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Home » NewsPolice officers to be transferred every year
Police officers are to be moved out from stations every year under a new scheme to be implemented from January 1 next year, Inspector General N.K. Ilangakoon said yesterday. The idea, he told the Sunday Times, was to prevent police officers from spending longer periods in one station – a practice that has often led to [...]
Sanasa bank top officials die in Beruwala boat tragedy
The head of a Sanasa Bank branch, his deputy, two directors and the wife of one of them were drowned when their boat capsized in the sea off Beruwala last evening, police said. The victims, who were residents of Thalangama, had gone out on an annual trip with members of the microfinance cooperative bank and [...]
Private lawyers as judges: BASL says ‘no’
The Bar Association of Sri Lanka has unanimously rejected a move by the Colombo Law Society to call on the President to appoint members of the “unofficial bar” as judges of High Courts, the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court. The Council of the BASL took the decision after the Society informed it that [...]
Corruption commission fast tracks probe on former NSB chief
A controversial National Savings Bank (NSB) share transaction involving its former chairman Pradeep Kariyawasam is being probed by the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption on a priority basis, but its chairman has declined comment on why this particular inquiry is being fast tracked. The Commission’s Chairman D.J.de S. Balapatabendi, a former Supreme [...]
Malaka case: Major was at hotel to spy on drug traffickers
Major Chandana Pradeep Susena, who is at the centre of a controversy over an attack allegedly involving Malaka Silva and Rehan Wijeratne, was on a mission to investigate a report about two drug traffickers when the incident occurred, a magisterial inquiry was told on Friday. The Major told the Colombo Fort Magistrate Courts that he [...]
Monkey-business at Dehiwela zoo ticket counter
An employee of the National Zoological Gardens in Dehiwela was interdicted and several others are being investigated after a racket involving the fraudulent sale of tickets to visitors was uncovered last Friday. The racket came to light following a complaint by a Buddhist monk from the Pitigala Temple in Galle. The monk had visited the [...]
Alleged misuse of EPF monies ‘the largest crime ever reported’ to Bribery Commission, says UNP MP
The Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL) illegally invested Employees Provident Fund (EPF) monies in the stock market in order to manipulate the market, resulting in a loss of Rs. 12 billion to more than three million fund members, alleges UNP MP Sujeewa Senasinghe. In a complaint filed on Thursday with the Commission to Investigate [...]
UN team leaves; Pillay coming later this year
A fact-finding mission from the Office of the United Nations Human Rights Commissioner yesterday left the country after setting the stage for a visit by High Commissioner Navanethem Pillay later this year. The External Affairs Ministry has confirmed that Ms. Pillay would be here later this year. A UN spokesperson in Colombo said the delegation’s visit [...]
18 deported asylum seekers return to Sri Lanka
A group of 18 Sri Lankans who left the country illegally and sought asylum in Australia returned to Sri Lanka yesterday after choosing to return home instead of being placed in a detention centre on a Pacific island, a senior police official said. “They made statements to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) on arrival and [...]
Travel firms hit by travel advisory against TN
The Government’s travel advisory issued on September 4 warning Sri Lankans against visiting Tamil Nadu has adversely hit the travel firms. Local travel agencies are experiencing a decline in travellers to Chennai where a group of Sri Lankan tourists were attacked by mob in an incident that prompted Sri Lanka to issue the advisory. Gabo Travels, [...]
Supreme Court to hear SLMC’s rights petition
The Supreme Court has decided to hear the fundamental rights petition filed by Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) members claiming theri right to equality was violated by a senior police officer during the campaign for he Eastern Provincial Council (EPC). The Bench comprising Chief Justice Shirani Bandaranayake and Justices K. Sripavan and Eva Wanasundera fixed [...]
Money changers must install CCTV systems by year end
Authorized money changers (AMCs) have been given an extended deadline to install Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) systems at their business premises or face the threat of closure. The money changers were initially informed that they should install the CCTV systems by August 31 but the deadline was extended till December 31, 2012 after they wrote [...]
Runaway maids returning under agreement
Nineteen Sri Lankan domestic workers, currently in a detention centre in Jordan after running away from their workplace, are being freed and returning home on Tuesday under an agreement between a legal aid group and the government. Linda al-Kalash, director at Tamkeen, a Jordanian legal aid group, told the Sunday Times that the 19 workers, [...]
Advanced Level students kept in suspense as deadlock continues
The marking of Advanced Level answer scripts was to have begun today, according to an assurance given by Education Minister Bandula Gunawardena, but the Federation of University Trade Unions (FUTA) says no marking of papers will be carried out until the current union action is called off. Educationists and trade union activists say any further [...]
SEC says it was appreciated for timely completion of projects
Last week Sunday Times INSIGHT headlined “Debt ridden, loss making SEC pays for dubious award” has drawn a response from the SEC. Here are edited excerpts of a lengthy SEC statement. Due to space issues, only a portion of the letter is shown below. Diversified, Continuously Growing, Profit Making Construction Giant State Engineering Corporation (SEC) [...]
Treasury allocates Rs. 6b in supplementary funds to Govt. institutions
The Treasury allocated more than Rs. 6 billion in supplementary funds for various Government institutions in June, of which, nearly a billion rupes went to District Secretariats countrywide to pay allowances for newly recruited graduate teachers. The largest amount in supplementary allocations of over Rs 2,400 million went to the Sri Lanka Army for expenses [...]
Pets can bite too and it can be deadly
Pet dogs are causing more bites than strays with over 2,000 victims a day, a senior health official warned yesterday. Public Health and Veterinary services Director Dr. P.A.L. Harischandra told the Sunday Times existing by- laws will be amended to deal with pet owners. His remarks came as reports of an increase in rabies formed [...]
PCs have to be consulted before Divineguma Bill becomes law: SC
In determining the constitutionality of the Divineguma Bill, the Supreme Court said it will have to be referred by the President to the Provincial Councils (PCs), prior to it becoming law. As the Bill contains subject matters referred to in the Provincial Councils list, under Article 154 (G) (3) of the Constitution, it is mandatory [...]
Lankan Muslims too protest against mocking video
With the Muslim community across the world protesting against the video “Innocence of Muslims”, produced in the United States, Muslim organisations here too staged protests in a number of areas. Colombo, Kalpitiya, Trincomalee, Batticaloa and Ampara saw a number of protests throughout the week. In Colombo, around 1,500 Muslims took to the streets last Wednesday [...]
SC inquiry into alleged rights violations of SLMC members
The Supreme Court decided to fully inquire into the alleged rights violations of the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) Parliamentarian and two of its members during the Eastern Provincial Council (EPC) election campaign due to the unfair conduct of SSP Premalal Ranagala. The Bench comprising Chief Justice Dr. Shirani Bandaranayake and Justices K. Sripavan and [...]
Stolen artefacts: Museum superintendent and police spokesman give different versions
A kastane ( ceremonial sword unique to Sri Lanka), two rings, a carnelian gemstone with a miniature carving of a female figure, some currency notes and small grain-like semi-precious stones are among the recovered artefacts that were robbed from the Colombo National Museum on March 16, a museum official told the Sunday Times. However around [...]
Radiation detectors at airport on the cards
The Ministry of Civil Aviation is considering purchasing radiation detectors to be installed at the airport to prevent radiation contaminated goods entering the country. Civil Aviation Minister Priyankara Jayaratne told the Sunday Times that discussion will be held this week with the Civil Aviation Authority Chairman on the possibility of installing radiation detectors. “With the recent [...]
Road killers: Will point system apply brakes?
The last few weeks have once again seen a spike in the number of accidents with one tragedy claiming the lives of a mother and daughter duo as they crossed the road in Ja Ela. In this instance, according to police, reckless driving not by the driver but the conductor who did not have a [...]
Health ministry to legislate modus operandi for private medical labs
Despite the fact that more than 3,000 private medical laboratories function in the country, the lack of legislation and regulations to monitor them has resulted in the Health Ministry receiving innumerable complaints regarding the quality of the services provided by them. To address this problem the Health Ministry is in the process of drafting the [...]
Silent walk next Sunday to highlight extent of child abuses
There will be no placard-carrying or slogan-shouting, as thousands of white-clad men, women and children take to the streets, next Sunday, September 30, in major towns in all districts, in a ‘silent walk’ to bring into focus the grave issue of child abuse. In view of World Children’s Day falling on October 1, the main [...]
Prisoner rights violated, charge HR lawyers
Imposition of unlawful sentences by some magistrates and procedural anomalies in the criminal justice system, are violating the rights of accused, claimed human rights (HR) lawyers. Articles 12 and 13 of the Constitution guarantee Sri Lankans equal protection of the law and freedom from arbitrary arrest, detention, punishment and prohibition of retroactive penal legislation. However, [...]
Spice and all that’s nice at World Food Festival here
The Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority (SLTDA) will host the ‘World Spice Food Festival’ on October 4. For centuries, Sri Lanka has been well known for its spices. In fact it was these spices which drew imperial powers to our shores. Even today the country is referred to as the land of spices due to [...]
CKD: The killer still at large despite worldwide hunt
SANDAMALGAMA, Sri Lanka – In this tiny Sri Lankan village, rice farmer Wimal Rajaratna sits cross-legged on a wooden bed, peering out toward lush palm trees that surround his home. Listless and weak, the 46-year old father of two anxiously awaits word on whether his body can accept a kidney donation that offers his only [...]
A white elephant
The ‘fully equipped’ Fisheries Harbour at Chilaw lies idle. Constructed at a cost of Rs. 200 million and declared open by the then Fisheries Minister in January 2010, the harbour provides no benefit to fishermen in the area. To make matters worse the estuary is blocked by a sand bar which forms during the monsoon [...]
