Jan 22 (Island) Last Wednesday when the JVP politburo met, party leader Somawansa Amarasinghe drew attention to Indian External Affairs Minister S.M.Krishna’s statement that the president had pledged to implement a 13th Amendment Plus solution in Sri Lanka. Amarasinghe made a very valid point saying that such statements should be made by the Sri Lankan govt and not by the Indian External Affairs Minister. "How can the Indian minister be answerable for problems in more..

Jan 22 (ST) "Thaaththa," Bindu Udagedera asked, "what is so special about the number thirteen?" "Why, Bindu," Bindu's father Percy said, "thirteen is supposed to be an unlucky number…" "Then why is everyone suddenly so interested about thirteen now?" Bindu wanted to know. "Why," Percy asked, "who is interested in thirteen?" "Why, thaaththa," Bindu said, "everyone is talking about the thirteenth amendment these days…" "Ah," Percy said, "people talk about different more..

Jan 22 (LB) The UNP reformists group led by Hambantota district MP Sajith Premadasa has decided to go ahead and hold public meetings despite the decision taken by the party leader Ranil Wickremesinghe to ban such meetings. A UNP reformists group member told LAKBIMAnEWS that as a result, MPs Sajith Premadasa, Karu Jayasuriya and Dayasiri Jayasekera have decided to spearhead a series of public meetings commencing January 30. more..

Jan 22 (BBC) Sri Lankan media rights activists participated in a protest in Galle on Saturday and distributed leaflets highlighting media suppression and human rights situation in Sri Lanka. The protest was held near the venue of the annual Galle Literary Festival where international authors are attending. The organisers said that the objective of the leaflet campaign was to draw international attention to media freedom and harassment to journalists. Writer and activist, more..

Jan 22 (Island) John Keells Holdings (JKH) is currently planning a mega development encompassing land at its Glennie Street headquarters as well as adjoining Ceylon Cold Stores property, a research report from IIFL Institutional Equities said. "JKH is currently exploring possibilities of a mega integrated development at an estimated US$ 750 million on its Glennie Street headquarters land," the report said. It went on to say that this project would comprise two more..

Jan 22 (CI) It is hard to believe that less than ten months ago, Sri Lanka were World Cup finalists. After the heartbreak of April 2, 2011, they have lost series to England, Australia, Pakistan and now South Africa. Tillakaratne Dilshan's helpless, yet inwardly hurting, visage has been a common sight in all those defeats. Sunday's game could be Dilshan's last as Sri Lanka captain. There have been calls back home to sack him as leader. more..

Jan 22 (SL) The inventor of the Z-score Professor R.O. Thattil says Higher Education Minister S.B. Dissanayake had distorted facts about him to Parliament last week. Professor Thattil, who had also received death threats last week, said in a letter to UNP MP Dr. Jayalath Jayawardena, that he is not motivated by politics nor is he operating against the government. Dr. Jayawardena had asked Professor Thattil to clarify some allegations made by the Minister in Parliament. more..

Jan 22 (SO) Sri Lanka has become a transit hub, a gateway to the western hemisphere for human traffickers who smuggle men and women from different parts of the globe via the country. Several human smugglers operating in the country have been taken in for questioning during the past several months, Police Media Spokesman, SP Ajith Rohana said. He said two children along with two Turkish women and three Siriyan women and two children who attempted to fly to France from more..

Jan 22 (ST) Sri Lankan authorities are considering a possible arrangement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) where the balance dues from the US$2.6 billion facility could be drawn at a later stage, officials said. While the Central Bank is most likely to opt for a surveillance agreement with the IMF which is standard practice after a programme is over and as a follow up arrangement, an option being considered is a ‘commitment fee’ arrangement. more..

Jan 22 (ST) The ongoing Galle Literary Festival hit a snag on Friday when the local authorities took away the flags that had been put up in public places inside the Old Dutch Fort. Galle Mayor Methsiri De Silva said that he ordered the flags to be taken down after the Organizer of the festival failed to pay the required tax of Rs. 35,000. He said the event’s chief organizer- Mr. Geoffrey Dobbs had failed to pay the tax on previous five occasions as well despite repeated reminders. more..

Jan 22 (SL) A railway employee has died while over 20 others are in critical condition due to dengue hemorrhagic fever, as the Ratmalana Railway Yard has become an ideal dengue breeding site, the ACREGU said. The Ratmalana yard which spans over 100 acres has become an ideal mosquito breeding site where the authorities concerned have failed to clean the blocked drains. The employees who are in critical conditionare presently taking treatment at Kalubowila, Kalutara and Karapitiya more..

Jan 22 (Island) A rebel group of medical practitioners is making clandestine plans to break away from the Govt Medical Officers’ Association (GMOA) and form an alternate trade union to tide over, what a spokesman last week described as "the prevailing inaction and impotency which have denied doctors their just rights and privileges". "We have already finalized our Constitution", he asserted. "The strategic move to break ranks and more..

Jan 22 (ST) A floating hotel with the capacity to accommodate 1000 guests to be set up at the Diywanna Oya, close to Parliament in Kotte, is the latest addition in the development of the Sri Jayewardenepura area undertaken by the Ministry of Defence and Urban Development. A jogging track, water-scooters and boat riding will be other attractions to be introduced. A park too will be set up in the area. The project plan envisages a sea plane landing point and a boat service more..

Jan 22 (ST) Even though the intensity of the protests against the irregularities in the marking system of the A/L Exam answer scripts has subsided, the release of the expert committee report on the matter has not appeased trade unions which say that its recommendations offer no solution to students affected by the problem. The Joint Trade Union Alliance said it rejects the recommendations presented by the Committee appointed by the President to probe issues. more..

Jan 22 (Island) The president’s two elder sons, Namal and Yoshitha, are listed among the top 20 shareholders of Ascot Holdings PLC according to the company’s financial statements. According to this list, Mr. Y.K. (Yoshitha) Rajapaksa owns 100,000 shares and Mr. L.N. Rajapaksa (Namal) 92,000 shares as at Sept. 30, 2011. Although in the top 20 list, in percentage terms their shareholding is a modest 1.25% and 1.15% though they are the 12th and 13th more..

Jan 22 (Independent) Like much else in the cultural firmament, the British Council has been hard at work over the past few years to recalibrate its activities to the demands of a modern age. A friend of mine who served as its UK literature director in the 1980s used to recall that one of her chief duties was to arrange overseas excursions for Sir William Golding and his wife. "We rather fancy Germany next year," Sir William would confide, and my friend would diligently find some conference which more..

Jan 22 (Hindu) Two Indian fishermen of Pudukottai, who were released by Sri Lanka, reached Mandapam on Saturday. They were among the four fishermen of Pudukottai, who went fishing on January 11. Their boat is reported to have hit a Sri Lankan fishing vessel following which they were caught by a group of Sri Lankan fishermen. Though two of the fishermen were immediately released, two others, N. Arjunan (40) and R. Kalimuthu (41), were handed over to authorities. more..

Jan 22 (Hindu) Chinaman, a novel by Singapore-based Sri Lankan writer Shehan Karunatilaka, on Saturday won the 2012 DSC Prize for South Asian Literature which carries a cash award of $50,000. The title of the novel, published by Random House, refers to a left-arm unorthodox spinner in cricket, often described as the chinaman. The legend of a Sri Lankan bowler called Pradeep Mathew and the sport of cricket lie at the heart of this superbly written book. more..

Jan 22 (Island) A decision to remove Azath Sally from the opposition group of the Colombo Municipal Council was taken on Friday night. At the UPFA group meeting, the 20 members present also resolved to request President Mahinda Rajapaksa to take disciplinary action against Sally for misconduct. "We wanted him removed from the opposition group to maintain discipline within the group and forge ahead with our program of work", says Riza Zarook MMC, more..

Jan 22 (SL) The Defence Ministry is investigating the alleged abduction of an individual in Kotahena last month, a relative of the missing person said. Christopher Fernando was allegedly abducted in a white van in Kotahena last month and has not been heard of since then. Fernando’s relative Roy Fernando said that Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa has now personally got involved with the investigations. Roy Fernando said that initial investigations had revealed more..

Jan 22 (ST) A group of 161 foreign nationals, who are in Sri Lanka to preach the virtues of Islam to Muslims, have been ordered to leave the country. “The group which arrived in different batches has violated their visa status,” Immigration and Emigration Controller Chulananda Perera said. He said visas were granted to them to visit Sri Lanka as tourists. “We have their contact details and they have already been informed about more..

Jan 22 (SO) Leader of the House and Chief Negotiator in the TNA-Govt talks Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva yesterday affirmed that they have not suspended or withdrawn from the ongoing negotiations to find a workable framework for the devolution of power. Responding to media reports that the Government has suspended talks, the Minister said they have called upon the TNA to appoint members to the proposed Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC) for continuation of the talks. more..

Jan 22 (SL) Sri Lanka’s CID says it will continue to ignore the INTERPOL arrest warrant on former LTTE chief arms procurer Kumaran Padmanathan (KP). India had issued the warrant over KP’s involvement in the assassination of former Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi and the warrant is still posted on the INTERPOL website. When The Sunday Leader contacted the CID a top official said that they have not been instructed to arrest KP using the INTERPOL warrant. Speaking on the condition of anonymity, the CID official said more..

Jan 22 (ST) When President Mahinda Rajapaksa chose to celebrate Thai Pongal, the widely observed Hindu harvest festival, it was one day too late. The event was observed last Sunday by Hindus worldwide and with much gaiety in the neighbouring southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu. The next day, when the event was fixed at 'Temple Trees,' it was Maattu Pongal or Cattle Pongal Day where Hindus pay reverence or thanksgiving to cattle. more..

Jan 22 (Island) One of the four short movies shown at the Galle Lit Festival 2012 on Friday targeted Sri Lanka over banning transport of medicine, fuel and food to the northern Jaffna peninsula in the 90s. Directed by Kannan Arunasalam’s ‘ Kerosene’ which had been used previously by those campaigning against the present govet, wouldn’t have upset any if the event wasn’t sponsored by countries trying to haul Sri Lanka up before an international war crimes tribunal. more..

Jan 22 (SL) UNP leader Ranil Wickramasinghe has failed to specify in what capacity Chief Opposition Whip John Amaratunga will deputise for him in his absence. Wickremesinghe, who travelled overseas last week, issued Amaratunga with a letter instructing him to act on his behalf during his period overseas. Amaratunga told The Sunday Leader that he had been provided with the same letter that was presented to parliament instructing him to act on Ranil Wickremesinghe’s behalf. more..

Jan 22 (Island) The Chairman and the Director of the Sri Jayewardenepura General Hospital (SJGH) crossed swords last week, but the rift was sorted out following, what officials described as "an unusually long face-to-face meeting where the simmering issue was thrashed out". The eruption had occurred after some administrative officers had reported that Dr. Shavendra Gamage, the hospital’s Director had used harsh unparliamentary language on more..

Jan 22 (NS) A govt Ministry yesterday dismissed certain media reports about a controversial Kelaniya based politician against whom the Kelaniya Pradeshya Sabha including its Chairman Prasanna Ranaweera levelled several allegations mainly on purported extortions running into millions of rupees and also interfering into the functioning of the Pradeshya Sabha. The Nation’s attempts to contact the Kelaniya based SLFP politician and more..

Jan 22 (SL) The Army yesterday slammed Sarath Fonseka after he had alleged that the military was behind a spate of abductions in the north. Jaffna Security Forces Commander Major General Mahinda Hathurusinghe told The Sunday Leader that Fonseka was making baseless allegations while serving a prison sentence on several charges. The BBC quoted Fonseka as telling reporters outside court on Friday January 20, that the current security forces commander in more..

Jan 22 (Island) The crisis-hit UNP is heading for a permanent split with the rebel Reformist group vowing to get rid of incumbent leader Ranil Wickremesinghe in spite of him having an absolute majority in the decision making Working Committee. The Reformists last week declared that the party machinery could never be revamped as long as President Mahinda Rajapaksa used Wickremesinghe to undermine the Opposition. more..

Jan 22 (ST) Mimicking President Mahinda Rajapaksa at a school play has cost the school principal his job. However, the Principal E.K. Premasiri said yesterday it was he who had first informed police of such a play and wanted them to investigate. Mr. Premasiri related his tale of woe. "What I want is an impartial inquiry into the incident. It is I who complained to the Provincial Education Director and the Police that more..

Jan 22 (LB) The release of the GCE A/L results has led to many controversial issues regarding the method used to rank the students. The students and parents are in a dilemma whether to accept the results or not. Therefore, it is my duty to clarify the matter since I was responsible for introducing the Z-score a decade ago as a basis for ranking. Admission to universities prior to the year 2000 was based on aggregate marks of more..

Jan 22 (ST) Sri Lanka has told India that all foreign scholarships given to public servants should be channelled through the External Resources Department of the Treasury and not be given directly to recipients, a top official said yesterday. The Treasury’s External Resources Director General Mapa Pathirana told the Sunday Times that the position was conveyed to India after a discussion with officials of the External Affairs Ministry. more..

Jan 22 (NS) Environmentalists claim the future of the Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage is at stake as many elephants are being sold or donated to private parties. This claim was made at a joint press conference hosted by several environmental organisations. Sajeewa Chamikara of the Environment Conservation Trust (ECT) claimed that adult elephants and even baby elephants were being given away to individuals such as politicians, more..

Jan 22 (ST) The Govt will spend Rs. 684 million to overhaul three Chinese-built combat aircraft as part of modernization plans for the Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF). Three Karakorum or K-8 SLAF fighter jets are to be equipped with a Head Up Display System (HUD) and a Multi-Function Display (MFD) configuration. The HUD is a display panel that presents data to pilots without having to look away from their usual viewpoints. . The MFD on the instrument panel of the fighter jets puts on display data from radar, more..

Jan 22 (ST) India has disagreed to Sri Lanka’s proposal for joint patrolling of the International Maritime Boundary (IMB) that separates the two countries as a stringent measure to avoid poaching by fishermen in each other’s territorial waters. This was one of the proposals made during the recent talks of the Joint Working Group (JWG) on Fisheries. India refused to conform to its adherence to the IMB Line in the joint statement issued by more..

Jan 22 (Island) Students who visit the stall of ESOFT Computer Studies at the EDEX – 2012 Education Exhibition and opt for registration at the venue after paying the required fees to follow courses on Information and Communication Technology (ICT) are in for a double bonanza–they will be entitled to special discounts on their payments plus enjoy the privilege of amazing gifts. EDEX, an annual event, is Sri Lanka’s biggest education fair. more..

Jan 22 (LB) The govt will implement the recommendations of the LLRC, said Lalith Weeratunga, Secretary to President Mahinda Rajapaksa. “Two or three groups, inter-ministerial committees are functioning,” he told LAKBIMAnEWS in response to criticism that the government appears to have shelved the LLRC report. “They are working with the police, the Ministry of Defence, the Attorney-General’s Department and so on to see how to implement the recommendations. more..

Jan 22 (Island) On a request by UNP MP Dr. Jayalath Jayawardena, Professor R. O. Thattil has written to him (the MP) clarifying a statement made by Higher Education Minister S.B. Dissanayake to justify why he (the Professor) was not consulted in formulating the Z score. "One reason given by him was that I appeared in a court case a few years back and stated that the Z score was incorrect. more..

Jan 22 (PTI) JVP today charged India with playing the role of a 'cunning protector' of minority Tamils here and exploiting opportunities in this country's war-ravaged areas for its own advantage by undertaking various developmental projects. "Tamils must understand the role of the cunning protector played by India," Tilwin Silva, JVP's General Secretary, told reporters. Referring to many projects undertaken by India in Sri Lanka's current post-conflict phase, more..