News
Home » NewsCurfew in Grandpass after attack on mosque
A police curfew was imposed in the Grandpass area in central Colombo last night till 7 a.m. today after a Muslim prayer room situated in a three-storied building came under attack by a group of unidentified persons. At least eight people including two policemen were injured in the attack, Police said last night. Police riot squads [...]
JSC, BASL in fresh row; judges can’t go to Dhaka
Five judges of the Court of Appeal have been prevented from attending a judicial training programme organised by the US government in Dhaka, Bangladesh, later this month, officials said yesterday amidst a fresh dispute between the Judicial Services Commision and the Bar Association of Sri Lanka. The training programme focusing on anti-money laundering and combating [...]
New regulations for three-wheelers
Commuters now have recourse to the police over errant three-wheeler scooter taxi drivers. New Motor Traffic (Motor Tricycle) regulations now effective will enable passengers to complain to the Police, the Consumer Affairs Authority or the Motor Traffic Department, Motor Traffic Commissioner S.H. Harischandra told the Sunday Times. The driver has to conduct himself in a civil [...]
Right of reply | Customs on alleged online vehicle racket
The Sri Lanka Customs spokesman Leslie Gamini has reacted to last week’s Sunday Times story titled ‘Customs bust major online vehicle racket’. Mr Gamini says he did not reveal the information mentioned in the news item nor had he been informed of any such case as detected by the Customs. Reporters note: Mr Gamini did [...]
Milk crisis: NZ Govt. officials here for talks
New Zealand Government officials who arrived in Sri Lanka this week on a trouble-shooting mission held discussions with the authorities on Thursday over a raging debate on suspected Dicyandiamide (DCD) contamination of milk products from that country. A spokesman from Fonterra’s Sri Lanka office confirmed the visit and said that Fonterra was providing all the [...]
Weliweriya: Mass demo on Wednesday
The joint opposition will hold a mass demonstration opposite the Fort railway station on Wednesday, August 14, to protest the Government’s action at Weliweriya on August 1. The demonstration is being organised by the Vipakshaye Virodaya group that includes the main opposition United National Party. A similar rally is to be held by the UNP [...]
Lanka rejects India’s demarche for release of fishermen
Sri Lanka has rejected an Indian demarche delivered earlier this week for the immediate release of 114 Tamil Nadu fishermen now in custody for poaching in the country’s territorial waters. The Sri Lankan Government has hit back at India asking that its fishermen stop poaching in Sri Lankan territorial waters, and said that the Indian [...]
ACJU under a cloud over moon sighting
The All Ceylon Jamiathul Ulema (ACJU), once at the centre of a nationwide controversy over halal certification, is now engulfed in a bigger controversy within the Muslim community. This time it was over the sighting of the new moon on Wednesday night to enable Muslims in Sri Lanka to celebrate the Eid festival on Thursday or [...]
Vehicles in poor condition to be off roads until repairs are effected
The Motor Traffic Department will soon introduce regulations enabling the Police to seize unroadworthy vehicles and produce them in courts and prevent the use of the vehicles until they are repaired, Deputy Inspector General of Police Amarasiri Senaratne told the Sunday Times. He said under the regulation the Police jointly with officials of the Motor [...]
Minister: Protesting teacher must leave Royal
The lady teacher who staged a roof-top sit-in at Royal College, Colombo recently protesting her transfer will not be allowed to remain at the school, Education Minister Bandula Gunawardene said yesterday. He told the Sunday Times that her transfer to Isipathana Vidyalaya remained valid and a departmental disciplinary inquiry would continue. “This was a fair transfer. [...]
Remove boards carrying unauthorised name change of village: SC
The Supreme Court (SC) directed the Valikamam Pradeshiya Sabha to remove all the name boards carrying the name “Sinthupuram” from all public premises in the Valikamam PS area until the correct procedure to change the name is followed and adhered to. The SC gave this order after considering a fundamental rights petition filed by the [...]
100th victim run over by train near Kandy Courts complex?
A woman was run over by the Badulla – Colombo train opposite the Kandy Courts Complex on Monday evening, while she was engaged in speaking on a cellular telephone. It could be counted as the one hundredth victim on this stretch of road, between the Getambe level crossing and the Kandy Courts Complex on William [...]
Rs. 1.5 million extorted from murder suspect by ex-DIG
Mahara Magistrate Dharshika Wimalasiri ordered former DIG Vass Gunawardena who had allegedly extorted Rs. 1.5 million from Singappuru Sarath – a suspect turned State witness in the Kelaniya Pradeshiya Sabha member Hasitha Madawala murder case, be remanded. The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) produced the former DIG before the Mahara Magistrate following a complaint by Sarath [...]
Betrayed by the Army, Weliweriya asks why
A slender woman in a white saree stood constantly by the schoolboy’s coffin. Her hands were clasped together and she muttered under her breath. Her eyes darted everywhere. She did not cry. But, once in a while, she begged her son to rise and greet his friends. In the home of another dead schoolboy earlier [...]
Cupful of confusion
Several months after the controversy ended over imported milk powder, the issue has reached boiling point again, leaving people bemused and confused. The Industrial Technology Institute (ITI) states categorically that Dicyandiamide (DCD) was found in random samples of four imported brands, while the two local brands tested negative. The milk in three of the imported brand [...]
More arrests made as people still fear a return of the reign of terror | Noori Estate killing
Two more suspects were arrested in connection with the killing of Noori Estate Manager Nihal Perera raising the total number arrested to 22, while the Special Task Force continues to patrol the area, police said. A senior Police officer in charge of security in the area said that two suspects arrested were relatives of the [...]
DPL’s CSR dips as the gloves come off its operations
The agitation for clean water in Rathupaswala has ended with deaths, injuries and damage to property. A joint investigation is being conducted by related government agencies to ascertain who is at fault for the water pollution. However, environmentalist Sajeewa Chamikara of Environmental Conservation Trust points his finger directly at the factory, for the improper release of [...]
Polls campaigns just warming up while violations race ahead
Campaigning for the first ever Northern Provincial Council (PC) elections is reported to be low key compared to the campaigning in the other two constituencies, North-Western and Central provinces. Though the campaign for the elections scheduled for September 21 is in its initial stage election monitoring groups say they have received reports of a number of [...]
Highway bribery
Two policemen on duty at Mundalama in the Puttalam district stopped a luxury bus heading to Point Pedro from Colombo. The bus did not have a valid route permit. The two policemen demanded from the conductor that they be paid Rs. 300 each to avoid being taken to courts. What the policemen did not know [...]
The army’s licence to kill dissent in cold blood
Family members of two schoolboys killed in the Weliweriya shooting incident, described at the magisterial inquiry on Friday, their nightlong futile search for their children. It was only the following day they were able to get any information, Gampaha Chief Magistrate Tikiri K. Jayatilleke heard from Priyangika Shiromini Jayawardena, 35, mother of student Akila Dinesh (17). [...]
Heavy downpours compounded by unauthorised structures, clogged drains flood upcountry
Torrential rains once again caused floods in upcountry areas of Hatton-Dickoya, as authorities blame the city’s increasing unauthorised constructions, while residents blame the authority’s failure to clear the clogged drainage system. People of the area were out on the streets protesting over problems they faced during floods, as their houses went under water, damaging their belongings. [...]
The most beautiful beach is being washed away
The picturesque Unawatuna beach is under threat and may even lose its position among the ten most beautiful beaches in the world, say residents. According to them, a man-made sea wall that is being constructed with huge boulders at the nearby Walle Devalaya, has triggered severe soil erosion in other areas. Yaddehimulla Grama Sevaka Salinda Jayasekare [...]
Primary teachers’ training programme gets zero grading from teachers
A 300-hour training programme, costing Rs. 130 million for primary school teachers that was first launched in the Western Province is to be launched in the North Central Province amidst criticism from teachers in both provinces. Teacher union sources told the Sunday Times that teachers in both provinces were warned that failure to attend the [...]
Mounting garbage a problem as pilgrims flock to sacred cities
In the wake of the ongoing annual Kataragama Esela Festival, environmentalists and officials have called upon pilgrims to be mindful of not polluting the sacred city with garbage. Shasheendra Rajapakse, the Kataragama Basnayake Nilame told the media that the festival that started on August 7 and continued till the 20th annually attracts thousands of pilgrims. [...]
