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Minister and Jathika Hela Urumaya Secretary Champika Ranawaka — involved in a casnio tug o’ war with the government leadership — taking part yesterday in a real tug o’ war at an Avurudu festival held by his ministry at the Saranankara playground in Kalubowila. Pic by Indika Handuwela
Move to transform EPF, ETF into pension funds
Amidst reports of ‘losses’ in investments made in the stock market by the Employees’ Provident Fund (EPF), the Government is planning to transform the EPF and Employees’ Trust Fund (ETF) into pension funds, official sources said. The Finance Ministry is drafting legislation to amend the EPF and ETF Acts for this purpose. The sources said the [...]
SL Tourism on damage control over Buddha-tattoo Naomi
Sri Lanka Tourism bought a business class ticket for deported Naomi Coleman, the British tourist with the Buddha tattoo, because it wished to see that “all tourists be happy [sic] when leaving the country after a holiday”. “Yes, we arranged an air ticket on business class for Ms. Coleman to ensure an easy passage back [...]
CEB continues surcharge; President promised to withdraw it
The temporary fuel adjustment surcharge the Ceylon Electricity Board introduced in February last year to offset thermal power generation costs has continued for one year despite assurances it would be withdrawn within months. As a result, the CEB doubled its profits last year. Whilst the surcharge earned it Rs. 25,430 million, its profits for last [...]
Tax upon tax, now toilet tax
With tax upon tax being imposed on the people, the Colombo Municipal Council is planning to charge a sewerage tax to raise funds to repay a loan it obtained from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) to rehabilitate the city’s sewerage pipeline network. A discussion on this tax was held at Amaya Lake Resort in Dambulla [...]
Sri Lankan’s Thai wife alleges abuse at airport
Barely 48 hours after the controversial arrest and deportation of the British woman tourist for sporting a tattooed Buddha on her body, a Thai woman and her Sri Lankan husband have alleged that they were harassed by Immigration officials at the Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) on Friday, police said. In a complaint to the Airport [...]
Unprotected pond a death trap at Dehiwala Zoo
A pond some 30 metres in depth, inside the Dehiwala Zoological Gardens that borders Quarry Road, is a virtual death trap following the collapse of the protective wall several months ago, posing a serious danger to unsuspecting motorists. A makeshift protective barrier made up of corrugated sheeting has replaced the wall as a temporary measure, but [...]
Undergrads given ultimatum to attend lectures
An ultimatum has been issued to Allied Health Science Students of Peradeniya University to attend lectures or run the risk of their faculty being closed down. According to Prof. Mahinda Wickramaratne, Dean of the Allied Health Sciences Faculty, the University Grants Commission (UGC) has instructed the university to treat the matter as a local problem [...]
Road accidents in top gear
Though almost half way into the decade of road safety, Sri Lanka has yet failed to rein in the number of fatal road accidents. Poor attention given to proper technical standards when building or renovating roads, failure by law enforcement authorities to strictly implement the law, and a lack of political will to address the [...]
Live telecast of Parliament proceedings to start next month: Speaker
The first hour of Parliament proceedings will be telecast live from next month, Speaker Chamal Rajapaksa announced this week. He said the telecast, over a private cable network, which was suspended after a month of test transmission, would re-commence, but he would ensure that MPs strictly adhere to Standing Orders of Parliament during debates in [...]
Witch doctor proves bad medicine for barber, children escape by a hair’s breadth
The two children who were plucked from a watery grave, after their father threw them into the Nilwala Ganga in Matara on Thursday, are being held under police guard in a special enclosure at Matara Hospital, owing to the rush of people eager to have a glimpse of the toddlers, police and hospital officials said [...]
Fear, frustration build up as holdups soar
Full-face helmet bandits have struck 14 times in the past four months, robbing millions of rupees and gold jewellery from banks, pawn shops and gem merchants in various parts of the country. Although video footage has been available on closed circuit television (CCTV) cameras, police have so far only been able to make a breakthrough [...]
Come the rains, come the scourge of dengue
With the onset of monsoonal rains last week came the scourge of dengue, with five schools forced to close over a death and 20 confirmed cases among dozens of fever victims in Hanwella in the Colombo district. Students of Hanwella Rajasinghe National College, Pahatagama Roman Catholic Primary School, Maliyadeva Primary School, Mayadunne College and Walawwatte [...]
UDA losses since 2006 total Rs. 1,230 million: Auditor General
The Urban Development Authority (UDA) continues to incur losses since 2006 with accumulated losses amounting to over Rs 1,230 million by 2011, a report by the Auditor General presented to Parliament this week revealed. And even though the Authority had realised a profit before tax of Rs242 million in 2011, the profit was due to [...]
Deadly leptospirosis not spread exclusively by rats
Will Sri Lanka have to drop the ‘rat’ in rat fever (leptospirosis) following trailblazing research by a doctor, which has gained global recognition? Leptospirosis is being spread by dogs, cattle, buffaloes and even pigs in Sri Lanka, is the amazing finding of Consultant Community Physician, Dr. Suneth Agampodi, who reiterates that the ‘reservoir or host [...]
A town with no bus halt
Walasmulla is a busy town in the Hambantota district. Around 5,000 persons converge on the town daily, yet it lacks a bus halt. As a result there is no definite spot for passengers to get off or get into buses as buses tend to halt in different places. One picture shows a student running to [...]
Eight-year-old dies in freak accident
An eight year old boy died in a freak accident during the avurudu season, when a porcelain bowl fell on his head causing serious injuries to his neck area. The boy, Adipa Shanka Mallikarachchi, had run into his mother while she was carrying a large porcelain bowl which slipped and fell on his head. The [...]
Natural, clean bottled water – no it’s not, raid shows
This week’s seizure of 37,000 bottles of water contaminated with a chemical similar to kerosene oil has raised concerns over the safety and purity of bottled water. Following complaints of a strong chemical stench similar to kerosene, Consumer Affairs Authority on Tuesday raided the Dalugama, Kelaniya factory of Mount Spring Water (Pvt.) Ltd, an associated [...]
New Police Unit from tomorrow to prevent religious disturbances
Unauthorised construction of religious places, land-grab to construct places of worship and religious clashes are among complaints the new police unit that comes into operation tomorrow, will investigate to prevent religious disturbances. Senior Deputy Inspector General (SDIG) of Police (Western Province) Anura Senanayaka told the Sunday Times that complaints against unethical conversions, religious related disturbances [...]
UDA gobbles up more prime land in Colombo
The Urban Development Authority (UDA) continues to acquire vast extents of prime property in Colombo Fort and surrounding areas, the latest being 1.7 acres (or 269 perches) in Kompanna Veediya. Included is a 107-perch block in Masjidul Jummaih Mawatha owned by the Department of Examinations (DOE) which has been relocated to Sri Jayawardhanapura Kotte. A [...]
New leader, another May Day
Jantha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) members are seen preparing for their first May Day rally under their new leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake. The party’s procession will begin at Wellawatte and conclude with a rally at the BRC grounds in Havelock Town. Pic by Indika Handuwala
Only a quarter of parched fields will yield rice
Only a quarter of paddy fields can be used for cultivation this Yala season due to the drought, a senior Agricultural Ministry official warned this week. His warning came as the dry zones continue to remain desiccated and paddy farmers look for alternatives to keep their livelihood alive. Additional Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture, Dr. D.M.N. [...]
Political parties, TUs on their marks and getting set for May Day
More than 25 rallies and meetings will be held by political parties and trade unions to mark May Day; of these 20 rallies and processions will be in Colombo and five outstations, including rallies in Bandarawela, Talawakele, Nuwara Eliya and Hatton. The UPFA will have their May Day meet at Campbell Park, Borella. Their procession [...]
Elephant dance cancellation allegedly due to TB drives visitors from the Zoo
Workers at the Dehiwala Zoological Gardens are up in arms over the cancellation of the age-old elephant dance, following allegations that there were covert moves to close down the Gardens to make way for a VIP’s luxury residence. The traditional jumbo dance at the Zoo has been put on hold for the past several days, [...]
Captive elephants helpless against TB spread
Experts fear there could be an outbreak of tuberculosis among captive elephants if quick action is not taken.As elephants in Dehiwala Zoo show signs of TB the zoo authorities have stopped the popular elephant performances.Zoo director Anura de Silva told The Sunday Times that five out of the zoo’s 10 elephants have tested positive in [...]
Tackling kidney disease in NCP
While a powerful Presidential Task Force is to be appointed to tackle the mysterious kidney disease that is felling farmers mainly in the North Central Province (NCP), all Secretaries of relevant ministries will meet on May 2 to discuss at length how to proceed with the tasks allocated to them under a wide-ranging Action Plan. [...]
Malaysian air disaster: Sri Lanka needs a crash course
Sri Lanka charges fees from aircraft entering its airspace to provide services that include search and rescue facilities. Should a disaster occur, however, the country has neither sea nor air capabilities to meet its international obligations fully. The suspected crash of Malaysian Airlines MH370 was a rude awakening to authorities who realised that Sri Lanka [...]
Rapidly increasing rat population could spread leptospirosis: Colombo Chief MOH
There is a possibility of an increase in leptospirosis, commonly known as rat fever, with the rapid increase in the population of rats in Colombo and its suburbs, Colombo Municipal Council’s Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Pradeep Kariyawasam warned. Dr. Kariyawasam said immediate measures had been put in place to bring the disease under [...]
Hard drug use grows, new committee to act
With at least 15 people arrested around the country in possession of illegal drugs – especially heroin – in the first three weeks of this month, the government has appointed a special committee to act on drug trafficking and use. Trafficking and use of heroin is high, making up a third of all drug arrests [...]
The arena of written questions dominated by a few gladiators
There are multiple mechanisms through which a parliamentarian can engage with the House, to take forward his or her responsibility as a representative of the people. But some of those opportunities are dominated by only a very few. Just 5 of the 225 MPs ask two-thirds of all the “written questions” in Parliament: Manthri.lk is [...]
