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With vegetable prices soaring, a woman is seen walking away from a market in Colombo with a single carrot while checking whether she has enough money to buy something else. Pic by Indika Handuwala
India gets tough; Menon here for crucial talks
India is sending a top-level emissary to Sri Lanka to convey in “the strongest terms” New Delhi’s concerns over a string of important issues. Shiv Shankar Menon, National Security Advisor to the government of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, will have one-on-one meetings both with President Mahinda Rajapaksa and Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa. The one-time envoy [...]
Supreme Court sends Chathuri to Visakha
The Supreme Court has directed State Counsel to inform the relevant authorities that a girl without school be admitted to Visakha Vidyalaya within one week. The ruling came in a fundamental rights petition filed by the parents of Chathuri Rashmika Gunasekera, who was denied admission to Visakha Vidyalaya. Petitioners Neel Pradeep Gunasekera and H.K. Dhanushka Nirosshani [...]
Illegal buildings on state land to go, says UDA
The Urban Development Authority (UDA) is to demolish unauthorized constructions built on State owned land within the Colombo city and its suburbs, a senior official of the Authority told the Sunday Times.He said that some of the buildings constructed on unauthorized land have been in existence for more than 10 years and cover over an [...]
Waiting game: Hapless heart patients
The government health sector is having serious heart trouble. Even though heart disease is the No. 1 killer in Sri Lanka, the six-storey building of the Kurunegala Teaching Hospital to cater to patients with heart disease, is sans heart (cardiac) surgeons, other staff as well as operating theatres, the Sunday Times learns. Built in 2008, although [...]
Nishantha says he got millions, wrist watch as gifts from sons
SriLankan Airlines Chairman Nishantha Wickremasinghe yesterday declared that the foreign currency amounting to Rs. 4 million and the gold watch stolen from his residence were gifts from his two sons in Australia. Mr. Wickremasinghe told the Sunday Times the two sons who came on a holiday in April had given him the money as a [...]
Central Bank defends EPF investments
The Central Bank is stoutly defending itself against repeated criticism from the opposition and other quarters over investing Employees’ Provident Fund (EPF) money in the stock market, particularly the banking sector. Central Bank’s EPF Superintendent Kalyanee Gunatilake said only a marginal amount of the EPF — 5.8 per cent – had been invested in the [...]
Don’t intimidate complainants, court warns minister
The Warakapola Chief Magistrate granted bail to Senior Minister Athuda Seneviratne on bail on Friday after warning him not to intimidate the complainants in this case where the veteran politician is charged with trespassing into a private property and causing damage to a water-bottling plant there. Chief Magistrate Awantha Lakmal released the minister on Rs. [...]
Sanath no-balls his letter
Matara District Parliamentarian Sanath Jayasuriya who wrote to President Mahinda Rajapaksa asking for a deputy ministerial post has withdrawn his letter and apologised for the request. Mr. Jayasuirya, who along with three other MPs wrote to the President in April this year had sent a letter saying he now understood it was the prerogative of [...]
Govt. evading questions on EPF, ETF: Ranil
Opposition UNP Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe yesterday blamed the Government for not giving the proper answers to questions he raised in Parliament on all the EPF and ETF share purchases by the Central Bank from January 2010 to the end of April this year. He said he made a statement in Parliament requesting the Government to [...]
Lanka’s anti-corruption report not ready for UN review
Sri Lanka’s has deferred its submission to the review group set up under the UN Convention against Corruption although it was due last week, the Sunday Times learns.Only one section of the report dealing with mutual assistance and corruption has been completed while criminalisation and assets section is now being prepared, an official said. Sri [...]
Demining workers injured in blast
Three local workers involved in demining programme were critically injured when a grenade exploded while they were clearing mines in the Muhamalai area in Jaffna last afternoon, military spokesman Ruwan Wanigasuriya said. He said two men and a woman working for Helo Trust were injured and rushed to hospital. One of the workers had found [...]
President petitioned to resettle IDPs in their own lands within HSZ
A petition signed by IDPs, urging the Government to resettle people in the Valikamam North High Security Zone (HSZ), in their lands, was handed over last Tuesday, to the Tellippalai Divisional Secretary (DS) and TNA MP Mavai Senathiraj, to be sent to the President. Earlier Police stopped a protest march at Tellippalai while it was [...]
Flavoured tobacco-based intoxicants target teens for long term addiction
A Sri Lankan who arrived from Chennai on Wednesday, was arrested by the Customs’ Airport Narcotics Branch at the Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA), for carrying 100 kg. of flavoured chewing tobacco. Airport Customs Superintendent G.G. Premasiri told the Sunday Times that a resident of Grandpass was apprehended for bringing in chewing tobacco worth Rs. 15,000,000, [...]
More than 400 Lankan workers died overseas last year: MEA report
Eight Sri Lankans committed suicide, 89 were killed in accidents and 318 died of natural deaths while working overseas last year, according to a Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) report submitted to Parliament last Tuesday. The majority of the 417 deaths took place in Saudi Arabia. Some 87 Sri Lankan workers died there while 48 [...]
FUTA to continue union action despite threats, says its president
Federation of University Teachers’ Association (FUTA) President Dr. Nirmal Dewasiri vowed that the academics would continue their trade union action to win their demands despite continued threats allegedly by those connected to the defence authorities. Dr.Dewasiri who faced threats not only to his personal security but also that of his family said he would continue [...]
Eating out in Colombo can make you sick, warns CMC
This year to- date, a total of 128 restaurants in Colombo have been prosecuted under the Food Act, for being guilty of selling food unsuitable for consumption, and for not adhering to hygienic practices in their preparation. The cases were filed by Public Health Inspectors (PHIs) and Food Inspectors (FIs) following raids conducted by the [...]
Northern progress: A first-hand look at new developments
On a guided tour of the media to the North-East Sunday Times photographer Indika Handuwela captured the development work that is in progress. From bridges to roads, railway lines and building constructions, rapid work is taking place and villagers are enjoying the infrastructure development activities in their areas. The Kanakarayankulam Lake, situated in the once war-torn [...]
Apathy by state institutions contributing to deadly dengue
Leniency by health authorities to state institutions that are negligent about mosquito breeding grounds, has contributed towards this year’s dengue outbreak that has killed at least 75 people so far. This was revealed at this week’s Presidential Task Force meeting where it was pointed out that of the 385 state institutions in the country, only [...]
Flooded out!
Blockages are preventing water from the Dummalamodera Ela flowing into the lagoon at Kalutara. The ela often overflows because the water doesn’t flow from the lagoon to the sea. As a result whenever it rains villagers are forced to abandon their homes as the water flows into houses in the area. Thousands of villagers living [...]
SL a transit hub
Sri Lanka is being used by citizens of other countries as a hub for human trafficking, especially for sly entry to Australia, Immigration Controller Chulananda Perera said yesterday. In an interview with the Sunday Times, Mr. Perera said that the Immigration Department is now taking action to crack down on such offenders. Excerpts: There have [...]
Killers protected by top politicians: JVP
JVP General Secretary Tilvin Silva has denied Government claims that the Katuwana attacks was a result of in an internal conflict. “This is to protect the actual killer because of his connections with the powerful politicians of the Government. We do not have any internal problems as such now,” he said. Mr. Silva said party [...]
Crisis-ridden Govt. trying to confuse people: FSP
FSP member Chameera Koswatte dismissed government claims that internal party strife led to the attack on the Katuwana JVP meeting. He said that though they had their political differences (with the JVP) they would not react violently. Mr. Kowsatte said that the government was in a dilemma over its inability to face the worsening economic [...]
The bloody politics behind the Katuwana attack
Geeganagamage Amarasiri Alias Julampitiye Amare, a man charged with a series of crimes was on stage at a musical show in Katuwana in the Hambantota district to mark the National New Year. He was dressed in military fatigues.As many as five warrants for his arrest has been issued on him by the Tangalle High Court [...]
Rio 20 proves a damp squib of a summit
The world’s biggest environment event – in fact, the biggest in the Earth’s history – has ended on a weak and inclusive note, according to experts. Developed and developing nations were represented at the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development, held in Brazil’s Rio de Janeiro last week. It was attended by an estimated 5,000 [...]
4 children under 16 are raped daily
At least four rape cases are reported in the country every day and most of them are of children under 16, Police statistics reveal. It has come to light that many schoolchildren are either forced or coaxed into sex by people known to them or sometimes even by close relatives. Last Tuesday a 13-year-old schoolgirl [...]
New measures to protect Pinnawala elephants
The death of a young elephant due to the cruelty of four workers at the Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage has prompted authorities to introduce measures to ensure safety of the pachyderms. Among the new measures will be the installation of closed-circuit TV cameras that will monitor how elephants are looked after at the orphanage, a world [...]
