Jan 29 (DM) Some of the promises given by the two main candidates of the last Prez election had attracted the attention of even the people who are normally not concerned about them. They were interested in those promises especially due to the somewhat amusing competition between the two candidates in those issues and their uncertainty of them being implemented by any one of the candidates after assuming office. When SLPP candidate Gotabaya Rajapaksa promised at more..

Jan 29 (DM) Journalists are generally a pompous lot. I have been one for long enough to know this. The arrogance comes with the territory. Most of my colleagues feel that the extraordinary work they do and possibly the really bad hours they keep, entitle them to be a cut above the rest. Old school journalism teaches new comers to be cynics, take information critically. This is the sneering extreme of that attitude. You can be arrogant as long as the stories are solid and, it is a big and, more..

Jan 29 (DM) While the Department of National Archives is currently undergoing a much-deserved facelift, its doors are open to many researchers, academics and students who walk day in and day out, accessing and perusing important documents of yesteryear. The ongoing construction work and various other improvements were brought to light by the existing Director General Dr. Nadeera Rupesinghe. more..

Jan 29 (FT) WSO2 partnered with Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) faculty and staff to bring six students to its Colombo office to learn Ballerina, an open source programming language for cloud-era application developers, and to explore SL culture. This visit was part of the annual Independent Activities Period conducted by MIT where members of the MIT community can organise, sponsor, and participate in a wide variety of activities more..

Jan 29 (Island) The National Peace Council (NPC) urged President Gotabaya Rajapaksa to decide whether the national anthem will be sung in Tamil on Independence Day as soon as possible. "An issue that has surfaced and which is causing heartburn among Tamil-speaking citizens is the likelihood that the national anthem will not be sung in Tamil at the forthcoming National Independence Day celebrations. more..

Jan 29 (ST) Crowds gathered at the Matara General Hospital as the news of a 25-year-old man giving birth to a child spread like wild fire this week. The person who was born a woman had undergone gender reassignment surgery. However he was known to most as a three-wheeler driver in Dondra town in Matara. He had a girlfriend too. He was initially admitted to a male ward at the Matara General Hospital with severe stomach ache, more..

Jan 29 (EN) The new govt�s policies were formulated years before implementation says Nalaka Godahewa, Key Advisor to the Govt and former Chairman of the SEC. �When our leader of Viyathmaga, Prez Rajapaksa was appointed, the policies we developed over the years became national policy,� Godahewa said. �For 4 years a group of professionals discussed what the economic policy of the future govt should be, but more..

Jan 29 (EN) PM Mahinda Rajapaksa has expressed satisfaction at the precautions taken and preparedness shown in managing the possible challenges posed from the coronavirus in Sri Lanka, the PM�s media unit said yesterday. He urged the media and social media to act with responsibility in reporting on related developments. Clear guidelines have been issued by the Ministry of Health and more..

Jan 29 (AD) A university that is similar to the Batticaloa Campus has been constructed in Beruwala named as the Jamiah Naleemiah Islamic Institute Moulavi Mohamed Salley Thaseem said testifying before the PCoI probing the Easter Sunday terror attacks. The inquiries of the PCoI were focused on Moulavi Thaseem�s position as the Assistant Secretary to the All Ceylon Muslim Professionals� Organization and more..

Jan 29 (EN) Sri Lanka will call international tenders for a 300MegaWatt coal plant in the island�s North Western coast as an extension to an existing coal complex, State Minister Mahindanda Aluthgamage said. The plant if built would be the fourth at a Chinese-built coal power complex in Norochcholai in Puttalam district. People in the vicinity of the coal complex had been suffering from ash and coal dust. more..

Jan 29 (EN) Sri Lanka�s drug regulatory agency will put price controls on face masks, a top official said as pharmacies ran out of supplies after a tourist from China tested positive for a deadly corona virus. Some pharmacies had completely run out of stocks, and surgical masks were being sold at over 10 to 20 times the normal price, some customers complained. �Very soon we will be issuing a gazette more..

Jan 29 (AD) 66 more SL students who were living in China have returned to the island. The group of students, boarded two flights belonging to a Chinese airline and SriLankan Airlines, had reached BIA last night. In the meantime, 110 more SL students are scheduled to arrive in the island today, Charg� D�Affaires of SL Embassy in Beijing K.K. Yoganaadan said, adding that 380 students have departed for SL so far. more..

Jan 29 (AD) Former Minister Champika Ranawaka�s driver Thusitha Dilum Kumara has given an hour-long confidential statement to the Colombo Additional Magistrate. He had provided the confidential statement before Colombo Additional Magistrate Kanchana Neranjana de Silva within the latter�s chamber today while it had lasted for around one hour. Kumara, who is the driver of MP Champika Ranawaka, was arrested and remanded over an alleged hit-and-run accident more..

Jan 29 (FT) India, a land with a diverse culture and heritage, is no doubt the centre of the South Asia that can take rest of the countries surrounding it to greater economic prosperity within the next few decades. This article is not a technical analysis of India and its opportunities, but a message to ordinary Sri Lankans to get a general idea of the opportunities that are available that could change our economic prosperity for the betterment by working in greater partnership with our more..

Jan 29 (CT) Often times, there comes the occasion at which we need to also tell people some things which they need to hear and it's not all about trying to persuade people into agreeing with what needs to be said. It's also meant to ensure that it's not everything that most people hear about that constitutes the whole unfettered truth. Ananda Samarakoon, author of a poem that later came to be adopted as SL's National Anthem, is believed to have committed suicide at a still very young more..

Jan 29 (NR) MP Ranjan Ramanayake, who was arrested and remanded on charges of interfering with the functions of the judiciary, has been further remanded until the 12 of February. The order was issued by Nugegoda Additional Magistrate HUK Pelpola. Former Minister Ranjan Ramanayake was arrested on the 14 of this month by officers attached to the Colombo Crimes Division at his official residence in Madiwela following an arrest warrant issued by the Nugegoda Magistrate. more..

Jan 29 (DM) Forest conservationists are reported to be up in arms against moves by the Ministry of Environment, Wildlife, Lands and Land Development to vest a landmass which lies within the Pidurutalagala forest reserve with the people after dividing it into plots. Ministry is said to have prepared a Cabinet memorandum to be submitted for approval soon and according to a copy of the leaked document, ministry is seeking more..

Jan 29 (DN) The former UNP-led Good Governance Govt is indebted Rs. 2,300 million to fertilizer companies, leading to the current acute shortage of fertiliser in the country, Minister Chamal Rajapaksa said. He said the incumbent Govt led by Prez Rajapaksa and PM Rajapaksa has to pay Rs. 600 million under trying circumstances to obtain fertiliser for the distribution among farmers. He made these observations at a meeting in Weeraketiya following the inauguration of the Wari Saubhagya more..

Jan 29 (AD) A total of 23 patients, who are suspected to have been infected by the new coronavirus, were admitted to the Infectious Disease Hospital (IDH) since last Friday (24), says Dr. Sudath Samaraweera. Samples collected from 8 patients were sent for testing, and reports of three patients have already been received while the rest of the reports are still pending, he said further. He stated that one of these patients were tested positive while other 2 patients were tested negative. more..

Jan 29 (EN) The CID has recorded a statement from UNP Leader, former PM Ranil Wickremesinghe, as part of its investigation into the Easter Sunday attacks. The statement was recorded on Saturday (25). AG�s Department has informed the court that as part of its new probe into the six suicide attacks that killed 260 people, police would be questioning former Prez Sirisena and Speaker Karu Jayasuriya as well. more..

Jan 29 (EN) Ella, that lovely mountain resort which is now a popular tourist destination in Sri Lanka is awash with garbage because there isn�t enough space in the town dump for the waste. Ella PS Chairman, Amila Basnayaka said the ten perch land reserved as a garbage disposal site is too small. The dump which was built more than a decade ago �according to the needs of the town. It�s too small for today�s needs, he said. Basnayaka also said that managing waste is a challenge. more..

Jan 29 (FT) Minister Mahinda Amaraweera yesterday said a draft version of the National Policy on Transport had been submitted to Cabinet for approval. The draft, which has been formulated by the ministry with the participation of concerned stakeholders, seeks to promote the efficient movement of people and goods in support of sustainable economic development and social inclusion to provide access to all, provide a safe and secure transport system which minimises more..

Jan 29 (EN) Govt has not decided to close schools or postpone sports meets due to novel coronavirus ((2019-nCoV) which is mostly spread in mainland China, Acting Education Minister Bandula Gunawardana said. He said that an unnecessary fear has been created among the parents and school children about the influenza virus. Secretary to the Ministry of Education N.H.M Chithrananda said that Ministry has more..

Jan 29 (SLN) The first day of the Colombo Naval Exercise 2020 (CONEX 20) organized by the SL Navy for the second time, came to a successful end on 28th Jan 2020. Offshore Patrol Vessels, Inshore Patrol Vessels and Fast Attack Craft belong to the SL Navy joined in the first day of CONEX 20, which was organized for the successful second time. Apart from that, MI 17 helicopter of the SL Air Force also joined the exercise. On this first day, passage through mined waters, Towing Exercises, more..

Jan 29 (EN) Profits at John Keells Holdings (JKH) fell 50% to 2.39 billion rupees in the Dec 2019 quarter from a year earlier, with a recovery in retail, consumer foods and bunkering, overshadowed by losses in hotels and lower interest income. JKH reported earnings of 1.82 rupees per share for the quarter, while the firm�s share closed 50 cents up at 161 at the CSE on Wednesday. JKH, which is the country�s largest listed firm reported 3.46 rupees in earnings per share for the nine months more..

Jan 29 (UCAN) Media professionals are pressuring the govt to take action on the killing and disappearance of journalists in SL. Six media collectives organized an open forum and a vigil in Colombo on Jan 28. There were 138 cases of attacks on journalists and media institutes during the past decade and, according to the International Committee to Protect Journalists, 16 journalists and media workers have been killed since 2005. more..

Jan 29 (AD) People should not have unwarranted fear about being contaminated with the new coronavirus, says the Consultant Epidemiologist of Ministry of Health Dr. Deepa Gamage. She pointed out that wearing face masks is not required if a person does not have any medical conditions. If individuals make sure to maintain regular distance, not to kiss or come into contact with droplets of saliva from an infected person, it is unlikely that this new coronavirus is spread through air, more..

Jan 29 (DM) Health officials in the Badulla District had raised objections over the govt�s decision to transfer students arriving from China and people infected with coronavirus to Diyatalawa Army camp. Badulla District GMOA President Palitha Rajapaksa said that they were doubtful on what basis the students and coronavirus infected people are brought to Diyatalawa Army camp. He said that if people brought to Diyatalawa Army camp fell sick there, even Badulla Hospital was not more..

Jan 29 (FT) The Attorney General (AG) and members of a Commission of Inquiry (CoI), appointed by Prez Gotabaya Rajapaksa to probe the alleged political victimisation of public officials and tri-forces personnel under the previous administration, are headed for a showdown after the AG rejected an order by the CoI to halt the case against former Navy Commander Admiral Wasantha Karannagoda and former Navy Spokesman more..

Jan 29 (CT) The Sri Lanka Customs said they have not taken a policy decision to ban the import of Chinese goods despite the Coronavirus scare that has hit Sri Lanka. SL Customs Director and Media Spokesperson, Sunil Jayaratne, said quarantine services at BIA were being maintained and that air cargo has been quarantined and checked as usual. He added that there had been a drop in Chinese imports in the last few days on account of the ongoing Chinese New Year celebrations. more..

Jan 29 (Island) Time had come to liberalise laws that govern divorce in line with social realities, Minister of Justice, Nimal Siripala de Silva said at the opening of the new court complex at Laggala. "Ministry has a big responsibility with regards to law reforms. If we look at the courts, there are a lot of divorce cases. We have no authority to force people to stay married. Therefore, taking into consideration the social realities, we must think of changing laws to make getting a divorce easy," he said. more..

Jan 29 (EN) Sri Lanka�s health sector needs to improve current standards of Long Term Care (LTC) in order to treat increasing numbers of patients with Non-communicable diseases (NCD), a new Asian Development Bank report says. �The number of older people living alone has been increasing over time across all age groups 60 years and above,� the Dec 2019 ADB report on ageing population said. more..

Jan 29 (NR) A general amnesty period has been declared for Lankan expatriates remaining in South Korea, violating Immigration and Emigration regulations. The amnesty period will be in effect for a period of six months from the 11th of Dec 2019 till the 30th of June this year. Those remaining in Korea illegally, after the visa expired, must submit their passport, consent form to leave and boarding pass to the nearest Immigration & Emigration office in Korea during the amnesty period. more..

Jan 29 (DN) Mullaithivu Magistrate S. Lenin Kumar issued warrant to arrest former Northern Provincial Council member M.K. Sivajilingam and produce him in court. During a protest held in the Wattuwakal area in Mullaithivu demanding the returning of lands Sivajilingham and T. Raviharan had verbally abused and threatened the land officer and surveyor of the area and obstructed their duties. They had also damaged their vehicle. Mullaithivu Police had filed charges against them. more..

Jan 29 (MT) Myanmar appealed to Sri Lanka to stop the abuse of the elephant it donated to a Buddhist temple six years ago, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement. Myanmar Embassy in Colombo also asked the SL authorities to punish those who persecuted the elephant as seen in videos in uploaded in the social media, the statement added. The elephant, which was named Myan Kumara, was donated by Myanmar more..

Jan 30 (CT) A SL President, as reported by the BBC, New York Times and The Telegraph (UK) and not contradicted by him up to this time of writing, has for the first time dropped the bombshell that 20,000 Tamils were killed in the civil war. Before commenting on that let me discuss devolution. Allow me these premises. 1. Gota is on record as having said devolution is not possible because the majority are opposed. 2. I (KD) agree that this is factually correct. The Sinhalese are strongly opposed, more..

Jan 30 (CT) In July 2013, the Island published an article entitled Justice in slow motion corrodes Sri Lanka�s economy. Six and a half years later it is worth revisiting. Nobody in authority seems to have been paying attention to the important content of this article. In terms of the law�s delays, the situation is now much worse than in 2013. One of the concluding remarks of this article is worth restating: A lawyer mindset can lead to attempting solutions based on rules and dictates. more..

Jan 30 (Roar) Dayaseeli (53) was only 21 when she was diagnosed with leprosy�debilitating infectious disease that causes severely disfiguring sores on the body. Because of the severity of the disease patients are shunned from society, despite modern science having discovered means of curing the disease. Dayaseeli remembers to date how her married sister was reluctant to visit her for fear of contracting the disease. more..

Jan 30 (DM) The govts of SL has thrived on the divide and rule policy. And the irony of it is that the people of this island have fallen for this trap for far too long. This is the practice that the British adopted after they set foot in the island and secured controlling power through the Kandyan Convention in 1815. But the difference between the British and the SL Govts which were in power later on is that the former, despite making subtle divisions in society, carried out much development work more..