News
Home » NewsMongoose, sniff out explosives, instead of snakes
Instead of tackling snakes, mongooses are now being trained to detect explosives. Sri Lanka Army engineers are seen with trainee mongooses at their regimental headquarters in Mattegoda. The Army’s engineers say they are successfully conducting this human-animal integrated system for explosives detection. Pic by Amila Gamage
EU extends LTTE ban for 6 months
The European Council has extended by another six months the listing of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam as a terrorist organisation. The decision, dated July 30, was taken under the European Union’s regulation on specific restrictive measures directed against certain persons and entities with a view to combating terrorism. “We have managed to convince [...]
Explosives from India Lanka bound
The detection of a cache of explosives destined for Sri Lanka from the southern Indian coastal town of Ramshwaran was declared yesterday not to be a threat to the country’s national security, a top security official said. “These non-electric detonators are exploded with dynamite in illegal fishing activities,” the official said, adding that “there have [...]
SLAF suspends civilian flights; incentives for other domestic operators
The Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) has suspended civilian flights after the aviation regulator recalled the certificate of airworthiness (CofA) issued to its Xian MA60 aircraft, pending technical compliance. The Civil Aviation Authority of Sri Lanka (CAASL) and the Air Force also contradicted each other on the latter’s future plans for civilian passenger transport. In [...]
Mystery over Sigiriya cable car project
Cultural Affairs Minister Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe says he is in the dark about a feasibility study by a Chinese company to launch a cable car service to the Sigiriya rock fortress. The minister said he had ordered an inquiry into who authorised the company to conduct the feasibility study. He told the Sunday Times he had [...]
20-acre multimodal transport hub in Pettah
A multimodal transport hub is to be set up in Pettah and the contract to design it has been given to a French company, a top official said.Megapolis and Western Development Ministry Secretary Nihal Rupasinghe said a French-Government-funded feasibility study would be carried out to identify more than 20 acres of land to set up [...]
Mattala airport: MoU being redrafted for deal with India
A draft Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to hand over management of the Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport (MRIA) to the Airports Authority of India was recently presented before Sri Lanka’s Cabinet and is now being reworked at the Indian Government’s request, multiple sources confirmed this week. The MoU was also drawn up at India’s request, they [...]
SAITM students in fees dilemma: Minister says no more relief
The Higher Education Ministry has ruled out any further concessions or financial relief to SAITM students, despite the students’ appeals for intervention from both the President and the Ministry. Minister Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe told the Sunday Times that they had given the students a solution after much deliberation, debates and discussions and “they have to now [...]
Sri Lanka to benefit from ARF’s security assistance
The ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) yesterday announced it would make available nearly $300 million to improve security relationships across the Indo-Pacific region under which Sri Lanka too will benefit. The ARF draws together 27 members including Sri Lanka. This assistance will include $290.5 million in Foreign Military Financing (FMF) to strengthen maritime security, humanitarian assistance/disaster [...]
GMOA warns of wave of similar strikes while ending token strike yesterday
The Government Medical Officers’ Association (GMOA) has warned that while their 24-hour islandwide token strike came to an end at 8 a.m. yesterday, the Government should expect a wave of similar strikes if it failed to provide solutions to the issues they raised. Health services throughout the country were impacted on Friday due to the [...]
Automation causing loss of billions in taxes, IRD union leaders say
Inland Revenue Department union officials have written to Finance Minister Mangala Samaraweera alleging that the Revenue Administration Management Information System (RAMIS) introduced two years ago to streamline tax collection is causing a loss of tax revenue running into billions of rupees. The system introduced in 2016 is not yielding the expected results due to shortcomings, [...]
Not even by five cents, President slams proposal to raise MPs’ salaries
President Maithripala Sirisena yesterday vowed that he would not allow salaries of MPs to be raised “even by five cents.” Speaking at a function at the Polonnaruwa new market complex last evening, he said he had read and watched the media coverage on the issue of raising salaries of parliamentarians. The President said that the [...]
Kandy police directed to pay compensation to petitioner Sivakumar in latest SC judgment on torture
The Supreme Court (SC) has held that several officers of the Teldeniya police in Kandy violated the fundamental rights of petitioner Suppiah Sivakumar by subjecting him to torture and ordered compensation to him totalling Rs 95,000. This is the latest in a series of recent SC judgments on torture. Justice Buwaneka Aluwihare, PC, directed the [...]
Tamil youth gangs sow fear in northern region
On Monday, the Grama Niladhari of Vannarpannai east division J/100 was in his office for the usual weekly meeting with residents of the area when eight men armed with sharp weapons barged into his office. The official was threatened at sword point, while his laptop, mobile and other office resources were smashed by the gang [...]
Caught in the claws of narcotics monster, Lanka cries out for freedom
A 22-member rugby team visited Sri Lanka in May this year to play charity matches. One night, two players chose to have some fun off the field. From the hotel where they were staying, the duo went to the Cleopatra Night Club on Galle Road in Kollupitiya –andin the wee hours of the next morning, [...]
Fracas in BIA over Bella highlights ill-equipped Customs officers
The Customs Department is examining the practices of their foreign counterparts and consulting on the possibility of equipping their officers at Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) with non-lethal means of defence–such as batons and handcuffs–to restrain unruly persons, Director General P S M Charles said. The necessity to better train and equip Customs officers was highlighted [...]
House to debate resolution to hike payments to chairpersons, members of independent commissions
A Resolution to increase the emoluments and other allowances paid to Chairpersons and Members of 9 Independent Commissions set up under the 19th Amendment to the Constitution, will be taken up for debate in Parliament on Thursday. The monthly allowance of Rs 100,000 paid at present to the Chairpersons of Independent Commissions, other than those [...]
AG refers case against Gota to CJ for direction
The Attorney General has referred 2 high profile cases to the Chief Justice, seeking a direction on whether criminal proceedings in respect of them should be instituted in the newly set up Permanent High Court-at-Bar. One of these cases involves former Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa and the other involves former Magistrate Tilina Gamage. The case [...]
Garbage projects coming on stream to help ease disposal issues
Amid piles of garbage on the streets with no proper disposal sites, a few solid waste management projects are expected to start operations by the end of next year. The most talked about solid waste management project, the sanitary landfill in Arawakkalu, Puttalam, will commence construction this month and the Megapolis and Western Development Ministry [...]
Why I resigned: SLMC President hits out at archaic Medical Ordinance
“Enough is enough.” This is how the President of the Sri Lanka Medical Council (SLMC), Prof. Colvin Goonaratna who stepped down from his post this week described why he did so. It was not a sudden decision, he says, explaining that it was mainly due to the archaic Medical Ordinance under which the SLMC has [...]
More drug prices slashed: “Good” move or “rushed” move?
Mixed are the reactions to Health Minister Dr. Rajitha Senaratne’s declaration this week that the prices of 15 more essential drugs are to be slashed with immediate effect. While the Pricing Committee of the National Medicines Regulatory Authority (NMRA) met on Friday, its member Dr. Ananda Wijewickrama told the Sunday Times that the relevant Gazette [...]
BoC, PB, EPF purchased Emirates’ SriLankan shares sans Cabinet approval
Questions as to how SriLankan Airlines Shares, held by Emirates, were purchased by the Employees’ Provident Fund (EPF) and 2 State banks in 2010, seemingly without Cabinet approval, were raised this week at the Presidential Commission of Inquiry (PCoI) appointed to investigate alleged irregularities at SriLankan Airlines (SriLankan), SriLankan Catering and Mihin Lanka. Though Cabinet [...]
Draft national plan formulated to prevent deaths from drowning
A draft national plan for prevention of drowning that aims to cut deaths by five percent every year has been formulated by the Office of the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) with contributions from other Government partners. The proposals in the national plan include introducing – with the help of the Education Ministry – basic [...]
Party politics, inefficiencies hobble Northern Council
With only three months left before the Northern Provincial Council term expires, the council which took office in 2013 with much expectations and hopes, has achieved only little in developing the former war-torn region with the limited powers it is vested with. Recently, there were many allegations from cabinet ministers and politicians claiming that allocated [...]
Strengthening the anti-corruption regime- CIABOC gives cause for hope
One of the main planks on which the present Government came to power was its pledge to wipe out corruption and call the corrupt to book. While most supporters of the Government might question how far the Government has succeeded in doing so, it is useful to examine the progress made in combating this scourge [...]
The ugly face of tuition classes
Public spaces at prominent locations including the expensive digital sign boards in Moratuwa are being defaced with posters advertising a variety of tuition masters. These posters are pasted all over the city, making a mockery of efforts to beautify the town. Among locations which have been defaced are the boundary wall of the De Zoyza [...]
Terrapins dumped in hellhole
Amidst all the bad news on Sri Lanka’s declining wildlife comes news of an arduous effort to save the lives of 96 trapped, dying terrapins in Katanwewa, Hambantota – a rescue carried out by villagers and wildlife officers attached to Suriyawewa Special Elephant Operations Unit. Known as kiri-ibba in Sinhala, flap-shelled terrapins (Lissemys ceylonensis) are [...]
