Sep 22 (GT) Sharjah Chamber of Commerce & Industry (SCCI) represented by its Chairman, Abdullah Sultan Al Owais, received a SL high-level delegation headed by Malraj De Silva, SL Ambassador to the UAE, accompanied by Nalinda Wijerathna, Consul-General of SL in Dubai and the Northern Emirates. The meeting touched on the prospects for joint co-operation between the two sides, increasing trade exchange, enhancing business partnerships between more..

Sep 22 (DM) Former president Maithripala Sirisena's disrespectful attitude to the PCoI probing the Easter Sunday attacks is evident by the media statement he had issued denying the evidence given by former defence secretary Hemasiri Fernando, a representative of the Attorney General's Department told the PCoI. Mr. Sirisena was also present at the Commission premises when this was said. PCoI had summoned the former president and former PM Ranil Wickremesinghe to testify on Oct 5 & 6. more..

Sep 22 (DW) Tea plants cover the hillside like a green blanket, as a group of women carrying baskets slowly begin moving up the rows like small colored ants. We have just arrived in Nanu Oya, a village in the tea-producing highlands of Sri Lanka. For generations, groups of mostly women have worked these hillsides, in tough conditions for little money. The next day, we meet Cowsalliyadevi Palani as she prepares to go to work. more..

Sep 22 (DM) Despite city beautification projects that have been taking place, several areas in Colombo are still awaiting a facelift. One of these areas is a section of Malalasekara Mawatha, opposite Arcade Independence Square. Residents complain that many mobile boutiques have popped up over for the past few years, apart from the two permanent establishments which were approved by the CMC. In turn this development has created several issues for the residents apart from more..

Sep 22 (CT) Corona Pandemic creates additional challenges in waste management, especially in developing countries. Inadequate and inappropriate handling of healthcare waste may have a significant impact on the environment and serious public health consequences. Healthcare waste management includes waste separation at source, handling at source, collection, transportation, recycling, and final disposal. Developing countries that may already lack proper healthcare and waste management more..

Sep 22 (CT) “We are suffering from a severe downfall. Goods that were worth Rs 5,000 five or six months ago cannot even be purchased for Rs 8,000 now. We cannot rely on the relief provided by the Govt. Govt should increase domestic production levels and promote our products. Govt should find a better way to make people use things made in SL. That would be effective, because there will be a reasonable more..

Sep 22 (CT) The govt has announced that the draft 20th Amendment bill will be presented to parliament on Tuesday. It will be the same version that caught the country by surprise when it first made its appearance to the public on Sept 3. The extreme nature of the proposed amendment, which has been the cause of much disquiet, is epitomized by the power it seeks to give the Prez to sack the PM and ministers at his discretion and to dissolve parliament after a year of its election. more..

Sep 22 (GV) Rajapakse Administration, by Govt gazette, published its proposed 20th Amendment and subsequently the Secretary General of Parliament announced that it would be taken up for its first reading in Parliament on Sept 22, opening up the narrow window of time for the widely anticipated legal challenges to the amendment in the Supreme Court. 20th Amendment essentially seeks to establish an elected absolute ruler who can theoretically do no wrong and is therefore more..

Sep 22 (CT) We have become attractive targets for scammers and fraudsters like never before in history. We are as vulnerable as the data is. Even though there can be many shortcomings in our system, the uncertainty of the internet and laws governing online have created more opportunity for hackers, scammers and other counterfeiters. Human brains are so vulnerable and easily tricked unless one is super alert. more..

Sep 23 (ST) In 2011, US dollar was traded for 75 Japanese yen – the lowest yen-dollar exchange rate ever existed. This means a Japanese exporter received 75 yen for each dollar he earned from abroad. About 40 years ago, the same exporter would have received 350 yen for each dollar! Japanese currency – yen -, was one of the most appreciating currencies in the world. Since the early 1970s when Japan adopted a flexible exchange rate system, external value of yen has more..

Sep 22 (GV) As the 20th Amendment Bill is brought before Parliament – and challenged in the Supreme Court – there are two critical sets of questions we need to seriously consider. These are, firstly, how will the Bill once passed change the nature of SL’s constitutional democracy, and secondly, does the govt have a mandate to make these changes? There reflections build upon the preliminary assessment of the Bill I have offered elsewhere. A comprehensive comparison of the current more..

Sep 22 (CT) Ceylon Today recently reported that a Rs 40 billion high-profile scanning project at the Colombo Port has come to a halt, owing to internal and external protests and bureaucratic red tape. The scanning project in question, which was completed around six months ago with the assistance of the US, cannot be put into operation owing to the protests launched largely by truck drivers, who claim that radiation from these new scanning system can cause a serious health hazard. more..

Sep 23 (NIA) For more than two decades, Colombo was an embattled city. Having been in the midst of a seemingly unending war, neglect was writ large on its face. It was pockmarked by unkempt, even crumbling, colonial-era buildings. Houses were surrounded by high walls and key establishments were surrounded by barbed wire fencing. The roads, generally in disrepair, were blocked by barricades with gun toting troops flagging down vehicles to check for bombs and terrorists. more..

Sep 23 (FT) Cabinet approved the proposal by the Finance Ministry to allow foreign exchange-risk-free investments into Govt securities by non-residents subject to a few conditions. Foreigners will be allowed to buy Govt securities and also sell same at the exchange rate prevalent at the time of the former if held until maturity. In the event of selling the Govt securities prior to maturity the same exchange rate at the time of buying more..

Sep 23 (Island) SLPP juggernaut is bearing down on democracy. The 20th Amendment (20A) Bill was presented to Parliament, yesterday, amidst protests from the Opposition benches. The govt has 150 MPs on its side, and is confident that they will vote for the Bill en bloc. Some of them are disgruntled because they have been left out of the Cabinet but they are likely to be appointed ministers when the Bill is passed and the Cabinet expanded. The Old Fox would guffaw in his grave if he could see more..

Sep 23 (CT) Following a successfully conducted Return to play workshop of all stakeholders, Sri Lanka Rugby (SLR) together with SL Schools Rugby-Football Association (SLSRFA), are now waiting to meet Minister Namal Rajapaksa to discuss further plans to resume the game. SLR and SLSRFA jointly conducted the workshop last Friday with a view to recommence the sport, which was halted for nearly six month due to Covid-19. “SLR is waiting for a call from the Sports Minister more..

Sep 23 (ST) SL’s E-passport project has come to the limelight once again following the entry of the Govt Printing Department to take over the gigantic task of passport printing. Minister Keheliya Rambukwella has issued a directive to Ministry Secretary Jagath Wijeweera to initiate action to commence the provision of facilities to print passports by Govt Printer. Ministry has already prepared a cabinet paper and presented to more..

Sep 23 (DN) Ranindu Liyanage of Ananda College Colombo and Nethmi Fernando of Girl’s High School Kandy emerged men’s and women’s champions at the National Chess championship concluded at Taj Samudara on Monday. After the first half of this tournament which was held at the Chess Federation Hq, both Ranindu and Nethmi were able to come on top with a clear lead to win the major titles. Ranindu Liyanage the 16 year old promising player finished with 10.5 points to win the men’s tile. more..

Sep 23 (CT) Hockey at one time was a popular sport at Isipathana College, and the Old Boys Union with the cooperation of Principal M.Y.P.P. Bandara, have decided to revive the sport by forming a Past Hockey Players Association. The inaugural meeting of the Association was held at the school outdoor premises on 19 September, and a large number of past hockey players were present. Ananda Wimalaratne, a famous hockey player who made his debut for Colts and later moved to CH & FC, more..

Sep 23 (DM) Buddhist prelates, Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith and medical officers joined hands with the SL Temperance Association to protest against the move to legalise cannabis. They said the legalising of cannabis would be detrimental to the country and urged the govt to give up the move. Ven. Dr Ittapana Dhammalankara Thera lauding Prez Rajapaksa’s efforts to launch regular drug raids including on cannabis requested him to more..

Sep 23 (FT) Sri Lanka will showcase its success in mitigating the COVID-19 pandemic as well as the economic rebound taking shape at a top level virtual conference organised by JP Morgan today involving hundreds of global fund managers and analysts. State Minister Nivard Cabraal will address the event titled JP Morgan Credit and Equity Emerging Markets Conference, followed by an official presentation by Ministry of Finance Treasury Director Visakha Amarasekere whilst more..

Sep 23 (ST) Finance Ministry is now finalising Budget 2021 in SL’s most challenging task under uncertainty triggered by the post-lockdown economic outlook and the massive fiscal shock from COVID-19 with the decline in revenue and sky rocketing expenditure. Appropriation Bill for 2021 is scheduled to be tabled in Parliament in the second week of October, Finance Ministry sources said. The annual 2021 budget estimates are now being prepared by National Budget Dept of Finance Ministry more..

Sep 23 (Island) Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena yesterday reprimanded the Opposition MPs for wasting the time of the House. He said that MPs should not make speeches when raising questions listed in the Order Paper because only one hour had been allotted for the question time. He said so when Ratnapura District SJB MP Hesha Withanage raised supplementary questions and made a lengthy speech. more..

Sep 23 (Island) Norway has provided financial and technical assistance to prepare a policy document to pave the way for drawing up a fishery Master Plan for SL, SL’s Ambassador in Oslo Godfrey Cooray said. The statement followed Ambassador Cooray’s meeting a top level Norwegian delegation led by Minister of the Royal Norwegian Ministry of Fisheries and Seafood Odd Emil Ingebrigtsen. The Master Plan would be prepared in line with the fisheries policy developed with Norwegian assistance. more..

Sep 23 (DN) Govt will shortly go in for a system where it will engage in all its procurements electronically which will have a minimum annual saving of at least Rs. 30 billion, a senior Treasury official said. He also said that the Finance Ministry has studied similar systems which are operational in the region such as India, Nepal and Bangladesh and devised this system which will be very beneficial to this country when implemented. Public procurement in SL requires improving its efficiency, more..

Sep 23 (FT) SL’s latest and largest Export Processing Zone (EPZ) in Bingiriya has attracted $ 45 million worth investments for five ventures. They are two apparel factories with an investment of $ 12.9 million, a fruit processing factory ($ 1.4 mil), an animal feed factory ($ 14.29 mil) and a pharmaceutical factory ($ 16 mil). “Bingiriya zone will serve as a catalyst to economic transformation, development & modernisation. more..

Sep 23 (Island) Former SL cricketer and ex national Under-19 coach Roger Wijesuriya believes that a long term training plan, with two coaches looking after the Under-19 and Under-17 squads right throughout will be the key to success at ICC Youth World Cup. SL is the only Test playing nation in the South Asian region, apart from Afghanistan to have not won the coveted global youth title since the tournament was introduced in 1988. The closest the country came to the title was when more..

Sep 23 (ST) The group of aspiring cricketers of Ranajayapura Vidyalaya, Kekirawa were already facing difficulties in their cricket training due to lack of basic facilities, until an unknown group or persons deliberately set fire to the only lacklustre facility they had. The damage was huge from the eyes of the Ranajayapura cricketers, but for privileged schools it may have been just a minor setback. The hooligans have set fire on the matting these cricketers used to practice and losing their only and more..

Sep 23 (CT) National Congress Leader A.L.M. Athaullah was compelled to leave the Parliament Chamber yesterday, following a chaotic situation created by the SJB, when he entered the Chamber wearing a kurta top and an Afghan Pashtun vest worn over it. Athaullah arrived in the Chamber amidst the protest of the SJB against the Government presenting the 20th Amendment. He had fastened only the top button of the vest. more..

Sep 23 (Island) Twentieth Amendment (20A) is reviewed by commentators from political, legal, journalistic, and religious angles. Not belonging to any such group, I do not venture to cover the multitude of discussions on 20A. My focus is to view 20A to understand how it affects governance and causes political contradictions. In democratic good governance, there are essential elements, such as the rule of law, transparency, responsiveness, consensual oriented action, equity and more..

Sep 23 (DM) The govt has only tabled a draft of the 20th Amendment and was prepared to consider any amendments submitted by the opposition and requested them to discuss them with the PM, Minister Mahindananda Aluthgamage said. He said Opposition could challenge the 20A in the Supreme Court and that the govt would only proceed if the SC allowed it to do so. “We only tabled a draft of the 20th Amendment and doing so does not mean it has received parliamentary approval. more..

Sep 23 (AD) Former Prez Maithripala Sirisena appeared before the PCoI for the first time on Tuesday (22). He was summoned to the PCoI to present submissions on his statement, discrediting former Defense Secretary Hemasiri Fernando’s testimony at the Commission. The former Prez’s personal secretary, in a letter issued on Sunday, has alleged that former Defense Secretary Fernando has been maliciously lying before the PCoI. more..

Sep 23 (Island) MP Dr. Suren Raghavan, on Monday, revealed that he had given up his Canadian citizenship to enter parliament on the SLPP National List. Dr. Raghavan said so when questioned the academic regarding his stand on the 20th Amendment that proposed to allow dual citizens to contest parliamentary polls or enter parliament through the National List. Dr. Raghavan said that unlike UPFA MP Geetha Kumarasinghe, who lost her seat through a court ruling, more..

Sep 23 (FT) State Minister Ajith Nivard Cabraal told Parliament yesterday that the country would see money coming back into the Sri Lankan economy in the form of investments and Foreign Direct Investments (FDIs) in the next few weeks. “Investments in treasury bonds and bills have started to come back for the first time in seven months. They are keen to come back to Sri Lanka because the local investors are making purchases of the shares in droves,” Cabraal said. more..

Sep 23 (Island) The govt should decide whether to accommodate recommendations made by a committee that studied the 20th Amendment presented by Justice Minister Ali Sabry to parliament, SLPP Chairman Prof. G.L. Peiris said. Prof. Peiris said that the opportunity to express different opinions on the proposed 20th Amendment underscored the importance of following what the former law Prof. called democratic process. more..

Sep 23 (PMD) Prez Rajapaksa has decided to go among the people to give swift solutions to their grievances at the village level. The President hopes to witness himself the difficulties suffered by fellow citizens first hand and to listen to them in order to relieve them of their burdens with a correct understanding. The Haldummulle DS Division of the Badulla district has been selected for the first inspection tour. The public gathering will be held at Kumarathenna Vidyalaya, more..

Sep 23 (CT) Several Party Leaders attached to the SJB alliance had not participated in the protest that was staged in Parliament by the SJB while Minister Ali Sabry was presenting the draft of the proposed 20th Amendment. Three of the SJB Party Leaders who had been absent during the protest had been Rauff Hakeem, Rishad Bathiudeen and Champika Ranawaka. Although the said trio is noted to occupy front row seats in Parliament in the Opposition, they were not to be seen when SJB protest more..

Sep 23 (CT) Minister Ali Sabry tabled the 20th Amendment Bill in Parliament, amidst protests by SJB MPs. The SJB MPs, led by Opposition Leader, Sajith Premadasa, were seen wearing black armlets and badges stating ‘No to 20’ in red on their attire. Some of the MPs were holding placards which read Hitler after 20 (20n pasu Hitler), 20 is great but the country is finished (20 marai rata hamarai) and Defeat the illegitimate 20 more..

Sep 23 (FT) I was reading the article on good governance written by W.A. Wijewardane on Daily FT few days back and was reflecting on all the important and interesting points he was highlighting on governance. My mind took me back to 2009, when Lal Nanayakkara, a former President of CA SL (ICASL then) requested me to write an article for their 50th anniversary publication. At that time (2009), I was working in Malaysia and I was admiring the development that country more..