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Death penalty: Lanka hangs in balance
By Namini Wijedasa Sri Lanka abstained from voting for a heavily-backed UN resolution that supports a global moratorium on the death penalty leading to its eventual abolition. The resolution was adopted by the UN General Assembly on December 20. The draft was approved in November with 110 countries voting in favour while 39, including the [...]
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Kalu Wandura’s days are numbered
By Malaka Rodrigo The “Kalu Wandura”, or Purple-faced Leaf Monkey, is only two steps away from extinction. This monkey, endemic to Sri Lanka and once abundant in the Wet Zone and around Colombo, and which was listed as “vulnerable” in the 2007 National Red List on Conservation Status of Species, was identified as “endangered” in the [...]
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Flood disaster worsens: Northern Province also hit
By Nadia Fazlulhaq The death toll due to the floods and landslides caused by heavy rains that have affected 21 districts in the country in the past two weeks has reached 40 with more than 400,000 persons affected. The number of damaged houses has reached 25,865 by yesterday, according to the Disaster Management Centre (DMC), [...]
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New unit to track down unscrupulous tourists, sex workers
By Leon Berenger The Immigration Department’s border control division will soon have a new unit to monitor foreign visitors engaging in illegal practices. “The move is aimed largely at a small group who violate their visa status,” the Border Control Division Chief Nihal Ranasinghe said. He said that among the illegal acts some tourists engaged [...]
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Kachcheri fire deliberate: Poser for police
By Damith Wickremesekera & Mirudhula Thambiah The Government Analyst’s findings that the fire that gutted the Colombo District Secretariat (Kachcheri) in November was “not due to natural causes” have set a poser for the Police. “We must first find out what that means. They (the Government Analyst) should tell us how they have come to [...]
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Dissenting PSC members await court notice
By Chandani Kirinde The opposition members of the Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC) that probed charges against Chief Justice Shirani Bandaranayke have so far not received notice from the Court of Appeal to be present in Court on Thursday. UNP Kandy District Parliamentarian Lakshman Kiriella said he had not received notice from the CA in connection [...]
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Gem pit victims drowned: DMO
The post mortem conducted on the three victims who died in a gem pit at Withanakanda in Nivithigala, Ratnapura revealed that the cause of the deaths was drowning and not due to the inhalation of a toxic gas as initially suspected, District Medical Officer Dr. P. H. A. Weerasinghe said. The incident took place around [...]
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CID takes over fake money case
By L.B.Senaratne The Counterfeit Currency Detection Division of the Criminal Investigation Department has taken over investigations into the fake currency and documents case in Kandy. The detection at Kiribathkumbura was made by Inspector B.M.W.S. Chandrasekera and his team of the Kandy District Crimes and Operations Unit on information received by it. After a search of the [...]
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PS chief, 7 suspects to be indicted
Killing of tourist By Wasantha Ramanayake The suspects involved in the killing of the British tourist Khuram Shaikh Zaman and the sexual assault on his Russian partner Victoria Alexandravona on Christmas Eve last year will be indicted soon. Additional Solicitor General Suhada Gamlath told the Sunday Times that the indictments will be served on the [...]
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SL 12th highest source country of asylum seekers: UNHCR
More Sri Lankans seeking asylum abroad than overseas refugees returning home voluntarily Sri Lanka ranked 12th highest source country of asylum-seekers who claimed refuge in 44 industrialised countries last year, reports the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). It also reveals that more Sri Lankans were now seeking asylum abroad than the number of [...]
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Uniforms sans pockets, 24-hour CCTV for Exam Dept. print division to plug leaks
Twenty-four-hour CCTV surveillance, as well as pocketless uniforms are to be introduced for workers in the Examination Department’s printing section, to arrest the leaking of examination papers. The new measures are now being put in place after the recent leak of the Ordinary Level examination’s Science paper to a tuition master now in remand custody. [...]
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Cybercrime: Blackmailer in the net
Hidden mini cameras installed in toilets provided pictures By Damith Wickramasekera A man who is alleged to have blackmailed dozens of young women by threatening to post their nude pictures on the internet was arrested by undercover sleuths from the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) earlier this week. Police investigations have revealed that the man who [...]
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Hakeem, Law College head in pow wow tomorrow
By Namini Wijedasa Justice Minister Rauf Hakeem will meet Law College Principal Dr. W.D. Rodrigo tomorrow to discuss allegations that the results of the 2012 law entrance exam had been manipulated to favour Tamil medium applicants. Asked whether he had interfered in the selection process to ensure that more Tamil medium students—specifically Muslims—entered Law College, [...]
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Law College entrance exam: Nothing fishy, says Principal
By Chandani Kirinde Law College Principal Dr.W.D.Rodrigo claims he knows nothing about the ongoing controversy surrounding the conduct of this year’s entrance examination to the College despite the much publicised claims that the examination results were manipulated. Dr. Rodrigo told the Sunday Times he had not received a complaint from anyone regarding a manipulation of [...]
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Acid attack on ex-MP Maheshwaran’s brother
Former UNP MP and Hindu Affairs Minister late T. Maheshwaran’s brother who came under an acid attack in Jaffna last morning, was brought to Colombo for further medical treatment, family members said. Businessman, Thiagarajah Thuwarakeshwaran was on his way to the Nallur temple when he was attacked. Police said the attack was due to a [...]
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Colombo Tamil Sangam Lane for 57th Lane, Wellawatte
Permission will be granted to the Colombo Municipal Council (CMC) to re-name 57th Lane in Wellawatte, as ‘Colombo Tamil Sangam Lane’, after the renaming ceremony scheduled for November 25, was put on hold due to objections, Western Province Chief Minister Prasanna Ranatunga said. He told the Sunday Times that he had inquired into complaints regarding [...]
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Dialog launches Sri Lanka’s first commercial 4G-LTE Service
Dialog Broadband Networks (DBN) on Saturday launched 4G services saying it would be initially available in Colombo and later to the rest of the country. The service is based on 4th Generation TD-LTE technology, and represents quantum advancement in Fixed Broadband services delivered to Sri Lankan homes and enterprises, the company said in a statement. [...]
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Carter and the castles in the sky
The social injustice of the monstrous gap between the haves and the have-nots is clearly seen in this picture where a poor ole carter drives his bullock cart carrying essential food items for the New Year and passes the site where the Krrish luxury lifestyle apartment complex is being constructed. Pic by Mangala Weerasekera
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Veteran journalist’s wife passes away
Sheila Helen Sirisena, wife of senior journalist Mettananda Sirisena, passed away on Thursday (27). She was 75 at the time of her death. She participated in social activities in the area and is the mother of five children. Her remains lie at 597/44/1 “Methsiri” Gabadawatta 1, Homagama. The funeral will take place at 4 p.m. [...]
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Senior sub editor Peter passes away
Liyanage Peter Perera, a senior sub editor who worked for the Daily Mirror and the Island newspapers, passed away on Friday after a brief illness. He was 85. Mr. Perera, a strong Trotskyite and social justice campaigner throughout his life, entered the world of journalism in the mid 1980s as a sub editor after being [...]
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New equipment to check and curb vehicle emissions
By Chamal Weerakkody New equipment acquired by the Motor Traffic Department will enable more stringent tests including night checks on harmful vehicle emissions starting next year. Motor Traffic Commissioner General S.H. Harischandra said random checks would be carried out on vehicles using the equipment, the first of its kind to be used in the country. [...]
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Police, road-safety officials on top gear to slash accidents in 2013
More than 2,000 road deaths in 2012; negligence and drunk-driving main causes for accidents By Nadia Fazlulhaq and Chamal Weerakkody More stringent enforcement of traffic rules has not helped reduce the number of fatal road accidents in the country. Some 2,190 people have died in the past 12 months, making road accidents a leading fatality [...]
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National malaise of backdoor deals pervades and corrupts the Prisons
‘Room Service’ of home comforts and conveniences could be arranged with official blessing at a price. By Namini Wijedasa reports Prisoners call it “bunker gahanawa” in Sinhala. It means smuggling contraband—mostly phones, phone chargers and drugs—in the anus. Officials say this remains one of the most common methods of smuggling goods into jail. But there [...]
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Bogus CID officers prey on middle-aged men
By Damith Wickremasekera A 62-year-old man was on his way home after doing his marketing at the weekly pola when three men approached him, identified themselves as CID officers and told him that he was wanted for questioning in connection with drug peddling. The man, S.D. Nanayakkara from Arangala in Malabe, was forced into a [...]
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2012 has been a year of disasters for the country’s fragile environment
By Malaka Rodrigo This year has been declared one of the worst ever for the country’s environment. Experts say 2012 was especially disastrous, with environmental crime at an all-time high; pollution, depredation of forest cover, land grabbing, encroachment, deterioration of law and order, and human-animal conflict peaked this year. Environment lawyer Jagath Gunawardane was whistle-blowing throughout the [...]
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One leap more before our Kalu Wandura disappears forever
Our Kalu Wandura, or Purple-faced Leaf Monkey, is among the world’s 25 most threatened primates, writes Malaka Rodrigo The “Kalu Wandura”, or Purple-faced Leaf Monkey, is close to extinction. This monkey, which once flourished in the Wet Zone and was a regular visitor to gardens in Colombo, is a disappearing species. The 2012 National Red [...]
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Minimum room rate leads to drop in City hotel occupancy
By Wasantha Ramanayake Colombo city hotels are hard pressed for business despite Sri Lanka being selected as the best destination for the coming year with the minimum room rate of US $ 125 per night being the main obstacle. “We have asked the authorities for a possible reduction in the minimum rates but they have declined [...]
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Weather wages war
36 dead, more than 340,000 displaced by floods, tanks overflowing; while Met Dept says more rains expected By Nadia Fazlulhaq Floods and landslides have claimed 36 lives and affected more than 340,000 people countrywide as adverse weather conditions continued for the second week wreaking havoc This week, the Northern Province was the most battered as [...]
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8 years after the tsunami they still have no home
Villagers of Saindamarudu in Ampara say living in temporary abodes during these bad weather days was near impossible Story and pix by Wasantha Chandrapala Eight years after the tsunami devastated the coastal areas of the country, some of the affected families are still awaiting permanent homes. Some villagers of Saindamarudu in the Ampara district, who [...]
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Locals provided back-up services for Chinese racketeers
The 100 arrested Chinese tipped lavishly, travelled in cars with tinted windows, and studied the lay of the land. Damith Wickremasekara reports At least four local underworld gangs assisted the 100 Chinese nationals who were arrested last week in a high-level currency fraud. The Chinese were arrested in a midnight raid on 10 luxury houses [...]
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Health hazard
Story and pix by Nilan Maligaspe Fruits and vegetables especially if eaten raw can be extremely beneficial to our health. However, spoilt fruit can cause deadly forms of diarrhoea which could even lead to death. Unfortunately, unscrupulous traders as seen in our pictures are involved in selling spoiled and rotten local and imported fruit for [...]
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Christmas becomes a make believe for most
As prices soar beyond reason celebrations go out of season By Mirudhula Thambiah and Aanya Wipulasena The escalating price of goods dampened the Christmas spirit for many this year, with many families having to forego some of the extra special things they have during the festive season, due to economic hardships. Geethani Pieris (46), mother [...]
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Sigiriya in danger as ‘development’ makes inroads
Alleged land grab by powerful persons in the guise of helping poor farmers By Kumudini Hettiarachchi Unique Sigiriya, the World Heritage Site and its environs, is under threat, with insidious moves to re-define this protected ‘sanctuary’ in the name of development, environmentalists charged. With pressure being brought to bear on wildlife officials, moves are underway, [...]
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‘Deaths of despair’ hike to 7 a day
2,704 suicides in 2012 ; they were unable to cope with personal issues that engulfed them and had no one to turn to By Hansani Bandara At least seven Sri Lankans committed suicide every day in 2012, with four times more males taking their lives than females, statistics compiled by the Police Department reveal. To [...]
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War widows: Constant struggle for survival
With children to care for and no family support life is as bleak as it is hostile By Aanya Wipulasena Thirty-four-year-old Idayaraj Shaila knows how hard life within a conservative society is, for a widow. She lost her husband at 19, another victim among thousands of others caught up in the ‘civil war’ that gripped [...]
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Jaffna youth arrests continue over suspected Tiger activity
Teachers fear university may have to close down By Chris Kamalendran Terrorism Investigation Division (TID) detectives are continuing their arrests of youth including students in Jaffna over what Security Forces Commander there, Major General Mahinda Hathurusinghe said was over suspected Tiger guerrilla activity. However, clergy, parents and academics complain that the exercise has spawned a [...]
