Apr 26 (ENS) Former President Chandrika Kumaratunga said here on Saturday, that the dismantling of Sinhala majoritarian politics, govt structures and laws, is essential for the establishment of durable peace in the island nation. In her SJV Chelvanayakam oration on “Winning the war is not establishing peace” held under the auspices of the ITAK, Kumaratunga said the root cause of the unending ethnic conflict in Lanka is the monopolisation of the political, more..

Apr 26 (SO) Members of North East Sinhala IDP Association (NESIA) have written to the Minister of Re-settlement D M Swaminathan seeking his intervention to arrange proper housing facilties for the Sinhalese who have been in IDP status in Nawakkuliya in Jaffna since 2010. NESIA has highlighted that although all other communities have been properly settled and had been given basic infrastructure no such treatments have been extended to Nawakkuliya Sinhala village more..

Apr 26 (CI) A ton from Kusal Perera and a half-century from Ashan Priyanjan guided Sri Lanka A to an eight-wicket win over Pakistan A in the first unofficial ODI in Matara. Chasing 204, Sri Lanka's didn't start well as they lost Shehan Jayasuriya and Dhanuskha Gunthilaka for single digits inside six overs. Perera then had an unbeaten 152-run partnership with Priyanjan for the third wicket. He struck 114 from 88 balls more..

Apr 26 (PTI) In a bid to prevent infiltration of anti-national elements and smugglers from other countries, especially Sri Lanka, Coastal Marine Police today launched a special beach bike for patrolling between Pamban and Arichal Munai areas here. "The special bike has been pressed into service to prevent infiltration of anti-national elements and smugglers from other countries, especially from Sri Lanka," ASP Gnana Sivakumar, who launched the service, told reporters. more..

Apr 26 (Island) The Organization of Professional Associations of Sri Lanka (OPA) Friday wrote to President Mathripala Sirisena expressing its strong support for the 19th Amendment to the Constitution to be taken up in Parliament tomorrow and voted upon on Tuesday. "….the 19th Amendment, sans the provisions which require a referendum, addresses the dire need to limit the powers of the Executive President and the OPA strongly supports the 19th Amendment to be approved by more..

Apr 26 (HN) Majority of Buddhist places of worship in Katmandu were damaged following the strongest earthquake which hit Nepal after 80 years. Chief Incumbent of Sri Lanka Maha Pirivena Venerable Nagoda Amarawansa Thera revealed these facts today while attending a media briefing. Meanwhile, the govt has decided to send 156 members of the tri-forces to provide relief aid and rescue operations for the earthquake victims. more..

Apr 26 (Island) All dansalas which are to come up during this Vesak season within Colombo Municipal Council (CMC) area will have to be registered at the Public Health Department, Dr. Ruwan Wijemuni, Chief Medical Officer of Health of the CMC said. He said, this mandatory registration will be strictly implemented and monitored through Public Health Inspectors (PHIs). "All individuals/organizations and charitable institutions will have to register their dansalas either directly more..

Apr 26 (AM) Turkish Navy frigate TCG Gediz will arrive at Colombo Port on Sunday, 26thApril 2015. The goodwill visit of the ship (from April 26 to 28) to Sri Lanka is part of the commemoration activities of the 125thanniversary of the voyage of Frigate Ertuðrul to Japan. During its 122-day mission started on April 1 from the Port of Aksaz, TCG Gediz will visit 18 ports in 14 countries and cover 20.300 nautical miles. 125 years ago, in response to a visit of friendship paid by Japanese royal family more..

Apr 26 (ENS) In the second salvage operation on Friday, Tamil Nadu fishermen could bring back only 16 boats from Sri Lanka. It was alleged that because of wrong information that all 52 boats would be released, many fishermen sailed to Sri Lanka where authorities refused permission to take back all the remaining boats. Last June, Sri Lankan Navy intercepted fishermen from TN who were fishing in deep sea and seized 86 boats. more..

Apr 26 (GDI) Govt and the people of Sri Lanka is deeply saddened by the tragic loss of lives and extensive damage to property caused by the earthquake which occurred this morning (25) in Nepal and extends sincere condolences to the Govt and people of Nepal particularly the families of the bereaved, and, wish a speedy recovery to those injured by this calamity. As a gesture of solidarity towards the friendly people of Nepal, Govt of SL will dispatch Emergency Relief Assistance to more..

Apr 26 (SL) Deputy Minister of Justice Sujeewa Senasinghe says laws must be introduced to restrict public demonstrations to specific areas as a move forward for to allow peaceful demonstrations in the country in order to protect the rights of activists, workers and the public. He said that in Sri Lanka the public demonstrations are carried out at times disturbing the public and causing public unrest. Therefore he added that there is a need to introduce laws that curtail demonstrations to more..

Apr 26 (CT) National Zoological Gardens in Dehiwala has found two foster mother dogs to nurse two of the lion cubs who were abandoned by their mother recently. "The three lion cubs were born on 22 April 2015 at Dehiwala Zoo. But, soon after they were born, they were abandoned by their mother Sakina," a Zoo official said. "One of the cubs was sent to a foster mother dog on 23 April and another cub was sent to his foster-mother more..

Apr 26 (DM) MP Namal Rajapaksa said that he was unaware about an incident where a man said to be a security officer of his was caught bearing a gun in the vicinity of President Maithripala Sirisena in Angunukolapelassa on Saturday (25). "I have seen some reports in social media about such an incident, but what I have to say is, I am unaware about such a thing at all and no one informed me about it as yet," Mr Rajapaksa said when the Daily Mirror inquired about the Police claim. more..

Apr 26 (GDI) President Maithripala Sirisena who called on Chief Prelate of the Malwatta chapter Most Venerable Tibbotuwawe Sri Sumangala Thera presented a copy of the Draft Bill on the 19th Amendment to the Constitution to the Chief Prelate. Thereafter, after a brief discussion, the Mahanayake Thera chanted Seth Pirith and invoked blessings on the President. President also called on the Anunayake of the Malwatta Chapter Ven. Niyangoda Vijithasiri Thera and presented a copy of more..

Apr 26 (EN) Sri Lankan authorities have begun probing what top sleuths are calling the biggest VVIP security breach since the assassination bid against former president Chandrika Kumaratunga in 1999. The police top brass were shocked to learn that an armed soldier in civilian clothing made it to what was thought to be a sterile area at a meeting addressed by President Maithripala Sirisena at Angunakolapelessa on Saturday. more..

Apr 27 (CT) George Orwell said in his famous novel, Animal Farm “that all animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others’’, this is relevant not only during the Stalin’s period in Russia, but to any person who tries to control others by political or any other means. In the human kingdom, some have leadership qualities in their personality. Others feel comfortable, to be guided by a leader. Politicians as a group, usually have strong desire for leadership. Politicians always try to convince more..

Apr 27 (ST) One final attempt will be made by Parliament, in the coming two days, to pass the 19th Amendment to the Constitution, after two previous attempts failed due to disagreements within the UPFA, as well as the fracas caused over the decision to summon former President Rajapaksa to the Bribery Commission. The 19th Amendment will be taken up for debate tomorrow and put to a vote on Tuesday evening, but whether it will get the final nod from two-thirds of the members, more..

Apr 27 (SO) It's Vesak once again - celebrating the birth, enlightenment and passing away of the Buddha. This is also a time for giving. According to Buddhist precepts giving of alms is a meritorious act. Many Buddhists observe sil during the two days of Vesak and refrain from consuming food, except at specified times, while others indulge in visiting dansalas (No English equivalent is found. It is the hall or area where food is more..

Apr 27 (CT) It is difficult to envisage delivering a lecture to commemorate Mr. S.J.V. Chelvanayakam without reflecting upon the one issue that concerned him most – the minorities question in Sri Lanka. Mr. Chevanayakam and his Party, the Federal Party, engaged in a long and difficult struggle to win the Tamil peoples’ rights. I would like to present to you some thoughts about the ethnic and religious problems we have faced since Independence. I do not intend to go into the history of more..

Apr 27 (NS) Hello there Mr. Grand Impostor. I have been following your ascendancy to high office in recent times with great interest. Well, first it was interest, then it became a curiosity, then a bit of a concern and now it has become a full blown bloody consternation. Before I start venting my spleen on your sorry ass, let me commend you on your duplicity and total commitment to self-preservation and power aggrandizement at the expense of all but self. That takes some doing. more..

Apr 27 (CT) The 100-Day Programme will officially come to an end tomorrow (23). Now, Parliament is in chaos, the 19th Amendment to the Constitution is left hanging in the balance, but Deputy Minister Dr. Harsha de Silva said the ball is in the SLFP court. He added the UNP has delivered as promised. The President has announced that Parliament would be dissolved once the 19A is passed. Do you think UNP can get simple more..

Apr 27 (NS) There was drama aplenty in Parliament this week, but the govt’s efforts to enact the 19th Amendment to the Constitution are yet to become a reality. It has been thwarted by the SLFP which is determined to push through electoral reforms at the same time. Parliament is now scheduled to meet again tomorrow in what would be the final effort to push through the reforms. Despite many optimistic pronouncements from both the govt and the opposition, their passage through legislature more..

Apr 27 (ST) It appears that the President of Sri Lanka likes vivid imagery. Not so long ago, he compared the members of his party to crabs dancing in a boiling pot of water. This prediction came uncannily true this week when some of these members discarded even the stipulated parliamentary dress and slept in running shorts on the floor of the House. The frolicking MPs cast themselves and the House into ridicule in protest over former President Rajapaksa being more..

Apr 27 (CT) The sun had almost reached its zenith when we set forth on our journey to Jaffna, the land of palm trees, famous public library and of course, the mouthwatering cuisine. Originally it was only the three of us, but we met two other friends at the Colombo Fort Railway Station, from where we boarded the Uttara Devi Intercity Express to Jaffna. My friends and I had homemade sandwiches for the ride and lots of water. more..

Apr 26 (CT) While the drama over former President Rajapaksa being summoned to the Bribery Commission to obtain a statement over offering a Cabinet post to UNP defector Attanayake took an ugly turn with his supporters protesting within the high security zone in Parliament and the UPFA- SLFP MPs backing him protesting in the 'well' of Parliament with a night sleep over in the chamber, the next day the opposition was taken by storm when former Minister Basil Rajapaksa was more..

Apr 26 (CT) The august assembly on more occasions than not gets heated up with verbal exchanges between opposition and govt ranks was turned into a house of comedy with UPFA members occupying the Well of Parliament to protest against summoning of former President Mahinda Rajapaksa to the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC) last week. Over 50 opposition legislators on Monday (20) launched a continuous fast in the Well of Parliament more..

Apr 27 (FT) Legal proceedings in relation to a controversial supply of coal to the Norochcholai Power Plant took a fresh twist with former Chairman of Ceylon Shipping Corporation (CSCL) Kanchana Ratwatte filing a claim for Rs. 2 million in damages. In a petition filed in the Supreme Court, Ratwatte alleged that he was unlawfully arrested in violation of his fundamental rights as set out in Articles 12 and 13 of the Constitution more..

Apr 27 (Island) Thailand has expressed its disappointment at a European Union (EU) ultimatum over illegal fishing. Thai authorities have, fearing a colossal loss to the tune of billions of US dollars in the event of a ban on their fish exports to Europe, taken umbrage at what has come to be dubbed the flashing of the 'yellow' card. The EU insists that the Thai govt has not done enough all these years, in spite of repeated warnings, to address issues which have led to unreported & unregulated fishing. more..

Apr 27 (ST) A friend of mine told me years ago that Sri Lankans always live in history. I was not old enough or matured enough to understand this then. Not that I am matured now but old enough to realise what my friend meant. True, we Sri Lankans love to read and repeat our history. Being yet another Sri Lankan, I am no different. I thought I would peep into our proud history to draw some parallels. Yes, I came across an incident and wondered whether History repeats. more..

Apr 27 (Island) Mobitel, the leading mobile service provider in Sri Lanka ceremonially opened its Innovation Centre at the TRACE Expert City on Friday to do product innovations focusing on the needs of the customer. The Innovation Centre's techno-centric platform will focus on customer-centric features when developing new mobile solutions. Coinciding with Mobitel's 22nd anniversary, TRACE Expert City Complex more..

Apr 27 (Island) London based Sri Lankan athlete Anuradha Indrajith Cooray has qualified for the Rio Olympics Marathon when he broke the long standing Sri Lanka national marathon record at the London Marathon on Sunday, statistician of the Athletics Association of Sri Lanka confirmed. 37-year old Cooray has shattered legendary marathoner S.L.B. Rosa’s 40 year old record when he clocked two hours 13 minutes and 47 seconds to finish 14th in the London Marathon. more..

Apr 27 (CT) The Govt's insatiable lust for rupees continued by borrowing Rs 25 billion from the market from the outright sale of Treasury (T)-Bills at Friday's trading, Central Bank's open market operations data showed. There was no such rupee borrowings by the previous regime in the commensurate period last year. Additionally, GoSL through CBSL plans to raise another Rs 21 billion by selling Treasury (T)-Bills to the market on Tuesday, through their regular weekly T-Bill auction process. more..

Apr 27 (ST) With the withdrawal of Cairn India from oil and gas exploration in Mannar Basin after the discovery of hydrocarbons in two offshore wells, SL is persuading new global companies to tap these potential resources under the 3rd phase exploration programme, PRDS Director General Saliya Wickramasuriya said. Cairn India has pulled out of its offshore fuel and natural gas explorations within the Mannar Basin more..

Apr 27 (DN) SriLankan Airlines under a new business model will make a turn around and start earning profits from the 2017/18 financial year, said it’s Chairman, Ajith Dias. Speaking to Daily News at the Sancharaka Udawa exhibition at BMICH whe said that under their new financial plan they are looking at reducing costs during the 2015/16 financial year. “During 2016/17 we hope to break even and record profits the next year. “I only took over this debt ridden institution in Feb 12, more..

Apr 27 (FT) The South Asian Investment Conference (SAIC) organised by the Colombo Stock Exchange (CSE) in association with the South Asian Federation of Exchanges (SAFE), will take place today at the Galadari Hotel, Colombo. Minister Ravi Karunanayake, Deputy Minister Dr. Harsha De Silva, Securities and Exchange Commission of Sri Lanka Chairman Tilak Karunaratne and Colombo Stock Exchange Chairman Vajira Kulatilaka will address the audience at the inaugural ceremony. more..

Apr 27 (FT) Colombo International Container Terminals (CICT) has made a major breakthrough for the Port of Colombo by attracting China Shipping Container Line (CSCL) to launch a brand new regular weekly service to the Port of Colombo. CSCL is the national container carrier of China and the seventh largest container carrier in the world. The very first vessel on this new service MV CSCL Vancouver called at CICT on 19 April. more..

Apr 27 (CT) Minister Arjuna Ranatunga has urged the President and the PM to ensure that the nominations are not granted to opportunistic and corrupt persons for the upcoming elections. “Honorable President, Honorable PM, remarkably for the first time in the Sri Lankan political history, today both of you are able to move all parties and people in the North and the South towards one destined objective. Even though both of you belong to two different political parties more..

Apr 27 (FT) Sri Lanka’s total quantity of tea exports – including re-exports of imported tea – plunged 18.7% year-on-year (YoY) down to 25.2 Mn/kgs during the month of March. Similarly, export earnings from tea exports also recorded a corresponding decline to Rs. 15.1 billion, amounting to a 25.7% YoY decline as a result of reduced quantities of sales in combination with a decline in the FOB price per kilogram from Rs. 655.5 down to Rs. 598.6 per kilogram. more..

Apr 27 (DN) Colombo Magistrate’s Court has allowed Police to seek Interpol assistance to arrest Sepala Rathnayaka, former Minister (Consular and Immigration) of the High Commissioner to the UK, in connection with a child abuse case. Rathnayaka has been charged with allegedly abducting a 14-year-old child and using him for a news item without his guardians’ consent. Police started investigations into the case after more..

Apr 27 (CT) The President's Secretariat has drawn the attention of the Justice Ministry to determine why Sinnethamby Sri Udaya, the young woman who was charged with defacing the Sigiriya mirror wall, is still languishing in prison despite a presidential pardon granted by President Maithripala Sirisena. Meanwhile, Prisons Commissioner General, Rohana Pushpakumara said, the documents pertaining to the release have still not been received by him. Mother of Udaya, S. Navamani more..