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After three weeks of raging floods and landslides, Sri Lanka was further devastated by a thundering inferno at a big ammunition depot at Kosgama last Sunday. The Kosgama hospital was among hundreds of places, including houses and shops that were totally or partially destroyed in this worst-ever fire. Pic by Indika Handuwala
Kosgama inferno: Army’s loss more than Rs. 5 billion
Army chief says stocks of multi-barrel-rocket ammunition were to be resold to suppliers Looters on the rampage; damaged houses and shops robbed The devastating fire at their Central Armoury in Kosgama last Sunday has caused a loss of five billion rupees or more, Army Commander Chrisanthe de Silva said yesterday. “While the reconstruction of the [...]
War crimes probe: President says technical assistance only if necessary, but no foreign judges
President Maithripala Sirisena made clear in an interview with the Sunday Times that any technical assistance to the proposed inquiry into alleged war crimes would be without any commitments or conditions attached. His remarks came on the eve of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC)’s 32nd sessions which begin in Geneva tomorrow. A resolution [...]
Floods: 2,500 canal-bank squatter families to be evicted
Nearly 2,500 squatter families living close to canals in Colombo are to be evicted as they have been identified as one of the main causes of the flooding of the city and its suburbs, an official said. The squatter families will not be offered compensation or alternative locations, Sri Lanka Land Reclamation and Development Corporation [...]
Luxury vehicles for ministers: Funds were given in April
Amid growing protests against the Government’s now-suspended move to allocate a huge amount for the import of luxury vehicles for ministers and deputies, it has been now revealed that the Treasury had transferred the funds in April, while the supplementary estimate was presented last Tuesday. The Treasury had transferred billions of rupees — including around [...]
President declares 6 provinces as disaster areas
President Maithripala Sirisena has declared six provinces in the country as disaster prone areas. The declaration was made under powers vested in him by the Disaster Management Act. The proclamation will apply to the Western, North Western, Sabaragamuwa, North Central, Central and Uva Provinces. The declaration has been made in the interests of public security, [...]
Two more for COPE
Two more members are to be appointed to the Committee on Public Enterprises (COPE). They are Kandy District MP Mahindananda Aluthgamage from the Joint Opposition Group and UNP Trincomalee District MP Abdulla Maharoof. This brings the total number of MPs in the oversight committee headed by JVP MP Sunil Handunnetti to 25
Speeding cab kills woman, driver granted bail
A woman crossing the road at Piliyandala was knocked down by a speeding cab and succumbed to her injuries on admission to the National Hospital yesterday, the coroner’s court was told. The woman, a labourer, was returning home with her two children after collecting her wages. She was identified as H.Gunawathie of Boralesgamuwa. The postmortem [...]
Fire at Dompe shoe factory
A major fire broke out at a shoe factory at Delgoda in Dompe, last night, Police said. Police said the fire had spread quickly within the factory . Several fire engines had been dispatched to the location to control the fire.
WNL sponsors Tantirimale Aloka Pooja for 13th year
The “Lankadeepa Poson Aloka Poojawa,” organised by Wijeya Newspapers Ltd (WNL) for the 13th consecutive year, will take place at the Tantirimale Raja Maha Vihara premises on June 18, 19 and 20. The Tantirimale Raja Maha Vihara is well known as being one of the most revered locations for Buddhists in the country. It is [...]
ICG refutes Jayalalithaa’s complaints against SLN
India’s Coastguard (ICG) has rebuffed complaints by Tamil Nadu (TN) Chief Minister (CM) Jayalalithaa Jayaram, saying there are no instances of the Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) trespassing the Indian side of the International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL) and arresting TN fishermen. ICG Director General, Rajendra Singh, told journalists on Friday, his institution was “constantly interacting [...]
President declares 6 provinces as disaster areas
President Maithripala Sirisena has declared six provinces in the country as disaster prone areas. The declaration was made under powers vested in him by the Disaster Management Act. The proclamation will apply to the Western, North Western, Sabaragamuwa, North Central, Central Province and Uva Provinces. The declaration has been made in the interests of public [...]
Two more for COPE
Two more members are to be appointed to the Committee on Public Enterprises (COPE). They are Kandy District MP Mahindananda Aluthgamage from the Joint Opposition Group and UNP Trincomalee District MP Abdulla Maharoof. This brings the total number of MPs in the oversight committee headed by JVP MP Sunil Handunnetti to 25
Fire at Dompe shoe factory
A major fire broke out at shoe factory at Delgoda in Dompe, last night Police said. Police said the fire had spread quickly within the factory . Several fire engines had been dispatched to the location to control the fire.
Speeding cab kills woman, driver granted bail
A woman crossing the road at Piliyandala was knocked down by a speeding cab and she succumbed to her injuries on admission to the National Hospital yesterday, the coroner’s courts was told. The woman, a labourer, was returning home with her two children after collecting her wages. She was identified as H.Gunawathie of Boralesgamuwa. The [...]
Construction worker falls 5 floors to his death
A construction worker on a 16-storeyed building in Rajagiriya, fell to his death while trying to descend from one floor to the next, a corner’s inquiry was told. A building supervisor said the 32-year-old worker, V. Ravichandran from Mullaitivu, was using an aluminum ladder to descend from the 5th floor to the 4th floor, when [...]
War of words in debate on no-confidence motion against Ravi
The No-Confidence motion brought by the Joint Opposition (JO) group against Finance Minister Ravi Karunanayake was defeated by the Government by a majority of 94 votes in Parliament on Thursday. Minister of Finance Ravi Karunanayake wound up the Debate and responded to some of the allegations leveled at him and the Government. Both Government and [...]
Wildlife chief’s resignation still in the balance
The cloud of uncertainty over this week’s resignation of Dr. Sumith Pilapitiya, Director-General of the Department of Wildlife Conservation (DWC), is yet to clear, with the Minister continuing to refuse to accept the resignation and the official unavailable for comment as to his next move. Independent wildlife conservation groups along with a union of the [...]
It rained mortars, artillery shells and RPGs
A box of matches in hand, R.G. Dayawathie prepared to set alight a pile of leaves and twigs she had swept into a corner of her garden. It was then that she heard the crackers. “Crackers, at this time?” she remembers thinking. It was nearing sundown on Sunday. Perhaps a politician was visiting. “Yako, who [...]
More families shifted to safety from slide risk
More families were evacuated from the Kithulgala area over landslide fears this week and warnings are still in force in relation to several areas in the Kegalle, Ratnapura and Kandy districts as wet conditions prevail. In the latest incident, 145 families were permanently evacuated after landslide warnings in the Yatiyantota Divisional Secretariat in the Kegalle [...]
Flood victims cry: Where’s all the foreign aid?
Grama Niladharis are under fire from flood victims along the banks of the Kelani who say that none of the foreign aid they have heard about is reaching them and that many who have lost their homes and belongings have not received any help at all. Three weeks after floods ravaged many of the areas [...]
Patients complain that private hospitals unfairly add VAT to bills
The introduction of the value added tax (VAT) last month to the health sector is causing much confusion and ambiguity among in-house patients in private hospitals who complain that they are being unfairly charged VAT for pharmaceutical drugs. Private hospitals are charging 15% VAT on the total bill of patients being discharged including 15%on pharmaceutical [...]
Photo focus: Electric fences but no electricity!
In villages bordering elephant-infested jungles, electrified fences have been put up to prevent elephant infiltration. Unfortunately the scheme has not been successful, as the fences have not been maintained after installation. The problems facing residents of Gedigaswalana in Sigiriya is a case in point. Villagers complain that though an electric fence was set up two [...]
Mrs Walpola and the kattadiya – the passion that ended in tragedy
Exorcists the world over are known to drive out evil spirits from those known to be possessed. However, one of their tribe was different: he turned evil and allegedly killed his paramour, all because she did not pay him a million rupees after the sale of land. For carrying out this gruesome act, this kattadiya, [...]
Govt. steps in over ragging, calling inquiry ‘unsatisfactory’
A government minister has intervened in the ragging controversy at the Institute of Indigenous Medicine (IIM) in Rajagiriya, ordering a fresh inquiry into a series of incidents, with students describing an ugly environment of humiliation and physical and sexual abuse. The State Minister of Higher Education, Mohan Lal Grero, said the decision had been taken [...]
The renovation of Weralupa Road in Ratnapura
The renovation of Weralupa road in Ratnapura started in 2011. But the authorities have failed to complete the work and this is the state of the road that is used as an alternative road to Colombo. The people in the area have appealed to authorities but the Sabaragamuwa Provincial Council has attended to only a [...]
High Court order prevents release of elephants to supposed owners
The Colombo Chief Magistrate’s order to release15 elephants to their supposed owners has been further suspended till June 22 by Colombo’s High Court Judge Manilal Waidyatillake. When the case was taken up on Thursday, the judge also directed the parties to inform court whether fresh magisterial inquiries will be carried out on a case-by-case basis [...]
Deputy ministers condemn proposal to purchase new vehicles for ministers
By Sandun Jayawardana While the Government has said it would temporarily put off the purchase of new vehicles for ministers in order to allocate funds for the victims of recent disasters, several deputy ministers maintain that to even consider such purchases contravenes the ‘good governance’ principles that the Government tries to promote. Chief Government Whip [...]