Sep 4 (Island) Apropos A contentious military appointment in the run-up to the 2019 prez poll, carried in the August 28th edition of The Island, the Executive Director of the National Peace Council (NPC) Dr. Jehan Perera has sent the writer the following statement, headlined Essential to deal with allegations of war-time violations: The elevation of General Shavendra Silva to the position of commander of the SL Army has become a matter of national and international controversy. more..

Sep 4 (Island) The Human Rights Commission of SL has written to the Acting IGP Chandana Wickramaratne outlining a set of guidelines to prevent arbitrary and illegal arrests. HRCSL has requested the Acting IGP to bring these guidelines to the attention of police personnel with strict Instructions requiring compliance. The guidelines recommended by the HRCSL are as follows: 1. Whenever an arrest is to be made there should be solid evidence to form a reasonable suspicion more..

Sep 4 (Island) I admired Prof. Carlo Fonseka as a socially committed intellectual who enhanced, with his rare intellect, the quality of his contribution to the good of the society in a multiplicity of roles he was called upon to play. Among hundreds of quotes about intellectuals I looked at in the internet, I found not a single one that says something good or positive about them. That may be because it is usually intellectuals who are quoted, and more..

Sep 4 (CT) Eco Spindles, a subsidiary of BPPL Holdings, is the only SL company that manufactures Polyester Yarn using polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles. This is one of the two plants in the world capable of spinning yarns directly from flakes made out of waste PET bottles, circumventing the polymerisation process. SL imports 1,400 metric tonnes of plastic polymers a month, of which 30% is reexported, 20% is used to manufacture bottles, and 680 tons a month (50%) goes to landfills. more..

Sep 4 (SO) Former cricket World Cup champion Roshan Mahanama came down hard on the exploitation of children in sports and called for a complete halt to the syndrome that is forcing school goers to deviate from their aspirations to suit the whims and fancies of elders. Mahanama, a member of the Sri Lanka World Cup winning team of 1996, is now a goodwill ambassador for several humanitarian organizations including Save the Children and a granddad at the age of 53. more..

Sep 4 (CI) For the second time in succession a substantial 4th-wicket stand swung a run-chase decidedly in NZ's favour. Despite a drama-filled final over, in which two wickets fell, and a third should have gone down had two fielders not collided at wide long on, fifties from Colin de Grandhomme and Tom Bruce proved sufficient to propel the visitors to victory with two balls, and four wickets to spare. NZ sealed the series - this despite more..

Sep 4 (Island) A great man who would, occasionally, walk into our newspaper office, beaming and inquiring, Son, how’s it going? will never come again. Death of any man diminishes us, we say with apologies to Donne, but the demise of this affable don involved in mankind, has left us diminished beyond measure. He answered to the name of Carlo. Prof. Carlo Fonseka was, in our book, a maven of all trades. Having cut his political teeth at a relatively young age, he imbibed the tenets of more..

Sep 4 (FT) Sinhaputhra Finance PLC (SFPLC) said the Central Bank (CB) was considering its capital augmentation plans, and would submit them to the consideration of the Monetary Board, to fulfil regulatory requirements and foster continued growth. SFPLC on Tuesday said it had received a communique from the CB, in the form of a warning, which could even lead to the cancellation of the company’s licence on the grounds of non-compliance with CB requirements. more..

Sep 4 (Island) Sir John Kotalawala College, Kurunegala sprinter Sithum Jayasundara displayed the prowess of a future star, sprinter Shelinda Jansen emerged from the injury she suffered at the National Championship and Sadeepa Henderson bagged double golds as the Junior National Athletics Championship continued to produce thrills on day two at the Sugathadasa Stadium on Tuesday. On a day of impressve sprint performances more..

Sep 4 (DN) The 89th Sir John Tarbat Schools Athletic Championship 2019 will take place at the Sugathadasa Stadium from September 10 to 12. The championship organized by SL Schools Athletic Association (SLSAA) and Ceylon Biscuits Limited (CBL) Ritzbury has stepped forward for the 9th consecutive year as the sole sponsor with the aim of upliftng the standards of sports in the country whilst supporting budding athletes. Currently standing as the oldest celebrated athletic c'ship in SL, more..

Sep 4 (DM) Election Commission (EC) is expected to give the green light for election observers from the Commonwealth and European Union to oversee the presidential elections. EC Chairman Mahinda Desapriya informed the political parties in writing that his office had already approved observers from the Commonwealth while the European Union had expressed interest in sending its observers. Local election monitors, PAFFREL and CMEV have been authorized by the EC to monitor the elections more..

Sep 4 (DE) Minority communities, Tamils, Muslims and Christians, play a critical role in the country’s Prez election as the Prez is directly elected by the entire enfranchised population. Winning candidate has to get 50% plus one of the valid votes cast. Therefore every community is important for the candidates. Minorities constitute nearly 30% of the population and therefore cannot be ignored by any candidate. more..

Sep 4 (Island) Cinnamon Hotels & Resorts is set to host the third edition of the Future of Tourism Summit (FOT 2019) on September 23 at the Cinnamon Grand Colombo. Running under the theme ‘Challenges and Growth in the Face of a Crisis’, this year’s event will bring together top global destination experts, so they can share their specialist knowledge and insights on how tourism industries can implement sustainable strategies in the long-run and recover & rebuild following more..

Sep 4 (DN) Ajantha Mendis who announced his retirement from int'l cricket intends to support Sri Lanka Cricket in the capacity as a coach. Speaking at a press conference held at Army Engineering Regiment Colombo on Monday he said that it feels sad to end his international career but considering his age as well as the fitness issues it was time to retire. “I have completed level three coaching and I will support Sri Lanka Cricket in the capacity as a coach if they need me in the future,” he said. more..

Sep 4 (FT) A policy analyst on South Asian security affairs and former Commander of the IPKF Maj. Gen. (Retd) Ashok K. Mehta said under a new govt alleged war crimes during the final phase of the war would need to be investigated for reconciliation efforts to have credibility, but also backed a home-grown investigation. He said govt had the right to decide whether it was open to foreign involvement in more..

Sep 4 (DN) Sri Lanka is not in position prepare a balance sheet and does not have one. As a result, the country does not know the total assets of the country, and the total liabilities of the country said, Chairman of PAO Development Committee of IFAC and Senior Partner Ernst & Young, Arjuna Herath. He was speaking at the AAT annual conference at Cinnamon Grand on Monday. He said that due to this the country do not know whether the net worth of the country is growing or eroding. more..

Sep 4 (TM) Digital disruptor, Arimac Digital, released a mobile game via it’s hyper casual gaming portal IMI Club in collaboration with Sri Lanka’s premier supermarket chain, Keells, a press statement said. The free-to-play game is available for iOS and Android devices via the Apple App Store and Google Play Store, respectively. Keells Power Shopper is a side-scrolling arcade-styled adventure game based in a fictitious environment resembling a Keells supermarket. more..

Sep 4 (TM) Moratorium on capital and interest payments of loans promised for local tea manufacturers by the Govt two months ago is still tangled up in a web of bureaucracy, exacerbating the financial woes of the industry. Inquiries revealed that the moratorium has still not been implemented due to the lack of a proper mechanism to enable banks to issue the relief to the applicants. This is in spite of a cabinet paper having been more..

Sep 4 (FT) Ministry of Women and Child Affairs and Dry Zone Development (MOWCADZD) has launched the capacity building training program for Frontline Officers (FLOs) under technical cooperation by Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). Inauguration and launching of this in-country training program was conducted on 19 August in Palgahathanna Management Development Training Centre in Uva Province with the participation of MOWCADZD Secretary more..

Sep 4 (FT) Two phases of the Central Expressway project to expedite traffic between Colombo and Kandy have reached a crossroads with no funds being released to continue the projects. “We are stuck on Phase One of the Central Expressway as the Chinese Govt is still waiting to release the money, and the Phase Three discussions are ongoing with the AG’s Department, to avoid the unfavourable conditions of the Japanese,” RDA Chairman Nihal Ranjan Sooriyarachchi said. more..

Sep 4 (FT) Opposition Leader Mahinda Rajapaksa drawing the Speaker’s attention to the People’s Bank (Amendment) Bill cautioned the Govt to reconsider it given the seriousness of the proposed changes, and to delay the Parliament debate scheduled to be moved today. MP Rajapaksa in a letter addressed to Speaker Karu Jayasuriya, held the People’s Bank (Amd) Bill is widely discussed among the banking sector more..

Sep 4 (DM) Minister John Amaratunga shelved his Cabinet paper seeking to remove several acres of the Wilpattu National Park, where a Church is located, from Protected Area status because of the objections raised by several Cabinet ministers. He had submitted the Cabinet memorandum on an earlier occasion, however, Ministers Gamini Jayawickrama, Champika Ranawaka and Sajith Premadasa raised objections to this move at the Cabinet meeting. more..

Sep 4 (DM) EC member S.R.H. Hoole said the date for the election to the Elpitiya Pradeshiya Sabha has been taken without a meeting of the Commission and therefore he saw lack of neutrality in the move. “I see a lack of neutrality in the attempt to Gazette a date for elections to the Elpitiya PS based on orders purportedly from the Commission without a formal meeting of the Commission," he said. “There has been no meeting of the Election Commission after the Supreme Court decision. more..

Sep 4 (DM) A govt of theirs would bring Arjuna Mahendran to SL in the same manner Kumaran Pathmanathan (KP) was brought in, PHU Leader MP Udaya Gammanpila said. He said they would locate former CB Governor Mahendran no matter where he was hiding in. “We will bring him in under one of our govts and take legal action against him,” he said. “He will face the same fate befallen on KP. We would like to ask him to keep SL id card more..

Sep 4 (DM) Election Commission (EC) Chairman Mahinda Desapriya requested the political parties in writing to send him notice of intention to field candidates at the prez elections before the call for nominations, a party representative said yesterday. The prez elections will be held on a date between Nov 10 and Dec 8. The political party representative, who wished to be unnamed, said this was the first formal communication by the Election Commission with regard to the prez election. more..

Sep 4 (EN) The Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) of Sri Lanka has signed MoUs with the Condominium Management Authority and the National Gem and Jewellery Association to receive support on monitoring money laundering, a statement said. The FIU, an independent unit of the central bank, in a statement said that the MoUs outline the processes for providing information and the support expected from the Condominium Management Authority and the National Gem and Jewellery Association. more..

Sep 4 (CT) Prez Sirisena said that all the necessary documents had been prepared to bring former CB Governor Arjuna Mahendran, who was one of the main suspects in the CB Bonds scam, to Sri Lanka from Singapore. Speaking at the 68th Convention of the SLFP, at the Sugathadasa Stadium yesterday, Prez said that all the documents needed to take all those, in this Govt, involved in that scam to Court, had been finalised. more..

Sep 4 (DM) With party politics having degenerated from what was expected to be a Public Service to a big business, most people are looking for a statesman to vote for at the upcoming Prez Election. On Monday Sri Lanka lost the legendary Professor Carlo Fonseka who had the vision, virtues and values of a statesman. Simple, humble and soft-spoken Prof. Carlo preached only what he practised and practised what he preached, especially in the field of medicine, which he considered more..

Sep 4 (DM) Two weeks ago, the Terrorist Investigation Division (TID) arrested the Judicial Medical Officer of Palai Hospital, Sinniah Sivaruban for allegedly trying to revive the LTTE. Later, allegedly based on information provided by the suspect, TID discovered a cache of firearms, and explosives concealed in a palmyrah grove in Karandiya in Palai. Subsequent police investigations led to the arrest of six former LTTE cadres, some of whom were also army informants. more..

Sep 4 (ST) Piles of rotting vegetables overflowing from garbage bins have become a common sight at the Pettah market, in Colombo, considered one of the main distribution points. Vegetable sellers complain that they are unable to sell the vegetables at a good price due to surplus of supply and a drop in the quality due to the rains. Piles of rotting potatoes, cabbage, carrots and leeks with swarms of flies hovering over them more..

Sep 4 (TM) A list of amendments for the Muslim Marriage and Divorce Act (MMDA) were approved by the Cabinet of Ministers last week, but Muslim rights activists and women’s rights groups criticised the amendments, asserting that it fell far short of the rights and freedoms promised to female Muslims. These amendments are a result of persistent campaigning by Muslim women for over two decades and, at its core, more..

Sep 4 (DM) Starting today in Dambulla, SL is hosting the first int'l conference on Buddhism and Int'l Humanitarian Law (IHL). The 3-day conference will dwell on Reducing Suffering During Armed Conflict: The Interface Between Buddhism and Int'l Humanitarian Law (IHL). The event is organised by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in collaboration with Buddhist scholars from around the world. more..

Sep 4 (SLA) The joint Tri-service Mega Field Training Exercise (FTX), Exercise - Cormorant Strike X - 2019, one more notable annual project of the Army is set to kick off for the 10th consecutive year with 2400 Army, 400 Sailors and 200 Airmen, including 80 plus foreign military participants and observers from 10 countries. The preparatory induction ceremony of the Exercise started this morning (3) at Minneriya more..

Sep 4 (DM) A good many of the clergy in Sri Lanka are now directly involved in politics. We read so much in newspapers these days about the clergy wanting to confer politicians with honours . The latest recipient was PM Ranil Wickremesinghe who was honoured with the Nelson Mandela Peace Prize. He was honoured by the National Church council. What’s encouraging about PM is that he doesn’t support any religion in particular more..

Sep 4 (TDL) President Muhammadu Buhari in Abuja hinted on the possibility of reopening Nigeria’s embassy shut down in Colombo, the Still Lanka capital, since 2017 in acknowledgement of the relationship shared by the two countries. A statement by the Senior Special Assistant to the Prez, said Buhari expressed these feelings while speaking at a farewell audience with the outgoing High Commissioner of SL in Nigeria, more..

Sep 4 (LBO) The Easter Sunday bombings in Sri Lanka have triggered a downgrade for Colombo city in Global Liveability Index 2019, The Economist Intelligence Unit’s latest liveability survey showed. The findings of the survey added that the devastating terrorist attacks in NZ and SL in the past year are a reminder that threats to security are still apparent, but perceptions of the danger posed by terrorism have diminished in recent years. more..

Sep 4 (Island) JVP MP Bimal Rathnayake, told Parliament that the police were misusing the Int'l Covenant on Civil and Political Rights Act. He urged PM to take measures to make the police aware of the true purpose of the ICCPR Act to avoid such instances. MP said: "There have been several instances where the police were misusing the ICCPR Act. In one such instance, a writer has been remanded for a long period of time. more..

Sep 4 (ICC) Despite his team's defeat in the second T20 int'l against NZ, SL captain Lasith Malinga took heart from the fact that the youngsters in his team are fighting hard and giving their best. Chasing 162 in the second game, NZ held their nerve to secure a four-wicket win in the final over. It was their second such win, after they chased down a competitive target, with five wickets in hand, in the first game as well. more..

Sep 4 (AD) SLFP has served the letters to disciplinary action against 5 National List MPs who had left the party, says SLFP General Secretary MP Dayasiri Jayasekara. He stated this addressing a press conference held this morning. Accordingly, MPs Lakshman Yapa Abeywardena, Wijith Wijayamuni Zoysa, S.B. Dissanayake, Dilan Perera and A.H.M. Fowzie have been served disciplinary action letters. more..