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While the Government today launches a massive programme to make agriculture free of chemicals, the paddy storage problem has reached boiling point. Thousands of farmers are reaping the Maha harvest, but the tragedy is that large quantities of paddy from the earlier Yala harvest are still in cold storage. Desperate farmers, unable to get a [...]
Foreign company out; local builders get contract for 65,000 houses in NE
The Government has decided to award a project to construct 65,000 houses for war-affected families in the North and East to local builders, abandoning earlier moves to give the lucrative deal to a foreign company. The Major Constructors of Sri Lanka (MCSL), an industry association, was notified on Friday by the Department of National Planning [...]
Another mini budget to raise government revenue
Sri Lanka’s Treasury is preparing a mini budget 2016 as the 2016 Budget revenue and capital expenditure estimates have gone haywire due to the introduction of amendments to the ongoing budget, officials said yesterday. In December last year, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe told Parliament that a “contingency liability bill” or a mini budget would be [...]
Singapore-style online tax system
A Singapore style tax collection system where payments and transactions made by individuals and companies with 26 state institutions will be monitored from the Inland Revenue Department (IRD) will come into effect in October, Tax chief Kalyani Dahanayake said yesterday. The IRD Commissioner General told the Sunday Times that the new system would enable the [...]
Farmers continue protests, reject President’s offer
Farmers continued their protests in several parts of the country yesterday, demanding that the Government restore the earlier scheme of offering fertilizer at the subsidised price of Rs. 350. Protesting farmers in Polonnaruwa, Anuradhapura, Weeraketiya and other places rejected the Government’s cash grant of Rs. 25,000 per hectare and President Maithripala Sirisena’s offer on Monday to [...]
Major drive to detoxify Lanka begins today
Government today will take a major step towards a gradual turn around from the use of imported agrochemicals, to locally produced organic and bio fertilizers. The programme for a Vasa Visa Nethi’Ratak — a mission to make Sri Lanka free of poisonous agrochemicals and thereby, free of poisoned or polluted food including rice, vegetables and fruits [...]
Indians confess to surgical removal of their kidneys: Police
Eight Indian nationals arrested over alleged visa violations were produced before the Colombo Medical Officer (JMO) yesterday to ascertain if any of their organs had been removed, after suspicions surfaced that they may be part of an international kidneyracket involving Sri Lanka. The JMO’s report will be submitted to the Colombo Chief Magistrate’s Court. The [...]
Poaching crisis: NPC tells Govt. to get tough
The Tamil National Alliance-controlled Northern Provincial Council (NPC) has urged the Government to take immediate measures to ensure the livelihoods of the Northern fisher folk, as Indian fishermen continue to rob marine resources in Lankan waters. Participating at a Conference of Provincial Fisheries Ministers in Colombo on Thursday, NPC Fisheries Minister B. Deniswaran explained how [...]
NIC at 15 years under amended Registration of Persons Act
The Registration of Persons Act will be amended for the compulsory registration of every citizen of Sri Lanka, as well as the introduction of new age limit for the issuance of National Identity Cards (NIC). The age of registration under the proposed laws is 15, down from the present 16. The wide changes to the Registration [...]
PM sends for SL’s Diplomats for a 3-day brainwashing
Sri Lanka’s High Commissioners, Ambassadors, Consuls General and Consuls have been summoned to Colombo for a meeting with Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, to take place from March 31 to April 2. The venue for the three-day conference is yet to be decided but could be in Bentota, Galle or Negombo, sources said. The meeting has [...]
Sweeping public sector reforms coming
President Maithripala Sirisena has appointed a 23-member National Salaries and Cadre Commission to advise and assist the Government formulate and implement a National Wage Policy, and increase efficiency and productivity in the public sector. It is empowered to conduct cadre assessments and review all remuneration structures, including salaries and wages to facilitate due fulfillment of [...]
Dondra fishermen protest attack by Indian fishermen
Fishermen in Dondra, Matara yesterday staged a protest over an alleged attack by Indian fishermen within Sri Lankan territorial waters off Point Pedro. A crew of six fishermen who sailed from Dondra had reportedly come under attack on February 28 and they returned to the island on Friday. U.K. Samaranayaka, representing the Fisheries Federation in [...]
Senior DIG to interview minister over Sunday night accident
Police will interview Minister Champika Ranawaka over last Sunday night’s accident involving one of his official vehicles and a motor cycle. Pujitha Jayasundara, Senior Deputy Inspector General of Police (Western Province) who is handling the investigation said Mr. Ranawaka’s statement will be recorded. He said he would forward a report to Police Chief N.K. Illangakoon [...]
Parliament sittings extended for “Joint Opposition” Group to have its say
There will be extended hours of Parliament sittings starting from the coming week, to afford more time for “Joint Opposition” group MPs to participate in debates. Parliament sittings on Thursdays and Fridays will commence at 10.30 am and continue till 7.30 pm, with an hour’s break for lunch between 12.30 pm and 1.30 pm. The [...]
Sri Lankan Ministers meet with Chinese officials
International Trade Minister Malik Samarawickrama and Law and Order and Southern Province Development Minister Sagala Ratnayake recently undertook an official visit to China where they met with several senior Chinese officials including Song Tao, the Chinese Minister of the International Department and Cheng Fengxiang, Vice Minister of the International Department. During the talks, the two [...]
Shunned child gets offers from many schools
The mother of the six-year-old child who was rumoured to have AIDS had removed the child from Sambodhi school which he was admitted to, following protests from the parents of the school. It is learnt that the children at the Sambodhi Gashandiya Primary school in Kuliyapitiya had kept away from school following the admission of [...]
Sound waves battering our health
Sound pollution is increasing and has become second nature to Sri Lankans, with most people unaware of the consequences of prolonged exposure to loud noise. The law mandates that drivers cannot sound horns with sound levels exceeding 105 decibels within a 2m range or more than 93 decibels within a 7m range. This law is [...]
Trincomalee’s long road from ethnic conflict to ethnic harmony
Seven years after the war, the Trincomalee district, one of the biggest multi-ethnic regions in Sri Lanka, is rapidly returning to its pre-war glory, with the displaced people coming back to reclaim their lands, tourism business picking up and law-and-order situation improving. In this eastern district, where the strategic port city of Trincomalee, the administrative [...]
Tourism a boon to Trinco; insufficient skilled personnel its bane
Tourism is booming in the Trincomalee district with some residents now converting their houses into guest houses and tourist hotels, with more and more hotels and guest houses coming up within the past year. Most of the hotels with swimming pools, boat services and spas, have come up along the Nilaveli coast, which has been [...]
Sinhala medium students hit by poor education standards
Poor education standards are among the main concerns of the residents in Trincomalee which they say still lacks facilities and teachers, though the war ended in 2009. Mahinda Geeganage, a longtime Trincomalee resident, says Sinhala medium students are the worst affected and parents are forced to their children to schools in faraway districts to pursue [...]
Trinco fishermen await Govt. assurance for unrestricted fishing
One of the main concerns of the fishermen in Trincomalee has been that the government may prevent fishermen going out to sea from certain areas, as they want to develop the tourist industry there. H.W. Sunil, a resident of Trincomalee engaged in fishing said though the original proposal had been drawn up by the previous [...]
Army pull-out affects poor in midlife crisis
A project to uplift the living standards of villagers in the Eastern and Northern Province has run into problems regarding repayment, due to lack of supervision. Under the project, the Regional Development Bank (RDB) provided loans to villagers to engage in small and medium enterprises such as brick making, maintenance of retail shops, to purchase [...]
Mahanayake calls for urgent steps to build bridges between communities
For the Amarapura Sri Dharmarakshitha Nikaya Mahanayaka, the Most Ven. Thirikunamale Ananda Thera, Trincomalee is his home district and he has the welfare of its people at heart. He believes that though there is no war now, much needs to be done to build bridges between the communities. He says there are many issues to [...]
Religious leaders hit out at communal-minded politicians
Religious leaders and civil society activists say that though it may look like the people are living in a peaceful and harmonious environment now, co-existence between communities is yet to be achieved and they have started to work on it. Bishop Christian Noel Emmanuel who administers the Diocese of Trincomalee told the Sunday Times that [...]
No radical teachings at madrasas, says Moulavi
With the combining of local syllabus to the Islamic studies offered at Madrasas or Arabic colleges in the Trincomalee district, the schools are gaining popularity with high competition to get a place, a senior Islamic religious leader said. “There were around 200 applications to select students for a class of 40. The students are being [...]
People power heats up against Sampur coal power plant
Sampur’s residents, who are yet to resettle in the recently released lands, staged a protest this week against the proposed Sampur Coal Power Plant. They said if the project was implemented, it would pose a threat to the surrounding environment. The People’s Movement Against Coal Power Plant and Green Trincomallee, an organisation consisting of people [...]
Indian ambulance service revving to go in two provinces
The government is going ahead with plans to start a new ambulance service by an Indian company, despite continuing protests by the Government Medical Officers’ Association (GMOA). The company is conducting interviews among locals for recruitment purposes, while the ambulances are being assembled at a private factory in Colombo and will be ready for use, [...]
Stop bottom trawling in our waters, say Lankan fishermen in petition to India
While Tamil Nadu fishermen last Monday tried to besiege the Sri Lankan Deputy High Commission office in Chennai over the long-standing fishing dispute, local fishermen in Jaffna staged a counter protest in front of the Deputy Indian High Commission in Jaffna demanding a stop to poaching by Indian fishermen in Lankan waters. Northern fishermen from [...]
Food supplements a hidden devil for sports stars
Sporting bodies have raised concerns over hazardous food supplements as the Sri Lanka Anti–Doping Agency (SLADA) prepares this year to present a gazette on anti-doping for parliamentary approval. In addition to anabolic steroids, peptide hormones, growth-related substances, diuretics and masking agents, SLADA this year included melodonium, found in cough syrups, and insulin receptor agonists as [...]
CMC declares war on rats
The Colombo Municipal Council (CMC) is to undertake a month-long rat eradication programme to combat their increasing numbers in the city, Colombo CMC’s Chief Medical Officer Dr. Ruwan Wijayamuni said. The plan is a large scale rat poisoning programme to combat the menace that has led to many public complaints, Dr. Wijayamuni said. The CMC [...]
Closed granaries leave farmers in despair
Protests by the paddy farmers continued this week as most government paddy stores remained closed to new paddy purchases with stocks from the last season yet to be cleared. Paddy Marketing Board (PMB) Chairman M.B. Dissanayake confirmed that previous harvests still remain in the stores but said the PMB has started purchasing paddy from farmers [...]
New strategy to curb underworld following multiple killings
In the wake of several brazenly violent attacks and killings in the Western Province this week, linked to the underworld, Police Headquarters has tasked Senior DIG Western Province Pujith Jayasundara with overseeing a new strategy regarding underworld activities and illegal firearms. A series of police operations in this regard began yesterday. Accordingly, Inspector General of [...]
Children’s deaths show three-wheeler laws must be tightened
The death of three children riding a three-wheeler crammed with seven people has again raised concerns about overcrowding in these vehicles. The teenaged driver of the three-wheeler was a fourth fatality of the accident resulting from a collision with a truck on the Bandaragama-Kesbewa main road. Last year alone, 41 children under the age of [...]
I call on the mothers, please arise
Doctor Malkanthi Mediwake, Director of the Matara Hospital, deserves a special bouquet for what she said at the Matara Development Committee Sessions recently. As a brave lady she said some employees at the hospital drew salaries without working. This was because they were not given uniforms recently. Her argument was why they should be given [...]
Haggala Gardens an attraction sans basic facilities
The 145-year-old Haggala Gardens in Nuwara Eliya, is one of the key attractions for local as well as foreign tourists. However, facilities available for visitors have been poor, with no proper parking and sanitation facilities. The Gardens contain only three toilets each for males and females and one other which is reserved for tourists. This facility [...]
Sarvodaya’s new Kalmunai branch manager found dead, former manager arrested
Police are investigating the death of 33-year-old Sulakshana Rajendran who took over as manager of the Kalmunai branch of the Sarvodaya Development Finance Ltd. around one-and-a half months ago. The victim, an employee of the Sarvodaya financial unit for the past 12 years and a mother of a seven-year-old, was found dead in a pool [...]