May 21 (Island) The Langama Pasala, Hondama Pasala (nearest school is the best school) project, launched by previous govt to develop schools, had been halted, Ceylon Teachers union (CTU) General secretary, Joseph Stalin said. Stalin said that Rs. 64.9 billion had been earmarked for the project between 2016 and 2020. Under the project 18,000 facilities were to be constructed in 9,063 schools. �This project has been ignored since the 2019 regime change. more..

May 21 (DM) MAS Holdings has issued an official statement with regard to spike in COVID-19 cases in the Thurulie plant, Polgahawela where 380 employees tested positive for the virus. They said the management is currently working closely with the Govt Health Authorities to determine the next steps that are to be taken by the plant management and added the affected employees had been safely transferred to the company�s Care Centers. The full statement is as follows, more..

May 21 (FT) Port City Colombo, SL�s brand-new reclaimed land, slated as the Gateway to South Asia said it is now officially the country�s first service-oriented Special Economic Zone (SEZ). SL Parliament yesterday adopted a powerful Bill enabling a giant step in Port City Colombo becoming a pivotal global financial and services hub for South Asia. The act provides a stable policy environment; backed by efficient administrative processes more..

May 21 (TM) Court of Appeal today dismissed a petition filed by Chairman of the Weligama Urban Council, Rehan Wijeratne which challenged the attempt by the UNP to dismiss him from his role. Wijeratne stated that he intends to escalate this decision to the SC. �I intend to immediately appeal this decision to the SC. I am advised by attorneys representing me in this matter, Presidents Counsels Mr. Faiz Mustapha and Farman Cassim, that the necessary papers will be ready shortly,� more..

May 21 (Island) British High Commission spokesperson says the law enforcement against proscribed organisations and management of demonstrations is a matter for the police. BHC spokesperson said so when The Island sought an explanation regarding protests conducted by LTTE supporters. The Island submitted the following query to The BHC: �LTTE flags were displayed in London during a protest on Tuesday. Would the UK take action against those responsible as more..

May 21 (EN) SL�s central bank is looking at giving some relief to borrowers who are having difficulties in making loan repayments due to a third Coronavirus wave, though it may not be a sweeping moratorium, Deputy Governor Yvette Fernando said. �We have started discussions with banks and finance houses association to see how and what kind of facilitation we can give the borrowers, more..

May 21 (TM) Minister Ali Sabry today stated that there are over 5,000 economic zones with regard to the Port City. He said that the Port City is designed to emulate economic zones because of SL�s unique geographical placement. �Investments are welcome from all nationalities and not limited to one. This is to escalate employment through investment,� he said. Sabry observed that the issuing of all licenses will come under the purview of the Port City Commission, which was appointed by Prez. more..

May 21 (Island) SL was no longer capable of carrying out random sampling which helped identify clusters at an early stage during the first and second wave of the pandemic, Public Health Inspectors� Union head, Upul Rohana said. He said the country could only test about 26, 000 PCR samples a day and most of that capacity was used up to test the first-rung associates of COVID-19 cases. �There were over 3,600 COVID-19 positive cases on Wednesday. Imagine how many first-rung more..

May 21 (SCMP) SL�s parliament on Thursday passed a law installing a powerful economic commission to administer a huge Chinese luxury oceanside development after altering elements of the bill ruled unconstitutional by the country�s top court. The bill to create the Colombo Port City Economic Commission passed with a 149-58 vote in SL�s 225-member Parliament. CHEC Port City Colombo company, a unit of China Communications Construction Company, invested US$1.4 bil more..

May 21 (FT) Shammi Silva, the re-elected president of Sri Lanka Cricket, said that he would, with his team of office-bearers, expose the people behind all the bad publicity they have received running up to the election. �We want to erase the bad name of the SLC given by certain people because it is an image recognised worldwide. We have been accused of being corrupt, not performing well etc. Even at the COPE meetings, most of the news that came out of it were misreported. more..

May 21 (DM) While saying that it will not be long before the hospitals are flooded with patients, completely inundated and the medical staff are stretched way beyond their capacity, resulting in a serious breakdown of our health sector, Medical Professionals demanded the Govt to go for a two-week lockdown or curfew. In a statement, the Sri Lanka Medical Association (SLMA) along with the Govt Medical Officers Association, more..

May 21 (DM) More than 1,000 children said to have been infected with COVID-19 and the Pediatricians request the Govt to take necessary steps to vaccinate the children above 12 years of age. Lady Ridgeway Hospital for Children (LRH) Consultant Paediatrician Dr. Deepal Perera said it is very important to vaccinate the children to protect them. At this juncture where the virus is spreading rapidly, it could spread quite easily among the children in the future. Therefore, we should take appropriate more..

May 21 (DM) Some private hospitals have completely violated Health Ministry guidelines when conducting PCR tests and exceeded their capacities without following Ministry procedures, NOCPCO said. This was revealed during a discussion held yesterday by Army Commander and Head of NOCPCO General Shavendra Silva together with Director General of Health Services Dr Asela Gunawardena with private sector health authorities yesterday. more..

May 21 (FT) SL�s health sector is unwell, its vital functions deteriorating putrefied by corruption, political power-play and negligence. Governance is all but dead within. COVID-19 has done little or nothing to manifest this state of failure. Instead, the pandemic has served as a facade for protagonists with ulterior motives to consolidate their end. This report examines the local pharmaceutical manufacturing industry; a sector laid to more..

May 21 (Island) 21st May 2021 � The ceremonial auction of Wisdom in the Leaf in March 2021 brought the now silent Colombo tea auction room alive with tea growers, brokers and buyers united in their support for the sustainable future of Ceylon Tea. A part of Dilmah Tea�s History of Ceylon Tea initiative, the book is a compendium of the knowledge of veteran SL planters. Its objective is to record centuries of combined expertise as a guide for present and future planters. more..

May 21 (TM) MPs of the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) had yesterday abstained from voting on the Port City Economic Commission Bill due to a neutral stance adopted by the party. �They did not want to commit themselves to a firm vote as there are a lot of development aspects related to this Bill,� Hilmy Ahamed, Vice President of the Muslim Council of Sri Lanka (MCSL) said. However, Ahamed stressed that Bill would have been much better with a few more amendments. more..

May 22 (CT) The recent escalation of violence in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank has shifted much of the world�s attention to the Israel-Palestine conflict. Once again, the decades-old unrest was rekindled by territorial disputes that spiralled into massive demonstrations by Palestinians in the West Banks and relentless rocket attacks by the likes of Hamas and the Islamic Jihad. Exhilarating news footage showed the rocket barrage being neutralised over Israeli cities thanks to their sophisticated more..

May 22 (DM) There are so many theories about the defeat of the LTTE 12 years ago by the armed forces. Yet, almost all of them seem to be subjective, politicized and aimed at glorifying one or the other stakeholder of the victory against the Tamil Tigers, sidelining others who played a similar or larger role during the war. In fact, it was not only those who led the fight against the LTTE who had to be credited to the outfit�s defeat, but the rebels themselves immensely contributed to dig their own grave. more..

May 22 (DM) Former Indian PM Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated 30 years ago by the LTTE at a place called Sriperumbhudur in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu on May 21st 1991. Rajiv Ratna Gandhi who was India�s PM from 31st Oct 1984 to December 2nd 1989 was not serving as premier at the time of his demise.. An election campaign was underway then to elect a new Lok Sabha or Parliament. more..

May 22 (DM) Govt this time imposed inter-provincial travel from May 11, while continuing with selective isolation of Grama Niladhari and police divisions despite pressure from Colombo middleclass to have a countrywide total lockdown. Govt also slapped heavy restrictions on individual movements, laying conditions on festivals and funerals and for people leaving home. The whole scheme finally smacks of total lockdown without curfew, but without the term lockdown used anytime. more..

May 22 (DM) Migrant worker departures reducing over the past year has caused some concerns for the Govt of Sri Lanka (GoSL) and foreign employment agencies. It�s caused due to the global pandemic, but more than the health concerns the authorities here must consider the agony they�ll experience when scaling down to a lower level of living. As many as 40,000 SL migrant workers were repatriated due to job losses. The worst hit are those fitting into the skilled labour class. more..

May 22 (DM) The influx of COVID cases in Sri Lanka has prompted authorities to setup new facilities to accommodate patients with as much facilities as possible. During the initial COVID wave people who had to be quarantined were sent to areas as far as Polonnaruwa and Batticaloa. When space was running out, the SL Army converted the controversial Batticaloa Campus as one of the Intermediate Care Centres (ICC). more..

May 22 (TM) The past few weeks following the Sinhala and Tamil New Year saw several adverse developments as far as the prevailing Covid-19 situation is concerned, and the people have started questioning their safety and certain aspects of the country�s Covid-19 management efforts. The country is going through a trying time, and it is such times that put the rulers to the test. However, after what is described in certain quarters as the third wave of the Covid-19 pandemic broke out, more..

May 22 (Island) It is said that victory has a thousand fathers but defeat is an orphan. This must have come to mind when one watched Wednesday�s low-key ceremony to mark the 12th anniversary of the defeat of terrorism. Everyone wants to share the credit for the country�s war victory, but nobody claims responsibility for the Easter Sunday tragedy, which could have been prevented. The aforesaid saying also applies to draft bills presented to the Parliament of Sri Lanka. more..

May 22 (Island) It never rains, but it pours. While the Covid-19 pandemic is spreading fast and carrying off several thousands of people daily, the cyclone season has turned extremely active in India, which has had its fair share of crises. Natural disasters will worsen the prevailing health crisis. SL is also likely to find itself in a similar predicament in case of floods and other such natural disasters due to torrential rains. As if the pandemic and cyclones were not enough, India now has two other more..

May 22 (CT) Thank you Honorable presiding member, for the opportunity to speak on this Bill. But before I commence my comments on the Bill itself I must place on record our protest at having this debate at a time like this, when there is a third wave of Covid-19; when many experts have publicly declared that the alert level should be level � 4 and not level � 3. Prof. Malik Peiris and Prof. Kamini Mendis have jointly issued a statement to the public. Govt has failed to adhere to professional more..

May 22 (CT) The 12th National War Heroes Celebration was held on Wednesday evening at the Parliament grounds under the patronage of Prez Rajapaksa and PM Rajapaksa. During the ceremony, the fallen Soldiers from the Army, Navy, Air Force, Police and Civil Defence Force, especially those who died in Sri Lanka�s war against terrorism, were honoured for their courage and service to the nation. more..

May 22 (FT) Consequent to the official visit of the Ambassador of SL in the Russian Federation and his delegation to the Republic of Belarus in December 2020, bilateral relations between Sri Lanka and Belarus has been intensifying in every field, particularly in trade and investment. The Embassy has been organising a series of activities promoting Sri Lanka in Belarus. In this regard the Embassy in collaboration with SL Export Development Board and Belarus Chamber of Commerce and more..

May 22 (CT) In most of the developing countries we could see politicians are kept on pedestals like demigods. SL is one of those countries. People have seen pictures of people, sometimes high officials, worshiping them as they have seen a religious leader. They forget that those politicians are in those positions because of the votes given by them, in other words the people of the country. As soon as their tenure is over they become normal citizens. So what is the necessity for such humorous more..

May 22 (CT) SL�s Olympic dream in the Women�s 800m faded as prime contestant Dilshi Kumarasinghe was unable to continue after the 300m mark due to a hamstring injury at the National Athletics Championship Stage 1 held yesterday at Sugathadasa Stadium. Sri Lanka Athletics (SLA) decided at the last minute to conduct the National Championship on Friday, mainly with the intention of giving a chance to the 800m runners to more..

May 22 (Island) Opening batsman Danushka Gunatilleke who has been only given a category �D� contract, the lowest tier, is doing himself no favours by failing another fitness test in Dhaka on Thursday. The left-handed batsman has been a prolific run scorer in the shorter formats of the game, but his poor fitness levels has landed him in trouble. Gunatilleke is eligible to play the three match series in Bangladesh but on his return home, he�s got to do a second fitness test and will be ineligible for more..

May 22 (FT) Considering the current pandemic situation in the country, Board of Investment of SL Chairman Sanjaya Mohottala has requested all factory administrations to ensure maximum safety of the staff in compliance with health guidelines during factory operations. He stated that safety of the workers and the future of the production and exports should be taken into deep consideration at this critical juncture. The BOI Chairman said that most of the factories deserved commendation as more..

May 22 (FT) The Govt yesterday urged international and local companies to invest in the Colombo Port City, taking advantage of Sri Lanka�s strategic location, improving business climate and incentives on offer. Following the approval of the Colombo Port City Economic Commission Bill by an overwhelming majority on Thursday, several Govt Ministers and MPs yesterday spoke of the potential benefits of more..

May 22 (FT) The bearish run at the Colombo stock market persisted yesterday as both indices dipped sharply despite improved turnover. The All Share Price and the S&PSL 20 indices lost 1% each. A high 234.7 million shares were traded up by 101% whilst turnover was Rs. 2.2 billion up from Rs. 1.3 billion Thursday. During the week, the ASPI lost 0.10%, while S&P SL20 gained 1.07%, recording an average daily turnover of Rs. 2.26 billion according to NDB Securities. more..

May 22 (TM) Strong revenue and profit growth in the fourth quarter at both Group and Company level have enabled Teejay Lanka to significantly minimise the impact of the pandemic-affected first quarter on the Group�s full-year results and end 2020-21 on a resilient footing. SL�s top textile manufacturer has reported profit before tax of Rs 902.8 million at Group level for the three months ending 31st March 2021, reflecting growth of 67% over the corresponding quarter of the previous year, more..

May 22 (Island) 16-year-old Tharushi Karunaratne reached qualifying standards for the World Junior Athletics Championship to provide consolation as seniors struggled in wet weather conditions to get closer to Olympic qualifying standards during the first stage of the 99th National Athletics Championship at the Sugathadasas Stadium on Friday. Sri Lanka Athletics advanced the first stage of more..

May 22 (DN) Niroshan Dickwella and Kusal Mendis struck form in SL�s 40-over Intra-Squad practice match played at the Academy Ground in Dhaka, Bangladesh yesterday. This was SL�s only warm-up game ahead of the three-match ODI series against Bangladesh, which begins in Dhaka on Sunday. Wicket-keeper opening batsman Dickwella struck an unbeaten 88 after Team �B� Captain Kusal Mendis had won the toss and elected to bat first. Middle order batsman Mendis then hammered a 69 more..