Dec 2 (SO) Single issues have caused govts to collapse, and memorably such single issue crises include among others, the Bofors scandal in India, the Watergate affair in USA, and yes, the exit of the first Ranil Wickremesinghe Govt in SL. �The 1986 Bofors howitzer gun deal devastated the Congress Govt of Rajiv Gandhi and ruined the party�s prospects of returning to power for several years. The Bofors case revolved around allegations that Swedish defence manufacturer Bofors more..

Dec 2 (CT) President Maithirpala Sirisena admitted that an immediate General Election is the only way out to settle the prevailing political crises if things are not resolved by 31 December 2018. Q: The developments that took place in the past few weeks have instilled a sense of uncertainty in the minds of the public. Many point a finger at you for causing this unstable anarchic situation in the country. As the President of the country, more..

Dec 2 (Island) At this moment, we are in the midst of a political crisis that was sparked off at least in part by a police officer. DIG Nalaka Silva is now in remand on suspicion of having being involved in a plot to assassinate Prez Maithripala Sirisena and former Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa. According to the recorded telephone conversations that were made public by a police informant Namal Kumara who had worked closely with DIG Nalaka Silva, the plan was to have both of them more..

Dec 2 (ST) Desperate situations require desperate remedies. And that is the need of this dark hour as the country�s economic and political stability continues its dismal slide. At least now, Prez Sirisena seems to have realised his folly in the catastrophic decision of Oct 26 to eject his PM and instal another. Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely is an old clich�, but so true. The incumbent President has shown all the qualities associated with that maxim more..

Dec 2 (ST) Four of the six political parties represented in Parliament this week once again demonstrated in no uncertain terms that they together command the majority in Parliament, with President Maithripala Sirisena�s Prime Ministerial appointee MP Mahinda Rajapaksa and the UPFA remaining short of a simple majority of 113 MPs which they need to give legitimacy to their claim that they are the govt. In two separate votes, taken on Thur & Fri, two motions were approved more..

Dec 2 (ST) Your Lordships, We don�t usually write to you but then, I thought I must write to you now because these are unusual times. In some seventy years of independence in Paradise, democracy has been tested in many ways with the postponement of elections, terrorism and insurgencies but matters have never been like this. It has now come to a stage where we have a Head of State who seems to lose his ability to think clearly on Fridays. We have two PMs but both of them don�t know more..

Dec 2 (CT) There is widespread anger and disgust at the political class in the country as the political crisis drags on. The wrath is directed at Maithripala Sirisena, as in his desire to stay on as President for a second term he has placed this country in a predicament that threatens the very existence of the State. Ordinary people have been voicing their feelings in numerous demonstrations across the country. more..

Dec 2 (SO) With SL cricketers having lost all the formats � T20, 50/50 and white washed in the all important Test series 3-zero to England, the big question in cricket circles was: how can we bring about a change? Enter ASHANTHA DE MEL, hopefully the promised Messiah. DE MEL the former tear away fast bowler who opened the bowling in the First Inaugural Test against England from Feb 17 to 21, 1982 after the country attained Test status comes in to occupy the all important seat of more..

Dec 2 (ST) Former U-19 skipper Charith Asalanka will lead SL�s strong Emerging Squad at the ACC Emerging Team Cup 2018 cricket tournament to be played in Pakistan and SL. Kamindu Mendis is the vice captain of the side. The team includes former national players in Asela Gunaratne, Jeffrey Vandersay, Asitha Fernando, Shehan Madushanka and Avishka Fernando. A promising batsman Hasitha Boyagoda also in the squad. SL competes with India U-23, Afghanistan and Oman more..

Dec 2 (CT) These days certain groups of school -boys are in the news for all the wrong reasons that include the horrific day light murder in Matara to another fatal one in Beruwala and bloody clashes among students elsewhere. It all began on Nov 24th outside a tuition house in down town Matara when 17-year-old Rasindu Gimhana was repeatedly stabbed to death in front of horrified onlookers as he was leaving his tuition class more..

Dec 2 (Hindu) SL�s Parliament passed two motions on Thursday and Friday, blocking cash flow to the offices of the PM, Cabinet and all other Ministries of the purported govt led by Mahinda Rajapaksa. Speaking on the implications, a senior legislator said: �If they have been passed with a majority in Parliament, the secretaries must take note.� However, it is not as straightforward for the country�s bureaucracy � especially when the disputed govt & Cabinet are busy taking weekly decisions, more..

Dec 2 (Qrius) Just days Sri Lankan President Sirisena�s MPs boycotted the parliament, their opponents passed a motion on Friday that slashed state funding of PM Mahinda Rajapaksa and his ministers. The 122-0 vote in a 225-member Parliament will halt payment of salaries and travel expenses for the office of the disputed PM. The SL parliament has been in a political gridlock since Sirisena fired and replaced PM Ranil Wickremesinghe with Rajapaksa in October. more..

Dec 2 (Island) It seems that Sri Lanka�s highly paid cricketers and their coaching staff seem to be of the view that the whole world is against them! England handed them a cricketing lesson during the bilateral series that lasted for two months. The foremost of them is if you fail to prepare, you prepare to fail. Yet the Sri Lankans seem to be thinking that there are mysterious forces working against them every time they are in more..

Dec 2 (SO) SL has the capacity and willingness to service int'l debts regardless of the political situation the country faces. The country will have to service foreign debt amounting to US $ 5 billion in the years to come, Secretary General and Chief Economist, National Economic Council (NEC), Prof. Lalith Samarakoon said at a high level discussion on SL�s Economic Challenges in 2019 in Colombo last week. The country�s debt composition is: Int'l debts US$ 30 billion and $ 32 billion in domestic debts. more..

Dec 2 (AT) Pottu Amman, the renowned and dreaded spy-master of LTTE �did not die during the last days of war in May 2009 as widely believed�, but is still alive and kicking. In September 2009, Sri Lanka�s Deputy Solicitor-General Kapila Waidyaratne informed the Colombo High Court that Prabhakaran and Pottu Amman had been killed in May 2009 in Karaithuraipatru and that their names should be removed from those charged with Kadirgamar's assassination. more..

Dec 2 (CT) In the midst of admiration and a standing ovation at the Shangri-La Hotel MUNCHEE is crowned The Brand of the Year for the 6th time transforming Munchee to be boldly recognized and accepted as An Invincible Champion in this decathlon of Branding Excellence. Munchee impressively emerged six times winner of Brand of the Year title and eight times winner of Product Brand of the Year title in the 17-year history more..

Dec 2 (EN) Sri Lanka's finance ministry has been instructed to cut an illiberal sugar tax, by which could reduce retail prices of sweetened drinks by almost 30%, a statement said. The orders were given following a meeting of businesses making fruit and carbonated drinks and biscuits with disputed PM Mahinda Rajapaksa. The statement said the finance ministry had been asked to relieve sweetened fruit drinks by up to 09 grams from the tax, and carbonated drinks by up to 06 grams. more..

Dec 2 (Island) Braybrooke Residential Towers (Pvt) Ltd, Friday signed an agreement with the BoI for TRI-ZEN a pioneering residential development. The project is a joint venture between JK Land (Pvt) Ltd (subsidiary of John Keells Holdings) and Indra Traders (Pvt) Ltd and the project will be marketed and managed by John Keells under its brand John Keells Properties. Located in the heart of the city at Union Place, the 53-storey development is set to redefine urban living in Sri Lanka. more..

Dec 2 (ST) Country�s newest Rs.1 billion tagline So Sri Lanka set to propel the destination as a unique travel hotspot has turned into a white elephant with the campaign coming to a virtual standstill, tourism industry specialists complain. The post-publicity campaign following the launch of latest travel campaign So Sri Lanka is currently on hold following the political changes since Oct 26 since no payments can be made for its continuation. more..

Dec 2 (CT) Chairman of the National Child Protection Authority (NCPA), H.M. Abayarathne slammed politicians and the Police force for encouraging school children to consume liquor. �Politicians were mainly responsible for the liquor business and their selling market were innocent schoolchildren�, Abayarathne said. �Even the Police don�t take action against them as the Police are of the view that this was their way of survival�, he further said. more..

Dec 2 (ST) Undeterred by questions over the legality of the govt, Minister Bandula Gunwardana is making a new trade policy. This will include incentives to Sri Lankans living abroad to encourage them to invest their money in Govt-approved projects for a five-year period tax free. It will be a no questions asked policy on the source of the money and could include money gained overseas by businesses, sale of property and gem businesses among others, Mr. Gunawardena said. more..

Dec 2 (ST) The ICC has made it mandatory for anybody wishing to join its Board of Directors to not have any links with the betting or gaming industry. This requirement was earlier only in the body�s Code of Ethics. But in a recent move, the ICC has made it a part of its mandatory Eligibility Criteria for the Board of Directors. �As part of a regular review of policies and procedures, we have refreshed the Director Eligibility Criteria more..

Dec 2 (CT) Colombo inflation, which was on a decelerating trend in the last two months, upto October, decelerating from 5.9% in August to 3.1% in October, rose last month to 3.3% despite fuel prices being cut twice last month after Prez Sirisena sacked his then PM Ranil Wickremesinghe and in his place appointed former President Mahinda Rajapaksa on 26 Oct. This increase was led by rising food and non food prices. In related developments, Govt on Friday borrowed more..

Dec 2 (AD) Ada Derana has reliably learned that the UNP has officially informed the TNA that their nominee for the post of P< is UNP Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe. UNP Chairman Kabir Hashim has informed of their decision on the nominee for the post of premiership via a letter submitted to TNA Leader R. Sampanthan. In the letter, MP Hashim has thanked Sampanthan regarding the letter sent by the TNA to President Maithripala Sirisena on the matter of the appointment of a PM. more..

Dec 2 (AFP) Sri Lanka Saturday slashed a tax on sugary drinks in a controversial reversal of an anti-diabetes policy that attracted immediate criticism. The finance ministry ordered an immediate 40% reduction in the levy as part of a package of tax cuts launched by the disputed govt to win over public opinion as a bitter power struggle intensifies. But health campaigners and a former minister condemned the move more..

Dec 2 (ST) One-year no pay leave will be granted to female public officers to obtain fertility treatment to have a baby, according to a decision taken by the Cabinet recently. The Ministry of Finance and Economic Affairs has, in a circular informed all state institutions that the rules have been revised to include this benefit for women employees in the public sector. No-pay leave up to one year would be granted for female public officers to spend in or out of the island to obtain treatments for more..

Dec 2 (EN) President Maithripala Sirisena appeared to have softened his hardline position and was seeking a face-saving exit from the political crisis of his making, according to legislators who had closed-door talks with him. The president was acutely aware of the consequences should the Supreme Court this week hold that his Nov 9 sacking of parliament was illegal, a Tamil legislator at talks on Friday evening said. The TNA leader R. Sampanthan assured Sirisena that more..

Dec 2 (ST) A former LTTE cadre surrendered to Police yesterday over the killing of two police constables at a checkpoint in Batticaloa and the removal of their weapons, a senior officer said yesterday. The suspect, identified as R. Saravanandan, 48, a resident of Vattakachchi in Kilinochchi, surrendered to the Kilinochchi police station claiming he was responsible for the killings at Vavunathivu in Batticaloa. more..

Dec 2 (DM) All three Nikayas have decided to advise the rulers to go for general election to elect the most suitable representatives to put an end to the current political deadlock, the Secretary General of the Asgiriya Chapter of the Shyamopali Maha Nikaya Ven. Dr. Medagama Dhammananda Thera said. Speaking at the Sanga Samuluwa held at the Nelum Pokuna auditorium in Colombo to demand a general election in order to put an end to the current political impasse he asserted that more..

Dec 2 (DM) UNP Deputy Leader Sajith Premadasa said he had no intention of accepting the post of Prime Minister at this point in time but indicated that he could be the party's prime ministerial candidate at a future general election. Mr. Premadasa said this at a media briefing when responding to s question asked by the journalists with regard to a statement made by UNP spokesman Harin Fernando that Mr. Premadasa would be party's prime ministerial candidate at a future general election. more..

Dec 2 (ST) Six weeks after ousting a PM, installing another, forming a new govt, proroguing and later dissolving Parliament, President Maithripala Sirisena is now seeking a political ceasefire and a negotiated settlement for the impasse between the executive and the legislature. Though not an easy task, it has become the highlight of expanded backchannel moves with his blessings. more..

Dec 2 (Island) Much ink has flowed discussing recent events and much moral judgement offered; another such piece is redundant. My focus today is on the next stage. By way of preface I first put down a few facts on paper. Love him or hate him, Ranil was removed from office unconstitutionally; Mahinda�s appointment is illegal; parliament was prorogued in bad faith and dissolved unconstitutionally; twice it was disrupted aggressively; pro-Rajapaksa MPs walk out as more..

Dec 2 (Island) In the present constitutional-political crisis, which began in the evening of October 26, 19th Amendment to the 1978 Constitution has come under severe scrutiny. Underlying it is a war of interpretations between two opposing camps of jurists, lawyers, political activists and of course informed citizens. Meanwhile, Sri Lanka�s current political debate is so sharply polarized that a middle ground has not yet emerged in this war of constitutional interpretations. more..

Dec 2 (CT) Hark the festive month of December is upon us signalling not just the advent of Christmas, but the start of the tourist season (which this year is predicted to be less than favourable) as well as the cyclical arrival of masses of Sri Lankan expats craving their winter escape and non-stop holiday excitement in the motherland. In their minds no one parties like our islanders do between Christmas and New Year. more..

Dec 2 (ST) A TNA delegation led by R. Sampanthan was at the Presidential Secretariat on Friday evening for a meeting with President Maithripala Sirisena to discuss ways of resolving the current political crisis. The meeting started late due to another engagement of the President and went on for more than one hour with the President trying to explain to them why he had to make the decision of replacing PM Ranil more..

Dec 2 (Island) The current crisis is a contestation about the nature of SL and her future. Will the country continue along the path of democracy or will she re-embrace some form of autocracy? Will rule of law prevail or will it be replaced by the law of the rulers? Will justice remain a possibility or will impunity become sovereign again? Is SL a country of free men and women or a land yearning for the heavy hand of a political more..

Dec 2 (CT) The grip around IGP Pujith Jayasundara, who is already in trouble for allegedly attempting to cover-up a high profile assassination plot, is tightening with Prez Sirisena mulling to lodge an official complaint with the National Police Commission. Prez acknowledged that he was extremely concerned about two letters in connection with the controversial transfer of IP Nishantha Silva being leaked to various parties, more..

Dec 2 (CT) Insisting there are no plans to back-off from the Govt or from office, appointed PM Mahinda Rajapaksa said he will not resign from the post. Speculations were rife after reports emerged suggesting that Rajapaksa offered to step-down from the post following a purported meeting between him and sacked PM Ranil Wickremesinghe on Friday (30) at Parliament Library. He said that any future political decision will depend on SC decision more..

Dec 2 (SO) President Maithripala Sirisena, PM Mahinda Rajapaksa and former PM Ranil Wickremesinghe have come to an agreement to do whatever is necessary to resolve the current political impasse. They are keen to ensure that the country doesn�t face any economic repercussions in the coming weeks. President met members of the TNA and UNF on Friday (30) with discussions going deep into the night, more..