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India, Lanka in heated row over coal power plant
Construction of the Sampur coal power plant, already a year behind schedule, has been further delayed by the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) which is asking India’s National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) to revise some crucial cost estimates. CEB officials met their NTPC counterparts in New Delhi recently but failed to reach agreement. Power and Energy [...]
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Govt. members of PSC convict CJ after controversial probe
The Parliamentary Select Committee probing the impeachment motion against Chief Justice Shirani Bandaranayake has held that she is guilty of three charges of “misbehaviour” and claimed that was “sufficient evidence” for her dismissal. The PSC’s 30-page report handed over to Speaker Chamal Rajapaksa yesterday was signed only by the seven members of the Government. Four [...]
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No crude oil from Iran: Banks afraid to open LCs, CPC seeks US help
Sri Lanka has stopped all crude oil imports from Iran despite being exempted from US sanctions because banks refused to open letters of credit and insurance companies would not provide cover, a senior official said yesterday. Ceylon Petroleum Corporation Managing Director L.E. Susantha Silva said he had requested US diplomats to facilitate these transactions by, [...]
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Lankan men overtake women in foreign jobs
For the first time in nearly three decades, the Sri Lankan males edged out females in job placements overseas mainly in the West Asian region, Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment (SLFEB) Chairman Amal Senalankadhikara said yesterday. He said that during the past year Sri Lankan males made up 51 per cent of the total [...]
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Budget passed but Parliament’s control over finances undermined
Parliament approved the Appropriation Bill (budget) for 2013 last night by a two thirds majority and set aside a Supreme Court determination that sought to reinforce full parliamentary control over public finances. It was passed by a majority of 101 with 158 government MPs voting in favour and 57 against. In a determination delivered to [...]
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Tamil Forum calls for boycott of Commonwealth Summit
The UK based Global Tamil Forum (GTF) yesterday called on leaders of Commonwealth countries to boycott the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) to be held in Sri Lanka next year to uphold the association’s charter and values. Charging that Sri Lanka was “descending toward a lawless state”, the GTF welcomed a fresh pledge from [...]
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Jail sentence remitted but no other concessions for Fonseka
Former Army Commander Sarath Fonseka was released from prisons on the remission of the jail sentences imposed on him and there were no other conditions or concessions, according to Presidential Secretariat documents seen by the Sunday Times. In September 2010, Mr. Fonseka was first sentenced by a military court to 30 months in jail after [...]
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From the temple of justice to the Temple of the Tooth
Just before it was announced that Chief Justice Shirani Bandaranayake had been convicted on three charges, the besieged head of the Judiciary is seen offering flowers at the Dalada Maligawa in Kandy yesterday. She was accompanied by husband Pradeepa Kariyawasam, who is also facing a corruption case, and their son Shaveen. The Chief Justice and [...]
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Preparations complete, as traders eye a “good season”
It’s only early December but the large malls in Colombo have put up their decorations and are playing festive music in anticipation of a hectic shopping season. Retailers of electronic goods and mobile phones are among the heaviest advertisers this year and some of the bigger home appliance companies have already held stock clearance sales, [...]
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President should intervene as ‘no official here seems able to deal with university students problem’ – Jaffna citizens
Academics, clergy and members of the public want the Police and military banned from entering the premises of the Jaffna campus, including the student hostels. If they insisted on visiting the campus, they should seek the permission of the university authorities. Two separate letters and a statement to this effect were issued last week. Writing [...]
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Evaluate Govt. commitment to Harare Principles: Mangala tells CMAG
The Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group (CMAG) should evaluate the situation in Sri Lanka and report on whether the Government was keeping to its declared commitment to the Harare Principles of Democracy and the Rule of Law, UNP MP Mangala Samaraweera said yesterday. Mr. Samaraweera urged Commonwealth Secterary-General Kamalesh Sharma to request CMAG to act urgently. [...]
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Cold weather will ease with coming N-E Monsoon rains: Met Dept.
The North-East Monsoon will bring rains in the coming weeks putting a halt to the cold weather pattern. Met Department Duty Forecaster Ananda Jayasinghearachchi said the Eastern, Northern, North Central and Uva Provinces and the Matale and Hambantota areas can expect scattered showers during any time of the day while there is a possibility of [...]
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Full Bar Assn. meets to discuss CJ’s impeachment
Amid mounting concerns over the impeachment of Chief Justice Dr. Shirani Bandaranayake the full membership of the Bar Association of Sri Lanka (BASL) will meet on Saturday, December 15. Seven members of the Parliamentary Select Committee have already found her guilty on three charges. Among the concerns, BASL President Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe said yesterday were matters [...]
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Yet another Kahawatte killing – this time it’s a male victim
Two Police teams are investigating the killing of a 33-year-old bachelor in Kotakethana, Kahawatte. Kotakethana, in the Ratnapura disctrict, has been the scene of a series of killings of women, going back to 2008. The body of Ukwattage Abeya Priyantha was found on the Opatha road at around 11 p.m. on Friday. A Special Investigation [...]
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SL Govt. hasn’t invested in Supreme SAT: Minister
The Sri Lanka Government has not invested any monies for the launch of the satellite by Supreme SAT, and none of the satellite orbital slots belonging to Sri Lanka has been allocated for this project, Telecommunication and Information Technology Minister Ranjith Siyambalapitiya told Parliament yesterday. “The satellite orbital slots from 50 degree east and 121.5 [...]
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Lankans smuggled into western military bases in Iraq, Afghanistan
Authorities have launched an investigation into an alleged multi-million rupee scam involving the smuggling of Sri Lankan workers to U.S. bases in Iraq and NATO bases in Afghanistan, senior officials said yesterday. Foreign Employment Secretary Nissanka Wijeyratne told the Sunday Times they were probing the activities of an individual, alleged to have amassed millions through [...]
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No trains on Saturdays if demands not met , say rail workers
Railway employees have threatened to stay away from work on Saturdays from next month, if the Government fails to resolve their salary issues. The warning came after Friday’s token strike which left tens of thousands of commuters stranded prompting the commuters to cling on to over crowded buses to reach their destinations. However railway authorities claimed [...]
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SC fixes BASL petition against CJ’s impeachment for January 21
The Supreme Court on Monday decided to fully hear the rights violations petition against the impeachment procedure of Chief Justice Dr. Shirani Bandaranayake, filed by the Bar Association of Sri Lanka (BASL) and fixed the dates for hearing the case for January 21, 2013. The court decision was given after hearing both President’s Counsel Ikram [...]
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Families of workers employed abroad facing difficulties
Problems facing the families of Sri Lankans working abroad and how these families could be helped were taken up for discussion at a meeting organised by the Ministry of Foreign Employment Promotion and Welfare, on Thursday at the Mannar district Secretariat, At the meeting chaired by the Additional GA Stanley de Mel and attended by [...]
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Sophisticated seismic monitoring systems in Ampara
Three seismic monitoring systems have been installed in Wadinagala, Allanoya and Dewalhinda in Ampara following a series of recent tremors experienced in these areas. Geological Survey and Mines Bureau (GSMB) Chairman Dr. W.P. Wijayananda told the Sunday Times that the main objective of installing this system was to obtain accurate information on the tremors. “We [...]
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First to school: But for some it’s not so
Two years ago Thilina Asanka from Kesbewa had dreams for a bright future. He enjoyed attending the village school Makandana Sudarshana Vidyalaya and was determined to do well in his studies to get a job and help his siblings. But his plans for a bright future soon turned bleak when his parents passed away.Fourteen-year old [...]
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Shun/quit smoking, says medical fraternity in unison
The medical fraternity threw its full force behind the Government on Tuesday, reiterating in one voice that “smoking kills” and there is a need to alert people to the deadly risks through pictorial warnings on the packets of cigarettes. “People should quit smoking. There is no other alternative,” underscored Sri Lanka Medical Association (SLMA) President [...]
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Changing locations fail to mitigate man-beast conflict, says landmark study
Translocation of elephants, undertaken to mitigate the human-elephant conflict and conserve elephants, does not reduce the conflict or save elephants but causes an increase in the conflict and deaths of elephants, is the surprising finding of a study conducted in Sri Lanka. The results of this landmark study conducted by Dr. Prithiviraj Fernando and colleagues, [...]
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Their only wish for Christmas is that prices will come down
The festive season is here, but the increase in the prices of essential consumer goods and services and little relief from the budget have left the public little to celebrate about. Colombo University’s Economics Professor Dr. Sirimal Abeyratne said the rising government expenditure – mostly unproductive and wasteful, and the consequent budget deficits will have [...]
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Two brutal civilian killings in the North
Two killings have been reported in the Northern Province, one in Kokkuvil, Jaffna, the other in Uppukulam, Mannar. The victims have been identified as Neomal Somaratne, 32 years. He was a resident of Polonnaruwa, employed by the Survey Department in Mannar. The second victim, R. D. Nishantha Sampath Rajapaksa, 35 years, was a supervisor for [...]
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‘I now have a companion to sleep and dance with’
She was ecstatic about the Court order that her pet cobra be returned. “I will dance with her. I will now have a companion to sleep beside me,” …. year old Nirosha Wimalaratne, a nightclub dancer declared with joy on Friday. After a month-long court battle, Colombo Fort Magistrate Kanishka Wijeratne ordered that the cobra [...]
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Cobra snaps ST photographer
It was last Sunday morning when Ranjith Perera’s wife complained of a termite infestation in a cupboard. He decided to apply some wood preservative on it and went to fetch a paintbrush. “I was looking for a paintbrush, when I felt a sudden sting on my toe,” said Ranjith, recalling his unexpected brush with death. [...]
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24 hours at the mercy of the sea
For Olivanzo Arnolda, last Sunday began like any other working day at recreational dive centre Colombo Divers, based in Mount Lavinia. Arnolda, a diving instructor and guide, was to take three clients out to sea – to a point 17 kilometres off the coast. Their destination was the “Colombo Car Wreck”, a name given to [...]
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The great rip-off
Prawns have been an all-time favourite dish in Sri Lanka. Unfortunately the exorbitant cost of the article has forced many families to reluctantly take the delicacy off their menu. Prawns have now become a luxury food. But fishermen from Chilaw claim the price of prawns has been artificially inflated and would cost far less if the [...]
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Prof. Malik Peiris: The humility of a Fellow of the Royal Society
The 13th Annual Research Symposium of the University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, was held on November 22 and 23 on the theme of the “Multi-faceted Nature of Research in the 21st Century.” At a time when the universities are under siege as it were, from external and internal forces of ‘not performing,’ ‘not maintaining standards,’ [...]
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Books on Muslim law of succession launched
Two law books, ‘Al-Ameen Law Report Volume V-2012′ edited by A.H.G. Ameen and ‘Muslim Law of Succession: A Guide’ which was authored by him, were launched last Sunday at Hotel Ranmuthu in Colombo. The Chief Guest was Justice Saleem Marsoof. The books were reviewed by Former Bar Association of Sri Lanka (BASL) President Ikram Mohamed [...]
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10,000 students to get free books at Pragna Pradeepa silver jubilee
For 25 years, Pragna Pradeepa has been enlightening the lives of children with the gift of education. To celebrate this great feat, the organisation headed by United National Party Provincial Councillor Jayantha de Silva, will distribute school books and study equipment to 10,000 students at a ceremony on December 14 at Campbell Park. In addition [...]
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Eyeless in Gaza
UNITED NATIONS (IPS) – Mahatma Gandhi said it with remarkable moral clarity – “An eye for an eye only ends up making the whole world blind.” That is indeed what happened in Gaza over eight days in November, with an estimated 160 Palestinians and six Israelis dead in the latest exchange of rockets and drones [...]
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Lanka’s perfume goldmine
Walla Patta, scientifically known as Gyrinops walla, is a commonly seen sub canopy tree that grows in home gardens as well as in wet zone forests. So it came as a surprise when authorities learned of illicit operations to smuggle this seemingly insignificant tree out of the country. Not long ago, Walla Patta was found [...]
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Solution to Tamil question vital for region’s stability: Indian expert
Greater devolution of powers to the provinces and amicable resolution of the Tamil grievances are pivotal to the long-term stability of the region. These were the words of veteran Indian foreign policy expert, Dr. Arvind Gupta, at a lecture he delivered on Wednesday when he was asked about the “Indian obsession” with the 13th Amendment. This [...]
