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Election Commission staff preparing the ballot boxes at D.S. Senanayake College in Colombo yesterday. These cardboard ballot boxes will be distributed to areas around the city, while the boxes for the suburbs will be sent in a folded form and assembled in the polling booths. This is the first time that thick cardboard ballot boxes [...]
450,000 poll cards still lying at post offices
PMG urges people to collect them before 5 pm on Wednesday; Election Commission also makes special provisions By Kasun Warakapitiya Nearly 450,000 poll cards are still remaining at post offices as the Postal Department concluded its house-to-house distribution process on July 29. Post Master General Ranjith Ariyaratne called on the public to visit area post [...]
Ballot boxes to be placed in containers sealed and signed before counting begins the next day
By S. Rubatheesan For the first time, political parties and independent groups have been requested to send two representatives to each counting centre to stay overnight on August 5 until the counting begins the following morning. Election Commission Chairman Mahinda Deshapriya told the Sunday Times the move was to ensure transparency in the whole electoral [...]
From midnight today, EC will remove election publicity material from social media
The Election Commission will take steps to remove election campaigning content and propaganda material from social media sites during the cooling period which begins from midnight today, a senior EC official said. Suranga Ranasinghe, Assistant Commissioner who heads Election Dispute Resolution Unit, told the Sunday Times that since social media platforms had a communication channel [...]
CMC bankrupt; borrows Rs. 600m to pay salaries
The Colombo Municipal Council (CMC) has gone in for a Rs 600 million bank facility for its expenses including payment of salaries after its revenue collection dropped sharply due to the COVID-19 pandemic, a senior official said. Accordingly, the CMC has already obtained Rs 300 million of the loan and was awaiting the rest of [...]
August 5 polls: No international observers due to logistical issues
Despite the Election Commission (EC) having invited them, the Parliamentary election next week will be the first major national poll in recent years to be held without international observers. EC Chairman Mahinda Deshapriya requested the Foreign Relations Ministry as recently as last month to facilitate the arrival of observer missions from the European Union (EU) [...]
Transformer fire deprived national grid of 65 MW of power
The transformer connecting Puttalam’s wind power farms to the national grid burned during a peak generation month, creating a shortage of 65 megawatts of power. A short occurred in the distribution line on July 25 around 8.30 a.m, an authoritative source said. This burned the transformer winding. August is when wind power generation is at [...]
Authorities get a helping mouth
Propaganda posters at this election has been mercifully few and far between given the strict enforcement of election laws. Authorities have been removing any posters seen on the wayside. Sometimes, they also get a little help from unexpected quarters, as seen here. Pic by Priyantha Wickramaarachchi
Candidate savaged by fake posts as online abuse mounts
Controlling social media is like trying to clean the ocean with a bucket: Mahinda Deshapriya Misinformation spreads fast, say watchdogs Until a rash of pages impersonating her emerged in a coordinated misinformation campaign on Facebook, first-time election candidate Sashikala Raviraj had no idea how powerful the impact of social media could be. Numerous misleading [...]
Shani remanded; more arrests likely
As investigations continue into the ex-Criminal Investigation Department Director Shani Abeysekara’s alleged fabrication of evidence, police said more arrests were likely soon. Senior Superintendent Abeysekara was remanded till August 7 by the Gampaha Magistrate on Friday night after he was taken into custody by the Colombo Crime Division (CCD) earlier in the day for allegedly [...]
Many children will be left behind, teachers charge
Teachers have accused the government of handicapping many children with its plan to limit attendance in larger schools when classes recommence on August 10. The plan to stagger school attendance for institutions with more than 200 pupils is unrealistic and discriminatory, the Ceylon Teachers Union (CTU) said, saying the government had failed to consult key [...]
Women offered many promises but activists don’t hold their breath
Parties are boasting of addressing women’s issues in their manifestos and at campaign rallies but women’s rights activists question whether MPs will keep their promises once elected. “Sexual and gender-based violence has increased in our country. This is experienced by women using public transport and in society in general. We will create a society that [...]
Apathetic Colombo contrasts with more enthusiastic Gampaha, Kalutara
As far as prizes in national elections go, the Western province is the biggest there is. The beating heart of the country’s economy, over 4.4 million registered voters in the three districts here will go to the polls on August 5 to elect representatives to the new parliament. The prevailing COVID-19 pandemic, coupled with the [...]
Colombo Port remains crippled, containers held up
Work at the Colombo Port remained crippled for a second consecutive day over a workers’ dispute regarding the Eastern Container Terminal. Discussions were held between trade unions and Ports Authority Chairman last afternoon. However, these failed to resolve the issue. Sri Lanka Ports Authority (SLPA) Chairman (retired Former Army commander) Daya Ratnayake told the Sunday [...]
We are ready to play the role of strong opposition in parliament: Anura Kumara
As leader of the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) Anura Kumara Dissanayake has presided over the party during one of the most significant and politically volatile periods in the country’s history. His admirers praise him as a steadfast defender of democracy and a man of principle. Critics accuse him of steering the party towards the arms [...]
We are back to a ‘One Man Show’, the voter is wise to this
Sajith Premadasa has long been the heir apparent of the United National Party (UNP). Many attempts, not so much by him, but others who wanted the ouster of the incumbent Leader, Ranil Wickremesinghe, have pushed him to the fore to take the mantle of leadership. As a compromise he was made Deputy Leader. Push came [...]
Thousands of monitors to ensure free and fair polls
Election monitoring groups have planned to deploy more observers to monitor intra-party rivalry on election day August 5. Monitoring officials said they had identified the districts where intra-party hostility was expressed among candidates, and therefore they would focus more on those areas, as they feared there might be hostilities. Manjula Gajanayake, National Coordinator of the [...]
As grand old parties wither away, Lankan politics enters new normal
When some 16 million voters eligible to trek to their polling booths on Wednesday, maintaining their social distance and carrying their own pens to mark that all important cross on their ballot paper at Sri Lanka’s 16th general election to elect 225 MPs, it will truly be an election like no other this country has [...]
Crossovers and party switching part of Sri Lanka politics
As the heat builds up for the August 5 general elections despite the Covid-19 pandemic, a glance at the candidates’ lists shows that party or alliance switching is part and parcel of Sri Lankan politics, with several candidates having a crossover history of varying length. In the fray are 172 candidates who are seeking reelection [...]
Aggressive testing and contact tracing to curb leaks from Lankapura
Extensive testing and meticulous contact tracing got underway in the area when a minor employee of the Lankapura Divisional Secretariat in the Polonnaruwa district tested positive for COVID-19 on Wednesday, said the Director-General (DG) of Health Services, Dr. Anil Jasinghe. The closest or immediate contacts (first ring) of the person including his family as [...]
Sour taste of food price rises
With the end of lockdown home cooking, some are rushing to restaurants to savour gourmet meals while others return to their favourite food counter lunch packets on a working day, but everyone is feeling the increase in the price of prepared food. Buffets at restaurants have increased between Rs. 200-500 while lunch packets have increased [...]
Haj prayers during times of pandemic
Sri Lanka’s Muslims celebrated the Haj festival yesterday by offering prayers and taking part in other religious activities. In keeping with Covid-19 related health guidelines, those who participated in congregational prayers in mosques and public grounds were checked for fever and were advised to maintain the one-metre physical distancing, as these photographs taken at the [...]
RTI reveals Central Bank inefficiency in regulating finance companies at expense of public for years
Suspended Swarnamahal Financial Services (SFS) Private Limited admitted to the Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL) as far back as February 2011 that it was accepting deposits from the public without authority, documents obtained through a Right to Information (RTI) application show. In a directive issued to the company, the Central Bank identified the three [...]
Weaving woes
Traditional cane craftsmen in Wanathawilluwa in the Puttalam District, and those who sold them in the aptly named Weweldeniya in the Gampaha District are battling for survival due to a shortage of raw material and low demand for their products in the market. The people from these areas created unique items from cane before the [...]