Jan 5 (DM) The vaccination drive for children between 12-15 years will kick off from January 7, Health Minister Keheliya Rambukwella said. He invited parents to send their children to get the vaccine as there was no reason to be scared of receiving the vaccine. They will be vaccinated with the Pfizer vaccine and the vaccination drive is to be carried out at all hospitals and MOH offices. The vaccination drive for healthy children in the age group from 16 to 19 commenced in last Oct. more..

Jan 5 (FT) There were several responses to the proposals made by the National Movement for Social Justice (NMSJ) on constitutional reform. Many of them were quite constructive. One critic was unaware of a country that changed its form of govt from presidential to parliamentary. One does not have to look far for examples; it happened in South Asia itself several times. Both India and Pakistan inherited a parliamentary form of govt at independence. more..

Jan 5 (EN) SL�s main stock index has gained 7% in the first three days of 2022 as it breached the previous all time high on a daily basis with investors betting on risky assets in the wake of rising inflation and negative returns for fixed deposits. The main All Share Price Index (ASPI) has gained 850.9 points in the first three days including a record single day point gain of 399.81 on Tuesday. It surpassed its previous day record high on all three days with investors flocking into the risky assets more..

Jan 5 (FT) Every economy in the world, may it be developed or developing, is a topic for discussion today. Some economies are being discussed for their achievements, sound management, good governance, high growth, overcoming crisis and other positivity. Other economies are being discussed for opposite reasons. Sri Lankan economy drifted gradually from former category to the latter while its peers moved in the other direction. Current govt accelerated process. more..

Jan 5 (FT) The 2015 presidential election; as analysts and astrologers proclaimed and predicted a Mahinda Rajapaksa victory, a beggar in Galle made a bet that the winner will be Maithripala Sirisena. At the 2010 presidential election, the beggar had voted for Mahinda Rajapaksa. In the after years, whenever President Rajapaksa, Defence Secretary Rajapaksa or MP Rajapaksa was scheduled to go by, the police would forcibly more..

Jan 5 (FT) With fuel prices at the pump increasing and commodities set to take another bump, PickMe says it is vital not to take our eyes off the ball. �Despite all shortcomings, the wheels of the economy must not stop turning,� says PickMe CEO Zulfer Jiffry. The company has increased incentives to their driver partners in order to stay focused and strengthen their service offering as they are seeing an increase in demand for their services. The PickMe CEO says, more..

Jan 5 (EN) Former health minister Rajitha Senaratne has tested positive for COVID-19, a health official confirmed. The Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) parliamentarian has been directed to home quarantine where he will be receiving treatment as needed though he is currently asymptomatic, the official said. Close contact of Seneratne have also been directed to home quarantine. So far, 32 MPs in Sri Lanka have contracted the virus since the onset of the pandemic. more..

Jan 5 (CI) SL batter Bhanuka Rajapaksa, 30, has announced his intention to retire from international cricket. He handed in a letter of resignation to Sri Lanka Cricket, citing familial obligations. Rajapaksa for his part is yet speak on the matter. "I have very carefully considered my position as a player, husband and am taking this decision looking forward to fatherhood and associated familial obligations," more..

Jan 5 (AD) The six youths who were arrested in connection with the murder of a teenager following a dispute over a TikTok video have been remanded until Jan 7. The suspects were produced before the Colombo Additional Magistrate earlier today. A 17-year-old was stabbed to death at Madampitiya in Grandpass on Monday evening by a group of youths known to him. The teenager and two of his friends had been travelling along the Wellampitiya Road heading towards Randiya Uyana Housing more..

Jan 5 (DM) As SL migrant workers flock to informal remittance channels with the growing gap between the official exchange rate and black and grey market exchange rates, Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva urged the govt to offer Rs.240 per US dollar for their remittances. �This is the best available solution for the current foreign exchange crisis. If we fail to provide the market rate for US dollars remitted by our migrant workers, they could get used to informal Undiyal money transferring system. more..

Jan 5 (FT) SJB MP S.M. Marikkar questioned why the Govt let people suffer for months without offering a relief package at the time of the Budget 2022 presentation when it could have. He said that Minister Basil Rajapaksa, before unveiling the Budget 2022 in Nov last year, said that the Govt's and the country's finances weren�t sound; hence, the Budget cannot offer anything, but the people have to give back in terms of more..

Jan 5 (Island) Plans are afoot to go for 300MW of emergency power purchases shortly, but some engineers say that most of the privately owned plants are without sufficient fuel stocks. They said they were not for power purchases, but the CEB had no other way of meeting the impending power shortfall. Energy Consultant Kanga Gnana said that one option was to accelerate the setting up of solar and wind power projects on an urgent project completion basis. more..

Jan 5 (Island) Environment Ministry would shortly launch a programme to cultivate 500 hectares of rubber for the first time to increase the forest cover here, Ministry Secretary Dr. Anil Jasinghe said. He said that he had had discussions with officials of the Ministry of Environment in that regard. Along with this initiative, plans were underway to develop five nature related tourist attractions here, he said. �In 2022 we have to work with a new vision. We must pay special attention more..

Jan 5 (AD) A suspect who was in remand custody in connection with the 2019 Easter Sunday terror attacks has died while receiving treatment at the Colombo National Hospital. The 42-year-old passed away last night, Borella Police has told the Colombo Chief Magistrate�s Court. The deceased hailed from the Kalmunai area. He was admitted to the prison hospital on November 23, 2021. He was later transferred to the Colombo National Hospital on December 05 for residential treatment. more..

Jan 5 (DM) There will definitely be a spike in the number of COVID-19 cases in the next couple of weeks, Public Health Inspectors' Union warned. PHIU Head Upul Rohana said the cases would increase due to the threat of Omicron and people's negligent behaviour during holiday season. "The Omicron cases are being detected from multiple areas across the country posing a massive threat to the whole island," he pointed out. On the other hand, Rohana said the general public seemed more..

Jan 5 (Island) Former Minister D.E.W. Gunasekera says dissident ministers, Vasudeva Nanayakkara, Wimal Weerawansa and Udaya Gammanpila, are right in having thrown their weight behind those who petitioned the Supreme Court against the signing of the sale and purchase agreement for the purchase of 40% of the issued share capital of West Coast Power (Pvt) Ltd. Seller SL and buyer New Fortress Energy more..

Jan 5 (FT) The Govt this week took a further step towards boosting renewable energy supply via a program promoting installation of Battery Energy Storage Battery Systems for rooftop solar systems. The move is part of the Govt�s policy decision to generate 70% of the electricity requirement from renewable energy sources by 2030 and to zero carbon emissions by 2050. At present, about 400 MW of the country's power grid is being supplied by rooftop solar systems. more..

Jan 5 (AD) Director-General of Health Services has granted the approval to the Education Ministry to normalize academic activities at all schools from Grade 01 to 13 starting from Monday (10). All govt schools and govt-approved schools were reopened on Jan 3 for academic activities after term holidays which commenced on Dec 23. The authorities had decided to limit the 2021 year-end school holidays to just 10 days as the country�s schools had remained closed for around 6 months amidst more..

Jan 5 (TM) SL Govt Officers� Trade Union Association (SLGOTUA), which recently warned that they would launch a series of long-term trade union actions this month in protest over the Govt�s failure to increase the public servants salaries as a solution to the rising cost of living, will not engage in the said trade union actions since the Govt has decided to award a Rs. 5,000 special allowance to all public sector employees, more..

Jan 5 (DM) Prez Rajapaksa is likely to appoint a Cabinet-level negotiation committee to hold discussions with friendly countries seeking financial assistance ahead of the country�s external debt repayments this year. Based on a proposal presented by Finance Minister Basil Rajapaksa, Minister Dullas Alahapperuma yesterday said the Cabinet of Ministers has agreed to appoint a ministerial negotiation committee to engage in negotiations with friendly countries of SL and more..

Jan 5 (TM) In a bid to resolve the salary anomalies in the field of education, Cabinet of Ministers has approved the proposals made by Education Minister Dinesh Gunawardena to amend the Public Administration Circular 03/2016 to introduce salary scales for the teacher advisor service and to eliminate salary anomalies in the teachers� and principals� services, according to Co-Cabinet Spokesman Dr. Ramesh Pathirana. In 2018, Education Ministry had submitted a proposal more..

Jan 5 (TM) Minister Udaya Gammanpila said yesterdaythat the Trincomalee Oil Tank Development Complex Project was approved by the Cabinet of Ministers on Monday (3) and that the agreement pertaining to this development will be signed with India within a week. �The initial agreement in 1987 with India was for India and SL to develop and maintain the tanks together. In 2003, 99 tanks were leased to India for 35 years. more..

Jan 5 (Hindu) A SL court in the northern Mannar district on Wednesday ordered the release of 13 Indian fishermen from Tamil Nadu who were in custody following arrest on charges of illegal fishing. �Happy to learn from our lawyer in Mannar that 13 Indian fishermen from TN are being released,� Indian HC said in a tweet on Wednesday. �Soon after the Court verdict, our official from @CGJaffna [Indian Consulate in Jaffna] met with the Indian fishermen and offered sweets. more..

Jan 5 (Island) Secretary to the Ministry of Education, Prof. Kapila Perera says the GCE AL exam will be held from 7 Feb. He said the decision had been arrived at following discussions with all stake holders. Prof. Perera said that usually students sat the exam after facing six term tests, but this time around they will sit the examination after facing only a single test. �These are not normal circumstances. Before making decisions on holding the exams, we met groups that represent students. more..

Jan 5 (CT) Immigration and Emigration Dept, in 2021, has issued well over 100,000 passports than the number issued in 2020. According to the Immigration Controller�s Office, 380,230 new passports were issued in 2021, up from 207,695 in 2020. Meanwhile, there are 10,576 foreigners working in SL, with 4,726 being Indians and 3,576 Chinese. In addition, SLBFE said that an increase of over 100,000 migrant workers departing for more..

Jan 5 (TM) Minister Udaya Gammanpila said that despite speculations by various parties that the provision of an economic relief package on Monday (3) is a sign that the Provincial Councils (PCs) Elections will be held soon, there have been no such discussions within the Govt. �People have misinterpreted the relief packages that were announced by the Govt as being that the Govt is hoping to hold the Provincial Councils Elections soon and hence the relief packages. more..

Jan 5 (TM) Although Minister of Agriculture Mahindananda Aluthgamage has stated that only farmers who have used the four types of fertilisers provided by the Govt will be compensated for crop damage-related losses, the farmers alleged that no official has come and inquired as to whether the farmers are using the fertilisers given by the Govt. Farmers in the Jayanthipura area in Polonnaruwa staged a protest yesterday (4) against the statement made by Aluthgamage. more..

Jan 6 (DM) Despite several countries including India scaling down or cancelling their New Year celebrations in the face of the fast-spreading Omicron viral infection; thousands of Sri Lankans, having thrown the much publicized health guidelines to the wind, were seen dancing and dining their cares away at the Galle Face Green, 5-star hotels and at parks and roadsides to herald the New Year with a bang and a blast of good cheer. We are six days into the New Year and despite more..

Jan 6 (DM) Two weeks ago, I dwelled on the grief and anxiety experienced by our nation (One Country, One Law in an aggrieved and anxious nation), pointing out that all communities, religious or ethnic included, consider themselves wronged and consequently are aggrieved and anxious. Last week�s piece is an elaboration of sorts; I focused on the notion of belonging and how the majority community has by and large failed to address this issue, in particular sense of not belonging more..

Jan 6 (FT) A solemn, low-key memorial event was held in Trincomalee town on Sunday, 2 January. Relatives and friends laid flowers and lit candles and lamps in memory of five Tamil youths killed in Trincomalee town on 2 Jan 2006. The incident that happened 16 years ago for which justice was not done is widely known among human rights circles as the �Trinco 5� case of SL. It is regarded as an emblematic case of impunity. more..

Jan 6 (CT) A controversial High Court Judge lambasted Attorney General Sanjay Rajaratnam in open court last week, calling him a �spineless coward� in what witnesses said was a major breach of judicial protocol and discipline. Colombo Telegraph learns that the High Court judge was directing his ire at the Attorney General over Rajaratnam�s refusal to transfer a State Counsel of the Attorney General�s Department out of the Colombo High Court at Thotawatte�s demand. more..

Jan 6 (DM) This may not be the way to begin a new year! However, even a token sense of optimism seems increasingly out of touch with the existential reality of the country. If there is any time in recent history that Sri Lanka so knowingly and stubbornly walks along the path to oblivion, this is it. The ever-worsening economic crisis caused by the depleting foreign reserves against a mountain of outstanding foreign debt payment is by far the greatest worry. However, the continuous mismanagement more..

Jan 6 (TM) Eureka! Our Energy Minister Udaya Gammanpila gave a heroic explanation on television, that he had managed to regain the ownership or possession of the Trinco Oil Tank Farm. He explained that he intends on giving 24 tanks to the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC), extending the purported 35-year lease (said to be ending in 2038) of 14 tanks to the Lanka Indian Oil Corporation (LIOC) for another 50 years, more..

Jan 6 (CT) This week SL�s Covid deaths passed the 15,000 mark with over 365 cases reported on Monday, making a total of 8,091 cases. The country�s vaccination drive is well beyond par with over 63% of the population fully vaccinated; thanks to health authorities and Tri-Forces running efficient vaccination centres and the public taking immunisation efforts seriously. But as the Delta surge of mid-2021 started to wane, the world woke up to a rude surprise in November when more..

Jan 6 (TM) The spate of removals of public officials Sri Lanka saw during the past few months has now reached a new, different level, and politicians, although seen as untouchable, are not really safe. On 4 January, senior politician Susil Premajayantha was sacked from his position as Education Reforms, Open Universities, and Distance Learning Promotion State Minister, allegedly due to certain comments he had made against the Govt�s policies and certain members of the Govt. more..

Jan 6 (CT) What was most conspicuous on the street-walls of Prague during the invasion was one stark expression of the resilience of the people of Prague: �Do not touch a hair of their head, do not give them a drop of water�. Against a brutally suppressive military force as was the Warsaw pact-led invasion, such a slogan painted on the walls of Prague might have appeared, if not na�ve, utterly ridiculous. Yet the very words and their collective connotation and their vicarious message more..