May 18 (EN) SL’s investment promotion agency, the BoI, plans to introduce a new solid waste disposal system at the Biyagama Export Processing Zone, one of the first in the island, now operating at full capacity. The zone has total area of 450 acres, and hosts 57 enterprises employing 25,661 people, with over half being apparel and rubber products manufacturers. One of the challenges that the zone faces today is how to dispose of the solid waste more..

May 18 (Island) The STF arrested two Maldivians yesterday with 1,995 ecstasy tablets worth over Rs 10 million, at Dehiwala. The arrest was made after the organised crimes unit of the STF received information that a gang of Maldivians and Nigerians were selling recreational drugs like ecstasy among young club goers. They were carrying the drugs inside a small cardboard box which had two compartments. Police said that the suspects had placed clothing items on top of the drugs. more..

May 18 (NST) Malaysian Police said that they had found 2.87 million Sri Lankan Rupees in former Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak’s mansion. Malaysian police on Thursday (17) night raided three apartments in a posh Kuala Lumpur condominium owned by former prime minister Najib Razak’s family, carting away 284 boxes containing luxury handbags and 72 bags filled with jewellery, cash of various denominations, more..

May 18 (CT) The PM’s office has commenced a special investigation into Felix Rodrigo, a Senior Advisor to Minister John Amaratunga, over an alleged attempt to pay over Rs. 6 million to a company owned by his brother for an event hosted by the Ministry. The event The Royal Wedding Ceremony of Sri Lanka (RWCS 2017) in which 100 Chinese couples got married in Sri Lanka was partly initiated by the Sri Lanka Tourism Promotional Bureau (SLTPB), in December, last year. more..

May 18 (FT) Always candid Harin Fernando this week said the Telecommunications Regulatory Commission (TRC) should be under his Ministry and not anywhere else if recent reshuffling of Cabinet and subjects were done scientifically. He made this remark when addressing forum of over 600 small and medium businesses, startups and young entrepreneurs hosted by Facebook. Telecom, Digital Infrastructure and Foreign Employment Minister Harin Fernando’s more..

May 18 (AD) The commemoration ceremony organized in remembrance of the Tamil civilians that died in the Wellamulliwaikkal area in Mullaitivu during the war, commenced today with the lighting of the commemorative lamp by Northern Province Chief Minister C.V. Vigneswaran. Meanwhile all shops and places of business remained closed in the Mullaitivu town today as a Harthal was observed in memory of the Tamil more..

May 18 (Island) Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) said that in an endeavor to better the educational environment in Kilinochchi since 2011, it had granted USD 7.5 million to renovate a number of schools in the district. The agreement between Korea and Sri Lanka for the project, was signed by Country Director of KOICA SL Office, Lee Dong Ku, Secretary to the Ministry of Education S.Hettiarachchi and Director General of Dept of External Resources Priyantha Rathnayake. more..

May 18 (SMN) The Sri Lanka Ports Authority (SLPA), which operates the island’s state-run ports, continues to make inroads into the transhipment market, improving five places to 13th in the Drewry Port Connectivity Index in the fourth quarter of 2017. In the process, it has also gained from the good throughput flow and the Port of Colombo saw record volume of 6.2m teu in 2017. Sri Lanka’s main port also became the port with the best connectivity in South Asia. more..

May 18 (GDI) State Minister of Defence, Ruwan Wijewardene, leading a delegation to Rwanda signed a MoU between Sri Lanka and Rwanda on 15th May. Minister undertook an official visit to the African country on an invitation extended by the Rwandan govt, recently. The MoU on defence issues was signed during a bilateral meeting between SL and Rwandan defence officials. SL delegation included the State Minister and more..

May 18 (DM) While commemorating the security forces who sacrificed their lives, all civilians who lost their lives from the day the war began should also be remembered during the war heroes day, PM Ranil Wickremesinghe said. He said this at the opening of the Build Sri Lanka 2013 exhibition in Colombo today. “Today is an important day for SL as the country is commemorating the end of the war and the emergence of peace. We will also remember the security forces personnel who more..

May 18 (Island) Military spokesperson Brigadier Sumith Atapattu should resign from his post and no other officer should accept the position in protest against insult Cabinet Spokesperson Rajitha Senaratne heaped on the military, on Wednesday, JO MP Dilum Amunugama said. "A large number of soldiers died in the war. A lot them died because the army didn’t use heavy weapons at the last stages of the war. Rajitha’s claim that the military was responsible for war crimes is an affront to more..

May 18 (EN) Laugfs Gas called for a fair and transparent pricing mechanism for liquefied petroleum gas, after a suffering losses when a court ordered price formula was abandoned in 2015, and prices were re-politicized. Recently a price increase was allowed by Consumer Affairs Authority, on top of one allowed earlier, though benchmark prices of propane and butane, the main raw materials for cooking gas, have moved up more..

May 18 (DM) A former state officer charged with soliciting bribes has been sentenced to five years in prison. The order was issued by Colombo HC Judge Gihan Kulathunga. Suspect was also ordered to pay a compensate fee of 100,000 rupees to the complainant. Judge also stated that failure to pay the compensation fee will result in an additional year in prison. The suspect was also ordered to pay a fine of 10,000 rupees. Suspect was employed as a manager at the Galkiriyagama Unit of more..

May 18 (GDI) Minister of Agriculture Mahinda Amaraweera has instructed to restore and rehabilitate 1500 reservoirs in the dry zone this year at a cost of Rs. 1 billion. The Department of Agrarian Development has briefed the Minister that there are 2,055 tanks and 1,578 anicuts that have been dilapidated due to lack of proper maintenance in many areas of the country including the dry zone. Since many areas of the country do not receive adequate rainfall during growing season, more..

May 18 (DM) There is no move to spend Rs.5.7 million to renovate the toilets at the Mayor’s official residence but some Rs.5.2 million is to be spent on preserving the entire bungalow as a place of archeologically value, Colombo Mayor Rosy Senanayake said today. She said this when referring to a report which said Rs.5.7 million is to be spent for renovating the toilets in the Mayor's official residence. “I have sought the advice of more..

May 18 (NR) SLFP MP Dayasiri Jayasekara says the Free Trade Agreement signed with Singapore has a negative impact on professionals in the country. He said the govt signed the Free Trade Agreement arbitrarily without consulting professionals. PM noted the Free Trade Agreement should be signed after it is tabled in Parliament adding the govt should consult all factions before signing such agreements. He said several professionals expressed their concern over more..

May 18 (DM) A total of 595 Sub Inspectors (SI) and Women Sub Inspectors (WSI) have been promoted to the position of Inspector of Police (IP) with effect from May 31, Police Media Division said. It said the promotions were made by the National Police Commission (NCP) following the recommendations made by IGP Pujith Jayasundara. Among promoted are 56 WSIs. According to the police, the officers have not been promoted for a very long time. more..

May 18 (DM) Former MP Anuruddha Polgampola, who was remanded on charges of violating previous bail conditions in connection with a financial fraud, was today released on a surety bail of Rs.500,000 by Kilinochchi Magistrate A.K. Anandarajah. He was arrested in November last year, in connection with a financial fraud of Rs.8 million in relation to the construction of the Northern Railway line and was released on bail more..

May 18 (FT) Pathfinder Foundation Director Admiral Professor Jayanath Colombage held discussions with Professor Yan Shijing; Vice Chancellor of Sichuan University (SCU) and Director General of the newly established research centre and think tank, China Center for South Asia Studies (CCSAS) on the progress between The Pathfinder Foundation and the two Chinese entities in the future. Prof. Sun Shihai, the former Chairman of China Academy of Social Sciences and former more..

May 18 (DN) The govt allocated Rs 47.3 million to purchase big onions at a certified price of Rs 80 per kilo, Agriculture Minister Mahinda Amaraweera said. The Ministry plans to purchase 7000 metric tons of seed onion from the local farmers as relief for them considering the difficulties faced by most farmers since they cannot get a good price for their produce. According to the Minister, Ministry has also taken measures to provide more relief for farmers, who are engaged in big onion farming. more..

May 18 (AD) The work-to-rule trade union action launched by Sri Lankan Immigration and Emigration Officers’ Association (SLIEOA) has been temporarily called off, a short while ago. The trade union action has been called off based on an assurance given in writing by Minister S.B. Navinna, said the Chairman of SLIEOA Anura Kanugala. Minister has arrived at the BIA at around 9 am today (18) and has held a discussion with more..

May 19 (CT) It is a truth universally acknowledged that in May 2009 the Govt of SL won the war. This extraordinary turn of events, we are told, resulted from the political carte blanche granted to the Gotabaya, Fonseka and Karanagoda troika. License from on high, the story goes, unshackled their hitherto caged military nous and single-minded, perhaps even bloody-minded, focus on military victory. Occasionally the Kumaratunga and Wickremesinghe govts’ victories survive the simplistic narrative’s hegemony. more..

May 19 (CT) I saw the Emperor -this soul of the world- go out from the city to survey his reign; it is a truly a wonderful sensation to see such an individual, who, concentrating on one point while seated on a horse, stretches over the world and dominates it. Such was the reaction of the great Philosopher Hegel when he contemplated Napoleon Buonaparte astride his white Stallion at Jena. That was the end of philosophy wrote a 20th century philosopher Alexandre Kojčve who wrote a critique on the work of the master. more..

May 19 (Roar) Sri Lanka has diverse landscapes; beautiful beaches, rolling teas estates, verdant rainforests and archeological ruins considered world heritage sites. We are also known for our wildlife—in fact, Sri Lanka is ranked among the 34 biodiversity hotspots of the world, and has rich species of flora and fauna. The more popular national parks—Yala, in the Southern/Uva province, Wilpattu, in the North Central/North Western province, and Udawalawe, more..

May 19 (CT) I was interested to read Dilanthi Jayamanne’s article, captioned as above, in your issue of 11 May. While Jayamanne’s reporting is objective and accurate, I was disappointed to note several errors of fact attributed to Prof. Channa Jayasumana and Asoka Abeygunawardana. These may convey an inaccurate picture of the situation regarding glyphosate to your readers. Professor Jayasumana is quoted as alleging that “Govt had sought advice from agriculturists to lift the ban more..

May 19 (CT) In recent times there appears to be a corruption psychosis fast developing in our motherland judging by the posts in the social media such as the Facebook and the views expressed by many writers in the print media. A lawyer, recently returned from the UK, who is an aspirant to be the next President of Sri Lanka and his junior lawyer had been very critical of the judiciary and the legal profession of Sri Lanka alleging that corruption is rife in these sectors. more..

Editor's Note: It's time people rise against these corrupt politicians before it's too late. They are just ONE GANG helping each other to rob people's hard earned money .May 19 (FT) Your Worship, the Mayor of Colombo, Yesterday’s Daily Mirror reports that you are spending Rs. 7.5 m to revamp the toilets in your official residence. One CMC member has had the audacity to criticise it as being a waste of taxpayers’ money but more..

May 19 (DN) For a govt with a declared commitment to fighting corruption, the recent developments, especially with regard to the State Timber Corporation, are in no way supportive of its anti-corruption pledges and responsibilities. There are two former chairmen of the State Timber Corporation, now in remand prison, which does not speak of any teak wood strength in fighting corruption, but that of very weak timber. The new remandee is former JVP MP Anuruddha Polgampola, more..

May 19 (DN) My friend scorned me, The horun hoyana new court is for the consumption of the Sinhala masses that may be moving to the Mahinda Chinthana fold. We should question why there is no maruwan hoyana special judicial process for Tamil victims of war, waiting for nine years. This was promised in 2015. I think this week which marks the ninth year is the best to bring that up. Although the government set up the OMP that started work last weekend, the findings will not be made public more..

May 19 (Island) The SLFP is all at sea. Cast adrift, it has been threatening to pull out of the yahapalana coalition for the last so many months. It is like a drunkard on the scrounge threatening to desert his wife who provides for him. It has renewed its threat on Thursday night, but nobody takes its threats seriously because its leader, President Sirisena, cannot leave the present govt; he knows he will be rendered more vulnerable, in such an eventuality, than he is today. more..

May 19 (Island) Sri Lanka’s foreign relations must reflect the country’s priorities. Sitting in the middle of the Indian Ocean at the southern tip of India, Sri Lanka occupies an enviable strategic position. A blessing that, with careful and thoughtful handling and long term vision, can be leveraged to its advantage and, mismanaged, a curse that has and will attract the unwelcome attentions of global and regional powers seeking to strategically dominate the Indian Ocean. more..

May 19 (Island) This is the Day of Peace – when the LTTE was finally defeated, at Mullivaikkal in the Mullaithivu District. The path of peace is that, or should be that, of reconciliation. It is a word we have heard so often, especially in the past three years. Prez Sirisena, who says he will not retire in 2020, when his term as President ends, has stated that reconciliation remains to be achieved. But the Prez’s Office obviously has more important things than reconciliation today, more..

May 19 (ST) As humans all the problems that we face are a part of life’s journey. Despite all of this though, humanity endures and above all we have the proclivity and the propensity to fight back against problems that are ten times bigger than us, says Suresh De Silva, the vocalist of Stigmata. Lyrically this was just what he wanted to forge into the band’s latest single Heavy Is The Head That Wears The Crown. The heavy baseline is the first to sound through Suresh’s handy speakers more..

May 19 (Island) Today's news media are flooded with an endless ha-ho by home grown professionals against infiltration by unwanted Indians encroaching into their employment niches. This controversy takes my memory back to my boyhood in a Ceylon which was yet a British Colony. Our neighbour India too was British ruled . As such, no passports were necessary for Ceylonese and Indians to travel from Dondra Head to the Himalayan foothills. more..

May 19 (FT) PM Ranil Wickremesinghe, assured that no professionals would lose their jobs as a result of any Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) signed by the Govt, and if problems are presented, officials would engage to resolve them. He had made these statements when he met with representatives of the SL Engineers Institute and Institute of Architects at Temple Trees. Minister Malik Samarawickrama, Ministry officials, and Immigration & Emigration Controller General more..

May 19 (RW) Sri Lanka Red Cross Society and its Disaster Response Units located in every branch of the country (each in every district) has been put on high alert as the inter-monsoonal rainy season sets above the country. As of now rains calculated to be over 100mm can be experienced in Southern & Eastern parts of the country, with thundershowers being expected in other parts. Rainfall in Sri Lanka has multiple origins. Monsoonal, conventional and depressional rain accounts for more..

May 19 (FT) Project Implementation, Youth Affairs and Southern Development Minister Sagala Ratnayaka said Sri Lanka had been punching above its weight when it comes to ​battling​ drug trafficking. Minister made this remark while addressing a session of the UN Office on Drug and Crime (UNODC) in Vienna this week. During his speech, the Minister outlined the progress achieved by the SL Police, especially the Police Narcotic Bureau when combating drugs and drug trafficking. more..

May 19 (DM) Computer Emergency Readiness Team | Co-ordination Centre (CERT|CC) said yesterday they had received complaints about fraudsters hacking into email accounts of businessmen and transferring funds worth more than US$13 million during past five months. CERT|CC Principal Information Security Engineer Roshan Chandragupta said many people had fallen prey to one of the latest techniques where people’s accounts were hacked. They have been requested to change more..