Feb 6 (DM) There is a mechanism in place to vaccinate all Sri Lankans within 3 months and to become the first country in the world to complete that task, Secretary to State Ministry of Primary Health Care, Epidemics and COVID-19 Disease Control Dr. Amal Harsha de Silva said. He said the Govt had identified locations to set up 4,000 centres where the general public could be vaccinated. �With this system in place, we hope that SL will be able to complete the vaccination programme within more..

Feb 6 (CT) One wonders whether the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights is the invisible hand behind former CID Inspector Nishantha de Silva fleeing Sri Lanka, Pivithuru Hela Urumaya (PHU) Leader, Udaya Gammanpila alleged. He said the report to be submitted to the 46th UN session stated that de Silva had fled Sri Lanka over fear of revenge. Gammanpila added that Silva, however, fled the country because there were clear more..

Feb 6 (Island) Presidential Task Force (PTF) on the exploitation of geological resources for prioritised development projects was planning to reduce taxes levied on sand mining permits, Environment Ministry said. PTF had decided to re-issue permits for sand mining in Kalu Ganga for a short period. Earlier, the Geological Survey and Mines Bureau banned sand mining in the area. Then Environment Ministry said that 246 mining permits issued for sand mining in the area would be extended. more..

Feb 6 (Island) The newly appointed Public Utilities Commission of SL (PUCSL) should look into refunding electricity consumers over Rs. 25 billion of their funds lying with the CEB, Sanjeewa Dhammika, Secretary of the Union of Electricity Consumers (UEC) said. When a person obtained an electricity connection from the CEB, he or she had to place a deposit at the regional CEB engineering office. As per SL Electricity Act, No. 20 of 2009, CEB had to pay consumers an interest on those deposits, more..

Feb 6 (ST) Board of Investment (BOI) has not created any new export processing zones (EPZs) since 2002. Of the two it tried to set up after 2018, one is tied up in legal proceedings while the other is still only inching forward, a report by the Auditor General shows. The BOI oversees 12 EPZs, although its website lists only 11. Proposals for new zones are pending since 2014. These targets were not achieved, prompting more..

Feb 6 (ST) Ayurvedic practitioners are seeking approval for at least 30 immunity boosters to help curb the COVID-19 pandemic, a senior official said. Ayurveda Commissioner K.D.C.S. Kumaratunga said that among those products, at least ten were now being examined by the Formula Committee before approval was given. He said the Ayurvedic Department was concerned that some of these immunity boosters were being advertised as a cure for COVID-19 and it was taking steps to regulate them. more..

Feb 6 (AD) Veteran Sri Lankan actress Miyuri Samarasinghe has passed away at the age of 81, family sources confirmed. Born in 1939, Samarasinghe hailed from Moratuwa. She is an alumnus of Musaeus College in Colombo. She starred in a number of popular television series namely Damini, Doo Daruwo, Sudo Sudu, Theertha Tharanaya and Irata Handana Mal as well as in renowned movies such as Madol Duwa, Baduth Ekka Horu, Ridee Thella, Yuganthaya, more..

Feb 6 (PMD) I am the leader that you searched for. I will discharge the responsibility you have entrusted to me, with commitment and dedication, President Rajapaksa pledged before the nation. �Throughout history, strong civilizations were built and nations developed by those who worked on targets by looking positively towards the future. At this juncture, our nations� development requires precisely that kind of vision�, more..

Feb 6 (Island) National Movement for Consumer Rights Protection urged the govt to make available adequate supplies of the consumer goods at reduced prices from Monday. President of the Movement Ranjith Vithanage said that it was commendable to reduce the prices of 27 goods, but the govt had to ensure that such items were actually available at those prices. �Minister of Trade says that these items can be obtained from Sathosa, Cooperatives and Q shops. more..

Feb 6 (CT) Several items including mobile phones, SIMs, and mobile phone batteries were found in the possession of a few suspects detained at the Kegalle Prison in connection with the vandalizing of several Buddha statues in Mawanella and the Easter Sunday bombings. In addition, several other suspects who are detained mainly on drug-related charges have also been found to be in possession of these items. At around 10 p.m. on Thursday (4), Prisons officers under the supervision of more..

Feb 6 (AD) Pregnant women and children aged below 18 years will not be vaccinated against COVId-19, says Chief Medical Officer of Health of Colombo Municipal Council Dr. Ruwan Wijayamuni. He noted that people should not have undue fears about getting themselves vaccinated. Dr. Wijayamuni said people with chronic health conditions and those who suffer from high blood pressure, diabetes and heart diseases more..

Feb 6 (DM) PM Mahinda Rajapaksa said India is SL�s closest friend and therefore any issue can be resolved through discussion and mutual understanding. The PM said that even a bigger problem than the one triggered over the East Container Terminal (ECT) could be addressed through discussion with each other. �India is our closest friend. We can resolve any dispute with them after talking with each other,� he said. He made these remarks in response to a query about more..

Feb 6 (KT) The UAE is a land of endless opportunities and the Covid-19 pandemic has proven that the country could rise above any challenge, said Dhamika Malraj de Silva, the SL Ambassador to the UAE. He cited that at the peak of the Covid-19 pandemic, many SL expatriates who had lost their jobs had registered for repatriation. However, they were either retained or found new opportunities, and those who left have returned to find new jobs, which showed that more..

Feb 6 (HRW) Six years ago Canada was among a group of countries that took the lead to adopt a crucial UN resolution to promote reconciliation and justice after decades of war and persecution in SL. The human rights situation on the island is again deteriorating, and it is crucial for Canada to step up to take diplomatic action once more. In a hard hitting new report, the UN high commissioner for human rights, more..

Feb 6 (ST) Digitalisation has gained traction in Sri Lanka partly as a result of the coronavirus pandemic that has now lingered for more than a year. Start-ups and e-commerce platforms have emerged to fulfil needs ranging from deliveries of services to groceries. Even the public sector began delivering limited services online. Education moved online, although issues like not having money to pay for data, not having devices or wireless connections are widespread. more..

Feb 6 (DM) A few domains registered under the .lk Domain Registry of SL hacked early this morning, LK Domain Registry's Domain Registrar Prof. Gihan Dias said. He said the issue was reported early this morning and solved by 8.30 am today. He said that the .LK DNS system is now functioning normally. However, some names may be cached in systems outside the registry, and may appear until the cache expires, he said. LK Domain Registry is currently investigating the issue and will report more..

Feb 6 (CT) Activities of tea manufacturing and tea plucking came to a standstill in several tea estates on Friday (5) as workers remained indoors as part of a token strike demanding the Rs 1,000 daily wage that was promised to them. Nearly 90% of estate workers in the Nuwara Eliya District had not reported to work. Transport in several areas also had come to a halt and shops in Hatton, Bogawanthalawa, Agarapathana, more..

Feb 7 (CT) The next session of the UNHRC will run from 22 Feb to 23 March in Geneva � the dreaded Ides of March (15 Mar) beckons. The Ides, the 74-th day in the Roman calendar, is set apart for settling debts. Will the regime in Colombo settle the debt it has evaded for a decade? It will not, it cannot! It is bound hand and foot to saffron robe and native pride. Nobody knows as yet what contrivance the military-stuffed Gotabaya regime (Executive) and the allied Mahinda govt (Parliament and Cabinet) more..

Feb 7 (CT) The first consequential announcement that the ECT deal is kaput came from PM Mahinda Rajapaksa. Early last week he was reported to have assured the port workers that the East Container Terminal (marked East on the map) �will neither be sold to any country nor handed over to any country for administration.� PM�s announcement came as a surprise to everyone, most of all to the Indian High Commission in Colombo. It was not clear if, when and how India and Japan were formally more..

Feb 7 (TM) As another year full of international sporting events unfolds and the pandemic presents bigger challenges in the sector, the Ministry of Youth and Sports is being held responsible for restructuring the sports sector as well as ensuring the issue of youth unemployment is addressed. Minister of Youth and Sports Namal Rajapaksa returns to The Hot Seat this week to provide much-needed clarifications and more..

Feb 7 (TM) For 73 long years, Sri Lankans from every walk of life have been living in hope that their elected political leaders would take them to the Promised Land, even as the countries considered as peers back then, raced ahead in their quest for development and prosperity. This long and seemingly never-ending wait reminds us of Samuel Beckett�s famed tragi-comedy, Waiting for Godot, in which 2 main characters, Vladimir and Estragon wait patiently for the arrival of Godot, more..

Feb 7 (TM) Sri Lanka, while being predominantly Sinhala-Buddhist, is a multi-ethnic nation that has even given due recognition to this fact in the country�s national flag � the lion flag. Hence, co-existence plays a key role in the country�s being. Co-existence in SL, which is currently moving forward after a three-decade war, brought to an end in 2009, could be promoted in different ways. One such situation was witnessed on Thursday (4) in Vavuniya when the country celebrated its 73rd year of more..

Feb 7 (SO) Mass Media Minister Keheliya Rambukwella said the Govt is ready to successfully face the alleged human rights violations in the final phase of the battle against terrorism and consequential developments at the upcoming UNHRC sessions in Geneva. He said, �we are quite aware that many of those allegations are fabricated and unwarranted as that was not the real situation in the North and the East. more..

Feb 7 (SO) Ten years of peace and calm. That is what we gained after the triumph against LTTE terrorism in May 2009. In case you wonder whether we have forgotten the Mathematics (now it is nearly 12 years), we have not. That hard-earned peace and tranquility evaporated in an instant on April 21, 2019 (Easter Sunday), when, on the eve of the 10th anniversary of the victory over terrorism, extremist terrorists inspired by the ISIS exploded eight bombs in churches, hotels and guesthouses in more..

Feb 7 (TM) Govt led by Prez Rajapaksa and PM Rajapaksa is now at the centre of a diplomatic quagmire, firstly by antagonising two key Asian allies � India and China � over the controversial East Container Terminal (ECT) issue at the Colombo Port. Next is the controversial issue of enforced cremation of bodies of the Covid-19 dead that has soured Sri Lanka�s diplomatic relations with Muslim countries. All these issues cannot be discounted at a time when Sri Lanka�s alleged human rights issues more..

Feb 7 (SO) Prez Rajapaksa said that he was the leader they searched for and he is a Sinhala Buddhist leader and he will never hesitate to state so. He was addressing the nation at the 73rd Independence Day celebrations on Thursday (4). He said, �I govern this country in accordance with Buddhist teachings. Within the Buddhist philosophic tradition of peaceful coexistence which gives due respect to all religions and ethnicities, every person in this country irrespective of his or her more..

Feb 7 (CT) The East Container Terminal (ECT) of the Colombo Port heated up Sri Lanka�s political circles last week. However, the issue came to a conclusion and that brought relief to every patriotic Sri Lankan. The terminal has no partnership now and is fully and permanently owned by Sri Lanka. An opportunity is open therefore before us to complete ECT construction with our own labour, technology and investment. It will be one of the primary sources of foreign exchange for Sri Lanka. more..

Feb 7 (CT) When a strong Opposition is mounted, doffing one�s hat, or bowing to it, shows the quality of the leadership. When that lowered head is raised again it then shows that minds are also lifted by it. Accepting the majority verdict is a feature of democracy. The citizens may have different views. There are also various angles through which people tend to look at certain issues. Hence, it is important to reach an agreement more..

Feb 7 (Island) Nobody would be surprised that both India and Japan are most unhappy about the Govt of SL (GOSL) allowing itself to be stampeded by port and other unions, together with a section of the Buddhist clergy, to abandon its commitment to develop and run the East Container Terminal (ECT) of the Colombo Port as a 51-49% joint venture (JV). The Sri Lanka Ports Authority (SLPA) was to retain its controlling interest and would thereby have collected over half the profits earned by JV. more..

Feb 7 (ST) The military takeover of the civilian government in Myanmar seems to have resonated in Sri Lanka as well and for good reason. For one thing, the overthrow of the democratically elected Aung San Suu Kyi Administration has to be condemned outright. The military is not supposed to be running a country. And unlike some other countries, Myanmar was, like SL, geographically so located that it could not escape the covetous eyes of the rest of the world�s attention. more..

Feb 7 (Island) With the passing of Dr. Neville Fernando, Sri Lanka has lost one of the best and brightest in our contemporary history. Sirikkattuge Neville Arthur Fernando was born on Mar 9, 1931 in the coastal town of Panadura. After attending several schools for brief periods he completed his secondary education at Ananda College, before entering the Medical Faculty of the University Ceylon in 1952. more..

Feb 7 (SO) While the emphasis has been on slashing the earnings of an under-performing Sri Lanka team and the appointment of a Cricket Committee to clean up an infested set-up, the sport�s shadowy behind-the-scene office bearers responsible for the bog down have got away Scot-free and possibly having the last laugh. The latest chapter in the episode projects the cricketers as fall guys or scapegoats while officials running the establishment who have been a law unto more..

Feb 7 (Island) Colombo Division was hectic, but it was good fun. All Three of us new ASPs, Brute Mahendran, Cosmo David and I were resident at the Officer�s Mess, Brownrigg Road. Today it is the Senior Officer�s Mess, Keppetipola Mawatha This is because during the JVP insurrection of 1971 the Inspectorate of the Police were equated to officer ranks of the armed services; and the Inspectors� Mess became the Officers� Mess. The Sergeants and Constables were also designated as more..

Feb 7 (TM) The special deposit account (SDA) facility that was announced by the Govt last year, amidst the initial outbreak of the pandemic, had attracted total deposits of approximately $ 400 million as of Jan 2021. Treasury Secretary S.R. Attygalle confirmed that the total deposits under the SDA facility has surpassed this amount. �Last month, the SDA roughly had between $ 400 and $ 500 million� he noted. more..

Feb 7 (ST) My dear Narendra Modi, I thought of writing to you because you must be confused about what is going on within the shores of your tiny southern neighbour. One minute, they are nice and sweet to you and the next minute they say they don�t want to do business with you � so I thought I will try and explain what has happened. I know you must be really annoyed because Gota maama has suddenly decided that he doesn�t want to lease the eastern part of the Colombo Port on which you had more..

Feb 7 (Island) Cricket�s most successful bowler � Muttiah Muralitharan retired from the game in 2011 and for ten years he had little involvement with Sri Lanka Cricket, although he offered his services elsewhere in the IPL and to the Australian Test team. With his appointment on Friday to the Cricket Committee headed by Aravinda de Silva that�s set to change. �To be honest, nobody asked me to get involved before. Namal called me and asked whether I can help. more..

Feb 7 (ST) It was a battle between two powerful lobbies � tile importers group & powerful interests representing local tile manufacturers. Eventually the local manufacturers, fronted by a politically powerful businessman who also controls SL�s largest added value rubber products group, won the day. The result: The last minute cancellation of a gazette which was to allow tile imports, a decision made by a powerful bureaucrat more..

Feb 7 (TM) The prospects of SL touring West Indies this month, for two Tests and three ODIs and T20Is each, became almost zero by Friday (5) after concerns over a couple of their tour party members (Mickey Arthur and Lahiru Thirimanne) testing positive for Covid-19 early last week. Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC), after consultation with Cricket West Indies (CWI), were about to officially announce that the series would be postponed to a future date. TV Derana quoted SLC President Shammi Silva more..

Feb 7 (TM) Here is another historic moment where the Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) administration is under the public microscope and faces a huge battering from its normal distracters and almost all quarters of society. Here is SLC Vice President Ravin Wickramaratne answering some of those pertinent questions that are being asked from them in the midst of a four-Test consecutive defeat of the national side. Q: On this sudden pandemonium about the collapse of SL�s most loved game? more..