News

Home » News

Safari on the road

Despite measures such as opening up of a massive Elephant Holding Ground at Horowupotana on Friday, wild elephants are still known to be roaming freely elsewhere. Safari groups say they do not have to go to wildlife parks anymore because elephants come to the main road as seen in this picture taken at the Buttala-Kataragama [...]

Lanka to cut nets of Indian poachers: Minister

Orders to cut the nets of Indian fishermen poaching in Sri Lanka’s waters are to be issued soon in a fresh bid to deal with illegal fishing, Fisheries Minister Mahinda Amaraweera said yesterday. He said the services of the Coast Guard would be sought to put the plan into action to discourage poaching in Sri Lanka’s [...]

Ravi seeks approval to raise billions

Finance Minister Ravi Karunanayake will reintroduce a resolution in Parliament on Tuesday to get approval to raise Government borrowing by 47 percent or Rs. 400 billion, a move that was defeated by majority vote in April this year. Unlike in April when the UNP led a minority government, the resolution is likely to have an easy [...]

Lanka hopeful EU ban will be lifted

Ahead of a visit by a European Union delegation, the Government has got tough with local fishermen — enhancing penalties and imposing million-rupee fines for violating conditions set by the EU. These measures have raised hopes that the crippling ban on Sri Lanka’s fish exports – imposed by the EU earlier in January this year [...]

Arjuna in post-fixing, appoints brother as ports chief

Ports and Shipping Minister Arjuna Ranatunga has appointed his brother, former cricketer Dammika Ranatunga, as Chairman of the Sri Lanka Ports Authority (SLPA). Mr. Ranatunga, a younger sibling of the Minister, assumed duties on Thursday, SLPA sources said. The move took many by surprise as the elder Ranatunga had been at the forefront of the campaign [...]

Detainees call off fast; Govt. assures speedy solution

The Government yesterday gave an assurance that at least 60 of the fasting Tamil detainees would be released by early November if no charges were framed against them by then. The 201 detainees who refer to themselves as political prisoners called off their week-long hunger strike yesterday after assurance was given that pending cases against the [...]

Sex-for-housing aid probe report ready; Red Cross to decide tomorrow

The report of a joint investigation carried out by the Indian High Commission and the Sri Lanka Red Cross Society into allegations that some officials involved with the project had sought sexual favours from women to disburse aid instalments is ready, a spokesperson said. Mahieash Johnney, SLRCS Senior Manager Communications and Humanitarian Diplomacy, told the [...]

Shipyard worker dies after iron post he was unloading falls on leg

A worker at a Russian ship docked here died when the iron posts he was unloading fell on his leg on Wednesday, a Coroner’s Courts was told. The victim, 46-year-old Udaya Priyananda de Silva, father of three from Suwashakthi Place in Piliyandala, was working around 3.45 in the morning when the accident occured. Giving evidence before [...]

Visitors to Pinnawala won’t be allowed to feed baby jumbos

Visitors to the Pinnawala elephant orphanage will no longer be able to bottle feed baby elephants, according to a new directive by Wildlife Minister Gamini Jayawickrama Perera. National Zoological Gardens and Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage coordinator S.R. Dullewe said the decision was taken to protect the calves from falling sick. “We are concerned about the health of [...]

Bill to protect children in custody and child victims

Children taken into custody and victims of child abuse will have additional protection, according to a Bill to be presented soon in Parliament. The Children Judicial Protection Bill, to be presented by Justice Minister Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe, will spell out mechanisms to protect children during detention, ensuring their security and protecting their identity. Mr. Rajapakshe said the [...]

Missing billboard frames: Seven soldiers arrested

Seven soldiers were arrested at Kaithady in Chavakachcheri while they were allegedly removing iron frames supporting billboards on the A9 road, police said yesterday. Deputy Inspector General G.K. Perera told the Sunday Times that the soldiers were in civvies when they were arrested on Friday night by Chavakachcheri policemen on night patrol. He said the Police [...]

New Bill on mental health will give patients more access to treatment islandwide

Patients with acute mental illnesses (involuntary patients) will be entitled to seek treatment from all government hospitals including base and teaching hospitals nearest to them, according to a new Mental Health Bill that has been proposed. The draft bill is pending approval by the Justice Ministry. Health Ministry Mental Health Director Dr. Rasanjali Hettiarachchi told [...]

Schoolgirl drowns after falling into unprotected drain in Kandy

The Road Development Authority (RDA) has been called in to complete work on an unprotected drain at the Nittawela junction on the Kandy- Katugastota road after a schoolgirl drowned on Thursday after falling into it, Kandy Municipal Commissioner Chandana Tennakoon said. Sahebdeen Mohamed Afra an Advanced Level student from Badi-ud-Din Mahmud Vidyalaya fell into the [...]

TRC DG Zuhair replaced with immediate effect

Director General (DG)- Telecommunications Regulatory Commission (TRC) of Sri Lanka, M.M. Zuhair has been replaced with immediate effect. His successor, Sunil S. Sirisena, is a senior Sri Lanka Administrative Service officer who served as Secretary to the Ministries of Education, Co-operatives and Internal Trade and Foreign Employment Promotion and Welfare, and as Chairman of the [...]

Ranil in Singapore meets counterpart, key ministers

Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe met his Singaporean counterpart Lee Hsien Loong on Friday to discuss means of promoting bilateral cooperation between the two countries. During his visit the Prime Minister also met several key ministers including Deputy Minister and Co-ordinating Minister for Economic and Social Policies Tharman Shanmugaratnam, Minister for Home Affairs and Law K. [...]

Court rejects ex-SEC chief’s FR plea

The Supreme Court on Friday turned down a fundamental rights (FR) petition filed by the former Chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) seeking the court’s order preventing the police arresting him over an alleged illegal financial transaction. Dr. Nalaka Godahewa, former Chairman of SEC filed the petition soon after the Criminal Investigation Department [...]

Formulate polls campaign financing rules for level playing field among candidates: EU-EOM final report

An international election monitoring body yesterday called on the Government to formulate campaign financing rules, after they found some of the candidates had spent as much as Rs 300 million each, for their Parliamentary election campaigns in August. The European Union Election Observation Mission (EU-EOM) in its final report said the campaign finance rules will [...]

No one can predict the dangers facing the country. A pestilence, famine or flood will affect all citizens. When the City of Visala was beset by the three Great Pests, Disease, Famine and Evil Spirits, the Lord Buddha called the clergy and chanted pirith from Rathana Sutta and removed all fear. He made the City [...]

President Sirisena okays nominees to 3 Independent Commissions but HRCSL still vacant

President Maithripala Sirisena has given the nod to the appointees of three independent commissions, but is yet to confirm those recommended to the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka (HRCSL) by the Constitutional Council (CC). The President has confirmed those recommended to the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery and Corruption (CIABOC), the Public Service [...]

Lower taxes for greater kicks dampen industry spirits

Government’s new taxes on alcohol discriminate against milder beverages, giving a competitive edge to stronger spirits, industry sources said this week. A similar trend has been observed over the past five years. The excise duty on mild beer was recently increased by 27%, strong beer by 32% and arrack by just 7%. In 2010, the [...]

Clarification: It was the CEB GM, not the CEB vice chairman

The Vice Chairman of the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) Nihal Wickramasuriya has drawn attention to a news item in the Sunday Times last week under the headline ‘Sampur power plant may pose threat to marine life’. Mr. Wickramasuriya says that he was not contacted by the Sunday Times regarding the news item. Note: The officer [...]

New Bill on mental health will give patients more access to treatment islandwide

Police one-way mantra a one-day wonder of unprecedented gridlock

A day after police claimed a one-way traffic plan implemented between Welikada junction and Horton Place roundabout was a success, complaints from motorists and the public—not to mention clogged roads—forced its suspension. Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of Police (Traffic Control and Road Safety) Amarasiri Senaratne insisted the uniflow system introduced this week had gone off [...]

Community police revived to combat crime

As an urgent measure to fight crime, the Law and Order Ministry is to revive the community police system that played an important role during the war period, Ministry Secretary Jagath Wijeweera said. He told the Sunday Times that a community police unit with the area Grama Niladhari serving as secretary would be set up [...]

Foreign demand for local granite rises, vested interests downplay value addition

Foreign interest in Sri Lanka’s granite—among the purest in the world—is rising. The number of companies seeking exploration licences from the Government has increased, while new players have also entered the mining market. Statistics obtained from the Geological Survey and Mines Bureau (GSMB) shows that 14 companies now hold valid licences for graphite exploration. These [...]

An expert commissioned to look into allegedly fatal faults in trains imported from India said some trains lacked the kind of crash-resistant frames considered essential for safety in most vehicles, even cars. The Railway Department is preparing a report on allegations of reported shortcomings in Indian train engines and compartments with unions claiming the defects [...]

Premachandra killed by T56 rifle fire, says witness

Several key witnesses in the Bharatha Lakshman recounted at the hearing this week the atmosphere of fear and intimidation that prevailed on the day of the incident in October 2011 with the then UPFA MP Duminda Silva and his gun wielding supporters threatening voters as well as policemen on duty. The hearing began this week [...]

Boat people: From economic trap to legal net

The number of Sri Lankans attempting to undertake the risky boat ride across the Indian Ocean to get to Australia has hit rock bottom this year, due to the concerted effort by government authorities to stop illegal migrants. But the lives of those who attempted the perilous journey and ended up being apprehended now face [...]

Cooperation between the two countries a success, says Australian envoy

Australian High Commissioner to Sri Lanka Robyn Mudie said that close cooperation between the two countries in combatting human smuggling is paying off with no boats carrying illegal migrants reaching Australian territory this year. Following are excerpts of the email interview with High Commissioner Mudie on the issue:- – Sri Lanka and Australia have been [...]

Only a lucky few know that burst of excitement on being told they’ve won a large sum of money. For some it’s a different story, with happiness turning to nightmare when they discover they have fallen prey to a scam. The victims range from well-educated professionals to farmers. “All the complaints received on the subject [...]

Schoolboy run over and killed by lorry

A grade 10 student was run over and killed by a lorry, while returning from school with two friends on a motor bike in the Pannala area in Kurunegala on Tuesday. The victim Sajith Prasanna Dilshan, 15, resided on Karavita Road Iriyagolla and was studying at Iriyagolla Maha Vidyalaya. Giving evidence before the Inquirer into [...]

Service station attendant electrocuted to death

A vehicle service station attendant was electrocuted while washing a vehicle in the Kotahena area on Wednesday a Coroners Court was told. The deceased was identified as 18-year-old Jayarajah Nilanjan from Trincomalee. Giving evidence before the Inquirer into Sudden Deaths M. Ashroff Rumi, a co-worker of the deceased 25-year-old Inran Mohammad said that Mr. Nilanjan [...]

Pact to track and identify Asian heroin labs

Indian Ocean countries launched a programme to identify regional opiate-manufacturing labs as a high-level United Nations-sponsored narcotics summit heard this week that Sri Lanka is a hub for trafficking to Asia and Australia. The Compendium of Drug Seizures at Sea (October 2015) will be a joint effort by the United Nations Office on Drugs and [...]

Villagers struggle with water contaminated with salt and pesticides

Villagers struggling for the past 10 years over a water supply tainted with salinity, pesticide residues and mud – and sometimes no water at all – lost their patience and resorted to violent protests this week but their problems are still far from resolution. “The water we receive passes through 22 irrigation tanks and all [...]

Customs-drug traffickers face off as more ‘stuff’ gets through despite rise in detections

The detection of drugs at the Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) has been on the rise, with one of the biggest detections being made two weeks ago. On October 4, BIA Customs officials apprehended four Sri Lankans, (three women and a man) coming from Chennai, carrying 93 kg of heroin valued at Rs 50 million, hidden [...]

Govt. assures fasting Tamil prisoners justice before year ends

The Government assured Tamil prisoners who have been on a hunger strike in prison that a speedy solution would be found to their problems before the end of this year, after processing each case individually, a Cabinet minister said. Justice Minister Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe told the Sunday Times that currently more than 270 Tamil prisoners are [...]

Carpeted road stretch in Yala spells death to animals

Since the re-opening of Yala National Park on October 7, four Spotted Deer have been killed by speeding vehicles on the recently carpeted Kirinde – Yala road. An adult male antler that died of head injuries was among the four that were killed. The road from Kirinde up to the Park’s ticketing office was carpeted [...]

The tuskers of Kalawewa now have a sanctuary

Adding another national park to Sri Lanka’s protected areas, the government declared the wilderness around Kalawewa and Balaluwewa a sanctuary. Wildlife and Sustainable Development Minister Gamini Jayawickrema Perera declared open the national park yesterday. Environmentalists welcome the move saying the protection was long overdue. The Kalawewa reservoir was built by King Dhatusena who ruled the [...]

New holding ground for rogue elephants needs careful watch

The Horowpataha Elephant Holding Ground (EHG) was declared open by the Wildlife and Sustainable Development minister Gamini Jayawickrema Perera on Friday. The EHG aims at keeping in rogue elephants responsible for killing people, infiltrating villages and damaging property and those who try to come back after being translocated. The first such ground was constructed at [...]

It is common these days to see wild elephants straying from their natural habitat –the rain forest in the Wellassa area- and intruding on to the Buttala-Kataragama Road. in search of food. These pachyderms have taken to begging for food, fruits and a variety of delicacies. Blissfully oblivious to the traffic congestions they are creating, [...]

Advertising Rates