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Home » NewsVeddha chief refuses to be presidential candidate
The indigenous Veddha people’s leader, Uruwarige Wannilla Aththo, says many people ask him why he does not contest the presidential election. Speaking at an event recently to mark his 72nd birthday, he said, “Although many ask me this question, I do not want to get caught up in messy politics. He added he did not [...]
US seeks sweeping military privileges in Lanka
A draft copy of the Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA), now under negotiation between the United States and Sri Lanka, obtained by the Sunday Times, reveals a number of Washington’s demands that would impinge on Sri Lanka’s sovereignty. The US is seeking that aircraft and vessels of the US Government to be free from boarding [...]
Road development: Local banks lend a staggering Rs. 239 billion for projects
In the past six years, local banks have lent a staggering Rs 239.1 billion to the Government for road development projects, says the 2018 annual performance report of Ministry of Highways and Road Development. The amount borrowed is Rs. 239,125.38 million between 2011 and the end of last year, with the National Savings Bank (NSB) [...]
Death Penalty: UN, EU and many countries urge Lanka to maintain moratorium
Foreign countries and international organisations have expressed concern to Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe over proposed plans to re-implement the death penalty in Sri Lanka and called for a review of the decision. A Prime Minister’s Office source said the United Nations, the European Union and Colombo-based diplomats have either met or called Mr Wickremesinghe expressing [...]
Bonanza for those living on state land without deeds
A bill to provide ownership of lands for those who are living on state lands through legal means for more than 10 years will be introduced in Parliament shortly. The move will enable those occupying these lands to sell or transfer ownership legally and also obtain other facilities such as bank loans and use the [...]
Polls Chief warns of court action
National Election Commission (NEC) Chairman Mahinda Deshapriya has warned President Maithripala Sirisena that the NEC may be forced to resort to legal action over delays in conducting the long overdue Provincial Council elections. His warning is contained in a letter sent this week to Presidential Secretary Udaya R. Seneviratne. The idea behind the letter, a [...]
CPC unions threaten to cut off oil to CEB over dispute with Ravi K
Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC) trade unions have threatened to cut off fuel supplies to the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) over a dispute involving electoral politics and pipelines requiring urgent repairs. Union leaders charged yesterday that Power and Energy Minister Ravi Karunanayake was insisting that the CPC must pay compensation to the squatters before it started [...]
Bond scam: Court issues notices on suspects
The Permanent High Court-at-Bar, on Friday, issued notices on former Central Bank Governor Arjuna Mahendran, his son-in-law, Perpetual Treasuries Director Arjun Aloysius and eight others to appear in Court on July 19, over the Central Bank bond scam. The Court issued the notices after the Attorney General filed indictments accusing them of causing a loss [...]
Legalising foreign cigarette imports: Health officials cry foul
Health officials argue that the decision to legalise the import of foreign cigarettes will not lead to a reduction in smuggling, and that, it is merely to fool the people into thinking their interests are being protected. “By allowing foreign cigarettes to be brought in legally, you won’t be stopping the blackmarket trade,” said Dr. [...]
NATA management board says it will resign if Chinese cigarettes are imported
The Board of Management of the National Authority on Tobacco and Alcohol (NATA) in a letter to the Minister of Finance has threatened to consider resigning en masse if the Ministry went ahead with the importation of Chinese or other foreign cigarettes. The letter, signed by NATA chairman Dr. Palitha Abeykoon, and copied to the [...]
The relentless waves
About 25 houses have been damaged due to sea erosion in Chilaw. Pic by Augustin Fernando
Two ex-police officers get 10 years jail for torture in High Court retrial
Two former Police officers were sentenced to 10 years in prison and fined Rs. 50,000 each in a retrial by the Negombo High Court on Friday (28), after being found guilty of torturing an individual in custody at the Wattala Police Station in 2002. The victim, W.M. Gerard Mervyn Perera, was shot and killed in [...]
Rishad, Army Chief clarify matters over phone calls
Former Industry and Commerce Minister Rishad Bathiudeen and Army Commander Mahesh Senanayake were among those who gave evidence this week before the Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC) investigating the Easter Sunday terrorist attacks. Less than 15 minutes of the Army Commander’s testimony was made in the presence of the media. The rest of his evidence was [...]
Take over ‘ Batti campus’, run it as a campus of Eastern University: House Committee
A Parliamentary Oversight Committee– the Sectoral Oversight Committee (SOC) on Education & Human Resources Development–has recommended in its report, that the controversial Batticaloa Campus (Pvt) Ltd. (BCPL) be acquired by the Government, under Emergency Regulations, and be brought under the purview of the Eastern University, and run as one of its campuses. It also requests [...]
Fishing boats gutted by fire
Investigtions are underway over an incident where 21 boats were destroyed in a fire at a boatyard in Hungama, Tangalle. The boats and the fishing gear damaged have been estimated at Rs two million. Pic by Rahul Samantha Hettiaarachchi.
Compensation for Easter attack victims ongoing
The Office of Reparation (OR), set up by the Prime Minister’s office to compensate Easter Sunday bomb blast victims, said that Rs283.3 million had been paid as compensation for the dead and injured. The Treasury had allocated Rs1 million per death, injury and loss of property for the year 2019. Acting Director, K M Ananda [...]
Fatal accident due to malfunctioning signal
The signal at the level crossing where six soldiers were killed in Kilinochchi on Tuesday, had been malfunctioning for the past four months and complaints regarding it had been ignored, investigations have revealed. The alarm had not been working properly during that period due to an issue in the supply of power. This was the [...]
This country has destroyed image of our whole family, not only that of my husband, says Dr Shafi’s wife
That her husband is in jail is not Imara’s only problem. She has nowhere to live, no job and her children are no longer in school. This week, the Criminal Investigation Department told the Kurunegala Magistrate’s Court they had no evidence that her husband, Dr Shafi Shihabdeen of the Kurunegala Teaching Hospital, had made Sinhalese [...]
Dr. Shafi case: Court halts move to test complainant women
Kurunegala Chief Magistrate Sampath Hewawasam has halted proposed medical examinations of women who alleged that Dr Shafi Shihabdeen had performed illegal sterilisation procedures and, instead, called for the appointment of a team of medical professionals including the director of the Kurnegala hospital. The court had earlier ordered that the tests be carried out on June [...]
Conflict in governance- Two possible options for the country
Recent pronouncements by President Maithripala Sirisena that the 19th Amendment (19A) to the Constitution was the cause of conflict within the Government, has triggered a debate as to whether this Amendment, enacted by the Yahapalana Government, is detrimental to the country. While the conflict within the Government is damaging to the country, is to state [...]
Poor nutrition harms children and stunts nation’s growth
The death through starvation of an 11-month-old child in the Hambantota district last week has cast doubt on the health sector’s effectiveness in making sure youth are properly fed. While media reports speculated that the infant died mainly due to economic reasons and the family could not afford appropriate nutritious food, nutritionists say the dysfunctional [...]
Link between smoking and schizophrenia
Smoking may worsen schizophrenia! The smokescreen to the contrary that has been created by powerful tobacco companies and researchers with vested interests has been dispelled by two Sri Lankan Psychiatrists. Their convincing evidence titled ‘Tobacco smoking and schizophrenia: re-examining the evidence’ has been published by the prestigious medical journal, ‘BJPsych Advances’ (British Journal of Psych [...]
Drinking water drying up in parched east
Almost half a million people lack drinking water and there is no hope of a turnaround for five long months as the drought causes widespread hardship across 15 districts, especially in Batticaloa and Ampara. District secretaries have informed authorities they are finding it difficult to locate drinking water sources for the 450,000 people in need [...]
Fraud and malpractice on giant scale to be exposed by Commission
On Tuesday, key personalities involved in scandal-plagued SriLankan Airlines, SriLankan Catering and Mihin Lanka are for a public shaming as the Commission of Inquiry into allegations of large-scale fraud at those institutions hands in its report. President Maithripala Sirisena will be handed the report by the members of the commission, led by its chairman, retired [...]
CDF member remanded for allegedly poisoning 27 goats
A Civil Defence Force (CDF) member who allegedly poisoned 27 goats, for damaging his papaya plantation in Thanthirimale, in the Anuradhapura district, was remanded till Wednesday. His 15-year-old son, who was arrested along with him, was released on bail, police said. The Officer-in-Charge of Thanthirimale police SI K.N. Sirimewan said the incident had taken place [...]
Flaws in draft cybersecurity bill under review
The IT industry is concerned about transparency, intrusiveness and lag-time in responding to cyber attacks in the provisions of the draft cybersecurity bill and personal data protection framework, and the government says it is willing to listen and review the legislation before parliament receives the bill in July. A major worry involves the broad mandatory [...]
Fifteen families in vicinity of Karadiana garbage mountain evacuated
Fifteen families living in areas considered to be in danger of landslides in the vicinity of the Karadiana garbage mountain, had been moved out of the danger zone, Western Province Garbage Management Authority Director Nalin Manamperuma said.He said in accordance to a Certificate of Conformity issued by the National Construction Research Institute steps were taken [...]
Commuters once again derailed by rail strike
Tens of thousands of railway commuters were once again inconvenienced, within the space of one week, due to another crippling strike by locomotive operators, railway guards, controllers, station masters, and supervising managers. This time, the strike action from Thursday midnight to Friday midnight, targetted long distance travellers – those commuters whose homes are in distant [...]
Assessment of environmental impact should precede upcountry development projects
The environment committees within the District Development Councils have called for the need to focus attention on proposed development projects in the hill country due to their environmental impact in the region. Nuwara Eliya District Land Planning Director A.P. Kumburegama, addressing the Divisional Environmental Committee meeting held in Nuwara Eliya this week, said the Nuwara [...]
Pick of the Pix
From our readers Shutterbugs out there, here’s your chance to send in your contributions to this picture corner. Please send your captioned photograph along with your name, and the location of the photograph, to pictures@sundaytimes.wnl.lk We would also appreciate if you mentioned the camera or cellphone that was used.
Children of a lesser God
Universal Children’s Day is celebrated worldwide on 20 November -the date set aside by the United Nations to promote the welfare of children. In our country, despite efforts by various government agencies, NGOs and INGOs to promote and protect the rights of children, we been failing our children over the years. The most glaring example [...]
As Colombo Dockyard wades into uncharted waters, questions over bidding for local tenders
Some local shipbuilding industry stakeholders claim they are restricted from bidding for certain government tenders when much has been said by policymakers about uplifting local industries. Ironically, the National Export Strategy (NES) published last year by the government had highlighted boat/ship building and backward integration as a focus sector for innovation and export. The tender [...]