Dec 10 (LS) 105 rehabilitated former Tamil Tigers were taken on a tour of the Parliament complex in a program organized by the Ministry of Rehabilitation and Prison Reforms. The 104 female ex-LTTE cadres were also provided with the opportunity to witness parliament proceedings and the budget debate. Some 100 rehabilitated former LTTE combatants saw a different battle in parliament today with govt and opposition parliamentarians trying to outsmart each other more..

Dec 10 (DM) Vedda Chief Uruwarigelage Vanniyale Ettho said the rules and customs of the Vedda community should be relaxed in keeping with modern trends. He told the media that the Vedda community lived freely in a vast area of more than 58,858 acres in the Maguruoya jungles upholding their traditions and depended on hunting and agriculture, but was today struggling for existence against different odds in a strip of land. “We learn about robberies, frauds and more..

Dec 10 (SL) The government says more than 350 schools operated by the LTTE in Europe could pose a threat as the schools are being used to promote LTTE ideology. According to the Defence Ministry over 20,000 students are receiving education at these schools located mostly in Germany, Switzerland, France, The Netherlands and Denmark. “The LTTE front organizations are using most of these students not only to promote LTTE interest overseas but also as a source of income,” more..

Dec 10 (SM) Jaffna organizer of the Movement for People’s Struggle formed by the JVP dissidents and another member are missing since last evening. The JVP dissidents formed a new movement called the Movement for People’s Struggle and a press conference was held in Jaffna yesterday. The movement was to be launched today. Lalith Kumar Veeraraj, the movement’s Jaffna organizer and Kugan Muruganandan had arrived in Jaffna from Vavuniya yesterday to attend more..

Dec 11 (SO) President Mahinda Rajapaksa told the Bali Democracy Forum IV in Indonesia last week that education is the key to social advancement. He said that a contribution of unique value, the Free Education, which Sri Lanka has made to social development in the field of education is the innovative scheme in terms of which students are assured of State assistance. Sri Lanka is among the few countries which provides free education from the kindergarten to university. more..

Dec 11 (SL) Political parties are like a restaurant. You do not have to get up and pay, but everybody does. It is an honor system. Ranil Wickremesinghe, however, is a politician without honour. Honour and its cousin shame are what cause most political transitions. They have no relation to Ranil. In Italy and Greece, Prime Ministers stepped down when their positions became untenable. In the UK, Gordon Brown stepped down after losing an election. This is generally the pattern worldwide except more..

Dec 11 (SO) The United National Party (UNP), the second oldest political party in the country, formed by the first Prime Minister of Ceylon, D.S. Senanayake ruled the country for over three decades under a number of leaders in different terms. The Grand Old Party suffered temporary setbacks even in the distant past, but it never remained in the Opposition for more than one Parliamentary term, until the 1994 General Election. more..

Dec 11 (NS) The TNA submitted a long list of concerns to the Govt. Most of these relate to day-to-day issues that they believed require urgent attention. Many of them are legitimate even though not all of them can be said to be relevant only to the Northern and Eastern Provinces or the Tamil people living in these areas. The TNA, given its ideological position, also inserted into the wish-list elements such as police and land powers, and the merging the two provinces. more..

Dec 11 (LB) Nobody has a monopoly on the freedom of expression, nobody at all. No one person or group can claim ownership to the idea of free expression, period. But it appears that in this society, some persons are certain they are more equal than others. Among these is a coterie of rabid human rights lawyers for instance. Take J.C. Weliamuna. When this attorney's house was – as per his version – apparently targeted in a grenade attack, Weliamuna and the more..

Dec 11 (LB) Douglas Devananda interviewed by Author Wamanan. Q: There were reports that the LLRC was critical of you and your supporters. What do you have to say about that? A: It is highly ridiculous. Firstly, the report has not been made public yet. It is still with the President and he will be tabling it in Parliament once he goes through the contents. Once the report is out I am ready to challenge the newspaper. more..

Dec 11 (Island) Speaking in Parliament on Friday, Justice Minister Rauf Hakeem went on record saying that a pardon for General Sarath Fonseka, the former army commander now languishing in jail, could be considered if he or his family makes such a request. This reinforces our report last Sunday giving prominence to the news that President Rajapaksa was ready to meet the Fonseka family to discuss the possibility of releasing the general. Presidential Spokesman Bandula Jayasekera more..

Dec 11 (ST) In our issue last week, we had separate stories. One was on a Dehiwela-Mount Lavinia Municipal Council Public Health Inspector who lost his civic rights, on being found guilty of taking a bribe to refrain from filing action against owners of a garment factory for maintaining a hostel for their workers under unhygienic conditions. The other was a picture story, showing a Provincial Minister in the Puttalam District ordering a group of public servants and police to release more..

Dec 11 (SO) Minister S.B. Dissanayake said the Govt will never deprive students of free education in State universities. The Govt has no intention to levy a fee from students who study at State universities. Minister said State universities will provide opportunity to students to display their talent and enter universities on merit. He said in Sri Lanka, tertiary education, and education at advanced technological institutes and and vocational training institutes are given free. more..

Dec 11 (NS) The convulsions that the opposition UNP is experiencing these days wouldn’t be considered unusual for a party out of govt for a long period of time if it wasn’t for the fact that recent history appears to be repeating itself. The present leadership struggle within the UNP dates back to several years ago and party leader Ranil Wickremesinghe has survived so many attempts to oust him that it is easy to lose track of when the definitive offensive to discard Wickremesinghe began. more..

Dec 11 (NS) The UNP crisis has reached a decisive stage with the party’s Co-Deputy Leader Karu Jayasuriya announcing his decision to contest for the party leadership, isuing a special statement to media last Monday, claiming the move was to “save and unite the UNP” and not out of a desire for high office. Jayasuriya also said in his statement that he made up his mind to contest for the leadership in response to requests by Mahanayake Theras, religious dignitaries of other more..

Dec 11 (TC) The editor of this newspaper Rajpal Abeynayake was assaulted at the annual Voetlights dinner of the Bar Association of Sri Lanka held last Saturday night (3). The annual function, named in the honour of 18th Century Dutch jurist Johannes Voet, is an occasion where lampoon vilification and prank are freely exchanged in celebration of the suspension of the contempt of court law on that particular night. more..

Dec 11 (TC) Except for a minuscule minority, everyone I know, from varied strata of society, ranging from Professors to labourers to taxi drivers, are disappointed with our politicians. The minority are those who have benefited or are guilty of incurable apathy – both very negative traits. To face the truth (despite the forced symbolism of the prefix ‘Honourable’), the revulsion is acute and universal. Politicians are widely regarded as greedy, corrupt, untruthful, unjust, more..

Dec 11 (ST) My Dear Karu, I thought I must write to you because I heard that you were about to contest the Green Man for the leadership of the Uncle Nephew Party-again! This time though you are supposed to have taken a firm decision and even written to the party secretary stating your intentions! I suppose this must be different to the last time this sort of circus was enacted. Why, I remember it was only a few months ago that young Sajith proposed that you should take over the reins and more..

Dec 11 (ST) It was just the other day that I was trying to run a parallel. I wanted to draw up a hypothetical picture to a businessman friend of mine who is also a cricket insider. I argued that if his shop shelves were empty and there was hardly a turnover and he was heavily in debt to most of the financial institutions and other businesses with hardly a way out, would anyone want to take over and run his business? When I got a negative answer I threw more..

Dec 11 (Island) Last week, there was some excitement over another leadership challenge in the UNP with Sajith Premadasa inviting Karu Jayasuriya to contest the party leadership and Jayasuriya throwing his hat into the ring with a public announcement that he would indeed contest. The rationale behind asking Karu to contest the leadership instead of Sajith Premadasa was on the calculation that there were some people in the party who were supporting Ranil Wickremesinghe not because they wanted to, more..

Dec 11 (LB) Ranil Wickremesinghe just pushed his luck too far. His persecution of Buddhhika Pathirana, and his going for the jugular of anybody and everybody who opposed him in the last round of the contest for the UNP party leadership, caught up with him last week when all those who were aggrieved rallied round party co-deputy leader, Karu Jayasuriya — and requested him to challenge Wickremesinghe for the top job. The former took up the challenge, and the rest is beginning to be history. more..

Dec 11 (NS) A staggering 23, 260 dengue cases and 160 deaths, the latest being three students - a 7-year old student of S. Thomas’, Mt. Lavinia and a 17-year old from Nalanda College and a girl from a leading Colombo girls school last week speak volumes that the raging life dwarfing epidemic is haunting Colombo and its suburbs. While a concentrated effort is being taken by the Health Department to fight the disease, the Chief Epidemiologist of more..

Dec 11 (SL) It would be a match between father and son when the ministers and parliamentarians meet today (11) for a cricket match. The ministers’ team is tipped to be led by President Mahinda Rajapaksa while the parliamentarians’ team is to be led by his son, Namal Rajapaksa. The match is scheduled to be played at the Sports Ministry grounds in Torrington and is named the Speaker’s Trophy. The young and the not so young have been following a fitness routine for the past few weeks and more..

Dec 11 (ST) There is a paradox in the manner in which this Govt deals with certain issues, as was evident during the committee stage debate of the Budget, when the votes of the Ministries of Justice, Rehabilitation and Prison Reforms got under way. Most Govt members were proud to boast about the presence of over a 100 female ex LTTE combatants in the public galleries, to witness parliamentary proceedings last Friday, as a success story, while none of them were sympathetic to the call by more..

Dec 11 (ST) President Mahinda Rajapaksa will give a different kind of leadership at a cricket match to be held in Colombo today. He will captain the team of ministers while former Sri Lanka cricketer and now MP Sanath Jayasuirya will head the team of MPs in a softball T-20 match at the Sports Ministry grounds. Sports Minister Mahindananda Aluthgamage who was practising yesterday afternoon said the winning team in this first ever politicians’ T-20 would be awarded more..

Dec 11 (SL) Threatening letters continue to be sent to the Editor of The Sunday Leader following the verdict in the ‘White Flag’ case. The latest threatening letter was received at the Leader Publications office in Ratmalana. The note was addressed to the Editor-in-Chief Frederica Jansz threatening both her family and herself, in foul language. The note was typed and vowed revenge on both Ms. Jansz and the Rajapaksa family. This is not the first instance of such a more..

Dec 11 (Island) The Chairman of the Public Utilities Commission Dr. Jayatissa de Costa, PC, says that Sri Lanka should opt for an alternative cost effective project as hydro power generation has reached saturation point. "After the Upper Kotmale hydro power project plant is completed, we can’t construct any more large-scale hydro power projects in the hill country due to its environmental impacts and other issues. Therefore, we have to go for cost effective more..

Dec 11 (Island) Now that the Sri Lankan govt has rejected the controversial UK headquartered PR agency, Bell Pottinger claim that it wrote President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s speech to the UN in September, 2010, the cash-strapped govt should investigate its relationship with the firm tasked with improving the country’s image abroad, UNP MP Ravi Karunanayake says. The President’s Office Thursday night denied a recent statement attributed to David Wilson, more..

Dec 11 (ST) The Governor of the Central Province Tikiri Kobbekaduwa has apprised President Mahinda Rajapakse of a vesting order made by the Gangawata Korale Divisional Secretary T. Bandara Tennakoon on a fifty perch land within the Sacred Area of Kandy. The property covers the Old Dharmaraja College Building, the Bo-tree of the Natha Devale and the Viharege of Natha Devale. An acquisition order placed by the Kandy Divisional Secretary has required all persons living within the said area to more..

Dec 11 (NS) Minister Douglas Devananda questioned the integrity and the honesty of the TNA in finding a durable solution to the ethnic crisis and noted talking to the TNA was a waste of time. In an interview with The Nation Devananda alleged that Tamil political leaders had missed out many opportunities offered to them by successive governments from 1987. “Therefore, they should take the responsibility for the aggravated crises of Tamil people,” Devananda stressed. more..

Dec 11 (Island) In spite of an extremely poor show at the recently concluded LG polls in the Northern and Eastern Provinces, the JVP is making a fresh bid to establish a political base in former LTTE strongholds. The Marxist party alleges the Rajapaksa administration has denied political freedom to those living in the Northern and Eastern Provinces though the war ended over two years ago in May 2009. The JVP yesterday announced the formation of more..

Dec 11 (ST) As a mark of protest over the arrest of a sister attached to Mother Theresa’s Missionaries of Charity Home in Rawatawatta, Anuradhapura’s Bishop Rt. Rev. Norbert Andradi has also decided to boycott state-organized Christmas functions in his diocese. This follows the announcement on December 3 by Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith, the Archbishop of Colombo, that he would boycott state-organised Christmas functions as a mark of protest against the arrest of the nun and more..

Dec 11 (SO) The Motor Traffic Division (MTD) of the newly opened Southern Expressway has told motorists to ensure that their tyres, brakes and gears are in perfect condition before entering the Expressway. A recent survey revealed that several accidents had been reported on the Southern Expressway during the past two weeks due to the negligence of drivers who do not follow road rules. According to the survey the condition of some vehicles was not up to proper standards and more..

Dec 11 (ST) The rupee devaluation will cause spirals in a number of essential commodities beginning January next year, traders warned yesterday. The market was fully stocked with commodities like rice, flour, sugar, dhal and eggs, Old Moor Traders Association President K. Palaniandy said. Members of the Association hold the virtual monopoly for the supply and distribution of a variety of essential food items. Hence, Mr. Palaniandy said, during the Christmas more..

Dec 11 (SO) The Govt during the past two years has granted approval for 58 tourism related projects to be implemented by the private sector with an investment of nearly US$ one billion, Economic Development Ministry sources said. They said the investment in the tourism sector has shown a significant growth due to the increase in the number of tourist arrivals and prevailing peaceful atmosphere in the country. The Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA) has set up more..

Dec 11 (SL) There have been three recent reported murder cases where the victims were elderly women, Police Spokesman Ajith Rohana said. The most recent, on December 1, involved an 81 year old woman, who was living alone in an isolated house in Wellampitiya. She was killed and robbed. The 39 year old suspect from Dematagoda was arrested on December 8. It was later found that since the woman had seen the culprit he had killed her to prevent her from revealing his identity. more..

Dec 11 (TC) Namini Wijedasa Interviews UNP Deputy Leader Karu Jayasuriya. UNP Deputy Leader Karu Jayasuriya, who is contesting Ranil Wickremesinghe for leadership of the party, said last week that the govt is making full use of its power and strength to destroy the opposition. He also said that he has still not spoken to Wickremesinghe, personally, about the leadership challenge. Excerpts: Q: Why are you challenging Mr. Wickremesinghe’s leadership? more..

Dec 11 (ST) The final report of the LLRC will be tabled in Parliament in its entirety. Minister Basil Rajapaksa said that the move was to obviate any misunderstanding or misrepresentation which might otherwise occur. He made the remarks at a ceremony at his Ministry in Colombo after the signing of an agreement to develop the Atchuveli Industrial Zone in the Jaffna peninsula. Present on the occasion were UN officials in Colombo and the Indian High Commissioner Ashok Kantha. more..

Dec 11 (Island) The mandatory age limit for admission to the Sri Lanka Law College will be removed from next year, says Dr. W. D. Rodrigo, the principal. At present, only persons between the age of 18 and 35 years are eligible for admission. This age barrier rule was imposed during the tenure of former Chief Justice Sarath Nanda Silva. Its removal will enable any eligible person to enter the Law College from 2012. He said the age barrier to enter the Law College was imposed to more..

Dec 11 (ST) Even if political cartoons, once much sought after, have become rare in the Sri Lankan media today, a few that still remain have not lost their thought provoking undertones or sense of humour. There was one which referred to UNP deputy leader, Karu Jayasuriya who said his dream during his life was to see his party in govt. The remarks were made last Tuesday when a website in his name was inaugurated amidst a crowd of invitees at the Galle Face Hotel. more..