Jul 11 (AD) The govt has decided to temporarily suspend the repatriation of SL nationals to the island from overseas. Additional Secretary to the Prez, Admiral Prof. Jayanath Colombage stated that repatriation flights will be temporarily halted with effect from July 14. Special repatriation flights operated by SriLankan Airlines carrying 234 passengers from England and 229 from Australia had reached the island today. These include SL students and migrant workers who were more..

Jul 11 (EN) The Director-General Information of the govt Nalaka Kaluwewa has lodged a complaint to the Chief of Police against an officer who allegedly manhandled a photographer from the Mawbima newspaper outside the courts yesterday. The complaint has been forwarded as a letter to the Acting IGP Chandana Wickremeratne. Inspector Neomal Rangajeewa was seen on Television grabbing cameraman Akila Jayawardene more..

Jul 11 (Island) The CID had not given any reason for the arrest of Hejaaz Hizbullah, Attorney-at-Law Faiz Mustapha President’s Counsel said in the Supreme Court, yesterday. He had been asked to come to the CID office before being arrested. It was all bad in law, the Counsel said. Hizbullah has filed a fundamental rights violation petition, complaining that the CID arrested him in mid-April 2020 and kept him in detention custody. He has not been produced before a court of law. more..

Jul 11 (AD) Former OIC of the Police Narcotics Bureau (PNB) Inspector of Police Neomal Rangajeewa has apologized to the photojournalist, over yesterday’s incident at the Hulftsdorp court complex. Rangajeewa has apologized to the journalist for having caused any inconvenience. The Police officer was accused of forceful obstruction, intimidation and threats, disrupting the work of professional photojournalist Akila Jayawardena at Colombo High Court premises, Court no 1. more..

Jul 11 (ST) Lakvijaya coal power plant has been shut down multiple times since its commissioning with its three units being affected to varying degrees. While some of this is owing to planned maintenance, official data indicate that many were breakdowns. Between 2015 and 2020, there were 102 complete outages spanning 1220 days. The highest number was in 2015, with 31 outages amounting to 295 days more..

Jul 11 (FT) Commercial High Court Judge Sampath Wijeratne yesterday 2020 dissolved the Enjoin Order and refused the application for interim Injunction by N & A Engineering Services Ltd. seeking to prevent the three Defendant partners of Spencer Towers from encasing the advance guarantee issued in favour of Spencer Tower by N & A Engineering Services. N & A Engineering Services by plaint dated 14 May, stated inter alia that N & A Engineering Services forwarded more..

Jul 11 (Island) Civil Security Department (CSD) has launched a project to mitigate the human-elephant conflict; it has distributed over 100,000 citrus saplings among the staff members living in Handapanagala to be planted along elephant corridors. "The CSD is now nurturing citrus nurseries as a long term solution for the long existing issue and the planting process would commence on a large scale with the onset of the rainy season," said CSD Director General, Rear Admiral Peiris. more..

Jul 11 (ST) With revelations that several of the PNB officers now in custody for allegedly running their own drug trafficking ring have been with the bureau for more than a decade, some even winning Presidential Awards and receiving cash rewards for their anti-narcotics operations, Sandun Jayawardana and Damith Wickramasekara report on the scandal that has rocked the specialised unit. Fears are mounting that years of progress more..

Jul 11 (EN) Sri Lanka tea prices pick up marginally in the second week of July, helped by stronger demand low grown grades, after a weakening prices through the month of June with increased volumes on offer, brokers sad. Sri Lanka sold 7 million kilograms in total with 1.1 million kilograms of Ex-Estate teas and 2.9 million kilograms of Low Grown (Leafy/Tippy) teas. In the previous auction held on June 30 and July 01, Sri Lanka sold 6.9 million kilograms of tea. Sri Lanka recorded more..

Jul 11 (AD) Another batch of Sri Lankan nationals who were stranded in England due to the Covid-19 pandemic have arrived in the country onboard a special repatriation flight. Ada Derana reporter said that a SriLankan Airlines flight carrying 234 passengers and arriving from Heathrow Airport in London reached the BIA in Katunayake this morning (11). He said that the returnees include Sri Lankan students who were studying in England as well as those employed in that country. more..

Jul 11 (ST) The new working hours announced by the Govt are receiving bouquets and brickbats as transport experts praise efforts to ease traffic congestion while employees raise concerns over the availability of public transport, safety – particularly of female employees – and loss of quality family time. Minister Mahinda Amaraweera this week announced that new working hours have been proposed by a ministry committee tasked with finding ways more..

Jul 11 (AD) Former Deputy General Manager and 05 former Directors of Gampaha District Sanasa Society have been arrested over financial fraud. The arrest was made pertaining to the investigations carried out by the CID in this regard, the Police media said. It is reported that the suspects had given permission to grant a total of nearly Rs. 708 million belonging to the Sanasa Society of Gampaha District to a private company from 2011 to 2016. The arrestees, aged 55, 62, 65, 75 and 81 are more..

Jul 11 (DM) UNP Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe requested the party members in the grassroots level to initiate a dialogue with those who have left the party to get them back to the fold. Speaking at an election rally, Mr. Wickremesinghe instructed the party members to woo those who have been disillusioned with SLPP as well. "Talk to those who have left our party and get them back to our fold. Talk to those who are disillusioned with SLPP. Tell them that a UNP govt will revive economy," more..

Jul 11 (AD) Another counselor from the Kandakadu Treatment and Rehabilitation Centre has tested positive for Covid-19 at Rajanganaya. Army Commander Lt Gen Shavendra Silva stated that 300 villagers including 70 children from the area have been placed under self-quarantine. Clarifying on this further, he said that the patient identified from Rajanganaya had visited the rehabilitation center for counseling duties on July 01 and more..

Jul 11 (TM) The Founder of Lintas (now known as Lowe LDB) and the mastermind behind the popular Sunlight commercial Lilamani Dias Benson passed away today (11). Benson began her professional life as an English Writer and then got into a job in advertising at the Grants Group. Later she was approached by J Walter Thompson, one of the first multinationals to set up in Sri Lanka, who hired her first as Creative Director, and then soon appointed her as their first Sri Lankan Agency Head. more..

Jul 11 (DM) Russian authorities have made up a list of 13 countries including Sri Lanka that Russia can resume flights to at the first stage of the resumption of international flights. The list of countries that meet epidemiological safety requirements include the UK, Hungary, Germany, Denmark, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Finland, Vietnam, China, Mongolia, Sri Lanka. On Thursday, Russian consumer safety watchdog Rospotrebnadzor sent the list to the Transport Ministry of more..

Jul 11 (DM) The Army and the State Intelligence Service have launched a massive operation to trace down all those who have associated with the inmates at the Kandakadu Rehabilitation Center who were transferred to other prisons in the country in recent weeks and several more people will be taken into quarantine in the coming days to prevent a leak in society which can trigger a second wave of COVID-19. 24 hour contact tracing is ongoing more..

Jul 11 (ST) The Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) compact with United States has been “tailored to bypass the State institutional mechanism that manages foreign resources within the country,” the experts committee has declared. Its report went before the Cabinet of Ministers this week and a formal decision on its future is now pending. A govt announcement said the ministers had been told to study the final report and make their findings known at another meeting. more..

Jul 11 (AD) A 39-year-old three-wheeler driver has been shot dead by police during an altercation at a road block in Lunawa, Moratuwa. A mobile road block had been set up at Lunawa and a group of police officers had been engaged in the inspection of passing vehicles. The individual in question who was driving a three-wheeler was also stopped at the road block and as the police officers had attempted to search his vehicle he had obstructed them and behaved in an unruly manner. more..

Jul 11 (CT) The CID has revealed a portion of the money earned from the Wellampitiya Copper Factory was given to the mastermind of the 21 April 2019 Easter Sunday bombings, Zaharan Hashim to carry out the attacks, Police Media Spokesperson, SSP Jaliya Senaratne said. He said when CID started to investigate the finances, it became known that a large amount of copper had been issued illegally by more..

Jul 11 (Island) President of Bar Association of Sri Lanka (BASL) President’s Counsel Kalinga Indatissa has warned the Commissioner General of Prisons that legal action will be taken for infringement of the professional rights of the members of the legal profession. In a letter addressed to the Commissioner General, PC Indatissa said it has been brought to the notice of the BASL by several members of the legal profession, of a serious violation of professional rights of its members more..

Jul 11 (SLN) Marking another first in the SL history, SL Navy today (9) launched the Maritime Doctrine of Sri Lanka (MDSL) at Navy Hq, under the auspices of Commander of the Navy, Vice Admiral Piyal De Silva. Fulfilling another long-felt need which has gone unsolved for a prolonged period, the Navy went on to compile this capstone publication as a guide to understanding the unique nature of the SLN’s maritime power and the way in which it can be applied in pursuit of the national interests. more..

Jul 11 (CT) Centre for Environmental Justice (CEJ) has filed a new case, in the Court of Appeal, against Coast Conservation Department (CCD) and other organisations over pollution of the beach and sand filling, without due procedure, at the Mount Lavinia Beach. Executive Director of the CEJ, Hemantha Withanage said that Legal action has also been taken against Central Environmental Authority (CEA), Minister of Environment, more..

Jul 12 (CT) Several Asian countries have, from time to time, turned to leaders with a military background to restore their economic fortunes at times when civilian administrations were found not upto the task. In the aftermath of the Korean war, the so-called East Asian flying geese’ countries economic transformation under the stabilising influence of military leaders commenced the East Asian recovery. Their example was subsequently emulated in Thailand, the Philippines and Indonesia. more..

Jul 12 (CT) Mystery surrounds the 16 March 2020 death of a young man who was found floating in a pool at a down-town hotel in Wadduwa as COVID-19 pandemic alert was focused in the country. Tiran Vedamanikkam aged 23 was out partying after dusk on March 13 with a family known to him when the tragedy took place shortly before midnight on that day. A little more than three months later, his grief-stricken parents are still seeking for answers that led to his untimely death, but they have so far more..

Jul 12 (SO) SLPP Colombo District candidate and former Justice Minister Dr. Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe said that the people would give a resounding mandate to the SLPP at the upcoming General Election. He also added that Govt would definitely t gain two-thirds majority. He said, Ranil Wickremesinghe and Sajith remadasa are not concerned about forming a Govt and they are well aware of their election result. more..

Jul 12 (SO) Covid-19 is the greatest challenge faced by humanity in living memory. It has virtually ended our normal lifestyles, leading to what is now called the New Normal, including the wearing of face masks and frequent hand washing. We may have to live with the Coronavirus in the foreseeable future, at least until a viable vaccine can be administered to everyone on the planet. The biggest change has occurred in two fields – work and education. Suddenly, many workers and companies more..

Jul 12 (Island) The truth of what the legendary Singapore leader Lee Kuan Yew said long ago, that democracy in this country is an auction of non-existent resources is being abundantly proved in the current parliamentary election campaign which will end on Aug 4 - the day before polling. We have today front paged a short statement from former minister Milinda Moragoda, who funds the Pathfinder Think Tank, who rightly makes the point that none of the frontrunners, perhaps with the exception more..

Jul 12 (SO) I am always happy to hear that I look like my brother. It paves the way to success as, Murali is a brand and I am the product. As a product I have the support of the brand, Murali. However, with an election pending people do not look for brands, they seek quality. People will vote for me if the product is good, not because of the brand, the SLPP Nuwara Eliya district candidate Muttiah Prabhakaran told Sunday Observer. more..

Jul 12 (DM) Generally, all political parties would sing their own praises during elections and bet on their victories. Small parties predict their victories on electorate level or regional level as the case may be, while the parties that are really national or perceive themselves to be national would foretell that they would form the next govt. This is a psychological influence - a Psy Op in military terms- on the electorate, as a particular party’s or a candidate’s visibility or possibility of winning more..

Jul 12 (ST) Last week we wrote about the emerging pitfalls in hurting, virtually antagonising an old donor friend in Japan in the economic development of this country. Further scenarios are playing out these days over the Colombo port involving India, and a grant from the United States. Successive Govts in recent times have indulged in chest-beating nationalism on the one hand and slavishly yielding to foreign diplomatic soft power on the other, each blaming the other from public platforms, more..

Jul 12 (Island) Last Thursday’s headline story in The Island should set the alarm bells ringing within the SLPP govt. This report said that one of the three persons from outside Parliament appointed to the Constitutional Council (CC), lawyer Javed Yusuf, had joined the group of NGOs that had come together last week to oppose the SLPP’s bid for a two thirds majority in Parliament and to revitalize the floundering yahapalana election campaign. No member of CC should have joined such a more..

Jul 12 (ST) My dear Akila Viraj, I thought I must write to you after hearing some of your comments last week, saying that your party- the Greens party, contesting on the elephant symbol – will win the forthcoming election and that those who abandoned you to join young Sajith will desperately want to return to the fold after the poll. You went to the extent of saying that more than fifteen of Sajith’s candidates are talking to you about joining the Green camp after the election. more..

Jul 12 (CT) After SL’s failure to fulfil its debt obligations to China’s EXIM Bank resulted in China’s takeover of the 1,300-hectare Hambantota Port on a 99-year lease with only a 15% stake for the SLPA, China rightfully earned itself the brand of debt-trap diplomacy. However, the global backlash China is facing from its poor handling of the COVID-19 situation that started a pandemic has dealt it a poor hand geopolitically, and economic clout more..

Jul 12 (ST) As Sri Lanka and other tourist destinations prepare to open their borders for visitors amidst a resumption of normalcy vis-à-vis the COVID-19 pandemic, the global airline industry is keen to ensure less cumbersome quarantine requirements at the borders of entry into countries. In a recent statement, Geneva-based International Air Transport Association (IATA), which represents global airlines, urged govts to avoid quarantine measures when re-opening their economies. more..

Jul 12 (Island) Sri Lanka may have made massive strides in fighting the COVID-19 pandemic but international cricket can not simply get underway due to reasons beyond their control. Earlier this week, the Asia Cup tournament to be held in the country too was pushed back making it the fifth international cricket event postponed in the country. The Asian Cricket Council on Thursday making an announcement said that the event scheduled for September had to be pushed back. more..

Jul 12 (ST) Days after match-fixing allegations rocked sporting circles, legal experts say sportspersons should maintain records of their assets and accounts to produce to investigators in the event of any inquiry. This is required by the recently enacted law on Prevention of Offences Relating to Sports. Special Investigation Unit (SIU) set up under the new Act is empowered to examine assets and accounts of any person, more..

Jul 12 (SO) The infighting between the two UNP factions has taken a new turn where the UNP and the SJB are clashing with each other over the petty issue of the party colour, green. The issue has turned into a type of legal battle as UNP General Secretary Akila Viraj Kariyawasam made a written complaint to the Election Commission against the SJB for using the UNP’s official colour green in its election propaganda. Kariyawasam said that the official colour of UNP as in party constitution more..

Jul 12 (SO) Sri Lanka Cricket is in the process of introducing a tougher code of conduct for players which until now did not cover their off-field behaviour after another high speed car crash and the death of a 64 year old man brought into question indiscipline among cricketers to whom life on the fast lane has put them on par with notoriety. The latest case involving batsman Kusal Mendis has turned him from a soft spoken lad to a villain on the highway as Social media was awash with criticism over more..