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National Election Commission Chairman Mahinda Deshapriya adjusting his moustache before a mirror prior to calling a news conference to announce the NEC’s plans for November 16 presidential election. Pic by Indika Handuwala
Amid threat of strikes, Finance Ministry proposes pay hikes
The Finance Ministry will submit proposals to increase salaries of a range of sectors including the administrative sector in view of multiple strikes and work-to-rule campaigns, but the proposals, if implemented, will cost the Government an additional Rs 200 billion annually. A senior Treasury official said the proposals will be submitted to the Cabinet next [...]
Rajapaksa pandal disaster: Victim faces uncertain future
A young woman remains paralysed below the waist and faces a long, hard road to recovery after the collapse of an unauthorised pandal erected for a political event of the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) in Maharagama. Sulari Laknima (27) was planning to go abroad for work. She left her home in Rathgama, Galle on [...]
Four-judge commission appointed to probe Easter Sunday attacks
President Maithripala Sirisena last night appointed a four-member commission to probe the Easter Sunday attacks. The Extraordinary Gazette notification was issued at midnight yesterday. The commission will be headed by Court of Appeal Judge Janak de Silva. The Other members are Court of Appeal judge Nissanka Bandula Karunarathna and retired Court of Appeal judges Nihal [...]
Dilrukshi wants full tape released; faces disciplinary inquiry
Solicitor General and the Bribery Commission’s former Director General Dilrukshi Dias Wickramasinghe yesterday called Avant Garde Chairman Nissanka Senadhipathi to release the full contents of a telephone conversation between them — an issue which has sparked off a controversy. But the Attorney General’s Department is initiating a preliminary disciplinary inquiry to the remarks against Ms [...]
Mihintale project: Crisis in LECO; intimidation forces top officers to keep away
The Lanka Electricity Company’s board has not approved the Rs 275 million donation ordered by the Prime Minister’s office for “development” of the sacred site of Mihintale. But an ex-military man in the personal staff of Power and Energy Minister Ravi Karunanayake has visited the LECO office several times demanding the cheque and his intimidation [...]
Lakshitha Schoolboy Cricketer of the Year
One of Sri Lanka’s cricketing legends, Kumar Sangakkara, presenting the Schoolboy Cricketer of the Year trophy to Nalanda College Captain Lakshitha Manasinghe. The event sponsored by the Sunday Times and Dialog 4G was held at the Nelum Pokuna Theatre on Monday. Pic by Priyantha Wickremarachchi.
We sometimes have to face false allegations: Ranil
Prime Minister Ranil Wickeremesinghe yesterday said being in politics meant that he sometimes had to face false allegations. Mr Wickremesinghe was addressing a rally in Jambugahapitiya, Wattegama, in one of the first public meetings to be held following Thursday’s special cabinet meeting where a proposal to discuss the abolition of the Executive Presidency was taken [...]
President gives his side of the story on Thursday’s special cabinet meeting
President Maithripala Sirisena yesterday said he called a Special Cabinet meeting on Thursday only because Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe wanted to present a cabinet paper on the abolition of the executive presidency. Speaking at the Sri Lanka Freedom Party’s District Convention at Nalanda in Matale, the President said Minister Ravi Karunanayake telephoned him around 6 [...]
Niqab issue: ACJU tells Muslim women to exercise caution
Despite the Police Department having clarified that the ban on the face veil was lifted with the removal of Emergency, the All Ceylon Jamiyyathul Ulama (ACJU) said yesterday that it stands by earlier advice to the community to exercise caution. In a letter to Muslim Religious Affairs Minister M.H.A. Haleem, Police Spokesman Ajith Rohana has [...]
Operation Diyakawa
No this is not a true to life hostage situation, but a mock operation being enacted at the BMICH as part of the ongoing Cormorant Exercise-2019 (Operation Diyakawa) being held for the 10th consecutive year, in different parts of the country, involving local and international personnel from the tri-forces. Pic by Indika Handuwala
Demolition of iconic Soysa building suspended pending discussions
The planned demolition of the iconic Soysa building in Slave Island has been suspended pending discussions between the Urban Development Authority (UDA) and the Department of Archaeology. The UDA recently approved the levelling of the building despite pleas for it to be preserved as a historical monument. The Ministry of Megapolis and Western Development informed [...]
Polls monitors’ plans cover social media, campaign expenditure
Election monitors are to pay special attention to social media in the run-up to the November 16 presidential election. Monitoring groups say they have drawn up plans to cover not only the campaign period, but also the election day events and post-election day happenings. The Center for Monitoring election Violence (CMEV) Coordinator Manjula Gajanayake said [...]
Election officials meet to get things moving for polls
Identifying polling stations, drawing up emergency plans in case of natural disasters are some of the preparations that have begun in all districts for the upcoming presidential election. The plans were put into motion following discussions on Friday among returning officers, district deputy election commissioners, district additional election commissioners, officials of the election secretariat and [...]
Audit report raises concern over large downturn in foreign jobs
Sri Lanka’s Foreign employment figures are on the decline for a range of reasons, including offers from other countries to send their workers for lesser wages than what is offered to Lankan male migrant workers, an audit report has revealed. The report points out that a ‘large downturn’ is observed throughout the past period, including [...]
Colombo Chief Magistrate shoots down CID request to question Gotabaya over activists complaint
The Colombo Chief Magistrate Lanka Jayaratne on Friday (20) rejected a request by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) to question former Defence Ministry Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa in connection with a complaint filed by two civil society activists. The complaint was lodged on August 14 by activists Gamini Viyangoda and Prof. Chandraguptha Thenuwara. They had alleged [...]
Senior journalist Chulawansa Sirilal passes away
Senior journalist Chulawansa Sirilal passed away yesterday, on his 68th birthday, following a brief illness. Mr. Chulawansa was a journalist for more than 4 decades and a free media activist, having once served as Convenor of the Free Media Movement (FMM). Mr. Chulawansa was in the frontlines of struggles to safeguard the freedom of the [...]
Army Commando drowns following parachute jump
An Army Commando Corporal (Cpl), attached to the 4th Commando Regiment, died yesterday in Kuchchaveli, Trincomalee during a parachute jump rehearsal of the ongoing Operation Diyakawa (Cormorant Exercise-2019). Army Commando Cpl K.H.S. Priyantha (35) of Galle, drowned, when a gust of wind pushed his towards the ocean, soon after exiting an aircraft. Cormorant Exercise-2019 (Operation [...]
Public in limbo as ‘work-to-rule’, ‘sick notes’, ‘strikes’ take centre stage
A wave of strikes and other forms of Trade Union (TU) action caused chaos in a variety of sectors this week. With more TUs gearing up for strikes of their own, the coming weeks are shaping up to be difficult ones for the public at large. This week saw islandwide strikes by doctors as well [...]
Unusual coloured snake turned out to be common wolf snake
A snake found in the premises of a temple in Hikkaduwa earlier this week, had residents and even experts in a quandary initially, with news reports of the discovery of an unidentified snake. Hikkaduwa Wildlife Department officials said when the snake was handed over to them, there was even speculation that it might have originated [...]
Heavy book bags are bad for children’s health
Schoolchildren, especially those in the growth stage at 11 and 12 years old, are facing a major health hazard. The heavy book bags under which they are stooping like beasts of burden are impacting on their health. The evidence is on the table. No longer is it what we see or assume and the researchers [...]
Time to apply brakes on rapid motorisation: Prof. Kumarage
Less than half of the Sri Lankan population today uses public transport despite bus and rail availability increasing, a leading expert said recently at the Asian Conference on Transport Research held in Colombo. Amal Kumarage, Senior Professor at the Moratuwa University’s Department of Transport and Logistics, has traced how Sri Lanka’s motor vehicle fleet developed [...]
South-west monsoon main reason behind rise in dengue cases
The dengue epidemic is raging mainly due to the current south-west monsoon, health officials have warned. The National Dengue Control Unit (NDCU) says most cases have been reported from Colombo, Gampaha, Kalutara, Galle, Ratnapura and Kandy districts. According to NDCU figures as of September 20, there were 45,000 cases this year with 70 deaths. NDCU [...]
The Lotus Tower and the missing Rs 2 billion
President Maithripala Sirisena set the cat among the pigeons last week, when he claimed that Rs 2 billion had been paid to a Chinese Company called ALIT, which could not now be located at the address given by them at the time of signing of the Agreement for the Lotus Tower (LT) Project. The President [...]
Protest by disabled soldiers: Hopes of settlement next week
As the protest by disabled soldiers and their families enters its 11th day, Finance Minister Mangala Samaraweera has agreed to provide 75 percent from the proposed salary in addition to the pension for the fully and partially disabled war heroes – raising hopes of a settlement to the dispute. Outside the Fort railway station the [...]
Apocalyptic climate events: Is this the future we are promising the next generation?
What do you want to be when you grow-up?” A question we often ask our children, encouraging them to dream big and aspire towards anything they set their heart on. But let’s take a moment to evaluate the world that we pass on to them. The concentration of greenhouse gases in our atmosphere is at [...]
Sepala Gunasena: The last sunset
Newspaper Publisher Sepala Gunasena who defied repressive governments and sacrificed millions of rupees in exposing frauds of state agencies, kept his final deadline at Kanatte on June 12th 1993 amidst a large and representative gathering of media personalities in recent times. Malagalage Don Sepala Gunasena, Founder Chairman of Independent Newspapers Limited and several other companies, [...]
Cache of weapons found at Oluvil
Investigations to ascertain who buried the cache of weapons and explosives -recovered from a secluded land in Palamunai, Akkaraipattu- are ongoing. The detection was made during investigations into associates of the mastermind behind Easter Sunday attack -Zahran Hashim. Police found a T-56 firearm, a magazine and 23 live rounds of T-56 ammunition as well as [...]
Pick of the Pix
Pix by Indika Handuwala, Ishanka Sunimal Shelton Hettiarachchi and Augustin Fernando
Lanka’s biodiversity a global heritage: Asia-Pacific scientists urge Govt. to intensify conservation efforts
Tropical biologists and conservation scientists representing 29 countries have appealed to the Sri Lankan government to redouble its efforts to protect the country’s unique biodiversity which they describe as a global heritage. The tropical biologists and scientists were in Sri Lanka to attend the four-day global forum of the Association for Tropical Biology and Conservation [...]
It’s business as usual for bottom-trawling Indian fishermen in Sri Lanka’s waters
Thousands of Indian fishermen continue to trespass into Sri Lanka’s northern territorial waters, despite strict new regulations and their poaching activity calls into question a drop in the number of arrests in recent months. The Sunday Times learns that Navy units patrolling near the International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL) chase the Indian fishermen away rather [...]
Rains bring mixed fortunes: Drought is gradually ending, key ministries cautiously upbeat
The current rainy weather has brought more good news than bad news to Sri Lanka, with some areas hit by the drought receiving rain, while the Power and Agriculture Ministries are also cautiously optimistic about the situation. The Disaster Management Centre Deputy Director Pradeep Kodippili said the country was now gradually recovering from the drought [...]
The metamorphosis of a hospital
A glossy black Grand Piano is the piece de resistance on the first floor and suddenly soft, soothing classical music fills the air, while at other times children are drawn to the ebony-and-ivory keys and from their little fingers flow forth the lilting notes of ‘Chopsticks’. The Grand Piano is not in the lobby of [...]
Work-to-rule or sabotage?
Rail transport is the fastest mode of land transportation and plays a vital function in our daily lives. However recently, punctuality of trains has reached major crisis proportions. The worst affected are passengers from distant areas, who depend on the rail network to get and from their destinations. The work-to-rule campaign launched by the railway [...]