May 11 (Island) It is fair to say that the fight against corruption is one of the drivers, if not the driver, of the current protest movement. We are all quite familiar with protesters’ claim that the present regime is corrupt to the core and the massive scale corruption and incompetency brought the country to a bankruptcy. Corruption charges, however, are not just directed at Rajapaksas and the governing party alone. As this newspaper reported recently, the JVP leadership gleefully announced that more..

May 11 (GV) Gotagogama and the nationwide anti-Rajapaksa struggle it pioneered and symbolized seemed to be animated by this spirit of compassionate solidarity Auden was pleading for on the advent of the Second World War. Gotagogama resistors prided themselves on being not just anti-Rajapaksa but the antithesis of the Rajapaksas. They made a conscious attempt to turn that nodal point of struggle into a microcosm more..

May 11 (Island) SL finds itself in an unprecedented situation. It just so happens that a beleaguered Prez Rajapaksa is now running a one-man show. PM has resigned and there is no Cabinet. Prez is constitutionally empowered to do so, but he must appoint a PM and a Cabinet urgently. Having expressed his willingness to form a caretaker govt to tackle the present crises, he has to negotiate with the leaders of political parties in both SLPP coalition and Opposition, and arrive at a consensus more..

May 11 (DN) The promising cricketer Nishan Madhshka stole the limelight in the ongoing Emerging cricket team tour of England when he scored a remarkable knock of 269 in 496 balls with 37 fours and 2 sixes with a strike rate of 68.62. He came to the middle as a number three batsman occupying the crease for 496 minutes (nearly 8 and half hours ) to build up his marathon innings which is his career best first class knock as well as first first-class double century. more..

May 11 (Brunch) Tear gas and water cannons have become two phrases that are too often heard by citizens – running away from the forces employed to protect us – as they are often screamed out in warning amidst protests, urging other citizens to run away. Over the last week, there has been much discourse over the use of tear gas, and questions abound of why it was used when the protests taking place were peaceful. more..

May 11 (CT) A complaint was lodged at Police Headquarters by a group of lawyers yesterday, seeking the arrest of former PM Rajapaksa, MPs Johnston Fernando and Sanath Nishantha, and Western Province SDIG Deshabandu Tennakoon in relation to the violent SLPP mob attack on peaceful anti-Govt protesters. The group of lawyers including Kamal Wijesiri, Thusitha Gunasekera, and Rajitha Lakmal in the complaint called for the arrest of Rajapaksa, Fernando, and Nishantha more..

May 11 (ST) Ushan Thiwanka, the SL high-jumper based in USA, clinched gold clearing a height of 2.20m in the Men’s High Jump event at the Lone Star Conference’s Outdoor Track and Field Championships, early yesterday. The 24-year-old Lankan, representing Texas A&M, topped the ranking beating Justin Lewis (2.11m) and Dakari Hill (2.08m). The former Maris Stella College student, Thiwanka, is the current national record holder in men’s jump with a height of 2.30m. more..

May 11 (DN) Even yesterday, despite the Govt imposing an island-wide curfew, Sarangi had a training session with her coach in Torrington. Sarangi, who resides in Panadura, is currently staying at the Torrington Sports Ministry Hotel and does her regular training with her coach. Coach Kularatne, who is also the Senior National Athletic coach, said they have no excuse to discontinue her training. Sarangi trains every day other than Sundays either at Torrington or more..

May 11 (DN) Sri Lanka junior paddlers started with the winning firm when they beat Pakistan, Maldives, Nepal % Bangladesh at the South Asian Junior Table Tennis C'ship which was played in Male, Maldives, yesterday. Sri Lanka under 15 boys best Pakistan by 3-0 in the team event while under 14 girls team defeated Maldives 3/0 on an opening day (Monday). Girls under 19 team made a 3/1 win over Bangladesh while they lost to string India team 0/3. Meanwhile, the Sri Lankan boys more..

May 11 (DM) Sri Lanka’s outward labour migration has topped the 100,000 mark so far during the year, with an increasing number of Sri Lankans moving to take up foreign employment opportunities to escape from the worsening economic and political crises in the country. According to the ALFEA, over 100,000 Sri Lankans departed the country for foreign employment opportunities from Jan1 to Apr8, 2022 period. more..

May 11 (Island) The ODI leg of Pakistan’s tour to SL in 2022 has been scrapped, with just the two Tests now slated to take place in July. The exact dates are yet to be finalised. As per future tours programme the sides were due to compete in a 3-match ODI series, however SLC stated that it has decided to hold only the Tests as the ODIs would not count towards Super League points. “The ODIs wouldn’t have been a part of the World Super League, so we decided against playing them,” more..

May 11 (ST) Govt has spent millions of dollars for the importation of over 140,000 metric tonnes of rice from countries including Myanmar at the end of last year at a time when the country had sufficient stocks to meet the demand. A stock of 147,091 metric tonnes has been imported during the period of Nov-Dec 2021 using US$ 73 million out of the country’s dwindling foreign reserves. The total paddy production from both the Maha and Yala seasons was equivalent to 3.3 m metric tonnes of rice more..

May 11 (TM) Protests were held yesterday in front of the Trincomalee Naval Base, where former PM and incumbent Govt MP Mahinda Rajapaksa is reportedly staying, along with a number of his family members. Video reports also show a helicopter, reportedly belonging to the SL Air Force, being boarded by a few people at the Police Field Headquarters. Reports claim that it was boarded by Rajapaksa’s third son, more..

May 11 (Island) Many opportunities are available to a broad spectrum of investors as Port City Colombo comes into fruition, given the strategic location, business friendly policies and the outstanding infrastructure that is under development, Sir Hugo Swire, Deputy Chairman, Commonwealth Enterprise Investment Council (CWEIC) said. A press release said in this connection: ‘An investor event showcasing the Port City Colombo Special Economic Zone was held at HC of SL more..

May 11 (ST) Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC) has lost millions of US dollars in fuel purchases by resorting to spot buying from the market even though there is a US$ 500 million Indian credit line to import petrol and diesel. The over-payments for fuel consignments and demurrage for the delay in clearing shipments due to difficulty in finding dollars along with irregularities of corrupt officials were some of the reasons for these losses, an official observation report revealed. more..

May 11 (Island) The Federation of University Teachers’ Association (FUTA) has demanded the resignation of Prez Rajapaksa, and IGP C.D. Wickremaratne, over their failure to prevent indiscriminate, unprovoked attacks on the public campaigning against the govt. FUTA has alleged that former PM Rajapaksa and his office were complicit in Monday’s violence, directed at those camping in front of Temple Trees and Galle Face Green. The outfit urged the public to desist from violence. more..

May 11 (FT) The SJB got an update on the state of the economy from the CB Governor Dr. Nandalal Weerasinghe and Treasury Secretary Mahinda Siriwardena. SJB Leader Sajith Premadasa and its economist trio Dr. Harsha de Silva, Kabir Hashim and Eran Wickramaratne participated at the meeting. Following the meeting SJB Leader Sajith Premadasa tweeted: “We have always offered our unstinting support to overcome this crisis. It’s good to finally have a productive meeting with more..

May 11 (FT) SJB will take over the govt if Prez Rajapaksa agrees to resign after appointing Sajith Premadasa as PM, a senior SJB source said. Party will write to the Prez today with the proposal, the source said. “SJB is not willing to join a govt in which Gotabaya Rajapaksa remains as Prez. He must resign for us to take over,” SJB member said. SJB briefed other opposition political parties including SLPP independent group more..

May 11 (EN) Technical talks between SL officials and the IMF are continuing and so that policy discussions can begin as soon a new cabinet is appointed, mission chief Masahiro Nozaki said. “On our virtual mission during May 9-23, discussions at the technical level have just started and continue as planned so as to be fully prepared for policy discussions once a new govt has been formed,” Nozaki said. “We are following developments in SL closely and are concerned about rising more..

May 11 (DM) The countrywide strike launched by the CEB United Trade Union Alliance on Monday night will continue until tomorrow evening, Trade Union Alliance Convener, Ranjan Jayalal said. He said that they are going to have a discussion on this and later tomorrow the decision will be announced to the media. He also stated that consumers will not be put into pressure due to their trade union action. The union had decided to suspend office work, construction work, and more..

May 11 (Island) Chairman of the Election Commission (EC) Nimal Punchihewa says extremely violent public reaction to Monday’s mob attacks, on those who had been demanding the resignation of the government for over a month, is a grave warning to political parties, represented in Parliament. Punchihewa emphasised the urgent need for political, electoral and constitutional reforms to address the issues at hand. more..

May 11 (FT) The Delegation of European Union, UN Resident Representative and Swiss envoy have separately issued condemnations on Monday’s violence against peaceful protesters in Sri Lanka and urged the Govt to conduct an immediate investigation and hold perpetrators responsible for unleashing violence. The Delegation of European Union in SL taking to Twitter condemned the vicious attack by the Govt supporters on peaceful protesters at Galle Face and in front of Temple Trees. more..

May 11 (FT) Senior BJP leader Subramanian Swamy on Tuesday called on India to send troops to chaotic SL to restore constitutional sanity and that the situation affects India’s national security. India must send in the Indian Army to restore Constitutional sanity. At present anti-Indian foreign forces are taking advantage of people’s anger. This affects India’s national security, Sawmy tweeted. Swamy is an outspoken Indian politician, economist and statistician who served as more..

May 11 (PTI) Indian High Commission in SL on Tuesday refuted as fake and blatantly false local social media speculation that former PM Rajapaksa and his family members have fled to India, a day after the patriarch of the powerful Rajapaksa family quit as premier amidst the unprecedented anti-govt protests. "High Commission has recently noticed rumours circulating in sections of media and social media that certain more..

May 11 (FT) There are many reasons Sri Lanka is in this tragic situation and we all agree that it has been down to several decades of poor planning and mismanagement. However, the scatterbrain, adhoc manner in which the present administration managed the country’s economic and monetary policy is pathetic and must, on its own, necessitate an independent investigation. Having been centre stage in the financial sector for over 50 years, working under several CB Governors; more..

May 11 (FT) Former PM Rajapaksa set fire to the country before resigning on 9 May. He gathered an assortment of what turned out to be politician thugs or professional thugs at his official residence and clearly enticed them before letting them loose on protestors outside his residence and in the Galle Face Green a kilometre away. The mob brutally beat up the protestors but soon they were rounded up in the green itself or on their way out by a sympathetic public who, informed over social media more..

May 11 (DM) Condemning the rumours spreading on social media, Examinations Department today said that there is no change in the dates for the scheduled 2021 (2022) GCE O/L examination. The dept's Commissioner General L.M.D. Dharmasena said the exam will go ahead from May 23 until June 1. Therefore, the commissioner general requested the candidates to follow the official statements announced at the department's official website and other reliable news websites. more..

May 11 (DM) The United States has expressed deep concerns about the deployment of military in Sri Lanka and the reports of escalating violence on the island nation. At a press briefing on Tuesday (10), the spokesperson of the US Department of State, Ned Price said, “We underscore, we stress that peaceful protesters should never be subject to violence or intimidation, whether that’s on the part of a military force or civilian unit.” In response to a question, Mr Price said, more..

May 11 (AD) Governor of the Central Bank Dr. Nandalal Weerasinghe says that the economic situation in the country will become much worse if political stability is not established soon. He stated that the prevailing situation, the acts of violence and the failure to maintain law and order in the country, will in no way help Sri Lanka to get out of its current economic crisis. He also said that a stable political situation in the country is essential more..

May 11 (EN) Fuel and gas distribution has been temporarily halted and no distribution of fuel will happen without security ensured, the SL Petroleum Private Tanker Owners’ Association (SLPPTOA) said. The joint secretary of the association, Shantha Silva, said only essential places will get fuel under protection. “From Monday evening due to the situation in the country the distribution of fuel has been temporarily suspended,” Silva said. “Only around 20-30 trucks are being filled & parked, more..

May 11 (AD) CPC chairman Sumith Wijesinghe says distributing petrol and diesel volumes to filling stations has recommenced. The fuel distribution process was reportedly interrupted by the countrywide curfew order, declared at 7 p.m. on Monday (9) following the eruption of nationwide tensions. The curfew order is expected to remain in effect until 7 a.m. tomorrow. Earlier today, Ceylon Petroleum Private Tanker Owners’ Association said the island-wide fuel distribution process more..

May 11 (EN) SL’s ex-PM Mahinda Rajapaksa who was also an ex-President is being protected at the Trincomalee Naval base, Defence Ministry Secretary Kamal Guneratne said on Wednesday. “We have taken former PM Rajapaksa to the Trincomalee Naval dockyard for his safety,” Guneratne said. This was after the military had protected Rajapaksa from thousands of violent protesters who surrounded more..

May 11 (AD) Sri Lanka Police says 59 social media groups used to gather people for violent incidents since May 09 have been identified and that investigations are underway to initiate legal action against the admins of these groups. Police Spokesman’s Office said that various social media networks and social media groups have been used to summon violent groups to carry out attacks on individuals, houses, vehicles and other properties amidst tense situations on May 09 and after. more..

May 11 (EN) Party leaders that represent parliament will meet online via Zoom Wednesday (11) at 3pm to discuss the multiple crises the country is facing, according to a statement from the Speaker’s Office. “Considering the extremely challenging situation in the country, Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena has decided that party leaders must meet to decide on the way forward,” statement said. The Speaker’s Office on Tuesday (10) announced that a party leaders’ meeting scheduled for Wednesday more..

May 11 (DM) The protesters at the GotaGogama protest site near Galle Face Green had been informed by the police to evacuate from the site immediately as they are violating curfew law. Police made an announcement to the protesters stating that no person shall be on any public road, railway, Public Park, public recreation ground, or other public ground or the seashore in such areas, except under the authority of a written permit when the curfew was imposed. more..

May 11 (DM) SLFP was ready to support if Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa was willing to accept the Premiership and form a govt, SLFP General Secretary Dayasiri Jayasekara said today. He said Mr. Premadasa should take the responsibility immediately and take steps to stabilise the country without claiming that he would not accept the primiership untill the President resigns. He said if the President also resign at this juncture, the country would lead to anarchy. more..