Jan 24 (CT) As a mother, the following is one of the most emotionally challenging articles I tasked myself with, as I see a son of mine, in each child-Samanera (novice Buddhist monk)! At a recent alms-giving ceremony I attended, there were many such, of varying ages. Some as young as 7 � 8 years of age, while some of pubertal age. These �little ones�, with shaven heads, and their thin bodies swathed in saffron robes, sat on the floor with their elders. It was hard to miss, their expressions of more..

Jan 24 (CT) After reading the Groundviews article dated 07/12/2013 and the article by Mr.Raj Jayadevan dated 20/01/2014 in CT, I felt something more could be added to this discussion on the census of human and property damages taken up by the Govt of Sri Lanka. I fully acknowledge that it is nothing but a ploy of the present regime to thwart the International community once again just before the 25th UNHRC in March. The entire date was collected by the Gram Sevaka Niladharis more..

Jan 25 (CT) Indian and Tamil Nadu Govts must launch a trawler �buyback scheme� to put an end to the menace of bottom trawling in the Palk Strait, Palk Bay and the Gulf of Mannar, an Indian expert explained at a seminar on �Conflict Resolution and Sustainable Fisheries Governance in the Palk Bay� held at the University of Colombo. Secretary of Fisheries Management and Resource Centre at Thiruvananthapuram in Kerala, more..

Jan 25 (Island) Water is said to be life. It could also be death under certain circumstances. Some people use it as a weapon as well, triggering conflicts. Prabhakaran did so by closing down the Mavil Aru anicut in 2006 and met his Waterloo three years later. Water could also be part of torturers� paraphernalia. US President George W. Bush not only encouraged but also publicly defended water boarding�simulated drowning�in dealing with terror suspects. more..

Jan 25 (CT) The first question that President Rajapaksa asked Jaffna Mayor, Yogeswari Patkunaraja, soon after landing at the Palaly Airport last Sunday, was whether the people of Jaffna would want the lands on which the airport is standing. The Jaffna Mayor, who was there at the airport with Minister Douglas Devananda, to receive President Rajapaksa on the airport tarmac had responded only with a smile to the President as she did not expect a question of that nature from more..

Jan 25 (Island) Recently I had an opportunity to read some inspirational books on Law of Attraction. The Law of Attraction theory became popular in the world especially after Napoleon Hill in 1937 published his book "Think and grow rich." Then there was "The Law of Attraction" by Ester & Gerry Hicks. Based on these books Rhonda Byres has produced a book and a movie, �Secret, which gained widespread attention in the media. Wayne Dyer, an inspirational speaker who is spreading the same message more..

Jan 25 (Island) Sri Lanka produces more than 800,000 metric tons of fresh fruit and vegetables annually while around 90 per cent of her processed food is being exported to the European Union market. In addition, Sri Lanka is utilizing improved techniques in crop cultivation, especially under poly tunnels. Optimum input application, pest and disease control, post-harvest management and quality packaging are other features of our food production sector, more..

Jan 25 (Island) The continuing violence against minority religions is unacceptable and must stop. The most recent incidents against two vulnerable Christian communities in Hikkaduwa, currently receiving wide video coverage, contradicts the noble teachings of Buddhism and exposes our repeated claim to national integration. The only encouraging sign in this tragic episode was the individual performance of the handful of more..

Jan 25 (Island) The Kala Pola 2014 is scheduled to be on Sunday 26th January from 8a.m to 10p.m. I have got not one but two invitations to the official ceremony of this annual open air art fair on the evening of the same day at Nelum Pokuna Mawata, Colombo 7. On receiving the invitation my mind went back to the inauguration of the George Keyt Foundation which holds this annual art fair. This year John Keels Holdings PLC joins the Foundation in facilitating the event. more..

Jan 25 (ST) She would have gone back to her post-graduate studies in South Carolina, America, with a heavy heart not least because she was leaving her father and mother behind after her holiday in Sri Lanka. Muditha Dias from Boralesgamuwa was unhappy because she had lost her wallet, presumed stolen, with a lot of cash, but more importantly, with credit cards as well as driving licences on Christmas Day. Muditha and her father, Shirley Dias, had gone outstation from their home more..

Jan 25 (AT) A 22-member student delegation of Pakistan National College of Arts which is on a goodwill visit to Sri Lanka from 23 Jan to 1 Feb, visited the High Commission of Pakistan in Sri Lanka. While, welcoming the delegation, the High Commissioner of Pakistan in Sri Lanka Major Gen(R) Qasim Qureshi highlighted that Pakistan has a dynamic and vibrant society with more than 3,000 years old civilization. more..

Jan 25 (Island) The series was tied, yet the major honours went to Pakistan, deservingly. All was lost for Sri Lanka in the final day of play, although the problems began when we batted the second innings from the day before. It was not the defeat that mattered, but how the spirit of the game was replaced by an appalling lack of sportsmanship in every aspect of the game. Sri Lanka�s win in the second test and performance in the first innings of the third or final test in the series, more..

Jan 25 (FT) A top level conference was held under the auspices of the International Y.M.M.A. Assembly to discuss problems facing the Muslim community in Sri Lanka. The conference was held at its head office at Colombo 7 and President of International Y.M.M.A. Assembly President Ashraff Hussain presided over the meeting. Senior Lawyer Fousel Ameen and Senior Journalist N.M. Ameen, Secretary A. Razeen and Dr. M.Y. Yousf also addressed the problems Muslim community more..

Jan 25 (FT) Sri Lanka�s tea industry has ended 2013 on a record note in all aspects, with the Govt emphasising that support to the sector, especially smallholders, has paid off. �Based on 2013 data, from every sphere of this great industry we see a growth and in some areas it has been a historic growth,� Minister Mahinda Samarasinghe said. For the first time, SL has been able to achieve the highest-ever crop of more..

Jan 25 (ST) Aranayake turned lush green recently when local schoolchildren, principals, district office-bearers and monks alike knelt together to plant 1500 trees in the area, in a bid to combat soil erosion, a private insurer said in a statement. The trees selected were carefully hand-picked by Janashakthi Insurance, who donated trees which were endemic to the area, and would provide high returns in terms of economic value. Some of the variants planted included arecanut, kumbuk, nandun and more..

Jan 25 (ST) The Central Bank (CB) has requested DFCC and NDB for their input on the impending merger of the two entities, a DFCC official said. �They�ve been very accommodative and has asked for a sort of a wish list from the banks,� Arjun Fernando, CEO DFCC told the Business times. He added that CB guidelines aren�t still clear on the merger and the regulator is calling all banks for discussions on a regular basis. The first of such discussions was held on Friday. more..

Jan 25 (Island) The Ministry of External Affair Ministry appears to be riddled with intrigue with it doing nothing tangible to correct an erroneous report being widely circulated among several websites stating that the Country�s Permanent Representative to the UN in New York Dr. Palitha Kohana would be fired from his post. According to this story, career diplomat Prasad Kariyawasam would be appointed as the Sri Lankan more..

Jan 25 (FT) In an unprecedented development, Sri Lanka�s institutional biz knowhow is being sought after at international levels. �Your strong Ease of Doing Business Index ranking has set an example for other SAARC countries. I think we can learn from you about this process. We would like to visit Sri Lanka or seek your technical expertise in this,� said Mohamed Saeed, Minister of Economic Development of Maldives, in New Delhi. Saeed was addressing Minister Rishad Bathiudeen more..

Jan 25 (CT) Secretary to the Justice Ministry, Kamalini de Silva said, questions were being raised regarding shortcomings in Sri Lanka�s judicial procedures, vis-�-vis, the expeditious verdicts delivered by the mediation boards, providing satisfactory solutions to the parties involved in disputes. The ministry secretary pointed out that the best system so far would be for the Conciliation Boards to clear the huge annual backlog of cases in the courts. more..

Jan 25 (DT) The Sri Lankan cricket team arrived Dhaka yesterday to play two Tests, three ODIs and two T20 internationals and accompanied by tight security, headed straight to the Radisson Hotel from the Hazrat Shahjalal International airport. The 15 member squad andten officials were escorted from the airport to the team hotel, which is near the airport. Usually touring teams have stayed either at the Pan Pacific Sonargaon or more..

Jan 25 (CT) A wild she-elephant was killed by the Colombo bound train, from Trincomalee, on Thursday night. The accident occurred in the Kithuluthuwa area in Habarana. The railway track passes through the Minneriya-Kaudulla National Park, an area of danger for elephants and where many a pachyderm has been killed or severely injured in the past. Wildlife officers suspect that the elephant was on its way to the national park after a night of rampaging through one of the more..

Jan 25 (SD) A young Sri Lankan man who became a reluctant celebrity in 2009 for leading a public act of defiance against Australia�s border-protection policies, is now living in Mildura. Nimal, 30, a member of Sri Lanka�s Tamil minority, was born in Jaffna, and after completing school, moved to Colombo where he became a night-time announcer at a Tamil music radio station. Nimal still declines to provide his second name, or to talk about his family, for fear that agents of Rajapaksa govt more..

Jan 25 (Island) Arjuna Ranatunga has criticised the proposal that has been put forward at a recent ICC meeting to restructure the ICC, giving Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), Cricket Australia (CA) and England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) more benefits and power. Ranatunga alleged that the mooted move was undemocratic and that if approved the ICC will act like a political body than a sports body. more..

Jan 25 (CG) Vietnam has assured support for Sri Lanka�s national development and reconciliation. The assurance was given when President Rajapaksa�s special envoy D.E.W Gunasekera met Vietnam President Truong Tan Sangin in Hanoi. President praised Sri Lanka�s economic achievements and conveyed his wishes for the country�s prosperous future. He also expressed sympathy over the challenges facing Sri Lanka and labelled embargo measures as old-fashioned more..

Jan 25 (DN) The State Literary Awards in Sri Lanka for 2012 was held at the BMICH where many writers won awards for their contributions. The best Children's Literature Award in English was won by Neville Perera for his book Kitty and the Bell Necklace. Since Perera was unable to travel to Sri Lanka to receive the State Literary Award, the Embassy of Sri Lanka in Germany and the Sri Lankan community jointly organised an event to present the award and felicitate Perera. more..

Jan 25 (NP) Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne traded pleasantries this month with a onetime spokesman for a federally listed terrorist organization while on a visit to a Toronto temple, premier�s office confirmed. Mrs. Wynne stood alongside Nehru Gunaratnam, a former spokesman for the World Tamil Movement, on Jan. 14, and a photo of the event was posted on a photography company�s Facebook page. more..

Jan 25 (CT) The parents of a female migrant worker, who had committed suicide by hanging herself in Kuwait, are unable to get their daughter�s body back to Sri Lanka, due to a discrepancy in the name in the deceased�s passport. General Manager of SLBFE, Mangala Randeniya said according to the Sri Lankan Embassy in Kuwait, the name that appears in the passport of the deceased woman is H.P. Chandralatha, whereas the parents claim that their daughter�s name is E.P.P. Rasanthika. more..

Jan 25 (FT) With the war coming to an end in 2009, an alarming 59,267 military personnel and 239 officers have deserted the three armed forces � Army, Navy, and Air Force � without following proper procedure. Govt told Parliament that �personal issues of these service men� as the main cause, which resulted in them avoiding the following of proper procedures to exit and also to serve �prior notice�. Elaborating on the action taken against these deserters, the Ministry of Defence and more..

Jan 25 (CBC) NDP Leader Tom Mulcair is defending MP Rathika Sitsabaiesan's trip to Sri Lanka over the holidays in a recent letter to the high commissioner, stating that Sitsabaiesan had "no intention to embarrass" the country's govt. Letter was sent in response to accusations by the SL high commissioner that Sitsabaiesan was trying to do just that by claiming she faced political intimidation while on a personal trip to the country. more..

Jan 25 (Hindu) The Rameswaram mechanised boat fishermen have decided to launch an indefinite strike from Saturday, protesting against the arrest of 25 fishermen on Tuesday and condemning the Centre�s stand on Katchativu. Leaders of 11 fishermen associations met here on Friday and adopted a resolution which said about 3,500 fishermen would abstain from fishing, protesting against the arrest and demanding the release of all fishermen, who have so far been arrested by SL navy more..

Jan 25 (Island) Police yesterday revealed the identity of the person who had harboured wanted accused, Tangalle Pradeshiya Sabha Chairman Sampath Vidanapathirana. "The last hideout the suspect was at the residence of Milantha Karunasena at 99/1, Thalawatugoda Road, Pitakotte," Police Spokeman SSP Ajith Rohana said. "Milantha has three garment factories, one at his residence." Vidanapatirana and several others have been indicted in the Colombo High Court with more..

Jan 25 (Island) US Ambassador to Sri Lanka Michele J. Sisson met Northern Provincial Councillor Ananthi Sasitharan in Jaffna while the Defence Ministry was exploring the possibility of rehabilitating her in view of her alleged LTTE links. The meeting took place at Hotel Margosa, Chundikulli, Jaffna on Wednesday. Among those present were Northern Province Chief Minister C.V. Wigneswaran and TNA MP M.A. Sumanthiran. more..

Jan 25 (DM) A couple of days ago, a special CID team arrested the Tangalle Pradeshiya Sabha Chairman Sampath Vidanapathirana who has been charged with the murder of British national Khuram Shaikh. Police said the suspect had been in hiding at the time of arrest. On January 9, the Colombo High Court issued an arrest warrant against Vidanapathirana, who hails from the stronghold of the Rajapaksa family, for not appearing in court for the trial into the murder of Shaikh and more..

Jan 25 (DM) South Sudan, the world�s youngest state, is only two years old. It�s an extremely fragile entity, threatened by a hostile big brother in the north and needs to run a race against time if it�s to survive against great odds � lack of experience and skilled professionals in all vital sectors, including bureaucracy and governing, inadequate infrastructure and a largely poor and illiterate population of 9.5 million. Its people have been ravaged by many years of civil war, more..

Jan 25 (DBS) Anandhi Sasitharan wife of senior LTTE leader Sasitharan alias Ezhilan began grabbing the attention of Northern voters when the PC election campaign got underway. As the only woman candidate fielded by the TNA in Jaffna district and by virtue of being given the Number One slot on the candidate list, Anandhi was in an advantageous position. Furthermore the portrayal of her pathetic more..

Jan 25 (ST) The Govt plans to introduce amendments to the Seed and Planting Material Act are being opposed by both opposition political parties as well as those within the Govt as they fear the new regulations will be a bane instead of a boon to local farmers but Agriculture officials say the new laws will benefit the country and the farming community at large. Both the NFF and JVP say the new rules will prove to be detrimental to more..

Jan 25 (DM) The tug-o-war between milk powder companies and the Consumer Affair Authority (CAA) on the price increase on milk powder is continuing amid allegations that the companies are hoarding milk powder so as to create an artificial shortage in the market. CAA Chairman Rumy Marzook said though five milk powder manufacturers including Fonterra Brands Lanka and Maliban Milk Products had requested for more..

Jan 25 (SL) News that a new Tamil coalition is being formed has been greeted with mixed reactions, with analysts questioning the actual intention behind forming such a coalition. The coalition consists of Tamil political parties, working hand in hand with the Govt, and includes the EPDP led by Minister Douglas Devananda. Executive Director for the Center for Policy Alternatives, Dr. Paikiasothy Saravanamuttu said that more..

Jan 25 (FT) Mourning the passing of Court of Appeal President Justice S. Sriskandarajah, aged 60, UNP Leadership Council Chairman Karu Jayasuriya said the illustrious judicial officer had been arbitrarily denied the right to serve in the country�s highest court because of the vengeful actions of the Executive. Issuing a media release to express shock and dismay at Justice Sriskandarajah�s sudden demise, more..