Jan 23 (NF) Passengers have expressed their displeasure over the deployment of a 'normal' bus belonging to the Sri Lanka Transport Board (SLTB) on the Southern Expressway. The bus in question had operated from Maharagama to Galle last evening. The bus which belongs to the SLTB commenced its journey from Maharagama to Galle at 6 last evening. However, owing to protests by the passengers the bus had to be stopped at the police post stationed near the Pinnaduwa access point. more..

Jan 23 (GDI) Arrangements have been made to increase the passenger handling capacity in airports to 12 Million by 2015 from the current capacity of 6 million. According to the Chairman of the Airport and Aviation Sri Lanka Limited Prasanna Wickramasooriya, air cargo handling services will also be increased in parallel to the increase of the passenger handling capacity. He said that the second international airport will be opened in Mattala at the end of this year, more..

Jan 23 (LT) India is not the savior of the Tamil people in Sri Lanka but is playing the role of a crafty protector while Mahinda Rajapaksa govt is complicating and messing up with the issues of Tamil masses states the JVP. This was stated by the General Secretary of that party Tilvin Sila at a media conference held yesterday. The Information Secretary of the JVP Vijithe Herath and former MP and the Member of the Central Committee Ramalingam Chandrasekar more..

Jan 23 (LBO) Building a secular state can prevent oppression of minorities and victims of an arbitrary state should learn to forgive but must also speak out for change, writers participating in a literary festival in Sri Lanka said. India, a land of Maharajahs, became a democracy with voting rights and parliamentary legislating powers by majority in the middle of the last century but had managed to preserve several key elements of a free country. more..

Jan 23 (GDI) Today there is a big demand for quality nurses globally. In this context Sri Lankan nurses have a high international demand from both in the East and West including the countries such as USA and Afghanistan, said President Mahinda Rajapaksa addressing 2,500 new trainee nursing recruits at Temple Trees yesterday. The President emphasized that nursing is not just a profession but an honorable social service. A smiling nurse and kind care could go a long way in more..

Jan 23 (BBC) The military in Sri Lanka is constantly threatening former Tamil Tigers who were released in the north following rehabilitation, to stay away from political activities, local politicians say. The former combatants are particularly told by military not to engage with the Peoples Struggle Movement (PSM), Velvettithurai Urban Councillor MK Sivajilingam told BBC. "This is a denial of their political rights," he said. more..

Jan 23 (wsws) In a recent speech, Sri Lanka’s Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapakse highlighted the “threat to our national security” posed by attempts to “create [political] instability” as in Tunisia, Egypt and Libya. Remarks by the top defence official, the brother of President Mahinda Rajapakse, are an ominous warning that the government is refocusing its police-state apparatus, built up over a quarter century of civil war, against protests by workers and youth. more..

Jan 23 (CT) UNP MP Buddhika Pathirana has vowed to reveal former President Chandrika Kumaratunga’s lies through a press conference. Pathirana and Kumaratunga locked horns following their recent meeting in Dubai. Following the meeting they had in Dubai, Pathirana had told reporters that Kumaratunga had spoken about toppling the govt in three months, a claim Kumaratunga had flatly denied. While Kumaratunga has said the conversation she had with Pathirana never centred on toppling the govt, more..

Jan 23 (SLBC) Measures are underway to enhance trade between Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. Accordingly, a group of Sri Lankan businessmen are currently engaged in a tour in Bangladesh. The Sri Lankan business delegation tour, consisting of 11 local entrepreneur institutions has been organized by the Sri Lanka National Chamber of Commerce. Chairman of the Sri Lanka National Chamber of Commerce Ashoka Hettigoda says that the main objective of the visit is to more..

Jan 23 (AD) Sri Lanka Navy today categorically denied allegations that Sri Lanka Naval personnel attacked Indian fishermen fishing in the seas off Kachchative Island on Saturday, as quoted by The Hindu today. In a release the Navy further added; Sri Lanka Navy expresses deep concerns over the malicious allegations made repeatedly accusing Sri Lanka Navy of harassing Indian fishermen. At no instance has credible proof provided regarding any Sri Lanka Navy involvement. more..

Jan 23 (DM) The Joint Postal Trade Union today carried out a sathyagraha at the Postal Headquarters calling on President Mahinda Rajapaksa to remove the Postmaster General form his post with immediate effect failing which they would go on strike. Postal workers went on strike in November last year for eight consecutive days due to the government’s failure to remove Postmaster General M.K.B. Dissanayake. more..

Jan 24 (Island) It is no coincidence that in the face of the storm created by the A-Level results fiasco the govt hastily withdrew the Bill to permit private universities. Indeed the regime has been frying on several fronts and is beating a hasty retreat on most. The most serious of the current crises is the A-Level fiasco and public anger will not subside despite the analgesic of a Presidential Committee that fudged the conundrum. Anti-govt sections will exploit it and more..

Jan 24 (Island) Following Sri Lanka’s historic and unique victory over terrorism on 18 May 09 some perfidious professionals, working fraudulently and in collusion with Diaspora sponsored neo terrorists, are attempting to reverse the results of that victory by executing fraudulent land deeds and having them registered in the Land Registry. Exploiting a lacuna in the legal system and misapplying a legal statute these unscrupulous professionals are actively more..

Jan 24 (NS) For the Sri Lankan Buddhists, Kelaniya is a hallowed ancient city sanctified by the visit of the Buddha who quelled a war between two Naga princes, Chulodara and Mahodara over a gem-studded royal chair. Most Buddhists believe that the holy Kelani Raja Maha Viharaya should be visited at least once in a lifetime for worship. Historically it is important as it was the city of the illustrious Princess Devi who later became Vihara Maha Devi, more..

Jan 24 (TC) Dr. Dayan Jayatilleka’s book, Fidel’s Ethics of Violence: The Moral Dimension of the Political Thought of Fidel Castro, is a significant contribution towards understanding one of the enduring intellectual dilemmas in the theory and practice of politics: the ethics of the use of violence. Dayan’s ambitious project in this book is to offer a comprehensively worked out theory for the ethical use of violence, for both revolutionaries and states, based on the political more..

Jan 24 (NS) What prompted me to write this short piece is a thought that crossed my mind on reading S. L. Gunasekara’s ‘Lore of the Law and Other Memories,’ which I thought was worthy of being shared with its readers. Before elaborating on it, I wish to express my appreciation of the noble task undertaken by S.L. Gunasekara in producing this work. It is a heroic attempt on the part of a sincere soul, who is overwhelmed by anguish and anger by the gradual collapse of the moral and more..

Jan 24 (GV) In the late 1970s, a Deputy Commissioner of Examinations was prosecuted for interfering with the results of a son of a Minister and a son of a school principal. He was jailed. It was possible to prosecute him because the then Commissioner got wind of this illegal activity and moved for prosecution of this officer. Is this possible now? Can an officer who extends favours to a politician in power be ever prosecuted presently? more..

Jan 24 (TC) During his recent visit to Sri Lanka, Indian External Affairs Minister S M Krishna gave support to the Sri Lankan government’s intention to have a Parliamentary Select Committee work out the modalities of a political solution to the ethnic conflict. The Indian government has consistently expressed its interest in a political solution and that the Sri Lankan government gave such assurances during the war that elicited international support. more..

Jan 24 (SL) When the news of my being threatened with dire consequences for “writing against the President” reached them, several of my “I-told-you-so” friends did exactly that, told me that they had told me so and reiterated the advice they have been giving me without a break for a long time now: “Mind your own business, keep your mouth shut, exploit the ‘contacts’ you have and live happily ever after in Sri Lanka despite the country, like a dead fish, rotting from the head.” more..

Jan 24 (TC) Speaking with many tongues is a time-tested Rajapaksa way of obfuscating issues and evading trouble. But occasionally this deceptive habit helps reveal what the regime would dearly want to conceal. Lalith Kumar Weeraraj and Kugan Muruganthan vanished on 9th Dec 2011. The two human rights activists were preparing to hold a press conference on the issue of disappearances when they themselves disappeared. more..

Jan 24 (Island) The Plantation Human Development Trust (PHTD), through its persuasive influence and continuous work ethic successfully brought about social change on the plantations, Director-General Ranjith Ellegala said. "One key area of influence was that families built their own houses", he noted. ‘The PHDT, or Trust, established in 1992 when Plantations were privatized, had its prime functions adequately laid out to address positive development in social outlook for plantation workers. more..

Jan 24 (GV) As promised, the Sri Lankan govt made the final report of the LLRC public last month. It has also recently released its “National Action Plan for the Protection and Promotion of Human Rights: 2011-2016.” The Action Plan was developed in accordance with a commitment the govt had made in 2008, the last time Sri Lanka participated in the UN’s Universal Periodic Review. Both documents are part of the Sri Lankan govt’s strategy to placate international observers and more..

Jan 24 (Island) Indian investors in the Small and Medium Enterprise Sector are upbeat on investing in Sri Lanka and have expressed enthusiasm in coming into the recently opened Atchchuveli Industrial Zone. This follows the Jaffna International Trade Fair which is currently running at the Alfred Durayappah stadium with visitors numbering over 10,000 a day have thronged the fair from Friday and more are expected today. more..

Jan 24 (Island) A collective of media rights groups is scheduled to stage a massive protest, Black January, tomorrow in Colombo against attacks on journalists. All right-minded people will readily pledge their solidarity with the campaigners for media freedom and protection of journalists. The past few years have seen a spate of attacks on the media. Journalists have been intimidated, assaulted, abducted and murdered; media institutions have been set on fire. more..

Jan 24 (SO) Many woke with a start from their beds last Wednesday on hearing about the accident involving a van transporting schoolchildren to Colombo from Panadura. The terrible accident occurred on Galle road opposite the Odeon Theatre around 6.30. a.m. The school van driven at an excessive speed trying to overtake a trishaw ploughed into a bus which was plying on the left side of the road towards Mount Lavinia. The van driver was on the fourth lane of the road when more..

Jan 24 (NS) The 13th Amendment to the country’s constitution, passed in Parliament in November 1987, was a controversial outcome of the Indo-Lanka Peace Accord signed by the then Indian Prime Minister, Rajiv Gandhi and former President J.R. Jayewardene. The amendment aimed to devolve authority to the periphery with the introduction of the Provincial Council system. Provincial Councils are directly elected for 5-year terms and the Chief Minister and more..

Jan 24 (Island) Sri Lanka’s preparations for the forthcoming ICC Youth World Cup has come to a standstill with players in the squad remaining in the dark about their next training programme and the officials keeping mum over the clogged training with just seven months to go for the world event in Queensland, Australia. According to sources, Sri Lanka Under-19 players have not trained as a team since mid November, while it has not faced any international team since more..

Jan 24 (FT) The London Stock Exchange (LSE) is optimistic on Sri Lanka given the strong post-war upside for the economy and capital markets and is urging the country and companies to harness the global giant’s strengths and reach to grow better. “Following the end of the conflict, Sri Lanka has evolved with an attractive and strong growth story, which many countries and international companies have taken notice of,” LSE’s Group CEO Xavier Rolet told the Daily FT yesterday more..

Jan 24 (Island) Additional Secretary to the Health Ministry Dr. Palitha Maheepala yesterday announced that the Health Ministry would implement a five year plan to control leprosy in Sri Lanka from this year. Around 2000 new leprosy patients were identified annually. The affected patients had developed different physical deformities. The main reason for developing deformities was that the leprosy affected people were not getting effective treatment for about six months. more..

Jan 24 (DN) Experts from Veterinary College in Hassan, India will arrive at the Mysore Zoo later this week to diagnose the green anacondas. The four green anacondas-two males and two females-are doing fine and are kept under observation. They are normal and doing fine, said zoo authorities on Sunday, a day after a female green anaconda died due to heart failure. The zoo has contacted Dr Vasanth Shetty, dean of the veterinary college, who is a member of the more..

Jan 24 (Island) Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) has not yet explained why it decided to sack Head Coach Geoff Marsh. But, it is common knowledge he was removed due to political reasons. We are in a position to confirm that the decision to replace Marsh was taken even before the national team had lost the ODI series. The announcement from Graham Ford that he was quitting as coach in Natal to achieve his dream of coaching an international side came prior to more..

Jan 24 (Hindu) ITC is planning to go overseas with its hotel business and is planning to set up a premium, green, luxury property in Colombo. Confirming the development, an ITC spokesman said “At the moment, it is ITC's first proposed overseas foray to build and manage a hotel. The company said that Sri Lanka was strategically important to the company's investment plans for hotels, given the vibrant tourism potential that the country offers. more..

Jan 24 (Island) The Graduates Association of Professions Supplementary to Medicine (GAPSM) called for all graduates of Professions Supplementary to Medicine (PSM) to be absorbed into the Health Ministry’s PSM cadre. President GAPSM, Ravi Kumudesh said yesterday that the Health Ministry and several other trade unions were attempting to recruit them for scientific service rather than to the field for which they qualified in. In a letter to President more..

Jan 24 (DN) Three persons who had purchased goods worth over Rs five million by forwarding fake electronic teller cards to a private bank in Colombo were taken into custody by the CID on information received from two other suspects who had been arrested for the use and production of fake electronic teller cards for a long time. The racket was uncovered when Boralesgamuwa Police arrested a suspect. This suspect used fake electronic cards to more..

Jan 24 (Island) The Supreme Court advised the Public Service Commission to consider the possibility of quashing the latest circular calling for applications for the post of Director Colombo National Hospital and further to consider the possibility of calling for fresh applications altogether. Romesh de Silva PC took time to obtain instruction from his clients, the members of the P.S.C. Sanjeewa Jayewardene, Counsel for the petitioner, Dr. Sujatha Senaratne, more..

Jan 24 (Island) Sri Lankan fishermen, particularly those based in the Jaffna peninsula and the Vanni mainland aren’t the only fishing communities affected due to poaching by Indian fishing fleets. In spite of repeated requests, India had turned a blind eye to those fishing craft crossing the Indo-Lanka maritime boundary to poach in Sri Lankan waters, authoritative sources said. Although the Indian Coast Guard recently proposed a no fishing zone as part of more..

Jan 24 (DM) As the much anticipated talks with the govt had failed the five main political parties that are grouped together under the TNA are contemplating to register with the TNA as a political party, with the commissioner of elections, MP Suresh Premachandran said. He also said the ITAK, TULF, TELO, PLOTTE, and EPRLF came under the umbrella of the TNA and were engaged in political activities, however they had not registered themselves as more..

Jan 24 (DN) The govt of Japan has extended Rs. 25 million grant aid for a reconstruction project in the Kilinochchi district to improve the living environment and livelihood of recent returnees in the Kandavalai Divisional Secretary Division, Kilinochchi. Under "the project for assisting the socio-economic recovery of the resettled areas in Kilinochchi District, assistance will be provided for," various agricultural and fishery projects. more..