May 13 (DM) Although it has been six weeks since the Omani owner of the export-oriented Al Obaidani apparel manufacturing plant in Katana and its security guards were assaulted by a group of unidentified thugs, no arrests have been made by the Police yet. The authorities instead are said to be contemplating ridiculously to relocate the garment factory to another area. It is an admission on the part of the law enforcement authorities that they are not capable of preventing the recurrence more..

May 13 (DM) The demise of LTTE leader Veluppillai Prabhakaran occurred 14 years ago. The tigers as the LTTE was known, were defeated militarily by the armed forces of SL in May 2009. Prabhakaran’s body was found on the shores of the Nanthikadal lagoon in Mullaitheevu District on 19 May 2009. This article therefore will be on Prabhakaran this week. I have in the past written extensively on the LTTE and its Supremo. As such I do not intend re-inventing the wheel all over again. more..

May 13 (FT) The Diva Dathata Diriya training sessions are aimed at empowering women to grow their businesses and services. Aim of the Diva Dathata Diriya training sessions is to equip women entrepreneurs with the necessary resources and training opportunities, enabling them to enhance their business growth with self-assurance. Following the success of the initial sessions held in Dankotuwa in partnership with Women in Management (WIM) on 21 Feb, initiative’s second phase was more..

May 13 (ST) To increase tourist arrivals to SL, Govt together with tourism authorities has launched several initiatives, including renewed measures to get foreign countries to revoke or revise adverse travel advisories on SL. Germany, Canada, and NZ are among the countries that have issued travel advisories warning their citizens to exercise caution and avoid unnecessary travel to SL due to an increased risk of terrorism, civil unrest, more..

May 13 (DN) I am really happy to receive the player of the series award said SL promising batswoman Harshitha Samarawickrma after the Bangladesh T-20 series win at the SSC grounds yesterday. My skipper Chamari Atapattu gave me the strength to play my innings while my coach advised me to stay at the wicket until the end of the innings and I did my best for the team said Harshitha the 24 year old top order batter. When I went to the wicket Nilakshi de Silva my senior player more..

May 13 (Island) A robust judiciary is the only hope a nation is left with, in situations where other branches of government become dysfunctional or fail. It also stands as a bulwark against anarchy and tyranny when democratic governance finds itself in crisis. Pakistan is lucky that its Supreme Court has acted swiftly to bring order out of chaos by releasing former Prime Minister Imran Khan, whose arrest and detention, on 09 May, sparked waves of countrywide violence. more..

May 13 (Island) SriLankan Airlines recently hosted a conference for Buddhist tour operators to create awareness on the services especially tailored to Buddhist pilgrims by the airline. Buddhist pilgrims are an important travel segment for SriLankan, and the airline works hand in hand with tour operators to find solutions to their travel needs. Over 100 Buddhist tour operators participated in the conference as well as the Overseas Buddhist Tour Organizers Association and more..

May 13 (Island) Two teams from Sri Lanka, team Sipsara and The Green Tycoon, successfully qualified to the World Finals (Asia) stage at Microsoft Imagine Cup 2023, Microsoft’s global competition for students to dream and build new ways of using technology to improve lives. The competition is a platform for students across the world to tap into their entrepreneurial skill and develop a technology solution for some of the most pressing local and global issues. more..

May 13 (FT) For the first time in 15 years, SriLankan Airlines has succeeded to post an operating profit of Rs. 1.7 bil in FY22 reflecting improvement as against a loss of Rs. 8.12 bil in the previous year. However, the significant devaluation of the SL rupee in March 2022 resulted in an exchange loss of Rs. 143 bil for the year, driving the Group to record a full-year net loss of Rs. 164 bil after exchange loss and finance charges as more..

May 13 (FT) The latest edition of LMD noted that “there’s been a turnaround in economic sentiment,” reporting on NielsenIQ’s monthly countrywide survey – for the exclusive LMD-NielsenIQ Business Confidence Index or BCI – published in the magazine’s May issue. NielsenIQ Director – Consumer Insights Therica Miyanadeniya said, “As the country is beginning to stabilise, and with fuel and gas prices coming down, hope is also on the rise, especially among corporate community.” more..

May 13 (ST) Railway passengers will likely face continuing disruptions across the network for at least the next few months amid a worker shortage and rehabilitation of tracks, Sri Lanka Railway has warned. As of April 30 this year, a significant amount of train services have been cancelled and there have been 12 derailments, the deputy general manager N.J. Indipolage said. “Sri Lanka Railways is replacing railway tracks and has begun a tender process for better rail mobility. more..

May 13 (CT) Justice Minister Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe, on Friday said the AG's Dept, on behalf of the Govt, filed a lawsuit in Singapore for Xpress Pearl compensation. “The AG’s Dept had consulted three top legal firms before filing the case in Singapore. One of the expert firms from Australia advised the AG’s Department to file the case in Singapore, and based on their advice, the case was filed there,” the Minister said and noted that more..

May 13 (FT) Immigration and Emigration Dept Controller General I.S.H.J. Ilukpitiya announced a temporary suspension of the acceptance of passport applications, in a move to introduce a new system to issue passports. “We earnestly request the public not to visit our headquarters unless otherwise they have already got a prior appointment or it is an emergency. We are underway to introduce a new mechanism to issue passports effectively and efficiently within two weeks,” he said. more..

May 13 (FT) State Minister Ranjith Siyambalapitiya inspected various illegal consignments, whilst insisting on further strengthening and broadening the Customs net. He made this observation following his field visit to inspect the congestion of containers at the Orugodawatta customs terminals due to the delay of the wharf operators yesterday. Minister noted that the large release of containers after two long holidays was also the reason for this congestion. more..

May 13 (CT) Dashing batter Kusal Janith Perera and pace spearhead Dushmantha Chameera are fully fit and available for selection for the ODI series against Afghanistan scheduled to be played next month in Hamabanthota. Kusal Perera who was not part of the ODI squad against New Zealand in March-April is likely to make a comeback for the 50 over format after a lapse of 3 years. Kusal however made his return to competitive cricket during the T20Is against New Zealand. more..

May 13 (ST) A US-based company has reached a principle agreement to lay a new fuel pipeline between Colombo Port and the Kolonnawa terminal ahead of the signing agreement to begin its retail fuel distribution in SL. Under the agreement, RM Parks-Shell Company will make an initial investment of US$ 50 to 60 million for the project which is expected to begin after it enters into the retail fuel distribution business. The new pipeline will replace the existing line which has experienced more..

May 13 (DM) Several patients who developed complications due to the use of Prednisolone, an eye drop used after cataract surgeries at three govt hospitals, demand financial compensation for the damage caused to their eyes and possible threats to their lives. One of the victims, P.A. Nandasena, aged 67 is a resident of Bandarawela who recently underwent eye surgery at the Nuwara Eliya General Hospital. more..

May 13 (DM) As Sri Lanka is witnessing a week-on-week increase in tourist arrival from China, more flights will be added in the coming months between the two countries. The flag carrier of the People’s Republic of China, Air China, affirmed this week it would resume operations to Sri Lanka starting July. According to Minister Harin Fernando, Air China has committed it would operate three flights to Sri Lanka. Fernando took to Twitter to share in brief an update in this regard. more..

May 13 (ST) The CID has reported to court that nearly Rs 195 million had been defrauded during the purchase of a plot of land in Kollupitiya for a group of shareholders of a UK-based company. CID’s Commercial Crime Division had been investigating the complaint relating to the purchase of 219.5 perches of land on Galle Road, Kollupitiya in 2004. Ten shareholders of a UK-based company, Access Direct UK Ltd had invested 1.3 million sterling pounds to purchase the land through more..

May 13 (DN) Harshitha Samarawickrama and Nilakshi de Silva hit half centuries and were involved in an unbroken 102-run fourth wicket stand as SL women won by 44 runs over Bangladesh women to win the series 2-1 in the third and final T-20 game played at SSC grounds yesterday. It was a very good batting display by Harshitha and Nilakshi which was the highlight of the game to seal the victory in great fashion. SL skipper Chamari Atapattu won the toss and elected to bat first without any more..

May 13 (CT) The owner of Al Obaidani Garment Factory, Omani national Khalfan Al Obaidani, who was attacked by a group, allegedly backed by a politico in Gampaha, alleged that the BOI had deceived him from the inception of the operations of his factory. The investor alleged from the outset of his arrival in the country the BOI had handed him the plot of land in Katana to construct his garment factory and noted that some officers from the BOI had even assured him that the land was more..

May 13 (DM) The govt defended the proposal to raise the short-term Treasury bill ceiling by Rs.1 trillion, given the prevailing high market yields on the longer-tenure Treasury bonds, due to the uncertainty prevailing over domestic debt restructuring. Issuing a media release yesterday, Finance State Minister Ranjith Siyambalapitya pointed out that it’s more advantageous to borrow funds from the Treasury, as bond yields more..

May 13 (DM) Referring to Sri Lanka's worst-ever marine disaster associated with the Singapore-registered MV X-Press Pearl container vessel, Justice Minister Dr. Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe said the Marine Environment Protection Authority (MEPA) was not adhering to the instructions given by the Attorney General (AG). Dr. Rajapakshe said there had been dissent or different points of view between the MEPA and the AG about which the AG had raised serious concerns. more..

May 13 (Island) Colombo Archbishop Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith has said there is no point in SL getting loans from the World Bank or the IMF if the people who handle those monies continue to be the same fraudsters. Delivering his homily at the 125th Jubilee Mass, offered in the church, dedicated to St, Joseph at Kaluwarippuwa, Katana, the Cardinal said that developing and rebuilding the nation were not unachievable or an impossible task. “It is very simple, if we want to develop our motherland, more..

May 13 (AD) As investigations into the mysterious death of the 16-year-old schoolgirl in Kalutara progress, suspicions have arisen as to whether she was trafficked to the main suspect. The police suspect that the young man (22), who was at the hotel with his teenage girlfriend, had suggested selling the 16-year-old schoolgirl for Rs. 20,000 to the main suspect who was recently arrested in connection with the incident. more..

May 14 (GV) The recent economic crisis in SL exposed the police as an authoritarian institution. Protestors were arbitrarily arrested by officers in plain clothing without warrants and with complete disregard to due process rights. The police incited fear in protestors by using tear gas, rubber bullets and water cannons to disperse crowds gathered to express their suffering under the govt. There were reports of live ammunition fired at protestors on more than one occasion, more..

May 14 (ST) Events in Pakistan earlier this week coincided with the first anniversary of the events that reverberated throughout Sri Lanka bringing out an eerie resemblance; a grim reminder of how close countries can get to a state of anarchy. Not that SL democracy has been a bed of roses, but Pakistan has been a long-suffering victim of military rule and political rivalries that have taken violent twists and turns. This week, when armed paramilitary forces smashed through a court of law more..

May 14 (ST) The ongoing tussle between PUCSL and Ministry of Power and Energy starting from electricity tariff hikes to occasional pushbacks to the Ministry’s attempts to restructure the energy sector is well known and very public. Its current Chairman Janaka Rathnayake turned out to be a lone voice against the current tariff and went to the extent of going to courts against the tariff-hike decision which was approved and more..

May 14 (CT) In what might be called establishment telepathy in South Asia, even as govt leaders in SL were condemning the first anniversary of Aragalaya’s May 9 last year, the military in Pakistan was calling May 9 this year a black chapter in the country’s history. That from an agency that has turned Pakistan’s entire history into one whole black book. Equally, as well, from the remnants of a SL administration that drove the country’s economy into bankruptcy & precipitated Aragalaya protests. more..

May 14 (FT) An Eastern analogue is found in the Suvannahamsa Jataka, which appears in the fourth section of the Buddhist book of monastic discipline (Vinaya). In this the father of a poor family is reborn as a swan with golden feathers and invites them to pluck and sell a single feather from his wings to support themselves, returning occasionally to allow them another. The greedy mother of the family eventually plucks all the feathers at once, but they then turn to ordinary feathers; more..

May 14 (SO) State Minister Diana Gamage said the tourism industry is back on track compared to 2019, 2020 and 2021. Last month alone tourism had grown by 67% adding that US$ 350 million income had been earned by the industry during the past four months. Tourism sector has improved a great deal showing a significant increase in its income too. State Minister said hopefully there will be 2 mil tourists by the end of the year more..

May 14 (SO) According to conventional wisdom, a country should have its own national airline. The aim, according to the proponents of this theory, is to project the country’s image in foreign countries and draw more travellers and tourists into the country. But as often said by Prez Wickremesinghe, the Govt should not be engaged in business because most State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs) are mismanaged and hence loss-making. Many countries which flaunted their national airlines more..

May 14 (ST) My dear Wije, I thought of writing to you because everyone is talking about you these days. That is after you made those sensational claims about compensation for the X-press Pearl ship which sank off our coast two years ago. That has got everyone talking. The spotlight is on you which is probably what you wanted. Although you are enjoying all the publicity this has generated, Wije, I am not sure whether you miscalculated the backlash. more..

May 14 (Island) Except for perhaps some 6,000 plus Nestle Lanka minority shareholders and stock market participants including retailers, many of them pensioners with time on their hands and not much capital resources to play the market, would have been interested in the recent announcement by Nestle Lanka PLC which has been quoted on the local bourse for 40 years that they plan to delist. But the question arises whether such a decision by a multinational company which more..

May 14 (TM) Friday, 12 May, marked somewhat of a milestone in Sri Lankan politics which rather surprisingly went unnoticed in a nation where even the most insignificant of things are ceremoniously commemorated. The day marked one year since Ranil Wickremesinghe was propelled into high political office as PM for a sixth time following persistent people’s protests that led to the resignation of the then PM and the entire Cabinet of Ministers on 9 May 2022. more..