May 30 (AD) Social activist and YouTuber Rathidu Suramya Senaratne, popularly known as Ratta, has been arrested by the police. He has been arrested on several charges including criminal coercion, unlawful assembly and obstructing the duties of police officers who were on duty in front of the Fort Magistrate’s Court during a protest on the 25th of May. YouTuber Ratta has been arrested by the Slave Island Police. A group of persons had protested near Fort Magistrate’s Court on more..

May 30 (DM) Justice Minister Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe said if Prez Gotabaya Rajapaksa steps down as the President, Basil Rajapaksa could become the President as he commands the majority support in SLPP. He told reporters in Kandy after visiting Mahanayake Theras yeterday that "We could never imagine the fate the country would have to face, if Basil Rajapaksa becomes the Prez". Minister said he was still of the opinion that Prez Rajapaksa was a politically inexperienced, failed leader. more..

May 30 (Hindu) Central Bank of SL is targeting to maintain the inflation in the range of 4-6%, Nandalal Weerasinghe, Governor of CB has said. This, according to him, will be an incentive for the manufacturers to produce more goods. At present, the inflation rate in SL is 30% and it will be increasing to 40% in next two to three months. He was speaking at a session organised by the Cochin Chamber of Commerce and Industry and more..

May 30 (CT) Chandradasa Godage, a 74-year-old resident of Kalubowitiyana, Neluwa, sat the GCE O/L Exam 2021 on 28 May. He had applied for the Science and Mathematics subjects and accordingly, he had sat for the Science paper on 28 May. He will face the Mathematics exam today (30). Godage said he took the science subject at last year’s GCE O/L Exam and received an S pass. “I am 74 years old now. I first sat for the GCE O/L Exam in 1970. Alapaladeniya Maha Vidyalaya was where more..

May 30 (TM) China’s Ambassador to SL Qi Zhenhong and Madame Jin Qian recently concluded their 3-days visit to the Eastern Province. The duo was received on the 24th of May in Trincomalee by Governor Anuradha Yahampath and local children. On the first day of the visit, Ambassador Qi and Governor Yahampath co-chaired a business forum with Chinese Business Chamber representatives. An in-depth presentation on the Eastern Province Prospectus was made. more..

May 30 (CT) The Alcohol and Drug Information Centre (ADIC) expects the Finance Minister and the Central Bank Governor to act swiftly to raise tobacco taxes, which will provide a satisfying solution to the current economic crisis. In light of the World No Tobacco Day, falling on 31 May, ADIC stated that various positive efforts made in recent years to rectify this situation have been found to be ineffective, owing to various forces operating more..

May 30 (TM) Whether it is the govt sector or private sector, it is the fixed salary employees who are at a higher risk of suffering financially during this crisis and it is them that need support the most, says SJB MP Harsha De Silva. He made this statement while speaking to the media today (30). “For a person doing their own business, as the cost of living increases, they can increase the price of the goods they are selling. They manage accordingly with the inflation. more..

May 30 (AD) Litro Gas company says that the distribution of 50,000 domestic LP gas cylinders will resume from tomorrow afternoon (30). Accordingly, the distribution of 12.5 kg, 5 kg and 2.3 kg gas cylinders will resume from tomorrow. It said that the list of dealers with stocks has been updated on the company’s official website (litrogas.com). A shipment of 3,500 metric tonnes of LP gas had arrived in the country today while the uploading of gas stocks has already commenced. more..

May 30 (CT) A consignment of medicinal drugs, sufficient for a year, which would usually take three months to reach Sri Lanka, will be expedited to arrive in two months, Minister Keheliya Rambukwella assured. He added that, despite the fact that it normally takes three months to deliver the ordered medicinal drugs, the companies have agreed to deliver in two months. Rambukwella noted that they have received positive responses from international drug companies, as well as more..

May 30 (CT) Director General of Excise M.J. Gunasiri said the standard quality of liquor sold in SL will be made public this week. He noted there was no standard in the liquor sold in SL until now and different liquor shops across the island followed different standards. He also said the quality standards that should be followed when producing liquor were communicated to all liquor companies in the island last week. He also said the standard was developed in collaboration with Excise Dept, more..

May 30 (TM) The JVP presented seven key proposals to the draft 21st Amendment Bill which was sent to all party leaders representing Parliament last week. “We are of the stance that a new Constitution is needed completely. However, we know these current rulers will never do that,” said JVP Leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake. JVP is proposing that an interim provision be included in the draft Bill to limit the term period of more..

May 30 (MFA) World Bank Country Manager in Colombo, Chiyo Kanda, called on the Minister of Foreign Affairs Prof. G.L. Peiris at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on 27 May. Minister Peiris sought assistance from the World Bank until long term assistance materializes through the IMF, other international institutions and donor countries. The Minister highlighted the severity of the challenges in reducing the budget deficit at the forthcoming budget. more..

May 30 (TM) The Hotel Workers’ Centre (HWC) of the Inter-Company Employees’ Union (ICEU) has charged that PM Ranil Wickremesinghe is discouraging tourists who wish to visit SL at a time when the country desperately needs more tourists, following comments made by the PM that tourist can come to SL and join protests against the Govt. HWC National Organiser Jayathilaka Ranasinghe said: “In a recent interview with a foreign media, PM said that foreigners visiting the country more..

May 30 (DM) A new political tussle has erupted in the political camps once again as the ruling SLPP has questioned PM Ranil Wickremesinghe as to why he is hurrying with the 21st amendment amid the severe economic crisis while the PM has said if the new amendment is not passed, he may even consider stepping down. In a meeting held with SLPP seniors over the weekend, the MPs had questioned the party hierarchy as to what more..

May 31 (DM) As we editorially commented a few weeks ago, the reintroduction of the 19th Amendment in the form of 21st Amendment as the solution to the current political impasse, it would not definitely be a solution to the immediate economic issues such as the incredibly rising cost of living, and the shortage of essential items. Yet, it is a good move for the pruning of executive powers accumulated in one person, the Prez. And this might be an opportune time to reenact more..

May 31 (CT) What is of concern to the masses is the high cost of living (CoL) and jobs and not the Constitutions nor of the dilution of powers of the Executive Prez. This is where UNP leader and PM Ranil Wickremesinghe missed the bus in his special televised speech on Sunday. His speech was all about diluting the powers of the Presidency by speaking of the proposed 21st Amendment (21A) and not about bringing down the CoL. Small wonder that under Wickremesinghe’s leadership, more..

May 31 (DM) Details of a 9-year old missing child from Atulugama, Bandaragama went viral on social media since Friday afternoon. In a tragic turn of events, the child’s body was recovered from a marshland near her house during the afternoon hours on Saturday. While the postmortem is yet to be conducted, Police has already deployed four teams to conduct further investigations. more..

May 31 (CT) I wrote a public letter on 22 April 2022 to IMF and Indian govt asking them not to support SL govt with loans until there is transparency and accountability. My point was that the failed regime had robbed and milked the country so dry that more loans would mean they would rob more and leave us worse off. So, until we have a transparent and accountable regime, no loans please. I stand by that despite Mahinda Rajapaksa’s harangue against me in Parliament for doing what I did. more..

May 31 (TM) Recently, it was revealed that National Authority on Tobacco and Alcohol (NATA) has launched a project to set up over 300 smoke-free zones in SL in collaboration with the WHO, in a bid to reduce nonsmokers’ exposure to secondhand smoking. Even though there is a law in Sri Lanka that prohibits people from smoking in public places, the country does not see that law being implemented very often. In this context, secondhand smoking, especially in public places, more..

May 31 (GV) The caption was pure Qadri: F*** you, Mr. President. No quantity of gray hair could wean him from the habit of littering his conversation with the F word. But that Groundviews piece of June 2020 might have been the first time it strayed into his public writing. But then, as he points out, appointing a taskforce to create a virtuous, disciplined, and lawful society was an unheard of development in the modern world – more..

May 31 (DM) Some Parliamentarians are calling for the appointment of a commission of inquiry to hold those responsible for the current economic crisis. The worst-ever economic crisis since independence has already created cascading effects of looming hunger, shortage of lifesaving medicine and crippling public service. Look no further: The primary culprit is none other than Prez Gotabaya Rajapaksa himself. That would mean that the search for accountability under the current circumstances is elusive. more..

May 31 (ST) If SL politics looks like a marketplace for second and third-hand goods, should anybody be really surprised? From the time I could remember local politicians have been moving from one party to another without a by-your-leave. Many years ago it led one Sunday newspaper columnist to suggest sarcastically whether political parties should not install revolving doors at party headquarters to make exits and entrances more convenient. After all, it could be rather embarrassing if more..

May 31 (Island) It is an important issue to consider under the proposed 21st Amendment to the Constitution whether the Prez should sign, ratify or accede to treaties in consultation with the PM. In this article, it is proposed to provide an analysis of this important issue by reference to current constitutional law and practices of Commonwealth countries. Before I deal with this issue, it is useful to outline the importance of treaties as outlined in the following references: more..

May 31 (Island) Prez Rajapaksa has reportedly undertaken to ensure the independence of the Central Bank (CB). He gave an assurance to this effect at a meeting with CB Governor Dr. Nandalal Weerasinghe over the weekend, we are told. If the Prez makes good on his pledge, that will go a long way towards making the country’s economic recovery a reality soon. The task of putting the economy back on an even keel should be left to economic experts, and politicians can only more..

May 31 (TM) In a context where the Govt has warned of a possible food shortage and the people are already experiencing high food prices and shortages of many essentials, the question many ask is whether SL is about to be hit by a famine amidst the worst economic crisis in recent memory. Even though the Govt has pledged to address the said situation, especially through taking measures to increase food production in the coming more..

May 31 (FT) CSE continued its negative run as it began a fresh week with locals remaining bearish despite net foreign buying. The benchmark ASPI declined 1% and the active S&P SL20 dipped 0.5%. Turnover was Rs. 1.4 billion involving 134 million shares. The market saw a net foreign inflow of Rs. 92 million on account of Rs. 121.5 million buying on HNB voting shares. The indices closed lower for the fifth consecutive session on Monday while turnover continued at moderate levels. more..

May 31 (FT) UNP Chairman Wajira Abeywardena said this week that the onus is on the Govt to take constructive steps to address the issue of the payment of int'l sovereign bonds by investing money allocated for certain other projects, and by entering into discussions to restructure such payments, without resorting to outright ceasing such payments, as it will have a direct negative impact on the economy. Abeywardena said that the present decision taken by the Govt to cease all more..

May 31 (DM) Sri Lankans are getting older before they attain any economic well-being, as people are forced to contend with difficult economic conditions during their lifetime brought about by decades-long economic mismanagement by successive govts. 17.9% of SL’s population is older than 59 years of age by the end of 2019, which made SL the country with the highest older population in South Asia. This was a sharp increase from the 12% in 2009/10, about the same time when the country more..

May 31 (FT) PM Ranil Wickremesinghe estimates $ 600 million would be needed to ensure adequate supply of fertiliser. He revealed this during a discussion with representatives from the agriculture sector to discuss the pending food shortage in the country on Friday. Officials had informed that the fertiliser companies would be able to supply the required fertiliser quantities if the banks released the dollars. PM also explained that he would be presenting a new Act in Parliament, more..

May 31 (Island) Arjuna Ranatunga’s mantra for turning the fortunes of a cricket team was backing outstation talents. Colombo ceased to own the exclusive rights for cricket and as a result, the game thrived. Three decades on the outstations are still producing match winners. There are still unearthed and untapped talents in far-off areas. One such created history last week by bowling SL to a series win in Dhaka. more..

May 31 (Island) SL expects to send a squad comprising experience and budding youth for the rugby sevens event of the next edition of the Commonwealth Games, according to Coach Nilfer Ibrahim. The soft-spoken Ibrahim has followed rugby in SL for many years and knows the players inside out. “I’ve watched them grow up and make that transition from school rugby to club rugby and eventually the national side. There is just one player in this squad who is new to me and more..

May 31 (FT) This article is based on a presentation made on 28 April at the webinar on Road Map for a Literature Review which coincided with the launching the E-Repository of the SL Economic Association (SLEA). The presenter was University of Kelaniya Faculty of Social Sciences Department of Library and Information Science Senior Lecturer Dr. Namali Suraweera. The discussant of the webinar was Uni of Peradeniya Dept. of Economics and Statistics Senior Prof Anoma Abhayaratne. more..

May 31 (FT) Prez Rajapaksa yesterday instructed officials to immediately launch a comprehensive public-private partnership effort to boost food security. Noting that negotiations with several countries to meet the fertiliser requirement have been successful the Prez requested all farmers not to give up cultivation during the Yala Season due to a shortage of fertiliser or any other reason. On-going & new initiatives to boost food security more..

May 31 (DN) In fact this victory was more important for Emerging team to finish their one month long tour on a winning note. SL emerging team played three 4 day games and three T20's on this tour and managed to get the solitary win over Gloucestershire in the last game. The architect of the Emerging teams victory was promising top order batter Nuwanidu Fernando who scored a match wiining knock of unbeaten 126 in 67 balls with 14 fours and 4 sixes while right arm medium paceman more..

May 31 (Island) The govt has to find/borrow another US $ five billion immediately for day-to -day expenditure, to provide essential services to citizens this year, even with the complete restructuring of debt by other countries. This amount has to be generated through credit lines, currency swaps, a couple of investments into the country and selling of assets, which also give temporary relief to the country, Prof Sirimal Abeyratne said. “We are now in the early stage of bankruptcy and more..

May 31 (DN) Sri Lanka Athletics (SLA) headed by Major General Palitha Fernando are planning to give promising talented athletes this chance to get more exposure. The 4x 400 men's relay team, 4x 100 women's relay team comprising five athletes each and two athletes for individual events men's 110m hurdles and men's Triple jump event are expected to compete in this Indian Inter State Championship in Chennai. The 4x 400m men's relay team comprises Aruna Dharshana, Isuru Lakshan, more..