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An Army multi-barrel rocket launcher readying for tomorrow’s Independence Day parade at the Galle Face Green, with a Government propaganda board by its side. Pic by Sameera Weerasekera.
PM, top ministers to fast-track appointments
Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe will meet ruling United National Front ministers today to fast-track stalled appointments to the directorates of state banks, corporations and statutory boards amidst confusion on these appointments in the wake of a Presidential directive for a Vetting Committee to certify the suitability of the nominees. More than a month after the [...]
No Treasury money for 25,000 UN houses in the North
The Prime Minister’s Office has notified a consortium of humanitarian agencies led by UN-Habitat and The United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) that the Treasury cannot allocate money for their long-overdue initiative to build 25,000 brick houses for the war displaced in the North and East. The Government will, however, set aside around Rs [...]
Billion lost daily due to Customs go-slow
Sri Lanka is losing more than a billion rupees a day as Customs officials continued a work-to-rule campaign demanding the reinstatement of Ms. P.H.M. Charles as Director General. The clearance of containers loaded with canned fish, sugar, dhal, sprats and other food items are affected by the go-slow which enters its sixth day today, Customs [...]
Drama at Westminster court over Lankan diplomat’s case
Drama prevailed at Westminster Magistrate’s Court on Friday as Tamils protested outside demanding the “immediate arrest” of Brigadier Priyanka Fernando, Sri Lanka’s former Minister Counsellor (Defence) in London while inside the Chief Magistrate apologised to all for the administrative mishandling and hinted that she might hold an internal inquiry into why due process had failed [...]
Mix-up over Maldivian leader’s visit to Lanka
Confusion marred efforts to invite Maldivian President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih for tomorrow’s Independence Day celebrations, with the Foreign Ministry having to be apprised by a government high-up on the protocol to be followed. The Foreign Ministry has initially prepared to invite the Maldivian leader as the ‘Chief Guest’ for the occasion, but after being apprised [...]
CSE questions share price hike of MTD Walkers
The share value of debt-ridden MTD Walkers has been climbing since mid-January, prompting the Colombo Stock Exchange (CSE) to question its management on whether it has engaged in undisclosed price sensitive business activities or transactions causing the change. The share traded around the Rs 10 range early last month but rose to Rs 16.8 as [...]
Treasury releases Rs. 1 billion to buy essential drugs
The Treasury released Rs 1 billion this week to buy urgently needed medicines, including cancer treatment drugs. Accordingly, Rs 500 million has been released to the State Pharmaceuticals Corporation (SPC) while Rs 500 million has also been given to the Health Ministry’s Medical Supplies Division (MSD). The move came after the Sunday Times last week [...]
Customs work-to-rule sees containers pile up
The ongoing work- to- rule campaign by Customs officials has held back more than 2,000 containers. Food items are among the containers left uncleared.A scene at the container yard at Orugodawatte, yesterday. Pic by M A Pushpakumaraa
New heads at CEB and subsidiaries
Rakitha Jayawardena, who previously served as member of the SriLankan Airlines Board of Directors, was appointed as the Chairman of the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) this week. Rajeev Selvarajah was appointed Vice Chairman while Tissa Jinadasa was appointed Working Director. The other members of the Board are Secretary, Ministry of Industry and Commerce K D [...]
SC halts Chinese law firm from offering legal services
The Supreme Court has barred a Chinese law firm from working in Sri Lanka until the end of a fundamental rights case challenging the Registrar of Companies’ (RoC) decision to incorporate a limited liability company claiming to provide legal services in the country. Nayantha Wijesundara, attorney-at-law, filed a petition in the Supreme Court on January [...]
LNG contract: Ministry extends deadline for companies to counter Korean offer
The Power and Energy Ministry extended for a second time the deadline for companies to counter a Korean bid for an offshore floating storage and regasification unit (FSRU), pipeline and liquefied natural gas (LNG). Bidders have now been given until February 28 to submit counter proposals under the Swiss Challenge procedure for the project, which [...]
Independence Day Messages
Having gained independence from imperialist rulers, as a nation, we expected a political, socio-economic and cultural forward march, with a unique national identity free of colonial shackles. To entrust the future of the nation to minds enslaved by imperialism for more than a century, is more dangerous than being under colonial rule itself. Hence, for [...]
‘Independence’ is a state of environmental, economic, political, social and spiritual coexistence: PM
Celebrating ‘Independence’ does not necessarily mean that it has been entirely achieved to the true sense of the word. ‘Independence’ is fully realised only when all human beings in a nation achieve a state of environmental, economic, political, social and spiritual coexistence. This demands an organised programme and collective sacrifice. While celebrating our country’s liberation [...]
Queen Elizabeth wishes good fortune and happiness
“It gives me great pleasure to send Your Excellency Maithripala Sirisena my congratulations on the celebration of your National Day, together with my best wishes for the good fortune and happiness of the people of Sri Lanka in the coming year,” Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britian states in a letter to President Sirisena on [...]
Bleak side of a colourful parade
They polished their shoes and brass buttons and ironed their starched uniforms. Tracked tanks, armoured cars and troop carriers were being readied. Air Force helicopters and aircraft ran trial sorties in the Galle Face sky as Naval patrol craft formed an interesting backdrop at sea. This is how they readied for Sri Lanka’s 71st Independence [...]
Unions dangled a ‘dream’ wage for tea workers but reneged on promise
Trade unions led tea plantation workers to “dream” a Rs. 1,000 daily wage was right and achievable during two years of protests before unaccountably signing off this week on a Rs. 700 wage – a mere 20-rupee increase in take-home pay –plantation worker Jeyaram Marimuttu from Theliwatta, Patana in the Central Province, said. “This basic [...]
Across the border cooperation gives muscle to battle against drug trafficking
Strengthened intelligence sharing between Sri Lankan law enforcement authorities and their overseas counterparts has contributed much towards recent successes against narcotics traffickers, senior law enforcement officials say. A spate of high profile detections appear to have also boosted public confidence in anti-narcotics operations, with a substantial increase in the number of tip-offs concerning drug trafficking. [...]
Travel allowance case: Bogollagama’s lawyer to raise preliminary objections
Former Minister Rohitha Bogollagama’s defence lawyer will raise preliminary objections to the charge that his client had acted in violation of a Treasury circular with regard to foreign travel allowances, Colombo’s Chief Magistrate was informed this week. The case has been filed under the Bribery Act. Mr. Bogallagama was accused of persuading the then Board [...]
Child dies in double motorcycle crash; alleged drunk rider gets bail
A three-year-old child was killed in a collision involving two motorcycles, one of which was being ridden allegedly by a drunken man, who was released on bail after being produced in court. The incident took place on Tambiligasmulla Road junction in Kiribathgoda on January 24 when Susantha Jayawickerema, together with his wife and the child, [...]
Destroy Indian trawlers caught poaching in Lankan waters: Experts
Sri Lanka should decommission the bottom trawlers it takes into custody, particularly those convicted of fishing illegally in Lankan seas and, like Maldives and Indonesia, either sink or set them alight once Legal processes are over, Fisheries experts urged this week. The call came amidst Sri Lanka continuing to liberally release large numbers of Tamil [...]
‘Will you still need me, will you still feed me?’
Growing tragedy of destitute elderly kicked out by families NES trials schemes to help families bear cost of aged care Reports of people found abandoned on the doorsteps of other people’s homes, in parks and on the streets are growing increasingly common. Last week, a woman aged around 70 years was found on the doorstep [...]
Move to free trishaw drivers from idleness trap
With three-wheelers accounting for more than one in 10 deaths in traffic accidents and a fresh survey revealing that trishaw drivers are idling most of the time, the government is offering them support to take up other professions. Last year, 393 trishaw drivers and passengers died in accidents from a total of 3,093 such deaths, [...]
South African rugby, Sri Lankan education and the challenge of affirmative action
Affirmative action has been used in many parts of the world as a means of bridging the gap between those who have and those who do not have equal opportunities. The absence of a level playing field among competitors often makes a mockery of the call for meritocracy. The call for merit would then, in [...]
Undersea data cables should be legally protected: Experts
Sri Lanka needs to classify Undersea Data Cables (UDC) that service Sri Lankan communication infrastructure as ‘critical national infrastructure’ and bring them under local jurisdiction. The recommendation was made last week at a meeting of experts in Colombo, convened by the Global Maritime Crime Programme of the United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime (UNODC). [...]
Laws’ delays and the scourge of justice denied
Measures that could be taken to address the frustrating delays in the country’s legal system figured prominently during the ceremonial sitting of the Supreme Court (SC) this week to welcome three new judges to the SC; namely Justices Preethi Padman Surasena, S Thurairaja and Gamini Rohan Amarasekara. Addressing the gathering, Justice Surasena emphasised that, automating [...]
Buildings coming up in city without approval from KMC: Kandy Mayor tells Champika
On a request by Kandy Mayor Kesara Sennayake Megapolis Minister Patali Champika Ranawaka has instructed officials that no building applications should be processed by the Urban Development Authority in Colombo, without prior approval from the Kandy Muncipal Council (KMC). Mr. Sennayake told The Sunday Times that he had shown the Minister the damage done to [...]
Sigiriya declared polythene and plastic-free zone
The Central Cultural Fund (CCF) has declared the Sigiriya rock area and it environs a polythene-and-plastic-free zone. Officials said the ban was effective from Friday and CCF security personnel and officials were carrying out checks on bags carried by both local and foreign visitors to the historic site. The CCF’s Sigiriya project Manager Anura Nishantha [...]
Pick of the pix
Pix by Sameera Weerasekera, Ishanka Sunimal, Gamini Mahadura and Priyan De Silva Kotte: Monk turns oarsman. Sent by Sudesh Halangoda Kollupitiya: Music only to his ears Maligawila: A trashy feast Kiliveddi: Awaiting devotees Boossa: Working holiday Union Place: Taking a ‘leg break’ Galle Face:Too much of sunny isle
Trouble brewing between otherwise- abled and training institute
The Vocational Training Institute for Disabled Persons (VTIDP) in Seeduwa caters to the educational needs of groups of differently-abled students who pursue a wide variety of activities. The institute caters specifically to students over 18, who have passed out from the Ratmalana School for the Deaf and Blind. According to Disabled Persons ‘ Forum Chairman [...]
Sena marches on as defeated farmers look on
The Fall Armyworm, locally known as “Sena” continues to wreak havoc on maize cultivations islandwide. The Sunday Times visited Vadingala in Ampara where the caterpillar is seen eating its way through stems of maize plants destroying entire plantations. The caterpillar even burrows into the kernels. The Agriculture Department has asked farmers not to plant any [...]
Kinniya sand mine clash: Protesters who attacked Navy personnel face arrest
Police and the Navy are conducting separate investigations to arrest those who attacked Navy personnel during a protest against a raid on an illegal sand mining site in Kinniya — an operation that led to two deaths and injuries to a host of others, including a dozen navy personnel. The deaths occurred when two youths [...]
Autos, their drivers and humour
Three-wheelers or autos as they are commonly referred to, in addition to being a mode of transport, also provide the public on occassion with philosophical and religious thought, but oft-times with hilarious messages plastered on their rear. As they weave in-and-out of traffic or scurry along the roads, these messages help keep down road-rage and [...]
Dankotuwa temptress runs out of tricks
A young, married woman who promised conjugal love and jobs overseas for men for a price has been arrested by police after being on the run for a while. She is suspected to have married several different youths who had entertained dreams of working in Italy. The men, from Maha Weva, Marawila, Gampaha and Galle, [...]
Sterlisation programme goes east
As part of the national dog sterilisation and rabies eradication programme, the Department of Animal Production and Health, Eastern Province, conducted a sterilisation programme recently.