Apr 18 (TC) Does one need to possess foreign citizenship to practice basic rights of life, liberty and free expression in Sri Lanka? This question has become particularly relevant given steeply increased abductions and disappearances in recent months. If Frontline Socialist Party�s Premakumaran Gunaratnam (aka Noel Mudalige) had not claimed Australian citizenship, what would have been his fate or for that matter, of his co-abductee Dimuthu Attygalle? more..

Apr 18 (CT) Endless waves of discriminatory policies and race riots unleashed on Tamils in Eelam/Ilankai evolved into an all out civil war that gave birth to a mass exodus of Tamils onto the shores of countries thousands of kilometers apart from home. This exodus of Tamils did however not only lead to the movement of marked bodies via foot, trains, boats, trucks and planes, but also to the movement of their rich and diverse customs and beliefs. The long lasting process of uprooting, more..

Apr 18 (CT) I was quite saddened by some of the responses to my article entitled �Letting down the President�, which recorded instances in which I thought the President�s instructions had been completely ignored, to the detriment of the country. I had been prepared for those who believe this govt is appalling to claim either that I was being hypocritical, or else that I was na�ve to have thought that progress towards pluralism was possible. But what more..

Apr 18 (DM) UNP carries the most dedicated following in its fold (which applauded Mahinda Rajapaksa for overcoming terrorism but reverted back to the UNP seeking good governance) but the leadership soothe the opinion of an alienated Colombo Society (Colombians) failing to appreciate the mood of the people in designing policies to attract multitudes. Worse, notwithstanding multiple losses at every election! A mystifying political party that more..

Apr 18 (Island) The first Muslim life peer in Britain, Lord Ahmed of Rotherham, has got into hot water over an alleged offer of a bounty for the capture of President Barack Obama and his predecessor President George W Bush. He is alleged to have reacted thus, during a tour of Pakistan, to America's $10 million reward for the capture of the founder of the Lashkar-e-Taiba group, Hafiz Mohammad Saeed wanted for masterminding the Mumbai attacks, where 166 people were killed when terrorists more..

Apr 18 (Island) What�s in a name, asked the Bard. Like Pontius Pilate he did not wait for an answer. He had one of his own. A rose, by any other name, he said, would smell as sweet. Well, that is okay for roses. Shakespeare knew that. We know it too. But, would Kumar Gunaratnam, by any other name, smell as roses do? Oh he does smell, believe me. He smells terribly fishy. And if you ask me authorities in the country of his recent adoption have not come out of this unsavoury episode more..

Apr 18 (Island) Fitch Ratings has assigned Sri Lanka�s Bank of Ceylon (BOC) Long-Term Foreign- and Local-Currency Issuer Default Ratings (IDRs) of �BB-� with Stable Outlooks. Fitch has also assigned BOC a �b+� Viability Rating (V/R). Simultaneously, BOC�s National Long-Term rating and its outstanding subordinated debentures have been affirmed at �AA+(lka)� with a Stable Outlook and �AA(lka)�, respectively. "Fitch has also assigned BOC�s proposed senior more..

Apr 18 (TC) Is this parliamentary delegation on a goodwill visit or fact finding mission to Colombo? The visit is a reciprocal visit from our parliament after a parliamentary delegation from Sri Lanka visited India. Such delegations are regularly exchanged between many countries; in fact a Sri Lanka parliamentary delegation visited Pakistan in February 2011. So the overall objective of this delegation is also presumably to increase the goodwill between Indian and more..

Apr 18 (GV) Conducting a census is an important activity for any country as the data gathered from it would serve as the foundation for policies, development related activities and future planning of not only govt institutions but also non state actors such as academics, development and aid agencies. The idea behind collecting feedback on the 2012 Census in Sri Lanka is to identify the positive and negative aspects of the census, and to more..

Apr 18 (GV) Each generation brings its own collective formation and experience to the Left project. Each historical period produces its own Left or mutates the existing Left. An abiding failing of older leftists is to fall prey to two opposite responses to a newly emergent left, or a left born of different experiences at a different time. The older generation of leftists, be they activists or academics, cadres or commentators tend either to hail the new left as a proxy for more..

Apr 18 (DN) The licence of the foreign employment recruitment agency that illegally sent abroad a female from Kosgama, who subsequently died in an accident while employed in Saudi Arabia, has been cancelled. A SLBFE spokesman said the licence issued to the agency in Maradana had been withdrawn as it had failed to register the woman at the bureau, which is compulsory. The agency had also deviated from the normal procedure by sending her on a visit visa instead of an employment visa. more..

Apr 18 (Island) Shuttler Niluka Karunaratne is the only sportsman to have attained qualifying standards to represent Sri Lanka at the 30th edition of the Olympics so far, as the 100-day countdown begins for the world�s showpiece sports event in London, today. But there is still hope, as a handful of sportsmen and women are working towards reaching last minute qualifying standards and obtaining wildcard entries. more..

Apr 18 (Island) South Asia could save more than 84,000 children�s lives by meeting its 2015 sanitation target, a regional advocacy manager said. Mustafa Talpur, Regional Advocacy Manager of WaterAid, South Asia said that their latest findings would be presented at a meeting to be held in Washington DC on Friday, where more than 100 ministers from 50 countries, including Water Supply and Drainage Minister Dinesh Gunawardena will be in attendance. more..

Apr 18 (Island) Import of big onions and most grains would be stopped completely by the end of 2013, Agriculture Ministry Secretary, W. A. Sakalasooriya said. He said Sri Lanka had been able to produce sufficient quantities of grain and pulses to meet the country�s requirements. "More than 50 percent of the annual big onion requirement too has been met and it will be increased to 75 percent by the end of this year," he said. Sakalasooriya said that the more..

Apr 18 (LBO) Sri Lanka will grow 7.0 percent in 2012 with tighter monetary policy brought in to strengthen the exchange rate and cut inflation and will rebound to 8.0 percent in 2013 the Asian Development Bank said. "As monetary policy is tightening economic growth will moderate around 7.0 percent," Tadateru Hayashi, senior country economist said. "Although export growth may slow as European demand slows, we see that imports will also slow, more..

Apr 18 (LA) Taric, a Sri Lankan immigrant and a regular at Asian Lanka Restaurant in Reseda, is one of those gregarious strangers who can trigger hunger pangs when he speaks to you about food while you wait in line to order. Ingredients and cooking methods leap off his tongue. Even if you're uninterested in the type of food he's explaining, your Pavlovian slobbering starts. The Sri Lankan lump rice he discusses in such high-definition, food-porn detail is now something more..

Apr 18 (LBO) The headline of a popular Sinhala language daily on 16 April 2012 screamed that 18 people had died in road accidents over the three days of Avurudu. I sympathize with the families and friends of the people who died, but this really does not merit a banner headline. For the past decade almost we�ve had an average of six traffic fatalities a day. It is common to have more fatalities on holiday weekends, especially one associated with alcohol consumption. more..

Apr 18 (Hindu) The Indian joint parliamentary delegation spent Tuesday listening to arguments from people on both sides of the Tamil question and exploring the way forward for achieving the legitimate aspirations of Tamils in Sri Lanka. While an overseas visit by an Indian parliamentary delegation normally involves a few courtesy calls, attempts at bonhomie, and a little bit of studying the country, this particular team has come to more..

Apr 18 (Hindu) The two-day Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) State delegates' meet, beginning in Madurai on April 28, will urge Sri Lanka to treat Tamils there as equal citizens, P. Muralidhara Rao, one of the general secretaries of the party, said. �The Sri Lankan Tamils issue is not of concern only to those in Tamil Nadu but all over the country. While we want a strong and vibrant govt in Sri Lanka, we want no discrimination against Tamils there. more..

Apr 18 (Island) The ministry of Agriculture says that they are expecting a paddy harvest of 6,000 bushels during the next season from the crops of the recently opened Murunkan seed farm in Mannar. The farm was officially declared open by the Minister Mahinda Yapa Abewardane on April 07 after being abandoned for nearly 30 years due to the war. Currently, only paddy has been cultivated in the farm. The govt had spent nearly Rs.180 million to revive the seed farm, which more..

Apr 18 (Hindu) The DMK, a constituent of the United Progressive Alliance, urged the Union govt to press the United Nations for a referendum on a �Tamil Eelam' in Sri Lanka. Welcoming the demand for the referendum made by the Tamil community, Mr. Karunanidhi recalled his earlier remarks that if at all he had one unfulfilled desire, it was the creation of a separate State for the Sri Lankan Tamils. more..

Apr 18 (DN) President Mahinda Rajapaksa has directed organizers of Deyata Kirula to ensure that only officials who are dedicated to protect the environment and historic value of sites are employed when carrying out development and infrastructure work for the Deyata Kirula event in 2013. Centred on Ampara next year's Deyata Kirula will held in the Ampara, Batticaloa, Polonnaruwa and Trincomalee districts. The President told the relevant officials to work out a systematic plan to select projects suited to more..

Apr 18 (Island) The Crime Investigation Branch of the Kurunegala Police has busted a four-member gang that used rented vehicles to rob luxury houses in the district. The gang had hired expensive vehicles from rent-a-car services and robbed residents of rich households at gun point, the police said. The police had recovered some money, jewellery and luxury home appliances robbed by the suspects. A team of policemen on night patrol, on Wednesday, had noticed a more..

Apr 18 (FT) President Mahinda Rajapaksa yesterday stepped up the accelerator for re-conditioned vehicles agreeing to revise the recently imposed age limit rules at a meeting with importers. Responding to pleas by motorists as well as Vehicle Importers Association, the President has agreed to increase the age limit for cars to two years from one and for commercial vehicles from three and half years to four years. At yesterday�s meeting at Temple Trees, the President had explained that more..

Apr 18 (Island) The Atomic Energy Authority (AEA) says that plans are afoot to develop the country�s agricultural sector with the application of nuclear technology. "A special centre for this will be established if the usage of such technology is proven to be feasible for the country," AEA Chairman Ranjith Wijewardana said. A workshop and a series of discussions will be held regarding this on April 26 and 27 with the participation of professionals in the industry. more..

Apr 18 (Island) Government Medical Officers� Association President Dr. Anuruddha Padeniya yesterday warned Health Authorities that his association would be compelled to take tough trade union action in protest against non-payment of the revised Disturbance, Availability and Transport Allowance and the non-implementation of salary revision. The final decision to launch a country-wide token strike would be taken by the GMOA General Committee on April 29. more..

Apr 18 (DM) India�s opposition leader Ms. Sushma Swaraj who is currently leading a parliamentary delegation on a visit to Sri Lanka stressed yesterday that the govt should evolve a political solution to the national question based on the 13th Amendment to the Constitution. The visiting delegation of Indian parliamentarians representing both Lok Shaba and Rajya Sabha had an interactive session with a Sri Lankan parliamentary delegation led by Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva more..

Apr 18 (DN) Steps will be taken soon to compensate families whose members fall victim to crocodiles in the Nilwala Ganga, said Minister S.M. Chandrasena. This follows directives issued by President Mahinda Rajapaksa subsequent to the death of a mother of two and an 18-year schoolgirl after being attacked by man- eating crocodiles in the Niwala Ganga within a week recently, he added. The minister disclosed this to the press when he visited several spots on the banks of Niwala Ganga more..

Apr 18 (DN) The Economic Development Ministry had allocated Rs 1,364.99 million under the Negenehira Navodaya programme to housing development programmes in the Eastern Province during the year 2011, a ministry report said. This amount allocated in 2010 was Rs 216.56 million, the report said. According to the report the Economic Development Ministry had allocated Rs 1,213.00 million towards resettlement programme in the Eastern Province during 2011. more..

Apr 18 (Island) UNP Deputy Leader Sajith Premadasa told the visiting Indian parliamentary delegation that a post-war political solution should be within a unitary and undivided Sri Lanka. He emphasized that any solution must not be inimical to the country�s territorial integrity, sovereignty, political independence. The Indian delegation arrived in Colombo earlier in the day on a fact-finding mission in the wake of India voting for more..

Apr 18 (Island) A staff nurse at the Changi General Hospital, Singapore (CGH) who was allegedly molested by a doctor from Sri Lanka, was reportedly �advised� by the hospital not to lodge a police report against the culprit. A resident physician from Sri Lanka who works in the hospital�s Anaesthesia and Surgical Intensive Care department was accused of touching the buttocks of a nurse in an operating theatre earlier this month. When contacted by the media, more..

Apr 18 (LBO) A Chinese company building a new international airport in southern Sri Lanka has selected a radio network from Cassidian, a unit of the European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company (EADS). The Hambantota International Airport in Sri Lanka is to be equipped with a secure 'TETRA' radio communication network by Cassidian, the company said in a statement. It was chosen by China Harbour & Engineering Company (CHEC), which is building the airport to be more..

Apr 18 (IPS) Reacting to a series of deadly crocodile attacks, the Sri Lankan govt has drawn up plans to capture the free-ranging beasts and confine them to parks. Conservationists oppose this move. On Apr. 12, Sri Lanka�s wildlife department ordered an operation to capture crocodiles lurking in the rivers and estuaries of this island country and relocate them in conservation parks for the safety of citizens - and that of the protected animal. more..

Apr 18 (DN) "It is nothing but sheer recognition of human rights of the Muslims of the Jaffna peninsula, that they should be given houses out of the 50,000 units to be built through the generosity of the Indian govt," MP and Member of Parliament Council A H M Azwer, told the Indian Parliamentary goodwill delegation at an interact that took place yesterday, April 17 in the CPA Room of the Parliamentary complex. more..

Apr 18 (DM) The chink in the armour of Sri Lanka�s economy is the decline in savings and a rise in pawning credit, a possible indication for this state of affairs to arise being that the masses are being buffeted by the high cost of living, resulting in a depreciation in their savings kitty and an increase in pawning to make ends meet. The domestic savings as a percentage of GDP had declined by 3.9 percentage points year on year (YoY) to 15.4% more..

Apr 18 (LBO) Sri Lankan shippers have had to pay higher freight rates after loss-making shipping lines succeeded in pushing through rate hikes but say rates might fall after the end of a cargo rush. "They have increased rates in March and April," Gehan Kuruppu, president, Sri Lanka Shippers� Council told LBO. Rates were hiked by 200 US dollars for a 20-foot container and by 400 dollars for a 40-footer in April alone. more..

Apr 18 (BBC) Sri Lanka�s major Tamil party expressed optimism that the visiting Indian parliamentary delegation will take positive steps towards addressing social, political and safety issues faced by Tamils in the north and east. TNA MPs led by R Sampanthan has told Indian MPs led by the leader of opposition in the Indian Lower house of parliament- Lok Sabha, Sushma Swaraj that Tamils need effective power devolution similar to the Indian system. more..

Apr 18 (Island) Sri Lanka�s largest banking sector trade union, Ceylon Bank Employees� Union (CBEU) yesterday said that it would not enter into a new �collective agreement� with the management unless its demand for a 15 to 25 per cent salary increase was met. Acting General Secretary of the CBEU Channa Dissanayake told The Island that the proposed agreement covered the period from Jan. 1. 2012 to Dec. 31. 2014. more..

Apr 18 (DM) During the discussions between the visiting Indian Parliamentary delegation and the Minister G.L. Peries last afternoon, the two sides had exchanged views on how to begin the process of the Parliamentary Select Committee and a political solution. Minister Peries told the Daily Mirror that no issues with regards to the Indian vote at the UNHRC had been discussed, instead a cordial discussion more..