Mar 27 (CG) The Govt said that the draft resolution on Sri Lanka submitted to the UNHRC will not only constitute a serious breach of International Law, but create a dangerous precedent in the conduct of international relations within the established global order of sovereign States and could pose a grave threat to the sovereignty and independence of Member States of the UN, which is enshrined in the UN Charter. more..

Mar 27 (LT) A complaint has been filed in Human Rights Commission by residents of Jampata Street, Colombo 13 stating that taxes for their houses have been increased on the pretext of transferring the houses to them and increasing the fees for deeds to Rs.25,000 without any accepted process or valuation. The residents say their fundamental rights have been violated due to this move. The petition with signatures of 35 residents has been handed over to the Human Rights Commission by more..

Mar 27 (LBO) Sri Lanka Telecom said it is forming a venture with Indian Ocean Cableship (Pvt) Ltd, a Singapore based firm, to set up an undersea cable maintenance base at Hambantota port in the island's south. Indian Ocean Cableship will permanently berth a cable ship at Hambantota and Sri Lanka Telecom will build a warehouse to facilitate the work. Earlier cable breakdown and service work in submarine cables traversing the South Asia region was done from Singapore, SLT said. more..

Mar 27 (AI) The Sri Lankan govt must end a nationwide crackdown on dissent and cooperate with UN investigators, Amnesty International said today after the UNHRC established an inquiry into allegations of war crimes and crimes against humanity in the country. �The UN inquiry brings new hope for the thousands of victims of abuses in Sri Lanka,� said David Griffiths, Asia-Pacific Deputy Director at Amnesty International. more..

Mar 27 (LT) The possibility of having a free and fair election is very remote states the Network for Election Monitoring of the Intellectuals for Human Rights (NEM-IHR). This was stated at a media conference held yesterday (26th) morning with the participation of its Secretary of Legal Affairs Attorney at Law Chaminda Gunasekera, General Secretary Dr. Anura Karunatilleke and Deputy Chief Executive Senior Lecturer Upali Pannilage. Attorney at Law Chaminda Gunasekera addressing more..

Mar 27 (DM) A Police Sergeant attached to the Maharagama Police Traffic Division has been arrested for verbally abusing the Colombo Fort Magistrate Thilina Gamage and blocking his official vehicle at Pamunuwa Junction in Maharagama today. Magistrate had lodged a complaint with the IGP, the Judicial Service Commissioner, to the BAR association and the Judges Service Commission in this regard. The Police Sergeant was arrested by a team officers led by ASP Atapattu, under more..

Mar 27 (DM) UNP General Secretary Tissa Attanayake said today the President would violate election laws if he attempted to gain political advantage by going ahead with the planned address to the nation on the Geneva issue. Soon after he met the Elections Commissioner he told journalists that the President and some of the ministers had repeatedly violated media ethics during the election campaign. �We have learnt that the President has more..

Mar 27 (LT) Statements made by MP Ajith Kumara and a group that they were assaulted when they came to pay last respects to the remains of Mr. Sumathipala Manawadu who died in an accident are an unsuccessful attempt to bring discredit to the party by a group that was removed from the party says JVP MP Vijitha Herath. He says even the death of a party member is being used by this bankrupt gang of desperate and spurious individuals to sling mud at the party. more..

Mar 27 (CI) They did it at Lord's in the opening match of the World T20 five years ago. Then, Netherlands stunned England to announce the Associate threat in the shortest format. They did not look anywhere close to do doing it three days ago, when they were skittled out for the lowest total in T20 internationals, and Sri Lanka highlighted the gulf between cricket's haves and have-nots in the most brutal way. But Netherlands almost did it again today. Netherlands were on course to cull more..

Mar 27 (CG) US Secretary of State John Kerry said today�s vote in the UNHRC on Sri Lanka sends a clear message: the time to pursue lasting peace and prosperity is now; justice and accountability cannot wait. In a statement issued by the State Department, Kerry said that the resolution reaffirms the commitment of the international community to support the Govt of Sri Lanka as it pursues reconciliation and more..

Mar 27 (DM) Minister Wimal Weerawansa said that the United States backed resolution against Sri Lanka would ultimately lead to an Interim Administration in the North and East (N/E) Provinces under the supervision of the UN. �Forces have been piling up against the country since the handing over of the Darusman Report to the UN Secretary. Had the authorities taken action in this regard we could have reduced mounting pressure on Sri Lanka from various forces. more..

Mar 27 (FP) India�s abstinence from the resolution demanding an independent international investigation against the alleged war crimes and human rights excesses in Sri Lanka at the UNHRC on Thursday is not surprising because it gains nothing domestically for a vote in favour. In the process - by not voting against Sri Lanka - it has gained some geo-political mileage with the island nation. India said that it had abstained from the vote against Sri Lanka in the UNHRC unlike more..

Mar 27 (CG) Govt today slammed the US over the draft resolution which was adopted at the UNHRC today. Minister G.L Peiris said that the US exerted pressure on some countries for them to back the resolution, including by warning that failure to back the resolution will hurt ties with those countries. �Some countries had no choice but to back the resolution. They could not reject US threats as some countries have strong economic ties more..

Mar 27 (DM) TNA opposed India for its decision to abstain from the US sponsored resolution in UNHRC which was passed today. TNA MP Suresh Premachandran said that India had cheated the Sri Lankan Tamils by the stance it had taken with regard to the resolution. However TNA Parliamentary group leader R. Sampanthan commenting on the matter said that India must have had some reasons to abstain from voting for the resolution. �We will come to know the more..

Mar 27 (CG) Govt hailed the outcome of the vote at the UNHRC today saying the efforts of the Govt in Geneva were reflected in the results of the vote. SMS alert by Govt information department noted that by managing to convince 24 countries to either vote against or abstain from voting for the resolution, the Govt efforts in Geneva were successful. In all 23 countries of the 47 member Council voted for the resolution while of the remaining 24 countries 12 voted against and 12 abstained. more..

Mar 27 (CI) A breathtaking display from Alex Hales, who hammered England's first T20 hundred, inspired a beleaguered team to their highest-ever chase as they hunted down 190 to overcome Sri Lanka and keep alive a realistic chance of progressing in the tournament. It was an astonishing turnaround after England's shambolic fielding display, which included four dropped catches and a missed run-out, allowed Sri Lanka to more..

Mar 28 (NS) Hatred is abhorrence, animosity, aversion, revulsion, antagonism, loathing, odium, detestation, and extreme dislike. Hatred is caused by whoever or whatever is subjectively apprehended as evil even though it may or may not be objectively evil at all. Hatred could arise due to disagreement and opposition though disagreement and opposition alone need not necessarily lead to hatred. Hatred could also arise as a result of real injuries suffered or maliciously done to us by others. more..

Mar 28 (NS) This could be under the auspices of the International Criminal Court in The Hague. The International Criminal Court (ICC) was set up under the Rome Statute of 1992. At the outset it must be stated that the ICC tries Individuals, while at the International Court of Justice also in Hague, the litigants are State Parties. The ICC is vested with Criminal Jurisdiction, while International Court of Justice (ICJ) is vested with Civil Jurisdiction. Rome Statute is the basic document from which more..

Mar 28 (ST) Stopping by the Moors Sports Club down Braybrooke Place on a weekend, you may have noticed a foreigner in cricket whites towering over the little ones aspiring to be the next Sangakkara or Mahela. What comes as a big surprise is that the cricketer was none other than the Ambassador of the Republic of Korea. Ambassador Arjuna Jongmoon Choi went ahead and enrolled himself for beginner�s cricket more..

Mar 28 (CT) The JVP, as we had averred earlier, by its avaricious attempt to seize power by methods tempered neither by humanity nor morality, destroyed the spirit of the Left and eroded the remaining healthier traditions in society. Its unbridled violence reinforced the forces of obscurantism and killed off the will of the people at the grassroots, to organise and assert themselves. After all the murder and mayhem they unleashed, JVP has simply covered up its crimes without any sign more..

Mar 28 (CT) I thought it would come to nothing, but I was proven wrong. I underestimated the power of Colombo�s bluster to lose friends and influence where it mattered. The UNHRC in Geneva has voted to conduct an independent investigation into Sri Lanka�s conduct of the closing years of its long and bloody war against murderous Tamil Tiger separatists. The UN is a docile creature, but Sri Lanka registered its contempt for its work by pulling at its tail one too many times. more..

Mar 28 (CT) In an interview with Aljazeera Rajiva Wijesinha, MP of UPFA says the international criticism on Sri Lanka is 'both hypocritical and Machiavellian, since it is obviously designed to promote international, for which read Western, interference in Sri Lanka.' Q: What is your stand on the US-sponsored resolution? A: It is a resolution completely at odds with the traditions of the UNHRC, in that it is country specific more..

Mar 28 (Island) President Mahinda Rajapaksa has, to his credit, several aspects of governance. By ending the war he has made possible development in Sri Lanka in ways that previously were difficult or impossible. Neville Chamberlain may have returned from Nazi Germany in 1939 with the slogan �peace in our time� but the President has made peace a reality. He has also made it a foremost mission to develop the education system to be a model in South Asia. more..

Mar 28 (ST) No ray of hope lights to lift the brooding pall of Geneva�s gloom and a desolate air of uncertainty hangs heavy as the countdown to the crucial vote begins; and Lanka can do no more but clasp her hands in Confucian prayer and, banging her head on wood, hope for the best and expect the worst in this unfolding drama of which she, having played her role and cast her last card, is now a sorry spectator of her own portending tragedy. But at this hour, when the distant Geneva bell tolls, more..

Mar 28 (ST) Sri Lanka�s tourism industry would be aiming at making available 40,000 more rooms within the next two years. SL Tourism Development Authority Director General Dr. D.S. Jayaweera said this kind of room capacity was required and would be achieved within the next two years in a bid to provide sufficient capacity for the 2.5 million visitors in 2016. He was dressing the launch of the Hotel Show 2014 media more..

Mar 28 (Island) The US-sponsored resolution against Sri Lanka has been adopted by the UNHRC. Its passage has come as no surprise, given the frantic efforts Washington made to score a diplomatic win against Sri Lanka. But, this time around, it has failed to muster India�s support. The resolution has all the trappings of an accelerated programme to effect a regime change in this country where the Opposition has failed to challenge the govt. Not even the most gullible amongst more..

Mar 28 (DV) Five years after the ethnic civil war in Sri Lanka was won by the Sinhalese govt, with massive killings of Tamil civilians in the last few months, the UNHRC authorized the High Commissioner of the HRC to investigate if human rights abuse occurred. On a vote of 23 for, 12 against and with 12 abstentions, the HRC voted to promote reconciliation, accountability and human rights in Sri Lanka by having its High Commissioner, Navi Pillay, and her successor soon-to-be: more..

Mar 28 (Island) Audited 2011 accounts of Sri Lanka�s Employees� Provident Fund a retirement fund of private citizens, would be presented in parliament shortly, the Central Bank, its manager, said. Opposition legislator, Harsha de Silva, has repeatedly called for the accounts to be presented to Parliament and has also said some of its stock market deals need to be probed. Central Bank said EPF�s 2011 accounts have been audited and more..

Mar 28 (ST) Several years ago, when Chandrika Kumaratunga came into the scene as a candidate for the presidential elections, the face of Sri Lankan universities changed. Probably for the first time, a group of academics took a stand and supported her candidature in a notice publicised in local newspapers. This was rather unusual as academics have always remained neutral and independent, apart from their own political affiliations as private citizens. more..

Mar 28 (CI) England had made an encouraging start, removing Kusal Perera to a dubious glove down the leg side, and Jade Dernbach was finding some movement in the heavy atmosphere. His first ball to Mahela Jayawardene was a perfect length, squared up the batsman and flew towards point where Michael Lumb held a fine, low catch. Or so it seemed. That wasn't how the third umpire viewed the pictures after Jayawardene stood his ground. Steve Davis ruled there was doubt, more..

Mar 28 (FT) Sri Lanka Telecom (SLT), announced that it has been given the opportunity to build, operate and manage South Asia�s first state-of-the-art Submarine Cable Depot in Hambantota Port. As a token of the company�s appreciation and gratitude to President Rajapaksa, for his guidance and support towards achieving this significant milestone for Sri Lanka, the company presented him with an appreciation plaque more..

Mar 28 (Island) The contempt of Court application filed by the Chairman of the Hingurakgoda Pradeshiya Sabha against the activities of the vice Chairman of the same PS, will be heard in the Supreme Court on March 31. Petitioner K. S. Gnanaratne has complained that on January 31, the Supreme Court ordered that the status quo should remain in the PS till March 31, but despite that order vice chairman R.M.C. Ratnayake worked in the capacity of Acting Chairman of the PS. more..

Mar 28 (Island) The Tokyo Cement All Island Schools Quiz 2013, a multi-million rupee brain game amongst schools across Sri Lanka, came to an exciting finale on March 23rd in an epic battle between the blue-and-golds, and red-and-golds. Two of Colombo�s top boy�s schools that survived intense mental melees for months, met in a final show down that ended with the blues taking home one million rupees in prize money. Excitement was building up since January, after four teams more..

Mar 28 (CT) President Rajapaksa, this week, has banned all Provincial Councillors from foreign travel at govt expense till further notice. President has made this known through his Secretary, Lalith Weeratunga, who has informed all Chief Secretaries of PCs in writing this week. "This is indeed a very positive move that President has taken to end the colossal waste of money that Provincial Councillors engage in through their foreign jaunts," more..

Mar 28 (Reuters) HSBCSL's rating is at the highest end of the National Rating scale and reflects the credit profile and financial strength of The Hongkong & Shanghai Banking Corporation Limited (HKSB; Long-Term Issuer Default Rating (IDR): 'AA'-/Stable). The rating is tied to HKSB's IDR because of HSBCSL's legal status as a branch of HKSB and hence is an extension of the same legal entity as HKSB. HKSB's rating is higher than Sri Lanka's Long-Term Local and Foreign more..

Mar 28 (DM) University of Western Australia - Professor of Coastal Oceanography Charitha Pattiaratchi, who is playing a leading role on the Australian side, which is engaging in finding the missing Malaysian Airline, said that the ill-fated plane is in the bottom of the Indian Ocean, just below the Southeast Indian ridge. He also said that any attempt to recover items from a patch of ocean where the search for items potentially from missing Malaysian Airlines flight MH370 is focused, more..

Mar 28 (Island) The international community should act as a facilitator for peace and stability and be part of the solution rather than part of the problem, Pakistan�s Permanent Representative to the UN in Geneva, Zamir Akram said. Ambassador Akram said: "There is a dire need to comprehend and cooperatively address the enormous challenges being faced by Sri Lanka rather than penalising the country for rooting out terrorism from its soil." more..

Mar 28 (LBO) Sri Lanka could retain more highly skilled workers by boosting overall conditions and well as re-orienting its education system towards the needs of the market, senior business leaders said. Rajendra Theagarajah, Deputy Vice Chairman of Ceylon Chamber of Commerce said Sri Lanka lost valuable talent for a long time during a 30 year war, but skilled people are still moving out. "One of the burning issues today is the shortage of skilled labor," Theagarajah told reporters more..

Mar 28 (Island) Judge of the Central Provincial High Court in Kandy, sentenced to death ten convicts found guilty of murder of a person at Madupattiya, Rattota yesterday. The ten had been indicted for causing death by assaulting of I.R. Muttukumar on April 8, 2004 at Nagala, Madupattiya. Those sentenced to death are Tissa Bandara, Wijebandara, Nagalingam Kirishnamurthi, Lechchaman Sellambaram, Ranjith Jinasiri, Lechchaman Yogarajah, Sivasamy Siva more..

Mar 28 (Island) In response to President Rajapaksa�s instructions to cancel the gazette notification issued on Jan 31, 2014 by the Secretary to the Higher Education Ministry Dr. Sunil Navaratne, a fresh special notification canceling the Jan 31 gazette would be out next week. GMOA General Committee member Dr. Navin de Soyza said that the Secretary to the Higher Education Ministry had issued a special gazette notification more..