Nov 17 (HT) Even by its own standards of popularity, 4000 kilograms of kiribath, the traditional Lankan coconut milk-rice dish, sounds a bit too appetising. The ingredients: 1200 kg of white rice, 300 kg of cashew, 250 kg of jaggery, 1500 coconuts and a group of five-star chefs; enough to feed 65000 people for a couple of days beginning November 17. But then, a historical week calls for extraordinary celebrations. Not only to relish mountains of kiribath but also to rejoice: more..

Nov 17 (DM) The former Basnayake Nilame of the Ratnapura Saman Dewale Anton Tennekoon who was sentenced to life imprisonment over the killing of his mistress was released by the Colombo High Court today after he was pardoned by the President. The accused was produced before Colombo High Court today from the prison in order to release him. Anton Tennekoon was accused of killing his mistress Kalyani Gankanda on February 13, 2002 by shooting her. more..

Nov 17 (LBO) Sri Lanka's state-run Bank of Ceylon will start a branch that will stay open 24 hours to support government efforts to expand night economic activities in Colombo, an official said. The branch in Colombo's Fort areas is expected to start on November 19, chairman Gamini Wickramasinghe said. The government legalized gambling through a new law passed this month, where specific areas can be designated to operate casinos. more..

Nov 17 (MFA) The Dutch company SAR Systems and the International Centre for Emergency Techniques (ICET) have delivered 115 ambulances and fire engines to the Sri Lankan government. The project has been funded by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ programme for development-related export transactions. The vehicles were presented to the Sri Lankan government by the Dutch ambassador in Colombo in early November. more..

Nov 17 (BS) India has donated 500 Mahindra tractors to Sri Lanka with an aim to help the rural population of the island nation. DIMO, the Mahindra dealer in Sri Lanka, was awarded the contract for supplying the tractors, a release said here today. All the tractors come with a complete set of farm implements. The first batch of 52 tractors was handed over by Ashok K Kantha, Indian High Commissioner in Colombo, to Sri Lanka's Minister Basil Rajapaksha recently, it said. more..

Nov 17 (LG) “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way--in short, more..

Nov 17 (Cimic) Headquarters Security Forces-Jaffna with participation of officers and other ranks serving at all Army formations under the SF-J joined the National Tree Planting Campaign by planting Palmyra, coconut and various kinds of other valuable trees throughout the peninsula Monday morning. Commander SF-J Major General Mahinda Hathurusinghe inaugurated the campaign in Jaffna planting a coconut sapling more..

Nov 17 (LG) There is something very telling about what the Indian members of Parliament wear to their two Houses — the Rajya Sabha and the Lok Sabha. A good proportion of these worthies wear loose tunic shirts. The vast majority, I would say, wear open neck shirts with no tie. Contrast this to the Sri Lankan parliament which went substantially underwater last week. The more patently unparliamentarily the behaviour the more dramatic the exterior decoration of any member concerned, more..

Nov 17 (TC) Muslims throughout Sri Lanka totally rejected Tamil militants’ call for the division of the country and firmly stood for territorial integrity and unity only to face death, loss of properties, livelihood and unlawful displacements. Despite all these sacrifices and sufferings Muslims remain the most discriminated community in Sri Lanka to-day. Contrary to the common belief that the Muslims float in wealth, most of the Muslims today suffer from extreme poverty, illiteracy, unemployment and more..

Nov 17 (TC) List of resolutions passed unanimously in the two day extra ordinary meeting conducted by ENDLF on the 13th and 14th Nov 2010 in Bangalore, India. It was unanimously resolved: 1. To request the Government of India to bear in mind the fact that the ENDLF (Eelam National Democratic Liberation Front) never acted at any time against the development of India and her integration but supported the Indo-Sri Lankan pact more..

Nov 17 (DM) No country harmed Sri Lanka more than Norway- after India was sterilized. Ignorant Scandinavians knew little of their stake in a faraway island. They cared less in their typical laid back Nordic style of unknowing events unfolding in the Indian Ocean. Blame not the people, but the rulers. They were playing for glory to win esteem in the international circuit. The facilitators hardly knew Asia, still less the temperament of South Asia, and not the mind set of Sri Lanka. more..

Nov 17 (DM) On one hand the country is all geared up to celebrate the installation of President Rajapaksa for his second term of office; on the other various ministers perhaps to get publicity have imposed various bans on the serving of bread and wheat flour food products in hospitals, school canteens and various other institutions. This situation of restricting the use of food products and imposing bans with punitive action against those who violate such bans will more..

Nov 17 (NF) The plight of Rizana Nafeek, the Sri Lankan young woman sentenced to death in Saudi Arabia, is primarily due to the lapses at the Foreign Employment Bureau, Labour and Foreign Ministry, says UNP parliamentarian Ranjan Ramanayake. He made this statement while visiting the residence of Rizana Nafeek, at Shanthi Nagar in Muttur last morning to provide the family with financial assistance. more..

Nov 17 (DM) The seventh virtue that a good ruler is advised to cultivate is akkodha or absence of enmity. The word choice is extremely pertinent. There is nothing in this about not having political opponents or not being competitive. The focus is on the approach to engagement, I believe. In other words, the Samma Sambuddha, Siddhartha Gauthama the Enlightened One, in his incomparable discourse on Good Governance advises rulers and more..

Nov 17 (SL) In 1410, Chinese Admiral Zheng He erected a tablet near Galle with a message in Chinese, Persian, and Tamil. In 2010, we have begun to understand what it means. Sri Lanka is uniquely positioned between China, the Middle East and India. We are also uniquely oblivious. Chinese, Persian and Tamil were languages of power in 1410. At that point the Indian Ocean was dominated by Chinese junks, Arab dhows and Tamil traders, plying the monsoon winds. This was the commerce of the day. more..

Nov 17 (NS) In Jaffna too, the main request the people made to the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission was to find out the fate of the missing people. A sobbing mother Sathiyadevi Sivaratnam told the commission, “I am not asking for any material assistance. I want my son”. Sathiyadevi told the commission that her son Niranjan was taken away by the army on January7, 2007 while he was sleeping in his home. more..

Nov 17 (SL) A former President of Sri Lanka, the late J. R. Jayewardene swore in his Cabinet of Ministers in 1977 without following the nekatha (auspicious time). Jayewardene ignored the auspicious time laid down by the astrologers when swearing in his Cabinet of Ministers on the assumption that with the overwhelming 5 /6th majority he wielded, no amount of evil ‘astrological stars’ can militate against him. Subsequently however, at a cabinet re-shuffle, his ministers were sworn in abiding by the advice of the astrologers. more..

Nov 17 (CI) Sri Lanka spinner Ajantha Mendis admitted that he was scared that West Indies opener Chris Gayle would get to Brian Lara's world record score of 400 during the second day of the first Test at Galle. "He played extremely well and I thought he would go on to get the 400. Fortunately he got out and right throughout we wanted to dismiss him because we knew he could make a difference with a big knock and get those runs quick too." more..

Nov 17 (SL) Parliament reconvened on Wednesday to debate the Casino Regulatory Bill (an amended version of the controversial Gaming Bill). Though there were three other bills presented in parliament, the Casino Regulatory Bill was the topic of the day, causing furious debate between the government and opposition sides. Acting Finance Minister Sarath Amunugama explained that there was a need for a regulatory body over casinos. more..

Nov 17 (SL) No dough (or doughnuts),” state schools, hospital canteens and prisons were told last week. The state was going on a diet, Health Minister Maithripala Sirisena explained. This, coincidentally, occurred around the same time an increase in wheat flour (and bread) prices was announced. But that, of course, was merely a coincidence. (Although, of course, it would probably cut down the price of wheat flour imports). more..

Nov 17 (LeN) The Union alleges that at a private party organized by another teacher of the University on 2nd March 2010 and having consumed liqueur after the dinner the Vice Chancellor had assaulted certain invitees including Mr. D.g.R.H. Thambawita, the president of the said Union. On the following day the said union leader made a complaint at the Police Station in Anuradhapura with regard to the assault. more..

Nov 17 (MoD) The main ceremony to commemorate fallen war heroes who paid the supreme sacrifice was held at the Vihara Maha Devi Park today (14th Nov). Chief of Staff Rear Admiral DWAS Dissanayake represented the Navy at the ceremony. A number of senior Navy officers and a cross section of Naval personnel were also present. In parallel to the main ceremony to commemorate fallen war heroes, Sri Lanka Navy also held Remembrance Day ceremonies today more..

Nov 17 (GV) For nearly six decades since Universal Adult Franchise was introduced in 1931, our State Council/ Parliamentary elections have been on a First Past the Post (FPP) basis. The first Parliamentary election on a Proportional Representation (PR) basis was in 1989, in conformity with the constitution introduced under the Jayawardene Administration. The first Local Government elections under PR were in 1991. more..

Nov 17 (Island) Our sister paper, Divaina, yesterday ran an interesting headline for a news item on the UNP's draft constitution. Roughly rendered into English, it reads, 'Ranil has won; Sajith has lost'. Opposition and UNP leader Ranil Wickremesinghe may not be able to win popular elections but he is well versed in the art of winning internal battles and outmanoeuvring his rivals who try to smoke him out. This time around he has outfoxed his bete noire and more..

Nov 17 (DM) As many as 11 lakhs of trees were planted within 11 minutes all over the country in an unprecedented eco-friendly move to mark Friday’s inauguration of President Mahinda Rajapaksa for his second term in office. President Rajapaksa probably touching heights of popularity that no previous Sri Lankan leader had reached was the first to plant a tree at Temple Trees and said it was part of the country’s contribution towards reversing the trend of global warming and more..

Nov 17 (AN) Like BBC and Al Jazeera, Nivedita Louis seems to be a victim of the false propaganda war being waged by the Tamil Diaspora. Sri Lanka denied visas to the correspondents of BBC and Al Jazeera because these two organizations were publishing lies put out by the Tigers without checking them. Would any government kill unarmed, innocent civilians when it took steps to rehabilitate more than 20,000 Tamil Tiger combatants including child and female soldiers? more..

Nov 17 (LB) “There is no immediate danger of an intense downpour as occurred, Wednesday night last week”, Meteorologist in Charge, D A Jayasinghearachchi said. The Inter Tropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) which Wednesday night hovered over the island’s southern coast and caused the worst storm water flood was moving southwards and Saturday was 300 kilometers south of the island. The ITCZ is a pressure line which divides the atmosphere of more..

Nov 17 (FL) THE author of the book under review, Pavai Chandran, is a well-known writer and journalist in Tamil. At the request of the editor of the Tamil daily Dinamani, he had undertaken the task of writing the history of the struggle for a Tamil homeland (eelam) in Sri Lanka. The armed struggle ended with the death of V. Prabakaran, the supremo of the LTTE, on May 18, 2009. The history was serialised in the daily in 178 instalments from June 1, 2009, to November 27, 2009, more..

Nov 17 (NF) Information has come to light that around 175 children have been subjected to various forms of abuse in the Polonnaruwa district over the past ten months. A majority of the cases have been reported from the Aralaganwila area. “When compared to other districts, this is a rapid increase in the number of such cases reported,” said Dr. Ramesh Alagiyawanna, Polonnaruwa District JMO. He noted that around 25 cases are reported every month, more..

Nov 17 (Island) More than 20 Indian companies would be participating in the second edition of the Jaffna International Trade Fair, the Economic and Commercial Counsellor at the Indian High Commission in Colombo, M. Manish says. Addressing the launch of JITF 2011, in Colombo recently, he said that India was Sri Lanka’s largest trading partner and business was continuing to expand. Asked as to how many Indian entrepreneurs and more..

Nov 17 (ST) My dear Mahinda maama, I thought I must write to you as you prepare to bat for your second innings. I am told there are great celebrations that are being planned but I am not so sure whether those planning them were certain about your ability to bat for a second time, just a year ago! As you no doubt realized Mahinda maama, you were given the chance to bat for a second time only because you won the war. Of course, we are all grateful to you for that because more..

Nov 17 (ST) It’s not every day that MPs get led up the steps of the Legislatures by policemen holding torches to light the way, but that is what happened last Thursday (11), when areas around the complex went under water, with the Diyawanna Oya overflowing its banks due to the heavy rains that hit Colombo district. The MPs had to abandon their Prados, Monteros, Volvos and BMWs, and instead, be assisted into armoured personnel carriers used by the Army in the former war zones, more..

Nov 17 (LB) Investigations on the recent attack on police and prison department officials by inmates of the Welikada jail following a raid have revealed that the main reason for the inmates reacting to it had been the police and prison department officials conducting their search operation without knowing that the prison cells were over-packed with prisoners. 45 police officials were injured in the attack as the police stormed the country’s main jail for hidden narcotics as more..

Nov 17 (DN) The strengthening of the UPFA under the leadership of President Mahinda Rajapaksa is a politically significant feature, states UPFA General Secretary Susil Premajayantha in a congratulatory message issued on behalf of the UPFA to the President to mark his birthday and inauguration to the second term of office. The message said as Prime Minister of the 2004 UPFA Government President Rajapaksa rendered a colossal service to the people during the tsunami. more..

Nov 17 (DN) The World Fellowship of Buddhists (WFB) Grand Medal of Honour was presented to President Mahinda Rajapaksa yesterday during the closing ceremony of the 60th anniversary celebrations of the WFB, held at the Sugathadasa Stadium. The medal was presented in recognition of the President's sustained contribution to the Buddhist cause, its role in founding the organization and efforts at propagating Buddhist unity. more..

Nov 17 (DM) ‘Compost manufacturing villages’ will be set across the country up next year at a cost of Rs. 350 million, the Ministry of Agriculture said yesterday. Organic Fertilizer Unit Chief Hemantha Wijeywardena said the Ministry expected the participation of at least 2,000 manufacturers representing all the districts. The participants in the programme would be provided with the knowledge to manufacture fertilizer and necessary equipment in the production process. more..

Nov 17 (Island) A special committee has been appointed to look into last week’s flooding of Parliament and to recommend measures to prevent a similar situation in the future. The committee is chaired by Speaker Chamal Rajapaksa and comprises the group leaders of the parties represented in Parliament. Political sources said that the committee would examine a set of recommendations in a report by a similar committee on the same issue in the aftermath of the flooding more..

Nov 17 (Island) A five-Judge bench of the Supreme Court yesterday unanimously decided to suspend further proceedings in the Court of Appeal pertaining to Writ Application No. 676/10, filed by General Sarath Fonseka, challenging his being unseated from Parliament consequent to a conviction and a sentence of 30 months rigorous imprisonment imposed on him by Court Martial II. The suspension is effective till the Supreme Court pronounces the determination in more..

Nov 17 (LBO) A Sri Lankan state committee has finalized a report that has identified issues blocking investment and has proposed remedies to fast track projects, especially by speeding relevant government approvals, ministers said. Deputy economic development minister Lakshman Yapa Abeywardene said multiple approvals were now needed at central and local government levels which delayed projects and a single 'one-stop-shop' was needed to quickly grant approvals. more..

Nov 17 (Island) Women, who were in possession of mobile phones, when prison authorities raided the female wards at the Welikada Prison on Sunday night, broke down when they were hauled up before higher authorities yesterday for an inquiry. Three mobile phones were recovered from their possession. They admitted that they were in the habit of using the phones not for any drug dealing or other criminal activities but merely to speak to their sons and daughters at home. more..

Nov 17 (Island) UNP and Opposition Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe on Tuesday (Nov. 16) suggested to Speaker Chamal Rajapaksa that a letter should be sent to the Secretary General of the Commonwealth Parliament Association requesting him to nominate a panel to advise the Speaker on upholding the rights and privileges of Parliamentarians. Full text of Wickremesinghe speech: more..

Nov 17 (Island) It was the responsibility of those resettled, both adults and children, to safeguard the newly won freedom with great sacrifices made by many, Deputy Minister of Resettlement Vinayagamoorthy Muralidaran said at a meeting held to felicitate and thank the representatives of the two State banks – Bank of Ceylon and the Peoples Bank – for coming forward to fulfill their Corporate Social Responsibility by more..

Nov 17 (DM) Some 12,000 suspects have been arrested for possessing and distributing drugs since the police started a drive to curb the drug menace in the country on October 13, the Police Narcotics Bureau (PNB) said. The police have recovered six and a half kilos of heroin and 7,800 kilos of ganja found in Mount Lavinia, Borella, Puttalam, Chilaw and Monaragala police divisions during this period. more..

Nov 17 (Island) Healthcare and Nutrition Minister Maithripala Sirisena, on Monday said that President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s concept has become a reality as 25 hospitals, including the Colombo National Hospital would keep the OPDs open till 8.00 p.m. commencing from Monday. He said the Ministry would also take action shortly to extend the programme to other hospitals. more..

Nov 17 (DM) Raising hopes for a substantial pay hike for public servants, Minister Maithripala Sirisena yesterday said President Mahinda Rajapaksa had instructed Treasury officials to grant public servants the maximum possible relief including a substantial salary increase from the 2011 budget. He said that the government would make a strong appeal to the private sector employers to follow suit and give similar pay increase to their employees as well, more..

Nov 17 (DM) Teachers unions yesterday expressed their displeasure regarding Education Minister Bandula Gunawardena’s instructions for school principals to make arrangements for students to listen to President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s swearing-in ceremony speech on Friday. CTU General Secretary Joseph Stalin said that disrupting academic activities of students to listen to the President’s swearing-in speech live is pointless. more..