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Dilan faces no-faith motion over Rizana execution
A no-confidence motion against Foreign Employment Minister Dilan Perera over the handling of the case of executed Sri Lankan housemaid Rizana Nafeek, has been tabled in Parliament. In the motion signed by 14 UNP MPs, the minister is accused of failing to extend meaningful support in any manner to Ms. Nafeek, who was executed in Saudi [...]
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Customs officers threaten strike over new laws
Say amendments will help big-time racketeers with big loss to state revenue By Chris Kamalendran The Government is to make Customs levies subject to challenge before the Tax Appeals Commission retrospectively from April 1, 2011. This is one of two major amendments to the Customs Ordinance and they will be placed before Parliament for approval. The [...]
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No shortage of assurances, but shortage of action: UK MP
Khuram Shaikh murder in Tangalle: Calls for Queen Elizabeth 11 to boycott CHOGM, while victim’s brother laments 15 months after his brother’s brutal slaying the suspects are out on bail By Nadia Fazlulhaq The head of the Commonwealth, Queen Elizabeth 11 will be urged to boycott the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) to be [...]
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Discounts galore at Mattala
By Damith Wickremasekara More concessions have been offered to airlines and passengers who opt to travel from the Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport due be declared open on March 18, Civil Aviation Minister Priyankara Jayaratna said. He said pilgrims to Dambadiva and Mecca and migrant workers to West Asian countries would be offered discount packages to [...]
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Crop tax to be levied from banks, insurance and finance firms
A new tax called the Crop Insurance Levy will be charged from banks, finance and insurance companies with a view to covering damages suffered by the farmers due to a series of natural disasters in the past year, the Sunday Times learns. The levy amounting to one per cent of these institutions’ after-tax profit will [...]
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Kidney disease: WHO report goes to Cabinet; UNP alleges cover-up
By Kumudini Hettiarachchi A joint World Health Organisation-Sri Lanka Government study which has raised serious issues over a mysterious kidney disease felling farmers in the country’s dry zone will be submitted to Cabinet on Thursday and follow-up action taken, Health Minister Maithripala Sirisena said yesterday. The Cabinet would discuss the report and decide on the course [...]
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Foreign reserves blown up on borrowed money
Economists say Central Bank policy cannot sustain a stable rupee against US dollar A build-up in Sri Lanka’s foreign reserves over the past year by around US$2 billion is based on borrowed cash and is unsustainable in the long term towards ensuring a stable rupee against the US dollar, economists said. The US dollar, Sri Lanka’s [...]
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President off to Japan next week
President Mahinda Rajapaksa will leave on a four-day official tour of Japan next week. The tentative dates for the visit are March 12-15, Presidential Media Spokesman, Mohan Samaranayake said. During the visit, the President is expected to meet Japan’s Emperor Akihitho, Prime Minister Shinso Abe as well as the Trade and Defence ministers. The visit [...]
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Cops-turned robbers’ 10.2m heist unravels from within
N. Devendran, a foreign currency dealer, went to his bank at Navam Mawatha, one morning in February, withdrew Rs 10.2 million, and drove off in his car. He had hardly gone half-a-kilometre, when a Sub Inspector (SI) of the Fort Police stopped him right opposite the Nawaloka Hospital car park. Just then, a blue coloured [...]
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Draft laws on ‘Free Ports’, related tax exemptions in the House
By Chandani Kirinde The declaration of “Free Ports ” and to provide tax exemptions to those operating such bonded areas, are among new draft laws hurriedly presented to Parliament this week. Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva, Leader of the House, who introduced 21 Bills, said they would be taken up for debate later this month [...]
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Hacking into Govt. websites prompts amending Computer Crimes Act 2007
By Nadia Fazlulhaq Information Technology Minister Ranjith Siyambalapitiya said discussions will be held with the Defence Ministry to amend the Computer Crimes Act of 2007, consequent to the hacking of about 50 government websites. “It has been more than five years and needs amendments, es3pecially with regard to information security. Sri Lanka’s computer literacy stands at [...]
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Tax coming to cover crop damage
A new tax called the Crop Insurance Levy will be charged from banks, finance companies and insurance companies, amounting to one per cent on their after tax profit, with a view to covering the damages suffered by farmers in the country due to a series of natural disasters in the past year. The levy will [...]
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Policeman among 11 asylum seekers caught off Matara coast
A policeman along with 11 others were caught attempting to illegally flee the country, off the coast of Matara on Thursday (7) night. A police constable from Kokkadicholai in the Batticaloa district, along with three of his children, were part of a group of 12 suspected asylum seekers caught by the Matara Police in the Dikwella [...]
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SriLankan Cargo to undertake export cargo loading
Move burdens freight forwarders with additional cost to conform to ICAO audit recommendations on security By Wasantha Ramanayake SriLankan Cargo announced it will take over the loading of Export Cargo from June 1, but the move will be an additional burden on freight forwarders, they said. The decision was taken following “various international audit recommendations,” [...]
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To Singapore for jobs, forced into sex trade
By Charundi Panagoda Children and Women’s Abuse Prevention Bureau of the police last Thursday apprehended a suspect involved in trafficking Sri Lankan women to Singapore. Bureau Director SSP Jayantha Wickremasinghe said police have so far arrested two suspects involved in the sex trafficking ring. The ring is operated by Sri Lankan nationals located here and [...]
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Law conference to discuss legal challenges in a developing world
By Mirudhula Thambiah The National Law Conference (NLC) for this year will open its doors to industry specialists and non-lawyers from various sectors across the island. The conference will be held under the theme ‘The Way Forward: Legal Challenges in a Developing Landscape’ on March 18 and 19 at the Kingsbury Hotel, formerly Ceylon Intercontinental in [...]
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SC restrains for now clearing forests and planting gliricidia in place
The Supreme Court granted leave to proceed in a fundamental rights petition filed restraining private companies from clearing forest and growing gliricidia trees which affect the fauna and flora of the country. The petitioners Environmental Foundation (Guarantee) Ltd, Wildlife and Nature Protection Society and Wilderness and Protected Areas Foundation cited K.P. Ariyadasa, Acting Conservator General [...]
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SC tells Malay Street area residents to decide on their future
Take full compensation and leave or live in rent paid premises until apartment provided in original place By Wasantha Ramanayake The Supreme Court directed the Malay Street area residents to tell the Urban Development Authority (UDA) over the weekend whether they would opt for a rental to find accommodation until they are provided apartments at [...]
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Hundreds displaced, livelihoods destroyed in Govt. land grab for development
Never again will they return to the way of life they lived for generations only to be made extinct. Namini Wijedasa reports The Government is taking over hundreds of acres of land in all parts of Sri Lanka, as it surges ahead with a massive development drive. Statistics from the Land Ministry’s Acquisition Division show [...]
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A village sans basics
Story and pix by Kanchana Kumara Ariyadasa It seems an unlikely story, but the villagers of Palagolla in the Galewela area in the Matale district see their postman only once in three months. The area is so backward they have no basic amenities like electricity, public transport , water on mains , health care, or [...]
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Term of office of Resettlement Authority extended
The term of office of the Resettlement Authority of Sri Lanka, which was to lapse later this month, will be extended for another three years, according to an amendment to be introduced to the Rehabilitation Authority Act. The provisions of the Act which was enacted in March 2007 for a term of six years is [...]
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200 placements for SL students at South Asian University
By L.B. Senaratne Speaking at the “Indian Education Exhibition held in Kandy recently, Professor S.B. Abeykoon, former Vice Chancellor of the University of Peradeniya said two hundred places had been allocated for Sri Lankan students at the South Asian University to be set up in New Delhi. Professor Abeykoon who took up a posting at [...]
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CPC to cut losses with stricter credit lines to State sector
Fuel purchases on govt.-to-govt. annual contracts to avoid sudden price hikes and ensure quality By Damith Wickremasekara The recurring losses of the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC) prompted the introduction of new regulations on providing credit to State institutions, Petroleum Industries Minister Anura Priyadharshana Yapa said. “The CPC is compelled to pay for huge loans to two [...]
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South Eastern varsity undergrads ‘homeless’
2nd and 3rd year students accommodation in University discontinued Students cite secuirty concerns and cost of living as opposition to outside residency By Hansani Bandara The second and third-year undergrads of the South Eastern University of Sri Lanka (SEUSL) in Oluvil, are in despair, due to the unresolved issue of their accommodation. These students have [...]
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Magistrate refers case to mediation board at counsel’s request
Assault on DIG’s son necessitating ICU treatment, a minor incident, say police By Deva Adiran The case involving the attack on DIG Waidayalankara’s son, allegedly by Minister Maithripala Sirisena’s son and 14 others should to be referred to the mediation board, Valaichchenai Magistrate N.M. Riyal ordered on Friday. This was despite a plea by counsel for [...]
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Bail for Duminda to be considered tomorrow
By Wasantha Ramanayake The Colombo High Court on Monday will consider the bail application filed on behalf of Parliamentarian Duminda Silva who is the eleventh suspect in connection with the killing of four people including Presidential Advisor Bharatha Lakshman Premachandra October 8, 2011. Petitioner Vincent Perera, father of Duminda Silva filed the bail application seeking to [...]
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Armed guards at hospital room door protect Duminda from germs
Prison guards stand outside MP Duminda Silva’s hospital room after he was remanded as a prime suspect in the killing of former parliamentarian and Presidential Advisor, Bharatha Lakshman Premachandra. Five uniformed officers, two armed with rifles stood outside the room while about 13 supporters, men and women stood on aside with no permission to enter. [...]
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Turbulence in the cockpit as SriLankan management lowers qualifying mark
Chief Pilots in charge of training and standards resign in protest while Pilots Guild will only ‘fly the roster’ By Namini Wijedasa SriLankan Airlines has suspended its latest intake of trainee pilots over protests that the management had lowered a crucial qualifying test score ostensibly to accommodate two failed candidates. The qualifying score for the final [...]
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Women’s rights: Ministry lines up new programmes
By Aanya Wipulasena Awareness on teenage pregnancies, educating women about workplace harassment and introducing a Tamil medium for the diploma course on Women in Politics are some of the programmes planned by the Ministry of Child Development and Women’s Affairs for this year. An increase in the incidents of teenage pregnancies in former conflict-areas has [...]
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Weni wel the local paracetamol in market hot water
By Malaka Rodrigo Forest officials and experts have expressed serious concern over illegal and unchecked harvesting of weni wel, Sri Lanka’s age-old multi-cure herb, by racketeers and profiteers driven by the high demand for it. Recently, forest officers in Thawalama arrested four people who were transporting without a permit some 700 kg of weni wel. [...]
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Consumers shelved as VAT devalues supplier enthusiasm to stock supermarkets
By Mirudhula Thambiah Shortage of food stocks in supermarkets has disappointed customers, as suppliers reluctant to bear the newly imposed 12% Value Added Tax (VAT) introduced in the 2013 Budget, have ceased supplying supermarkets. The Sunday Times visited leading supermarkets within Colombo city and the suburbs to investigate consumer complaints regarding shortages in essential items and [...]
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Lanka urged to vote for sharks, manta rays
As the triennial meeting of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora takes place in Bangkok, Malaka Rodrigo stresses on the need to save those species which are fast becoming a rarity in our waters A crucial proposal on protecting sharks and manta ray species has stirred debates and [...]
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Catch confiscated, Indian fishermen remanded
By Padma Kumari Kankanamge The catch confiscated from three Indian multi-day fishing trawlers arrested by the Sri Lanka Navy while the trawlers were poaching in Lankan waters were ordered by Puttalam District Judge and Magistrate Dammika Illangasinghe to be sold. The Fisheries Corporation outlet at Kalpitiya was ordered to sell the 1,300 kilos of fish seized. [...]
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Time for action to end violence against women
By R. Jayaratne Mothers and Daughters of Lanka, a network of 26 organisations and a member of the Gender Based Violence (GBV) Forum held a joint event to mark International Women’s Day on 08 March 2013. It was based on the UN theme for 2013: “A promise is a promise: Time for action to end [...]
