May 5 (AD) An American human rights activist has accused Britain of playing a part in the rise of ethnic conflict in Sri Lanka, saying that part of the tension in the island nation was because the Sinhalese people were put below the Tamils by the then British Empire. “In terms of Sri Lanka, the diplomat should know that part of the tension in Sri Lanka was that the Sinhala was put below the Tamil by the British,” Dr. Randy Short said. “Wherever the European people have gone, they have made things more..

May 5 (Island) The IGP has decided to honour five policemen responsible for the arrest of the members of the LTTE who were trying to revive the now defunct terrorist outfit, in the North. They are OIC Pallai police, Inspector Ananda Rajapaksha and five policemen attached to the same station. The ceremony will be held at the police headquarters soon. The move to revive the LTTE was revealed after a Tiger activist named Augustine had been arrested while pasting posters in Pallai more..

May 5 (ST) Minister Wimal Weerawasna addressing his party’s 2nd National Convention today said he had no hesitation in quitting the govt if it did not agree to its 12 point proposal including legal reforms to stop spreading large scale gambling activities. The National Freedom Party convention was held at the Sugathadasa Indoor stadium. Proposals for reforms follows; 1) Although Sri Lanka has been able to defeat more..

May 5 (Island) Development projects in the South had received a boost with Matara hosting the first ever Southern International Trade Exhibition (SITE 2014), Minister Dullas Allahapperuma, said. Speaking after declaring open the three day event at the Sanath Jayasuriya Stadium, the Minister noted that it had the potential to attract exhibitors from outside Asia as well. He commended the organizer CDC Events headed by Chandra Wickremesinghe for picking Matara as the venue for SITE’s more..

May 5 (GDI) The only country in the world to be entirely surrounded by another country and also called as Africa’s Switzerland, intimated for the first time that it is now ready to initiate multi-faceted bilateral ties with Sri Lanka. “We can begin our bilateral trade with Ceylon Tea exports to Lesotho. Then we can proceed to agriculture cooperation” said an upbeat Bothata Tsikoane, the New Delhi based High Commissioner of Lesotho for Sri Lanka, in Colombo. more..

May 5 (MoD) President Rajapaksa declared open the largest new Military Hospital in an auspicious time today at a ceremony held at the Military Hospital premises in Narahenpita. Meanwhile, President Rajapaksa unveiled the plaque amidst the religious blessings of Maha Sanga. Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa, Commander of the Army Daya Ratnayake accompanied the president on a visit to more..

May 5 (GDI) This is the first time that a national program is being put into action under safety of fishermen and fishing vessels at a national level. It is therefore very important that every fishermen is made aware of this program. We are planning an awareness program on this subject through the national fisheries conference for their protection, first aid and assistance of fishermen. The fisheries sector while supporting the livelihoods of a considerable number of fishermen and their families is more..

May 5 (SM) Hambantota mayor Eraj Kavinda Fernando is not among the 04 persons who were arrested in connection with the attack on a group of UNP parliamentarians who were on a fact finding visit to the Hambantota Port and the Mattala Airport last month, police media spokesman SSP Ajith Rohana says. Responding to queries raised by BBC Sandeshaya, the police media spokesman has said that video footage during the incident was used to identify the suspects. more..

May 5 (DM) The Defence Ministry is preparing dossiers to be forwarded through diplomatic channels to different countries regarding the ban on 16 overseas Tamil Diaspora groups and 424 persons allegedly linked to terrorism, a spokesman said. The External Affairs Ministry issued the gazette notification banning these groups for alleged involvement in reviving the LTTE, a terrorist movement, defeated in May, 2009. more..

May 6 (CT) Women in politics in the modern age are under-represented in most countries worldwide, in contrast to men. Nevertheless, they are progressively being elected to be heads of state and govt. Currently, more than 20 countries in North and South America, Australia and, Africa have a woman holding office as head of govt, and the global participation rate of women in politics is approximately 20%. Although it is becoming less so in the political sphere, patriarchy is more..

May 6 (CT) It is heartening to note, in his statement made after the meeting with the Bishops’ conference of SL, that Pope Francis has drawn attention to the victims of violence and war. Among many words of wisdom found in the statement, I am very much touched when he notes that the “poor should not be forgotten and inequality not be permitted to grow”. I guess one of his priorities for Sri Lanka is the “elimination of violence”. Indeed, the cause for emergence and prevalence of violence more..

May 6 (SO) The World Conference on Youth (WCY) will bring together youth aged 18 to 29 from the world over who are passionate about the development in their respective countries and for those who want to make a lasting and meaningful change. The forum is going to be on a discussion about the development beyond 2015. The conference under the theme Mainstreaming Youth in Post-2015 Development Agenda more..

May 6 (Island) Govt’s inability or unwillingness to provide the international community with the quantum of evidence required to ban the 16 Tamil Diaspora groups and 424 individuals it listed under a UN anti terrorism resolution has led to both the US and Canada refusing to ban them. The govt spokesperson on the issue had stated that it banned them all following extensive investigations in which 65 arrests had been made. But the govt also weakened its case by stating that more..

May 6 (NS) The World Conference on Youth was initially held in the year 1936 and afterwards several world conferences on youth were held in the regions of Europe, Africa and America. The last conference was held in the year 2010 in the Mexico City. Hon. Dulles Alahapperume, the Minister of Youth Affairs and Skills Development was present at the Mexico Conference. At this conference, Hon. Minister expressed the willingness of Sri Lanka to host the next World Conference on youth. more..

May 6 (SL) The threat to the Bellanwila-Attidiya Bird Sanctuary due to encroachment and filling of the wetlands has been the concern of many environmental activists in Sri Lanka for some time now. According to the Asian Wetlands Directory, in 1989 the Bellanwila-Attidiya Bird Sanctuary was named one of the 41 wetlands with the highest biodiversity in the region. Environment lawyer Jagath Gunawardena said that more..

May 6 (Island) The May Day hangover is not yet over. Workplaces are limping back to normal, and in a few days holiday mood is sure to set in again in view of Vesak. Politicians are preening themselves on crowds they attracted to their rallies on the International Workers’ Day which they hijacked to promote themselves on the pretext of championing workers’ cause. Meanwhile, a group of workers who lost their jobs 34 long years ago owing to their participation in a general strike more..

May 6 (NS) British Minister of State, Hugo Swire is reported to have held ‘useful’ discussions with representatives of several NGOs to discuss the follow-up to the UNHRC resolution on Sri Lanka passed in Geneva last month. We don’t know if they were Sri Lankan NGOs or not. What is clear is that for the war-mongering, terrorism-supporting nation called the UK, NGOs are useful adjuncts in the business of interfering in other nations and wrecking political stability. more..

May 6 (GV) Dear Majesty, My name is Silva. The Silva. I am common man. Very common. So common I am always voting for your Majesty and Your Majesty’s govt. However, please be notified that I am only giving the back part of my name. Front part I am keeping to myself due to security reasons. I am also begging Your Majesty to be excusing my English. I am The Silva. Not The Pieris. First of all, please be understanding that when I am saying ‘opened letter’ I am not meaning letter more..

May 6 (GV) My literate young critic Vangeesa Sumanasekara, a serious student of philosophy, seems to say that the focus of his disputation with my essay is not primarily the political but rather the philosophical. He concedes the link between the two, by referring to Badiou’s point that philosophy can be of “indirect help” to politics. I see it differently. I should preface my remarks with the admission that my understanding of the relationship between politics and philosophy is more..

May 6 (CI) "The weather is our main challenge", admitted Angelo Mathews as the wind howled in across Dublin Bay yesterday. The Sri Lankan captain was speaking ahead of the first of the two-match RSA Insurance ODI series against Ireland at the Clontarf club, the opening fixtures in a tour that takes in all three formats and concludes at Leeds seven weeks from now. The Sri Lankans have been in England at the start of more..

May 6 (Island) ‘True, banks too loan capital, but there’s a difference. They also look for collateral. If you could show tangible fallback funds or parallel assets, then they lend. But in our case, it's just the innovation and a sound entrepreneurial plan and that’s where we come in, said co – founder, Blue Ocean Ventures, Pradeep Balasubramaniam, responding to questions from the press at the forum convened last week by Venturengine. Venturengine, an entrepreneur innovator, more..

May 6 (ST) The Auditor General (AG), in another alarming revelation, has said that no dividend income was received for the Mahapola Fund (MF) from its fund management unit in 2011 compared to Rs. 60.5 million received in the previous year. This comes at a time when the Govt has pledged to double the ‘scholarship (payment per student)’ to Rs. 5,000 from Rs.2,500 now but the MF is unable to do so due to financial constraints, senior govt sources pointed out. more..

May 6 (DC) It was at the Wankhede Stadium that Muttiah Muralitharan, the magician from Sri Lanka played his last international game, a World Cup final back in 2011. The moment could not have been bigger but the veteran could not be part of a second World Cup winning side as India famously won the most prestigious trophy in world cricket. Back at the same ground for Royal Challengers Bangalore’s important tie more..

May 6 (Island) Nadeeka Priyadarshani, the teacher, who is alleged to have hung the slippers of a 10-year-old girl of Kawantissa Vidyalaya around her neck as the latter did not wear shoes to school due to poverty, said that she would not punish any child in the future as she had learned a lesson from society in trying to correct a child. She said that the media had highlighted the matter and the incident had become a blessing in disguise as the poor family had got much assistance from donors. more..

May 6 (CT) Now, now, will the mirror have a tough time in choosing the most eligible of them all? For common opposition candidate, that is well, not if it has been 'on the ball' throughout, a s yet another joins the fray albeit in jest. "Since I have both ability and experience, I am most suitable to become the common candidate and if the President allows it, I will come forward at the next Presidential Election," said Deputy Minister of Higher Education, Nandimithra Ekanayake. more..

May 6 (DM) The UNP said Ministers Kumara Welgama and Maithripala Sirisena should follow the example set by South Korean Prime Minister and resign from their posts as the sectors they have been put in charge are in shambles. UNP MP Gayantha Karunatilleke told a news briefing that the two ministers should follow the South Korean Prime Minister who resigned his post following the capsizing of a passenger boat recently. more..

May 6 (Island) Chairman Mao said that Chinese intellectuals prefer foreign muck to local perfume. The same could be said of some Sri Lankan cricket fans. Paul Farbrace has been praised as the mastermind of the Twenty20 triumph. Dav Whatmore deserved credit for improving the fitness of the 1996 World Cup squad. But, one should not forget the contribution of our own officials. In the 1980s, coaches and managers such as WAN Silva, Ranjit Fernando, Abu Fuard and Neil more..

May 6 (Hindu) It is not always that a work of non-fiction, however current and relevant the title and topic be, goes into a second print within a year of its publication. It is also not always that public discourse ensues on the book, however elitist and academic it be, and the contents become the topic of a seminar. It is not always, again, that the author concerned takes time and effort to incorporate the valid among the suggestions made at the seminar in the ‘revised’ edition of more..

May 6 (Island) Minister Dinesh Gunawardena said that it was totally unethical to issue a liquor licence to anyone to open a liquor shop near either a university or a school. He said that as the Chairman of the Maharagama Development Committee, he would never allow anyone to open a liquor shop in Maharagama. But the Divisional Secretary and some excise officials had issued a liquor licence to a person more..

May 6 (FT) Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC) said that there was nothing shady in the awarding of the latest tender for the supply of 35,000 tons of fuel oil. Responding to the Daily FT article, CPC Acting Chairman Amarasekara said the preferred bidder Horizon wasn’t a black listed supplier and the awarding of the contract had been after clearing it with the US Embassy. “The US Embassy said that it could not determine the source of refined products and requested us to proceed if more..

May 6 (HW) Honeywell Aerospace has signed multiple contracts with SriLankan Airlines, the national carrier of SL, to improve maintenance efficiency and increase cockpit and cabin connectivity for the airline. The contracts include an Auxiliary Power Unit (APU) maintenance agreement for SriLankan’s Airbus A320, A330 and A340 fleets to improve maintenance planning and lower costs, and communication avionics for six new A330 aircraft scheduled for delivery later in 2014. more..

May 6 (FT) The country’s Balance of Payments (BOP) has swelled eight-fold in the first two months of this year to $ 805.7 million, according to Central Bank data. Net foreign inflows to the Govt including the $ 500 million sovereign bond proceeds and CBSL’s net foreign exchange purchases from the market on account of inflows on trade, remittances, tourism and inflows to private sector contributed to the high BOP surplus. more..

May 6 (CI) Sri Lanka will shudder at the thought of losing to an Associate nation for the usual reasons, but a drawn or lost series could also be particularly grim for interim coach Marvan Atapattu, whose audition for the permanent job begins with this trip. Loss of Thisara Perera has left the squad looking decidedly green, particularly in foreign conditions. Aside from Thirimanne, and increasingly, Angelo Mathews, few of the top order possess the temperament to thrive on early-season Irish more..

May 6 (DN) Sri Lanka for the first time will target 100,000 arrivals from the Gulf region this year. Last year there were 80,510 arrivals from this market. Up to last March arrivals from the Gulf was 18,390 and this was at 16,027 by the end of 2013 March. Speaking at the opening of the 22nd edition of the Arabian Travel Market Dushan Wickramasuriya from Sri Lanka Tourism said that promotions at the ATM will also help to increase arrivals from the entire Gulf region in a big way. more..

May 6 (DM) One of the four JMO’s of the Tangalle Hospital, who examined the accused allegedly involved in the killing of Khuram Sheik, said the injuries on the third accused Tangalle PS Chairman Chandrapushpa Vidanapathirana appeared to be a self inflicted one caused before 24 to 72 hours of her examining him. Four JMO’s of the Hospital who examined the accused allegedly involved in the killing and gang rape on the victim’s more..

May 6 (CT) Medical professionals were recently challenged to look into their conscience to see whether corruption, waste and inefficiency existed in the health sector. The challenge was made by Health Minister Maithripala Sirisena. "We are living in a commercially oriented world where people talk only in terms of rupees and cents and those who think the solutions to all issues could be found through rupees and cents. This is the emerging trend in South Asia," Sirisena said more..

May 6 (DM) Interpol has issued a red notice on a Sri Lankan businessman who is evading Court after being charged with swindling an Indian businessman of US$5.29 million by asking him to invest in a tea export company on the boast that the tea export company had supplied tea to the Buckingham Palace. The CID investigating the incident told Colombo Fort Magistrate Thilina Gamage that the Interpol too had issued a red notice on the suspect Anthony Manilal Alles facing more..

May 6 (Island) Foreign Direct Investments had dropped to a woefully low USD 1.2 billion which was less than 2% of Sri Lanka’s GDP, UNP said. UNP MP Eran Wickremeratne said that the Rajapaksa govt had got its wires crossed and was trying to plug the problem of FDI fast drying up by encouraging investments such as in Casino on non-beneficial terms, through the proposed strategic development projects. more..

May 6 (Independent) William Porterfield is aiming to add a sixth Test team to his list of big-name scalps when Ireland take on T20 world champions Sri Lanka in the two-match One-Day International Series at Clontarf this week. Ireland have beaten the West Indies and Zimbabwe since the turn of the year and a hat-trick could be completed – either today or on Thursday – against a side missing star bowler Lasith Malinga, and unfamiliar with early-season conditions in Dublin. more..