Jun 16 (FT) The driver of the Defender vehicle involved in the motor accident that killed a 22-year-old police constable was remanded till 19 June by Colombo Additional Magistrate Y. Prabhakaran yesterday. The suspected Tharinda Ratwatte (24) was not brought to court yesterday and was represented by Attorney Kalinga Indatissa PC. Prison officials told the Court that the suspect is unwell and is in a hospital in Dumbara, but gave no explanation as to why he was not in Colombo more..

Jun 16 (DM) The archaeological artifacts recovered at the site during excavations at the Pahiyangala cave could have been looted, Ven. Pahiyangala Ananda Sagara Thera said. He said the world’s oldest human archaeological artefacts were recovered during the excavations carried out inside the cave. Excavations in the Pahiyangala cave started in 1979. The excavations at Pahiyangala cave and the surrounding areas revealed more..

Jun 16 (Island) The Ceylon Teachers Union (CTU) yesterday condemned a govt decision to hire teachers attached to private and international schools as invigilators at the GCE A/L and year five scholarship examinations. CTU General Secretary, Joseph Stalin said that it was a part of the plan to legitimise the existence of those schools and undermine state education system. "Teachers are recruited to govt schools through competitive exams according to regulations. more..

Jun 16 (FT) Sentiment surrounding the economy picked up slightly in May with 36% of respondents to the latest LMD-Nielsen Business Confidence Index (BCI) survey saying it will improve in the next 12 months (versus 33% in April). In addition, the share of businesspeople expecting economic conditions to worsen during this period has declined to 41% (from 62% in the previous month). As for the outlook for business, nearly six in 10 of corporate executives consulted by Nielsen expect their sales more..

Jun 16 (TTG) Sri Lanka’s decision to impose stringent Covid-19 testing protocols when it reopens its doors to foreign tourists on Aug 1 has divided local tourism industry stakeholders. Some industry players, who declined to be named, are up in arms over the stringent Covid-19 testing protocols. The chairman of a local hotel chain said: “At this rate, tourists would prefer to stay home than come to Sri Lanka.” more..

Jun 16 (EN) The UNP will rebuild public faith in the political systems at the 5 August General Elections, Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe said addressing a meeting of the District Managers. He opined that the public has already lost faith in Prez Rajapaksa, and so they have lost hope in the entire system. He explained that the UNP, the longest-serving political party in the country, has experienced both victory and defeat and it understands the necessity to adapt to the needs of the people. more..

Jun 16 (AD) A group of Indian nationals who had been unable to leave Sri Lanka due to the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak, left to India this morning (15). The group of 156 Indians had left on the Air India charter flight AI 1202 at 10.15 am today. The flight will first land at the Cochin Airport in India before reaching the destination at the Bangalore Airport. Once the passengers reach India they will be quarantined for 7 days at hotels near the airport and another 7 days at their homes. more..

Jun 16 (CT) General Secretary of the BBS, Ven. Galagodaaththe Gnanasara Thera, testifying before the PCoI probing last year’s Easter Sunday carnage recently, claimed that some 30 odd international Arab schools, which are given to teaching extremist views after being sponsored by aid received from Turkey under the aegis of Former Minister Rishad Bathiudeen, had been operated in this country. more..

Jun 16 (CT) State Intelligence Service Director, Major Genaral Suresh Tuan Sallay, has taken steps to send a Letter of Demand to ITJP (International Truth and Justice Project) Executive Director Yasmin Sooka and the ITJP. The said letter, sent through Major General Sallay’s Lawyer Pasan Weerasinghe, states that on or about 1 June 2020, Sooka, as the ITJP Executive Director, had issued a press statement making various defamatory remarks against Major General Sallay. more..

Jun 16 (PMD) Prez Rajapaksa said that the Nelum Kuluna (Lotus Tower) Project should be bestowed with the country after modernizing it to the highest possible standard, as a productive investment. Prez has instructed the officials to immediately commence the process of apprising the local and foreign entrepreneurs regarding investment opportunities in line with the project. These instructions were given at a meeting held with the officials of the TRC and the Lotus Tower Project, more..

Jun 16 (EN) Sri Lanka’s total number of people diagnosed with COVID 19 nudged closer to the two-thousand mark last night as more returnees to the country from overseas tested positive for the virus. Patients diagnosed positive among returning Sri Lankans from the Maldives, Bangladesh and Kuwait and two more from the Navy cluster made up the 16 new patients bringing the total up to 1,905 on Monday night. more..

Jun 16 (FT) James Thurber, the American author, wrote a fascinating story called The Secret World of Walter Mitty. It is about a man who has heroic daydreams. When he was driving his car he became a pilot of a plane doing a dangerous landing through low cloud with poor visibility, or a racing driver winning a famous race in a thrilling finish, etc. What this article triggered was a recognition that most people from time to time have a Walter Mitty episode imagining themselves playing some important more..

Jun 16 (FT) Travel and hospitality, known in Sri Lanka as tourism, is the industry that has been hardest hit by the pandemic and has been brought to a standstill by international and national travel restrictions. It is more than just another industry in Sri Lanka, being an umbrella industry that brings together approximately 40 other industries. By 2018 it was responsible for the direct and indirect employment of 388,487 people across the nation, including 169,003 directly more..

Jun 16 (DN) No COVID-19 positive patient has been found from the society for the past three weeks from the first day of re-opening the country, Health Minister Pavithra Wanniarachchi said. According to Minister, it is the dedication of Sri Lankan health staff, the Armed Forces and people who brought the country to this victorious point. The recovery rate of Sri Lanka's COVID-19 is above 70% which is very high. Meanwhile Deputy Director General (Public Health) Dr. Paba Palihawadana said that more..

Jun 16 (AD) Day-care centers will be reopened from July 01, the Ministry of Women and Child Affairs has announced. Secretary to the Ministry, Neil Bandara Hapuhinna said day-care centres have been instructed to follow health guidelines introduced by the Health Ministry when they resume activities. These guidelines are already directed to all day-care centres across the country, he said further. However, the decision on reopening of preschools is yet to be taken, he added. more..

Jun 16 (AD) Most Reverend Father Ernest Porutota has been called to eternal rest on this morning at the age of 88 years. He had been receiving treatment in a private hospital at the time of his demise. Details of funeral arrangements are yet to be informed. Born in 1931, Porutotage Raymond Ernest Alexander Fernando – Ernest Porutota – was ordained in February 1957 at the St. Lucia’s Cathedral in Kotahena. more..

Jun 16 (AD) A police constable serving attached to the Madampe Police had committed suicide in front of the police station. The officer’s body had been discovered early this morning. The deceased is a resident of Kodikamam area in Jaffna. Acting Magistrate of Chilaw and JMO of the Chilaw Hospital had conducted the preliminary investigations at the scene. The Acting Magistrate had then ordered the JMO to submit a report on the death following a post mortem. more..

Jun 16 (EN) A Kuwait returnee who was declared COVID 19 positive and treated and released from hospital is showing signs of the disease and admitted to the IDH in Angoda, officials said. Colonel (Media) Vijitha Hettiarachchi told EconomyNext that the 36-year old woman migrant worker who returned to Sri Lanka on May 29 had been at the Trincomalee Quarantine Centre where she had tested positive for COVID 19. She had then been admitted to the Homagama hospital for treatment, more..

Jun 16 (Island) Lawyers contesting the Aug 5 election from the JVP-led National People’s Power demand that the govt take immediate action to control leasing companies, which they said have become a law unto themselves. NPP Colombo district candidate Attorney-at-Law Sunil Watagala, said: "Leasing companies hire thugs to seize vehicles from defaulters. Lessees were hit hard by coronavirus lockdown crisis and cannot pay more..

Jun 16 (AD) PHU Leader Udaya Gammanpila says that there is a need to change the existing lease law in the country. Since the inception of the leasing system, had the customer missed a few payments, the vehicles were seized using thuggery and force, Gammanpila pointed out. This system is not particular to one leasing company and applies to all leasing counties in the country, he added. Once the vehicle is seized the customer loses all rights to the vehicle as the legal ownership of the vehicle more..

Jun 16 (AD) Colombo Additional Magistrate has issued warrants on four directors of the Edirisinghe Trust Investments (ETI) holdings, for failure to appear before the court. When the case filed by ETI depositors was taken up for hearing before the court today, the Additional Magistrate issued arrest warrants on ETI Directors Jeewaka Edirisinghe, Nalaka Edirisinghe, Asanka Edirisinghe and Deepa Edirisinghe. The court ordered the police to arrest the aforementioned respondents more..

Jun 16 (Island) Eastern Province Governor Anuradha Yahampath has initiated a project to promote organic farming in the province to reduce the use of chemical fertiliser. Speaking at the Governor’s secretariat in Trincomalee, Yahampath said the district secretaries had pointed out that a kilo of rice made using organic farming methods could be released to the market at a low price compared with the cost of organic rice in supermarkets. more..

Jun 16 (AD) Ballot papers of five districts for the General Election 2020 have been printed and handed over to the Elections Commission, stated the Department of Government Printing. Government Printer Gangani Liyanage stated that ballot papers of 04 more districts will be forwarded to the Commission within 02 days. So far, the ballot papers of Anuradhapura, Polonnaruwa, Matale, Jaffna, and Kilinochchi districts have been submitted to the Election Commission. more..

Jun 16 (DM) 85 technicians from Iran have arrived in Sri Lanka to complete the Uma Oya Multi-Purpose Development Project. The group arrived in the country yesterday evening. 95% of the Uma Oya project has already been completed and the remaining work is to be completed before December this year. The project will add 120 MW of electricity to the national grid. After undergoing the mandatory PCR test at the airport, they were directed to the quarantine centres by the Army. more..

Jun 16 (CT) In the backdrop of the final report on the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) grant of US$ 480 million from the US scheduled to be handed over to the Government on 30 June, the US Embassy in Colombo stated that there is no specific timeline for the grant, as external factors and realities are always changing, which can influence the availability of an MCC grant. It is unfortunate that this fixed-term development more..

Jun 16 (PMD) Prez Rajapaksa has decided to discontinue the importation of handlooms and Batik textiles to the country. The decision was taken with the expectation of boosting the local production and attracting new producers to the industry. This was stated during a discussion into the issues encountered by those who are engaged in the garment industry and textile industry at the Presidential Secretariat yesterday. Finding additional market opportunity for locally produced more..

Jun 16 (EN) Bad loans in Sri Lanka’s banks will worsen after a Coronavirus pandemic, pressure on foreign loan funding could intensify and Interest margins would be squeezed amid weak loan growth, Fitch, a rating agency has said. “Refinancing foreign-currency (FC) liabilities will be a challenge for Sri Lankan banks due to the sovereign’s weak credit profile, a slowdown in FC worker remittance inflows and worsening global funding conditions,” Fitch Ratings said in a report. more..

Jun 16 (AD) Election Commission has decided on the dates pertaining to the postal voting of General Election 2020. Accordingly, the dates for authorizing the list of postal voters, issuance, and distribution of postal ballot papers, and the postal voting for relevant institutes have been decided. The list of postal voters will be authorized on June 18 while the issuance of postal ballot papers and handing over to the Post will be carried out more..

Jun 16 (Island) Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) and Lanka Electricity Company (LECO) have responded positively to settle more than 800 consumer complaints against them lodged with the electricity regulator, Public Utilities Commission (PUCSL). Minister Mahinda Amaraweera has instructed CEB and LECO to safeguard the interests of consumers. Minister also told CEB management not to disconnect power supplies over the nonpayment of bills in view of the Covid-19 crisis. more..

Jun 16 (AD) Colombo District Court will be passing the decision on whether or not to issue an injunction on the UNP decision to suspend the party membership of 99 members on June 22. The complaint filed by former MP Ranjith Madduma Bandara was taken up for consideration today (for the second day). President’s Counsel Donald Perera, representing defendant Akila Viraj Kariyawasam, claimed that the plaintiff has made a grave legal error by not naming the members more..

Jun 16 (MoD) Defence Secretary Maj. Gen. (Retd) Kamal Gunaratne assured to form a society free of drugs menace, underworld activities, organized crimes and extortion for all communities to live in a just and safe country in the future. Addressing media today, to brief media on measures taken to strengthen national security and other security measures, he said there would be no room for the underworld criminal to thrive with more..

Jun 16 (Island) The Rajapaksa administration had reached out to West Asian countries after the humanitarian operations for assistance at the UN and a powerful minister of that government sought access to those countries through the All Ceylon Jamiyyathul Ulama (ACJU), which used it as an opportunity to spread forms of Islam practised in those countries, BBS General Secretary Ven. Galagodaatte Gnanasara Thera told the PCoI probing Easter Sunday carnage, yesterday. more..

Jun 16 (EN) Continued harassment of SL’s Muslim minority could prove detrimental to the country, global human rights watch-dog Amnesty International warned. In a report released last week (June 6), Amnesty International highlighted a series of alleged incidents of harassment targeting the island’s Muslims, including the alleged discriminatory handling of COVID-19 deaths as well as the recent arrest of lawyer Hejaaz Hizbullah. “With the new govt still in its first year, more..

Jun 16 (EN) Manufacturing activity has rebounded strongly in May 2020 as SL emerged from a Coronavirus crisis with some firms switching products, while services also started to recover, a Purchasing Managers Index compiled by the central bank showed. Hotels were still down in services and companies were not replacing retirees, leading to a tick up in unemployment. Manufacturing PMI rebounded to 49.3 points in May after more..

Jun 16 (TM) Lanka Private Bus Owners’ Association (LPBOA) has filed a fundamental rights (FR) petition requesting the decommission of semi-luxury bus services. The petition has been filed considering the present situation, where all buses are accommodating passengers according to seat availability, with the bus association viewing this as a FR violation committed by the semi-luxury bus owners against the passengers. In addition, the act is seen as an injustice towards buses that more..

Jun 16 (CT) Former President of the Bar Association of SL, President’s Counsel U.R. de Silva said that legal action can be instituted based on provisions contained in Sections of the Penal Code, against all politicians who had aided and abetted in acts of political victimisation. He said that once the final report compiled by the Presidential Commission of Inquiry probing acts of political victimisation is submitted to the President, latter could furnish it to the perusal of the AG, more..

Jun 16 (FT) CID officers have searched the Colombo residence of career journalist and former Editor of State-owned Sunday Observer, Dharisha Bastians, and taken away her computer last week. Bastians, who was forced to leave the country after the change in Govt, after her name was dragged into an investigation Involving the alleged abduction of an employee of the Swiss Embassy in Colombo, said that as a journalist, more..

Jun 16 (TM) Leader of SLMC and former MP Rauff Hakeem says his party has no connection with either Zahran Hashim or his team responsible for the Easter Sunday attacks last year. Hakeem made this observation during a public meeting in Pilimathalawa yesterday (15). He had said that the Muslim community faced many issues following the Easter attacks. Hakeem had further noted that the charges levelled against his party were mere ploys to gain political mileage at upcoming gen. election. more..

Jun 16 (CT) Govt of Japan has so far contributed US$ 37 million for the demining effort in Sri Lanka beginning from 2003. For the period of 2019-2020, the Japanese Govt has granted US$ 630,000 to each demining organisation that is operating in SL, stated First Secretary of the Embassy of Japan, Chiharu Hoshiai. Currently in Oddusuddan, in the Northern Province, the HALO Trust is conducting demining activities funded by Japan. It is the HALO Trust, Delvon Assistance for Social more..