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Home » NewsScramble for passports: Passport to hell
While Sri Lankans are scrambling for passports to go abroad, largely for employment, amidst a bungled passport tender scam, the second picture shows a group that has been rescued from Myanmar after falling prey to unscrupulous job agents who promised them good jobs abroad. Pic by M.A. Pushpa Kumara
Sri Lanka rejects UN Human Rights Chief’s strictures
Sri Lanka has rejected several strong strictures made by the United Nations Human Rights High Commissioner, Volker Turk, stating that the decline in the living standards of the people will be restored with the economy improving and the support of the International Community. On Friday, the Government briefed foreign envoys of member nations of the [...]
IRD warns of fake taxmen fleecing business community
The Inland Revenue Department has cautioned the people that a suspected organised group is collecting the outstanding tax arrears, targeting businesspeople in the guise of Inland Revenue Officers in Colombo and the suburbs, a senior official from the department said. Inland Revenue Commissioner General W.A.S. Chandrasekara told the Sunday Times that soon after she was [...]
Electoral reforms: No input from major political parties
By Ranjith Padmasiri None of the political parties represented in Parliament made submissions to the nine-member Commission of Inquiry headed by former Chief Justice Priyasad Dep to prepare proposals for electoral reforms. The Commission has finalised its report and suggested the adoption of a mixed system whereby 60 percent of the MPs will be elected [...]
Repeater shotguns for MPs
Could be retained even if they are no more in Parliament By Anthony David All parliamentarians can buy two repeater shotguns each, which they can retain even after they are out of office. At present, MPs are assigned two police constables each for their personal protection. They accompany them when they travel and stay in [...]
Social media platforms give content-removal assurance to EC
Local TV channels put on notice over coverage bias By Damith Wickremasekara Social media platform operators have assured the Election Commission that they would remove content that violates election regulations, Commission Chairman R.M.A.L. Ratnayake told the Sunday Times. He said that they have held talks with the officials of social media platforms, including YouTube, Facebook, [...]
New passports within a month; until then only 1000 will be issued a day, says Immigration Chief
By Damith Wickremasekera Until the new passports arrive next month, the Immigration Department will issue only 1000 passports a day to manage the crisis over the shortage of passports, Controller General Harsha Illukpitiya told the Sunday Times. He urged those rushing to obtain passports to wait till next month, when ample stocks of new-look passports [...]
Hundreds of rallies to shore up support
President Ranil Wickremesinghe in Batticaloa. Pix by Pradeep Pathirana By Kasun Warakapitiya More than 300 rallies have been organised by main candidates in the presidential election with less than three weeks left for polling. Also, each candidate can address potential voters through state-run television and media channels. The Election Commission (EC) has allocated each candidate [...]
Election violations: EC says over 900, PAFFREL says 222
Only one violent incident reported so far By Ishu Bandara More than 900 complaints of election violations have been reported to the Election Commission as of yesterday. They include 427 complaints made to the national centre of the Elections Commission and 474 complaints received at district levels. However, the People’s Action for Free and Fair Elections (PAFFREL) [...]
I will make a decision after I speak to my people in Ratnapura, says Thalatha
By Chandani Kirinde Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) Ratnapura District MP Thalatha Atukorale, who resigned from her seat in parliament on Wednesday, said she is yet undecided on supporting any of the presidential candidates, but she could no longer remain in the SJB given the manner in which the party is being run. “There are many [...]
In the election circus, parties pull rabbits out of the hat
By Kasun Warakapitiya Manifestos of the leading presidential candidates will be rolled out from tomorrow, starting with the National People’s Power. NPP presidential candidate, Anura Kumara Dissanayake will launch the party manifesto at a hotel event in Thalawathugoda, under the theme ‘Pohosath Ratak, Lassana Jeewithayak’ (A rich country and a good life) and will focus [...]
Three dead, one missing in a week of thunderstorms
The Meteorology Department Director General Athula Karunanayake has said that the heavy rains being experienced in some parts of the country are expected to reduce during the weekend. However, several spells of showers are expected in the Western, Sabaragamuwa, Central, Southern, and North-Western provinces. Showers or thundershowers may occur in other areas of the island [...]
Rukman Senanayake, former UNP chairman, passes away
Rukman Senanayake, a senior politician and onetime chairman of the United National Party (UNP) passed away yesterday. He was 76. Rukman, who hailed from Sri Lanka’s first family of politics, was the son of Robert Senanayake and grandson of the country’s first Prime Minister D. S. Senanayake. Mr. Senanayake first entered Parliament in 1973 after [...]
‘Do not fear us, we can prove ourselves only once we come to power’: NPP’s Vijitha Herath
The National People’s Power (NPP) leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake, if elected president, will run the country sans a cabinet until the conclusion of the general election through 25 newly named ministries, which will be headed by ministry secretaries, the party’s Executive Committee member and Gampaha District MP Vijitha Herath said. He said that parliament will [...]
Collective of university lecturers, attorneys, and professionals declares support for SJB candidate
A group of professionals, including university lecturers, attorneys, and experts, has formed the “Collective of University Lecturers, Attorneys, and Professionals” to support Sajith Premadasa, the Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) presidential candidate. This collective was launched on Friday, August 23, with the goal of endorsing Mr. Premadasa’s candidacy in the upcoming election, emphasising his potential to [...]
EC checking on 13,134 polling centres and 45 counting centres
Ballot papers being printed and other poll work on schedule, says EC By Kasun Warakapitiya With less than a month to go for the presidential election, the printing of ballot papers is underway while the Election Commission is also engaged in other preparatory work, Election Commissioner General Saman Sri Ratnayake said. He told the Sunday Timesthat [...]
Fake EC website taken down, CCID probing host identity
By Ishu Bandara Google LLC is yet to reveal the identity of those who hosted a fake (phishing) website similar to that of Sri Lanka’s Election Commission, according to Computer Crime Investigation Division (CCID) Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Rohana Premarathna. A phishing website hosted on a US-based Google server, designed to collect personal information from [...]
A possibility of second and third preference votes coming into play
With the possibility of the preference vote coming into play at the upcoming Presidential polls, organisations monitoring elections have emphasised the need to educate voters on marking their second and third preferences. With at least three main candidates contesting this presidential election they pointed out that the preference vote may be important in deciding the [...]
Municipal Councils, police all set to remove poll publicity materials that fall foul of the law
By Nathara Abeywickrema Election publicity material displayed in public without permission are being removed by the Colombo Municipal Council (CMC) and police to comply with the law. The CMC has warned of legal action against any candidate or political party which decorates roads, streets, or public places for any election-related propaganda without permission, or without [...]
Election Media Monitoring and Voter Awareness Centre launched
A new initiative aimed at bolstering media professionalism, upholding democratic values and media ethics in election coverage was marked with the launch of the Election Media Monitoring and Voter Awareness (EMMVA) Centre this week. The organisation is led by a team of media specialists and academics, and will monitor media practices during the ongoing presidential [...]
Presidential candidates’ asset declarations are out but no mechanism to check accuracy
By Tharushi Weerasinghe The asset declarations of all the presidential candidates for the upcoming election was made public last Thursday by the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery and Corruption (CIABOC). However, currently there is no mechanism through which the accuracy of asset declarations of public officials and election candidates can be verified. The public [...]
Indoor air quality: SL to launch vital study
Peradeniya & J’pura Universities in collaboration with Wayamba and KDU to look into the homes of expectant mothers using firewood for cooking in Colombo & Kandy districts By Kumudini Hettiarachchi Major funding has been clinched in a competitive research bid, all for the sake of Sri Lanka’s mothers, who not only bear and bring up their children [...]
India-Sri Lanka ferry service helps religious and business visitors
By S. Rubatheesan With the annual festival of Nallur Kandaswamy temple currently underway, the recently resumed passenger ferry service between Nagapattinam in India and Kankesanturai (KKS) saw a sharp increase in the number of visitors across the Palk Strait. After months-long administrative and technical delays, the much-anticipated passenger ferry service “Sivagangai” resumed operations on August [...]
The world’s fastest bird that rules the skies of Colombo
By Malaka Rodrigo Ardent birdwatcher Priyanath Kotalawela often visits his favourite birding spot along the walking path of Kimbulawela in Thalawathugoda whenever he has some time. On August 17 he was on one such stroll when he spotted a falcon. Upon closer inspection, Mr. Kotalawela realized it was a Shaheen falcon—a subspecies of the Peregrine [...]
2 million including Sri Lankans overseas, will not be able to vote
By Mimi Alphonsus More than 11% of Sri Lanka’s adult population will not be able to cast their vote in the presidential election being held in a few weeks. Those working abroad make up the largest component of this disenfranchised population. According to the Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment, an estimated 1.6 million people [...]
EU observers here; campaign monitoring work to begin next week
By Ishu Bandara A European Union election observation team will begin its monitoring duties in the coming days, holding meetings with stakeholders.;The European Union’s Press and Public Outreach officer, Marek Mracka, told the Sunday Times that the deputy chief observer was already in the country and the chief observer was expected to arrive next week. [...]