Sep 4 (CT) I am compelled to write or rather compose this piece (hardly anyone with a computer writes these days), in response to some comments and questions raised by Colombo Telegraph readers on my earlier note on, Anti-Muslim Lobbies & Immigration Control in the West, appeared on 27 Aug. Why do Muslims migrate to the West instead of migrating to any one or more of the 58 Muslim majority countries that are members of an impotent Organization of the Islamic Congress (OIC)? more..

Sep 4 (CT) There was much speculation in the recent past as to the prospective candidate to be fielded by the JO/SLPP. In that scenario, former Defence Secretary, Gotabaya Rajapaksa was identified as the likely candidate, and he demonstrated his readiness to come forward, as he was also urged recently by the Anunayake, Ven. Wenduruwe Upali Thero. Apparently, the Buddhist hierarchy has been in agreement, and Gotabaya Rajapaksa forged ahead to stabilize his more..

Sep 4 (SO) First Enterprise Sri Lanka exhibition held in Moneragala last week was a resounding success with a large number of people of all ages thronging to witness the 3-day exposition whilst reigniting the true entrepreneurship spirit in the rural district, say organisers. The Enterprise SL 2018 National Exhibition, an initiative of the Ministry of Finance and Mass Media, consisted of 12 zones and 515 trade stalls of private & public sectors. more..

Sep 4 (ST) It is in the nature of politics that those who take to this more than dubious vocation make promises they cannot keep and pledges they do not intend to fulfill. Those acquainted with our post-independence history would know well enough that SL politics is sinking deeper into a morass of its own creation and the morality early politicians brought to political conduct has all but vanished. We are now rotten to the core. The country is saddled with a corrupt, uneducated and morally eviscerated more..

Sep 4 (Island) The JVP has warned of a govt move to restructure the Employees� Provident Fund (EPF) in bid to invest workers� savings in the stock exchange, etc., as we reported. The govt, JVP leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake has said, is planning to amend the EPF Act to achieve its objective. EPF, being eyed by greedy politicians of every stripe, is in the same predicament as a comely damsel in a rough neighbourhood, fearing for her safety with desperados lusting after her. more..

Sep 4 (CT) Minister Mangala Samaraweera says that he is totally in favour of the 20th Amendment brought by the JVP. Q: Is Mangala Samaraweera among the list of names of Common Candidates for the next Presidential Election? A: Definitely not. Q: Are you planning to present a Common Candidate this time? A: Actually, if we consider this as a Party, especially a majority of activists of our Party at grassroots level is more..

Sep 4 (CT) Nobel laureate Kailash Satyarthi who is a proponent of child rights made a startling revelation on child labour around the world giving horrifying statistics. According to Satyarthi around the world 152 million children were working as child labourers. Half of them were working in the worst form of child labour as slaves, drug peddlers, child soldiers, child prostitution and in hazardous situations such as mining and dealing in chemicals. It is in this backdrop that this great more..

Sep 4 (CT) Sir Robert Peel, who was appointed as Prime Minister of Great Britain twice and held the position of Home Secretary, is considered the founder of the modern British Police Service which we inherited. In 1819, while the British Police was being reformed, he said that the Police are the Public and the Public are the Police; the Police being only members of the public who are paid to give full-time attention to duties which are incumbent on every citizen in the interest of community, more..

Sep 4 (ST) Inadequate govt revenue is a fundamental economic weakness and concern. People are opposed to paying taxes while demanding higher public expenditure. The inadequacy of revenue collection is clear when compared with other countries. Our tax revenue has been well below what it should be at this stage of development. It should be about 20% of GDP at this stage of development. Revenue as a proportion of GDP has been on a declining trend till last yr. more..

Sep 4 (Island) A meeting held by the Kandy Regional Office of the Human Rights Commission in support of victims of torture on June 29, 2018 raised again concerns with regard to impunity of the police, and failures of the legal system. The programme at the meeting provided an opportunity for a woman torture victim from Mahiyangana to recount her experience in a public forum. She alleged that she and her son had been tortured by officers of the Mahiyangana police. more..

Sep 4 (Roar) Almost ten years after the end of the civil war, reconciliation remains an unclear objective. Although of one nation, the Sinhalese and Tamil communities have little interaction, and are yet to find a shared identity. This aspect of reconciliation is being tackled by Chrysalis, an affiliate of CARE International that is focused on women and youth. Partnered with YOUth Create, they have made some headway at more..

Sep 4 (CT) Under the guidance of Minister of Sports Faiszer Musthapha, Sri Lanka Cricket has decided to felicitate 49 past cricketers who represented Sri Lanka prior to obtaining full membership of the ICC, as a move to honour them for the services rendered to cricket. Accordingly, SLC will grant ex-gratia payments for 12 cricketers who are over 65 years and currently living in SL. Each of the selected past cricketers will be given a payment of Rs. 25,000 per month for one year, more..

Sep 4 (ST) The intended combined rowing competitions � the National Novice and Intermediate Championship and the Inter-School Championship � will not take place as planned according to sources of Amateur Rowing Association of SL. The twin competition was scheduled to be held from Aug 29 and Sept 2 on the 2000m rowing course on the Diyawannawa Rowing Centre in Koswatte, Rajagiriya. The reason behind the indefinite postponement according to more..

Sep 4 (DN) Sports Minister Faizer Mustapha said that despite high hopes of winning medals at the just concluded 18th Asian Games held in Jakarta, Indonesia, it was disappointing that our sportsmen and sportswomen failed to perform as expected. He also said that there are shortcomings regarding sports in SL and that there is a difference of opinion that various sports associations and sports clubs have. more..

Sep 4 (EN) SL palm oil growing plantations companies have banded together in a new association following concerns raised by environmental authorities and a temporary halt to new planting. Businesses with a cumulative investment of about Rs 26 billion in oil palm formed an industry association under the aegis of the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce. Palm Oil Industry Association (POIA) aims to promote common interests and advocate Sustainable Growth more..

Sep 4 (CT) Deputy Solicitor General Sumathi Dharmawardene informed the Court of Appeal that after having amended the existing sports regulation in the country, after talks with the ICC, steps will be taken to hold the election of officer-bearers to SLC. The DSG made this submission in Court when a petition filed by former SLC Secretary Nishantha Ranatunga, urging the Appeal Court to deem that the list of nominations handed over for the earlier SLC election, by its former Prez Thilanga more..

Sep 4 (Island) Sri Lanka Cricket has asked opening batsman Danushka Gunathilaka to pull up his socks following his repeated off the field troubles. The 27-year-old was fined and handed a six match suspension that saw him miss the entire limited overs leg of the recent bilateral series against South Africa for breaching team curfew. SL team will assemble at RPS tomorrow to resume training ahead of Asia Cup tournament. more..

Sep 4 (AB) Saudi Arabia has reportedly pledged $300 million in aid to Sri Lanka for water supply projects and agricultural, education and health sector development. Saudi ambassador Abdul Nazar Al Hardi announced the assistance project to reporters during a visit to a road development project in Padiyatalawa in eastern Sri Lanka on Sunday. �We are happy to assist Sri Lanka and look forward to strengthening bilateral ties with Sri Lanka,� he said. more..

Sep 4 (EN) SL farmers should shift into higher value agriculture to avoid being trapped in low-wage subsistence farming, Minister Mangala Samaraweera said. The govt needs to undertake more difficult and challenging reforms in order to drive future economic growth and development, he told the CEOs Forum 2018, organised by the Postgraduate Institute of Management Alumni Association. �This entails improving the competitiveness of the economy, so that more..

Sep 4 (FT) In the backdrop of the Finance Ministry preparing its Budget for 2019, CB Governor Dr. Indrajit Coomaraswamy has called for strong deficit control, as any fiscal slippage could make it more challenging for SL to meet an estimated $15 billion in debt repayments starting next year. Govt is expected to announce Prez Elections in the second half of 2019, and economists have voiced concern over the possibility of more..

Sep 4 (CT) A senior businessman, highlighting that there had been a drastic increase in the illegal production and inbound smuggling of liquor, said that the price increases imposed by the Govt were costing the State billions of rupees. Distilleries Company of SL Chairman Harry Jayawardena told shareholders, �Compared with last year, we noted a drastic increase in the illegal production of liquor.� �The Company also observed that a large amount of spirit is being smuggled into the country, more..

Sep 4 (Island) Belluna Co., a Tokyo Stock Exchange � First Section listed company, and a significant player in the global real estate industry, reiterates its commitment to forge new paths for both the local real estate and hospitality market with the confirmation of further projects in the country valued up to US$ 500 million, a press release said. It adds - �Having recently launched the ultra-luxurious resort, Le Grand in Galle together with Asia Capital PLC, the two companies more..

Sep 4 (AD) There have been no preparations to purchase new seats for the Chamber of the Parliament, the Speaker�s Office stated issuing a press release. The claims by certain media that the parliament is planning to purchase 232 new seats for its Chamber are completely false and baseless. The announcement further states that there are no plans to change the carpets of the Chamber either. The standpoint of the Speaker is that more..

Sep 4 (EN) Sri Lanka is reviewing how to reduce airport fees to make the country more competitive with the rest of Asia and make the country more attractive to tourists tourism minister said. "A review is being done as to how best we could reduce the landing charges, fueling charges and airport taxes," Amaratunga said. He admitted that excessive airport fees are being passed on to airline ticket prices to Sri Lanka, making the country less attractive for potential tourists. more..

Sep 4 (DN) SL govt will open a new vocational training institute, Korean Tech, in Orugodawatte to provide technical, vocational education and training for Sri Lankan youth with an investment of Rs 2,500 million shortly. Korean Tech, funded by the Korean govt is slated to open in January next year and will recruit 2,000 selected candidates per annum for eight different courses which include Automotive Technology, Robotics, Computer Numerical Control (CNC) technology, Welding Technology, more..

Sep 4 (CT) TNA MP M.A. Sumanthiran is calling on the Govt to immediately hold the debate on the report of the Presidential Commission that investigated the Bonds scam, allegedly perpetrated by Perpetual Treasuries, because the debate was put off for the wrong reasons. He said that before the debate the Party Leaders had agreed the debate could go ahead if the Commission report was made available to the MPs in English. more..

Sep 4 (AD) Ven. Bengamuwe Nalaka Thero, Ven. Magalkande Sudatta Thero, Ven Ittekande Saddhatissa Thero and Ven. Madille Panyaloka Thero who were arrested over a case of damaging public property have been produced at the Fort Magistrate�s Court and granted bail. Gangodawila Magistrate�s Court had issued arrest warrants on Ven. Bengamuwe Nalaka Thero, Ven. Magalkande Sudatta Thero, Ven Ittekande Saddhatissa Thero and Ven. Madille Panyaloka Thero over more..

Sep 4 (FT) Vipula Gunatilleka has been appointed as the Interim Group CEO with immediate effect at SriLankan Airlines. He re-joined SriLankan as the Group Chief Operating and Finance Officer of SriLankan Airlines from 1 Aug. Gunatilleka held the position of CFO at SriLankan Airlines when the Airline was managed by Emirates, and played a pivotal role during the management transition from Emirates Airline to the Govt of SL. He has held senior leadership positions across companies more..

Sep 4 (Island) SriLankan Airlines has paid Rs. 18.8 billion as part of a penalty for the cancellation of the four Airbus A350-900 leases in the 2015/2016 and 2016/2017 financial years, Presidential Commission of Inquiry (PCoI) was told. Yasantha Dissanayake, the Head of Financial Management at SriLankan, told the PCoI the penalty accounted for one third of the losses incurred by the airline between the 2014/15 and 2016/17 financial years. more..

Sep 4 (CT) The price of a 450 gram loaf of bread went up by Rs 5 with effect from midnight yesterday, but the prices of other bakery items remain the same, said President of the All Ceylon Bakers Association (ACBA), N.K. Jayawardene. However, he highlighted that the reason for the increase in the price was not due to the increase in the price of flour by the Prima Company, but rather Govt taxes imposed on palm oil which is commonly used in baking, requirement to import raw materials more..

Sep 4 (DN) Aeroflot, the Russian Airline, will re-launch regular non-stop flights to Colombo from October 28, 2018, the Moscow-based airline announced yesterday. The airline stopped regular flights to Colombo around a decade ago. The flights will operate under the winter schedule effective through March 30, 2019. Tickets are now available for purchase online and at travel agents worldwide. Five weekly flights on state-of-the-art Airbus A330 aircraft will operate on the following schedule: more..

Sep 4 (DN) PM Ranil Wickremesinghe said that according to Police reports the recorded crimes in the country have decreased by 35% while the number of cleared cases have increased by 20% during the year 2017. He was speaking at the 152nd Police Anniversary Celebrations held at Police Park Grounds yesterday. The PM, while commending Sri Lanka Police for the achievement, pointed out that of the 35,971 more..

Sep 4 (DM) The Janabalaya Kolambata, protest march organized by the JO scheduled to be held on Wednesday in Colombo, would be carried out in a peaceful way, MP Namal Rajapaksa said. He said the protest march had been organized in a way that no harm would be caused neither by the general public nor to public property. �Govt is spreading rumours that the JO protest would bring inconvenience and trouble to the general public. It is obvious that the Govt is scared of this protest more..

Sep 4 (PMD) Mr. Hemasiri Fernando, the Chairman of the People�s Bank has been appointed as the Chief of Staff of the President. He received his letter of appointment from President Maithripala Sirisena at the Presidential Secretariat, today (03). Mr. Fernando was the Chairman of the National Olympic Committee of Sri Lanka and he is a prominent personality in the civil service. He held many top posts including those of the Secretary to the PM Sirimavo Bandaranaike, Chairman of SLT, more..

Sep 4 (Island) The Joint Opposition (JO) has rejected Speaker Karu Jayasuriya's invitation to join a parliamentary group invited by the Lok Sabha as a protest against Jayasuriya's decision not to recognise the JO as the legitimate opposition. JO parliamentary group leader Dinesh Gunawardena said that the grouping wouldn't help the Sirisena-Wickremesinghe duo to deceive the Indian parliament. more..

Sep 4 (CT) In 2017, Sri Lanka sent a record 212,162 men and women as migrant labour and the number would have only increased by today. Sri Lanka�s migrant workers are known to be one of the biggest contributors of foreign remittance. During the latter period of last year, SL earned US$ 541 million in foreign worker remittances a significant chunk of the country�s GDP. This was mainly in the Gulf region as domestic aides and semi-skilled workers saw an increase of 11% from same month a yr ago, more..

Sep 4 (DM) A series of recent news reports begs attention of the people. They point the scant regard shown by the so-called people�s representatives -- the members of the Parliament, provincial councils and the local govt bodies, on the plights of the people they are said to be representing. Here are some of the reports: The proposal to increase the allowance of Members of the Colombo Municipal Council (CMC) by Rs. 20,000 was passed at the sessions held on Aug 24, said one report. more..

Sep 4 (ST) Each time 7-year-old Shanara arrives at the BIA, she is the only one in her family of six who must show a visa to enter the country of her parents� birth. Like many other children in her predicament, the girl was born during a four-year period when Rajapaksa administration had stopped granting dual citizenships to Sri Lankans holding foreign nationalities. So her parents were British at the time of her birth. more..

Sep 4 (DM) JO MP Vasudeva Nanayakkara, shares his thoughts on the current political developments in the country. Mr Nanayakkara, who is the leader of the DLF, sees that a political change is imminent in the country. Q: There are different opinions being expressed by you and others in the Joint Opposition about the presidential candidate to be fielded next time. How will it affect the unity of the JO at the end? more..