Oct 2 (AD) A 3-judge bench of the Court of Appeal has commenced considering the petition filed against recognizing former Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa as a SL citizen. When the petition was taken up today, the Controller General of the Dept of Immigration and Emigration, Commissioner General of the Dept of Registration of Persons and the Director of the CID had presented themselves before the judge bench. more..

Oct 2 (CT) The fact that a sitting Govt MP of the ruling UNP/UNFGG was issued an arrest warrant by a Court in the peripherals of the country, namely in the South, Embilipitiya, speaks well for the independence of the country's judiciary. This judgment coincidentally complements the impression one gets when one travels, at least also to the peripherals in the South that the peasants aren't afraid of the Govt, led by the fact that they openly criticise it without attempting to hide more..

Oct 2 (FT) Some have portrayed Gotabaya Rajapaksa as the Big Bad Wolf in Who’s Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf? – a popular song which was originally featured in the 1933 Disney cartoon Three Little Pigs – as they arrogantly believe their houses of straw and twigs will protect them from the Big Bad Wolf. The third pig of course was clever and built his house with bricks and thus was safe. From a SL contemporary context, that third house represents the law and justice system in SL. more..

Oct 2 (DM) Army Commander Shavendra Silva today expressed confidence that discussions with regard to the United Nation Peace Keeping matter would end on a positive note. He said this after participating at the flag blessing ceremony held at the Anuradhapura Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi to mark the 70th anniversary of the Sri Lanka Army. The army commander said the usual practice is for the UN to engage foreign forces in peacekeeping duties for a specified period. more..

Oct 2 (NR) Magistrate of Puttalam Lahiru N Silva has ordered the Central Environmental Authority and the Director General of Health Services of Puttalam to compile and submit a report to Court, pertaining to the Aruwakkalu sanitary landfill site. The order was issued after the Magistrate considered facts tabled by the Wanathawilluwa Police. Residents of Serakkuliya, Wanathawilluwa have lodged a complaint with the Police citing they are severely inconvenienced by the sanitary landfill site. more..

Oct 2 (AD) Former Minister Athauda Seneviratne and former Deputy Minister W.B. Ekanayake today pledged their support to the Prez Candidate of the UNP, Sajith Premadasa. The two former UPFA MPs attended a press conference in Colombo today along with Minister Sajith Premadasa and announced their decision. Premadasa stated that he was extremely pleased by the fact that the two veteran politicians had more..

Oct 2 (SLN) Two more cleaning programmes of the Navy’s coastal cleanup drive were conducted in the Northern Naval Command on 1st Oct. Accordingly, these clean-up programmes were carried out along the beach between Dambakolapatuna and Keeramley and in the Kurikadduwan beach. As a result of the dedication of naval personnel, it was able to restore the beauty of the beaches, which were heavily polluted by natural causes and human activities. more..

Oct 2 (CT) Tamil Progressive Alliance, led by Democratic People's Front (DPF) Leader and Minister Mano Ganesan, has decided to support UNP Prez candidate and Minister Sajith Premadasa. This was revealed yesterday by Ganesan. This decision by the select committee of the DPF was taken yesterday. They also discussed the election manifesto of the UNF-led Premadasa, which would include their demands too. Ministers Palani Digambaram, V. Radhakrishnan, more..

Oct 2 (AD) 17 candidates have placed their deposits for the Prez Election 2019 so far, says the Elections Commission. Nine out of this total are from recognized political parties, while eight of them are independent candidates or from unrecognized political parties, the Commission’s chairman Mahinda Deshapriya stated. Accepting deposits for the forthcoming prez election ends at 12 noon on the 6th of Oct. more..

Oct 2 (DN) In order to mark the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, known in India as the father of the nation, PM Ranil Wickremasinghe together with the Indian High Commissioner to Colombo Taranjit Singh Sandhu unveiled a statue of Gandhi at the Temple Trees premises this morning. Gandhi’s birthday is a major national holiday called Gandhi Jayanti, and it is marked with a prayer for peace, ceremonies and events throughout the country. A ceremony was marked at more..

Oct 2 (CI) Alyssa Healy produced a batting masterclass at North Sydney Oval to set a new world record with the highest score in women's T20Is with an unbeaten 148 off 61 balls. Healy's century came off 46 deliveries, the second-fastest in women's T20Is, as she plundered 19 fours and seven sixes to carry Australia to 2 for 226 - equaling their highest total in T20Is. The eventual margin of victory was 132 runs to complete the 3-0 scoreline. She struck the ball magnificently all around more..

Oct 2 (DM) Few countries can qualitatively match the troops sent by Sri Lanka who have extensive professional experience in all aspects of peacekeeping and providing humanitarian assistance, Sri Lanka told the UN on Monday. Addressing the 74th UNGA, Foreign Ministry Secretary, Ravinatha Aryasinha said obstacles must not be placed on SL’s long-standing peacekeeping contribution to the UN. more..

Oct 2 (DM) Former Ambassador to Qatar and SL Labour Party Leader A.S.P. Liyanage said he would contest for the upcoming prez election. Mr Liyanage will make his cash deposit to contest the prez election today. He was appointed as the Ambassador to Qatar in March 2017 and resigned earlier this year amidst controversy. He was expecting to be appointed as a governor during the recent reshuffle of governors. But he was not appointed as a governor. more..

Oct 2 (RN) UNP MP Wijepala Hettiarachchi said that UNP would not mind getting the support of President Sirisena for the upcoming prez election if he is willing to join them and correct his mistakes and shortcomings. “There are no permanent friends or enemies in politics,” he added. MP said if Mahinda Rajapaksa can form govts with Karuna Amman and Pillayan who killed thousands of people and Buddhist monks during the war there would be no problems in getting the support of the Prez. more..

Oct 2 (RN) The SLPP expressed its hope for a decision in favour of the party’s prez candidate Gotabaya Rajapaksa whose citizenship is now being challenged in court. Speaking to reporters this morning at the Viyathmaga office, Rajapaksa spokesman MP Keheliya Rambukwella said the petition filed by Prof. Chandraguptha Thenuvara and Gamini Viyangoda was the result of a politically motivated conspiracy. more..

Oct 2 (AD) State Minister Ashoka Abeysinghe says that railway employees who had failed to report to work without giving prior notice will be considered as having vacated their respective positions. Meanwhile the Railway Locomotive Engineers Union says that considering the hardships faced by public due to the strike, steps will be taken to operate trains using the engineers from tomorrow. However, the strike launched by several trade unions of the Rilway Dept had continued for the 7th straight day today, more..

Oct 2 (TM) DNF Prez Candidate Sajith Premadasa today said yesterday’s late night meeting with President Maithripala Sirisena was focused on the country’s current situation. Premadasa along with senior Ministers Mangala Samaraweera, Kabir Hashim and Akila Viraj Kariyawasam met with the President last night. Reports said the talks were held to discuss forming an alliance between the UNF and the SLFP. However Premadasa stressed that the meeting was not on forthcoming elections. more..

Oct 2 (AD) The railway strike, commenced from midnight on September 25th, is going on strong for the seventh consecutive day causing inconveniences for a massive number of daily passengers. Secretary of the Locomotive Engineering Operators’ Union (LEOU) Indika Dodangoda said they would proceed with the strike action as the authorities have not come up with an acceptable solution for their issues. more..

Oct 2 (TM) Access Engineering PLC announced today (2) that it has acquired 100% of the issued shares of W U S Logistics (Private) Limited for Rs. 925 million to construct a warehouse on W U S Logistics’ 41.5 acre land situated in Kimbulapitiya, Negombo. In a disclosure to the Colombo Stock Exchange (CSE) Access Engineering stated that the transaction took place on 30th Sept. W U S Logistics (Pvt) Ltd is a family-owned logistics and property company based in Colombo more..

Oct 2 (AAP) IGP, Punjab, Capt (r) Arif Nawaz Khan said the Punjab police would provide foolproof security to Sri Lankan team players and officials visiting Pakistan for the Sri Lanka tour of Pakistan 2019. Addressing a high-level meeting here at Central Police Office, he told officers that daily life should not in any way be disrupted by the security arrangements and change of traffic management. He further directed officers that close monitoring of hotels, stadiums, and routes of teams more..

Oct 2 (DM) UNP-led alliance’s prez hopeful Sajith Premadasa today said his discussion with President Maithripala Sirisena was centered on current issues in the country and it did not focus politics. Mr. Premadasa told a press conference yesterday that he did not discuss anything special with Prez Maithripala Sirisena. “It is not necessary that a special situation should arise for me to have a dialogue with the Prez,” more..

Oct 2 (CT) Colombo HC Judge Gihan Kulathunga, yesterday, handed down the death sentence to a suspect who was convicted over the murder of a restaurant owner. The suspect, after having taken meals at a restaurant in 2006, had refused to pay a sum of Rs 90 to the owner and subsequently having fallen out with the latter, had murdered him. Justice also imposed a five-year rigorous prison term on the second accused who was an accomplice, along with a fine of Rs 50,000. more..

Oct 2 (TM) SLPP member Susil Premajayantha said the National Peoples’ Movement (NPM) Prez Candidate former Army Commander Mahesh Senanayake should be held accountable for the 21 April Easter Sunday attacks. He was responding to a question with regard to Senanayake’s impact on the vote base in the forthcoming elections. “Senanayake as Army Commander, cannot rid himself off the responsibility of the loss of lives that occurred due to the devastating Easter Bombings,“ he said. more..

Oct 2 (EN) Even 10 years after the 30-year Tamil tiger separatist struggle was crushed, there is no solution to the problems faced by minority Tamils, TNA Leader R. Sampanthan said. “We want a solution within a united undivided and indivisible Sri Lanka,” he was quoted as telling visiting UK Minister of State for the Commonwealth, UN and South Asia Tariq Ahmad. “We have endeavoured to resolve the national question more..

Oct 3 (SO) The Govt has set a new record by increasing the salaries of public servants by 107% which hitherto no Govt in power had ever granted, and it has also taken the extraordinary step of giving effect to the recommendation of the Presidential Commission on the elimination of salary anomalies, from Jan 1, 2020, Minister Mangala Samaraweera told the Media on Wednesday, (Sept 25). Annually, the Govt has to spend Rs. 1,000 billion on salaries for public servants and on pensions. more..

Oct 3 (CT) The announcement by the UN of a suspension of Sri Lankan soldiers going abroad as peacekeepers is a sad day for the country. This is a direct consequence of the SL President’s move to woo election support by appointing alleged war criminal, Lt. Gen. Shavendra Silva, to the post of Army Commander, despite the warnings that this would affect peacekeeping. Shavendra Silva commanded the Sri Lankan Army’s 58 Division in the final phase of the civil war in SL in 2008-9. more..

Oct 3 (CT) UNP MP Harshana Rajakaruna says failure to implement laws was one of the main shortcomings of this Govt. Q: What is the main aim of the UNP at the upcoming Prez Election? A: We hope to carry forward what our party started on behalf of the country. We also need to correct our shortcomings. Q: If you analyse your shortcomings, what do you think you did wrong? A: We took too much time to complete our goals. more..

Oct 3 (SO) Anniversaries are special events because these are the days on which an event of significance occurred. They return every year but, every once in a while, they come with a taste of irony. Last week saw the 60th anniversary of the assassination of S.W.R.D. Bandaranaike, fourth PM of Sri Lanka and, more importantly, the founder of the SLFP on Sep 26. Ironically, on the same day, Sajith Premadasa, himself the son of an assassinated leader, was formally declared more..

Oct 3 (CT) Jaffna People’s Forum for Coexistence finds the incident that occurred in Neeraviyadi, Mullaitivu last week deeply disturbing. Since the Easter attacks, inter-religious relations have become more fragile in SL. In this context, what happened in Neeraviyadi might lead to the further deterioration of religious and ethnic coexistence. We have a duty to prevent incidents of this nature in the future by initiating mutually supportive conversations between different communities that inhabit this island. more..

Oct 3 (CT) The incumbent Govt, when it came to power in 2015, triumphantly announced the Govt was going to receive a US grant - Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) grant - of USD 480 million. The country cheered when the US screened the countries to check who it could be offered to and finally announced that it would be granted to us. However, as time passed, many controversies, not only surrounding the MCC grant, more..

Oct 3 (TM) The President’s announcement at the opening of the iconic Colombo Lotus Tower recently, stating that approximately Rs. 2 billion was missing, caused a great deal of consternation. From its inception, the Lotus Tower has been a point of debate, with critics of the tower arguing that it is essentially an expensive political vanity project, which should not have been a priority given the ever-growing debt burden that the country has to bear. However, leaving the politics aside, more..

Oct 3 (TM) The entirely predictable parade of public sector trade unions launching protests in the form of go slows, work to rules, sick notes, and whatnot is now well underway. Such trade union action has now become well entrenched as pre-election phenomena; we the citizens watch, in irritation, the same old cycle of strikes being greeted by stern grandstanding eventually followed by meek capitulation, that costs the taxpayer aplenty. By name, we are a democratic socialist republic more..

Oct 3 (Island) The Cabinet of Ministers at its meeting held on 24.09.2019 has granted approval to build a fourth unit of 300 MW coal power plant (CPP) at the premises of the existing 900 MW CPP at Norochcholai, according to the Cabinet Office website. Wide publicity was given in the past to the adverse impacts on the environment around the Norochcholai CPP causing health problems not only to the people living in the area but also to the staff of the CPP itself. more..

Oct 3 (Island) It is a supreme irony that Chairman of the National Authority for the Protection of Witnesses & Victims Suhada Gamlath, tasked with drafting laws to protect whistle-blowers, has been asked to resign for whistle-blowing! Minister of Justice Thalatha Atukorale is out for his scalp. She has asked him to resign as he has made what she calls political statements to the media. She insists that public officials are not allowed to do so. Gamlath says he has not done anything wrong, more..

Oct 3 (TM) A wave of strikes staged over the past few days have had a major impact on the economy, with officials saying the loss, once estimated, is likely to run into millions. A sick note protest, work-to-rule protest, limited work campaign, and various other protests and strikes halted the services of a number of state institutions including Sri Lanka Railways and the Sri Lanka Transport Board (SLTB). more..

Oct 3 (Island) Caritas Sri Lanka-Sedec[i] held a Mass to remember migrants living in Sri Lanka. The service was celebrated on Sunday, World Day of Migrants and Refugees, in St Anne’s Church in Wattala. Caritas Sri Lanka national director Fr Mahendra Gunatilleke led the Mass together with Caritas Colombo director Fr Lawrence Ramanayake, and Fr Sanjeewa Mendis, pastor in Wattala. Some 300 worshippers and volunteers from the Catholic charity attended the service. more..

Oct 3 (FT) This week, John Keells Properties announced a major milestone in Colombo’s landmark development project Cinnamon Life, sharing that the office tower of the complex would be officially open for business in early 2020. In May, the real estate developer announced the completion of structural work on all the towers of its skyline-transforming development. Office tower is the first to be ready for occupation, with space already being snapped up by top corporates in the city. more..

Oct 3 (CI) A rapid half-century to Abid Ali, a measured one to Fakhar Zaman, and a finishing fifty for Haris Sohail, sent Pakistan to their target of 298, with five wickets in hand, and 10 balls remaining. The result handed Pakistan a 2-0 series victory in Karachi. Opening stand between Abid and Fakhar, worth 123 off 117 deliveries, had set up the chase, before a further 58-run partnership between Fakhar & Babar Azam consolidated it. more..