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Home » NewsGhost party offices in the South
When our journalists visited the South this week to capture the election mood, they found unmanned party offices of the main candidates, with party symbols displayed prominently, perhaps as a means of circumventing election law restrictions on posters and propaganda materials.
As backlog grows, passport chiefs fly to Poland factory
Urgent moves to print Machine Readable Passports; ePassports delayed till Jan. By Namini Wijedasa As the backlog of unfulfilled applications rises daily, the Controller General and a Deputy Controller General of Immigration are on a factory visit to Poland to inspect the production of a machine-readable passport (MRP) hastily ordered to tide over the “emergency” [...]
Public servants who exceed foreign leave to be sacked
By Kasun Warakapitiya Public sector employees who obtained long leave to travel abroad for work or other purposes will be considered to have vacated their post in the event they do not return to service after completing their leave or obtain an extension of leave, the Ministry of Public Administration has decided. The move came [...]
Cabinet approves Rs.7.9bn payment to Chinese company to settle 10-year claim
By Namini Wijedasa The Cabinet has sanctioned the payment of Rs. 7.91 billion in “outstanding dues” to China Harbour Engineering Corporation (CHEC) for the Kottawa-Dodangoda section of the Southern Expressway, which was opened ten years ago. The move comes despite the company not having followed standard contract administration procedures, including first seeking remedy through the [...]
AKD skips business community meeting
NPP leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake who was due to address a business community meeting in Galle skipped the event yesterday as he was indisposed. The meeting was held at Aradhana hotel. JVP General Secretary Tillvin Silva addressed the gathering instead.
President meets ITAK’s Senathiraja
President and independent presidential candidate Ranil Wickremesinghe last evening met senior Ilankai Thamil Arasu Kachchi (ITAK) member Mavai Senathiraja at his residence in Thellippalai, Jaffna. The meeting came against the backdrop of the ITAK’s decision last Sunday to back Samagi Jana Balwegaya presidential candidate Sajith Premadasa. Mr. Senathiraja was not present at the meeting when [...]
In South’s four-cornered battle, SJB and NPP make head start with visible campaigns
Anthony David reporting from the Southern Province The flags that greet visitors to the South—Galle, Matara and Hambantota diastricts—are a reminder of the September 21 presidential election, even if the crowds are much less. The purple flag of the National People’s Power (NPP), with a compass symbol in the middle, or the green and yellow [...]
Weary southerners primed to effect political change
Kasun Warakapitiya reporting from the Southern Province The battle for 2.1 million votes in the Southern Province is on, with political parties and independents pitching their own solutions to local and national issues. The manifestoes of the main parties are being circulated, and the main candidates are making repeat visits to the three districts: Galle, [...]
Voting is also a gender-sensitive issue, LGBTQIA+ community concerns indicate
Pix and text by Suranga Rajanayaka For Sri Lanka’s LGBTQIA+ community, casting their votes at elections is a distressing exercise as the identity documents they will be carrying to the polling booths misstate their gender identity, activists say. They say the Department for Registration of Persons issues national identity cards only for two sexes—male and female—and [...]
Election Commission weighs in on opinion polls as they gain traction
By Mimi Alphonsus Who will win the presidential election? Pollsters, relative newcomers to Sri Lanka’s election scene, claim to have the answer. Companies, organisations, and social media accounts have taken to conducting pre-election surveys, but it isn’t clear that their methods, and indeed, their results, are likely to be accurate. The Election Commission (EC) has [...]
Namal’s security nab two youth with toy pistol on them
By K.R. Rajamanthi Two youth who allegedly attempted to enter the venue of a campaign meeting of Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) presidential candidate Namal Rajapaksa in Welimada town on Friday, while carrying a toy pistol were arrested by Ambagasdowa Police and handed over to the Welimada Police. The two youths, a 20-year-old schoolstudent and [...]
Teacher arrested for taking pic of ballot paper
A teacher was arrested at a school in Mullaitivu on Friday after he allegedly took a photo of his ballot paper as he cast his postal vote. The incident happened at a school in Puthukuduirippu. The teacher had allegedly taken a photo of his ballot paper showing who he had voted for. This was noticed [...]
TISL urges action against public resource misuse in presidential election
Transparency International Sri Lanka (TISL) has voiced serious concerns over widespread misuse of public resources during the presidential election. As of September 4, TISL has received 580 complaints, urging the Election Commission (EC) to take immediate action to address these violations and maintain election integrity. TISL reported misuse of government vehicles, including those from the [...]
Jayantha Jayasinghe appointed to National Police Commission
The Constitutional Council has unanimously chosen retired Deputy Inspector General Jayantha Jayasinghe to the National Police Commission. Accordingly, President Ranil Wickremesinghe has confirmed his appointment. Jayasinghe is currently a security consultant for Cinnamon Grand of John Keells Holdings.
Food insecurity increased in 2023; estate sector worst affected, says report
By Chandani Kirinde Food insecurity at household level increased with income losses and food inflation following the economic crisis, with nearly one-fourth of the household’s food insecure during July–September 2023, a report by a parliamentary committee disclosed. During the third quarter in 2023, 24% of the households were food insecure compared to 17% in March [...]
Uva sees campaigns in full swing but many voters remain undecided
By K.R.Rajamanthri and Palitha Ariyawansa In the Uva Province consisting of the Badulla and Moneragala Districts, where candidates and their supporters have been campaigning enthusiastically, most voters say they are undecided as yet and will wait until polling date. Both President Ranil Wickremesinghe and SJB leader Sajith Premadasa are being backed by some stalwarts [...]
Sabaragamuwa: NPP canvassing in top gear, little or no polls violations reported
Enthusiasm varies across the Sabaragamuwa Province, with support increasing for the NPP, especially among the youth, while President Ranil Wickremesinghe and the SJB have a notable backing. The province, which includes the Kegalle and Ratnapura districts, has a combined 1.633 million registered voters. The Ratnapura district, with eight constituencies, has 923,736 registered voters and 32,530 [...]
Postal voting went smoothly, say polls observers and EC
Election observers and the Election Commission (EC) have noted that the postal voting for the upcoming election proceeded smoothly over all three days it was conducted. People’s Action for Free & Fair Elections (PAFFREL) Executive Director Rohana Hettiarachchi said that a high percentage of voters had cast their ballots.He said 15 minor incidents were reported, [...]
More than 2,400 election law violations; EC says 11 related to violence
By Ishu Bandara The Election Commission (EC) has received complaints related to 2,460 incidents of election law violations and violence, an official said yesterday. Of these complaints, 1,707 cases had been resolved, while 753 are yet to be addressed, the EC said. The EC has received 11 complaints regarding violence. The People’s Action for Free [...]
Temporary IDs being issued to voters via local officials
By Jayanie Madawala The Election Commission (EC) has announced details on the specific types of valid document to prove a voter’s identity at the polling booth. Election Commissioner General Saman Sri Ratnayake said that the National Identity Card (NIC) issued by the Department for Registration of Persons, a valid passport, valid driving license, senior citizens [...]
Presidential race photo-finishes that nearly led to a preference count
By Kevin De Alwis In the event a requirement comes to count preference votes, it will take only about three hours for Election Commission officials to finalise the result. If the EC is faced with such an eventuality, it will announce the results at the district level, not the electoral level. However, the accumulative results [...]
Chinese help for CID to tackle cybercrime
By Ishu Bandara The Chinese Government has sent a team of 10 law enforcement officials to assist in tackling cybercrime involving foreign nationals. The visit came in response to a diplomatic request from the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of Sri Lanka. A meeting with the visiting delegation was held at CID headquarters in Colombo last [...]
Magistrate orders arrest of suspects in building lease fraud case
By Ranjith Padmasiri Mount Lavinia Magistrate Nilupulee Lankapura has ordered Police to arrest and produce in court all suspects allegedly involved in a fraud connected to the leasing out of a building belonging to a trade union. The magistrate gave the order and instructed Police to conduct a thorough investigation after considering facts submitted to [...]
Court rejects visa extension request for X-Press Pearl Captain
By Ranjith Padmasiri The Colombo High Court has rejected a request to order an extension of the visa of Tyutkalo Vitaly, the Russian Captain of stricken container vessel X-Press Pearl. High Court Judge Sujeewa Nissanka rejected the request considering that the Supreme Court has already issued an interim order suspending further proceedings of the case [...]
Borella Post Office works round the clock; more to follow
By Mimi Alphonsus Post offices will provide 24-hour service, allowing busy people to access postal services at their convenience, even at night, but it depends on the success of an ongoing project, officials said. The project to offer postal services at night began in January this year under the leadership of the Borella Postmaster General [...]
Dubai no longer a safe haven for criminals: Sri Lanka thanks UAE
By Ishu Bandara Dubai, once considered a haven for international criminals, is fast becoming a risky hideaway for them. The Sri Lanka Criminal Investigation Department (CID) has extended Sri Lanka’s appreciation to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Interpol Abu Dhabi for their steadfast support in identifying, arresting, and deporting high-profile criminals, including drug traffickers, [...]
Surgeons look closely at inclusivity, equity and sustainability
Sri Lanka Surgical Congress 2024 on Wednesday in Kandy By Kumudini Hettiarachchi With the country facing a brain drain of surgeons, the proactive College of Surgeons of Sri Lanka (CSSL) did not keep all its members toiling at their stations in the cold, but visited every province to listen to their challenges, provide solutions wherever [...]
