Mar 12 (ST) An official committee that probed the deaths of 27 inmates at the Welikade Prison four years ago has declared that a fresh criminal investigation is necessary to ascertain the truth and institute criminal proceedings. The Committee’s report runs into more than 327 pages and copies of it were circulated amongst ministers last month. The Committee’s task was to investigate the incident and recommend action. more..

Mar 12 (ENS) After becoming the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, Edappadi Palaniswami has perhaps got his first chance to become the great Tamil saviour.         Reminding PM Narendra Modi that protecting the life and liberty of fishermen from TN is the duty of the govts they headed, Palaniswami said the present escalation in the Palk Strait, in which a fisherman from Ramanathapuram was shot dead allegedly more..

Mar 12 (SL) Three CID agents have been reportedly stationed at the Ranaviru Services Authority in order to report on public officials and whistle-blowers leaking information to media and anti-corruption activists, The Sunday Leader learns. The agents have been given the task of uncovering the sources who had leaked the documents revealing fraudulent activities to The Sunday Leader which were published recently. more..

Mar 12 (ST) The National Physical Planning Department (NPPD) of the Ministry of Megapolis and Western Development has voiced strong concerns about the proposed Ruwanpura Expressway of the Ministry of Highways.   The trace cuts through the central fragile areas that are identified as crucial to conservation of the country’s water sources, the NPPD warns in letters to the RDA, CEA and others. more..

Mar 12 (SO) MPs and Provincial Councillors of TNA’s constituent parties met in Vavunia yesterday presided over by TNA leader R. Sampanthan and decided to demand for full implementation of the Geneva Resolution 30/1 which meant giving more time for the Govt to fulfill its promises. The EPRLF however, had opposed saying that the party will distance itself from yesterday’s agreement. more..

Mar 13 (SO) Disgraceful is the adjective that comes to mind to describe parliamentary sittings of Wednesday 8 March. Other words crowd in – vulgarly unruly, hooligan-behaviour, uncivilized actions. One MP did stand up and declare that the public were paying for parliamentary sessions and time was not to be wasted on unruly behaviour. True. Our money goes towards all the expense of Parliament ranging from star class food to superb seats in air conditioned comfort, more..

Mar 13 (CT) Living in a society where more and more people are misled everyday by the false information being spread, I wish not to remain silent anymore. I am a 3rd-year medical student following my undergraduate degree at SAITM and a former student of Royal Institute, Nugegoda. In 2014, I entered SAITM with the entry qualifications of 4A*s for my Cambridge A/L exam, also having received the Best in SL awards for my Cambridge O/L (2012) & Cambridge A/L (2013) results. more..

Mar 13 (SO) In a bid to reduce traffic congestion in the city of Colombo, Ministry of Megapolis and Western Development along with other related agencies will introduce a new bus priority lane commencing today (12). Starting as a trial project the priority bus lane stretching for one kilometer from Rajagiriya junction to Borella Ayurveda junction will see private and SLTB buses being given precedence with a dedicated more..

Mar 13 (CT) When we are ruled by the law, contracts can be freely entered in the confidence of enforceability. We can drive on the streets knowing that the police will not harass us so long as we drive properly. Indeed, we even have some protection from murderers and criminals in the confidence that they will be punished for harming us. What our institutions buy through proper procedures will be priced best. Our properties will appreciate since the rule of law is conducive to happy living. more..

Mar 13 (ST) The Concluding Observations of the UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW Committee) issued in regard to Sri Lanka on March 3rd this year is illuminating in several respects. It was significant that the Observations were released just a few days before the world marked the International Day of Women. In Sri Lanka, this customarily signifies an empty parade of speeches and social events with no actual impact on gender rights. more..

Mar 13 (CT) Secretary General of the Secretariat for Coordinating the Reconciliation Mechanism Mano Tittawella believes that UNHCR Resolution 30/1 was a major endorsement of the govt's reconciliation efforts. So far there is no question of a hybrid court, since the government has made it abundantly clear that the accountability mechanism will be purely Sri Lankan in composition, he said. more..

Mar 13 (NS) SL’s university students are hardly out of the headlines. These days, they have been in the forefront of the so-called  struggle against the SAITM. Although medical students have been in the frontline, their colleagues following other courses of study have joined in their thousands in the street protests and other agitational campaigns. That is, of course, their right and no one grudges them that, even if it is an open secret that most of the protests involving students have political undertones. more..

Mar 13 (Island) It is jokingly said that madness is hereditary; you get it from your children. Similarly, one wonders whether madness is also communicable. Else, how can one explain why some senior parliamentarians who were once known for their exemplary conduct in the House and respect for parliamentary traditions are now stark raving bonkers, so to speak? They have begun to behave just like other misfits needing psychiatric treatment. more..

Mar 13 (ST) Son damns singer’s affair with woman, 45 years younger;  and says, March 1st was the day my father passed away A family row has broken out in public between Lanka’s top notch singing legend Victor Ratnayake and his son over the singer’s live in lover, 45 years younger to him. Using his Facebook account the son Lelum Ratnayake put the family feud in the public spotlight by stating last week My father passed away on 1st of Mar 2017. When a storm of protests erupted over more..

Mar 13 (ST) Nuwanidu Fernando shone with a top knock of 77 for St Sebastian’s on day two as their annual 67th Battle of the Gold’s encounter against traditional rivals Prince of Wales fizzled out to a draw at De Zoysa Stadium in Moratuwa. As in the first day the match was marred by bad light when Prince of Wales batting the second time was on 41 for 1 having faced eight overs. The writing on the wall was there when play ended on day one with the Cambrians having taken more..

Mar 13 (CI) Coach Chandika Hathurusingha has said he would like to leave Bangladesh in the position Sri Lanka had been in 1996, and that he would happily work with Sri Lanka after his present contract ends in 2019. The mid-1990s were effectively Sri Lanka's coming of age in international cricket. In addition to winning the 1996 World Cup, they also began to produce players who achieved world renown - such as more..

Mar 13 (NS) Apparel exporters have urged that the country should move towards becoming a sourcing hub with regard to the apparel export industry and in the process reduce the export of non-value added and low-value added garment products while introducing increased industrial technological modernization. SL Apparel Exporters Association also urged the govt to seriously consider abolishing the Simplified Suspended Value Added Tax scheme or at least exempting the industry from it. more..

Mar 13 (Island) Way back when Mahinda Rajapaksa’s govt was getting slammed left, right and centre by the international (sic) community, especially at the UNHRC, his detractors were thrilled.  Little did they care that the accusers were tainted in ways that made Sri Lanka look pretty innocent in terms of (alleged) war crimes.  Rajapaksa was accused of being moronic in his foreign policy.  Dark stories were spread about impending sanctions.  more..

Mar 13 (FT) Colombo City Centre (CCC), $ 170 million ultramodern mixed-development venture by the Abans Group and Silver Needle Hospitality of Singapore is tipped to be the country’s first premium retail lifestyle mall to be opened by Christmas, with a Next branded hotel and luxury apartments to be opened by Oct 2018. “The country’s first international shopping destination will be opened this Christmas and we will start to more..

Mar 13 (DN) UPFA MP Douglas Devananda has proposed declaring a common day to commemorate the people who lost their lives due to the war and also to build a memorial to honour them. The MP has presented a private member’s motion in Parliament in this regard. He has proposed to declare an appropriate day to commemorate the people of all religions and nationalities that speak all languages who lost their lives due to the war and take measures to celebrate that day annually. more..

Mar 13 (Hindu) Expressing concern and writing letters condemning the murder of fishermen alone was inadequate, instead those in power should ensure the rights of fishermen and protect them from such dangers. In a press release, the Tamil Nadu Bishops’ Council and Tamil Nadu Latin Bishops Council president Antony Pappusamy said here on Sunday that the council condemned the brutal murder of fisherman Bridjo allegedly by Sri Lankan Navy last week. more..

Mar 13 (DM) A survey carried out by the Transparency International (TI) in the Asia-Pacific region has revealed Sri Lankans pay more bribes to police. They survey results showed Sri Lanka has a bribery rate of 15% among 17 countries and its citizens frequently pay bribes to Police. It also said people pay bribes to public schools, courts and utility providers. The report titled People and Corruption: Asia Pacific, has surveyed nearly 22,000 more..

Mar 13 (DM) An entrepreneur travelling by bus to Nochchiyagama took twice as long to return home after he missed his getting-off point not once but twice. The young businessman who had come to Colombo on a business matter had on his return to Nochchiyagama had taken a bus travelling to Vavuniya through Puttalam. After a tiring day, the man had naturally fallen asleep on his way home only to be rudely shaken awake from his deep slumber by bus conductor at Anuradhpura. more..

Mar 13 (FT) In Nov 2016, Friday Forum issued a statement (Ruler’s Laws and the Rule of Law) deploring the growing denial of the rule of law in the decade ending in 2014. Friday Forum requested govt to speedily work on many fronts to restore the supremacy of the law in relations between Govt and persons, and among persons themselves, including legal entities. Developments since then impel Friday Forum now to deplore the failures of the present Govt to uphold rule of law more..

Mar 13 (DM) The GMOA questions the Cabinet paper on restricting cigarette consumption within the country which is to be presented in parliament this week. Addressing a press briefing, the Association Secretary Dr. Naveen De Zoysa said they have fair reasons to believe that due to the desires of a few people, there is an attempt to delay the issuing of the Cabinet paper on restricting the cigarette consumption. more..

Mar 13 (Island) Sri Lanka has been invited to deliver the keynote address at the 4th High Level Dialogue on Financing for Development in Asia and the Pacific. The official invitation was handed over to Minister Ravi Karunanayake by the Executive Secretary of the UN’s Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific Ms. Shamshad Akhtar on March 10. During the meeting held with the Minister Ravi Karunanayake at the Ministry of Finance, Ms. Akhtar said that more..

Mar 13 (CT) Govt is hoping to raise Rs 45 billion through the issuance of treasuries to the market in a bid to overcome massive monetary commitments in the backdrop of falling revenue. Those include the issuance of Rs 20 billion worth of Treasury (T)-Bonds and Rs 25 billion worth of T-Bills. T-Bonds comprise Rs 12,500 million worth of 2019 maturities and Rs 7,500 million worth of 2024 maturities, while the T-Bills comprise 91 day (3 months) maturities of Rs 9,500 million, more..

Mar 13 (EN) Sri Lanka paddy output in the main Maha cultivation season in 2017 is expected to fall 53% to 1.82 million metric tonnes, govt estimate said, amid the most severe drought in decades. SL's paddy output reached a record 2.9 million metric tonnes in the 2016 Maha season, amid favourable rainfall. After wastage, and 0.05% of the harvest set aside for seed paddy, milled rice output is expected to be 0.85 million metric tonnes, more..

Mar 13 (DN) CID conducting investigations against former Deputy Minister Sarath Kumara Gunaratne and five others for allegedly misappropriating Rs.12 million of public funds allocated for the Negombo Lagoon Development Project informed Court today that they have sought Attorney General’s advice regarding future legal action against the suspects. Six suspects including former Deputy Minister, his son-in-law and four other officials at Ceylon Fisheries Harbour Corporation (CFHC) more..

Mar 13 (FT) As a step towards reviving coconut-based value addition and exports, the Govt is considering liberalising restrictions on coconut imports, Plantation Industries Minister Navin Dissanayake said. “I have taken a bold decision to relax the restriction on the importation of coconuts into Sri Lanka. This is to enable DC (desiccated coconut) millers to import coconut as husked nuts or as fresh kernel. This is only for value addition and export,” Minister Navin Dissanayake said. more..

Mar 13 (EN) IGP Pujith Jayasundara personally led his department’s biggest ever security operation involving nearly 12,000 officers and men to catch 87 people suspected of corruption. In a statement shortly after Jayasundara left for Bangladesh for an int'l police conference, police said the five-hour operation was a success. The security drive came as the police came under criticism for an increase in underworld activities more..

Mar 13 (PTI) Fishermen agitating over the killing of a colleague allegedly by SL Navy decided to withdraw their six-day old protest tomorrow after talks with Union Ministers Nirmala Sitharaman and Pon Radhakrishnan. The breakthrough came after talks between a delegation of fishermen leaders led by Struggle Committee President Arualanandam and the two ministers at a hotel here. Arulanandam said the Ministers have assured that the fishermen's demands would be met following which more..

Mar 13 (SLT) As a destination blessed with all the natural wonders and captivating landscapes, Sri Lanka was able to become the cynosure of all eyes at the India International Film Tourism Conclave – 2017 (IIFTC), Which was held from 23rd to 25th Feb at the J W Marriott Hotel, Juhu, for the 4th consecutive year. Sri Lanka Tourism was able to showcase the island nation’s cultural and natural splendour by participating at this gala event, with over 18 other destinations, more..

Mar 13 (DM) Navy Commander Vice Admiral Ravindra Wijegunaratne denied allegations by Indian fishermen that the SL Navy had opened fire on Indian fishing vessels recently. After attending the Feast of St. Anthony's Sacred Church located on Kachchativu Island, he responded to a question raised by a journalist as to why there had been no Indian presence at the annual Feast saying “Indian fishermen had boycotted the feast due to more..

Mar 13 (CT) Police investigations have revealed that noted underworld criminal Japan Chuti and his wife are in the habit of daily offering flowers, to the value of Rs 15,000, to a Buddhist shrine and a Devale at his three storey house in Thotalanga, in Grandpass Police Division. The flowers are purchased from a vendor in Mattakkuliya. The couple also offers flowers and food to the Buddha statue and statues of Gods in the shrine, to the value of Rs 200,000, each Friday. more..

Mar 13 (DM) A decorated float with seven Buddha statues was recovered in the deep sea off Thirukovil, Ampara by SL Navy. They found seven statues of the Buddha and several other objects in the float. Navy towed it to Oluvil Port and had handed it over to the Akkaraipattu Police. The Police said the two of the statues were about 3ft each and others about 1 ½ ft each. A senior Police Officer said the statues and the float would be produced before Akkaraipattu Magistrate. more..

Mar 13 (Island) Controversy surrounds an agreement between the Agriculture Ministry and Upali Jayasinghe, proprietor of the building at No 288, Rajagiriya-Kotte, J'pura road taken on rent by the former as Rs 500 mn advanced by the government cannot be utilised to pay the monthly rent. In terms of the agreement, advance could be used to pay monthly rent 5 years after the signing of the agreement. more..

Mar 13 (FT) Senior Counsel appearing for Perpetual Treasuries, referring to directives issued by the Supervision of the Non-Bank Financial Institutions Department of the Central Bank, argued that it was apparent that though the directives do not directly refer to the linked-bond issue, the directives were obviously an attempt to respond to the controversy. President’s Counsel S.A. Parathalingam, making his argument before the Court of Appeal last Friday, claimed that more..

Mar 13 (DN) Jaffna Diocese Vicar General Rev. Fr. Joseph Vass Jebaratnam conducting the mass. Pictures by Saman Sri Wedage The Annual Feast of St. Anthony’s Church in the Kachchativu Island was held yesterday under the guidance of Jaffna Diocese Vicar General Rev. Fr. Joseph Vass Jebaratnam. The festival, which commenced with hoisting the flag on Saturday, was concluded yesterday with the participation of 6,500 SL devotees. Indian devotees did not attend the annual feast more..