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The Government has imposed an indefinite travel ban on visits by foreign passport holders including tourists to the North, a senior Army officer said yesterday. The Army’s Media Director told the Sunday Times that the restrictions had been imposed in view of threats posed by some foreign passport holders who were acting in a manner [...]
Rail ways and woes
Indian workers giving the final touches to the renovated Jaffna Railway Station from where President Mahinda Rajapaksa will launch the new Yal Devi service tomorrow. But as plans were finalised for this ceremony, commuters were stuck at the Vavuniya Station yesterday waiting for trains that did not come to take them to Colombo or other [...]
Email against Sajin: CID called in
CID detectives have been called in to probe an email allegedly critical of Sajin de Vass Gunawardena, Monitoring MP for the External Affairs Ministry.Detectives have recorded statements from P.M. Amza, former Director General of Economic Affairs, and Prasanna Gamage who was attached to the SAARC (South Asian Association for Regional Co-operation) Secretariat. Both officials have [...]
NPC to boycott President’s visit, CM wants India as guarantor
Northern Province Chief Minister C.V. Wigneswaran in a letter to President Mahinda Rajapaksa on Friday said he expected India to take up its role as the “guarantor of Tamil interests in the North East Province as it did when the Indo-Lanka Accord was signed in July 1987. “We expect the Government of India to actively participate [...]
Cataract: Vision 2020 offers free lenses, free surgery
The Health Ministry’s Vision 2020 charity unit is offering free cataract lenses and free operations to thousands of poor people who cannot afford them and therefore go blind. At a media conference to mark World Sight Day where the theme was “the prevention and cure of cataract”, Vision 2020 Programme Director Dr. Asela Abeydheera said [...]
Authorities blind to needs of disabled
For Suraj Priyadarshana the daily journey from Ratmalana to Colombo University is like embarking on an obstacle race. When he gets off the bus at the halt near College House at the University of Colombo he calls a friend to say he has arrived. Attempting to cross the road alone could prove to be dangerous, [...]
Legislation next
Parliament will next week pass legislation to restrict alienation of lands in Sri Lanka to foreigners, foreign companies and certain institutions with foreign shareholding. Chief Government Whip Dinesh Gunawardena said the concerns that were raised by several companies after the Bill was presented to the House last month had been addressed. “Their concerns have been [...]
Water project stalled over Israeli firm’s big bid price
A multimillion dollar water project has been put on hold by the Cabinet on the grounds that the estimate the Israeli company that submitted an unsolicited proposal to implement it was 103% more than the estimate by Sri Lankan engineers. A Cabinet memorandum submitted last week and referred for reconsideration says that the Standing Cabinet [...]
Duty free cars for mayors too
Local Government and Provincial Councils Minister A.L.A.M. Athaullah wants to give duty free cars worth five million rupees to mayors, who, he says, are “rendering a broad service.” He says the concession should be given to mayors who do not have “a suitable official vehicle.” The minister says mayors are doing a wide range of [...]
Colombo linked to Jaffna by steel after 24 years
After 24 years ‘Yal Devi’ is all set to begin its journey to Jaffna from Colombo with pride, linking the North and the South. Since 1990 its services had to be terminated due to the conflict. President Mahinda Rajapaksa is due to inaugurate the service from Pallai to Jaffna. The service had been operating up [...]
Monitoring of Foundations coming
Foundations: Everybody seems to want one and the most popular way of setting it up is through Parliament, by way of a Private Member’s Bill. The procedure is so simple that there has been a steady growth in the number of proposals submitted for approval. Last month alone, five incorporation Bills were gazetted for consideration [...]
Protesting Sabaragamuwa undergraduates hospitalised after attack by masked men
Undergraduates from eight local universities took to the streets yesterday to protest against a violent attack on the Sabaragamuwa University students engaged in a ‘sathyagraha’ campaign in Pambahinna, Badulla, on Friday night. Thirteen students were admitted to the Pambahinna rural hospital following the attack, six were later transferred to Balangoda Base hospital due to complications. [...]
Union anger comes to a boil over Budget promises
Fed up with broken promises of fund allocations in previous budgets public and private sector employees are launching countrywide protests in hopes of winning a series of demands from the October 24 Budget. The workers, backed by trade unions, say they will take to the streets or refrain from work until the Government meets their [...]
A simple filter to strain out kidney disease ‘culprits’
It is a humble red-clay filter compared to the new-fangled and more sophisticated ones available in the market, but it may very well turn out to be a boon to the beleaguered people of the North Central Province (NCP) who are being felled by a mysterious kidney disease. To be launched early next month during [...]
Sound of Mu-sick
Three-wheelers with blaring horns or music recordings selling bread and short-eats in Colombo and the suburbs in the early hours have become a common occurrence. But, more than the service provided the inconvenience caused to the public is on the rise prompting people to complain about the noise pollution and irritation caused. A resident of [...]
Fame and fortune unlocked for daring Lankan in wartime Iraq
Locksmith Mohamed Zarook, 38, never dreamed that his work overseas would lead to a wild adventure opening treasure-filled safes belonging to a fallen dictator, earning high praise from the US army. Mr. Zarook, who comes from a family of locksmiths, sought overseas employment in 2003 as a mechanic. He has now returned home and finds [...]
Jayalalithaa’s credo: Rely only on yourself and money is all that matters
I took oaths on November 21, 1990, as the senior most Cabinet Minister of the Chandrashekhar-led Janata Party government with two portfolios—Commerce and Law and Justice. As the party President then, I was instrumental in working out a coalition with the Rajiv Gandhi-led Congress Party to dislodge the V.P. Singh coalition government and was, hence, [...]
What’s in a name? Big bucks if you say ‘Rajapaksa’
Whether it’s President Mahinda Rajapaksa, First Lady Shiranthi Rajapaksa or MP Namal Rajapaksa, the Rajapaksa name is a goldmine for inventive rogues who scam the public by pretending to be anything from the President’s elephant supplier to the First Lady’s chauffeur. A staggering 143 arrests have been made by a Police Special Investigations Unit (SIU), [...]
Old, unwanted, discarded
World Elder’s Day is observed around the world on October 01. But here in Sri Lanka the question is whether we are prepared to care for an increasing elderly population Demographers have shown that the country’s population is aging rapidly. They also point out that over the next two decades, Sri Lanka will be the [...]
Bared: Sex workers’ vulnerabilty
The brutal attack on a female sex worker by a policeman in Ratnapuara town recently, has helped expose the sordid and pitiful life of such women, an issue that authorities prefer to keep unaddressed and hidden, despite the stark reality that thousands of women engage in the flesh trade in the country. The story of [...]
Potato farmers protest; want Govt to fulfil promise
Farmers in Welimada yesterday staged a protest against the Government’s failure to buy potato stocks despite assurances given during the election campaign. They said their potatoes were rotting as they awaited the Government to buy them. Pix by Shelton Hettiarachchi
Sumedha quits Uva Council post
Uva Provincial Council’s Deputy Chairman and UPFA member Saliya Sumedha yesterday quit his post claiming that the position was not sufficient to serve the public. He said he was opting to remain as a member of the council. Mr. Sumedha, son of Cabinet Minister Sumedha Jayasena, in a letter to President Mahinda Rajapaksa said even [...]
Fisheries ministry negotiating release of stranded fishermen
One-hundred-and-eighty Sri lankan fishermen and the 36 boats which drifted into Myanmar waters in bad weather still remain there, a Fisheries Ministry spokesperson said. He said three boats and fifteen fishermen were in the custody of the Myanmar coast guard. Fisheries ministry secretary Dr. R.M. Dissanayaka said government was in contact with the authorities in [...]
Fifty years hard labour for land-deal fraudster
A 40-year-old man who used forged documents in a land transaction worth tens of millions of rupees was sentenced to fifty years hard labour by the Kandy High Court Judge Manilal Waidyatilleke on Friday. The judge also ordered him to pay a fine of Rs. 150,000 after he was found guilty on four charges. The [...]
Chinese, local companies to build Jaffna and Kandy expressways
Chinese and local companies will jointly undertake the construction of the expressway projects to the north and Kandy at an estimated cost of Rs. 300 billion, a minister said. Highways Project Minister Nirmala Kotalawala told the Sunday Times a Chinese company had been given the contract for the construction of the expressway from Pothuhera in [...]
Child dies after unfitted window falls on him
A Coroner’s Court heard how a four-and-a-half-year old boy -Senura Dulneth- a resident of Palathota, Kalutara died when an unfitted window frame fell on him on Wednesday (08.10.2014) The accident apparently occurred when the deceased child attempting to get into the house through a window, had placed an unfitted window frame against the wall and [...]
Fisheries ministry negotiating release of stranded fishermen
One-hundred-and-eighty Sri lankan fishermen and the 36 boats which drifted into Myanmar waters in bad weather still remain there, a Fisheries Ministry spokesperson said. He said three boats and fifteen fishermen were in the custody of the Myanmar coast guard. Fisheries ministry secretary Dr. R.M. Dissanayaka said government was in contact with the authorities in Myanmar [...]
Child dies after unfitted window falls on him
A Coroner’s Court heard how a four-and-a-half-year old boy -Senura Dulneth- a resident of Palathota, Kalutara died when an unfitted window frame fell on him on Wednesday (08.10.2014). The accident apparently occurred when the deceased child attempting to get into the house through a window, had placed an unfitted window frame against the wall and attempted [...]
Fifty years hard labour for land-deal fraudster
A 40-year-old man who used forged documents in a land transaction worth tens of millions of rupees was sentenced to fifty years hard labour by the Kandy High Court Judge Manilal Waidyatilleke on Friday. The judge also ordered him to pay a fine of Rs. 150,000 after he was found guilty on four charges. The [...]
Use and abuse of ‘Points-of-Order’ in Parliament
A‘point-of-order’is an important instrument of Parliament, which all members have a right to. The purpose is to bring to the attention of the House, that some aspects of accepted Parliamentary norms are being violated. That is its proper ‘use’. The right can also be ‘abused’. That happens when a member purports to have a point [...]
100 Undergraduate Scholarships for foreign students in 2015
One hundred foreign students have been offered full scholarships at Sri Lanka universities, in a fresh bid to promote local campuses, Higher Education Ministry Secretary Dr Sunil Nawaratne told the Education Times. “The scholarships offered are for the new academic year and will be for Degrees or Postgraduate studies,” he explained. Scholarship recipients are from [...]
Act legalising private universities to be passed in Parliament soon- SB
Quality Assurance, Accreditation & Qualification Framework Act drafted by the Ministry of Higher Education (MOHE) to legalise non-State universities in the country, is to be passed in Parliament soon, its Minister S.B. Dissanayake said. Minister Dissanayake addressing the SAARC workshop ‘Innovation in Higher Education for Knowledge Based Economies and Economic Growth in the SAARC Region’, [...]
Kotalawala Defence University to open campuses in south, east
Cabinet, this week approved a Defence ministry proposal of President Mahinda Rajapaksa, to establish two campuses of the Sir John Kotalawala Defence University in the Southern and Eastern Provinces. The institutions will cater to fee-paying local and foreign students. Construction of the Southern campus located in Sooriyawewa, will start this year and completed in three [...]
Jobless Kelaniya protests against restive Sabaragamuwa’s closure
The Kelaniya University Students’ Union, on Thursday, staged a protest against the decision by the Sabaragamuwa University administration, to close the university indefinitely, following student unrest on October 6. A large number of undergraduates gathered in front of Kelaniya University, in solidarity with their counterparts in Sabaragamuwa. Pic by Lal S Kumara
Rs 10,000, 0% interest loans for Technology Institute students
A new loan scheme, apart from the Mahapola scholarship, is to be introduced for students following higher education courses in Technological institutes, Higher Education Minister said. Minister S.B. Dissanayake said President Rajapaksa has instructed to establish a new fund to allocate loans to students. Accordingly, Rs 10,000, zero interest, loan will be granted to students [...]
Schools for 50,000 ‘Out-of-School Children’, School for all by 2015
Gramasevaka’s and Divisional Secretaries island-wide have been instructed to submit names of children not attending school, and assist the District Secretary compile a list to find schools in their respective areas, the Education Ministry said. The Ministry said, though the country’s school attendance is foremost among fellow South Asian countries, there are about 50,000 local [...]
2 Principals docked for soliciting bribes for Grade 1 admissions
This week two principals of reputed schools were accused of allegedly soliciting bribes for Grade 1 admissions. Principal of St Joseph’s Balika Vidyalaya, Grandpass, was accused of demanding Rs 50,000 for the School’s development programme, from the parents of a child seeking admission to Grade 1. The child’s parents lodged a complaint with the WP [...]
Principal of St. Aloysius College retires after 10 fruitful years at the helm
The 15th Principal of G/St. Aloysius College, Galle, D.P.L.S Gunasekera, retired on September 14, after completing 10 years as its head. Before assuming duties as Principal of St. Aloysius’, he was on the staff of Thalpe Sugathananda Maha Vidyalaya. During his tenure years as Principal he rendered immense service to the school with his management [...]
Royal College qualify for ZFEP 2015 finals
The sustainability campaign launched by Royal College (RC) is one of four finalists of the Zayed Future Energy Prize (ZFEP) 2015, in the Asian Region, for the first time from Sri Lanka. ZFEP, known as a once-in-a-lifetime achievement, promotes sustainable living and adaptation of renewable energy worldwide. Under the Global High Schools category, in which [...]
BRDS celebrates Children’s Day, donates footwear, stationery for needy schoolchildren
The staff of B.R. De Silva (BRDS) & Co., in an employee driven initiative, made their contribution towards the recent celebration of Children’s Day by donating footwear and stationery items to Mahamathya Maha Vidyalaya, Colombo 5. In accordance with the national theme, “Protect Us with Love” set by the Child Development & Women’s Affairs Ministry, [...]
EP ‘Art & Literature Day’ prize-giving on Monday
A prize-giving was held at Kallady, Batticaloa, on Monday, for winners of the “Art & Literature Day” competition organised by the Eastern Province Cultural Affairs Department. Batticaloa Municipal Council Commissioner M. Uthyakumar, Swami Vipulananda Institute of Aesthetic Studies Director, Dr K. Premkumar and writer Uma Varadarajan were the guests of honour at this function. A [...]