (Island) Colombo-Seychelles thrice weekly return flights had a cabin factor of 61%, which was considered profitable, says Pradeep Durairaj, Sri Lankan Airlines Manager, Commercial Worldwide Sales and Distribution and Seychelles Country Manager designate. Addressing a Destination Tourism Workshop organised by Seychelles Tourism Board in collaboration with the Seychelles HC at the Taj Samudra, Durairaj said that SriLankan flew to Seychelles on Mon, Wed & Sat. more..

May 4 (CT) It looked like normal – and classy – cricket attire until MAS Holdings revealed the unusual origins of the National Cricket attire that will lend colour to the forthcoming Cricket World Cup 2019: explaining the transformation of plastic sea waste into a superior fabric used to produce players’ kits when the Principal Sponsor was announced at the Taj Samudra Hotel yesterday. MAS has been SL Cricket’s clothing sponsor more..

May 4 (Island) Less than a year after it was launched, Commercial Bank’s ground-breaking Digital Banking Account Flash has been launched in Sinhala and Tamil, making it SL’s first trilingual digital banking app. Developed in partnership with Kashmi of Singapore, Flash allows users to create a bank account via their mobile devices and then carry out a number of services such as payments, budgeting, saving, investing and much more. It offers never-before-seen personal financial more..

May 4 (Wire) Activists, academics and journalists from across South Asia have issued a statement in solidarity with the artists, thinkers and ordinary people of Sri Lanka. In view of the recent wave of bombings in Sri Lanka, in which over 250 people were killed, a group of 243 activists, academics and journalists from all across South Asia have issued a statement in solidarity with the artists, thinkers and ordinary people of Sri Lanka. The signatories, as the statement says, more..

May 4 (FT) The Govt yesterday sought to reassure the public of the efficiency of security measures undertaken since the Easter Sunday attacks as it urged the public to return to their normal activities. Minister Ranjith Madduma Bandara speaking to reporters at Temple Trees said over 200 people – nearly half of whom are people affiliated with the two banned organisations – had been arrested in sweeping security operations more..

May 4 (FT) Issuing a statement, the Turkish Embassy clarified that they had updated SL authorities of people linked to the Fethullahist Terrorist Organisation (FETO), which is banned in Turkey and several other countries. The Embassy of the Republic of Turkey had provided the SL authorities with the details of FETO affiliated members, schools and businesses in Sri Lanka for the last four years and requested the Govt to ban FETO affiliated schools and businesses and more..

May 4 (FT) LMD-Nielsen Business Confidence Index (BCI) declined for the second consecutive month, registering 77 basis points in April compared to 90 in March – and LMD notes that since the monthly survey was conducted in the first week of April, it is likely that confidence will fall further in May, following the Easter Sunday attacks. BCI is now at its lowest level in over a decade. Moreover, the index is 21 points below where it stood a year ago and 20 notches shy of its average for last 12 months. more..

May 4 (Island) Minister Champika Ranawaka -led civil society group The National Path have called for maximum possible cooperation with foreign intelligence services to neutralize the growing fresh threat posed by Islamic terrorists. He however emphasized the responsibility on the part of govt to prevent external interference, detrimental to SL’s sovereignty, in the guise of what he called intelligence cooperation. more..

May 4 (ICC) ICC unveiled an expanded MRF Tyres ICC Men’s T20I Team Rankings table with 80 teams who will now be able to gauge their progress in a format recognised by the world body as the vehicle for the growth of the game. Teams like Austria, Botswana, Luxembourg and Mozambique are among the sides figuring in the first men’s T20I ranking table that features all Members meeting the criteria of having played six matches against other ICC members since May 2016. more..

May 4 (DM) JVP will question PM on the Easter Sunday bomb attacks in Parliament next week, JVP MP Vijitha Herath said. He said that the party will question him during the session allocated for the MPs to question the PM on Wednesday. He said the questions were handed over to the Parliament Secretary General last morning. Usually a member could question the PM on matters of interest during this session and then raise four supplementary questions depending on the answer. more..

May 4 (FT) Attorney General yesterday declined to appear for IGP Pujith Jayasundara and Special Security Division DIG Priyalal Dasanayake in the Fundamental Rights petition before the Supreme Court despite the request made by the Director of the Police Legal Division. The Bench comprising Justices Buwaneka Aluvihara and Padman Surasena deferred the petition for 21 May. The petition was filed by Janath Vidanage more..

May 4 (FT) Muslim Aid is a UK based international relief and development agency established in 1985, working in over 20 countries with field offices in 12 countries including Cambodia, Bangladesh, Bosnia, Myanmar, Indonesia, Lebanon, Sri Lanka and Sudan. Muslim Aid works with all in need, regardless of their race, religion, gender, nationality or political persuasion. Muslim Aid Sri Lanka (MASL) refutes the allegations circulating on social media and other communication channels more..

May 4 (DM) PM Ranil Wickremesinghe has instructed that Madrasas should be regulated by the Muslim Religious and Cultural Affairs Ministry and not by the Education Ministry, Education Minister Akila Viraj Kariyawasam said yesterday. He told Daily Mirror that the PM stressed the need for the Muslim Religious and Cultural Affairs Ministry to look into the regulation of Madrasas though the minister had earlier said the Education Ministry would take steps to regulate them. more..

May 4 (DM) 59 UNF MPs including some senior ministers are expected to hand over a written request to Prez Sirisena on Monday requesting him to appoint Filed Marshall Sarath Fonseka as the Minister of Law and Order. This was announced at a joint news conference held by Minister Ranjith Madduma Bandara and MP Ashu Marasinghe. In their letter the MPs have said the country’s security had become an important issue today and more..

May 5 (SO) How tragedy and trauma bonds people! Literally within hours of the Easter bombing tragedy, the security agencies were tracing the bombers’ hide-outs and accomplices, even as three Police officers gave their lives in the effort. The speed of the security response was enabled by a rapid, overwhelming, societal response in supportive co-operation. Despite being stunned at the sudden horror, the civilian population across the country was responding promptly – perhaps learning from more..

May 5 (CT) The Easter Sunday suicide bomb attacks on six civilian targets left at least 257 dead and 496 injured as at Thursday. The attacks, according to Prez Sirisena have been the brainchild of the Islamist terrorist organisation ISIS based in the Middle East. However, those attacks were carried out by its local adherents. This newspaper, on its 24 April issue, quoting the Hindustan Times said, ‘another NTJ team led by Jal al-Quital alias Rilwan Marzag could carry out more attacks. more..

May 5 (SO) The unheard of little coastal town 10 km away from Kalmunai shot to global fame last week. First there were reports of fire fights, then three explosions at a modest house in the area. The blast killed 15 people, including three women and six children. The suspicions of the local residents about the strange and reclusive family that had moved in to the neighbourhood and rented the house had proved correct. more..

May 5 (Island) Army Commander Lt. Gen. Mahesh Senanayake’s look, complete with a glabrous pate, a well chiseled jawline and ebony complexion, reminds us of Sanath Jayasuriya in his Master Blaster days. The army chief, in fact, did a Sana the other day. In an interview, he hit around the wicket, which was no featherbed, without leaving the ball even in the corridor of uncertainty. He did not spare anyone blameworthy when he was asked to name those responsible for security situation more..

May 5 (ST) The chilling video released this week by the leader of the purported Islamic State (ISIS) congratulating the inhumane suicide bombers who carried out the Easter Sunday carnage in SL raised eyebrows in world capitals. Believed to have been killed during battles in his make-believe Caliphate in West Asia, the video has been confirmed to be that of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, not seen since 2014. That SL has been flagged as part of the global nexus of ISIS activities is a pity, to say the least. more..

May 5 (CT) They are Christians, Muslims; both Sunni and Shia, but were all labelled as Islamic terrorists by mobs in Negombo who went after them after news broke out that the Islamic State (IS) were behind the blasts that killed over 250 persons and injuring over 500. They tried their luck to explain that they are Catholics and from other evangelical Christian communities, but none would want to take the risk of keeping them in the houses where more..

May 5 (ST) Aiyo Sirisena and my dear Green Man, I thought I must write to both of you because, whether we like it or not, the two of you are responsible for charting the destiny of our country, at least for the next few months. It will be a crucial few months that could change the course of the next few decades, after what happened on Easter Sunday. Aiyo Sirisena, I am not sure whether you realise this, but you are still the most powerful person in this country. You certainly have more powers than a more..

May 5 (SO) Terror takes tolerance hostage. The purpose of terror is to undermine our tolerant way of life. What motivates the perpetrators of terror? To fight an idea, we must understand the idea. A comparatively small, disproportionately dynamic, unbelievably influential group that calls themselves ISIS is seeking to impose a totalitarian version of Islam on us and all other nations of the world. The commonsense approach to solve the problem is to define who we are and accurately ascertain more..

May 5 (Island) The Easter Sunday terrorist attacks marked a political watershed in Sri Lanka. From now on, everything will be seen in terms of before the bomb attacks and after the bomb attacks. Had these been bomb attacks carried out by elements known to the public, their impact may not have been as significant as it is now. Undoubtedly, this qualifies as the single biggest co-ordinated terrorist attack on civilians in South Asia due to the number of casualties. more..

May 5 (ST) Kussi Amma Sera was angry. I hadn’t seen her like this before. Seated under the Margosa tree with friends-for-life Serapina and Mabel Rasthiyadu, she said: "Balanna … apey manthrivarun hasirena vidiya. Ee-gollanta meka loku vihiluwak waa-ge (See how our MPs are behaving. It’s like a big joke for them).” She was referring to the special session in Parliament discussing the Easter Sunday bombings, particularly scenes of a few MPs amused and laughing when more..

May 5 (CT) Archbishop Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith said that he was personally unimpressed with the security measures taken by the Govt since the 21 April Easter Sunday blasts. He warned that if the current regime does not have a stronger framework to combat terror, it will be impossible to contain the masses in the country in the future. He said that the time has arrived for all political leaders to reach a consensus & map out a joint policy more..