Oct 26 (CT) Promising that the Govt would intervene to solve problems of suspected LTTE detainees if there were any, Minister of Justice and Prison Reforms Thalatha Atukorale told Parliament that the Govt, however, does not identify these detainees as political prisoners. Responding to TNA MP M.A. Sumanthiran during the adjournment debate on prisoners detained under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA), more..

Oct 26 (ST) In response to The Sunday Times story last week on the possible withdrawal of essential drugs, the National Medicines Regulatory Authority has issued the following statement: The title of the article Many essential drugs being withdrawn from Sri Lanka (14 Oct issue) itself is misleading. It appears the writer aimed to sensationalise a poorly researched article on an important matter by stating more..

Oct 26 (DN) After receiving GSP plus in May 2017, Sri Lankan exports have increased by 18% to EU, said Ambassador of European Union (EU) to SL and Maldives Tung-Lai Margue was at the National Chamber (NCCSL) hosted event. “GSP plus status has the greatest impact on the Sri Lanka’s apparel exports, which accounts for approximately 60% of the country’s exports to EU market.” said Tung-Lai Margue. more..

Oct 26 (CT) A price formula should be introduced by the Ministry of Finance to increase taxes on cigarettes, Executive Director of Verite Research, Dr. Nishan de Mel said yesterday. Addressing a Media briefing prior to the presentation of Budget Proposals for 2019, Dr. de Mel observed that the Ministry should come up with a tax formula for cigarettes if it wished to ensure regular revenue for the country. more..

Oct 26 (EN) Govt will be able to borrow at lower cost and in a timely manner to meet debt repayments with higher borrowing limits approved by parliament under a new debt law, Minister Mangala Samaraweera said. Samaraweera has sought parliamentary approval to borrow up to 310 billion rupees in or outside Sri Lanka under the provisions of the Active Liability Management Act No.8 of 2018. more..

Oct 26 (AD) Niraj Roshan alias Ali Roshan and 6 others, arrested over the illegal possession of four elephants and racketeering, have been granted bail with strict bail conditions by the Permanent High Court-at-Bar. The case was taken up today (26) before a trial-at-bar comprised of Justices Sampath Abeykoon (Chairman), Sampath Wijayaratne and Champa Janaki Rajaratne. more..

Oct 26 (CT) Chairman of the ITAK, the main constituent Party of the TNA, C.V.K. Sivagnanam said that while former Northern Province Chief Minister C.V. Wigneswaran’s new political journey would be a challenge for the Tamil polity, it would however, not severely impact the political parties of the Northern and Eastern Province. Wigneswaran yesterday (24), announced the formation of Tamil Makkal Koottanii (TMK). more..

Oct 26 (CT) It came to light yesterday, that Parliament is yet to receive the translated copies of the PRECIFAC report and the PCoI report on the Central Bank bonds scam, even after the lapse of eight months. The debate on the said reports was suspended indefinitely on 20 February due to the lack of translated copies of the PRECIFAC Report. This was revealed when TNA MP M.A. Sumanthiran alleged that more..

Oct 26 (CT) Perhaps the most ironic situation we Sri Lankans encounter is the first question we ask when someone comes home from a sojourn abroad, Did you bring chocolates? The irony in this question is the fact that Sri Lanka, being a tropical country where cocoa trees thrive, is full of inhabitants seemingly in love with foreign chocolates. This preference for all things from abroad has seriously hampered local industry and agriculture in more ways than one. Upon close inspection more..

Oct 26 (FT) Today your columnist will stray a tad bit off the well-trodden path. To make a foray into the realm of three types of the funnies. Where the sun is always shining on our blessed isle. If there is a cloud on the horizon – why, we’d find that slightly amusing too. In the subdomain of humour as a sweetener, if not in the real world of bitter-pill politics. First, I was fortunate enough to have booked a balcony seat on which to park my fundament for Freddy 3: A New Hope. more..

Oct 26 (Island) The SLFP has received an assurance from PM Ranil Wickremesinghe and Minister Mangala Samaraweera that problems relating to Gamperaliya accelerated rural development programme would be sorted out within two weeks. The UNP has promised to inquire into issues raised by the SLFP at a meeting with Prez Sirisena early this week. Minister and party spokesman Mahinda Samarasinghe explained that there were problems in some districts. more..

Oct 26 (CG) A Malaysian company has filed an arbitration case against Sri Lanka over the cancellation of a USD 150 million wind/solar hybrid power plant project. KLS Energy Lanka, the local subsidiary of Malaysian renewable energy producer Energy Sdn Bhd of Malaysia has initiated ICSID arbitration under the Sri Lanka-Malaysia BIT, due to the cancellation of a USD 150 million wind/solar hybrid power plant project by the Sri Lankan Govt, reports said today. more..

Oct 26 (DM) Colombo Fort Magistrate's Court today refused to accept a secret document to be filed by the Attorney General in the Central Bank bond scam case. Magistrate Lanka Jayaratna said it should be filed in court as a public document. At the outset of the inquiry President's Counsel Anil Silva appearing for Arjun Aloysius requested the court to grant bail to his client under special circumstances. more..

Oct 26 (AD) Deputy Minister Ranjan Ramanayake says that the brutal killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi is not something unusual for Sri Lanka, which has witnessed incidents such as the murder of Lasantha Wickrematunge and disappearance of Prageeth Eknaligoda. He stated this following an event held in Colombo yesterday (25), with regard to the murder of Saudi Arabian journalist Jamal Khashoggi. He said that it is surprising that such a murder was carried out by more..

Oct 26 (EN) A SL govt agency is to do geotechnical studies on a proposed flood barrier on the Kelani river to prevent floods from damaging Colombo and suburbs during the rainy season. A statement said the government plans to build a flood embankment along the Kelani river from Hanwella up to the river mouth to mitigate the damage caused around the river basin by floods. A geotechnical investigation has to be done before the construction of the proposed flood embankments. more..

Oct 26 (CT) While the Ministry of Health is embroiled in many controversies and receiving bad press, Sujatha Senaratne, Minister Rajitha Senaratne‘s wife cum Private Secretary, has invited journalists for a special medical camp followed by breakfast. Three-day health camp starting from Nov 5 will take place at SL Foundation and the ministry requests all journalists to make use of this excellent opportunity and undergo a thorough medical more..

Oct 26 (DM) Three persons including a manager of a private drone operating firm had been summoned by the Thalangama Police to record statements over the incident where a drone was found hovering over MP Ravi Karunanayake’s residence. Police said they recorded the statement from the manager this morning and that they are yet to record statements from the other two who are drone operators. MP Karunanayake said in Parliament on Thursday that his house was being video recorded by more..

Oct 26 (EN) SL is to buy a deep sea sand dredger to meet growing demand from the construction industry for offshore raw material as existing sources of river sand dwindle, govt statement said. “Due to the scarcity of river sand utilized for constructions, there is a higher demand for offshore sand as an alternative,” it said. This demand is now met by the Land Reclamation and Development Corporation which prepares and supplies offshore sand to be used for construction activities. more..

Oct 26 (PSL) Dedicating Sundays for Dham Pasal education has become necessity on behalf of the nation and the future of the children, said the Prez. President Sirisena also pondered that since the significance of this matter has already been identified, all parties should work towards implementing it rather than issuing circulars, regulations, or orders. Prez mentioned this addressing the 8th conference of more..

Oct 26 (DM) Former President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s security can be stepped up if threats to his life had increased, PM Ranil Wickremesinghe said. Responding to concerns raised by JO MP Dinesh Gunawardane, the premier went on to say that Mr.Rajapaksa was already provided with special security for his residences in Wijerama, Medamulana and Carlton House. “As he is engaged in active politics he has been provided with STF personnel for back up as well,” he said. more..

Oct 26 (CT) All spectators are excluded from proceedings scheduled to be held today (26), before the Presidential Commission of Inquiry (PCoI) to investigate and inquire into alleged irregularities in connection with the SriLankan Airlines Limited, SriLankan Catering Limited and Mihin Lanka. Chairman of the Commission, retired Supreme Court Judge Anil Gooneratne said yesterday, that the proceedings will be on camera saying that given the sensitivity of the evidence to be adduced, more..

Oct 26 (DM) Ex-TID DIG Nalaka de Silva was arrested in connection with the alleged plot to kill ASP Prasanna Alwis and not in connection with the alleged plot to assassinate Prez Sirisena and Gotabaya Rajapaksa, Police Spokesman Ruwan Gunasekara said. The CID arrested Nalaka de Silva on Thursday and he was remanded till Nov 7 by Colombo Fort Magistrate Lanka Jayaratne in connection with the alleged plot more..

Oct 26 (DM) An armed robber has made off with over Rs 400,000 in cash and a gold chain belonging to a female employee during a daytime bank robbery in Hambantota. An individual wearing a full-face helmet to conceal his identity and wielding a firearm had entered the branch of a cooperative bank in the Hambantota area on 2.00 p.m. on Thursday (25). The suspect had threatened the employees at the bank and robbed the cash while the incident was recorded on the CCTV cameras of the bank. more..

Oct 26 (CT) National Building Research Organization (NBRO) has emphasized that it was imperative to obtain the Land Clearance Certificate (LCC) issued by them when constructing any buildings be they private residences or others. Director of the Landslide Research and Risk Management Division of the NBRO, R.M.S. Bandara said that all Pradeshiya Sabhas (PSs) will be considering and evaluating LCC issued by NBRO ahead of granting approval to construct. more..

Oct 26 (CI) Fresh from piling on 366 against England in the final one-dayer, Sri Lanka are hopeful the tables they turned on Tuesday will remain upended, that the boots will stay switched, and that their batsmen will continue their plunder in the T20 on Saturday. Sure, victory in the fifth ODI came in a dead rubber against a substantially weakened England side, but its emphatic nature - the 219-run DLS win was SL's biggest this decade - more..

Oct 26 (CI) Following an ODI series in which all five matches were affected by the rain, Sri Lanka and England will now attempt to squeeze in a one-off T20 that could be more splash than thrash. By the time the rain came hammering down in Colombo on Tuesday, England had suffered a painful-looking belly-flop to end their winning run; Sri Lanka will be hoping it is them handing out the towellings from here on in, with three Tests to follow next month. Given that the third ODI in Pallekele more..

Oct 26 (DM) Several complaints have been received by the Colombo Municipality that stray dogs have invaded several public institutions including some leading schools and hospitals and is a nuisance and a danger to visitors, CMC Chief Veterinary Surgeon Dr. I.V.P. Dharmawardane said. He said the Lady Ridgeway Hospital, the Colombo National Hospital, the Castle Street Hospital, Elders Homes and leading schools such as Ananda, Nalanda, Gothami, Isipathana and railway stations and ports more..

Oct 26 (AD) Parliament today passed the resolution to raise Rs. 310 billion by way of loans in or outside SL for Active Liability Management by Govt of SL. Parliament resolved under section 3 of the Active Liability Management Act of 2018 that “a sum not exceeding Rs. 310 billion may be raised by the Govt by way of loans, in or outside SL for such purposes as specified in the provisions of the Active Liability Management Act No 8 of 2018”. more..

Oct 26 (DM) Human Rights Commission of SL (HRCSL) categorically rejected allegations of being responsible in any manner for the UN request for the repatriation of Lt. Col. Kalana Amunupura, the Commander of the SL Military Contingent deployed in Mali as part of the UN Peacekeeping Mission. "With reference to the Daily Mirror article titled, 'UN request to withdraw the Commander, Prez expresses concern, has misgivings about the role played by the HRCSL," Chairperson more..

Oct 26 (AD) UPFA has decided to withdraw from the unity govt. This was revealed by UPFA General Secretary Mahinda Amaraweera. He stated that the Speaker of Parliament has been notified of the decision in writing. President Sirisena’s SLFP, the main constituent party of the UPFA, and PM Ranil Wickremesinghe’s UNP had formed a unity govt in August 2015 following the general election. The coalition had grown increasingly strained in recent months. more..

Oct 26 (AD) Former President Mahinda Rajapaksa has been sworn in as the Prime Minister before President Sirisena, a short while ago. The unexpected announcement comes just minutes after the UPFA decided to withdraw from the unity govt. UPFA General Secretary Mahinda Amaraweera stated that the Speaker of Parliament has been notified of the decision in writing. more..

Oct 27 (CT) Political splits are inevitable. They happen and are easy to predict. The reasons for those splits, however, are difficult to ascertain. More often than not, feel-good, self-righteous, chest-thumping statements about democracy and good governance are made to the public. The public, for their part, believes these to be the causes for those splits, when the reality may be different. After all, who can now deny that the ruckus over good governance was a cover for the personality more..

Oct 27 (DN) The church has a proud record of service: people have been educated and refugees looked after – it is a proud witness to the immutable message that God loves each one of us. St. Luke’s Church, Tharmapuram, three miles towards Mullaitivu from Paranthan, is a community that was formed when many Tamils came flooding there to escape the 1956 riots. With the shortage of priests, I remember my father finishing Sunday mass at St. James’, Nallur, and rushing there. more..

Oct 27 (Roar) On July 9 this year, Principal W.R.H.M. Jayawardena of Polpithigama National School was sentenced by the Kurunegala HC to 3 years’ imprisonment for caning a student in 2011. Two weeks later, a group of civil society organisations, including Polpithigama Educational Zone Principals’ Association, organised a ceremony in support of Jayawardena, collecting 25,000 signatures on a petition for his release. more..

Oct 27 (CT) There are apparent improvements in the draft Counter Terrorism Act (CTA) in comparison to the exiting Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA). However they are far short of preventing possible abuse of power on the part of the police, or the security forces, and safeguarding the necessary rights of the suspects until proven guilty or even thereafter. The prevention of possible abuse of power on the part of the police or the security forces would not depend merely on more..

Oct 27 (CT) Transitional justice is a healing process that we have voluntarily chosen to heal the wounds caused during the 30 years of brutal war. The effects and impacts of the cruel war cannot be restricted to any particular race, religion or to a particular region. It is an irrefutable fact that each and every religious and ethnic group has experienced the pain of the war and it has left a scar in their hearts. In this context, the transitional justice process, a healing process, is not unique for one community more..

Oct 27 (CT) Jaffna University students have a reputation of maintaining a non-violent approach to problematic issues, to a great extent and despite three decades of turbulence in the North and East they remained focused on academics, hardly engaging in any form of aggression with regard to the issues they came across. Jaffna University students proved their commitment towards non-violence when more..

Oct 27 (Island) What has hit the country is the political version of an earthquake. The appointment of former President Rajapaksa as the PM came as a bolt from the blue. Speculation had been rife in political circles that the SLPP and the SLFP-led UPFA would form a caretaker govt, but it was not thought that Sirisena and Rajapaksa would close ranks so soon. In August 2015, President Sirisena queered the pitch for Rajapaksa, who strove to secure the premiership by contesting more..

Oct 27 (DN) Maritime security in the Indian Ocean is a hot topic in every forum today. The need to build strategic maritime partnerships to develop collaborative approaches in the Indian Ocean, defence and security of the regional waters, and collective air power have become widely discussed solutions emphasised in many international forums. The Colombo Air Symposium 2018 held last week similarly brought together scholars, academics, military leaders, diplomats and policymakers more..