Acting above the Law and the arrogance of power

Mar 24 (IL) The Sri Lankan Constitution had been criticized from time to time by various political forces. The politicos that have a history of raping the law of land through terror, thuggery, corruption and nepotism find the constitution as their convenient punching bag. However, an in-depth study on the Constitution proves that it is not the constitution but the executers of the constitution who are at fault for the current law and order predicament. more..

GK depositors brawl over fraud

Mar 24 (BL) Split among depositors of the troubled Golden Key Credit Card Company Limited has aggravated with the President of GK Depositors� Society threatening the leader of a breakaway group with legal action. President of Golden Key Depositors� Association, Anusha Emmert said that a letter of demand, dated March 23, 2010, was prepared, to be sent to the leader of the breakaway group � Nayana Dushanthi Hapugoda for more..

Editorial: Relevance of a healthy energy balance

Mar 24 (BL) Split �Sustainable development� is a term that draws heavy attention the world over. Sustainability is volatile, in that lies the instability of living beings, both human and animal. In a world that is constantly challenged by climate change, environmental and natural devastation beyond any control, the need for a steady platform for action or more importantly pro activeness and responsiveness have become the need of the hour. more..

CID to probe Moneragala UNF fiasco

Mar 24 (BL) The election campaign of the opposition is running smoothly in the Moneragala District, and there has not been any tension between party members despite reports to the contrary, according to former UNF chief organiser for the Moneragala District, Ranjith Madduma Bandara. Referring to Ananda Tissakuttiarachi who has accused Bandara of erasing his name from the UNF Moneragala District nomination list, more..

CID questionsTissa Attanayake on SF�s funds

Mar 24 (BL) United National Party (UNP) General Secretary Tissa Attanayake said that he had been questioned again by the CID, at a press briefing held yesterday. He said that he had been questioned regarding the sources of funding for General Fonseka�s Presidential campaign. Attanayake said that this is the second time that he had been questioned in this regard. more..

Hello my friend; who is a fool?

mar 24 (LG) This morning I read a statement by the President of Sri Lanka referring to General Sarath Fonseka ' a fool!" As a friend of Sarath Fonseka, as a patriot who was involved in anti LTTE activities for over 30 years and above all as a Sri Lankan,I take umbrage for this irresponsible and unbecoming statement, coming from the head of state of Sri Lanka. In a democracy even if we do not agree with our opponent, we have to respect his right to harbor any opposing views. more..

Sad political situation in Sri Lanka

mar 24 (LG) Since the presidential election on January 26, 2010, the political situation in Sri Lanka has been deteriorating day by day, prompting more and more doubts concerning the �large victory� proclaimed by president Rajapakse. The independent press is prohibited. Restrictions on Internet, television are used to disseminate propaganda presidency. Independent journalists have been arrested, detained or fled. more..

The validity of New Delhi's latest message to Colombo through Rao

Mar 24 (IL) The Indian central government's message to Colombo is coming out from behind closed-door meetings as well as direct telephone calls, by the leaders of both countries. Indian policy advisers are engaged in deeply heated arguments, which are also taking place behind closed-doors, due to the Chinese influence in India's backyard in the south. more..

India�s silence a dent in Sri Lanka's position before UN ?

Mar 24 (TC) It has come to light that India has not supported the letter of the Non Aligned Movement (NAM) aimed at opposing the decision of the General secretary of the United Nations Organization, Ban ki-Moon, to appoint the panel of experts to advise him in regard to Sri Lanka. It is evident from this that Sri Lanka�s efforts to repulse the war crime charges brought against it by the UN Organization is weakening. more..

Kulatunga stars in Wayamba victory

Mar 24 (CI) Jeevantha Kulatunga continued his good run of form with the bat, hitting an unbeaten century off 101 balls to guide Wayamba to a convincing seven-wicket win over Basnahira South in the opening weekend of the Inter-provincial four-day tournament. Wayamba's victory was achieved inside three days as Basnahira South failed to counter the wily left-arm spin of Sri Lankan spinner Rangana Herath who finished with match figures of 8 for 141. more..

Sujeewa Senasinghe on YaTV

Prerequisites for making Sri Lanka an energy hub

Mar 24 (LBO) Sri Lanka is to become a �Naval, Aviation, Commercial, Energy and Knowledge hub.� Of the five hub visions, this is the longest shot. But not impossible, especially if combined with the plan for a shipping hub (I assume the intention was talk about civilian shipping, and not about ships with guns, as suggested by the term naval). Sri Lanka is an energy deficit country; more..

'Pressure applied by terrorism for 3 decades eliminated now '

Mar 24 (GDI) The Defence Secretary has observed that the pressure brought by terrorism that lasted for 3 decades has been eliminated. Now it is time for everybody to come together to work for the development of the country. The Defence Secretary said that terrorism affected the normal lives of the people in an indirect way. Now the country has gained every inch of land that it lost. more..

'Speaking on spurious patriotism the Govt. is trying to prolong its make belief life indefinitely'

Mar 24 (LeN) DNA publicity Secretary Vijitha Herath stated though the Govt. has given a promise at this election to make this country a miracle in Asia, this Govt. by appointing the largest Cabinet of Ministers in Asia; by allowing the Asia�s biggest frauds in the VAT payments to occur; creating the Bogus Army Court and encouraging huge drug trafficking, it has indeed become a miracle or a wonder in Asia already. more..

Four new industrial zones for North & East

Mar 24 (GDI) Four new industrial zones are to be established in the Northern and Eastern provinces within the next few months, Additional Secretary to the Ministry of Industrial Development W.D. Jayasinghe said. He said an industrial zone of 50 acres will be established in Trincomalee and 30 industries will be set up in that zone. A 25 acre land has been identified to establish an industrial zone at Batticaloa town. 15 more..

Govt to provide maximum relief to consumers this festive season

Mar 24 (GDI) The Government has taken measures to provide maximum relief to the consumers during the festive season. Accordingly, commodities will be provided at reasonable prices at Lak Sathosa and Coop-Fed outlets. This measure has been taken on the recommendation of the price review committee that meets weekly to decide on the commodity prices in order to reduce the cost of living. more..

7500 postmen to deliver official poll cards

Mar 24 (GDI) Nearly 7,500 postmen will be deployed to deliver the official poll cards. The distribution commenced yesterday and the delivery will take place up to the 31st of this month while 28th will be treated as a special day despite it being a holiday. The official poll cards were handed over to the Postal Department by the returning officers and the election office on 22nd of March. more..

More elephants released to the wilderness from transit home

Mar 24 (GDI) Four young elephants from the ninth batch of elephants released from Udawalawa Elephant Transit Home were set free to Paayuu Wewa in Lunugamwehera National Park under the patronage of the Minister of Environment and Natural Resources Patali Champika Ranawaka yesterday. The released group of elephants included one female Rani (6 yrs) which was found in the war-ravaged Thirukkovil and more..

Salary arrears of teachers to be paid before end May

Mar 24 (GDI) The salary arrears of teachers will be paid before the end of May. The Vote-on-Account has not provided for the teachers� salary arrears. A new budget is expected to be presented before the 30th of April after Parliament meets on the 22nd, the Ministry of Education sources said. Minister of Education Susil Premajayantha had said that funds have been allocated to pay the arrears. more..

Tax levied on rice imports re-imposed

Mar 24 (GDI) The tax levied on rice imports has been re-imposed. The Government has initiated this measure to protect the farmers as the paddy harvesting season has begun. Accordingly a 20 rupee tax will be levied on imported rice. The aim of the Government is to assure a reasonable price to the farmers for their produce while the consumers are being offered rice at a concessionary rate. more..

Are we voters or suckers?

Mar 24 (DN) In two weeks a lot of people will experience a moment of truth. There will be smiles for some, disappointment for others, candidates and voters both. Two weeks from now, i.e. on April 8, 2010, we will elect a new Parliament. We will keep some, throw some out and welcome some new faces. We will have a new Prime Minister, a smaller Cabinet, and a Government that is committed to ensuring transparency and accountability and more..

Sinhalese soldiers, hooligans destroy Thileepan memorial in Jaffna

Mar 24 (TN) A gang of Sinhalese army soldiers and hooligans went on rampage Monday night, demolishing the memorial pillar of Lt. Col. Thileepan (Rasiah Parthipan) located behind the historic Nalloor Kanthasuvami Koayil on Point Pedro-Nalloor road, residents of the area said. Lt. Col. Thileepan began his fasting on 15 September 1987 in front of the Nalloor Kandasuvami temple placing five demands to the Indian government but died as more..

Samurdhi minimum allowance may be pushed up to 1000 rupees

Mar 24 (GDI) Minister Lakshman Yapa abeywardane said that the Government will be taking measures to promote the minimum allowance of Samurdhi up to Rs 1000. Further, the people who are eligible but deprived of getting an allowance will be included for it with the new parliamentary session scheduled to begin on April 22nd. more..

SL concerned over Palestine; calls an end to Israeli occupation

Mar 24 (PSM) Sri Lanka has expressed deep concerns on the current deteriorating humanitarian situation in Palestine and other Occupied Palestinian Territories and called on the parties concerned to maintain restraint in order to ameliorate the situation on the ground and help advance the peace process to which both parties were committed. It was Sri Lanka�s firm belief that it was only through meaningful negotiations that more..

�On the move against Tuberculosis, Innovate towards action� on TB World Day

Mar 24 (LP) World Tuberculosis Day, falling on March 24 each year, is designed to build public awareness about the global epidemic of tuberculosis and efforts to eliminate the disease. �On the move against TB, Innovate towards action� is the theme for this year�s Tuberculosis Day. Today tuberculosis causes the deaths of about 1.6 million people each year, mostly in the Third World. more..

'Constitution change is for Mahinda to become President for third time'

Mar 24 (LT) Despite stating they would need a majority of 2/3rd at the forthcoming general election to change the constitution, the government has never revealed what this constitution would be. However, a speech made by Minister A.H.M. Fowzy at a ceremony held at Temple Trees has revealed what this constitution is for. more..

Politicization of Foreign Ministry

Mar 24 (LeN) At Sri Lankan Missions abroad, there are two types of employees. They are home-based employees and locally recruited employees. The locally recruited employees are often taken from the country, where a particular Mission is located. However, at present most of the locally recruited employees are sent from Sri Lanka. Among them, more than 80 percent are either relations or political supporters of the Minister of Foreign Affairs. more..

A friend of Sarath Fonseka and Basil Rajapaksha over 40 years writes a open letter

Mar 24 (LeN) Hello my friends, This morning I read a statement by the President of Sri Lanka referring to General Sarath Fonseka ' a fool!" As a friend of Sarath Fonseka, as a patriot who was involved in anti LTTE activities for over 30 years and above all as a Sri Lankan, I take umbrage for this irresponsible and unbecoming statement, coming from the head of state of Sri Lanka. more..

'Where is justice when General�s political opponent appoints military tribunal against him'

Mar 24 (LT) How fair is the military tribunal against Gen. Sarath Fonseka named by Mr. Mahinda Rajapakse, his main political opponent at the presidential election and how could anyone expect justice from an administration if the ruler of the country is engaged in such low tactics asks candidate of the DNA and JVP Parliamentarian Sunil Handunnethtrhi. more..

New Town Hall for the Jaffna Municipal Council

Mar 24 (MoD) The foundation stone for the construction of new administrative block and the Town Hall for the Jaffna Municipal Council was laid on 22nd March in a function held at the Jaffna Municipality premises. Minister Douglas Devananda and Northern Province governor Maj General G.A. Chandrasiri were the chief guests of the occasion. The Chief Priest of Nallai Athinam, the Bishop of Jaffna Rt. Rev. Thomas Soundaranayagam, more..

Bribery & Corruption Commission valid only for 2 more days

Mar 24 (LT) The term of office of the Bribery and Corruption Commission will end on the 26th and if new members are not appointed to the commission investigations into 1727 complaints that have been referred to the Commission would be closed. According to the17th amendment to the Constitution then President Chandrika Bandaranayke Kumaratunga appointed Mr. Ameer Ismail as the Chairman and Messrs. P Edissuriya and more..

Ranil�s road, Mahinda�s map

Mar 24 (GV) Does the UNP and Opposition leader Mr Ranil Wickremesinghe suffer from a compulsion towards electoral suicide or is it a condition of political sado-masochism? Only someone who is politically suicidal or sadistic towards his own party and its supporters could have gone to Jaffna last week, in the throes of a crucial election campaign at the end of which the UNP must deprive the ruling UPFA of a two thirds majority, more..

'Precise motivation for the MTV/Sirasa attack yet to be established'

Mar 24 (TC) 23 March 2010, Colombo, Sri Lanka: CMEV continues to receive reports regarding the misuse of public resources for electioneering. CMEV has recorded 32 (29%) cases of public property misuse out of the 110 confirmed Major Incidents as of 22nd March 2010. CMEV unreservedly condemns the attack on the MBC/MTV office located at Braybrook Place, Colombo, yesterday 22nd. more..

'Proposed public benefits through next budget'

Mar 24 (LNP) The proposed salary hikes and other public benefits promised during the last Presidential election would come into effect through the next budget, Prime Minister Ratnasiri Wickramanayaka said yesterday. This would also include a Health Insurance scheme for Pensioners, he added. The Prime Minister said so addressing an election rally in Kegalle yesterday, more..

Editorial: An unspeakable protest

Mar 24 (LNP) It was with shock and dismay that we watched Monday`s dastardly attack by an organised gang on the MTV/Sirasa head office in Colombo in broad daylight. It must be condemned unreservedly by one and all. If one believes that a media organisation is at fault, one can always take recourse to the law. Equally shocking was the inordinate delay on the part of the police in responding to repeated calls from the beleaguered media personnel for help. more..

Foreign revenue up US $ 3.3 b

Mar 24 (DN) Foreign revenue has increased by US$ 3.3 billion to be on a par with the previous year which recorded an increase of US$ 2.9 billion, Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment Secretary Susil S. Sirisena said. He was speaking after opening a provincial office and training centre in Vavuniya District. This is the 27th branch which opened by the Bureau this year. Sirisena said the number of expatriate workers is increasing rapidly. more..

'We had a divided country with 2 administrations'

Mar 24 (GDI) UPFA will secure a two thirds majority in Parliament at the April 8 general election, SLFP General Secretary, Agriculture Minister Maithreepala Sirisena said. He said that some UNP and JVP members will also join the Government. The Minister pointed out that a strong majority in Parliament was needed to carry out the 10 year Mahinda Chintana policies and more..

GCE A/L Examination under boycott threat

Mar 24 (Island) Teachers involved in the marking of the GCE O/L and A/L answer scripts and examinations officials have threatened to boycott duties connected to the GCE A/L examination scheduled for August. The warning has been issued owing to the failure of the examinations authorities to pay them their dues for the GCE O/L examinations conducted in December last year. more..

Theru festival in Maskeliya

Mar 24 (DN) The annual Panguni Uttara Theru Festival of Sri Shanmuganathar Swamy Devastanam at Maskeliya will be held on March 29. Three Therus will be taken in procession along the streets of Maskeliya Town. Sri Shanmuganathar Swamy with Sri Valli and Sri Theivanai will be kept on a big theru, Sri Viyyagar, on a small theru and Sri Muthumariaamman on a small theru. All three chariots will be decorated before leaving the main temple. more..

CPSL tells public servants: Exercise franchise with caution, intelligence

Mar 24 (DN) The Communist Party wishes to draw the attention of the public servants to their civic responsibility of exercising their franchise, with caution and intelligence in electing their representatives to the Legislature when they go for postal voting on March 25, 2010. They are called upon not to be led by false and unimplementable promises of the UNP and the DNA or carried away by the unrealisable dreams of the TNA. more..

'Karuna says Tamils blindly backed SF'

Mar 24 (Island) Minister Vinayagamoorthy Muralidharan said the Tamil people must not repeat the same mistake they made last time in voting blindly for Sarath Fonseka. "The Tamil people did not know anything of Sarath Fonseka and they blindly supported him. In case Sarath Fonseka had come to power they would have had to face many problems, but luckily they were saved by the Sinhala people," more..

'Vote for UNF only way to ensure Fonseka�s release'

Mar 24 (Island) The only and easiest way to get detained former Army Commander General (retd) Sarath Fonseka released is not by voting for the Democratic National Alliance or the UPFA but by installing a United National Front Government, UNP General Secretary Tissa Attanayake told the media at the Opposition leader�s office yesterday. more..

Grants to be counted to reduce the fiscal deficit

Mar 24 (Island) While some analysts say it was unethical for the Treasury to count grants "above the line" in order to reduce the 2009 budget deficit figure, the IMF says this is in keeping with international standards in accounting public finances. The Central Bank, which included grants with deficit financing in the past is expected to follow the Treasury�s format when reporting government finances in future. more..

Editorial: Walking on thin ice

Mar 24 (DM) Sri Lanka is among the many countries in the world where religion plays a personal as well as an institutional role. Though there�s no State religion, with the Article 9 of the Constitution outlining the responsibility of the State to �protect and foster� Buddhism, it has occupied almost a similar position as a state religion especially with a 2500 year old tradition where the head of the State performed the role of the custodian of Buddhism. more..

SI trying to join LTTE

Mar 24 (DM) A Team of Policemen conducting investigations in Pudukuduyiruppu has come across an application made by a Sub Inspector of Police who had sought to join LTTE. This was brought to the attention of Colombo Addl.Magistrate � Sujeeva Nisshanka. In order to verify and ascertain the signature of the policeman, court permitted an Investigating Police Team to obtain specimen signatures and more..

UGC: entrants have to sign bond

Mar 24 (DM) University students and their parents will have to sign a binding agreement / declaration from this academic year pledging that the students would not engage in any form of ragging, harassment or violence against other students in a bid to put an end to university ragging that has become a menace in the University system. No student would be admitted to any university in the country without signing this document. more..

Polls violence: Police seek help to arrest culprits

Mar 24 (DM) The police are seeking the help of candidates to arrest 158 suspects who are now hiding from police for violating elections law, Police Elections Desk Chief, Senior DIG Gamini Navaratne said. Already 79 suspects have been arrested for violating election laws, the police said. �We as the police have advised the relevant parties to prevent such incidents and advise their supporters not to engage in violating the prevailing election laws�, more..

'Politics must be free of cursing and insults'

Mar 24 (DM) The Mahanayake of Asigiri Chapter Venerable Udugama Sri Buddharakkhitha Thera yesterday said the country needs a violence free political culture, which would bring benefits to the country and its people. �What we need is a violence-free political culture. We do not need biased politics. Our desire is to see a political system that can bring about benefits to the country and the people,� the Thera said. more..

'Ministers lacking humanness make fun of General�s health condition'

Mar 24 (LT) The ministers who have never known what humaneness is have come down to the level of brutes to make fun of the request made on behalf of Gen. Sarath Fonseka who was nearly killed thrice fighting the war against tiger terrorism said General Secretary of DNA Vijithe Herath. He said, �Gen. Sarath Fonseka nearly died thrice for the sake of the country. There are still shrapnel in his body. more..

Govt opposes UNSG intent

Mar 24 (DN) Minister Mahinda Samarasinghe in an exclusive interview with the Daily News, yesterday said the Government strongly opposes the intent of UN Secretary General to appoint an expert panel to advise him on Sri Lanka. The Minister said the UNSG has expressed his intent at a time when the country is facing an election. more..