Sep 19 (AD) Former Chief of National Intelligence Sisira Mendis gave evidence before the PCoI probing the Easter Sunday terror attacks for the 7th day on Thursday. During the proceedings, the legal counsel representing the Director of State Intelligence Service (SIS) Nilantha Jayawardena asked the witness as to how he came to know that an attack had been carried out on Easter Sunday in 2019. more..

Sep 20 (ST) The 20th Amendment (20A) to the Constitution appears to have become a prestige issue more than anything and the Govt, having lost face to some extent by trying to rush it through amidst major defects and blowbacks from all corners, has taken the path of least resistance; just go through with it and to hell with the criticism. A ghost writer seems to have drafted 20A. Everyone directly or indirectly connected to it was wringing their hands disowning draft saying not me. more..

Sep 20 (SO) The 20th Amendment to the Constitution will become law soon. It means one thing — the nation’s long nightmare that was called the 19th Amendment is over. It will be as if the dam burst — the dam that was for five years holding the better impulses of a nation hostage. It should doubtless be a cause for celebration. The man on the street will celebrate. He should, because though it was a constitutional clause, the 19th Amendment was not the classic legally abstruse law more..

Sep 20 (SO) Yuthukama Organisation Prez and SLPP national list MP Gevindu Cumaratunga in an interview discussed the future role of the organisation which played a pivotal role in electing Prez Rajapaksa to office and later securing a two-thirds for the Govt. “The 19th amendment was also flawed due to the ad-hoc amendments brought in during the third reading of the committee-stage debate. more..

Sep 20 (CT) Just as everyone thought 20A was a done deal the Prez and PM seem to have got cold feet about mounting opposition. On board seemed to be not only the SLPP but also the Dead-Left – a one-time firebrand seeking Cabinet perks, a nephew who defiles the memory of his illustrious uncle and a nondescript ex-Stalinist. Do you remember jellyfish GL who in 1994 said: The PA Govt. has received an overwhelming mandate for the abolition of the Executive Presidency? more..

Sep 20 (CT) No one expected a misfiring start for a supposedly no-nonsense govt that was expected to hit the road firing on all cylinders after the parliamentary election. There is a difference between majority in parliament and competence in govt. Two-thirds majority does not make whole of one-third competence. The 20th Amendment fiasco illustrates well the gap between power and competence. No one knows who drafted the now paused, not withdrawn, 20A draft bill. more..

Sep 20 (SO) UNP newly appointed Deputy Leader Ruwan Wijewardene said that party leaders must work together to rebuild the UNP, adding that party members left the party because of a crisis. The people distanced themselves from the party due to its inability to fulfill the promises to the people, conflicts with the party leadership and for not reorganising the party, he said. more..

Sep 20 (ST) My dear Ruwan, I thought I must write to congratulate you on your promotion as deputy leader of the Green Party, although I am not sure whether this is a great achievement because the Green Party is now only a shadow of the Grand Old Party it was, not so long ago. Still, I suppose congratulations are in order! It is interesting that you have only been made the deputy leader. After 26 years as leader, and being in charge when the party’s vote at the general election slipped to more..

Sep 20 (Island) 20th Amendment (20A) has become a topic of spirited debate and discussion. Much of it is generated by misunderstanding the true intent of 20A. It should not be a durable amendment to the Constitution. Instead, it should be temporary, until a comprehensive new Constitution is developed and presented to the nation. Until then, 20A should serve as a stop gap for the Executive President to address the unprecedented challenges the country has to face following the COVID-19 pandemic. more..

Sep 20 (ST) Having always been an ardent cricket fan, like the multitudeof my fellow countrymen some of whom consider the game as almost a religion, I too found something missing in life during the past few months after our favourite game was also shut down. It was a good thing that the drought came to an end when England, West Indies and Pakistan boldly decided to resume the game, albeit on a low key without the usual colour and entertainment. It is also good that IPL is scheduled to be more..

Sep 20 (SO) Until a new Constitution is promulgated, Sri Lanka has a distinctly presidential system of govt. This fact among other things has been given the Supreme Court imprimatur in the court’s decision on the 19th Amendment. Powers cannot be transferred from the Prez to the PM without a referendum, the Supreme Court decided in its decision on the draft 19A. Forget everything about the 20th Amendment until people get their heads around this fundamental fact. more..

Sep 20 (ST) It is a well known fact among geopolitical observers of the importance of Sri Lanka due to its geographical location in the Indian ocean, given the conflicting interests of two major world powers in the Indian ocean namely India and China. PM Rajapaksa is the master in the art of diplomacy as his Presidency was accused of being too tilted toward China and opposed to India, but he always maintained that India is our relative. more..

Sep 20 (ST) Organisers of the Open and National Surfing Championship, to be held next weekend, are coping with a flood of entries with just a few days remaining before the closing date to accept entries. Hiran Ukwatte, president of Surfing Federation of SL (SFSL) said they have already received the targeted number of entries in both categories, with only a few slots remaining. “We were hoping to attract a total of 80 plus for both categories and so far the response we have got is overwhelming,” more..

Sep 20 (Island) SL Automotive Component Manufacturers’ Association recently announced that the govt is actively seeking to promote automotive assembly with locally secured components, in order to boost the industry and create better job opportunities. The assembly of 100 vehicles will create more than 250 direct jobs and 100 indirect jobs. If 1000 vehicles are assembled, an average of 2500 direct jobs and 1000 indirect jobs will be created ensuring a solid and confident more..

Sep 20 (CT) Amidst controversies, criticism and attempts to submerge disagreements within their own ranks, the much anticipated report consisting amendments, recommendations and suggestions to the 20th Amendment draft Bill did not reach the table where the Cabinet of Ministers met last week. Instead, as per a senior Cabinet Minister, it was unofficially discussed. However, it was decided to table it in Parliament at its earliest. more..

Sep 20 (CT) As if by cue, TNA MP M.A. Sumanthiran begun marshalling forces for defeating the Govt Draft on the proposed 20th Amendment. For his part, Sumanthiran’s one-time guru and a rival Tamil Parliamentarian C. V. Wigneswaran has begun talking about how the denial of ethnic rights by successive Sinhala-led Govts had caused the Tamil youth to take up arms. Between them, they seemed to be provoking even the most moderate sections of Sinhala-Buddhist polity to steadfastly oppose more..

Sep 20 (Island) State Minister Nimal Lanza said yahapalana regime had introduced the 19th Amendment to strengthen the position of then PM Ranil Wickremesinghe by pruning down the executive powers of Prez Sirisena. Lanza, addressing a meeting at the Negombo town hall, said the 19th Amendment had not done any good to the country. He said after the Easter Sunday carnage, yahapalana govt which was in power at the time had not been able to remove the IGP more..

Sep 20 (ST) Loaded with massive debt of billions of rupees, and in order to overcome the financial crisis triggered by COVID-19, SL is seeking more budgetary support from China using its strategic ties, highly placed official sources said. “Beijing is now in a better position to help the island, as it has already brought the COVID-19 issue under control, and the borrowing might be quicker and under favourable conditions,” an eminent more..

Sep 20 (TM) Litro Gas Lanka has reported a growth in their profit before tax (PBT) to Rs. 1.2 billion Year-To-Date (YTD), a growth of 2% compared to the full year 2019 PBT, which is likely to increase to 10% by the end of the year, according to Litro Gas CEO Anil Koswatte. He said that this profit growth was achieved despite a Rs. 240 reduction of their prices, from Rs. 1,733 last year to Rs. 1,493 this year. “We are expected to see Rs. 1.5-2 billion during the year, after tax, despite the fact that more..

Sep 20 (TM) With the Aruwakkalu constructions being expedited, the rest of the projects under the purview of the Western Province Waste Management Authority are also being expedited. The main projects located in Karadiyana, Kerawalapitiya, and Muthurajawela, had not made much progress in generating the much talked-about energy contribution towards the national grid. The Sunday Morning contacted WPWMA Director Nalin Mannaperuma to inquire about present status more..

Sep 20 (ST) Bangladesh cricketers and the support staff will move into a hotel today to be in isolation for seven days before boarding a charter flight to Colombo on Sept 27, but uncertainty still looms over the series. Bangladesh is slated to play three Tests against SL starting Oct 23. It is the first series the two teams will face-off after a COVID-enforced long break. But its fate hangs in the balance with Sri Lanka’s PTF more..

Sep 20 (TM) Covid-19 pandemic has drastically changed the local fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) industry prompted by changes in consumer behaviour. FMCG companies are now faced with the task of reskilling their staff and coming up with new strategies to capture the market. To get a better idea on the current situation, The Sunday Morning Business sat down with industry veteran Dr. Nuwan Wimalana to discuss the current state of the industry and what companies must do in order to more..

Sep 20 (CT) Prez Rajapaksa chaired a meeting on 15 Sept with the presence of the Minister of Ports and Shipping Rohitha Abeygunawardena and the newly appointed State Minister for Port Development and boat building Jayantha Samaraweera with participating govt officials and private sector stakeholders. It has been learnt that during the meeting the president righty emphasised the need to upgrade Colombo, Trincomalee and Galle with Potuvil & Kankesanthurai ports to cater to more..

Sep 20 (AD) Prez Rajapaksa visited Puttalam district today (19) to inspect some of the development projects in the area. Commencing the tour Prez Rajapaksa has inspected the activities in Palachchonai Estate in Madurankuliya. Coconut, vegetables and several other agricultural crops are cultivated in the 900-acre estate, says the PMD. Prez has appreciated the successful model cultivation of grapes in 10 acres of land. more..

Sep 20 (ST) Prices of onions are likely to go up by about 20% in the wake of the Indian ban on exports of the commodity since last Monday. SL’s onion prices as a result will go up as importers will have to shift purchases from India to Pakistan, Egypt, China and Holland, Importers & Traders Association of Essential Food Prez G. Rajendran said. At present SL imports about 10,000 MT of onions from India which is cheaper in price and is faster to access as it takes only 3 days to import it. more..

Sep 20 (TM) The Ministry of Education last week had announced they are out of a budget until the 2021 Budget is presented in December and that they would not have allocations to repair or purchase inventory items such as classroom furniture and other amenities until then. Ceylon Teachers’ Union (CTU) General Secretary Joseph Stalin said: “The lack of funds is not something we are going to experience just in the coming months, but we have been dealing with it throughout. more..

Sep 20 (AD) Former Defence Secretary Hemasiri Fernando says he had not been on good terms or in the good books of former Prez Maithripala Sirisena, in the lead up to the Easter Sunday terror attacks. Testifying before the PCoI probing the Easter attacks, Fernando also noted that there had been mistrust between the two. Former Prez attempted to coerce the former IGP Pujith Jayasundara into claiming responsibility for more..

Sep 20 (ST) The Colombo Hilton, after 33 years has got the wings to expand its 2 1/2 acre bare waterfront land. “We are drawing up plans to develop the 2 1/2 acre waterfront land which we own in the pool side of the property,” Manesh Fernando, Area General Manager, Hilton SL said. Amidst the billions of dollar properties coming up in Colombo, he was confident that Hilton will get some good returns from this land. The hotel is also aggressively upgrading/refurbishing on a US$10 m budget. more..

Sep 20 (NAR) SL's ruling party has proposed a ban on the slaughter of cattle that the country's Muslim minority sees as a new effort to inflame their community as Buddhist groups amass political power. While PM Rajapaksa's govt denies the ban is meant as a swipe against Muslims, it does call it a good gesture toward the Buddhist majority. The ban also adds some geopolitical intrigue to South Asia, where Rajapaksa has a reputation of following the lead of China, SL's largest benefactor. more..

Sep 20 (ST) SriLankan Airlines has stopped the issuance of tickets for charter flights–including for repatriation–through agents as it was found they were charging exorbitant rates. The decision was announced at the PTF meeting this week by Gen Shavendra Silva, head of National Operation Centre to fight COVID-19. There will be no more agent-booked flight reservations as complaints had been received that the markups were steep. more..

Sep 20 (ST) Govt has cleared the arrival of a special flight carrying the Head of the Dawoodi Bohra community and his entourage from Mumbai in India. His Holiness Dr. Syedna Mufaddal Saifuddin was first scheduled to arrive in June but the visit was delayed. GMOA revealed this week that permission had been granted for the community leader and his team–54 from Mumbai and eight from Dubai–to arrive in Sri Lanka within the next few days. It said the Foreign Ministry had sanctioned the visit more..

Sep 20 (TM) Questions have been raised over the handing over of two VVIP aircraft owned by SL to a Lithuanian company for overhauling purposes. Lithuanian company had submitted the lowest bid under tender no. 18/ fr/m.17/10/1 to overhaul the two aircraft, SHM-4419 MI-174E and SMH-4429 MI-171E. The aircraft manufactured in Russia were purchased by SL under a loan scheme in 2013. Fourteen such aircraft were purchased by SL and the two aircraft handed over to Lithuania more..

Sep 20 (TM) It is learnt that the Govt has already incurred a loss of around Rs. 30 billion as a result of cost overruns only from Section I of the CEP which extends from Kadawatha to Meerigama, sources from RDA said. Accordingly, the total cost of Section I of the CEP has now increased from around $ 158 million to $ 194 million. RDA had also had to pay an additional Rs. 8 billion as an advance payment to activate Chinese loan. more..

Sep 20 (AD) Buddhist Advisory Council has commended Prez Rajapaksa for following advice and implementing suggestions of Maha Sangha. Member Theros of the Council are confident that the policies being followed by the Prez will be instrumental in building a fair and virtuous society. Five months ago, President Rajapaksa decided to set up the Buddhist Advisory Council to seek the advice and views of Maha Sangha in the process of implementing policies of the Govt, PMD said. more..

Sep 20 (ST) The distressed oil tanker MT New Diamond’s captain is to be indicted by the Attorney General for violating the Marine Pollution Prevention (MPP) Act. The vessel’s Greek Captain, Steiros Ilias (60) faces a variety of charges under the Act. These include causing pollution to the territorial waters, maritime zone or coastal zone of SL, allowing for the discharge or escape of oil, harmful substances or other pollutants and failure to report discharge of oil or other pollutants. more..

Sep 20 (ST) President Gotabaya Rajapaksa wants to move in Parliament the 20th Amendment, already gazetted, without any amendments. He feels that a new draft constitution, now in the making, could incorporate any changes or additions. He also wants to invite all concerned, including opposition parties and civil society groups, to have their say when the draft is ready. “We will take the good and leave out the bad clauses,” more..

Sep 21 (CT) The debate on the proposed 20th Amendment is gathering momentum. Proposal, which has been published in the Govt Gazette, is indeed a constitutional bombshell, literally. Its provisions are very destructive in their objectives as well as consequences. Perhaps, the management gurus and media moguls who advise Prez Rajapaksa may have successfully converted him to the somewhat naïve and politically dangerous doctrine of creative destruction. more..

Sep 21 (CT) Having ended a thirty year war in 2009, we are still struggling to achieve economic stability, rule of law and a well-functioning democratic state. Both MR and Yahapalanna leaders with vested interests, in a game of democratic bluffing, had refused to seize the opportunities. They should stop destroying democratic governance any further. We urge them to now assure checks and balances, accountability, socio-economic development, after eleven years of deadly conflict. more..

Sep 21 (DM) UNP’s Ruwan Wijewardene, who was elected as the party’s new Deputy Leader says UNP will undergo major reforms to rebuild itself and win back the confidence of its voters after facing a humiliating defeat in the Aug General Election. Wijewardene says he will now travel across the country, and work to re-build the party along with all party members, to emerge back into a stronger position by next election. more..