Sri Lanka News : InfoLanka News Room

Oct 27 (EN) TNA MPs have questioned alleged police inaction on a Buddhist monk accused of inciting racial hatred and violence. TNA MP M A Sumanthiran writing to IGP said Mangalaramaya Ampitiya Sumana Thero has threatened to cut Tamils living in SL’s south to pieces. “Ven Sumana Thera has repeatedly attacked TNA MP Shanakiyan Rasamanickam and has also gone on to explicitly threaten all the Tamils more..

Land allocation in the Eastern Province adheres strictly to legal guidelines: Governor

Oct 27 (PMD) Governor of the Eastern Province Senthil Thondaman emphasized that land distribution in the Eastern Province is conducted in full accordance with legal procedures by the Ministry of Mahaweli and it is free from any ethnic or religious biases. Governor Thondaman also stressed that any attempts to disrupt the land distribution activities in the Eastern Province will result in legal action taken by the Police. These remarks were made by Mr. Senthil Thondaman, more..

Protesting medical students tear-gassed in Colombo

Oct 27 (AD) Police have fired tear gas and water cannons in attempts to disperse protesting medical students in Colombo. Accordingly, tear gas and water cannons were fired near the Nelum Pokuna in Colombo by the police in an attempt to disperse a protest launched by the Medical Faculty Students’ Action Committee. It was reported earlier that the Green Path was closed for traffic from Nelum Pokuna to the Public Library in Colombo. Medical Faculty Students’ Action Committee more..

SJB slams GMOA withdrawal from VIP treatment services

Oct 27 (TM) SJB has denounced the GMOA move to withdraw from very important person VIP medical treatment services, a decision made by the GMOA in demand of immediate solutions for health sector problems. On Wednesday, GMOA announced their decision to withdraw from all special services provided by doctors apart from what they are required to do at work. The GMOA said that this decision was taken to send a message to more..

Ananda College emerges National Champions in English debating

Oct 27 (FT) The English debating team of Ananda College emerged as National Champions at the 18th Sri Lanka School’s National Debating Championship organised by the Debating Society and Moot Court of the Faculty of Law University of Colombo in association with the Sri Lanka Debater’s Council. The tournament is considered as the high point of the local English debating circles and featured 54 teams from all over the island including Government and international schools. more..

Emergency hotline set up for Sri Lankans in Middle East

Oct 27 (AD) The Consular Affairs Division of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Colombo has set up two emergency hotline mobile numbers for Sri Lankan nationals residing in the Middle East. Accordingly, the hotline numbers; 0094711 757 536 or 0094711 466 585, were set up for Sri Lankan nationals residing in the Middle East to contact the Ministry pertaining to any concerns or assistance they may require with regards to the ongoing conflict situation in the Middle East. more..

සුනිල් හදුන්නෙත්ති

SOEs and their non-existent owner

Oct 28 (ST) A few weeks ago, I had to deliver a special speech on State-Owned Enterprise (SOE) Reforms at the Auditorium of the Finance Ministry. The event had been organised by the Trade Union Relations division of the Presidential Secretariat, while the Minister of Power and Energy, Kanchana Wijesekera chaired it. During the speech, I posed two questions to the audience, comprising representatives of trade unions, civil organisations, media and others. more..

Restoring parliamentary govt

Oct 28 (CT) The message of the 2022 Aragalaya, which drove a President and a PM and other members of that political family out of office, expressed in clear and explicit terms, was a complete rejection of the authoritarian, patronage-based, corrupt system of governance introduced into this country by the 1978 Constitution and its 21 Amendments. 45 years of autocratic presidential rule marked by massive loss of human life and unprecedented levels of corruption, more..

Will Keheliya’s removal rock the boat and leads to a General Election?

Oct 28 (CT) Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe, who was in China to attend Belt and Road summit, upon his return to Colombo headed to UNP Convention. The delegation, which accompanied the Prez to Beijing, arrived home on Friday night. Hence it was during his return flight that the Leader was forced to look into last minute arrangements of his party’s Convention. Prez entrusted the task of looking into the arrangements to more..

Media narratives, hateful rhetoric and the Gaza genocide

Oct 28 (GV) “Mom, I’m fine.” Those were the final words of Wadea Al-Fayoume, the six-year-old Palestinian American who was fatally stabbed 26 times at his home in Plainfield Township, Illinois on October 14, 2023. The young boy’s mother, 32-year-old Hanaan Shahin, also suffered more than a dozen serious stab injuries but survived. She could not attend her son’s funeral which was held two days later as she was still hospitalised. Wadea was a hapless victim of a horrific hate crime. more..

Why do we keep failing to protect our children?

Oct 28 (CT) In a shocking revelation last week, State Minister Geetha Kumarasinghe, said, in September this year alone, a total of 168 girls under the age of 16 were sexually abused. Minister pointed out that out of these 168 cases, 22 resulted in child pregnancies. The State Minister called for the Police to take stringent action and urged the harshest possible penalties for those found guilty of such offences. She also appealed to parents, schoolteachers & principals to remain vigilant more..

Sri Lankan consumers struggle to beat govt’s third electric shock

Oct 28 (DM) At least 100,000 electricity consumers in SL have been left in the dark over the past one year as they have been unable to pay the accumulated electricity bills by the expected deadline. SL witnessed a 70% increase in electricity tariffs over the past one year and consumers have been shocked to receive red notices which were to be addressed within 40 days. In this backdrop SL witnessed its third more..

Editorial: Lajja!

Oct 28 (Island) What’s the world coming to when a Cabinet minister stoops to gaining publicity by ceremonially opening a makeshift staircase leading to a dilapidated overhead pedestrian bridge? Don’t SL politicians have any sense of shame? This is the question the public must have asked themselves on seeing Minister Bandula Gunawardena opening a temporary structure, in Bambalapitiya. Tumbledown commuter flyover opposite the Bambalapitiya railway station is a disaster waiting to happen. more..

A community without a permanent address

Oct 28 (DM) There are many individuals in Sri Lanka who do not have a place to call his/her home and thereby do not have a permanent address. They either live in rented houses or share a home with another family, but without any ownership for the place where they reside in. They move from one house to another mainly depending on the relationship with the landlords. Also, there are street dwellers who also do not have a permanent address. Yet, if a whole community is deprived more..

කාන්තාවන්ගෙන් බිලියනයක් සූරා කයි..!

Human Rights violations-different standards for different nations

Oct 28 (DM) In March 2021, UNHRC adopted a resolution giving UN Rights Chief Michelle Bachelet a mandate to collect and preserve information and evidence of war crimes committed during SL’s nearly 30-year-long civil war, which ended in 2009. Washington Post reported the LTTE, held more than 300,000 civilians hostage to enforce a strategic human buffer between themselves and the advancing SL Army. Around 40,000 civilian deaths may have resulted during those days. more..

Inspiring wannabe young writers to feel Oh, I too can

Oct 28 (ST) The Lake District, with its silver mirror lakes, daffodils, and green hills, was where children’s writer Sita Brahmachari grew up. It was also typical Beatrix Potter country, so for little Sita, what was in her treasure trove of Potter books came alive outside her home, and she would find Jeremy Fisher on a reedy pond or a rabbit very much like Peter. The hedgerows were alive with little creatures, and the meadows and woods too – from fox to badger and – if you were lucky, otter. more..

‘We are apprehensive of the situation but we will stay on’: Lankans in Israel

Oct 28 (ST) As diplomatic efforts continue to avert the conflict between Israel and Hamas from spiralling into a wider Middle East war, Sri Lankans in Israel say that while they are apprehensive about developments, they have no intention of leaving. More than 90% of the 8,000 Sri Lankans working in Israel are caregivers, taking care of the elderly, the disabled and those with special needs. more..

WC Match 26: South Africa beat Pakistan

Oct 28 (CI) As Keshav Maharaj exploded into celebration, having swung Mohammad Nawaz to the fine-leg boundary for the winning runs with the No. 11 for company, waves of relief and elation washed over his team-mates watching from the dressing room. SA had thrown off the yoke of the choke by the barest of margins against Pakistan in Chennai to chase successfully for the first time in their World Cup 2023 campaign. The one-wicket win took them level with India at the top of the table, more..

Today is Vap Full Moon Poya Day

Oct 28 (DN) The rain retreat begins in Esala and concludes in Vap, marking the end of a three-month period of intensive meditation and study for Theravada Buddhist monastics. It is a time for Buddhists to celebrate with spiritual grandeur, offering new robes and other necessities to the monks as a token of their gratitude and support. The Pali word Katina means unbreakable, symbolising the strength and resilience of the monastic community. The Katina festival is a joyous more..

ආණ්ඩුව නටන්නේ ලොකු කොම්පැනි කාරයන්ට ඕන ...

Schools in danger zones need disaster prevention help

Oct 28 (ST) Heavy downpours during the past few weeks have left schools with old buildings, neglected boundary walls, and those located on loose soil, urgently requiring the attention of education authorities. This week, a fourth-grade student escaped with minor injuries when a rain-soaked wall collapsed onto the school toilet, causing heavy damage. “We have been raising concerns regarding the curved wall with cracks and the three bent coconut trees for the past two years. more..

Fourth Asian Para Games: Swimmer Galina ends 13-year drought with silver medal

Oct 28 (DN) SL secured swimming medals after 13 long years at the Asian Para Games. Galina Basnayake and Naveed Raheem proudly clinched silver and bronze medals, making the nation proud on the fifth day of the fourth Asian Para Games. Galina Basnayake, a gold medalist at the Asian Youth Para Games, won a silver medal in the women’s 400m freestyle S9 category. She finished the final in an impressive 5 minutes and 18.28 seconds, bringing home SL’s first swimming more..

Ayomal sets Youth Record with blazing 400m hurdles run

Oct 28 (DN) Commonwealth Youth Games silver medalist Ayomal Akalanka from Ambagamuwa Central College came up with a stunning display on the final day of the All-Island School Games at the Sugathadasa Stadium on Friday. He achieved his personal best timing of 51.10 seconds in the men’s 400m Hurdles, setting a new SL Youth record. Competing in the U-18 age category, Ayomal had already set a new meet record more..

Black fungal infection spreads: Warning to high-risk patients

Oct 28 (ST) Public hospital directors have been instructed to immediately report any suspected case of mucormycosis, or black fungus, a fungal infection that can turn fatal for high-risk groups. “Dept of Mycology at the MRI has noticed a massive, sudden increase in the number of mucormycosis patients in 2022 and the first six months of this year. Most of the patients were presented with uncontrollable diabetes, and a significant number of patients were post-kidney transplant patients,” more..

CoPF approves regulations under Colombo Port City Economic Commission Act

Oct 28 (FT) The Committee on Public Finance (CoPF) has given its approval for the orders outlined in the Colombo Port City Economic Commission Act No. 11 of 2021, as published in Gazette Notice Notification 2339/31. This decision was reached after a comprehensive discussion held during a recent Parliamentary meeting chaired by MP Dr. Harsha de Silva. The focus of the discussion centred on ten business entities currently operating within the Colombo Port City. more..

Kumara goes from back-up to frontman

Oct 28 (CI) It's a story similar to that of many of his team-mates. Lahiru Kumara made his ODI debut as a 20-year-old in 2017, but has managed just 28 games over the years. He's battled all sorts of fast-bowler injuries in between: knee, back, ankle, hamstring, side… But every time he's returned, the one constant has been pace, bristling pace. Unfortunately, he's been prone to waywardness and inconsistency; an ODI economy of 6.48 more..

SL’s World Cup campaign back on track

Oct 28 (Island) Sri Lanka put on their best performance so far in the 2023 World Cup in Bangalore yesterday overcoming England by eight wickets and more than 24 overs to spare and in the process may have hit the knockout punch for the defending champions. After disappointing performances in their first three games, Kusal Mendis’ side collected their first points on Saturday beating Netherlands but yesterday’s effort against England was a clinical performance. more..

A judge declines to hear Sanath Nishantha’s contempt cases

Oct 28 (DM) Court of Appeal Justice Chamath Morais today recused himself from hearing three contempt of court cases filed against State Minister Sanath Nishantha over his alleged contemptuous statement. Justice Morais who was a member of today's bench, declined to hear these petitions since he had given a remand order on Sanath Nisantha, while he was serving as a judge in the Puttalam judicial zone. Accordingly, the Court of Appeal-two-judge bench comprising more..

රටේ හෙටට ඔබින දිශානතිය ?

Crypto currency exchanges: COPF wants CBSL opinion

Oct 28 (CT) The Committee on Public Finance (COPF) has been informed that the Port City Commission has granted permission for the operation of two crypto currency exchanges. In response, the Committee recommended seeking the Central Bank’s opinion on this matter. Furthermore, the COPF has urged the Attorney General to provide his opinion to the Committee within four weeks regarding the engagement of business companies operating within the Colombo Port City. more..

Ambika appointed as a trustee of UN voluntary fund for victims of torture

Oct 28 (FT) SL’s human rights activist Ambika Satkunanathan has been appointed to the Board of Trustees of UN Voluntary Fund for Victims of Torture by the UN Secretary General António Guterres. Satkunanathan has worked over twenty years with persons and communities impacted by human rights violations, especially in the conflict-affected N&E, and assisted them with accessing remedies. She served as a Commissioner at the Human Rights Commission of SL (2015-2020), more..

President renews calls for political unity to build new Sri Lanka

Oct 28 (FT) Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe yesterday renewed the call to action for embracing change and progress, resonating with a spirit of unity and a forward-looking vision to shape a new future for SL. Acknowledging the inherent political diversity in a multi-party democracy, Prez requested politicians and citizens alike to come together for the collective good of the country. Addressing an event held at Royal College more..

Sri Lanka, France commit to boost ties at inaugural bilateral consultation

Oct 28 (FT) Sri Lanka and France this week convened the inaugural bilateral consultations between the two Foreign Ministries at senior official level in Colombo. The consultations were part of the celebration of the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Sri Lanka and France which took place on 27 October 1948. The consultations focused on strengthening bilateral relations, supporting ongoing work on existing projects and initiatives, more..

Abans launches Quick Service for on the spot repairs

Oct 28 (FT) Abans has launched Quick Service, designed to cater to repair needs promptly and with exceptional quality at Wellawatta Service Counter on Sundays from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Customers are assured over-the-counter repairs of their appliances for immediate attention, ensuring a faster turnaround. Appliances like microwave ovens, irons, blenders, kettles, and water heaters can be repaired then and there over-the-counter. On-the-spot expertise by skilled technicians more..

හිරු ටීවී පත්තරේ විස්තරේ

Sri Lanka flexible for investor to start Grand Hyatt operations: Minister

Oct 28 (EN) Sri Lanka is ready to be flexible on the construction cost of the Grand Hyatt building if an investor is ready to complete the building, start operations, and repay a $35 million loan, State Minister for Urban Development and Housing Arundhika Fernando said. Hyatt building was constructed by then Prez Mahinda Rajapaksa govt with $60 million public money funded by state owned Sri Lanka Insurance, Employees Provident Fund, and Litro Gas Lanka Ltd. more..

Cause of Pettah clothing store fire determined

Oct 28 (AD) A clothing store at a six-storey building in Pettah was gutted in a massive fire that broke out on Friday morning. The flames were determined to have erupted at around 9:30 a.m. when a stock of diesel caught fire while the employees attempted to light an incense burner. Reportedly, the fire, which rapidly spread to an electricity generator, had ripped through the establishment in no time.Swinging into action, Colombo Fire Brigade had dispatched 11 fire engines with 45 firefighters more..

SF calls for system overhaul, protests against corruption

Oct 28 (Island) Field Marshal Sarath Fonseka, MP, has stressed the pivotal importance of public protests against waste, corruption, irregularities and mismanagement. Alleging that those who had been entrusted with the task of governing the country have instead ruined it, Chairman of the SJB Fonseka, on Thursday, said that every citizen should bear the responsibility for taking a stand against what he called more..