Dec 23 (Island) On the invitation of Green Building Council in Singapore, Healthcare Minister Maithripala Sirisena left Sri Lanka for Singapore to get a first hand knowledge on the Green Hospital Concept which enhances mental satisfaction of patients to a great extent. He visited Singapore Khoo Tech Paut hospital where the Green Hospital Concept is applied. Green Hospital Concept was being practiced in Singapore because patients with different ailments were more..

Dec 23 (LG) I have a fondness for pavement shopping. I bought an Oxford English Dictionary for 50 cents outside Cargills in Fort. Water Babies by Charles Kingsley 1932 edition, Birds of Sri Lanka, Sons and Lovers by D.H. Lawrence and Complete Works of Shakespeare; these are among the many treasures I found on Colombo�s pavements for less than two rupees each in the �90s. Imagine my horror when I heard pavement hawkers are being banned since more..

Dec 23 (TC) When President Mahinda Rajapaksa went to New York to attend the United Nations (UN) General Assembly, the UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon met him and had discussions regarding the visit of the UN panel of experts to SL. At the discussions Mahinda had consented to grant visas to the panel members to visit SL. Earlier however the SL foreign Minister G L Peiris stated that they cannot be granted visas to come to SL on the ground that more..

Dec 23 (TC) On 18 May 2009, Sri Lanka officially declared the end of a 30-year civil war fought between. Sri Lankan government forces (GoSL) and Tamil militants, namely the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Elam (LTTE). Such a sea change in the life of this tiny island nation has come at a tremendous cost; not just in terms of the dead, on both sides, but also those displaced, dispossessed, maimed, traumatized and made bereft. more..

Dec 23 (LG) Sri Lanka, the tear-drop shaped jewel in the Indian Ocean, a paradise of warm sandy beaches, green lush mountains, sacred temples, a history going back thousands of years, and one of the most corrupt governments in the world. It is a tragic contradiction that such a paradise can be home to individuals who care nothing for anyone or anything outside of their immediate family. An indication of the amount of the corruption might be gauged by the fact that more..

Dec 23 (LG) �Rata Nagamu� �Api Wawamu� were strikingly nationalistic promises and catchy phrasesn President Rajapakse spelled out in his Chintanaya when he asked for the people�s votes to give him the reins to lead the country to peace, prosperity, lower unemployment plus various other promises. These two features alone can produce much food for consumption, enable the export of excess material and create hundreds of thousands of jobs to bring relief to the young more..

Dec 23 (MoD) To coincide with forthcoming Christmas celebrations, the Christian Association of the Sri Lanka Army organized a Christmas Carol Sunday (19) evening at St. Joseph's Chapel, Colombo 10. The Chief Guest for the event was the Commander of the Army Lieutenant General Jagath Jayasuriya accompanied by President Seva Vanitha Army Branch, Mrs Manjulika Jayasuriya. Members of the Army Band, School Children and more..

Dec 23 (DM) In the recent weeks in the print media there has been plethora of articles and letters severely criticizing our MPs for selling their duty free permits for huge sums of cash even though these vehicles are not transferable for five years. This reflects the psyche of our political system, which over the years has deteriorated to the lowest possible levels. If the political parties at least now get these MPs to declare their assets before and after their term more..

Dec 23 (DM) My dear Mahinda Aiya, Ayubowan, vanakkam, assalamu alaikkum and wishes that this Christmas season will bring blessings for lasting peace with justice in Sri Lanka. Speaking at a recent state reception to felicitate new Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith, you quoted the Bible to say that anyone who does not love, does not know God, because God is love. You linked this verse to love of the country, which needs to begin with the leaders giving selfless, more..

Dec 23 (BL) Sri Lanka�s plans to hire a cruise liner to accommodate cricket World Cup fans and spectators at the newly built cricket stadium in Hambantota may not materialise as expected, since private parties have not come forward to express interest in the project. Authorities have not received any expression of interest from interested private shipping lines to the proposal and it is likely that the plan may not work out. more..

Dec 23 (GV) The headline story of the Sunday Times of 12 Dec. was deeply disturbing. According to it the Cabinet has made a decision that henceforth the national anthem will only be sung in Sinhala. Subsequent reports confirmed that the issue was discussed in cabinet but that no final decision had been taken. In the meantime the status quo was to be maintained. At a time when the principal challenge facing the country is to move beyond a post�war situation to more..

Dec 23 (NS) A young Sinhala medical student from New Zealand - I remember his name as Wickremesinghe - wrote to me last year when I was writing a column for �The Bottom Line� about the national anthem of New Zealand. He said in New Zealand the national anthem is played in English and Maori languages. He said that practice helped the people of New Zealand to build the sense of nationhood. He requested me to advocate the singing of the Sinhala and Tamil versions of more..

Dec 23 (NF) During elections, government politicians shout out stating that they will sacrifice their lives to protect Buddhism, but allocations have not been made for its development says Sajith Premadasa, UNP MP. He said this while attending two Sasunata Aruna programmes held in the Kadawata yesterday. It was held at the historic Miriswatte Kinigama, Jayasekararama Vihara. more..

Dec 23 (Island) The government has closed the stable door after the horse has bolted. It has banned the felling of coconut palms in a bid to arrest the steep drop in coconut production. All these years, property developers have been clearing vast coconut estates and selling them, regardless of the consequences of their action. The country must be losing millions of coconut palms a year at the hands of these real estate dealers besides the ones lost owing to various diseases etc. more..

Dec 23 (DM) Wikileaks has in recent times brought up many fundamental issues of governance and transparency and accountability to public and intellectual debate. If it is scoop or Investigative journalism is a different topic. As predicted by the US government the �Leaks� have put many diplomats and the relationships they have built up in jeopardy, and also Sri Lanka too has been caught up in the new �cablegate,� with the latest cables release by Wikileaks. more..

Dec 23 (NN) The Committee appointed by President Mahinda Rajapaksa to oversee the activities involving the performance of Hajj for the year 2010 today rejected allegations being leveled against the manner in which they handled the Hajj pilgrims from Sri Lanka. A statement signed by Western Province Governor Alavi Mowlana, Deputy Minister Faizer Musthapha and former Deputy Mayor Azath Salley, said the committee regretted very much the efforts made by more..

Dec 23 (BL) A complaint is often made that the government owns too much land and that this land is not bringing in returns to the state. The problem of scarcity of land for development is particularly acute in the city of Colombo and its environs. Many private persons have encroached on state lands with the encouragement of local politicians of the ruling parties. These neighbourhoods have become a hotbed of crime. Over the years, the state authorities have generally more..

Dec 23 (NS) Dr Wijaya Godakumbura, consultant surgeon and president of the Safe Bottle Lamp Foundation, made a presentation at �The 19th International Conference on Safe Communities� held in Korea recently. His remarks focussed on the burn prevention work his NGO has been doing for the past 18 years. About 20 percent of the Sri Lankan households do not have electricity, and many of them use makeshift bottle lamps made out of vitamin bottles and burnt out electric bulbs more..

Dec 23 (TN) Pandithar Kaarthigesar Ponnambalam Ratnam, a veteran Tamil scholar and a former parliamentarian who represented the electorates of Kilinochchi and Kayts in Jaffna district on the tickets of ITAK and later on TULF since 1965 to 1983 passed away peacefully in his Colombo residence at the age of 96 Monday evening. His funeral is to take place Wednesday evening in Kanatte cemetery in Colombo. more..

Dec 23 (N360) Sri Lanka�s North and Eastern provinces have got 59 new bank branches following the end of the conflict. Central Bank says since the end of the conflict they have given approval to open 136 bank branches in the above regions. The Monetary Authority has given permission to open 64 branches in the East and 72 in the North. The Bank says most of the applications it received seeking approval came from local banks. more..

Dec 23 (DM) The Excise Department has recruited more officers to continue their large scale raids on liquor shops which violat the law during the Christmas and New Year season. The raids will be carried out on places where kasippu and heavy spirits are sold without a licence and also to arrest persons who possess heroin and ganja or sell illicit cigarettes. The raids will be carried out by the Colombo Excise Division under the direction of Commissioner more..

Dec 23 (Island) The Sangha never ill-treated the minority communities of Sri Lanka. The Sangha as well as the majority of Sinhala people lived in harmony with the Tamils and Muslims in Sri Lanka, The Most Venerable Mahanayake of Malwatta Tibbatuwawe Sri Siddhartha Sumangala Thera told the Ambassador for France in Sri Lanka Ms. Christine Robichon when she paid a courtesy call on him more..

Dec 23 (DM) A group of students from the Kelaniya University yesterday staged a protest urging the administration to re-open the university for the second and third year students as soon as possible. Academic activities for the second and third year students of Kelaniya University were temporarily suspended last week on the very day which the academic sessions for second and third year students initiated. more..

Dec 23 (Island) The Colombo Municipal Council has recorded 1,905 dengue cases in the City this year. Of them 23 dengue cases were reported in December. The CMC says mosquito breeding places were found in 29 schools and 35 public and private institutions in the city during anti-dengue campaign carried out in December. Chief of the Public Health Department, CMC, Dr. Pradeep Kariyawasam said on Wednesday the Council would have to continue to more..

Dec 23 (Island) The first consignment of 500 tons of chicken and two million eggs from India arrived in the country on Wednesday, in time for the festive season. A spokesman for the Ministry of Cooperatives and Internal Trade told The Island that the Cabinet had approved the importation of 2,500 tons of chicken from India to control the prices and also due to the shortage of meat and eggs in the local market. more..

Dec 23 (Island) The Bonds Division of the Customs Department had a revenue collection of Rs. 7.3 billion in 2009. A sum of US$ 56,978,451 was earned from the duty free shops at the arrivals lounge of the Katunayake International Airport (KIA) and US$ 22,570,509 from the departure lounge with total revenue earned being US$ 78,548,960. The Bonds Investigation Unit (BIU) recovered a total of Rs. 54,534,000 last year. more..

Dec 23 (DN) Japanese small and medium sector businesses are to set up their ventures in Sri Lanka in the near future. DPJ Japan Sri Lanka Friendship Parliamentarian League Chairman Hirano Hirofumi said the Japanese Government has expressed its consent to establish Japanese small and medium enterprises in Sri Lanka generating more employment opportunities for youth. He was addressing the media at the hosting of a Japanese Parliamentary delegation by Minister Lakshman Yapa Abeywardana more..

Dec 23 (DM) For the first time since the conclusion of the war more than 160 hardcore LTTE cadres who had been taken into custody while hiding among civilians in the IDP camps in the North and so far held under detention orders, were produced before Colombo Magistrate and remanded yesterday. The suspects were arrested by the security forces subsequent to the humanitarian operation while hiding among the civilians in the IDP camps, more..

Dec 23 (Island) Pepsi Cola, a leading carbonated soft drink announced its tie-up up with leading Sri Lankan cricketers Tillekeratne Dilshan and Lasith Malinga at a media briefing held in Colombo yesterday. Dilshan, a dynamic opening batsman has been in outstanding form in all forms of the game since May 2009, while Lasith Malinga has been a key component of the Sri Lankan bowling attack and notably claimed a hat-trick in the last World Cup in the Caribbean. more..

Dec 23 (DM) Senior Government Minister D.E.W Gunasekara said that he was not for a jumbo Cabinet; however the need of the moment was a large Cabinet to appease the many coalitions in the Government. �I am not for a jumbo cabinet but we have to take reality into account,� he said. He said that their visit would threaten the sovereignty of the country. �We cannot allow the UN panel to come into our country when they are making outrageous allegations against the country. more..

Dec 23 (DM) United National Party (UNP) Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe yesterday urged the government to grant an immediate salary increase of Rs.10,000 to public and private sector employees because of the soaring cost of living. Kicking off a protest campaign inside the Maradana Railway Station, UNP members including Mr. Wickremesinghe distributed leaflets to make people aware about the party�s campaign to pressure the government for a much needed salary increment. more..

Dec 23 (Hindu) Sri Lanka has stepped up efforts to counter the propaganda war unleashed by the Tamil diaspora about the condition of their brethren on the island and allegations of war crimes. Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa declared on Tuesday that the battle against LTTE elements abroad would continue. The same day, External Affairs Minister G.L. Peiris invited U.S. Ambassador Patricia Butenis to meet him in the context of news reports that more..

Dec 23 (VS) The Harper government calls the shadowy individuals who helped smuggle 492 Tamil migrants to Canada aboard a cargo ship this summer "criminals" and "ruthless profiteers." But one of the migrants who took that perilous three-month voyage with her two children considers them "saviours." "I'm not scared for my life or my (children's) lives," the mother said through a translator, in a rare interview. "I've got peace of mind." more..

Dec 23 (DN) The Ceylon Electricity Board yesterday stressed that the electricity charges of consumers who use less than 90 units a month will not be increased under any circumstances. The Power and Energy Ministry yesterday said President Mahinda Rajapaksa rejected the Public Utility Commission's (PUC) earlier recommendation that eight per cent of electricity tariff increase should be applied to each and every consumer who exceed 60 units of electricity a month from next year. more..

Dec 23 (DM) Ceylon Teachers Union (CTU) expressed their concern over the manner in which arrangements were made for students who sat for the 2010 A/L examination under the special requirements category. According to CTU General Secretary Joseph Stalin a total number of 250 candidates who sat for the A/L examination this year had faced the examination under special requirements. �Some dubious measures had been taken for certain candidates who sat for the exam under SR category. more..

Dec 23 (LB) In what might be the largest vehicle related scam in the country, MPs have sold their car permits and made mints from the sales. Over 60 vehicle permits given to MPs have been sold for between Rs 13-17 million each, a mere few months after MPs being voted into power by the people, after making lofty promises of serving the citizenry and criticizing those who have made politics a source of income. MPs of almost all political hues, have sold their permits to the highest bidder more..

Dec 23 (Island) An eleven-member gang of robbers, including three serving CID officers and two Special Task Force personnel, was arrested by the Seeduwa police. The gang is said to have abducted a number of young foreign employment hopefuls, who sought lodging in the Seeduwa area and relieved them of their money and jewellery. The gang operated in two groups. One sought out youngsters, promised them employment abroad and housed them in hotels and guest houses more..

Dec 23 (Island) Steps have been taken to introduce rubber to the Northern Province, according to the Rubber Development Department. "Rubber has been planted in six blocks on nearly seven acres in the Northern Province on an experimental basis," Director General, Rubber Development Department, R. B. Premadasa said. Under the supervision of the Plantation Industries Ministry, rubber will be planted in Vauniya, Kilinochchi and Mullaitivu next year. more..