May 27 (Island) Govt Medical Officers’ Forum (GMOF) President Dr. Rukshan Bellana says Health Minister Pavitradevi Wanniarachchi should accept the blame for the poor management of the health sector during the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic crisis. Dr. Bellana discussed how the mismanagement on the part of the Health Minister contributed to the rapid deterioration of the situation. “The whole operation is in chaos,” he said, more..

May 27 (Island) Ten SJB MPs and 10 staff members of the Opposition Leader, Sajith Premadasa’s Parliament office have tested positive for COVID-19. After Premadasa had tested positive for COVID-19, PCR tests were conducted on SJB MPs and staff members of two of his offices. So far 20 of his associates have tested positive for SARS-COV-2. Serjeant-at-Arms of the Parliament has informed all associates of Premadasa’s Parliament office staff to undergo self-quarantine. more..

May 27 (NR) Another 29 coronavirus related fatalities have been confirmed, raising SL’s death toll to 1,298. Two deaths were reported yesterday while 27 fatalities were reported between the 20th and 25th of May. 16 males and 13 females, aged between 20 and 94 years, were among the fatalities confirmed yesterday. 01. The deceased is a 73 year old male resident in Kaluthara North. He died on 26.05.2021 while undergoing treatments in a private hospital. Cause of death is Covid pneumonia. more..

May 27 (CT) The process of vaccine distribution has become highly politicised, charged JVP Leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake. He added that if the Government wishes to obtain a result from this period of travel restrictions, they must organise vaccine distribution in an efficient manner, devoid of politics. Dissanayake said for the Govt to eliminate this virus from the country, 70% of the public must be vaccinated against COVID-19. more..

May 27 (NR) Number of COVID-19 cases confirmed in the country has risen to 172,277 following the detection of 2,377 patients yesterday. Among yesterday’s cases, 2,325 were linked to the New Year COVID-19 cluster. 52 persons who arrived from overseas recently also tested positive for COVID-19 yesterday. Accordingly 28,601 persons are currently receiving treatment for coronavirus at several facilities across the country. Yesterday, 1,203 persons who recovered from COVID-19 more..

May 27 (CT) The status of Singapore flagged 610- foot ship, X-Press Pearl that caught fire on 20 May, dramatically deteriorated by yesterday as the entire deck was destroyed due to the fire that swelled by 4-5 metres, fanned by a 75km per hour wind. The entire deck of the ship was in flames leaving only few containers left intact by 5 p.m. yesterday. At the time of filing this report, the structure of the distressed ship was intact and there was no evidence of a crack on the ship as yet, more..

May 27 (TM) Authorities are now preparing for the worst case scenario of an oil spill from the burning Singaporean flag ship MV X-Press Pearl, although there had been no reports of such an oil spill as of last evening (26), officials at the Sri Lanka Ports Authority (SLPA) told The Morning. The officials further noted that two vessels which had arrived from India on 25 May to assist in dousing the flames aboard the ship were, more..

May 27 (FT) There are critical confusions that desperately need attention. I fear for the health, wealth and perhaps solvency of the nation. Let me highlight these as clearly and as carefully as possible. I am not a doctor or scientist, but a researcher and a consultant. However, having advised global shipping lines on how to reverse decades of negative growth and turn that around, or FMCG companies on how to take market leadership from their toughest rival, or more..

May 27 (Island) Govt leaders seem to think their failure to muster a two-thirds majority for the Port City Economic Commission Bill recently in Parliament is a far worse problem than Covid-19 ravaging the country, thanks to their bungling attempts at pandemic control. Only 149 MPs voted for the bill much to the disappointment of the SLPP, which expected at least 150 votes in favour. Minister Ali Sabry is one of the SLPP MPs who insist that something went wrong with the vote count, more..

May 27 (DM) Foreign Ministry is monitoring the developments in Gaza and will evacuate Sri Lankans in Gaza and Israel if the need arises. Foreign media report said that at least 242 people were killed in Gaza and 13 people were killed in Israel during 11 days of fierce fighting that ended last Friday with an Egyptian-brokered ceasefire. State Minister Tharaka Balasuriya said that the developments in Gaza are being assessed daily. He said that steps have been taken to look into more..

May 27 (DM) While saying that many plastic materials are seen scattered along the beach with the debris received from the X-Press Pearl ship , Marine Environment Protection Authority (MEPA) Chairperson Dharshani Lahandapura said there is a possible threat on people that if fish species in the breading areas swallow those plastic pebbles, those plastics could directly come to us. "However, if these plastic pebbles break into microplastics, the situation will be more serious," she said. more..

May 27 (AD) A Gazette Extraordinary has been issued by Prez Rajapaksa declaring several services as essential services. The relevant gazette has been signed by the Prez today. Accordingly, the following services are declared as essential services hereon: All services, works or labour of any description carried out or required to be carried out by or in connection with the Sri Lanka Ports Authority established by the Section 3 more..

May 27 (EN) Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena placed his signature on SL’s China-backed Colombo Port City Economic Commission Bill May 27 morning, Govt Information Dept said quoting the Speaker’s office. The controversial bill was passed in parliament on May 20 subject to amendments following a Supreme Court decision, amid protest from opposition parties, activists and members of the clergy. With the Speaker signing off on the blueprint, Colombo Port City Commission Act more..

May 27 (EN) Sri Lanka is planning to co-produce Sinovac vaccines in the island collaborating with China, State Minister Channa Jayasumana told reporters. “A plan in Kundasale (in the Kandy district) is being readied for this,” he said after a receiving a stock of Sinopharm vaccines sent from China. China’s Sinopharm was been approved by the WHO on May 07. Sinovac is also a vero-cell inactivated virus similar to Sinopharm. It is in advanced stage of review at the and more..

May 27 (EN) X-Press Pearl, a container vessel which is now on fire off SL was denied permission by Qatar and India to offload containers when an acid leak was first discovered by the crew, a media report said raising queries about the role played by ports in averting shipping disasters. Tim Hartnoll, the executive chairman of X-Press Feeders was quoted in Splash247, a maritime news portal as saying that the crew found the leak more..

May 27 (DM) A Special Women Corps Quick Reaction Rider Team had been formed to operate in an emergency situation and to assist COVID-19 prevention work and controlling process. Quick Reaction Special Rider Team, comprising woman soldiers of 7 SL Army Women's Corps was formed on the instructions of Jaffna Security Force Commander and Colonel Commandant of SL Army Women’s Corps Major General Priyantha Perera. The Team has been operational since more..

May 27 (AD) SL Police has managed to arrest a COVID-19 infected individual who had escaped from a private hospital in Kollupitiya. The person in question had run away from the hospital on May 25 after being diagnosed with COVID-19. However, Police have arrested the said individual and admitted him to a treatment center, DIG Ajith Rohana said. The suspect will be acted against under the Quarantine & Prevention of Disease Control Act after receiving treatment. more..

May 27 (EN) SL police have arrested eight people who allegedly collected salvageable cargo items that had washed ashore from the burning MV X-Press Pearl container vessel. The arrested individuals had been collecting the items in the Negombo coastal area. The suspects had defied SL’s ongoing curfew-style movement restrictions to collect the fallen cargo. Pamunugamuwa, Dungalpitiya, Negombo & Kochchikade police more..

May 27 (DM) There is a cumulative growth of the number of consumers who have been affected by power breakdowns within last two days due to the adverse weather conditions prevailed in the country. A total number of 177,000 consumers have been affected upto now. Yesterday nearly 76,000 consumers affected by power breakdowns. However most of the beakdowns were restored. But due to strong windy conditions most of the restored power lines were disconnected due to trees and more..

May 27 (DM) MP Lakshman Kiriella dismissed claims that Leader of the Opposition Sajith Premadasa had contracted COVID 19 outside Parliament, Serjeant-at-Arms Narendra Fernando said no medical analysis was conducted to determine whether Mr. Peramdasa or others have got it from inside or outside the House premises. Mr. Fernando said it is up to the medical experts to conduct an analysis to determine as to how Mr. Premadasa & others got infected with virus. more..

May 27 (EN) Sri Lanka has begun rolling out COVID-19 vaccines outside the Western province for the first time, starting with the targeted vaccination of 125,000 people in the Galle, Matara and Kurunegala districts, officials said. The half a million doses of the China-made Sinopharm that arrived SL in the early hours of May 26 are being used in the rollout which began that day itself, Army Commander Gen Shavendra Silva said. more..

May 27 (DM) Officers of the CID yesterday arrested a Director of a Cooperative Society based in Wattegedara, Maharagama for misappropriation of funds belonging to the bank for the tune of Rs.910 million, DIG Ajith Rohana said. Police investigations disclosed that the suspect was one of the members of Cooperative's Director Board. "Misappropriation had taken place in 2017 and 2018," spokesman said. However, the suspect was arrested in the Bibile area yesterday & brought to Colombo. more..

May 27 (AD) President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has instructed the relevant officials to take steps to provide organic fertilizer required for the Maha Season to farmers without any shortage. President has also emphasized the importance of implementing a comprehensive mechanism in consultation with all sectors in this regard. As per PMD, the President’s objective is to transform the entire agricultural sector of the country to use organic fertilizers. more..

May 27 (AD) A team from the Netherlands has been directed to inspect the X-Press Pearl vessel which is ablaze in the sea off Colombo harbor. The six-member team is currently on a tug boat on its way to the burning vessel, Minister Rohitha Abeygunawardena said. A massive fire erupted in the cargo vessel X-Press Pearl carrying Nitric Acid and other chemicals on May 20. It was in anchorage about 9.5 nautical miles more..

May 28 (DM) Prisoners are also humans and that’s why some of them have received pardons when commemorating special days. Much has been written about inmates and their close associates. And these writers vouch that most of them have a soft side that others never knew existed. On Vesak Poya Day as many as 260 prisoners were given Presidential Pardons. Out of them 53 were serving life sentences. From a legal perspective these prisoners also had to qualify to be pardoned. more..

May 28 (DM) In contrast to iconic Tamil Nadu leaders like K. Kamaraj or M.G. Ramachandran (MGR), who were invariably portrayed glowingly, Muthuvel Karunanidhi, leader of the DMK and many times Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, was dogged by negative portrayals. To his adoring followers, he was the quintessential Tamil icon and a relentless crusader for the Tamils’ rights and a promoter of social justice. But to his opponents, he had institutionalized corruption and more..

May 28 (DM) Who is responsible for the sign boards that had been put up recently replacing one or both of the Official languages in SL with Mandarin, official language of China? Interestingly no SL leader seems to have taken the matter seriously, and hence, nobody would ever find those who were responsible for the blunder. Continuity and the similarity of these provocations by violating the official language policy of the country more..

May 28 (CT) We have witnessed the COVID-19 vaccination program taking another dramatic turn today to display thuggery of the Mayor of Moratuwa Urban council. While saluting the Medical officer of health (MOH) for her courage and forthrightness, we blame law enforcement authorities who failed to exercise their power to protect and defend a high ranking public servant on duty in Moratuwa. We have come to know about several such ugly acts of politicians in Kurunegala and Galle as well more..

May 28 (CT) In recent times, many people who wrote to Colombo Telegraph expressed contrasting views on the emergence of Samagi Jana Balavegaya (SJB) as a political party which demonstrates the potential to govern the country in near future. I accept that any person, resided inside or outside the country, may question or support the course of the SJB in the present political environment of the country. This article is not only an attempt to justify the formation of SJB but more..

May 28 (TM) According to both the Central Bank of SL (CBSL) & World Bank (WB), country’s economy shrunk by 3.6% in 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic’s impact. However, the WB SL Development Update: Economic and Poverty Impact of Covid-19 report, which was released early April this year, predicted that the economy would recover this year to grow by 3.4%, an almost 180-degree turn from the performance of 2020, more..

May 28 (Island) Amritha incense sticks is a product, without which no Buddhist or Hindu religious activity is complete. Darley Butler, the manufacturers, has engaged themselves in an almsgiving of a different sort; an album of Buddhist devotional songs in CD format, to be distributed free of charge, to temples, this Vesak season and to be aired on radio. The CD consists of songs sung by veterans and new generation artistes alike, such as Dr. Nanda Malini, TM Jayarathna, Sunil Edirisinghe, more..

May 28 (TM) Sitting idly by till something happens to take action instead of identifying and rectifying loopholes before something awful happens, has always been a part of many levels of SL’s administrative system, and this is largely caused by the lack of willingness to shift from traditional practices and laws to new ones, and the lethargy in accepting why it is necessary and beneficial. The Singapore-flagged container ship MV X-Press Pearl caught fire last week off Colombo Harbour, more..

May 28 (ST) The exponential growth of the microfinance industry in Sri Lanka does not correspond with its contribution to reducing poverty. Instead, it has escalated indebtedness among women, pushed them below subsistence and made victims of both personal and structural violence. The Satyagraha which commenced on March 8 by the Collective of Women Affected by Microfinance in Hingurakgoda, Polonnaruwa, was the latest manifestation of the microfinance crisis. more..

May 28 (TM) Eighteenth May marked 12 years since the end of the war in SL. On the day, Prez Rajapaksa, in a tweet from the official Twitter account of the President of SL, paid tribute to the armed forces and their families. President’s tweet was only in Sinhalese. Prez didn’t remember or offer empathy to the many SL civilians who had suffered immensely through injuries, displacement, and whose family members had been killed and disappeared, majority of whom are Tamils, more..

May 28 (TM) The Cabinet-approved moratorium on capital and interest payments of tea factory loans is no longer in effect. Speaking to us, Sri Lanka Tea Board (SLTB) Chairman Jayampathy Molligoda confirmed that the aforementioned Cabinet approval only applied during the first wave of the pandemic. However, the SLTB introduced a few other financial assistance schemes, noted Molligoda, including for more..

May 28 (FT) Following are remarks of Chinese Ambassador Qi Zhenhong made at the hand-over ceremony of 500,000 Sinopharm vaccines at the BIA early this week. On 31 March, we jointly welcomed the arrival of the 600,000 doses of Sinopharm vaccines, a gift by Chinese people to SL people. Today, we are highly pleased to receive China’s latest aid once again, another 500,000 doses of Sinopharm vaccines for SL. We believe that it would be very useful for the SL people in fighting more..

May 28 (CI) Although they are 2-0 up and have sealed the series, Bangladesh will not allow themselves to relax in the third ODI against Sri Lanka in Dhaka. The home team has just got out of a ten-match winless streak and there remain many areas to still get right, with bigger challenges coming up later in the year. The same, if not more, applies for Sri Lanka. It has so far been a tough few days for the visitors who, after enduring a Covid-19 scare, went down in both ODIs quite easily. more..

May 28 (CT) SL’s hopes to further increase the number of athletes for the Tokyo Olympic Games were hampered by unfavorable weather during the first Stage of the National Athletics Championship 2021 held on 21 May at Sugathadasa Stadium, a few hours before the country imposed a Travel Restriction. None of the targeted athletes could perform as expected during the competition, while Dilshi Kumarasinghe, prime contestant more..