Sep 18 (CT) As patriotic citizens of our mother land, we are very much happy to thank and wish you for your great service that has been rendered to this country to bring the peace and peaceful life for the people as a patriot of this country. First of all, our whole hearted thanks go to your highness for the successful decision taken to stop slaughtering cattle for food in the meeting of ruling govt party on the 07th Sept 2020 and the portfolios meeting on the 9th Sept 2020 unanimously. more..

Sep 18 (DM) Leaders of the Opposition parties, especially those of the SJB and the UNP are making an unnecessary big fuss over the architect of the draft 20th Amendment that has already been gazetted. On the other hand the leaders of the ruling SLPP and its allies also seem to believe that they should not reveal the person or persons who drafted that amendment, for some unknown reasons. more..

Sep 18 (TM) The draft 20th Amendment has stolen the spotlight from all other political discussions these days. Clauses of the proposed piece of legislation are being dissected. One of the key topics has been the return of the all-powerful executive presidency created by the late J.R. Jayewardene in 1978. However, Prez Rajapaksa last week addressed the issue of the 20th Amendment by making a statement on the matter. The Prez addressed the concerns raised by the Opposition during a meeting more..

Sep 18 (Island) What is unfolding before the PCoI probing the Easter Sunday carnage reminds us of LTTE leader Velupillai Prabhakaran. Erik Solheim once called the Tiger chief a nonpareil strategist. In fact, during the Vanni war, he sought to discourage the then Prez Mahinda Rajapaksa from going all out to eliminate the LTTE’s military muscle; he told the latter, at a meeting, that Prabhakaran was blessed with superb strategic thinking & capable of springing huge battlefield surprises for the army. more..

Sep 18 (DE) There has been great political furore and media anger against allowing a ruling SLPP member, Premalal Jayasekara, convicted for murder and sentenced to death, to take his oaths as a Member of Parliament. But there were two reasons why Jayasekara was allowed to do so. One was political and the other was legal. From the political point of view, the SLPP needs to have every single one of its 149 MPs to be present and voting when the controversial 20th Amendment comes up more..

Sep 18 (ST) Regional Development Bank (RDB), a state-owned licensed specialised bank, is now being transformed into a fully-fledged micro financial institution to assist the rural poor and alleviate poverty, Chairman of the Bank Mahinda Saliya said. RDB will be mainly concentrating on micro finance with the aim of rescuing the rural poor being caught up in debt trap and poverty, he said. RDB’s mandate is to improve rural living standards by providing accessible and affordable financial services. more..

Sep 18 (NA) Dr. Rohan Gunaratna, an international expert on terrorism who is now Honorary Professor at Sir John Kotelawala Defense Uni, has called for the arrest and trial of pro-LTTE Tamil leader and former MP, M.K. Shivajilingam and others who glorify terrorists. “They should be given the maximum punishment to deter others from following their destructive path,” he said. Dr. Gunaratna was commenting on Shivajilingam’s arrest more..

Sep 18 (ST) After reading one of my previous write-ups on Prosperity through democracy and elections in this column a few weeks ago, Alabi Moshood – a Uni lecturer from Africa, studying for a Doctorate degree in Economics, sent me a text message: “A very brilliant piece sir; well said. Policy formulation has never been our problem, rather it is about having the right leaders with the political will to deliver the desired outcome.” His comment inspired me to revisit the issue that more..

Sep 18 (TM) The prevailing ban on turmeric imports, while creating a shortage of the popular spice in the medium term, is expected to enable SL to become self-sufficient in turmeric by early 2022, according to the Dept of Export Agriculture (DEA). DEA Director General Dr. A.P. Heenkenda said that measures are underway to cultivate turmeric in Sri Lanka to meet 50% of the local demand of turmeric next year and 100% of it by 2022. As an initial measure, turmeric has been cultivated in more..

Sep 18 (FT) State Minister Nivard Cabraal issued a clarion call to the capital market to boost listings and value, thereby unleashing new investment and income opportunities in tandem with the new Govt’s progressive measures. Noting that the Colombo stock market hadn’t really progressed in the past five years, he said market capitalisation had halved to $ 12.5 billion in 2019 from $ 25 billion in end 2014. more..

Sep 18 (Island) Former MP and State Minister of Defence Ruwan Wijewardena, was recently elected UNP Deputy Leader and consequently the leader-in-waiting, by that besieged party’s working committee. For a party, which has only a single National List seat in parliament, on which it cannot agree who should be nominated and which received less than half the votes, the fourth placed JVP did, the rather long drawn out process of finally replacing its leader, has begun. more..

Sep 18 (Island) A news item on Sri Lanka was splashed across a page of the New York Times on Sept 8. However, hang your heads, Countrymen and Co-women, the news item called for blushing over, cringing and wishing the cause of the adverse publicity had never occurred. Cass means to say that pre-Covid-19 our country and us, have been paid lavish praise: we were named the best tourist destination in the entire world, and not by one voting body but three, Lonely Planet included. more..

Sep 18 (AJ) For years, authorities in Sri Lanka have tried to rid the Indian Ocean island nation of illegal drugs, even attempting to lift a decades-old moratorium on the death penalty to be able to execute drug offenders. But a drug ring allegedly including more than a dozen officers from a key national narcotics unit has exposed how much of a challenge that goal brings. It has also cast further doubt on police forces that have struggled to more..

Sep 18 (EN) Sri Lanka will set up a new industrial zone in an area spanning the Gampaha and Kegalle districts with dozens of industrialists asking for land. About 150 investors interested in starting businesses in the Western province have applied for land, but there was no space in 8 existing industrial zones. The new industrial zone will cover both the Gampaha and Kegalle districts. It will be sited on Pethiyakanda Watta, a 194 acres of land with the state Land Reform Commission. more..

Sep 18 (EN) Securities and Exchange Commission will create play a developmental role and balance regulation to create confidence among investors, Chairman Viraj Dayaratne has said as the market moved to eliminate paperwork. The SEC will have “a robust regulatory regime that can create confidence in the stock market and safeguard the interests of the investors.” “At the same time, we are aware, that it is our duty to ensure that we facilitate the development of the market and more..

Sep 18 (CT) A six-minute-long telephone conversation had taken place between an officer attached to the CID and SJB National List MP Harin Fernando's father, Nihal Fernando on 20 April 2019, the day before Easter Sunday attacks last year, through which Nihal Fernando is believed to have been informed of the possibility of a terror attack. The said officer was engaged in several investigations carried out by the CID into more..

Sep 18 (AD) Windy condition over the island and the showery condition over the south-western parts are expected to enhance temporary to some extent from today to 21 Sept, says the Dept of Meterology. Showers will occur at times in Central, Sabaragamuwa, Western and North-western provinces and in Galle and Matara districts. Heavy rainfall above 100 mm is likely at some places. Several spells of showers will occur in the North-central province. more..

Sep 18 (DM) Wildlife Dept requested people in Millaniya in Kalutara to be cautious of rabies-infected foxen attacks, Dept of Wildlife Conservation Director (Health) Dr Tharaka Prasad said. He requested the people not to walk alone roads, not to send children to schools alone and not to walk at night for at least two weeks to prevent rabies-infected fox attacks. “Foxes are active till 10 a.m from the night before. People are strictly instructed not to chase foxes,” he said. more..

Sep 18 (EN) The govt is not in a position to fully accept the remarks made about SL at the 45th sessions of the UNHRC this week, Minister Keheliya Rambukwella said. Since the end of civil war in 2009 the UNHRC has been making false allegations about war crimes, he said, trying to paint Sri Lanka as a barbaric state. Referring to a comment made by UN Human Rights High Commissioner Michelle Bachelet about more..

Sep 18 (DM) Five individuals including a lawyer who were arrested for allegedly obtaining suicide bomber Mohammad Ibrahim Insaf Ahmed's Flower Road residence by using a forged deed, were ordered to be remanded till Sept 28 by Colombo Chief Magistrate Court. When the case was taken up before Colombo Additional Magistrate Priyantha Liyanage, CID informed the Magistrate that five individuals had been arrested with regard to the matter and that they were detained more..

Sep 18 (Island) Dept of Sports Development commenced a workshop to upgrade the knowledge of netball coaches at the Torrington Sports facility on Wednesday. Second in a series of such workshops the three-day programme attracted some 40 coaches from various parts of the country. The coaches attached to Dept of Sports Development, Provincial Councils and the Netball Federation of SL were participating in the workshop which was inclusive of both theory & practical sessions. more..

Sep 18 (FT) The Appropriation Bill for the year 2021 is scheduled to be tabled in Parliament during the second week of October, Cabinet was informed this week. PM Mahinda Rajapaksa, who is also the Minister of Finance, presented the policy framework to be followed in preparation of the Budget for the year 2021, prioritising several key areas for which resources will be allocated in keeping with the Govt’s policy declaration, more..

Sep 18 (AD) Bloemendhal Police has seized 33,000 kg of Turmeric and 3,000 kg of Oried illegally imported into the country and smuggled out of Customs. The stocks were found inside three container trucks parked near a storage complex, based on information received by Bloemendhal Police. Police said that 10 suspects have been arrested while the 3 container trucks and 07 lorries have also been taken into custody. It has been reported that the Turmeric and other items more..

Sep 18 (CT) A culinary competition, with live cooking and a culinary exhibition will take place at the Kandy City Centre from 25 Sept, celebrating World Tourism Day which falls on 27 Sept 2020. The event will be conducted under the theme, Explore the land of diversity with tea heritage and Sri Lanka spice. The culinary competition is organised by the Central Provincial Council Sri Lanka under the supervision of the Uni of Colombo with honoured partnership of the panel of Judges namely, more..

Sep 18 (DM) The JVP yesterday urged the govt and opposition MPs to come forward to defeat the 20th Amendment to the Constitution claiming that the country would have to face repercussions of the 20A before long. JVP Propaganda Secretary Vijitha Herath said that Ministers have been helpless in the Cabinet before the President where they have been forced to approve the 20A without any time to study it. more..

Sep 18 (CT) JVP Member Samantha Vidyaratna, yesterday (17), called on the Chief Prelates of the Asgiriya and Malwatta Chapters of the Siam Sect to brief them on the decision taken by the Govt to grant 65,000 acres from Uva-Wellassa and Bintenna to grow sugarcane to a multinational firm. He informed the Chief Prelates that these lands were in Ampara, Moneragala and Badulla Districts and had charged that attempts had been made to hand over the lands to a British firm since 2006. more..

Sep 18 (DM) The quality of air in Colombo and suburbs in the coming days is to remain at Good Level where the air is not vulnerable to be high pollution, Senior Scientist at NBRO, H.D.S. Premasiri said. According to data on air visual. com, the air quality in Colombo will be at Good Level until the end of September indicating the Air quality index between 20 US AQI to 50 US AQI. Mr. Premasiri said that the reason for the improvement of the air quality was the incessant rains more..

Sep 18 (Forbes) Reports in Sri Lankan media suggest that a misstep by the SL Govt could have cost the country up to $25 million following a major fire on the Panama-flagged oil supertanker, the MT New Diamond. This is all due to a little known quirk in an obscure shipping law. Sri Lanka’s Attorney General has since reached out for $2 million from the owners and insurers of the vessel on 16 Sept, an amount ten times less. more..

Sep 18 (AD) Police have arrested the main suspect involved in the attack on several police officers at Atulugama, Bandaragama. The suspect identified as Mohamed Sharif Rifai alias Gotukola Rifai was arrested in Bandarawela. On Sept 9, five individuals including females were arrested over an assault on several police officers who had carried out a raid at a house in Marawa, Atalugama. During the raid, which had been carried out based on a tip-off that a drug racket was operating from the said house, more..

Sep 18 (Island) Awrit application filed in by Ranjith Aluwihare of the Samagi Jana Balavegaya (SJB), in the Court of Appeal, calling for a recount of the SJB’s preferential votes polled in the Matale District at the general election on Aug 5, 2020, was taken up yesterday. Notice was issued on the respondents, returnable on Nove 5, 2020. The SJB won one seat in the Matale District. It went to Rohini Kaviratne. Rajith Aluwihare of the SJB lost by 416 votes. The petitioner Aluwihara has called for a recount. more..

Sep 18 (Island) A CID officer involved in a number of investigations into Islamic extremism had made a six-minute phone call to Nihal Fernando, MP Harin Fernando’s father on Apr 20, 2019 and probably warned the latter of the impending suicide bomb attacks, PCoI investigating the Easter Sunday attacks was informed. Nihal Fernando was in the ICU of Nawaloka Hospital when he had received the call. more..

Sep 18 (FT) It has been my observation for a long time that Sri Lanka was moving towards a major collapse and in the process it will plunge into a state of anarchy. It was not my wish, but an observation made after analysing carefully the affairs of the country and the way things had been happening. Ethnic, caste and religious differences had been left to perpetuate without finding solutions for them. The resulting clashes did not stop at wreaking havoc on lives and property and continued to debilitate more..

Sep 18 (FT) There is an emerging trend in nationalism that warrants closer inspection. Not that the phenomenon hasn’t raised its head to crow before, like a mad rooster on a sordid dunghill. But this time, it’s a thing of some truth and beauty. And now, if only we can include justice and goodness in chanticleer’s clarion, we would be one step closer to being that all-inclusive island-race... as well as the classical definition of what it takes to be human. Some champions of this new version of more..

Sep 18 (Island) Former Chief of National Intelligence (CNI) Sisira Mendis had heard of the Easter Sunday attacks from one of his relatives the PCoI was informed yesterday. Mendis also said that no one from the CNI Office had called him to inform of the attacks. The witness added that he had only received a report dated the Apr 7, 2019 sent by former SIS Director SDIG Nilantha Jayawardena on April 8. April 7 was a Sunday and Mendis usually did not visit the CNI office during weekends. more..

Sep 18 (DN) Minister Dr. Ramesh Pathirana said the draft 20th Amendment to the Constitution was prepared by the Govt Legal Draftsman’s Department. The govt will abolish the 19th Amendment as a matter of priority and then work on a new Constitution, Minister Keheliya Rambukwella said. He said the overwhelming mandate of a two-thirds majority was given to abolish the 19th Amendment and if that was not fulfilled voters will definitely consider us as traitors. more..

Sep 18 (AD) Appropriation Bill for the year 2021 is scheduled to be tabled in the Parliament in the second week of October. During the Cabinet meeting held yesterday, PM Mahinda Rajapaksa in his capacity as the Minister of Finance presented the policy framework to be followed in preparing the budget for the year 2021. As per the proposal the following facts are be prioritized in preparation of the budget for the year 2021: more..

Sep 18 (DM) Laugfs Gas PLC fully owned subsidiary, Laugfs Terminals Ltd., yesterday celebrated the 100th ship call for loading of LP Gas at its port-based, all weather LP Gas storage and transhipment terminal complex located at the Hambantota port. The installed cargo capacity of this Terminal Complex is 30,000 MT, which can be turnaround three times monthly to achieve 1,000,000 MT of LP Gas per annum as transhipments, by way of import, storage, more..

Sep 18 (AD) Steps will be taken to allocate more space to three-wheelers and motorcycles which now have been restricted to the bus priority lane, says SSP Indika Hapugoda, Director of the Traffic Control and Road Safety Division. Accordingly, on four-lane roads, the first and second lanes from the left will be assigned for buses, three-wheelers and motorcycles. Further, on three-lane roads, buses will proceed on the first lane from the left, however, three-wheelers and motorcycles will be more..