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Home » NewsKandy’s most spectacular pageant begins
One of Asia’s most spectacular pageants, the Kandy Esala Perahera, began yesterday with the Kumbal Perahera taking place. The caparisoned Maligawa tusker Indiraja and other elephants are seen getting set for the Perahera which draws tens of thousands of people locally here and from abroad. Pic by Shane Seneviratne.
Fake EC website in operation; probe by police cybercrime unit
Computer Emergency Response Team traces website to US-based Google server By Ishu Bandara The Election Commission is to seek the assistance of the police cybercrimes unit to investigate a fake (phishing) website similar to the Election Commission seeking personal information of Sri Lankans. The website has already been traced by the Computer Emergency Response Team [...]
Drones, snipers and 4,500 police personnel for nominations on Thursday
By Damith Wickremasekara Drone cameras, snipers and more than 4,500 police personnel will be deployed for security operations in and around the Election Commission on presidential election nomination day on Thursday. Detailed security plans were discussed on Friday at a meeting presided over by Election Commission Chairman R.M.A.L. Ratnayake. The meeting was attended by Public [...]
Centralised electronic system to streamline declaration of assets
By Mimi Alphonsus The Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC)—which has sent warning letters to public officials who have not yet filed their asset declarations under the Anti-Corruption Act (ACA)—is working on a centralised electronic system (CES) that will “red-flag” significant variations, either within an asset declaration or between current and past [...]
Online visa: Immigration Dept only partly complies with SC order; visa issuance activated and deactivated
By Namini Wijedasa The Department of Immigration and Emigration has only partly complied with an August 2 Supreme Court interim order related to its controversial new e-visa mechanism. The court suspended the contract that allowed a tripartite foreign consortium to process Sri Lankan online visas, but the department failed to revert to the previous electronic [...]
Symbols for independent candidates gazetted
Symbols available for independent candidates at the upcoming presidential election (see montage) and those of registered political parties have been gazetted. Independent candidates will have the option of selecting a symbol from 115 symbols gazetted by the Election Commission. Eighty-four symbols already allotted to political parties too have been gazetted.
Bawa memorial lecture by Architect Kundoo
Indian architect Anupama Kundoo delivered the 21st annual Geoffrey Bawa Memorial Lecture at the Sri Lanka Foundation Institute to a packed auditorium on Friday evening, sharing insights into her journey in architecture and extensive material research and experimentation. Pic by Eshan Fernando
Manusha, Harin join campaign to ensure President’s victory
Former Ministers Manusha Nanayakkara and Harin Fernando say they will concentrate on the election campaign of President Ranil Wickremesinghe after they lost their parliamentary seats and Cabinet portfolios on Friday following a Supreme Court order. Mr. Fernando told the Sunday Times last night that he would be the coordinator for the 100 rallies to be [...]
Bill to tone down powers of Online Safety Commission
Removal of the power of the Online Safety Commission to issue notices to internet service providers and internet intermediaries to deny access to online locations is among the Online Safety Law amendments presented to parliament this week. The Online Safety (Amendment) Bill was presented to parliament on Thursday by House Leader Susil Premajayantha. The amendments [...]
Wildlife Dept. to conduct elephant survey this week
The Wildlife Conservation Department will carry out a countrywide elephant survey for the first time in 13 years, a senior official said. The Department’s Director General, Chandana Suriyabandara, said they would carry out the survey in 3,130 locations on August 17, 18 and 19. He said the survey would focus on population dynamics, the current [...]
Candidates form alliances ahead of final campaign lap
By Kasun Warakapitiya Main political parties and presidential candidates will begin campaign meetings from next week with only 40 more days left for the election. Parties are increasing their political engagements as nomination day (August 15) nears. President Ranil Wickremesinghe who is contesting as an independent, attended many events and engagements this week. He also [...]
Abuse of state resources forms bulk of election law violations; violent incidents only a handful
By Ishu Bandara The Election Commission (EC) has long advocated the implementation of an advanced voting law to ensure every voter casts his or her vote, but despite its efforts, the Cabinet has yet to approve the EC’s proposal. Election Commissioner General Saman Sri Rathnayake told the Sunday Timesmany voters, such as doctors on duty, [...]
Electoral process managers assess and adapt to tackle priorities
By Nathara Abeywickrema I mportant state agencies are in the final lap of making preparations to deliver their responsibilities for the September presidential election, being held after Sri Lanka’s unprecedented economic bankruptcy. The Department of Government Printing, an essential player in the electoral process, responsible for producing the critical materials needed, including ballot papers and [...]
Prominent monks express support to President’s candidature
Prominent Buddhist monks have extended their support to President Ranil Wickremesinghe in the upcoming election. The Sanwardena Maha Lekadikari of Ramagnya Maha Nikaya, the Ven. Karakole Piyadassi Nayaka Thera, said President Wickremesinghe took over the premiership and led the country out of a bad situation in 2022. The Nayake Thera said that some people were [...]
Patients suffer as SJGH kidney transplant programme in crisis
By Kumudini Hettiarachchi The kidney transplant programme of the semi-government Sri Jayewardenepura General Hospital (SJGH) has descended into turmoil, causing major hardship to severely-ill patients, the Sunday Times learns. The SJGH’s one-and-only Post-Graduate Institute of Medicine (PGIM) certified Kidney Transplant Surgeon has been interdicted (weda thahanam kara atha) by a letter dated August 3 (last [...]
CEB to lower rooftop solar tariff from July 1
By Niranjala Ariyawansha The Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) has taken steps to lower the rooftop solar tariff paid to consumers with effect from July 1, in accordance with a decision made by the Government and a circular to this effect having gone out this week. Accordingly, the previously paid rooftop solar tariff has been reduced [...]
The rise of techno-colonialism
By By Hermann Hauser and Hazem Danny Nakib INNSBRUCK/LONDON – In 1853, under orders from President Millard Fillmore, US Navy Commodore Matthew Perry led four warships on a mission to persuade Japan to end its 200-year-old isolationist policy. When he arrived at what is now Tokyo Bay, Perry delivered an ultimatum to the Tokugawa shogunate: [...]
Questions over perahera seating on Queen’s Hotel corridor in Kandy
By L B Senaratne Pedestrians’ right of way is being hindered by allowing seating along the Queen’s Hotel corridor to view the perahera. In 2019, when permission was sought from the Kandy Municipal Council by members, the Mayor at the time Kesara Senanayake turned down the request to allow Queen’s Hotel corridor to be given [...]
Victims of abuse escaping safe house taken back there, Police instructed to conduct inquiry
By K R Rajamanthri Nine underage victims of sexual abuse, escaping from a government-operated safe house, in Keppetipola, Welimada were taken into Police custody. The girls claimed they decided to escape due to the harrowing environment within the safe house. The Welimada Police, with the assistance from the Nuwara Eliya Police, took the victims into [...]
Police to ensure safety at perahera
By L B Senaratne Divisional Senior Superintendent Anuruddha Bandaranaike said that 600 Police personnel would be deployed during the Kandy Esala Perahera. He asked motorists to use alternative routes to travel out of Kandy as the main roads within the City would be subject to conditional stops. SSP Bandaranaike added that personnel would be employed [...]
Bill to grant leave for women who suffer miscarriage
SLPP Gampaha District MP Sudarshini Fernandopulle has initiated a Private Members Bill to amend the Maternity Benefits Ordinance to grant seven days leave for women who suffer a miscarriage as well as those who have to terminate a pregnancy on medical grounds. The seven days leave will be granted from the date of miscarriage, if [...]
Tamil political parties-civil society alliance picks ITAK central committee member as candidate
ITAK still to announce position By S. Rubatheesan After several rounds of discussions, a group of Tamil political parties and civil society outfits on Thursday announced a central committee member of Ilankai Thamil Arasu Katchchi (ITAK) as a “Tamil common candidate” to contest the upcoming presidential polls. Former ITAK parliamentarian representing Batticaloa district, P. Ariyanethiran, [...]
Obscured info keeps real assets of politicians from public view
By Mimi Alphonsus According to the asset declarations recently published online by the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC), many MPs have no cash in hand and just one Cabinet member–Health and Industries Minister Ramesh Pathirana–owns any assets abroad. Dhammika Perera did not disclose his salary and allowances while several members of [...]
Whither SLFP: Once dominant party suffers another blow in its 73 years
By Chandani Kirinde “Malice towards none, with charity for all” were the words used by the founder of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) S.W.R.D. Bandaranaike, when he embarked on his journey to found a new political party in the country. However, with the current split in the SLFP into three camps, the once dominant [...]
SC dismisses four more FR petitions by Mirihana protesters
By Ranjith Padmasiri The Supreme Court dismissed four fundamental rights applications filed by those who protested outside the private residence of former President Gotabhaya Rajapakse at Pangiriwatte in Mirihana in 2022, while it granted Leave to Proceed for four similar petitions. Eleven FR petitions were filed following the protests, which started peacefully as a candlelit [...]
Aluthwatta villagers demand a halt to polluting sewage plant
By Mimi Alphonsus A pungent smell wafts over the village of Aluthwatta in Kandy, the final resting place of tons of garbage coming from all over the district. The villagers are somewhat accustomed to the compost yard, which has been in operation for years, but renewed attempts to start sewage treatment at a unused plant [...]
American multi-mission aircraft to bolster disaster response
By Dilushi Wijesinghe The United States is set to provide a Beechcraft King Air 360ER aircraft to the Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) this year. This was revealed officially by United States Ambassador Julie Chung at the closing ceremony of the five-day bilateral military exercise ‘Atlas Angel’. The aircraft will be a crucial asset for [...]