May 23 (TM) As Sri Lanka passes mid-point of 2024, focus is shifting from reform to political survival. However, the island cannot afford to take its foot off the pedal on state sector reforms, especially those that impact archiving better governance. Many are of the view that poor governance was at the heart of SL’s economic crisis. One of the key areas which need improvement is transparency. Transparency is important to improve accountability and prevent corruption and as such, more..

May 23 (ST) Vesak is also known as Vaishaka, Buddha Jayanthi, and Buddha Purnima. Today, Buddhist devotees will commemorate the three main milestones in the life of the Buddha: the birth of Siddhartha Gautama in Lumbini Sal Uyana (Park) at the foothills of the Himalayan mountains in Nepal; the Supreme Enlightenment in Gaya, India; and Parinibbhana (passing away) in the Upavarthana Sala Park of Malla Kings in Kusinara. more..

May 23 (GV) The purpose of this article is to provide an analysis of the major characteristics of the global context today and to point out a key implication for the SL state. A glance at discussions in SL shows that they are either dominated by the ideology of the global neoliberal political project that dominated the world in the post-Cold war period or liberal use of categories that dominated the Cold War period. Neither of these approaches capture the nature of the current global context. more..

May 23 (CT) SL’s struggle with economic and political turbulence underscores a glaring issue that remains unresolved: the lack of transparency in government affairs. Despite the significant challenges that have plagued the nation, there has been little progress in establishing robust mechanisms for accountability, especially concerning the financial declarations of public officials. Last week, we published an article presenting the findings of an investigation into the asset and more..

May 23 (Island) Elections are the season of bounty for politicians, with funds pouring into their campaign war chests from all over the world. The approach of a presidential election has made moneybags loosen their purse strings, causing a feeding frenzy among politicians with an insatiable thirst for funds. One of our columnists, in his article published on this page today, discusses a very pertinent issue – political financing and problems associated with it, in Sri Lanka. more..

May 23 (CT) Poverty is a vicious circle that traps individuals and families in a cycle of deprivation, making it a significant challenge to overcome. Those who are born into poverty often lack access to quality education, which limits their employment opportunities and earning potential. Save for education and employment, without adequate income, they struggle to afford even the most basic necessities. As per the data from the Multidimensional Vulnerability Report (MVI) more..

May 23 (CT) Although the general impression is that the Military and the Police put their life on the line in maintaining peace and justice and bringing criminals before the law even if they have to wield weapons, over the years it has been proved that Public Health Inspectors (PHIs), unarmed as they are, are also called upon to ensure food safety and the healthy living environs free of diseases and infections while putting their lives on the line. more..

May 23 (Island) Vesak Full Moon Poya Day falls today. Elaborate preparations have been made for grand celebrations complete with thoran, dansel, magnificent lanterns and other such illuminations, in most parts of the country, despite the prevailing economic crisis. The govt has evinced a much keener interest in Vesak celebrations this year than in the past because an election is around the corner. It is doubtful whether there is anything that is more politicised in this country than religion. more..

May 23 (Island) The following is a tribute to the late Hon. Lakshman Kadirgamar, the then foreign affairs minister of Sri Lanka, who won UN recognition for an international Vesak Day holiday twenty-four years ago. Buddhists annually celebrate the Vesak Full Moon Poya Day as the day that the Birth, the Enlightenment and the Parinibbana (passing away) of the Buddha (the Enlightened One) took place twenty-five centuries ago. The founder of Buddhism was born as prince Siddhartha Gautama more..

May 23 (DN) India’s Himal Gusain (IM) and Sandithi Alwis from Nugegoda Anula Vidyalaya emerged victorious at the 11th Dhamso International Chess Festival, held from May 17 to 21 at the S Thomas de Silva Memorial Auditorium, Dharmasoka College. This event, organized by the Old Boys’ Association and affiliated with FIDE, the Asian Chess Federation, and the Chess Federation of Sri Lanka, marks the first FIDE-rated event organized by a school-affiliated association in Sri Lanka. more..

May 23 (WN) The buzz around senior Indian men's cricket team head coach is increasing day by day. While current coach Rahul Dravid has reportedly expressed his unwillingness to continue with the job, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) invited applications with a deadline of May 27. Since then, many high-profile names have been doing the rounds as having been approached by the board to take over from Dravid post the upcoming 2024 T20 World Cup. more..

May 23 (FT) NPP party Economic Council member Sunil Handunetti announced the party will take legal action against the Govt’s proposed Economic Transformation Bill which it has said is aimed at bolstering the country’s economy. Handunetti accused the Govt of rushing the Bill through Parliament without any public demand for it. For example, Handunetti said along with the introduction of the Bill it has also been more..

May 23 (TM) SL is expected to replace the Special Commodity Levy with a Seasonal tax from 2025 onwards to protect the farmers and the consumers, State Minister Ranjith Siyambalapitiya said. The cabinet has approved a proposal to replace the Special Commodity Levy with a more transparent and effective tax from 2025 onwards. Accordingly, he said that the Govt expects to implement a seasonal tax, which is already implemented in many countries, to protect farmers. more..

May 23 (ST) Trade and investment are vital for a country’s economic recovery, and in this context, US companies have made an annual direct investment of US$ 234 million in Sri Lanka, according to the US Ambassador to SL, Julie Chung. Attending the 10th year anniversary celebrations of Sysco Labs, a US- based global leader in food service with an operation in SL, the ambassador made these remarks. Ms. Chung said, “Sysco Labs has made more than $76 billion revenue last year more..

May 23 (TM) State Minister of Finance Shehan Semasinghe said that the interest rates given to senior citizens’ fixed deposits (FDs) would not be increased soon until the existing amount of Rs. 108 billion owed to the banking sector is settled. In 2022, the respective interest scheme was temporarily terminated in the wake of adjusted policy rates and record high rates for Treasury bonds. Senior citizens’ FD accounts that fall under more..

May 23 (ST) The prevailing showery, windy weather conditions will intensify over the country while the seas will be rough, Meteorology Dept has warned. Showers or thundershowers exceeding 100 mm could occur in the Western, Sabaragamuwa, North-Western, and Southern Provinces and in the districts of Kandy and Nuwara Eliya. Fairly strong winds of about 30–40 kmph can be expected at times in the Southern Province. The highest rainfall was recorded at 100.2mm in Galle district. more..

May 23 (FT) Committee on Public Finance (CoPF) Chairman and MP Dr. Harsha de Silva yesterday confirmed that it approved critical Public Debt Management Bill. In a post via ‘X’ he said the move allows establishing a debt office in the Finance Ministry; regulates Government debt and ensures accountability. “It (Bill) stops SOEs from burdening taxpayers with risky borrowing and forces reform or closure. Strengthens oversight to prevent future crises,” Dr. de Silva added. more..

May 23 (TM) Amidst several media outlets reporting that the Chairperson of the main Parliamentary Opposition, the SJB, MP and Field Marshal Sarath Fonseka has decided to contest for the Presidency at the upcoming Prez Election when Party and Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa has already announced his candidature, the SJB claimed that no SJB MP will join him (Fonseka) in leaving the Party. Citing sources close to Fonseka, the media has reported that he (Fonseka) is to announce more..

May 23 (FT) A top level Thai delegation led by Deputy Permanent Secretary for Foreign Affairs Busadee Santipitaks met with the BOI Chairman Dinesh Weerakkody and officials of the BOI and Port City Colombo this week to discuss investment opportunities in SL. Sectors explored include infrastructure; e-commerce; EV assembly line, tourism infrastructure and manufacturing; charging Stations; renewable energy, including solar, hydropower, floating solar, energy storage more..

May 23 (ST) Dr Yasuni Manikkege, who works in a Colombo-based govt hospital, discovered a painful truth about SL's economy recently. One night in early May, her 51-year-old neighbour fell in his bathroom. She rushed to give him cardiopulmonary resuscitation and dialled 1990, the govt’s free ambulance service. Usually, the ambulance would have arrived in three minutes. But that day, none came for 30 minutes. more..

May 23 (DM) Claiming that they have no issues in haiving a debate with the SJB economic council, NPP economic council member Sunil Handunetti said SJB was trying to convince society that they are also ready to implement the economic policies of the NPP. He said NPP economic council that the SJB has started to repeat the same economic facts uttered by the NPP. Hadunnetti said he, Harsha De Silva, Eran Wickramaratne and Kabir Hashim had participated in a number of TV debates more..

May 23 (DM) Following the arrest of two young men found in possession of eleven stolen motorcycles, Minuwangoda police have uncovered a motorcycle theft ring supplying stolen bikes to the underworld. The suspects, now under interrogation by police, were detained under a magistrate’s order from Minuwangoda. The suspects have been identified as Subasinghe Arachchige Tharindu Jude Lakmal Perera, also known as Kehelbarra Jude, and Hasitha Prasad Kumara, more..

May 23 (DM) The govt is to sign the MoU with the Official Creditor Committee (OCC) of the Paris Club of Nations and the Export-Import Bank of China (EXIM Bank) for restructuring the country’s debts before the completion of the IMF Executive Board review of Sri Lanka’s Extended Fund Facility Arrangement next month, a top source said. The source familiar with talks said the govt is very positive that Sri Lanka will sign the MoU before the review. more..

May 23 (CT) May-Elin Stener, the Ambassador of Norway to SL and India visited Sri Lanka from 2 to 9 May. The visit marks a pivotal moment in the strengthening of bilateral ties between Norway and Sri Lanka as Ambassador Stener engaged in constructive dialogues with key stakeholders, including Ranil Wickremesinghe, President of SL, Foreign Minister Ali Sabry, Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa, the Leader of NPP, Anura Kumara Dissanayaka & TNA MP, M.A. Sumanthiran. more..

May 23 (ET) India is in talks with Sri Lanka to acquire a graphite mine block in the island nation, pushing ahead with its plan to forge global alliances to secure critical mineral supplies, said people familiar with the development. Separately, the country has received an offer from the UAE to partner for critical minerals, they said. "Graphite is crucial for India since it is used for making batteries. Work is underway on a partnership with SL more..

May 23 (FT) The SL High Commission in Malaysia successfully facilitated the repatriation of 1,608 Sri Lankan illegal migrants. This operation was conducted in coordination with the Malaysian Govt’s Migrant Repatriation Program over a two-month period from 1 March to 30 April. Before the start of this repatriation program, from 1 Jan to 28 Feb, the High Commission facilitated the repatriation of 124 illegal migrants who were stranded in Malaysia with various difficulties. more..

May 23 (Island) NPP leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake warned Parliament of the danger of public administration collapsing owing to ongoing trade union action by the Grama Niladharis (GNs). He said that GNs countrywide had resorted to trade union action over several issues including salary anomalies. They recently had a countrywide sick-note campaign and thereafter they commenced a work-to-rule campaign on May 17. This campaign is scheduled to continue till June 2. more..

May 23 (DM) Former Army Commander, Field Marshal Sarath Fonseka, has decided to contest for Presidency at the upcoming Prez election. Sources close to Fonseka said that the current Chairman of the SJB will make a formal announcement in June. Fonseka is to contest as an independent candidate instead of joining forces with any political party. Sources claimed that Fonseka has also managed to secure the support of more..

May 24 (DM) The Sri Lanka Police has caused a stir in the motoring scene by making great efforts to strictly follow an old law that relates to the ownership of vehicles. What stirred a hornet’s nest in social media was when a female police officer checked a vehicle recently and demanded to know details of vehicle ownership. Now we come to know that the police have powers vested in them to check vehicle registration details courtesy a law passed in Parliament many years ago. more..

May 24 (ST) When the early central banks such as the Bank of England were established in Europe in the late 17th Century, they served as the bank of the govt. Accordingly, they must lend to the govts to meet the govts’ expenditure requirements. Some of the early central banks were private entities owned by the shareholders. They also acquired the monopoly status to issue private banknotes, which were backed by gold. Accordingly, the banknotes could be converted to gold more..

May 24 (SO) Our country stands out as a predominantly Buddhist country that has celebrated Vesak in a very dignified manner, ever since Buddhism was introduced to this country. Our history records Buddhism was the main religion in this land of our birth and had the patronage of the Kings who did everything possible to spread the religion. Even during the administration of the foreign powers, most Lankans followed their religion, more..

May 24 (DM) “Why and how could a concept so remote from the real experience of most human beings as national patriotism become such a powerful political force so quickly?… It is plainly not enough to appeal to the universal experience of human beings who belong to groups recognizing one another as members of collectivities or communities, and therefore recognizing others as strangers.” - Eric Hobsbawm - Nations and Nationalism Since 1780 (1990). more..

May 24 (ST) While farmers in the south are starting to see advantages from the Uma Oya water project, those in the Kandeketiya region of the Badulla District claim that the diversion has deprived them of the water resources they have relied on for cultivating about 5,000 acres for the last 74 years. They say a dam was built in Kandaketiya in 1941, followed by another dam in Bathmedilla in 1948, to divert the Uma Oya water along a 15-kilometre canal to irrigate 5,000 acres. more..

May 24 (TM) Although the issues faced by university non-academic employees are seen as a mere salary or allowance-related issue, it is an outcome of a significant disregard of those that keep the university system running. Universities cannot function without the services of non-academic employees, and therefore, the issues faced by non-academic employees, which have remained unresolved for years, more..

May 24 (TM) The SL community is vulnerable to fake news and narrative pushing discourse which often grips the nation at pivotal junctures in history. Fake news, disinformation and disruptive narrative have been an issue for the millennia. However, with the rapid increase in the speed of information with messages now spreading widely both domestically and internationally within seconds online, today, citizens are overwhelmed by the flood of information, but markers of accuracy more..

May 24 (GV) Thousands of people gathered in a hot, dusty field in Mullavaikkal in the Mullaitivu district to mark the end of the bloody civil war on May 19, 2009. The area was dotted with red and yellow flags and coconut saplings representing the relatives who had been lost; later the plants were taken back to homes to be planted in gardens. There were stalls serving kanji, the watery porridge that represented the only food many of the civilians trapped across the Nandikadal lagoon had to eat during more..