Jun 22 (Island) Minister Douglas Devananda has declared in Jaffna that the Tamil community shouldn’t field a candidate at the forthcoming presidential election. Devananda, who is also the leader of the EPDP, while reiterating his support for incumbent Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe’s candidature at the Prez Poll, said that the Tamil leaders should accept responsibility for the non-implementation of the 13th Amendment fully. The declaration was made in Jaffna this week while promoting more..

Jun 22 (DM) A security guard trying to smuggle gold biscuits worth Rs. 48 million into the country from the BIA was nabbed by SL Customs. Customs Narcotic Control Unit officers took the security guard into custody when he was leaving after work. Security guard employed under the AASL had tried to leave the airport by concealing the gold in his trouser pockets. Customs Spokesperson said that they found 18 gold biscuits weighing up to 2.1 kilos and each biscuit was weighing around 116.1g. more..

Jun 22 (EN) Cashiers at SL’s expressways are estimated to be stealing up to 20% of fees Secretary to the Highways Ranjith Subasinghe told the COPE. Members of the committee said highway tolls of the RDA had surged on the day when the military had operated the booths during a strike by cashiers, raising questions about the collections on other days. “Based on the day the Army operated the toll booths, more..

Jun 22 (ST) It is all for the sake of keeping the spine straight – as early detection and timely intervention are essential in the battle against scoliosis. It is also to underscore that SL has the medical expertise, technology and facilities for the management of scoliosis including correction, if necessary, through even the most complex surgeries, on par with developed countries, all for free in the state sector. Along with these important messages, there would also be an urgent plea more..

Jun 22 (AD) Dept of Prisons has released 289 inmates from prisons across the island today (21) under a special state pardon granted by Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe in view of Poson Poya Day. 263 male inmates and 06 female inmates serving time for minor offences were granted a state pardon, in accordance with Article 34 of the Constitution of SL. Among the pardoned prisoners were 19 detained in Welikada Prison, 30 in Mahara Prison, 30 in Wariyapola Prison and 28 in Kalutara Prison, more..

Jun 22 (DM) Buddha Sasana, Religious and Cultural Affairs Ministry requested the Police Cyber Crimes Unit, and Telecom Regulatory Commission of SL (TRCSL) to carry out a probe into the distorting of the Karaniya Metta Sutta. This action has been taken after the Ministry received complaints with regard to a video which is being circulated over Facebook and Tik Tok where it seems that the Karaniya Metta Sutta preached by the Buddha has been distorted using artificial intelligence (AI). more..

Jun 22 (DM) A fresh research to identify non-risky trees in Colombo is underway by the authorities to determine the hazard posed to the public, as the recent inclement weather mostly led to the collapse of trees that were not previously identified as risky. Commenting on the condition of the prevailing pre-identified risky trees in the city, a senior official of the Colombo Municipal Council said most of the tree-falling cases reported lately were those identified as non-risky trees. more..

Jun 22 (AD) Responding to the allegations levelled by former Prez Maithripala Sirisena, a Spokesman for the Catholic Church said that Archbishop of Colombo Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith has distributed over Rs. 500 million of financial aid received to assist the victims of the Easter Sunday attacks. Rev. Fr. Jude Krishantha charged that the former Prez is making up such stories in front of the media in order to cover up his own more..

Jun 22 (DN) On the request of the Sri Lanka Police, the High Commission of India has been facilitating capacity building training courses for the personnel of the SL Police at the premier Police training institutions viz. Central Detective Training Institute (CDTI), Jaipur; CDTI, Hyderabad; CDTI, Kolkata and National Security Guard (NSG), Manesar in India. India regularly offers fully funded training slots to SL Police personnel for various training courses to enhance the skills of the officers. more..

Jun 22 (Island) Auditor General W.P.C. Wickremaratne said that the continuing controversy over payment of undue commissions to dealers highlighted the failure on the part of successive administrations to address such serious issues. Asked whether the excess payments had been stopped after he brought the corrupt practice to the notice of the Parliament and other relevant authorities, Wickremaratne said that the filling station owners had obtained an interim order against more..

Jun 22 (Island) A group of Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC) officials, responsible for causing loss of nearly 3.5 billion rupees, had left the country over the past several years and successive Ministers had failed to take action against any one of them, COPE was told recently. The parliamentary watchdog delved into the corrupt deal that enabled filling station owners to make a killing at the expense of both the corporation and more..

Jun 23 (SO) There has been a lot of debate in recent times over the size of Sri Lanka’s military, which was expanded to fight a war with one of the world’s most ruthless terrorist groups. Having achieved that objective over 15 years ago, Sri Lanka’s Security Forces now find themselves in peacetime, in a world that is somewhat, if not vastly, different from that of 2009. Our defence budget is still very high partly because we are having an expanded military and partly because more..

Jun 23 (ST) My dear Wimal and Udaya, I thought I will write to you together, after seeing you launch yet another political alliance last week. After all, you have always been seen and heard together, like Bhathiya and Santhush, Mahela and Sanga or even Harin and Manusha. I am not sure who among you are the better entertainers. You launched an outfit called the Sarva Jana Balaya at Nugegoda, claiming you are the rightful heirs of the so-called 69 lakhs. I am not sure whether you are aware, more..

Jun 23 (TM) Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe and his Govt seem to be in preparation mode for celebrations, with the anticipation of the announcement of the finalising of the country’s debt restructuring programme with bilateral creditors expected on Wednesday. The official announcement of the finalisation of the debt restructuring programme with the members of the OCC of the Paris Club and the Chinese creditors is more..

Jun 23 (CT) PART I of this article delved into the historical perspective of the JVP, tracing its path from violence in 1971 and 1988/1989 to its political evolution to the parliamentary democracy in 1994. Following the above and gradually increasing the number of seats in the parliament, JVP emerged as the main opposition party with 34 parliamentary seats. This was a significant turning point for the JVP, marking its transition towards the expectation of the masses. more..

Jun 23 (TM) With barely 25 days to go for the Election Commission to be empowered to announce the much-anticipated Prez Election 2024, it appears that time is running out for those harbouring alternate plans, and, therefore, attempt after attempt – some subtle and some blatantly obvious – are being made to stall that process. What is cause for concern is that these attempts appear to be emanating from the highest branches of Govt, seemingly intoxicated by unbridled power more..

Jun 23 (TM) SL’s Renewable Energy (RE) sector is teetering on the brink of chaos as investors scramble for prices that match the exorbitant figures of the 480 MW Adani wind power project in Mannar and Pooneryn. Experts are sounding the alarm, claiming that the Govt’s flawed approach has plunged the sector into volatility. They are calling for an immediate halt to price negotiations in favour of competitive bidding, accusing authorities of more..

Jun 23 (ST) Last Wednesday was a busy day at the UNHRC in Geneva. SL was not on the agenda but figured anyway, seemingly in passing and in a significant new framework. Separately, yet another report on the situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territories was released the same day. This time the UN Human Rights High Commissioner’s reference to SL was not in the familiar tune of accountability, reconciliation and disappearances, but in a new framework of human rights economy. more..

Jun 23 (Island) Deliberately or otherwise, Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe addressing parliament last week, used two loaded word, judicial cannibalism, to describe the supreme court determination on the proposed Gender Equality Bill. Given his wide experience both in executive and parliamentary affairs, he could not have been unaware of the likely, nay inevitable, outcome of his words setting the cat among the canaries. Predictably, a twin outcome ensued with the Bar Association expressing more..

Jun 23 (SO) A can of worms has been opened following the SL cricket team’s ouster from the T20 World Cup with a revelation that what is being touted as the nation’s top sporting passion has not being able to progress 40 miles north of Colombo while its keepers race about in the latest model cars. In the aftermath of the team’s early exit from one of its worst showings at a World Cup in recent years, the lid has now been blown open by none other than the beleaguered Sports Minister Harin Fernando more..

Jun 23 (Island) Since winning the ICC T-20 World Cup in 2014, SL had blown hot and cold in ICC events over the last ten years. But heading into this year’s T-20 showdown in WI and US, there was lot of hope. But it was all back to square one after a first round exit not able to make it to the Super Eight stage. Along with Sri Lanka, former champions Pakistan and title contenders NZ were thrown out of the competition as Bangladesh, US and Afghanistan progressed to the second round instead. more..

Jun 23 (ST) Compulsions at home prompted India’s External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar to keep to a tight schedule during his day-long visit to Sri Lanka last Thursday. His schedule allowed only 30 minutes for a meeting at the India House with representatives of Tamil political parties. TNA leader Rajavarothiyam Sampanthan had to seek medical attention and was unable to attend. Shanakiyan Rasamanickam more..

Jun 23 (AD) Leader of the TMVP, State Minister Sivanesathurai Chandrakanthan alias Pillayan has stated that both he and his party will support Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe during the upcoming Presidential Election. Prez has held a discussion with Pillayan and his party members this evening (22) at their party’s headquarters in the Batticaloa area. During the meeting, the former LTTE paramilitary leader turned politician has assured that he and his party will support more..

Jun 23 (EN) Sri Lanka will expedite Indian-backed projects in the island, Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe told Indian business people after a visit by Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar this week. “I discussed with PM Modi the need to accelerate the joint program that we have decided, agreed on. So the major ones are identified, and Foreign Minister Jaishankar came down today [20] to have a discussion. Now this will show the new path we are taking,” Prez Wickremesinghe said. more..

Jun 23 (EN) National Water Supply and Drainage Board has made a profit of 5.2 billion rupees in the year to Dec 2023, after a tariff increase despite not getting money for 25% of its water it pumps out. Total revenues went up to 61.8 billion rupees in 2023 from 35.4 billion rupees. Water revenue surged to 58.5 billion rupees from 33.1 billion rupees, cost of sales also went up to 32.8 billion rupees from 23.14 billion rupees, helping boost gross profits from 12.3 billion rupees to 29.0 billion rupees. more..

Jun 23 (PMD) Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe emphasized that his primary focus is on providing rights to the people of the country. He made this statement during a ceremony held today (22) at the Batticaloa District Secretariat, where Urumaya freehold land deeds were awarded to 192 families across 14 DS divisions in the Batticaloa district, as part of govt’s initiative to distribute 2 million freehold land deeds. 27,595 landless families in Batticaloa district are to receive freehold deeds, more..

Jun 23 (AD) The Archbishop of Colombo Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith states that he has all the documents on how the funds received for victims of Easter Sunday terror attack was spent. Responding to the allegations levelled by former Prez Maithripala Sirisena, Cardinal Ranjith emphasized that the statement made by the former Prez regarding the relevant funds is completely baseless. “Statement made by former Prez Sirisena more..

Jun 23 (DM) SLC President Shammi Silva expressed his disappointment over the decisions made by the SL team during the T20 World Cup, following their early exit from the tournament held in the United States. “Our team didn’t qualify for the Super Eight, but we have provided them with facilities that match those of the best teams in the world,” he said. Silva at an event in Colombo addressed the severe criticisms directed at the team and Cricket Board after the team failed to more..

Jun 23 (EN) A recent statement by Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe over a Supreme Court decision against a planned gender equality law and comments by Justice Minister Wijedasa Rajapakse also in parliament amounts to intimidation of the judiciary, a lawyer’s grouping has said. “The Prez, Minister of Justice, Minister of Education are representatives of the entire Executive,” SL’s Lawyers Collective said. “Prez also exercises a critically important Constitutional power more..

Jun 23 (AN) The biggest trade union of government doctors in Sri Lanka warned on Friday about a wave of economic crisis-driven brain drain among medical professionals, as 25% of them have already taken the necessary exams to find employment abroad. Before the worst economic crisis pummeled Sri Lanka in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021, on average 200 doctors would migrate to work in another more..

Jun 23 (TM) Amidst the fallout from the SL team’s ignominious exit from the ongoing ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, the country’s cricketing public are waiting with bated breath to see whether the game’s keepers will purge the shorter format teams along with the managements to signal the dawn of a new era. SL are currently ranked seventh in Tests and ODIs respectively, while being placed eighth in T20 cricket, as they strive hard to ward off a fierce social media backlash over their limp showing more..

Jun 23 (TM) Following Sri Lanka’s dismal performance in the ninth ICC Men’s T20 World Cup where they were ousted in the very first round, the national cricket selectors headed by Upul Tharanga are now being pressured by various parties to infuse young blood into the side. That too whilst dropping veterans such as Angelo Mathews, Dhananjaya de Silva, Dushmantha Chameera, Dasun Shanaka, Maheesh Theekshana, et al. “For the next limited-over home series [against India, more..

Jun 23 (ST) Sri Lanka is to declare end to bankruptcy next week following an agreement reached with bilateral creditors and private bond holders on external debt restructuring at the end of second round of talks with them, highly informed official sources confirmed. The govt will sign a MoU with the official creditor committee of the Paris Club of Nations and an agreement with the Export-Import Bank of China and Ad Hoc Private Bondholder’s group will be reached on Wednesday (26), more..

Jun 23 (CT) Prez Ranil Wickremesinghe will resend his recommendation, to extend Attorney General Sanjay Rajaratnam’s term of office, by another six months, a senior official at the President’s Office confirmed. The Prez is planning to do this, as per powers entrusted to him by the Constitution, the official clarified. The Constitutional Council (CC), on Tuesday (18), rejected Prez Wickremesinghe’s recommendation to extend Attorney General Sanjay Rajaratnam’s term of office. more..

Jun 23 (TM) Power and Energy Ministry has sought clarification from RM Parks, a US-based company entering the nation’s fuel market, to reveal the nature of the involvement of Shell PLC, a British multinational oil and gas company hq in London, UK. An inside source attached to the ministry alleged last week that RM Parks’ misleading use of the Shell brand to secure a contract, despite Shell’s lack of direct involvement in the imports, had resulted more..