Apr 1 (SLN) A special operation conducted by SL Coast Guard in seas off Kovilan Point Lighthouse in Jaffna today (31) led to the seizure of about 66kg and 600g of Kerala cannabis. The operation also made way to nab 03 suspects in connection to the incident and 01 dinghy used for this smuggling attempt. SL Navy and Coast Guard continues to patrol waters around the island to prevent a wide range of nefarious activities stemming from sea routes. In a similar operation the Fast Attack Craft CG 409 of SL Coast Guard more..

Apr 1 (Island) Several political parties have distanced themselves from the planned Arab Spring type protests countrywide on 3 April. The main Opposition SJB itself seems to be divided over the scheduled protests. Other opposition groups including the JVP and its splinter FSP called on their members not to support or participate in April 3 protests. The conflict within the SJB started after its leader Sajith Premadasa and senior MP Rajitha Senaratne gave voice cuts in support of the protests to be held on 03 April. more..

Apr 1 (AD) The protesters arrested during the last night’s demonstration in Mirihana area will not be charged under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA). Senior DIG Ajith Rohana said the arrestees will be charged under the provisions of the Penal Code and the Public Properties Act. Speaking further, SDIG Rohana stated that investigations into the incident are being carried out by three special teams – Colombo Crimes Division, CID and Western (North) Crimes Division. more..

Apr 1 (Island) Sri J'pura General Hospital in collaboration with the National Institute of Education recently held a programme to mark the World Down Syndrome Day at the hospital. It was a well-attended programme where a number of children participated and the programme included an Art exhibition, singing and dancing. According to Dr. Roshini Karunanayke, it was an opportunity for such children to exhibit their innate talents. Dr. Karunanayake made a presentation on Down Syndrome and on how to manage the condition. more..

Apr 1 (DM) Refuting the reports that yesterday's incident in Mirihana was led by an extremist group, Minister Sarath Weerasekara said it was not but was an act of sabotage. "I don't think they were extremist elements. It was only an act of sabotage. They have come to stage a protest and started damaging the vehicles and public property. That prompted the police to use tear gas" he said. He said people have to bear the brunt of the pressure to get gas, fuel and suffer due to power cuts. more..

Apr 1 (EN) Colombo Stock Exchange was closed for trading after an index of liquidity stocks dropped 10.42%, with players scrambling to sell out after police tear gassed protestors outside President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s residence. “Please note that the Market has been closed for the rest of the day due to the S&P SL20 index dropping over 10% from the previous close,” the Colombo Stock Exchange said. Trading was halted twice as the market fell 2.5% and 5%. more..

Apr 1 (DM) While expressing that the govt was concerned on the arrest of journalists during yesterday's protest in Mirihana, Minister Keheliya Rambukwella said today appropriate action would be taken on the matter. Minister told the news conference at the Prez Media Centre that such arrests could happen when a mob behaving violently. "When a mob turn violent, security personnel cannot practically check everyone. Anyone could carry a card and move around. I am not justifying the arrests. more..

Apr 1 (DM) Several journalists who were covering the incident in Mirihana were allegedly attacked by the police and security forces yesterday and a freelance video journalist who was attacked was also arrested. The journalist Sanjeewa Gallage who was assaulted said that he was not allowed to go to a hospital. Meanwhile, SSP Ajith Rohana said that journalist has the right to report any incidents and investigations is also underway to identify the reason of attack on journalists during the protest. more..

Apr 1 (DM) According to Inter Provincial Private Bus Owners' Association (IPPBOA) and Lanka Private Bus Owners' Association (LPBOA), 90% of their buses have been halted due to a lack of diesel. The current fuel crisis has had a significant impact on long-distance bus services. "We are finding it difficult to find diesel for our buses and we need to wait in long queues for a long time at the filling stations to get fuel, he said. However, the leasing companies are in hot pursuit to collect more..

Apr 1 (CT) In a surprising turn of events, State Minister Duminda Dissanayake said, State Ministry hopes to export power to Singapore soon, while the country is battling the worst energy crisis in its history. He said Minister of Energy Pavithra Wanniarachchi had signed the relevant Cabinet Paper to export power. State Minister said an investor has registered with the Ministry, claiming he can produce 5,000 MW of power offshore; adding 1,000 MW to the national grid while more..

Apr 1 (DM) A New Year ceremony organized by a the Carlton pre-school in Nuwara Eliya town was canceled today when a group of protesters flying black flags staged a protest in front of the school compelling the school administration not to hold the ceremony in view of the prevailing crisis in the country. It was reported PM Rajapaksa’s spouse Shiranthi Rajapaksa was to attend the ceremony. Due to the protest Shiranthi was not able to attend it and security was heightened in the area. more..

Apr 1 (ST) With the COVID-19 pandemic swinging this way and that like a swift pendulum whenever a virus variant of concern strikes, it was a look back and forward on pandemic issues with specific relevance to Sri Lanka and how we could move on with the lessons learnt. “COVID-19 is an infectious disease and most of the pandemics or epidemics in recent times have been due to respiratory illnesses,” says Acting Consultant Chest Physician of the National Hospital of SL (NHSL), Dr. Ruwanthi Jayasekara, more..

Apr 1 (CT) We are saddened that the people of this country have to wait in long lines today due to the shortage of fuel, and we whole heartedly apologise for that, Minister Namal Rajapaksa stated yesterday (31). “We have made a plan to provide relief to the people systematically and to improve their lives by eliminating these queues,” the Minister said, adding that Govt is using its international relations and is in consultation with friendly countries to take necessary decisions. more..

Apr 1 (Island) CEB Chairman M M C Ferdinando yesterday said action would be taken to reduce load shedding to less than four hours by Monday. Both Energy Minister Pavithra Wanniarchchi and Power Minister Gamini Lokuge yesterday confirmed that the Indian Oil Company (IOC) had agreed to supply 6,000 metric tonnes of diesel for power generation purposes. They added that about 80,000 metric tons of diesel would arrive in Sri Lanka in the coming days. more..

Apr 1 (CT) Executive Committee of the Free Trade Zone Manufacturers’ Association (FTZMA) said BOI enterprises are subjected to undue hardship due to fuel scarcities, electricity outages, load shedding, logistics issues, and scarcity of commodities, on top of grappling with the pandemic. At their monthly meeting held last week, they extensively discussed matters related to the predicaments of their enterprises and the employees, resulting from the prevailing unprecedented economic crisis. more..

Apr 1 (AD) The Galle Road is completely blocked near Kurusa Junction in Moratuwa as a result of a protest march by carpenters, says Ada Derana correspondent. The protesters staged a demonstration in front of the Moratuwa Municipal Council against the soaring prices of commodities. According to reports, Moratuwa municipal council members of Samagi Jana Balawegaya have also extended their support for the protest. They had initiated the protest march from Willorawatta in Moratuwa. more..

Apr 1 (DM) Public outrage against President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa and Sports Minister Namal Rajapaksa has seen a rapid rise on social media Anger against the Rajapaksas has being growing on social media after the power cuts, fuel and gas shortage continued. Social media users, including a number of prominent personalities have openly criticized the Rajapaksa administration on social media over the current state of affairs. more..

Apr 1 (CT) Food inflation in Colombo passed the 30 per cent mark for the first time after 13 years and seven months accelerating for the sixth consecutive month to 30.2% last month. The last occasion when the food inflation hit the 30% mark was in Aug 2008 with a figure of 32.1%. Coincidentally, it was at the height of the 26-year-old war. Aug 2008 was also the eve of the global financial crisis which was fully blown in September 2008 with the collapse of Lehman Brothers; a U.S. based financial services company, more..

Apr 1 (CT) A senior official from the CEB stated that due to the acute fuel crisis in the country the Kelanitissa Power Plant was also rendered defunct with effect from yesterday (31 March). He mentioned that during the recent past the Kerawalapitiya and Sojitz Power Plants had also ceased operations due to the same reason. The CEB official added that in order to revive the Kerawalapitiya and Sojitz Power Plants the Indian Oil Company has consented to supply 6,000 MT of diesel. more..

Apr 1 (DM) The IMF will initiate discussions with SL authorities on a possible loan program in coming days, IMF spokesperson Gerry Rice said on Thursday, as the Asian country seeks to stave off a severe economic crisis. Rice said the discussions would continue during the visit of SL Finance Minister Basil Rajapaksa in Washington for the spring meetings of the IMF and World Bank next month. A 70% drop in foreign exchange reserves since Jan 2020 has left SL struggling to pay for essential imports, more..

Apr 1 (CT) Chairman of the CEB, M.C.C. Ferdinando said, the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC) has refused to permit CEB to directly import fuel for use in thermal power plants. He claimed that, while the CEB received Cabinet approval to import fuel directly, it cannot do so due to the absence of a permit or licence from relevant authorities. However, the then Energy Minister Udaya Gammanpila had informed the Cabinet that they cannot permit the CEB to import fuel directly. more..

Apr 1 (ST) Highways Ministry is barreling through the controversial bid to award part of the Central Expressway Project’s (CEP III) third section to a local consortium at a price higher by US$ 822mn (Rs 238.5bn) than its competing bid. The details are so guarded that meetings of the Cabinet Appointed Negotiating Committee (CANC)—at which stage the project now is, following appraisal by the Technical Evaluation Committee (TEC)—are oddly held at Ministry of Labour and not at Highways Ministry. more..

Apr 1 (DM) The 11- party alliance today called for Prez Rajapaksa to form an interim govt to face the current problems confronting the country. NFF leader Wimal Weerawansa said an economic plan should be worked out with the consensus of all the parties representing people in Parliament. Afterwards, he said a new Cabinet should be appointed in terms of the Constitution to implement them. PHU leader Udaya Gammanpila said an election should be declared after the formation of an interim govt. more..

Apr 1 (CT) The 37th Kala Bhushana State Awards Ceremony was held under the patronage of PM Mahinda Rajapaksa at the BMICH yesterday. Awards were presented to 200 artistes who have rendered invaluable service to literature, art, dance, drama and traditional arts. Prof. Kapila Gunawardena, Secretary to the Ministry of Buddha Sasana, Religious and Cultural Affairs and Tharani Gamage, Director of the Dept of Cultural Affairs presented the commemorative volume to PM Mahinda Rajapaksa more..

Apr 2 (DM) Sri Lanka was admired as the pearl of the Indian Ocean, naturally and otherwise. But today, especially after the wholesale implementation of the globalised market economic policy after 1978, we see a case of casting pearls before swine. Wide-scale deforestation, the virtual sale of parts of our country for profit-making purposes, decay and degeneration in moral values provoked by bribery and corruption at the highest levels have downgraded and degraded Sri Lanka. more..

Apr 2 (CT) The accusations levelled against the political leadership of the country in the face of alleged gross inefficiencies of an unethical and immoral administration of the govt, falsification of electoral promises, and parasitic thieving of public property as witnessed now, has climaxed into demonstrations by the people taking to streets and demanding its resignation. Govt is trying to bring it under control by tear gas, water cannons and imposing curfews. more..

Apr 2 (DM) After repeated failures to find a producer to finance Gamperaliya, Lester and Sumitra tasted success finally by finding a businessman ready able and willing to help produce Gamperaliya. The commercial entrepreneur cum patron of the arts who was prepared to produce Gamperaliya was none other than the legendary Anton Wickremasinghe! The greatest compliment however came from the author himself. more..

Apr 2 (TM) On 8 March, Sri Lanka devalued the rupee against the US dollar (USD), entering into a floating exchange rate regime. The Central Bank of SL (CBSL) had to abandon the pegged exchange rate as defending the rupee with dwindling reserves was impossible. The inter-bank exchange rate shot up, once the banks were assured that the exchange rate was floated. The initial shoot-up was followed by further rallying of the USD reaching close to Rs. 300 per USD. more..

Apr 2 (CT) If last Thursday’s unprecedented, but not wholly unexpected, events at Mirihana taught anything to the Govt or even the Opposition, it should be that no man or woman, or any amount of political power or military might can stop a citizen who had been driven to desperate ends. The thousands of civilians who stormed Pengiriwatta Road in Mirihana, where the Prez’s private residence is located, were soon branded as extremists by the Govt, and alleged attempts more..

Apr 2 (GV) In Nov 2019, 6.9 million Sri Lankans overestimated the intelligence, capacity and compassion of the Rajapaksa brothers. That mistaken assessment was the root cause of the tragedy we are living through today as individuals and as a nation. Should we now compound that error by fatally underestimating their will to power? Rajapaksas are not supermen as 6.9 million (mostly Sinhala-Buddhist) more..

Apr 2 (DM) Sometimes disasters create conducive conditions for the resolutions of long-standing issues. A best case in point was the Asian tsunami of 2004 which paved the way for the resolution of ethnic war in the Indonesian province of Aceh, after killing hundreds of thousands of people in many South and South-East Asian countries. Aceh was one of the areas worst hit by the tsunami and the Indonesian armed forces and the Muslim separatist Gerakan Aceh Merdeka (GAM) or more..

Apr 2 (ST) It was just a few days ago that Ruwan submitted his price quotation to his client for a paint work that he got from a company. When he went there in the evening, the quotation had been approved. He was happy to receive the approved quotation for painting a company building. Ruwan is a self-employed service provider in many technical fields such as painting, renovating, tiling, carpentry and even repairing electrical appliances. His income was irregular, but so far, more..

Apr 3 (Island) Prez Gotabaya Rajapaksa may not have expected anything like what played out on Thursday night near his residence, when he, in his glory days, had a place designated as the agitation site close to the Presidential Secretariat, Colombo 01. Today, irate members of the public are agitating near his private residence in Mirihana. In fact, the whole country is fast becoming an agitation site thanks to the govt’s blunders, which are legion. What started off as a peaceful protest by more..

Apr 2 (FT) Opposition Leader and MP Sajith Premadasa yesterday claimed the Government is attempting to suppress public protests using the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA), adding that the SJB would not allow this to happen. He said over 600 lawyers are on standby to represent members of the public who may become victims of State suppression. He also noted that people have begun rising against the misdeeds of the current regime and asking for democratic change, more..

Apr 3 (CT) Unable to bear the absolute ignorance and insensitivity displayed by Cabinet Ministers and members of the Rajapaksa family to the soaring cost of living and being deprived of basic needs required to lead a decent life, the citizens took to the streets, chanting enough is enough. Citizen groups through social media platforms have started mobilising masses to a countrywide protest at 3 p.m. on Sunday (3). more..

Apr 3 (ST) Bullock carts have resurfaced on the roads while old bicycles are being dusted and put to use as SL battles multiple crises as the shortage of dollars has triggered an energy crisis. Five to seven-hours of power cuts are the order of the day and people are now resorting to coal-fired stoves for cooking. At least three people have died due to fatigue or other health complications while waiting in queues for kerosene or gas. Another man has been knifed to death during a brawl at a queue more..