Dec 20 (Island) Construction Expo 2015 expected 12th through 14th June 2015 at the BMICH will elevate the construction industry to multifunctional status. Particularly, rapid changes in Colombo’s sky line are influencing the construction industry positively and compelling it to garner required technology to fit such changes. President, Ceylon Institute of Builders Dr. Rohan Karunaratne said recently that the ensuing year would emerge as one bringing challenges and progress. more..

Dec 20 (CT) A fundamental flaw in Sri Lanka's GDP calculation is that high GDP growth as currently shown by the Census and Statistics Department (CSD) is unsupported by high private sector credit and electricity consumption, an economist who didn't want to be named told this reporter recently. The private sector is considered as the engine of economic growth. CSD recently reported that in the 3rd quarter (3Q) of more..

Dec 20 (ST) The Liquidator in the winding up application of Touchwood Investments informed the Commercial High Court last week that he has discovered more assets of the company and a comprehensive report on this will be submitted. Counsel for the Liquidator quoting an interim report by the latter said that several transactions carried out by the company are ‘voidable’ under the law and such transactions should therefore be reversed re-vesting the ownership of assets pertaining more..

Dec 20 (ST) Tourism in Sri Lanka has gone to a different level in recent times with dependence no longer on the West while the Indians and Chinese are arriving in large numbers, a top Sri Lankan hotelier said. Hiran Cooray, Chairman of Jetwing Group also noted that visitors from Arab nations or from the Middle East are ‘coming in very large numbers as well as Australia, New Zealand and so on. It’s a very nice picture, a nice story to tell now’. Mr. Cooray, also President of the more..

Dec 20 (JT) In a move lawyers and activists denounced as “inhumane,” Japan deported 26 Sri Lankans and six Vietnamese on Thursday, including a “sizable” number of denied applicants. It was the third round of mass deportations conducted using a specially chartered plane, the Justice Ministry said Friday. It is believed to be the first time the govt has deported asylum seekers and visa overstayers using the same flight, more..

Dec 20 (DN) The arrival of senior officers of military forces from a wide range of countries to gain professional knowledge on the nature of Command and Staff of Security Forces reflects the fact that Sri Lanka is a knowledge hub of defence and security that is necessary to all countries, Secretary to the President Lalith Weeratunga said. He made this observation on Wednesday at the Defence Services Command and Staff College Graduation Ceremony of Course 8, at Defence Services Command more..

Dec 20 (FT) What started out as a relatively straightforward idea, updating what was already a bestselling book, turned into an 18-month project that has been anything but simple. Re-interviewing the whole Fort, finding new characters like the nation’s hero Kumar Sangakkara, chasing down stories and being chased by the Fort’s dogs. Galle Fort is consistently and constantly changing. Everyday new shops appear and tragically old historic families leave, new projects are more..

Dec 20 (Island) General Secretary of the TULF V. Anandasangaree urged the Tamil electorate to vote for incumbent President Rajapaksa or Opposition candidate Maithripala Sirisena at the presidential election, regardless of the instructions given by the TNA. He emphasised that every Tamil speaking voter should decide after carefully examining the ground situation without being swayed by the TNA again. more..

Dec 20 (LM) Two books that are reportage from the Sri Lankan civil war—the fighting ended in May 2009—were published this year. Samanth Subramanian’s This Divided Island, published four months ago, took a macro view of the war’s end and its aftermath; in his own words, “picked at a loose tile and found a stash of corpses buried underneath”. It meditated on the tug-of-war over memory between the state and the individual, and took both SL army as well as LTTE to task. more..

Dec 20 (TC) An island nation is ticking as pressure builds up from within. The tear drop in the Indian Ocean, Sri Lanka, is on the edge. At stake for its populace, is freedom, the most basic right denied to the Sri Lankan people, despite decades of democracy. SL, no doubt, has an unbroken record of regular elections dating back to 1931. Elections alone, however, cannot lay claim to a transparent and fair system. Critics of its current President Rajapaksa say he has demonstrated more..

Dec 20 (CT) Opposition Leader, Ranil Wickremesinghe has promised to enhance representation for women in government if voted into power. He said by February 2015 the common opposition would call for a convention of all women representatives in both the local and national levels to prepare a plan of action for women in the govt. This plan he promised, would be implemented by July next year. more..

Dec 20 (Island) A 31-year-old mother and her five-year-old daughter living alone in a house at Mahiyangana were hacked to death inside their home. The victims had been chopped to death in their sleep, police said. Police Media Unit said they had been killed between 6.00 p.m. on Thursday and yesterday morning. The victims were identified as Chandra Kumari (mother) and Imasha Kavindi (daughter) residing at No. 251, Tharuna Viyaparaya, 51st Mile Post, Mahiyangana. more..

Dec 20 (AAP) The Sri Lanka govt has strongly condemned the attack on Army Public School Peshawar on December 16 which resulted in the loss of precious lives. In this connection, Minister GL Pieris visited the High Commission of Pakistan in Colombo on Friday to express his sorrow and grief over the tragic incident, according to a message received here from Colombo. In his discussion with High Commissioner Maj General (r) Qasim Qureshi, Professor GL Pieris said that Sri Lanka which more..

Dec 20 (Island) The most stable govt in the country would be constituted soon after Maithripala Sirisena was elected, said JHU General Secretary Champika Ranawaka. He was addressing a rally in support of Maithripala Sirisena. Ranawaka said that the people who were currently with President Rajapaksa would definitely join Sirisena in the future. Only Namal and Chamal would remain with the incumbent President. more..

Dec 20 (CT) The Director of the Water Management Unit of the Irrigation Department, Janaki Meegastenna stated the sluice gates of 16 reservoirs in three districts had to be opened due to the increase in water levels caused by heavy rains. Meegastenna also said that the sluice gates of several tanks in Anuradhapura, Polonnaruwa and Trincomalee districts too were opened and the sluice gates of many more tanks will have to be opened soon as the water level increases. more..

Dec 20 (CT) Indian Consular General in Jaffna S.D. Moorthy said that necessary steps are being taken regarding the release of 81 Indian Fishermen in the Jaffna prisons and reciprocal moves from the Sri Lanka Fisheries Department will be taken soon. Following the announcement by the TN Chief Minister O. Paneerselvam to release the 30 Sri Lankan fishermen jailed in India, the Indian High Commission (IHC) officials met the SL Fisheries Department officials recently to discuss more..

Dec 20 (Island) Pledging to establish a nation free of fear, suspicion, corruption and blatant lies, the Joint Opposition Front’s (JOF) Presidential candidate Maithripala Sirisena launched his election manifesto at Vihara Maha Devi Park yesterday, even as the electricity supply to the area was disrupted. Addressing a large and enthusiastic gathering of clergymen, members of the JOF and public, Sirisena using the words ‘We’ and ‘I’ in conjunction more..

Dec 20 (Island) UPFA MP Nishantha Mutuhettigama yesterday took away three of his supporters arrested by the Wanduramba police on Thursday for setting ablaze the stage erected for Common Opposition Presidential Candidate Maithripala Sirisena, along with a vehicle and the public address system. The suspects were taken by MP Mutuhettigama with his supporters after having entered the police station there, while the police officers were getting ready take the suspects to Magistrate court more..

Dec 20 (CT) In light of allegations made by polls monitors about the police cadre deployed to maintain law and order in the election being wholly insufficient, the police have already deployed 12,000 for election propaganda clearance work with more deployments in the offing. SSP Ajith Rohana said that a complete report would be obtained by the IGP on Monday on how many officers would be deployed to maintain law and order during the upcoming presidential election. more..

Dec 20 (DN) The presidential candidate from the opposition who says that he would adopt a Singapore model to manage the country's affairs wants to take the UNP govt's program forward, President Rajapaksa said. He said the opposition candidate wants to continue with what was done by former UNP leaders in the country. "Plans are being drawn by some elements to privatize ports, airports, power stations and more..

Dec 19 (DM) The common Opposition candidate Maithripala Sirisena, widely seen to be growing in stature and popularity, took a major step in the campaign for the presidential election on Jan 8 by presenting a manifesto combining the highest spiritual dimensions of the Dhamma with the ground realities of today’s situation. Presenting the 10,160 word manifesto at the Viharamaha Devi Park in the presence of the Maha Sangha, leaders of several opposition parties in the common front and more..

Dec 19 (DM) Sri Lanka once again is at the crossroads. In this regard, the message that is coming from the political platforms is loud and clear; the country is broadly divided into two opposing camps, one advocating the perpetuation of the status quo, the other arguing for a radical departure from the present political practice. While those who argue for a radical shift point out that there is a need to restore good governance and rule of law and everything that follows, more..

Dec 19 (ST) Hospitals within Colombo city, both state and private, should place suspected dengue patients under a bed net, to prevent dengue mosquitoes spreading the virus, Colombo’s Chief Medical Officer of Health, Dr Ruwan Wijeyamuni said. He said several months ago, all hospitals were sent notices to follow the procedure, but many have not done so. “The Infectious Diseases Hospital and the Negombo Base Hospital that do not come more..

Dec 19 (Xinhua) Sri Lanka's national carrier SriLankan Airlines received its second new Airbus 330-300 on Friday, which will be deployed on flights to Guangzhou, Shanghai, Beijing and Hong Kong, the airline said in a statement. This latest wide body A330-300 aircraft with its superior inflight features and comfort, advanced technological features and enhanced fuel efficiency joins Sri Lankan's existing all Airbus fleet. more..

Dec 19 (DBS) Ten years ago on Dec 26th 2004 a series of giant Tsunami waves engulfed the coasts and littoral areas in different parts of Sri Lanka. It was a terrible tragedy that resulted in tremendous loss of human life, limb and property. Until the destructive waves rolled over our shores on that fateful day most Sri Lankans were unaware of the Japanese word Tsunami. Today it has entered the vocabulary of SL people in everyday life. more..

Dec 20 (CT) Trade union coalition for a just society comprising 52 trade unions, the biggest gathering of trade unions pledged its support to common opposition candidate Maithripala Sirisena at the forthcoming Presidential Election, at a media conference held yesterday. The trade union coalition beseeched 6.4 million workers in the country to use their vote to defeat Mahinda Rajapaksa at the Presidential Election. more..

Dec 20 (AO) 9-year-old Sri Lankan girl does not know that her father died before she was born. She has known only her stepfather. When she saw a photograph of her mother with her biological father, she crushed it, thinking her mother was having an affair. Her mother, Ms Sanjeewani, had brought her up with her second husband, shielding her from the story of the tragedy that had struck the family. more..

Dec 19 (Island) NWP Chief Minister Dayasiri Jayasekera yesterday alleged that the UNP-led Opposition was planning to introduce controversial Regaining Sri Lanka project. CM Jayasekera said that the UNP was banking on Opposition presidential candidate Maithripala Sirisena to implement the project, though people had rejected ‘Regaining Sri Lanka’. The move to re-implement the project had recently come to more..

Dec 20 (HT) Pakistan on Friday hanged two militants as it began executing those on death row in the wake of the moratorium on the death penalty being lifted following the Peshawar school massacre. The first to be executed were Aqeel Ahmad aka Dr Usman, and Arshad Mehmood. While Ahmad, a former member of the Army Medical Corps, was involved in attacks on the Army GHQ and Sri Lankan cricket team (both in 2009), more..

Dec 19 (Island) A Sri Lankan environmentalist body has objected to a billion-dollar Chinese funded Port City being built off the coast of Colombo to uplift the city as a modern international metropolis. The Centre for Environmental and Nature Studies (CENS) has claimed that the country’s delicate marine ecosystem is paying the price for this project. It claims that the artificial island, when completed, more..

Dec 20 (CG) Geocoordinate information provided by a former bodyguard of LTTE leader Velupillai Prabhakaran contributed to an accurate Sri Lankan military bombing raid that killed LTTE political spokesman S.P. Thamilchelvan and other LTTE leaders on 2 Nov 2007, a WikiLeaks document has revealed. It contains information from a classified report of the CIA, one of the principal intelligence-gathering agencies of the US. more..

Dec 19 (Island) Sri Lanka Transport Board (SLTB) employees had been asked to cast their votes for President Rajapaksa during postal voting after showing the ballot paper to the official assigned by the SLFP affiliated Sri Lanka Nidahas National Transport Employees Union (SLNNTEU), General Secretary of the JVP led All Ceylon Transport Workers Union Sepala Liyanage claimed. He said the union affiliated to SLFP had also asked more..

Dec 20 (CT) The government could be an economic facilitator or provider. Economists usually prefer to have a facilitator government due to a fundamental reason which is linked to an efficiency factor. However, what Maithri has promised us is a “Provider” government at least in the first 100 days, but it has a vision. That would be a better beginning in view of the economic difficulties faced by wage earners and businesses of all categories except a few. But a gradual transition to a more more..

Dec 20 (CT) Namal in fact had no inhibitions about discussing with friends the lucrative business deals he was involved in. But it is possible that he did not think there was anything wrong with all these. Over the years a culture of close involvement of politicians with the business sector had developed, and the favours received from them were seen simply as tokens of friendship – as were the concessions and contracts the complaisant businessmen received. So Chandrika Kumaratunga benefited as more..

Dec 20 (CT) An independent national daily quoting Elections Commissioner (EC) Mahinda Deshapriya said yesterday, that he had issued a directive to Heads of State institutions that, at no instance could state resources, much less, public servants be utilized for electioneering. However, the exemption in using State resources, in particular State premises for polls work was, if those premises were hired. He made these remarks in the context that the presidential poll is to take place barely more..

Dec 20 (CT) In October 1988, accepting the UNP nomination at the Sugathadasa Stadium, R Premadasa complained in a bitter, biting aside, that as PM he had enjoyed “the powers of a peon”. That status is about to change if the Opposition wins, because the Maithri manifesto makes clear that the centre of gravity of executive power will undergo a decisive structural shift from the Presidency to the parliament and the Cabinet. Thus Ranil Wickremesinghe is tipped to be more..

Dec 20 (CT) Presidential candidate Duminda Nagamuwa said he decided to contest the Presidential Election to expose the aggressive politics of the govt and the Opposition's intention to plunder from the people. "The slogans of the govt and the Opposition do not represent the people's problems. We must build an opinion regarding finding solutions for people's real problems. We must build a left force for that. more..

Dec 20 (AM) An election meeting of the Common Opposition which was scheduled to be held in Haputale came under attack by goons just ten minutes before the arrival of Opposition Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe. The meeting was organized by Opposition Leader of Uva PC Harin Fernando. He said the attack was carried out by the brother of Haputale UC Chairman and his supporters. They removed flags and damaged the stage, commanding the opposition to stop the meeting. more..

Dec 20 (DM) Residents living in low-lying areas of the Anuradhapura Kumbichchankulam tank have been asked to evacuate as the tank bund is at risk of collapsing, Anuradhapura Municipal Commissioner Sampath Dharmadasa said. New bus stand in Anuradhapura has also been temporarily closed down as a result of the floods in the area. Spill gates of most tanks in Anuradhapura and Polonnaruwa have been opened and added that low lying areas of Somawathi & Mihinthale are inundated. more..