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With India’s newly elected Prime Minister Narendra Modi making a short but deeply significant visit to Sri Lanka today, Colombo streets were bedecked with billboards and Indian flags as part of a warm welcome to the visiting PM, whose visit symbolises Sri Lanka’s return to normalcy after the Easter Sunday terror attacks. Pic by Ishanka [...]
President, Parliament on collision course
A confrontation between the Executive and the Legislature paralysing the working of the government — in another worst case political crisis — for Sri Lanka is becoming inevitable. During a 90-minute emergency Cabinet meeting on Friday night, President Maithripala Sirisena issued the United National Party (UNP)-led United National Front (UNF) an ultimatum to call off [...]
Deep political significance in Modi’s four-hour visit today
India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrives in Colombo today on a four-hour visit which assumes much greater significance than the brief stopover for many reasons. Main among them is his expression of solidarity for the government’s strong drive against IS-backed jihadi extremists. Indian agencies are already extending their co-operation to track them down in the [...]
Speaker warns PSC witnesses
The Speaker’s Office warned yesterday that those called before the Parliamentary Select Committees (PSCs) would have to be aware of the consequences if they fail to turn up. Noting that a decision to allow the media to cover the PSC proceedings would have to be made by the Select Committee itself, the Speaker’s Office in [...]
Gazette notification on resignations of Muslim ministers
An official gazette notification was issued by the Presidential Secretariat on Friday on the resignations of nine Muslim Ministers, state ministers and deputy ministers, who voluntarily quit their portfolios. Nine Muslim politicians — four Cabinet ministers, four state ministers and one deputy minister — tendered their resignation letters effective from Monday, June 3. The names [...]
Ravi seeks jobs for 27 project coordinators, even for non-existent power plants
Power and Energy Minister Ravi Karunanayake has ordered the Ministry Secretary and the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) to appoint 27 of his personal nominees as “project coordinators” for a spate of power plants, including some which are not yet in operation. In a letter to Ministry Secretary B.M.S. Batagoda and CEB General Manager S.D.W. Gunawardana, [...]
If people fear extremists, country’s future will be at stake, says Champika
A country would have no future if its people fear extremist communal groups, Megapolis and Western Development Patali Champika Ranawaka said this week. Speaking at a convention of the ‘Rata Jathika Maga’, the minister said Sri Lanka’s Buddhists, Christians and Muslims were living in fear after the Easter Sunday bomb blasts. He said the outcome [...]
Mayor to carry out death fast in support of carpenters’ cause
Moratuwa’s Mayor Saman Lal Fernando has vowed to carry out a fast-unto-death in front of the council building if the President does not withdraw his remarks about a ban on carpentry shops. The mayor made this vow after he led a protest campaign against President Maithripala Sirisena’s public remarks that all carpentry shops would have [...]
Catholic group sets up base in Katuwapitiya to counsel blast victims
What the victims of the Easter Sunday terror attacks need most is counselling and protection, a senior Catholic leader said. Commenting on the counselling and other assistance that CARITAS Sri Lanka (the social service arm of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference) has been offering the victims of the Katuwapitiya church blast, Fr. Neville Fernando, Superior of [...]
Criminal proceedings against 10 suspects: AG seeks CJ’s nod
The Attorney General (AG) has requested the Chief Justice (CJ) to permit indictments to be filed at the permanent High Court-at-Bar against 10 suspects, including former Central Bank (CB) Governor Arjuna Mahendran, over the Treasury Bond (TB) scam. AG Dappula de Livera requested the CJ to direct that criminal proceedings be instituted against former CB [...]
Indian help to develop three airports
Sri Lanka will seek the services of the Indian Satellite Air Navigation System (Gagan) for the development of its three proposed regional airports – Palaly, Batticaloa and Ratmalana – senior officials said. The request will be made by Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe during the visit of his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi, which takes place today, [...]
18-year-old voters to get text messages from Polls Commission
The Elections Commission (EC) will start sending text messages to young voters on completion of 18 years of age, reminding them to register to vote, a senior official said. In order to facilitate the process, the EC is seeking information of those above the age of 15 years, so that, the reminder could be sent [...]
NCDM meetings less frequent than disasters
The National Council for Disaster Management (NCDM), the nations apex body for Disaster Management, has only met 13 times since its creation in 2005, though it is expected to meet 4 times a year. The formulation of a National Policy and Programmes on Disaster Management, preparation of a National Emergency Operations Plan, Directing-Coordinating and Monitoring [...]
They knew the attack was coming, but they could not avert it
Security agencies could not piece together vital intelligence that could have possibly averted or minimised the casualties from the Easter Sunday attacks even at the eleventh hour due to systemic failure in the national security apparatus. This was revealed this week during the hearing by the Parliamentary Select Committee probing the attack. It was also [...]
Knee-jerk green laws fail to achieve purpose
The government last week, to mark the World Environmental Day, published a gazette notice to control emissions from all stationary sources under national environmental regulation. Under regulation No 1 of 2019 of the Environment Act, all fugitive emissions from industrial processes, including crematoriums must be controlled through devices that reduce harmful emissions. This also includes [...]
Rathana Thera now turns blowtorch on leaders, calls for 1m to join him
A four day fast unto death outside the sacred Dalada Maligawa in Kandy won him his demands. A day in hospital where doctors said he was safe and sound, Venerable Athureliya Rathana Thera spent time in a temple. He arrives in Colombo today for an adisthana pooja at the Kelaniya Raja Maha Vihraya. “My new [...]
No more evening strolls at seafront promenade
The capital’s only seafront rendezvous area has become a desolate piece of land since the mass murders by Islamic extremists on Easter Sunday. Families, individuals, young couples, kite flyers, and tourists no longer swarm to the Galle Face Green, which borders tourist hotels and luxury apartment buildings on one side and the ocean on the [...]
Seven weeks on, tourism sector awaits revival
Seven weeks after the Easter Sunday suicide attacks on churches and luxury hotels by Islamic extremists, the tourism industry and related sectors continue to struggle, industry figures say. Chaminda Gamage a transport provider who rents vehicles to travel companies, said hires have fallen off, after 20 years in the business. “Our last hire ended on [...]
Terrorism and radicalism pose a collective threat to humanity: Indian Envoy
Terrorism and radicalism pose a collective threat to humanity, said Indian High Commissioner (HC) to Sri Lanka Taranjit Singh Sandhu, speaking at the inauguration of the 21st Diploma Course in Diplomacy & World Affairs, at the Bandaranaike International Diplomatic Training Institute (BIDTI) in Colombo, on Thursday. “Terrorism, anywhere in the world, attacks the conscience of [...]
5 hectares of trees planted around St Clair’s waterfall
To mark World Environment Day 2019, Nuwara Eliya Disrict Secretary (DS) Rohana Pushpakumara initiated a tree-planting campaign to create woodlands covering an area of 5 hectares around St Clair’s Waterfall, to protect the water resources surrounding the upcountry tea estates. DS Pushpakumara said it is the responsibility of all of us to plant trees and [...]
“Arrest first, ask later” policy has chilling effect on Muslim community
The K section of the historic Bogambara prison in Kandy is now informally called something else by jailers: The ISIS ward. It is here that Muslims detained in those regions after the Easter Sunday bombings await their fate as the justice system trundles along. Their visitors often tarry hours at a time to see them. [...]
Birth of ‘Suraksha’ at Negombo Hospital boon to little ones
No fanfare has accompanied the opening of the state-of-the-art Suraksha Children’s Centre at the Negombo District General Hospital. With the hospital playing a prominent role in treating a majority of the men, women and children caught in the Easter Sunday bomb blast at Katuwapitiya’s St. Sebastian’s Church on April 21, the transfer of patients from [...]
Tusker returns after a year
A majestic tusker believed to have gone missing a year ago from the Kalawewa National Park area has returned, wildlife officials said. The Galkiriyagama wildlife rangers’ office confirmed that the tusker identified as Deegadanthu -01 had returned to the park. Officials said the tusker was in good health and that the gunshot injury on one [...]
Kurunegala medical crisis – strong call for prompt probe on what is possible or not
As another week passed, the medical fraternity continued to urge the resolution of the Kurunegala Hospital controversy by holding a prompt, impartial, transparent and evidence and science-based inquiry. The controversy surrounds a flood of allegations of unethical sterilizations of mothers, without their consent, during Caesarean-sections (C-sections) at the Kurunegela Provincial General Hospital. The six-member committee [...]
Failure of Government to provide security compel ministers to resign
The unexpected happened last week. All Muslim MPs holding Cabinet, non-Cabinet, State as well as Deputy Ministerships, resigned from their ministerial positions, consequent to a collective decision taken by them at the residence of former Minister A.H.M. Fowzie. The decision was unexpected because, never before had Muslim ministers resigned en masse. Yet, their decision to [...]
Extra-curricular efforts
Providing security for schools has been a concern not only for the Education Ministry (MoE) and security officials, but also for parents and students. Until this week, parents, past pupils and teachers were requested to support the security programmes at schools. Some of the parents were told to stand guard overnight, while others were told [...]
August 2 ‘kap’ ritual heralds Sacred Dalada Perahera
The world famous Buddhist cultural festival, the Sri Dalada Perahera, held in honour of the Sacred Tooth Relic of the Buddha, will begin this year as is customary with the ritual of planting of a post, known as ‘kap’, seeking the blessings and protection of four deities on Friday, August 2, the lay custodian has [...]
Veerakesari Journalist Sivam passes away
Kalabhushana award winning journalist K.P.Sivam of the Veerakesari, passed away after a brief illness He counts over 50 years in journalism in the Central Province, mainly working for the Veerakesari paper. A Tamil medium journalist who worked tirelessly towards the upliftment of the community, he devoted his life towards journalism leaving his father’s lucrative business. [...]